Skip to main content

Blog

  • “Oppression at the Hands of the Rebels,” Part Two: The UVA Post Office Controversy


    By: Elizabeth R. Varon
    Date:

    The Nau Center’s “Black Virginians in Blue” project is an ongoing effort to recover the lives of USCT veterans with roots in Albemarle County.  Recent discoveries have filled in the postwar life story of the Charlottesville Black community leader James T.S.

  • “Oppression At the Hands of the Rebels,” Part One: Virginia Unionists Petition Congress


    By: Elizabeth R. Varon
    Date:

    The Nau Center’s “Black Virginians in Blue” project is an ongoing effort to recover the lives of USCT veterans with roots in Albemarle County.  Recent discoveries have filled in the postwar life story of the Charlottesville Black community leader James T.S.

  • "The Fight is upon Us": Douglas Democrats Respond to Fort Sumter


    By: Ian T. Iverson
    Date:

    Over the course of the winter of 1860–61, a cohort of self-described conservatives waged a prolonged campaign to avert civil war in the aftermath of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent secession of seven Southern states. Among the leaders of this movement for peace was Lincoln’s longtime rival and defeated presidential candidate Stephen A. Douglas. Douglas’s Democratic Party had foundered on the shoals of sectionalism in the 1860 campaign, leading to rival Northern and Southern Democratic tickets and a decisive Republican victory in the electoral college.

  • A Journey of Self-Rediscovery: From Fredericksburg to the Grand Canyon


    By: Emma Ellsworth
    Date:

    My name is Emma Ellsworth, and I graduated in 2022 from the UVA Political and Social Thought Program with a minor in history. The History Department at UVA offered some of my favorite classes throughout college, particularly classes about the Civil War. In the summer of 2021, I had the opportunity to intern at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park through the Nau Center for Civil War History. My experience with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Nau Center internship has shaped both who I am and what I want to do in life.

  • Reflections from Shenandoah: Eric Willersdorf Discusses His Internship at Shenandoah National Park


    By: Eric Willersdorf
    Date:

    “This Park, together with its many sisters which are coming to completion in every part of our land, is in the largest sense a work of conservation. Through all of them we are preserving the beauty and the wealth of the hills and the mountains and the plains and the trees and the streams." - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Address at the Dedication of Shenandoah National Park, July 3, 1936

  • Reflections from Antietam: Jacob Phillips Discusses His Internship at Antietam National Battlefield


    By: Jacob Phillips
    Date:

    My name is Jacob Phillips, and I am a fourth-year distinguished major history student at the University of Virginia. For my Nau Center internship, I spent the summer at Antietam National Battlefield, working with its amazing interpretation staff and engaging with the public. My daily work consisted of interacting with visitors at the front desk, doing research to expand my understanding of the battle of Antietam and its consequences, and giving half-hour battlefield overviews in the park’s beautiful orientation room.

  • Reflections from Manassas: Nicholas Cutchins Discusses His Internship at Manassas National Battlefield Park


    By: Nicholas Cutchins
    Date:

    My name is Nicholas Cutchins, and I am a fourth-year history major at UVA with a concentration in War, Violence, and Society. After a successful Nau Center internship at Antietam National Battlefield last year, I knew that my Civil War history journey was just getting started. When I applied for summer internships this year, Manassas National Battlefield Park was easily top of my list, and I am very grateful that the staff there were willing to give me this opportunity.

  • Reflections from Fredericksburg: Jack Cunningham Discusses His Internship at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park


    By: Jack Cunningham
    Date:

    My name is Jack Cunningham, and I am a 3rd-year undergraduate student studying history at the University of Virginia. I had the honor of spending this past summer as a Nau Civil War Center intern at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. During my time as a representative of the Nau Center and UVA, I gained invaluable experience in historical research, public speaking, and engaging with the public, among many other things. 

  • Reflections from Appomattox: Nick Love Discusses His Internship at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park


    By: Nick Love
    Date:

    My name is Nick Love, and I am a fourth-year student pursuing a degree in history and a minor in political science. I had the honor and the privilege of spending my summer interning at Appomattox Court House National Historic Park in their Cultural Resources department. I will treasure the experiences I had, the knowledge I gained, and the people that I had the opportunity to meet. My time at the park just fueled my love of history, which I did not think was possible, and it provided me with a passion for protecting and preserving historical objects.

  • Reflections from Manassas: Taryn Tuttle Discusses Her Internship at Manassas National Battlefield Park


    By: Taryn Tuttle
    Date:

    My name is Taryn Tuttle, and I’m a third-year majoring in Government and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. I spent my summer interning at Manassas National Battlefield Park through the Nau Civil War Center. Over the course of the summer, I had the opportunity to develop new skills and polish others, engage in meaningful, perspective-shifting research, and make genuine connections.