Join us for a variety of talks, walks, and activities to reflect on the events, people, and decisions that shaped this critical moment in American history.
All programs will be free and open to the public. Most programs are outdoors and some include walks through the battlefield. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water, bug spray, and sunscreen. Please note that the programs are in various locations.
For a detailed schedule of events visit go.nps.gov/overland-anniversary.
Highlights of this year’s anniversary programming include:
Friday, May 3, 2024
A Day at the Wilderness
Remember the Battle of the Wilderness with day-long programming at Ellwood and around the Wilderness Battlefield.
Remember the Battle of the Wilderness with day-long programming at Ellwood and around the Wilderness Battlefield.
Virtual Talk with Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust: “The Spring of 1864 and the Meaning of Civil War Death”
7 pm-7:45 pm
Dr. Faust is a professor, former president of Harvard, and author of six books including This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. This talk will draw on Dr. Faust’s expertise in Civil War memory and her examination of American cultural change around death in the Civil War. This event will be hosted on Microsoft Teams Live. For more information visit go.nps.gov/overland160-faust
7 pm-7:45 pm
Dr. Faust is a professor, former president of Harvard, and author of six books including This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. This talk will draw on Dr. Faust’s expertise in Civil War memory and her examination of American cultural change around death in the Civil War. This event will be hosted on Microsoft Teams Live. For more information visit go.nps.gov/overland160-faust
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Community Day at Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield
Join park staff for a day of family and community programming centered around the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House at the Bloody Angle. Programs will include pop-up tents, children’s activities, and two battlefield hikes. In the evening, join us in Fredericksburg on the Brompton grounds for a special program featuring University of Mary Washington professor Michael Spencer.
Community Day at Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield
Join park staff for a day of family and community programming centered around the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House at the Bloody Angle. Programs will include pop-up tents, children’s activities, and two battlefield hikes. In the evening, join us in Fredericksburg on the Brompton grounds for a special program featuring University of Mary Washington professor Michael Spencer.
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Reflections on the Overland Campaign
We will be wrapping up the weekend with a hike on the Spotsylvania Battlefield in the morning and a tour of Fredericksburg Civil War hospital sites in the afternoon.
Reflections on the Overland Campaign
We will be wrapping up the weekend with a hike on the Spotsylvania Battlefield in the morning and a tour of Fredericksburg Civil War hospital sites in the afternoon.
In addition, other May programming will focus on the 160th anniversary. Attend a virtual talk in partnership with Historic Germanna on Thursday, May 2. Join us on May 11, for a quieter, more reflective day at the Bloody Angle. And, on May 18, the 2024 History at Sunset programs will kick-off with a program at the Spotsylvania Battlefield.
