Kenneth Studdard, a local historian, will present a Civil War Symposium today at the Rome-Floyd County Library.

His lecture is titled “Of Valor and Suffering: A Narrative of Rome in ‘The War.’”

Studdard will present a series of stories relating how Romans experienced the Civil War. From the early elation to the concluding tragedy, the citizens of Rome faced great crisis during much of the war.

Notable individuals covered in his lecture included Charles Henry Smith (aka Bill Arp), Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, Captain Edward Magruder, James Noble and John Wisdom. These true stories of the War chronicle the experience of crisis throughout the community.

The symposium will take place in the Coosa Room of the Rome-Floyd County Library at 6:30 p.m. today.

It is free and open to the public.

The series is sponsored by the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau and hosted by the Rome-Floyd County Library. The goal of the series is to educate the community on the area’s rich Civil War history during the sesquicentennial of the war.

To learn more about Civil War history across Rome and Floyd County, visit TheCivilWarInRome.org or call 706-295-5576.