The 40th Annual Historical Studies Conference, scheduled from Nov. 14 to 17, includes lectures and panel discussions of interest to Civil War enthusiasts. Extremely well planned with morning to night presentations, the conference is a true bargain at $20.

On Thursday, the first event for the “Marching on Washington” conference will be held at George Washington University where Northwestern University associate professor of history Kate Masur will speak on “Black Politics in Civil War Washington: What Spielberg’s Lincoln Didn’t Tell You.”...