Edward J. Wooldridge, Pres.            Rob Monroe, Editor       
13700 Lintel Lane                      2416 Edenbrook Dr.       
Midlothian, VA 23113                   Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
edwool@verizon.net                     RMonroe500@comcast.net   
 January 2009 Program

Dr. Ethan S. Rafuse
"The Seven Days of Battle and Their Long Shadow:
The Union Perspective on the 1862 Fight for Richmond"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at the
Boulevard United Methodist Church, 321 N. Boulevard,
Richmond, VA (corner of Boulevard and Stuart Ave.) Enter
the basement door on the right side under the front steps.

The Seven Days Battles were a critical turning point in  the
Union war effort.  The failure to capture Richmond shattered
Northern faith in Maj.  Gen.  George B.  McClellan's  vision
that  the  combination  of  a lenient policy toward Southern
property and a single, decisive  campaign  against  Richmond
from the Peninsula would bring a quick end to the Civil War.
In the weeks following the Seven  Days  Battles,  Washington
avoided  both elements of McClellan's strategic vision.  The
U.S.   Congress  passed  a  sweeping  Confiscation  Act  and
Abraham   Lincoln   drafted   the  preliminary  Emancipation
Proclamation to end a  policy  of  conciliation  toward  the
rebels.                                                     

At  our  January meeting, Dr.  Ethan Rafuse will look at the
Union high command during the Peninsula Campaign  and  Seven
Days  Battles and the decisions that shaped its performance.
The presentation, the  second  in  our  Seven  Days  Battles
series,  will  focus on the strategic and operational vision
that guided McClellan's conduct of operations  and  how  the
course  and  outcome of events affected the Union war effort
in 1862 and beyond.                                         

Dr.  Ethan S.  Rafuse has served as a park ranger and taught
military  history  at  the  U.S.   Military  Academy.  He is
currently  on  the  staff  of  the  Department  of  Military
History,  U.S.   Army  Command  and General Staff College at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  He lectures  and  conducts  tours
including  field  research  for staff ride guides, and he is
widely published on Civil War topics.                       


RCWRT Officers for the New Year

At the December meeting of  the  Richmond  Civil  War  Round
Table,  the  2009 officer slate was approved by the members:

Ed  Wooldridge  (President)             
Davis   Wrinkle   (1st   Vice President)
David  Whitehead  (2nd  Vice  President)
Sandy Parker  (Secretary)               
Richard   Grosse   (Treasurer)          
Gary Cowardin (Webmaster)               
Rob Monroe (Newsletter Editor)          

At our January meeting we  will  be  voting  for  the  three
members of our executive committee.                         


Membership Dues for 2009 

Though you may find yourself writing "2008"  on  checks  and
letters  for  the  next several weeks, a quick glance at the
calendar will reveal that it is indeed 2009.  With  the  new
year  comes  the  opportunity  to  renew  membership  in the
Richmond Civil War Round Table.                             

We have an exciting line-up of speakers for  2009  featuring
some  of  America's  most respected historians.  We hope you
will support the RCWRT by renewing your membership  at  this
time.   By  paying  your  dues you enable the Round Table to
continue  to  present  the  enlightening  and   entertaining
programs we've enjoyed in the past.                         

Please select a membership category from the list below. The
Sustaining Member category is an entirely  voluntary  option
for  those  members  who choose to increase their support of
our organization.  As in  years  past,  the  Ides  of  March
(March 15) is the deadline for payment of dues.             

Select one category:

>  $50 - Sustaining member (voluntary)                      
>  $35 - Resident member                                    
>  $45 - Resident couple                                    
>  $20 - Non-resident member (50+ miles outside of Richmond)
>  $25 - Non-resident couple                                
>  $20 - Senior member (65 and older with at least 10 years 
                        of membership)                     
>  $25 - Senior couple                                      
>  $20 - Student member (age 13-17)                         

You may make your payment at the  January  meeting  or  mail
your check to:                                              

Sandy Parker, RCWRT Secretary
P.O. Box 37052               
Richmond, VA 23234           

Thank you for your continued support of the  Richmond  Civil
War Round Table!                                            


Historians Oppose Walmart at Wilderness Battlefield

In a letter to Walmart President  and  CEO  Lee  Scott,  253
historians from throughout the country urge the retail giant
to  reconsider  plans  to  build   a   138,000   square-foot
supercenter   immediately   adjacent   to   the   Wilderness
Battlefield in Orange County.  A formal application for  the
project was filed on December 5.                            

Among  the signers are some of the most prominent historians
in America, including two-time Pulitzer Prize  winner  David
M.   McCullough;  James  McPherson,  author  of the Pulitzer
Prize-winning   Battle   Cry   of   Freedom;    Emmy-winning
documentary   filmmaker   Ken   Burns;   respected  Virginia
educators and authors William C.  Davis, Gary Gallagher  and
James  I.   "Bud"  Robertson, the authors of dozens of Civil
War titles; and Edwin C.  Bearss, Chief  Historian  Emeritus
of the National Park Service.                               

Historians  and preservationists fear that if the Walmart is
built,  it  will  increase  traffic  and  greatly  encourage
further development in the region.                          

