Bernard Fisher, President              Rob Monroe, Editor       
7300 Ann Cabell Lane                   2416 Edenbrook Dr.       
Mechanicsville, VA 23111               Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
bernard.fisher@comcast.net             RMonroe500@comcast.net   
January 2007 PROGRAM

Mark K. Greenough
"A State House Divided:
Virginia's Capitol and the Civil War"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 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 first program of 2007 seems an appropriate way to  begin
a year that marks the quadricentennial of English settlement
in Virginia and the bicentennial of Robert E.  Lee's  birth.
Virginia's  State  Capitol  building is not only the home of
America's oldest  representative  government  body  and  the
building  in  which Lee accepted his commission as commander
of Virginia's military forces, but during the Civil  War  it
was also the seat of the Confederate Congress.              

Mark  Greenough  is uniquely qualified to tell the Civil War
history of this important landmark.  Since June 2002 he  has
been   the  Supervisor-Historian  of  guided  tours  at  the
Virginia State Capitol, supervising a part-time  paid  staff
of  ten  Capitol  guides,  researching  Capitol history, and
serving as a liaison between  the  Division  of  Legislative
Services  and  the Capitol Police, as well as the Department
of General Services.                                        

Greenough quips that "he  came  to  Virginia  as  a  curious
tourist  in  1979  and  decided  to stay." Since then he has
interpreted four centuries of Richmond and Virginia  history
to  thousands  of  visitors,  primarily  in  his capacity as
co-founder and director of Living History  Associates,  Ltd.
Greenough  has  also worked as a history interpreter for the
National Park Service,  supervised  weekend  guides  at  the
Dooley Mansion at Maymont Park, taught dozens of Elderhostel
classes, served as historical advisor for feature films  and
documentaries,  and published numerous articles and reviews.
He enjoys a well-deserved reputation as one  of  the  area's
most thorough researchers and dynamic speakers.             


American Revolution Round Table
to Hold Initial Meeting

Under the mentorship  of  Dr.   Harry  M.   Ward,  Professor
Emeritus  of  History  at  the  University of Richmond and a
noted scholar of the revolutionary period, a small group  of
interested  persons  are  beginning  an  American Revolution
Round Table in the Richmond area.  The initial meeting  will
be  held  on  Wednesday,  January  17  at  the University of
Richmond.  The evening will begin with an optional dinner at
6:30pm in the Westhampton Room of the Heilman Dining Center.
An organizational meeting and presentation by Dr.  Ward will
follow at 7:30.                                             

If  interested,  please  contact  RCWRT  member  Bill Welsch
(wmwelsch@comcast.net  or  804-755-1809)   or   Jerry   Rudd
(804-323-1759)   for   specifics.    Anyone   interested  in
exploring this critical and exciting period of  our  history
is encouraged to attend.                                    


Virginia Historical Society
to Host Lecture on Civil War Petersburg

The Virginia Historical Society  will  continue  its  Banner
Lecture  Series at noon on Thursday, January 25.  A.  Wilson
Greene, executive director of Pamplin Historical Park &  the
National  Museum  of the Civil War Soldier, will discuss his
latest book, Civil War Petersburg: Confederate City  in  the
Crucible of War.                                            

A   prosperous  commercial  center  before  the  Civil  War,
Petersburg experienced that  conflict  more  intensely  than
most southern cities.  In his book, Greene recounts in vivid
detail the transformation of civic life and the endurance of
Petersburg's residents-white civilians, slaves, free blacks,
and soldiers from  across  the  South-under  the  stress  of
wartime, siege, and defeat.                                 

All  programs in the Banner Lecture Series take place at the
Virginia Historical Society, 428 N.  Boulevard in  Richmond.
Reservations  are not required.  Admission is $5 for adults,
$4 for seniors, $3 for children and students.  The event  is
free  to  VHS  members.   For  more  information, call (804)
358-4901.  Parking is free.                                 


Conference Examines
How Civil War Redefined American Ideals

The American  Civil  War  Center  at  Historic  Tredegar  is
bringing  an  impressive  list of speakers to Richmond for a
conference titled "In the Cause of Liberty:  How  the  Civil
War   Redefined  American  Ideals."  Pulitzer  prize-winning
author, James McPherson,  will  offer  the  keynote  address
while other speakers will include: Peter Onuf, Wilson Moses,
and Sean Wilentz on Antebellum America; Richard  Carwardine,
George  Rable,  and  Chandra  Manning on the War itself; and
Gary Gallagher, Nina Silber, and David Levering Lewis on the
Legacy of the War.                                          

The  Conference  is  open  to the general public and will be
held Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24  at  the  Virginia
Historical   Society,   428   N.    Boulevard  in  Richmond.
Conference fees are  $75  for  early  registrants,  $80  for
American  Civil War Center members, $100 for non-members and
$110 for  walk-ins.   For  early  registration  information,
please call Ginger LaPrade at (804) 780-1865 ext. 14.       


Symposium Will Examine
How Southerners Chose Sides in 1861

When Robert E.  Lee resigned his commission  from  the  U.S.
Army  in  April 1861 and cast his lot with his native state,
it was, observed his biographer  Douglas  Southall  Freeman,
"the  answer he was born to make." The bicentennial of Lee's
birth  in  2007  provides  an  opportunity  to  examine  the
often-agonizing  decisions  that  Southern American military
and political leaders had to make about their loyalties.    

