Pulitzer -prize winning author James McPherson headlines as one of three expert speakers at the upcoming “Flags Over Hatteras” Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration conference held by the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

As a part of the Aug. 25 – 27 event, McPherson presents “The Forgotten War: Coastal North Carolina, 1861-1865.”

“The capture of forts Hatteras and Clark by the Union Navy on August 28-29, 1861, constituted the first major Northern naval victory in the war,” said McPherson. “It put an end to blockade running through Hatteras Inlet and prepared the way for the Burnside expedition the following February that gained Union control of most of the North Carolina coast.”

McPherson won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, “Battle Cry of Freedom.”

“Although historians had been writing about the Civil War for decades, McPherson's book broke ground in combining the complexities of the war while maintaining the narrative that made it appealing to the American public.,” once wrote C. Vann Woodward, a mentor of McPherson’s.

McPherson is Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, where he started teaching in 1962. To date, he has published more than a dozen books, covering a range of Civil War-era subjects, such as abolition, Abraham Lincoln, and the Reconstruction.

“Knowing the value of place and memory in the process of history has made McPherson a crusader for preservation,” wrote Amy Lifson of the National Endowment for the Humanities. “He was appointed in 1991 by the United States Senate to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, which determined the major battle sites, evaluated their conditions, and then recommended strategies for their preservation.”

McPherson will be joined by additional Civil War experts as part of the three-day conference: author Craig Symonds, well-known National Park Service historian and battlefield guide Ed Bearss, Patricia Click of the University of Virginia, Hari Jones of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum, Flags Over Hatteras Chairman Drew Pullen, tour guide Danny Couch, KaeLi Schurr of the Outer Banks History Center, re-enactor Gary Riggs, former CDR Jerry Roxbury an expert on Confederate cutlasses, and historian Lee Oxford.

While space is limited for the conference event, the Museum will also offer many free programs and a new Civil War exhibit called, “Flags Over Hatteras.” The exhibit will be open Aug. 22 – July 31, 2012. The exhibit will showcase items and documents spanning from across our country that are related to Eastern North Carolina activities and actions during 1861, with the primary focus being the Battle of Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark, Aug. 28-29,1861.

Free living history demonstrations will be held at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 28, from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Additionally, bargain hunters can have some fun with an old-fashioned “Ole’ Time Civil War Auction,” on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 5 p.m. at the Hatteras Village Civic Center. For a complete listing of auction items, visit http://www.flagsoverhatteras.com/ Registration for the Flags Over Hatteras Conference is $175 per person. Pre-registration is required and includes light refreshments, three evening events, and three dinners. Thirty spaces are reserved for students at $75 per person. Daily passes are available for $75 per day.

For more information, or to register, go to www.flagsoverhatteras.com. For more Civil War stories, timelines and documents, visit the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources website on “Freedom, Sacrifice and Memory” and the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration, http://www.nccivilwar150.com/

Since eating good food and visiting friends are two popular North Carolina pastimes, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum suggests that families pack a picnic when they come to visit July 9 in the second installment of the popular three-part program “2nd Saturdays.” The theme for July at the Museum in Hatteras is “Shipwreck Archaeology.”

Artists and activities include:
• sea glass jewelry by Fran Peel
• acrylic and oil paintings by Kristine and Joseph Caroppoli
• music by Chuck Conlogue
• Hamburgers and hotdogs provided by U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 1604
• Author Jim Bunch
• Children’s crafts
• “The Submarines of NC—the U-85, the U-352 and the U-701” program
• “The Corolla Wreck” program 

2nd Saturdays programming at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“2nd Saturdays helps families have some good, old-fashioned fun whether they are visiting a site close to home or across the state,” said N.C. Maritime Museum Director Joseph Schwarzer. “We hope that folks will pack a picnic and enjoy experiencing our authentic North Carolina culture and heritage.”

According to a new survey, North Carolina will be the fourth most popular tourist destination this summer. Only Florida, California and New York outpace North Carolina in the latest American Express Spending and Saving Tracker, which asked Americans about their summer travel plans.

Sponsored by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, 2nd Saturdays takes place at 37 State Historic Sites and museums on the second Saturday of the summer months. The more than 100 events across the state bring together history and authentic North Carolina culture. Each site will have its own stylized theme; and many sites will have artists and/or musicians. For a complete schedule of events, go to www.ncculture.com.

Partners in 2nd Saturdays include Our State magazine and ATT. Media sponsorship is provided by Public Radio East.

The event is free and open to the public. Museum hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and admission is free.