Author and archaeologist Hunter Lesser will open Saturday’s lectures at HCPD’s Civil War History Weekend in Horner with a talk about two Confederate generals whose political rivalry complicated the campaign for western Virginia in 1861.
The October 9–10 program will take place at the Central WV Genealogy & History Library, 45 Abbott’s Run Road, Horner. Lesser’s presentation, “Robert E. Lee’s Feuding Generals: Wise vs. Floyd,” is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, October 10. The announcement lists doors opening at 9:30 a.m.
A rivalry at the center of the lecture
According to the announcement shared by Andrea Moneypenny Clem, Lesser will discuss Generals Henry Wise and John Floyd, former Virginia governors and longtime political rivals. The program description says their bitter feud complicated Confederate efforts to reclaim western Virginia as Union forces advanced, leaving Robert E. Lee to manage a dispute that reached Richmond.
The lecture focuses on the opening months of the Civil War in the mountains that would become West Virginia.
The speaker and weekend program
The announcement describes Lesser as an author, archaeologist, interpreter and preservationist who has devoted much of his career to uncovering and sharing historical stories. It identifies him as a member of the West Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission.
His listed works include *Rebels at the Gate: Lee & McClellan on the Front Line of a Nation Divided*, *Civil War Oddities of West Virginia* and *The First Campaign*. The announcement also credits him with contributions to *The Cambridge History of the American Civil War*.
The accompanying speaker graphic advertises a full day of free living history and lectures on October 10. The announcement does not give the rest of the lecture schedule or an ending time. Sponsors named in the post are the Rotary Club of Weston, WV, and Village Caregiving: Clarksburg, WV.
Source
The announcement was shared by Andrea Moneypenny Clem in Lewis County, WV Announcements. The newsroom saw it October 2, 2026, at 2:51 p.m. EDT; its original posting time was not displayed.