Lee-Jackson Day Speakers list

Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Emerging Civil War and the series editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series,  published by Savas Beatie. Chris is a writing professor in the Jandoli  School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY,  where he also serves as associate dean for undergraduate programs. Chris  is also historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge,  a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central  Virginia. He has worked as a historian for the National Park Service at  Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, where he gives  tours at four major Civil War battlefields (Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania), as well as at the  building where Stonewall Jackson died. 

Chris has authored or  co-authored nearly two dozen books and edited a half-dozen essay  collections on the Civil War, and his articles have appeared in all the  major Civil War magazines. Chris serves as vice president on the board  of directors for the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, he serves on the advisory board of the Civil War Roundtable Congress and the Brunswick (NC) Civil War Roundtable—the largest in the country. He is also a member of the Antietam Institute and the U. S. Grant Homestead Association. In 2023, he was honored with  the Houston Civil War Round Table’s Frank Vandiver Award and also  selected as the Copie Hill Fellow at the American Battlefield Trust. 

https://emergingcivilwar.com/contributor/chris-mackowski/

 During the Civil War Sesquicentennial from 2011 to 2015, Philip Leigh  wrote 24 articles about the era for the New York Times. Since then he  has written several books about the American Civil War and Reconstruction,  including “Trading With the Enemy,” “Lee’s Lost Dispatch,” “The  Confederacy at Flood Tide,” “U. S. Grant’s Failed Presidency,” and  “Southern Reconstruction.” He holds a B. S. degree in Electrical  Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology and an MBA from  Northwestern University’s Kellogg School.                             

Bill Potter is a reoccurring favorite speaker the event.   An experienced historian and avid bibliophile, Bill Potter combines a  lifelong study of American history with an uncommon ability to captivate  audiences of all ages as he traces the providential acts of God  throughout the ages. Mr. Potter has taught history in high schools and  colleges, has led many tours of American and European historical sites  and brings to each event a wealth of experience and knowledge. An  experienced researcher and writer, Mr. Potter possesses a practical  knowledge of antiquarian books, documents, and artifacts and has  published several short books and has penned many articles and book  reviews for publication. Bill has earned a well-deserved reputation as a  man gifted in communicating the story of God’s providential hand in  American history. As a father of eight children, he appreciates the  necessity of passing on to the succeeding generations the richness of  both our regional and national history. He and his wife, Leslie, reside  in Virginia.