The Library of Virginia and the Museum  of  the  Confederacy
are  co-sponsoring  "The  Answers  They  Were  Born to Make:
Choosing Sides  in  the  Civil  War."  This  symposium  will
feature presentations by Emory M.  Thomas on Robert E.  Lee;
William C.  Davis on U.S.   Vice-President  and  Confederate
Gen.   John  C.   Breckinridge;  Craig  L.  Symonds on naval
officers  Capt.   Franklin  Buchanan  and  Capt.   David  G.
Farragut; Brian Steele Wills on Gen.  George H.  Thomas; and
a panel  discussion  about  the  importance  of  Lee's  1861
decision.                                                   

The  symposium  will  be  held  from 9am to 4pm on Saturday,
February 24 at the  Library  of  Virginia,  800  East  Broad
Street in Richmond.  Reservations are required. Registration
is $45, $35 for Museum of the Confederacy members or Library
of  Virginia  donors.  The fee includes a boxed lunch.  Free
parking is available in the  library's  underground  garage.
For  information  or  to  register, e-mail Linda Lipscomb at
llipscomb@moc.org or call (804) 649-1861, ext. 32.          


Board Rejects Slots Parlor
Near Gettysburg Battlefield

After 20 months of debate, the Pennsylvania  Gaming  Control
Board  concluded  that  Gettysburg  and  gambling don't mix.
During a public hearing  held  on  December  20,  the  board
rejected  a  proposal  to build a 3,000-machine slots parlor
one mile from the Gettysburg Battlefield.                   

Since the Gettysburg slots  parlor  was  first  proposed  in
April 2005, the Civil War Preservation Trust has been one of
the leading voices against the casino.  Earlier in 2006, the
organization  identified  Gettysburg  as  one  of  the  most
endangered battlefields in the nation because of  the  slots
proposal.    CWPT   members   collected   more  than  34,000
signatures in opposition to the casino.  Together  with  the
National  Parks Conservation Association, the National Trust
for  Historic  Preservation,  No   Casino   Gettysburg   and
Preservation  Pennsylvania, the CWPT is a member of the Stop
the Slots Coalition.                                        

In a statement, CWPT president James Lighthizer said,  "This
is  a  great  day  for  Gettysburg  and for preservationists
throughout the nation.  By not allowing gambling to encroach
on this famous town and battlefield, Pennsylvania has sent a
clear  message  that  it  cares  deeply  for  its   historic
treasures.   It  is  no exaggeration to say that this is the
most significant battlefield preservation victory since  the
defeat  of  Disney's  proposed theme park at Manassas in the
early 1990s."                                               

Lighthizer said, "The casino proposal itself  was  merely  a
symptom  of a larger development problem plaguing Gettysburg
and many other Civil War battlefield communities."          


Lee's Birthday to be Commemorated
with Events Throughout Virginia

Robert E.  Lee was born in Westmoreland  County  on  January
19,  1807.   The  200th  anniversary  of  his  birth will be
commemorated this  month  with  numerous  events  throughout
Virginia.   On  the 13th, Lexington will observe Lee-Jackson
Day with a morning  service  at  Jackson's  grave  at  10:00
followed by a parade down Main Street to VMI.  At noon there
will be a talk  at  the  Lee  Chapel  (seating  is  limited)
followed by a luncheon.  The day will conclude with a Robert
E.  Lee Ball that evening.  For more information or to order
tickets     to     the     luncheon     or    ball,    email
sbcamp1296@adelphia.net                                     

On the  15th,  there  will  be  a  commemoration  in  Orange
featuring  19th  century  music.   The  Holladay House Bed &
Breakfast will host a reception from 5-6:30pm.  Reservations
are  $10.   At  8:00  that  evening  there will be a special
program at St.   Thomas  Church.   The  event  is  free  but
reservations  are  recommended.   Call  (540)  547-2395  for
details.                                                    

In Arlington, a symposium titled "Does Lee Matter?" will  be
held  on  the  17th  and  18th.   Topics  include  "Lee  the
General,"  "Lee's  Great  Decision"   and   "The   Lees   at
Arlington."  To register, call (703) 235-1530.  Elsewhere in
Northern Virginia, there will be a commemoration on the 19th
and 20th at Fort Ward in Alexandria.  From 11am to 3pm there
will be free birthday cake and special exhibits on Lee.  For
more  information  go  to  www.fortward.org  or  call  (703)
838-4848.                                                   

As you might expect, Lee's birthplace, Stratford  Hall,  has
an  abundance  of events planned for the weekend of the 19th
through 21st.  Friday's activities  include  special  tours,
artillery  salutes,  period  music and two new exhibits.  On
Saturday there will be special "Lee for Children"  tours,  a
presentation  on photography during the Civil War era, and a
lecture and  book  signing  by  Professor  James  I.   "Bud"
Robertson, Jr.  On Sunday, Robert E.  Lee portrayer Al Stone
will be at the Visitor Center with his horse  Traveller  and
there  will  be  another  lecture  and book signing with Dr.
Robertson.  For reservations  or  more  information  on  the
weekend's    events   call   (804)   493-8038   or   go   to
www.stratfordhall.org/birthday200.html


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RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2007


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