In an effort to highlight the diverse range of scholarship at the upcoming annual meeting, we’re featuring different sessions on the blog each week. 

Twenty-five years ago, American Civil War historian James McPherson published his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford University Press). McPherson’s text, now regarded as a standard read in university courses, integrates political, social, and military events to explain the causes and progression of the war. Praised for balancing narrative and analysis and attacked for challenging long-standing myths, Battle Cry’s influence on the historiography of the Civil War era is indisputable. 

This panel will bring together historians from all sides to critique McPherson’s work and discuss new trends and changes in Civil War scholarship. Among those on hand will be Lesley Gordon, editor of the journal Civil War History, and Judith Giesburg, celebrated scholar of women’s and social history. James McPherson will chair the panel and offer personal reflection on his work. 

See below for more information on the session and a link to the abstract. 

Session 76 

Time: Saturday, January 3, 2015: 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. 

Location: Murray Hill Suite B (New York Hilton, Second Floor) 

Chair: James McPherson, Princeton University 

 Panel: Judith Giesburg, Villanova University; Lesley Gordon, University of Akron; Michael Todd Landis, Tarleton State University; Daniel E. Sutherland, University of Arkansas