Lecture by Maurice Jaquemyns: Cinema and the Civil War, from historical context to film. Every artistic production expresses, at a given moment in time, a vision of the world shaped by its context. From 1900 to the present day, cinema and television series have shown an interest in the American Civil War according to the questions and aspirations of the American public regarding this pivotal period in their history. A work emerges within the framework that inspires it: both its origins and its legacy reflect the evolving issues of domestic and foreign policy in the United States. Our presentation will be illustrated with visual materials and representative documents from films that have left a lasting mark on the history of cinema.

Lecture by Farid Ameur: George Armstrong Custer, the Enfant Terrible. Born in 1839 in Ohio, George Armstrong Custer was the son of a blacksmith of German origin. Although he was a troublesome student, he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he attracted the attention of his superiors through his misconduct and his disregard for military regulations. In July 1861, as the Civil War had just broken out, he graduated last in his class and joined his unit in time to receive his baptism of fire at the First Battle of Bull Run. A devoted, energetic, and determined cavalry officer, he distinguished himself in the spring of 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign. Having caught the attention of General George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac, he was assigned to McClellan’s staff. The experience proved successful and opened new opportunities for him. On June 29, 1863, despite his young age, he was suddenly promoted from captain to brigadier general of volunteers. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the Boy General earned his new rank by leading his forces in two spectacular charges that helped save the rear of the Federal line at a crucial moment in the battle. Eager for glory, as brave as he was vain and egocentric, he multiplied his daring exploits on the Virginia front. Despite reckless risks, he came to believe himself invincible. War, in truth, was his natural element. From the Shenandoah Valley to the final Appomattox Campaign, he carried out the most dangerous missions with zeal and composure, becoming a favorite of public opinion. Shortly before the end of the conflict, he was promoted to major general, making him the youngest officer ever to hold such rank in the history of the U.S. Army. After peace was restored, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 7th Cavalry Regiment and pursued a controversial career fighting Native Americans on the Frontier. Obsessed with his own image, he achieved the immortality he so deeply desired by dying, alongside 262 of his men, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn against a coalition of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Chief Sitting Bull.

Lecture by Jean-Claude Janssens: The intervention of the United States during the Mexican Revolution. In 1910, the Mexican Revolution broke out, ending ten years later after causing the deaths of nearly two million people. On several occasions, the United States was forced to intervene, and in February 1913, President Woodrow Wilson imposed an arms embargo. The U.S. fleet blockaded Tampico and Veracruz. In April 1914, the Navy seized Veracruz by force. On March 9, 1916, the revolutionary Pancho Villa attacked the American outpost of Columbus. Troops under General John J. Pershing were sent in pursuit of the raiders and crossed the border on March 15. Among the officers on Pershing’s staff was a certain Captain George S. Patton. For ten months, the Americans roamed through Sonora and Chihuahua without success. Pancho Villa escaped capture, and Pershing returned empty-handed to the United States in January 1917. That same year, the interception of the Zimmermann Telegram – Germany’s proposal that Mexico enter the war against the United States in exchange for the return of territories lost in 1848 – became one of the many pretexts that motivated the United States to enter the war against the German Empire. Thus, a second war with Mexico never took place. Between 1917 and 1919, sporadic clashes still occurred along the border. In 1920, the Revolution finally came to an end, and relations between the two countries were permanently normalized.