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   
 February 2009 Program

Mike Gorman
"Drewry's Bluff: Taken Only in Photographs"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 10, 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 Civil War Confederate fort at Drewry's Bluff,  south  of
Richmond on a bend in the James River, successfully kept the
U.S.  Navy at bay for nearly  three  years.   Known  as  the
Gibraltar of the Confederacy, this 90-ft.-high precipice was
home base to the James River Squadron  and  the  Confederate
Naval  Academy.   On  May  15,  1862  a powerful Union naval
flotilla on their way to Richmond was pounded by  guns  from
the  fort  for  several  hours  before  weighing  anchor and
retreating.  This victory was so  decisive  that  the  naval
route  to  Richmond  was never attempted again.  It was only
when Confederates abandoned Richmond that Drewry's Bluff was
captured.                                                   

At  our  February  meeting,  Mike  Gorman  will make a photo
presentation examining the  images  of  Drewry's  Bluff  and
discussing  the May 15, 1862 battle and many new discoveries
of one of the Confederacy's most important forts.           

Mike Gorman grew up in Richmond and began  working  for  the
National Park Service (NPS) in 1999 before becoming a ranger
and historian for the Richmond National Battlefield Park.  He
was  a  key  participant  in  the  creation of the Civil War
Visitor  Center  at  Tredegar  and  the  Chimborazo  Medical
Museum.   A  website  he created on the Battle of New Market
Heights was recognized by the NPS for  excellence.   Another
website   created   by   Gorman,   "Civil   War   Richmond,"
(www.mdgorman.com) receives wide acclaim and will  celebrate
its 10th anniversary this year.                             

Gorman  is recognized as an expert on Civil War photography.
Additionally, he has authored several articles about the war
and  his  maps  have been published in numerous books and on
interpretive markers.                                       


Membership Dues for 2009 

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.  We
would  like  to call your attention to the Sustaining Member
category -- a  voluntary  option  but  a  wonderful  way  to
support of our organization.                                

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)                         

As in years past, the  Ides  of  March  (March  15)  is  the
deadline  for payment of dues.  You may make your payment at
the February 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!                                            


Other Round Table News

At the January meeting  of  the  Richmond  Civil  War  Round
Table,   our  members  elected  the  three  members  of  our
executive committee for 2009: Bobby Krick, Sam Craghead  and
Jack Ackerly.                                               

Also, please mark Saturday, June 6 on  your  calendars.   On
this day, the RCWRT will have its annual tour.  This year we
will examine the Culpeper area during the  Civil  War.   Our
daylong  bus tour will leave from Richmond in the morning en
route to Kelly's Ford.  We will enjoy lunch at the  Graffiti
House, then ride to the battlefield at Brandy Station.      

We  are  proud  to  announce  that  Greg  Mertz,  a longtime
historian with the Fredericksburg  &  Spotsylvania  National
Military  Park,  will  be our guide.  His area of expertise,
the cavalry, will be an emphasis of this  tour.   This  will
surely  be a rewarding day for all who attend.  More details
will be coming soon.                                        


UR Continues Series on Lincoln's Leadership

On Thursday, February 12, The University  of  Richmond  will
recognize  the  200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth
with the latest program in their ongoing  leadership  forum.
William   Lee   Miller  will  present  "The  Magnanimity  of
President Lincoln."                                         

From the first minute of his presidency, Lincoln  confronted
the   radical  moral  contradiction  left  by  the  nation's
founders: universal ideals of equality and liberty  and  the
monstrous  injustice  of  slavery.   Drawn  to  the  Lincoln
presidency as a case study in political ethics, Miller first
explored    Abraham   Lincoln's   intellectual   and   moral
development in Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography.  With
his  2008  book  President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman,
Miller completed his "ethical biography"  of  a  backcountry
politician  transformed  by  constitutional  alchemy into an
oath-bound head of state.                                   

