About this Event
On New Fields: The Civil War in Environmental Context
Everyone knows that the Civil War was fought outside. But this seemingly unremarkable fact reveals a lot about that great conflict, much more than might seem obvious. The discipline of environmental history studies the relationship between humans and nature over time, and since its inception it has contributed much to our understanding of American history. But most of those contributions have been about peacetime; only recently have environmental historians turned their sights on warfare. Until a decade ago, there were almost no environmental histories of the Civil War. But that has changed, and this talk will explore some of environmental history’s recent insights into the war and how it changed nature, human beings, and the links between them.
University of Georgia environmental historian Brian Allen Drake, editor of The Blue, the Gray, and the Green: Toward an Environmental History of the Civil War, will discuss how human violence toward one another also leaves an indelible mark on the land.
Doors open at 6:30PM and the talk begins at approximately 7PM. A cash bar and light refreshments will be available. Collectible framed artwork of Joshua Chamberlain and the Civil War will be on display and auctioned off during the event to raise funds for the museum.
