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rcwrt.org

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Bill Welsch, President               Gary Cowardin, Editor    
10708 Rocket Dr.                     1404 Lorraine Ave.       
Glen Allen, VA 23060                 Richmond, VA 23227-3735  
wmwelsch@comcast.net                 cowardin@juno.com        
"The Cruise and Pursuit of the Last Confederate Raider:
Shenandoah"
by
Sam Craghead
7:30pm, Tuesday, April 12, 2016, at the 
First Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA.,
4602 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.


Our own Sam Craghead is a contributor to a number of Civil War and naval
books  including  consulting  on one by Clive Cussler.  Sam was born and
raised in Missouri and is a graduate of Truman State University.   After
college,  he  served  on  active  duty  in  the  U.S.   Navy.   With two
exceptions Sam's relatives served in the Navy in World War II.  He  grew
up with their stories.  He got the same admonition from all: When you go
in the service, go in the Navy.  You'll have a dry  bed  and  three  hot
meals  a day and you will learn that is the most important thing in your
life when you are in the military.  He followed that advice and found it
to  be  true.   He also concentrated his interest in military history to
the sea and navies.  He is a retired computer engineer for an  aerospace
government  contractor  and currently serves as Public Relations Manager
for the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia.  He has  spoken
before  many organizations and groups, including Civil War Round Tables,
civic organizations, and heritage organizations.  He presented talks  at
the  Australian  National  Maritime  Museum,  Sydney,  the Williamstown,
Australia  Maritime  Association,  the  Melbourne  Club,  the  Mariners'
Museum,  Mystic  Seaport,  Maritime  Heritage  Conferences, and the U.S.
Naval Academy's Naval History Symposiums.  He is an Honorary  Member  of
the  American  Civil  War  Round  Table  of  Australia, Inc., a founding
officer and Past Vice President of the Powhatan Civil  War  Round  Table
and  a  Past  President  of  the  Richmond Civil War Round Table and the
Richmond  Battlefields  Association.   Sam  is  the  author  of  several
articles  having to do with the Civil War, the Civil War navies, and The
Museum of the Confederacy and has authored book reviews for the American
Civil  War Center at Louisiana State University and the Naval Historical
Foundation.  He is a member of the Naval Historical Foundation, the U.S.
Naval  Institute,  the  Company  of  Military  Historians, and a Charter
Member of the Center for for International Maritime Security.           

Meeting Attendance for February: 101

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
This message will be essentially financial rather than historical.  Over
the last months, the executive committee has been reviewing the state of
the Round Table's finances.  We've learned that for the last few  years,
expenses  have exceeded our income from all sources.  This has served to
reduce our reserve resources.  The two main reasons  for  this  are  the
Round  Table's  subsidy support of the annual dinner, where members have
been paying on average $10 less per person than the actual cost, and the
speaker  budget.   The  speaker budgets for both this year and next year
were fashioned with the need to reduce  costs.   Committee  members  are
negotiating  in  an  attempt to keep the dinner price reasonable for all
members, but  still  sufficient  to  cover  our  dinner  costs,  without
subsidy.   The  executive  committee has determined that the dinner must
essentially pay for itself.  The same must hold true for the field trip,
where  all  costs  will  easily be covered if sufficient members attend.
Please sign up to follow Stuart.                                        

This is simply meant as an alert to our situation.  More details will be
presented  at  the next few meetings, where there will be an opportunity
for the membership to provide input.  We are also seeking a member  with
some  financial  expertise to assist us in restructuring our bookkeeping
system.  If anyone can assist, please contact me at wmwelsch@comcast.net
or  see  me  at  the  meeting.  To clarify, the situation is by no means
desperate, but certainly one that needs some adjustment for  the  future
financial  wellbeing  of  the  RCWRT.   Thank  you  for your anticipated
assistance.                                                             

And to end on a historical note, here's a relatively new blog spot  from
our  friend author Bob O'Neill.  Bob spoke to us in June, 2013, on Union
cavalry in northern Virginia.  His blog "Small But Important Riots"  has
a definite cavalry focus.  Enjoy:  smallbutimportantriots.com           
                                                              Bill
The RCWRT has a current 2016 membership of 148 members.
Please welcome our new 2016 members: William Abbitt, Francis Cherry,
Jr., Carolyn Knoeller, David Mueller, Art Wingo, and Peter Wyeth.
New memberships are welcome throughout the year.
Annual Field Trip: Stuart's Ride around the Union Army! 
Saturday, June 18th, 9:00-4:00, $35/person
Historian John Fox, author of Stuart's Finest  Hour,  will  narrate  the
tour  using  Union,  Confederate  and civilian accounts as we follow the
route of Stuart and his Federal pursuers.  Stops will  be  made  at  key
points,  beginning  at  Hanover  Tavern  where  blue and gray cavalrymen
exchanged gunfire in the first encounter of the expedition.  We'll  then
continue  southeast  to Taliaferro's Mills, Haws Shop, Totopotomoy Creek
Bridge, Linney's Corner, and Old Church before crossing  into  New  Kent
County  where  we'll  pass Tunstalls Station and Baltimore Store.  We'll
head south to the famous  Chickahominy  River  crossing  site  at  Forge
Bridge,  then  cross  into Charles City County.  Then we'll head west on
the old James River Road (Rte.  5) where we'll pass  the  Rowland  house
before turning back to Richmond.                                        

We'll be meeting at the same parking lot we have used several  times  in
the past few years: North Park Shopping Center at Parham and Brook Roads
(8001 Brook Road).  Please plan on packing a lunch.  We'll  be  stopping
at New Kent Winery for a picnic lunch.  Water bottles will be provided. 

Don't miss this one, folks!  John Mosby, one  of  Stuart's  lead  scouts
observed,  "Richmond  is  in  fine  spirits...everybody  says  it is the
greatest feat of the war." Look for sign-up sheets at the March,  April,
and May meetings.  The price is $35/person.  Bring your  checks  to  the
April meeting, or mail them to:       (Make the checks out to RCWRT)    
Elaine Duckworth        
2508 Hanover Ave.       
Richmond, Virginia 23220

Any trip questions call Elaine at: (804)447-0252
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 27-29, in Lexington
16th Biennial
Stonewall Jackson Symposium
www.stonewalljackson.org/symposium2016.html

National Park Service Richmond

Richmond Battlefields Association News & Events
www.saverichmondbattlefields.org/events.htm


Visit The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
www.tredegar.org

Pamplin Historical Park and
The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier
www.pamplinpark.org
and their
Special Events Calendar

Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours
civilwarseminars.org

RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2016