The 12th annual Civil War Seminar at Longwood University will be held all day Saturday, Feb. 26, in Jarman Auditorium.

This year's seminar, which is free and open to the public, is “The War Begins: 1861.” Presentations will examine such topics as “The Nation crosses the Rubicon: Fort Sumter 1861,” “First Manassas: Legends, Lies, and Misunderstandings,” “'He stood out from the great war canvas': Jeb Stuart,” and “Richmond Again Taken: Images of the Confederate Capital.”

Speakers include John Hennessy, chief historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park; Patrick Schroeder, historian at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park; and Mike Gorman, an expert on Civil War photography who operates a web site (www.mdgorman.com) called Civil War Richmond.

The first presentation will begin at 9:25 a.m. (doors open at 9) and the last one will end by 4:30 p.m. The seminar is sponsored by Appomattox Court House National Historical Park; Eastern National (which operates the bookstore there); and Longwood's Department of History, Political Science & Philosophy.

Parking is available on the Wheeler and Cox lots on Griffin Boulevard and the Randolph Street Lot behind Farmville United Methodist Church. Lunch is available in Dorrill Dining Hall. For more information, call Dr. David Coles at 395-2220 or Patrick Schroeder at (434) 352-8987, extension 32.