On Wednesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m., the Rowan Rifles Camp 405 Sons of Confederate Veterans will host North Carolina Road Scholar Michael C. Hardy. Hardy will present a program on his newest book, “The Capitals of the Confederacy.” The event will be in the Stanback Room at Rowan Public Library and is free to the public.

Every nation, no matter how brief its lifespan, has a capital. The Confederate States of America, over the course of four years, boasted no fewer than five capital cities, from the heady early days of the new country to the dismal last hours of a transient government. While some of these sites are commemorated with impressive monuments and museums, others offer scant evidence of their moment in the history of the War Between the States. Join award-winning historian Hardy as he recounts the history of the places that became capitals of the Confederacy: Montgomery, Richmond, Danville, Greensboro and Charlotte. Each played a role in the story of the Confederate government, a role that became woven into the history of that place and its people.

Hardy is a widely recognized Civil War historian and author. He was selected as the 2010-2011 North Carolina Historian of the Year by the North Carolina Society of Historians. This is his 18th book.

This project is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.