Professor Lorien Foote of Texas A&M University will deliver our annual Crozer Lecture on Wednesday, October 26, at 5pm in the UVA Special Collections Library Auditorium. Her lecture will be titled "The Sternest Feature of War: The Ritual of Retaliation in the American Civil War." As Professor Foote explains, "commanders in every military campaign of the American Civil War used retaliation against prisoners of war. This lecture will describe the basic rules and established rituals of retaliation, and how these rules reflected three essential elements in the American conception of civilized war: restraint, the accumulated wisdom of centuries, and national honor."
The event is free and open to the public. Paid parking is available nearby at the Central Grounds Parking Garage located near the UVA bookstore.
Copies of Professor Foote's latest book, Rites of Retaliation: Civilization, Soldiers, and Campaigns in the American Civil War (UNC Press, 2021), will be available for purchase. There will be a chance to meet the author and have your book signed after the lecture concludes.