My name is Jacob Phillips. I graduated from the University of Virginia last May and spent the summer working as a Nau Center intern at Manassas National Battlefield Park, the site of the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Manassas is the third National Park that I have worked at for the Nau Center. In previous years, I interned at Fredericksburg and Antietam. As with my previous internships, working at Manassas made for a wonderful summer.

My name is Arden Trudeau. I am a third-year student at the University of Virginia, double-majoring in History and Economics with a minor in Leadership & Public Policy. This summer, I had the honor of representing UVA and the Nau Center at Manassas National Battlefield Park. I spent my days giving tours of the battlefield, helping visitors at the front desk, and learning from the park rangers, seasoned volunteers, and other interns. It was an incredible experience.

My name is Owen Leshner, and I am a third-year student at the University of Virginia majoring in History as part of the Distinguished Majors Program. My desire to pursue this internship opportunity came from my experience in Professor Varon and Professor Janney’s classes on 19th-century American history. My time in these classes, learning about the rising tensions preceding the Civil War with Professor Varon and the war itself with Professor Janney, was the academic highlight of my second year, and I knew that I wanted to continue to study 19th-century American history. 

My name is Jack Cunningham, and I am a 4th-year undergraduate student studying History at the University of Virginia. This summer, I had the great privilege of working as a cultural resources intern at Shenandoah National Park through the University of Virginia’s Nau Center. While many visitors know Shenandoah for its stunning views from Skyline Drive, my internship focused on uncovering and preserving the stories of the people who inhabited and shaped this landscape long before the park’s founding in 1935. 

My name is Mackenna Caruso, and I am a fourth-year student here at UVA studying Government along with Global Security and Justice. I spent the summer as a Nau Center intern at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (FredSpot). When I first learned about this internship, I was unsure of what it would be like studying and interpreting the Civil War for three months. I had only explored this history on my own, and I had little classroom experience. I could not have been more pleasantly surprised.

My name is Nick Love, and I am a fourth year History major at UVA. Once again, I had the privilege of working as a Nau Center intern at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park this summer, and I could not wait to get back. Appomattox is a place where history is alive in the landscape, the buildings, and the people who care for them. Walking through the park feels like stepping back into the past—the scenery is bucolic, quiet, and full of reminders that the end of one of America’s greatest conflicts happened here.

My name is Thomas Davies, and I am a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia studying Political Philosophy, Policy & Law with a double major in History. I had the honor and pleasure of spending this summer as a Nau Center intern at Antietam National Battlefield. I’ve loved studying history since maybe third grade and always wanted to be a tour guide of some sort. I was able to have that experience at Antietam, educating visitors and learning more myself.

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 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.

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.