On February 24, 2017, William C. Davis, professor emeritus from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, gave a public lecture at the University of Virginia titled, “Looking for Loreta: A Confederate ‘Heroine’s’ Self-made Myth.” The talk discussed some of his findings in his recent book Inventing Loreta Velasquez: Confederate Soldier Impersonator, Media Celebrity, and Con Artist (Southern Illinois University Press, 2016). The event was sponsored by the Nau Center and we thank everyone, especially the many UVA undergraduates, who came and filled the room for a Friday afternoon lecture.
With the help of Sean McCord, AV & IT Systems Engineer for the Small Special Collections Library at UVA, we are happy to make an audio recording of Professor Davis's talk available to those who could not attend.