February 12, 2026 at 6:30 pm
Discover the bold maneuver that changed the course of the Civil War in The Crossing of the James and Grant’s First Petersburg Offensive. Author and historian A. Wilson Greens explores how Ulysses S. Grant’s daring river crossing in June 1864 set the stage for the long and grueling siege of Petersburg. Through vivid storytelling and historical insight, the talk brings to life the strategic brilliance, human endurance, and high stakes of this pivotal campaign. Join us to retrace Grant’s decisive moves and understand how they reshaped the final year of the war.
A. Wilson Greene is a well-respected historian and author, renowned for his extensive scholarship on the Civil War and a forty-four-year career in public history. He served as a National Park Service historian and was the founding director of the Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Virginia. Greene holds degrees from Florida State University and Louisiana State University, having studied under noted historian T. Harry Williams. Mr. Greene is one of the founders of the Civil War Battlefield Trust, the predecessor of the American Battlefield Trust. He is the author of multiple acclaimed books, including the ongoing trilogy A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg, and remains active as a lecturer and battlefield tour leader. He and his wife, Maggie, live in Walden, TN, just outside of Chattanooga.
