The Art of Command in the Civil War
The Virginia Piedmont Area's Annual Civil War Conference: Where the Historic Landscape, Preservation, Civil War Expertise, and Friendship Come Together for an Invaluable Weekend Escape
Middleburg Community Center
Click here to register for the 2025 Art of Command Conference.
Since 1998, we have offered an annual three-day conference examining the Civil War in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania through the lens of leadership as well as historic preservation. VPHA brings vetted experts with links to both the leaders of the Civil War and the battlefields and landscapes on which their actions played out.
Meeting at the classically handsome Middleburg Community Center conference attendees are provided with eight provocative talks on the annual topic beginning the Friday night of the conference and ending with a panel discussion of historians on Saturday. Saturday’s talks are followed by an evening banquet. Sunday, the final day of the conference, several of the historians will take us by luxury bus into the field to walk the ground and note the preservation efforts involved as we go.
2025 Civil War Conference
Speakers and topics include:
Scott Patchan, “General Nathan Kimball - The Forgotten Soldier and the Victor at Kernstown”
Kevin Walker, "An Overview of the 1862 Valley Campaign and the Preservation Successes Achieved"
Dennis Frye, "Stonewall Stymied: Harpers Ferry in the Valley Campaign"
Gary Ecelbarger, "'It Would Change the Character of the War': Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee Oversee Jackson's Valley Campaign"
Robert Tanner, "The 24 Hours That Almost Wrecked the Valley Campaign
Jeffry Wert, "Old Jack and the Foot Cavalry in Fact and Memory"
Gary Ecelbarger, "Abraham Lincoln's Blunder: Lincoln's Costly Day at the Telegraph Office - May 24, 1862"
Scott Patchan, "Stonewall Strikes Back: Jackson's Resurgence and the Battle of McDowell"
Full registration includes Friday and Saturday talks, Saturday night dinner, and Sunday battlefield tour. Partial registration includes Friday and Saturday talks. Additional tickets to Saturday’s dinner are also available.
Civil War Conference on C-SPAN
2016 Civil War Conference, “Gettysburg: The Third Day, July 3, 1863”
John Archer, Culp’s Hill, July 3, 1863
Wayne Motts, The Union Defense of Cemetery Ridge
Eric Wittenberg, Cavalry at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863
2018 Civil War Conference, “The Maryland Campaign of 1862: The Battle of Antietam”
Keith Snyder, The Soldiers’ View of the Battle of Antietam
Dennis Frye, Antietam Shadows: Mystery, Myth, and Machination
2019 Civil War Conference, “To the Gates of Washington: Jubal Early’s 1864 Maryland Campaign”
Marc Leepson, Scaring Abe Lincoln Like Hell: An Overview of Jubal Early's Maryland Campaign
Scott Patchan, Shenandoah Summer: Early's Valley Campaign July 18 to August 8, 1864
2022 Civil War Conference, “The Battle of Second Manassas”
John Hennessy, Architects of Defeat: Pope and McDowell at Second Manassas
Kevin Pawlak, August 27th, 1862: A Critical Day in the Second Manassas Campaign
Dr. Allen Guelzo, The Unhappy Fate of General Fitz John Porter
Jim Burgess Changes to the Interpretation of the Second Manassas Battle over the Years
Conference Features
Conference Director Childs Burden
Program: Childs Burden, conference director, has superb connections with fine speakers. Co-founder of the Heritage Area and a longtime board member of the Civil War Trust, he has run the program with great heart since its very beginning. He has his finger on the pulse of conference topic and ensures we get the best experts to speak on it.
Opportunities: The conference offers you a superb opportunity to socialize and interact with the conference historians.
Location: Middleburg, Virginia is located in the heart of some of the best preserved 19th century landscapes in the region. This lovely region features superb accommodations and dining. It is also an ideal location for day trips throughout northern Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. We are happy to help you find accommodations to suit your needs.
Food & Drink: In addition to scheduled meals, a wide variety of snacks and beverages are always available to conference attendees.
Books and Store: Through the services of Owens & Ramsey, Historical Booksellers of Richmond, Virginia, you'll find a superb collection of new and used Civil War books available for browsing. In addition, all of the speakers will sell and sign their own books.
Participants: Attendees come from all over the country, and their interests and personal knowledge add to the conference. Serious Civil War buffs as well as first-time attendees and those just beginning their historical journey are all welcome.
Civil War Conference Gallery
Mouse over the images below for descriptions.
Previous Civil War Conference Topics
2001— Robert E. Lee and His Lieutenants
2002—The 1864 Overland Campaign
2003—Command and Control at Gettysburg
2004—The 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign
2005—The Generals and Their Presidents
2006—The Civil War in the Mosby Heritage Area
2007—The Second Manassas Campaign
2008—The Antietam Campaign
2009—The Valley Campaign of 1864
2010—The Fredericksburg Campaign
2011—Cavalry to the Field!
2012—The Chancellorsville Campaign
2013—Prelude to Gettysburg: The Armies Move North
2014—July 1, 1863: Gettysburg—The First Day
2015—July 2, 1863: Gettysburg—The Second Day
2016—July 3, 1863: Gettysburg—The Third Day
2017—The Maryland Campaign: The Battles of South Mountain and Harpers Ferry
2018—The Maryland Campaign: The Battle of Antietam
2019—To The Gates of Washington: Jubal Early’s 1864 Maryland Campaign
2021—The Prelude to Second Manassas
2022 — The Battle of Second Manassas
2023 — Grant Takes Command
2024 — Grant Takes Command, Part II
For more information or reservations, call the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area at 540-687-6681.
Note: The Conference on the Art of Command in the Civil War is always the first full weekend in October.