Noted Civil War civilian historian to speak at Manassas Battlefield Sept. 8

Manassas Battlefield Trust will host noted Civil War civilian historian Juanita Leisch for a free talk on “Armed with the Needles of Necessity” on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. The event will be held at The Theater @ Manassas National Battlefield Park Visitor Center, 6511 Sudley Rd., Manassas, VA 20109.

Leisch will focus on the Civil War experiences of women in Manassas and nearby Virginia counties during the Civil War using local women as specific examples, a news release said.

She will discuss the women’s impact on war efforts, and the War’s impact on their lives. In addition, she will show many photographs, engravings, and other images.

By way of biography, the Trust’s news release said Leisch is a researcher, writer, and collector of images, information and artifacts related to civilians and the Civil War.  She is native of Virginia, a Fellow and Governor in the Company of Military Historians, and a former Board member of the Society of Women and the Civil War.  Her books, An Introduction to Civil War Civilians and Who Wore What, each remained in print for 15 years and eight reprints. She and her husband, military historian Les Jensen, divide their time between homes in Shenandoah County, VA and Orange County, NY.

Donations will be gratefully accepted.