Miller  will  talk  about   Lincoln's   resolve,   judgment,
humility,  and  particularly  his magnanimity, and share his
understanding of the qualities that Lincoln developed as  he
led  the  nation  during  its  gravest  crisis.  The lecture
begins at 7:30 p.m.  at UR's Modlin Center for the Arts  and
will  be  followed  by  a  performance  of  Aaron  Copland's
"Lincoln Portrait" by  the  University  Orchestra.   A  book
signing  and  reception  will  follow.  Tickets are free but
required and may be reserved two weeks prior to the event by
calling (804) 289-8980.                                     


Course Focuses on
How Civil War Affected Virginians on the Home Front

The University of Richmond's School of Continuing Studies is
offering  a  course  titled  War  Comes  Home:  Civil War in
Virginia.   Meeting  on  five   successive   Monday   nights
beginning  on February 23, the course is led by RCWRT member
Jack Mountcastle, the U.S.  Army's former Chief of  Military
History.  Classes begin at 7:00 and end promptly at 9:00.   

More  major  Civil  War battles were fought in Virginia than
any other state.  But the great struggle of 1861-65  touched
Virginia's  men  and  women  in  all walks of life, not just
soldiers.  Major changes in  manufacturing,  transportation,
communications, medicine, and in society itself would affect
the very nature of warfare.  This series  of  five  lectures
will  focus  on these areas and more to gain an appreciation
for the wrenching change and the long-term impact upon those
serving  on the home front during the Civil War in Virginia.
The instructor will provide a number  of  handouts  in  this
non-credit, no-test course as take-home material.           

The  cost of the course is $169.  For more information, call
UR's School of Continuing Studies at (804) 289-8133 or visit
the school's website, http://scs.richmond.edu/thinkagain  to
see the Think Again catalog.  The course designation is  HIS
209.09                                                      


Program Examines
How Washington Inspired both North and South

By the early 19th century, George  Washington  had  achieved
iconic  status in the United States as a soldier, statesman,
and politician.   Heralded  as  a  hero  in  the  fight  for
independence  during  the  American  Revolution,  Washington
became a symbol of freedom for both  Confederate  and  Union
causes during the Civil War.                                

On  Saturday,  February 14, the American Civil War Center at
Historic Tredegar will  present  "Liberty's  Father:  George
Washington  and  the  American  Civil War." Using images and
personal accounts from the era, this 30-minute program  will
explore  how  Washington's  legacy was embraced by North and
South to promote their respective visions of liberty.  Event
begins  at 1 p.m.  and is $10 or free with paid admission or
Center membership.                                          



Symposium Explores
The Behavior of Controversial Civil War Generals

On Saturday, February 21, The Library of  Virginia  and  The
Museum   of  the  Confederacy  will  co-sponsor  an  all-day
symposium featuring four lectures  and  a  panel  discussion
examining  both  Confederate  and Federal "Generals Behaving
Badly." This symposium will probe the life  stories  of  the
fascinating  characters  and  assess how their cantankerous,
eccentric,  or   insubordinate   behavior   affected   their
performance as military commanders.                         

The  symposium offers an impressive line-up of distinguished
Civil War  scholars  including:  Hunter  Lesser,  author  of
Rebels at the Gate: Lee and McClellan on the Front Line of a
Nation Divided; John V.  Quarstein, author and historian for
the  city  of  Hampton and director emeritus of the Virginia
War Museum;  Robert  K.   Krick,  author  and  former  chief
historian  at  the  Fredericksburg  &  Spotsylvania National
Military  Park;  and  Edwin  C.   Bearss,  chief   historian
emeritus   of   the  National  Park  Service  and  legendary
battlefield guide.  Generals explored include Henry A. Wise,
John  B.   Floyd, Benjamin F.  "Beast" Butler, "Prince John"
Magruder, William Barksdale, Daniel E.  Sickles and Earl Van
Dorn.                                                       

The  symposium  will be held at the Library of Virginia, 800
E.  Broad St., from 9:30 a.m.  to 4 p.m.  The  cost  is  $35
for  members of the Museum of the Confederacy and Library of
Virginia donors, $50 for others.  The  fee  includes  a  box
lunch.   Seating  is  limited  and reservations and advanced
payment are required.  Please call (804) 649-1861  ext.   32
for more information or to register visit www.moc.org       


Program will Discuss Difficulties Facing Civilians

On Saturday and  Sunday,  February  21  and  22,  Petersburg
National   Battlefield  will  present  a  program  featuring
historians discussing  the  difficulties  --  emotional  and
physical  --  facing Petersburg civilians during the 1864-65
siege of the city.  The  program  will  take  place  in  the
Eastern  Front  visitor  center  auditorium.   There is a $5
vehicle entrance fee.  For more information,  contact  Grant
Gates (804) 732-3531 ext. 202                               


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2009


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