Richard Forrester, President           Rob Monroe, Editor       
8008 Spottswood Road                   2416 Edenbrook Dr.       
Richmond, VA 23229                     Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
dforrester@verizon.net                 RMonroe500@comcast.net   
May 2005 PROGRAM

Mr. Frank A. O'Reilly 
"The Battle of Fredericksburg"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 10, 2005, 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.

Frank O'Reilly graduated in 1987 with a  B.A.   in  American
History   from   Washington   &   Lee   University.   As  an
undergraduate he worked for the Stonewall Jackson  House  in
Lexington  and  was  a guest lecturer at Washington & Lee on
Civil War topics.  He joined the National  Park  Service  in
1987  at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military
Park, and later worked at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
He  returned to Fredericksburg in 1990 to fill the permanent
historian's position at the Stonewall  Jackson  Shrine.   He
has  also served as an historical consultant for the City of
Fredericksburg  and  the   Shenandoah   Valley   Battlefield
Planning Commission.                                        

His  latest book, The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on
the Rappahannock, was nominated for a 2004 Pulitzer Prize in
Letters.   It  was  released  by  Louisiana State University
Press in December, 2002, and has won  the  Capital  District
(Albany,  NY) 2002 Book Award; the 2003 James I.  Robertson,
Jr.  Book Award; the 2003 Daniel M.  Laney Book  Award;  and
the 2004 Richard Barksdale Harwell Book Award.              

O'Reilly  has  written  numerous  articles  on  the  war  in
Virginia and introductions to several books, including  Phil
Sheridan's  memoirs,  the  History  of the 1st Massachusetts
Cavalry, and the  155th  Pennsylvania's  Under  the  Maltese
Cross.    In   1993   he   released   Stonewall  Jackson  at
Fredericksburg, and he has contributed several articles  and
essays to publications such as Atlas of the Civil War; Civil
War  Regiments,  and  Civil  War  and  America's  Civil  War
magazines.    He  has  made  appearances  in  several  video
documentaries, including Civil War Journal.                 

RCWRT Members Invited on Two June Tours

The Civil War Round Table of the  District  of  Columbia  is
sponsoring  two tours in June and is extending an invitation
to RCWRT members.  On the weekend of  June  11  and  12,  Ed
Bearrs  will  be  the  guide  for  "Sheridan's  1864  Valley
Campaign." There will be  stops  at  Winchester,  Kernstown,
Fishers  Hill,  New Market, Cedar Creek and Middletown.  The
$250 fee includes bus, hotel, Saturday dinner and  lunch  on
Sunday.                                                     

The  following  Saturday, June 18, Marc Thompson will be the
guide for "Sheridan's Richmond Raid." This tour will include
Jarrald's  Mill,  Mitchell's  Shop,  Ground Squirrel Bridge,
Yellow   Tavern,   Beaver   Dam   Station,   Brook   Church,
Chickahominy  Bluffs  and Meadow Bridge.  There is a $50 fee
for this daylong tour.                                      

For more information, visit the Civil War Round Table of the
District           of           Columbia's          website,
http://users.erols.com/kennrice/cwrtdc.htm or contact  their
vice president, Susan Claffey at (202) 654-2907.            

Battlefield Ground Preserved at Malvern Hill

The Civil War Preservation Trust  (CWPT)  and  the  Richmond
National    Battlefield    Park   recently   announced   the
preservation of 253 acres of battlefield ground  at  Malvern
Hill  in  lower  Henrico  County.  The National Park Service
(NPS) recently closed on the property, making  the  transfer
from  the CWPT official and adding the history-laden acreage
to the park's holdings, which now exceed 1,000 acres at  the
Malvern Hill Battlefield.                                   

When  the  private  owner  of  the  land  agreed to sell the
historic property in 2000, CWPT stepped in at  short  notice
to secure the property, forging an alliance with the county,
local developer Andy Shield, the Virginia Land  Conservation
Fund,  and  Dr.   Robert  Bluford of the Association for the
Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.                       

According to CWPT President James Lighthizer,  "Without  the
cooperation  of  Henrico County, Andy Shield and Dr.  Robert
Bluford, CWPT could not have saved this property.   Now,  we
are  partnering with NPS to ensure that this hallowed ground
is preserved for all time." The  CWPT  hoped  that  the  NPS
could take over the protection and management of the site in
the future.                                                 

NPS Superintendent Cynthia MacLeod welcomed the new acreage.
"The  protection  of  this  important  ground  in perpetuity
cements Malvern Hill Battlefield's reputation  as  the  best
preserved  battlefield  in  this  part  of Virginia and will
significantly enhance the experience of every visitor to the
site," she said.  "We thank Henrico County, Andy Shield, and
CWPT for their leadership and  cooperation  in  this  effort
that benefits the American people."                         

