“A Convulsion at Appomattox: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and the Long History of Civil War Surrender” by Dr. David Silkenat

Join us April 9, 2025 on the 160th anniversary of the Surrender at Appomattox Court House for A Convulsion at Appomattox: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and the Long History of Civil War Surrender, a lecture by Dr. David Silkenat, the Richard J. Milbauer Chair in Southern History at the University of Florida. This will be a virtual lecture at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9.

For $10, join Dr. Gordon Blaine Steffey prior to the lecture at 5 p.m. in the Jessie Ball duPont Memorial Library for a reception and special viewing of archives and collections papers and objects related to the Surrender at Appomattox Court House and the new Robert E. Lee Special Collection. At 6 p.m. we will gather to view a livestream of A Convulsion at Appomattox with Dr. David Silkenat.

Dr. Silkenat is the author of several books, including most recently Scars on the Land: An Environmental History of Slavery in the American South (2022) and Raising the White Flag: How Surrender Defined the American Civil War (2019). He is a contributor to the Oxford Handbook of the American Civil War and the Cambridge History of the American Civil War and has been published regularly and widely in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Silkenat served as Chair of the Scottish Association for the Study of America (2018-22), on the executive committee of the Society of Civil War Historians, and on the editorial boards of The Journal of the Civil War Era and American Nineteenth Century History.

Before joining the University of Florida in the fall 2024, Dr. Silkenat was Professor of United States History at the University of Edinburgh (2013-2024) and Assistant Professor of History and Education at North Dakota State University (2008-2013). He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his doctorate from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

This is a virtual event with a special in-person viewing opportunity. Advance registration is required. The Zoom information will be shared prior to the event.

Reception, Special Viewing, and Livestream of Lecture with Dr. Gordon Blaine Steffey at Stratford Hall – $10
Virtual Lecture – $5

Register in advance: https://www.simpletix.com/e/a-convulsion-at-appomattox-robert-e-lee-u-tickets-205288