In  the  letter  to  Walmart,  the 253 co-signing historians
pronounce the Wilderness to  be  a  "unique  historical  and
cultural  treasure  deserving  careful  stewardship"  before
declaring it "an indelible part of  our  history,  its  very
ground  hallowed  by  the American blood spilled there." The
letter concludes with a request for Walmart to  "identify  a
site  that  would  meet  its needs without changing the very
character of the battlefield" and  move  the  store  farther
away from the National Military Park.                       

"Civil  War  battlefields are wonderfully evocative places,"
noted Gallagher, Professor in the History  of  the  American
Civil  War  at  the University of Virginia and the author of
numerous books on the  subject.   "We  should  preserve  and
protect  these  national  treasures, including gateway areas
that shield historic  ground  from  encroaching  development
that  often  degrades  the  experience of citizens seeking a
better understanding of the American past."                 

Gordon Rhea, author of The Battle of the Wilderness  and  In
the  Footsteps of Grant and Lee: The Wilderness through Cold
Harbor, disputes any claim that the ground Walmart is  eying
lacks  historic  significance.   "The  proposed Walmart site
lies near the intersection of  the  wartime  Germanna  Plank
Road and the Orange Turnpike," he said.  "This was the nerve
center of the Union army.  This land served as the heart  of
the  Union  Fifth  Corps'  encampments  and  lies within the
shadow of Grant's and Meade's  headquarters.   It  is  truly
hallowed ground."                                           

Bearss  added,  "There are plenty of other places to build a
Walmart.  The intersection of the old  Germanna  Plank  Road
(modern  Route 3) and the historic Orange Turnpike is key to
understanding the battle and how it developed.  The addition
of  a  new  Walmart store in an area already served by other
branches of the same chain, would  lead  to  a  further  and
irreparable  degradation  of  an  historic  site of national
significance."                                              

"The  Wilderness  Battlefield   is   the   biggest   tourist
destination  in  Orange County," remarked Craig Rains of the
Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield.  "A store this large,
set  amid  a  nearly  pristine rural landscape, threatens to
overshadow the  experience  of  the  tens  of  thousands  of
visitors  who come to the battlefield each year.  Moving the
store, even just a short distance, can prevent that."       

Although many individual historians have  previously  voiced
opposition  to  Walmart's  Wilderness proposal, such a large
and diverse group uniting in  this  cause  demonstrates  how
important  the Wilderness is to our nation's heritage, noted
Lee White, executive director of the National Coalition  for
History  (NCH),  one  of  the  eight  groups  making  up the
Wilderness  Battlefield  Coalition,  which  circulated   the
letter.                                                     


Upcoming Events

Saturday, January 17
"Picks  and  Shovels  --  Fortifications  in  the  Siege  of
Petersburg."   Explore   Civil   War  fortifications  around
Richmond and Petersburg during this daylong (9 a.m.-5  p.m.)
caravan  tour  offered  by  the  National  Park  Service and
Petersburg  National  Battlefield.   Discover  the  military
engineering  that was involved in creating siege and defense
lines.  The  tour  leaves  from  the  battlefield's  Eastern
Front.   For reservations please call Randy Watkins at (804)
732-3531 ext.  205.  The deadline for reserving a  space  is
January 15.  There is a $5 vehicle entrance fee.            

Thursday, January 22
"Civil  War  Richmond  in  3-D"  at  the   Museum   of   the
Confederacy.   Civil  War  historian  and  RCWRT member Mike
Gorman will present a new program featuring  3-D  images  of
Richmond  in  1865.   Thanks  to  modern  technology and the
Library of Congress, these images can now be  seen  as  they
were  originally intended, in three-dimension.  Event begins
at  7  p.m.   and  is  free  to  museum  members,   $5   for
non-members.    Reservations   are  required.   Non-members,
please contact Linda Lipscomb at (804) 649-1861 ext.  32  to
pay ahead.                                                  

Friday, January 30
"Music in Times of Civil Unrest." Inspired by the legacy  of
Abraham  Lincoln,  the Richmond Symphony presents an evening
of music that has figured prominently in times  of  war  and
civil  unrest.   Compositions  of  consolation,  propaganda,
historical interest, anger, and peace  have  been  assembled
for  this  concert  as an homage to Lincoln.  Begins at 7:30
p.m.  at the University of Richmond's Modlin Center for  the
Arts.  Tickets are free but required and may be reserved two
weeks before the event by calling (804) 289-8980.           

Saturday, February 7
"1865 Battles Around Petersburg." This caravan  tour  begins
at   the   Eastern   Front   Unit   of  Petersburg  National
Battlefield.  The focus of the tour will be the sites  where
the  final  battles  for  Petersburg  occurred in 1865.  The
results of these battles would not only lead to the fall  of
Petersburg  but  also  the  fall of Richmond.  There is a $5
vehicle  entrance  fee.   For  reservations  or  information
contact Grant Gates at (804) 732-3531 ext.  202.            


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2009


You can receive your newsletter sooner and help the Richmond
Civil  War  Round  Table save money by signing up to receive
your newsletter via email.  To add your name  to  the  list,
simply email the editor at RMonroe500@comcast.net   Thanks! 


Richmond Civil War Round Table Newsletter
Rob Monroe, Editor     
2416 Edenbrook Dr.     
Richmond, VA 23228-3040