Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 04-06-96
      Contact:                           Shanna Sissom Labourdette

NATIONAL HISTORIANS TO REVISIT CIVIL WAR AT SYMPOSIUM 
     HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University's Department of History and
Government will host the annual Deep Delta Civil War Symposium May 31-June 2 at the Student
Union Theater.
     Focusing on both little-known and highly-publicized events of the Civil War, this year's
conference is entitled "Decisive Events and Peculiar Occurrences." The Confederate debate
concerning arming slaves, an observation of the C.S.S. Hunley (the first operational submarine),
an analysis of blockade running, and the Louisiana Tigers at Spotsylvania are included among the
12 discussion topics.  
     Initiated in 1986, the symposium promotes historical awareness in a region deeply affected
by events of the Civil War. Some of the nation's most prominent Civil War scholars have
participated in past symposiums  and this year is no exception. A dozen papers will be presented
by regional historians as well as scholars from New Jersey, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Arkansas,
and Georgia.
     Distinguished scholars attending the event include Stephen Wise, director of marine
archaeology for the United States Marine Corps; John Simon, executive director of the Ulysses S.
Grant Association; Edwin Bearss,  former chief of the National Park Service; Craig Symonds,
United States Naval Academy professor; and William Still, research professor at the University of 
Hawaii.
     Visitors may attend the entire program or individual sessions. Cocktail parties are
scheduled for the evenings, offering visitors a chance to discuss and critique topics with the
scholars.   A book fair will feature the most current books of Civil War history. Lunch and dinner
will be optional for all guests.
     Reservations can be made by writing the Deep Delta Civil War Symposium, SLU 590, 
Hammond, La. 70402. For additional information, call 549-2106 or 386-4476. 
                                  -SLU-


                                                            
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