BRATTLEBORO — Acclaimed Civil War historian James M. McPherson will discuss how peace negotiations foundered during the war in a talk at Brooks Memorial Library on Oct. 6.
His talk, “No Peace without Victory: The Failure of Peace Negotiations in the Civil War,” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council's First Wednesdays lecture series and takes place at 7 p.m.
By 1863, the Civil War's casualties had produced a widespread desire for peace. But how was it to be attained? McPherson will examine two major efforts to end the war through negotiations.
Widely considered one of the preeminent Civil War historians living today, McPherson is the author of Battle Cry of Freedom (1988), a book that helped spark a national renewal of interest in the Civil War, and for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. He is a past president of the American Historical Association and is the Henry Davis '86 Professor Emeritus of U.S. History at Princeton University. His most recent book is Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief.
Upcoming Brattleboro talks include “Dr. Seuss Goes to War” with UMass-Amherst Professor Emeritus Richard Minear on Nov. 3; “The History of Herbal Medicine in America” with author and expert herbalist Rosemary Gladstar on Dec. 1; and “The Impossible Presidency and Obama's Chance for Greatness” with UVM professor Frank Bryan on Jan. 5.
The Vermont Humanities Council's First Wednesdays series is held on the first Wednesday of every month from October through May, featuring speakers of national and regional renown. The program is free, accessible to people with disabilities and open to the public.
The Vermont Department of Libraries is the statewide underwriter of First Wednesdays. Brooks Memorial Library is sponsored by Brattleboro Savings & Loan and Friends of Brooks Memorial Library.
For more information, contact Brooks Memorial Library at 802-254-5290 or [email protected]. For all library events, see the library's calendar at www.brooks.lib.vt.us.