About This Site

The Essential Civil War Curriculum was created by JLD (Laurie) Woodruff under the auspices of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech.

As the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War approached, Woodruff saw the need for a source of trustworthy information, vetted by experts in the field, on key topics in Civil War history. In conjunction with Virginia Tech historians James I. “Bud” Robertson, Jr., and William C. “Jack” Davis, Woodruff conceived of the Essential Civil War Curriculum. By 2026, the ECWC website contained more than 325 essays, authored by leading historians, and accompanied by links to additional resources.

Throughout, Woodruff led the project as Executive Director and Editor. Peer review and professional advice was provided by James I. “Bud” Robertson, Jr., William C. “Jack” Davis, and Paul Quigley—the three Virginia Tech historians who have directed of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies since its inception in 1999—and Michael E. Woods, a professor of history at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

About the Center for Civil War Studies

https://civilwar.vt.edu/about.html 

In 2000, William C. “Jack” Davis came to Virginia Tech to serve as the Center’s Director of Programs. Together, they expanded the Center’s offerings to include a great range of programs, including lectures, digital learning projects, book series, documentaries, and graduate scholarships.

 

People

Click here to meet the people behind the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies and to contact the director, Dr. Paul Quigley.

https://civilwar.vt.edu/about.html

Other Programs and Projects

https://civilwar.vt.edu/programs.html

Postdoctoral Fellowship

https://civilwar.vt.edu/grants/postdoctoralfellowship.html

 

The Virginia Center for Civil War Studies sponsors a postdoctoral fellowship to support the professional development of a recent PhD. Click here to meet our current Postdoctoral Fellow and find out about the position.

Research Grants

https://civilwar.vt.edu/grants/researchgrants1.html

The Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, in conjunction with Virginia Tech's Special Collections, offers research grants providing honoraria to enable researchers to visit Special Collections and conduct Civil War-related research. Learn more about our research grant recipients and their interests here.

Events

https://civilwar.vt.edu/events.html

Interested in joining the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at our public outreach events? Follow this link to learn about past events and what is coming up next at the Center and in your area.

Donate

https://civilwar.vt.edu/donate.html

Would you like to ensure that the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies can keep providing opportunities for the teaching, scholarship, and public dissemination of Civil War history? Click here for information on donating to the VCCWS, which could not exist without donors like you!

Quality Control and Peer Review

The site content is subject to rigorous quality control with all essays and resources peer reviewed by a member of our Board of Historians who are among today's foremost Civil War scholars:

Professor Paul Quigley	Virginia Tech
Professor Michael E. Woods	University of Tennessee at Knoxville