Biography
MOLLY C. MERSMANN (Ph.D. Purdue University) is an assistant professor of American history, specializing in the American Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Her manuscript, “Repair, Restore, Rebuild: Reconstructing the South in the Wake of the American Civil War,” investigates how southerners rebuilt their landscape, their societies, and their lives after the war and who they expected their allies to be in the process. Dr. Mersmann’s specific interests include women and gender, African American history, and Civil War memory. A past Postdoctoral Associate of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, she has spoken at numerous engagements, including Virginia Tech’s Civil War Weekend, Manassas National Battlefield Park’s Lecture Series, and the Organization of American Historians Conference.