"Becoming Confederates: Paths to a New National Loyalty." 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24. Historian Gary W. Gallagher will speak at Central Rappahannock Regional Library's headquarters branch, 1201 Caroline St. in Fredericksburg. Gallagher will discuss Robert E. Lee's loyalties to Virginia, the United States, the South and Confederacy during sectional discord of mid-19th century. One needs to think of Lee, he'll emphasize, as a complex person whose loyalty to Virginia did not always guide his actions. Dr. Gallagher's lecture is sponsored by Stratford Hall, home of the Lees of Virginia and birthplace of Robert E. Lee, and the regional library. Free. 804/493-1972, stratfordhall.org or librarypoint.org, 540/372-1144.

"Julius Caesar," The Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series. 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24. Philip Freeman, author of "Julius Caesar" and professor of classics at Luther College, launches annual series at University of Mary Washington in George Washington Hall's Dodd Auditorium. Free. umw.edu/greatlives; 540/654-1065.

Selected Pieces from the Larry D. Silver Art Collection. Through Jan. 31 at Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center, Catherine W. Jones McKann Center, Mansard Gallery. As Fredericksburg reflects on roles it has played in our nation's history, native son Larry Silver shares part of his collection of historical paintings. Museum open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12-5 p.m. Sunday. Giclee prints for sale in The Museum Store. Ellen Killough, 540/371-3037, ext. 134; famcc.org.

"We Can Never Go Back." Signature show of Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center for statewide celebration of Civil War sesquicentennial. At Fredericksburg's Old Town Hall/Market House, the museum partnered with National Park Service to create vignettes that help tell stories of Fredericksburg's residents during four years of war; famcc.org.

ELSEWHERE

Lest We Forget: A Conference on Enslavement and Emancipation. Feb. 21-23 at The Hylton Chapel, Woodbridge. First in an annual series of conferences on African-American history in Virginia. Keynote addresses (including University of Mary Washington professor Douglas Sanford and Dr. Lauranette Lee of the Virginia Historical Society), forums, dramatic plays and guided tours of historic sites related to the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Free. 703/792-4754; manassasbullrun.com.

65th annual Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum. Feb. 22-27. Four full days of lively discussions, lectures and programs delving into new research in decorative arts. "What's Old Is New Again: Celebrating Antiques in America" opens with gala Friday evening reception and closes with a dinner on Tuesday. Optional lecture Thursday, three optional bus tours Friday, and five optional workshops Wednesday, Feb. 27. On Saturday, Robert Leath, vice president for collections and research at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, N.C., will present "Scarlett Has an iPad: New Directions in Southern Decorative Arts" and Ronald L. Hurst, Colonial Williamsburg's vice president of collections, conservation and museums and Carlisle H. Humelsine chief curator, will offer "The Evolving State of Knowledge: Southern Furniture at Fifteen." history.org/conted; 800/603-0948.