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Bert Dunkerly, President Gary Cowardin, Editor 2814 E Franklin St. 1404 Lorraine Ave. Richmond, VA 23223 Richmond, VA 23227-3735 bd1754@yahoo.com cowardin@juno.com4602 Cary Street Road, 23226. A parking lot is available behind the church with an entrance off the parking lot to the right and up a few steps into the DINING HALL on the left.
Scott Mingus General William "Extra Billy" Smith 7:30pm, Tuesday, April 14, 2015, at the First Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA.,
Scott Mingus is a scientist and executive in the global paper industry,
and holds patents in self-adhesive postage stamps and bar code labels.
The Ohio native graduated from the paper science and engineering program
at Miami University. He was part of the research team that developed
the first commercially successful self-adhesive U.S. postage stamps.
The York, Pa., resident has written twelve Civil War books. His
biography of Confederate General William "Extra Billy" Smith won the
2013 Nathan Bedford Forrest Southern History Award as well as the Dr.
James I Robertson, Jr. Literary Prize, and was nominated for the
Virginia Literary Award for Non-Fiction. He also wrote several articles
for Gettysburg Magazine. Scott maintains a blog on the Civil War
history of York County (www.yorkblog.com/cannonball). He received the
2013 Heritage Profile Award from the York County Heritage Trust for his
many contributions to local Civil War history.
He also has written six scenario books on miniature wargaming and was
elected to the hobby's prestigious Legion of Honor. His
great-great-grandfather was a 15-year-old drummer boy for the 51st Ohio
Infantry, and other family members fought in the Army of the Potomac at
Antietam and Gettysburg.
Meeting Attendance for: March 2015 = 102
NOTE: Please put on your NAME BADGE on when you arrive for the meeting.
(They will be on a table near the back or side of the room.)
Message from Our President As many of you know, this month marks the 150th anniversary of Appomattox. I will be there. You should too. The National Park, Museum of the Confederacy, and the county have planned a special commemoration and there will be many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities over the course of the 5-day event, April 8-12. Commemorations are a time of reflection: What have we learned from the past? What do we still struggle with? How have our understandings changed? Appomattox has been a place of healing- and controversy- ever since 1865. There were major commemorations there in 1965 and 1990. Why not be part of history for the 150th? Hope to see you there! Bert
RWCRT Annual Field Trip: Appomattox Saturday June 20, 2015 8 AM - 5 PM $35 You may have visited Appomattox before but in all likelihood you haven't visited the Appomattox we will tour. Three conditions make this a special trip: (1) The Appomattox Station area (where a battle would have taken place) is open for the first time (2) We are encouraging children or grandchildren to attend (3) It is the sesquicentennial for this event with appropriate NPS attention The Court House or eastern area has been open for years but, until April of this year, the Appomattox Station area has been unavailable. With help from the Civil War Preservation Trust this western property has only recently been acquired, reworked and opened to the public in time for the sesquicentennial. It is scheduled for completion shortly before April 9, 2015, which means with the usual development delays we will be among the first to view it as completed. It was at this site that it became obvious even to diehards that hostilities needed to cease. Terrain features and what lay to the west and north, the proposed escape route for the remains of the Army of Northern Virginia, made the decision obvious. The date was April 7 and 8, 1865. On April 9, 1865, on the eastern grounds or Court House area Lee and Grant met and the actual paper signing took place. By also touring the Court House grounds we will connect the crucial three-day time period with Patrick Schroeder from the NPS as our guide. As a primer I urge you to read Chapter 6 Section 4 of Bruce Catton's A Stillness at Appomattox. You will experience an impressionable and poignant rendering of the last battle that occurred on the location we will visit. We will depart Richmond at 8 AM arriving about 10:00 at the Museum of the Confederacy. We'll be free to walk through the facility assisted by educators for questions and to point out items of interest. There will be a hands-on display consisting of soldiers' items, a home front display or toys and games of the period. We'll then leave for the western area tour returning to the Museum or to a commercial area to have lunch before leaving for the Court House field tour. On completion of the Court House tour we will depart for Richmond to arrive about 5 PM. The departure pick-up point has not been determined. We are searching for a suitable place somewhere in south Richmond. You may need to bring your own lunch . We are exploring convenient fast food outlets as we speak. We will have bottled drinking water available. This being one of the last sesquicentennial events planned makes this a fun and historically significant event to share with a special family member. Specifically, if you have a child or grandchild of appropriate age who can make the bus ride and needs a jump start on history (and what school child doesn't today?) this will be a wonderful way to get him or her going. Make it a super special trip by bringing a child or grandchild with you. A great opportunity to Train Up Your Replacement. Sign up sheets will be available at the April and May meetings. Please don't delay on this trip. I urge you to bring your check payable to the RCWRT with the notation "June Trip" to the meeting or mail it to: Troy Arnold 301 Hollyport Road Richmond, Virginia 23229 804-740-8718 go2troyrcwrt@gmail.com
Help Us Save Postage Costs If you have an E-mail address and internet access and are not currently receiving your newsletter notification via E-mail please let me have your NAME and E-mail address. My E-mail address is: cowardin@juno.com (You can also use this link to change E-mail addressess just click my E-mail address above. If you are changing an E-mail address be sure to include the old address.)
Civil War Trust For the latest CWT news visit: www.civilwar.org
Upcoming Events/Links
May 16, 2015 "After the War" After the War: A One-Day Symposium on the Effects of the Civil War, is a regional capstone event for the Virginia Civil War 150th Commemoration at the historic Old Manassas Courthouse. Speakers include: Bert Dunkerly on the Surrender George Wunderlich on Soldiers' Post-war Effects Emmanuel Dabney on the Freedman's Bureau Dr. Jane Censer on Women in Reconstruction John Coski on the Confederate Battle Flag and John Hennessy on Civil War Memory $10 registration fee Call 703-792-4754 or email historicpreservation@pwcgov.org A Prince William County/Manassas Civil War Symposium May 16, 2015
2015 CHAMBERSBURG CIVIL WAR SEMINARS & TOURS BASED IN CHAMBERSBURG, PA. "Ed Bearss Symposium:Leadership and Combat in the Civil War" April 10-12 "On the Trail of Those Damn Black Hats: Weekend with Lance Herdegen and the Iron Brigade" May 15-17 "The End of the War: Richmond, Petersburg, and Appomattox" July 22-26 "Lincoln" Sept. 24-27 Based in Richmond, VA. More information can be found at: www.civilwarseminars.org
www.virginiacivilwar.org
Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission
NPS Richmond - Sesquicentennial - 1865/2015
Chesterfield Historical Society Winter Lecture Series
Visit The Museum of the Confederacy Online www.moc.org and their Events Calendar for MOC Events Calendar
Richmond Battlefields Association News & Events www.saverichmondbattlefields.org/events.htm
Visit The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar www.tredegar.org and their Events Calendar
Pamplin Historical Park and The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier www.pamplinpark.org and their Special Events Calendar
RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2015
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