“Defenders, Occupiers and Raiders at Fort Pillow during the American Civil War” will be the topic of a presentation by Dr. John Cimprich here on Thursday, April 19.

The event, which will be held at 7 p.m. in Bruner Hall Auditorium, is our History Department’s spring Winchester Lecture topic.

Fort Pillow, located approximately 40 miles north of Memphis, is the site of a still controversial and disputed Confederate massacre of Union troops, many but not all of whom were black.

A history professor at Thomas More College since 1986, Cimprich specializes in race relations during the American Civil War period.

He has written a book and several articles about the Fort Pillow massacre and is working on a book about reformers and runaway slaves during the Civil War.

At Thomas More College, Cimprich has served as chairperson of both the history department and the humanities division. He has also long served as a chapter adviser for the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society, and after serving a term on its national council, Cimprich is now on its advisory board.

He has been involved with numerous public history projects, including serving as a consultant for the Fort Donelson National Battlefield.

Cimprich’s presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, call the History Department at 3332.