Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College is a non - profit organization created to promote the study of the American Civil War Era . The Institute was founded in 1982 by historian and Gettysburg College professor Gabor Boritt , an Abraham Lincoln and American Civil War scholar . The current director is Peter S . Carmichael . The Institute helps coordinate a number of Civil War - related events , including the Lincoln Prize , the Michael Shaara Prize , the Robert Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture , annual programming designed to commemorate Abraham Lincoln ' s Gettysburg Address , as well as a week - long summer conference that hosts 300 participants annually . In 2007 , Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell named the Civil War Institute the administrative head of the Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission , which was created to honor the 200th anniversary of Lincoln ' s birth . The Civil War Institute and Pennsylvania Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission have offices on North Washington Street and in the Gettysburg Railroad Station in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania . Summer conference . The Institute hosts an annual summer conference on the Civil War , drawing over 300 people annually . Each year , the conference focuses on a different Civil War theme . Past themes have included the Battle of Gettysburg , the Battle of Fredericksburg , Robert E . Lee , the navy and the cavalry . The theme for 2008 is Abraham Lincoln , and falls during the 199th anniversary of his birth . While most participants live in Gettysburg College dorms during the week , local attendees can choose to forgo living expenses and commute each day . The conference , generally running from Sunday to Saturday , is usually held during the last week of June . Monday , Wednesday and Friday are lecture days , where participants attend morning , afternoon and night sessions with Civil War historians . Tuesday is reserved for a day - long tour to an area related to the conference ' s central theme . In past years , the conference has traveled to the Antietam National Battlefield , Fredericksburg , Virginia , Washington , D . C . and Petersburg , Virginia . Thursday generally consists of half - day tours of the Gettysburg National Battlefield in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania . Lecturers and tour guides are chosen for recent scholarship and expertise on the conference ' s central theme . The Institute has hosted a number of Lincoln Prize and Pulitzer Prize - winning authors , including James M . McPherson , Ken Burns , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Allen C . Guelzo , Richard Carwardine , and others . Ed Bearss , Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service , has been providing tours at the conference for several years . The Lincoln Prize . The Lincoln Prize is a $ 50 , 000 prize given annually for the year ' s best scholarly work on Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War . The prize is endowed by Lewis Lehrman and Richard Gilder and administered through the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College . To see a list of Lincoln Prize recipients , click here . The Michael Shaara Prize . The Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction is awarded annually to the best historical novel related to the American Civil War . The prize was founded by Jeff Shaara , a best - selling historical novelist , in honor of his father , Michael Shaara . Michael Shaara was the Pulitzer Prize - winning author of the The Killer Angels , a novel about the Battle of Gettysburg . The Prize is administered by the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College . Robert Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture . The Robert Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture is an annual lecture on an American Civil War - related topic , aimed at appealing to the general public while still providing strong scholary undertones . The lecture is held on November 19 in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania , on the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln ' s Gettysburg Address . The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College coordinates the lecture . Dedication Day Ceremonies . The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College helps coordinate the annual Dedication Day Ceremonies which take place on and around November 19 . The day ' s events are held in the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania . Although Lincoln actually gave the Gettysburg Address in the adjacent Evergreen Cemetery , the National Cemetery provides the most room for spectators . Past speakers at the Dedication Day Ceremonies have included Tom Brokaw , Jeff Shaara , Lynne Cheney , Sandra Day O ' Connor , William Rehnquist , and others . The 2008 speaker was film director Ken Burns , and the 2009 speaker was Academy Award winning actor Richard Dreyfuss .