The  253  acres  now  permanently protected include the West
House, a battlefield landmark rebuilt since  the  war  using
some  of the fabric and foundation of the wartime structure.
A roaring line of Union cannon that helped to win the battle
stood  in the yard of the West House.  The ground is largely
open today, as it was 143 years ago,  and  visitors  to  the
site  can  envision  the  dozens  of cannon and thousands of
blue-clad soldiers massed there.  An eye-catching  image  of
the  Malvern  Hill Battlefield appeared in the April edition
of National Geographic as part of an article on  battlefield
preservation in America.                                    

Richmond  National Battlefield Park preserves close to 1,700
acres of battlefield land  outside  Richmond.   With  70,000
members,   CWPT   is   the   largest  nonprofit  battlefield
preservation organization in the United States.  Its mission
is  to  preserve America's endangered Civil War battlefields
and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds.      

Ukrops Certificates Can Help RBA and
Museum of the Confederacy

The Ukrop's Golden Gift Receipt  Program  donates  money  to
local  organizations  including  the  Richmond  Battlefields
Association (RBA) and the Museum of the  Confederacy.   Gift
certificates  are based on purchases and will be included in
Ukrop's May newsletter.  Organizations  receive  a  donation
based  on the amount of receipts they collect by May 29.  To
donate to the RBA, please bring your receipts to the RCWRT's
May meeting or mail them to:                                

David West                                                  
88 West Square Drive                                        
Richmond, VA 23233                                          

To donate to the Museum of the Confederacy,
mail your certificates to:

Museum of the Confederacy, Development Department            
1201 E. Clay Street                                          
Richmond, VA 23219.                                          

Special Tour Gives In-Depth Look at
Drewry's Bluff Fort

The Museum of the Confederacy is hosting a series  of  tours
designed   to  compliment  its  current  exhibition  on  the
Confederate  Navy.   "Drewry's  Bluff:  Captured   Only   in
Photographs,"   the  initial  program  in  this  series,  is
scheduled for Saturday morning, June 11, from 8am to noon.  

Strategically located on a bend in the James River south  of
Richmond,   the   Confederate   fort   at   Drewry's   Bluff
successfully kept the United States Navy at bay  for  nearly
three  years  of  war.   Known  as  the  "Gibraltar  of  the
Confederacy," this 90-foot-high precipice was home  base  to
the  James  River  Squadron,  the  Confederate  States Naval
Academy  ship  Patrick  Henry,  and   three   companies   of
Confederate marines.  Federal forces never captured Drewry's
Bluff.                                                      

Starting at the museum, Richmond historian Michael D.  Gorman
will  give a presentation featuring "then and now" photos of
the  famous  Civil  War  site.   Immediately  following  the
presentation,  the group will be transported to the fort for
a tour of the photo sites, many of which have  been  located
only recently.  Cost of this event is $20 for museum members
and $30 for non-members.  Members bringing a non-member will
receive  a $5 discount.  Registration forms are available in
the Calendar of Events  section  of  the  museum's  website,
www.moc.org.   For more information, contact Vickie Yates at
vyates@moc.org or (804) 649-1861, ext.  20.   Prepayment  is
required by May 28 and there are no refunds.                

Conference Examines African Americans and Civil War

Several Petersburg-area  organizations  (the  National  Park
Service, Pamplin Historical Park, Richard Bland College, the
City of Petersburg, the Siege  Museum,  and  Virginia  State
University)  are  teaming  up  to  present the Conference on
African Americans and the Civil War (CAACW) on the campus of
Virginia  State University on May 26-28.  The purpose of the
conference is to examine the impact the Civil War has had on
African American culture from the 1860s to present day.     

The CAACW will comprise an academic program featuring papers
by leading academics, a folklore program focusing on African
American   music   and   dance,  an  education  program  for
high-school students, and tours to  highlight  the  cultural
and  historical  assets  of  the Petersburg area.  Among the
confirmed speakers are  Dr.   William  B.   Gould  (Stanford
Univ.),  Dr.   Brenda  Stevenson  (UCLA),  Dr.  David Blight
(Yale), Robert Stanton (former Director of the National Park
Service), Tim Reid (Founder of Millenium Studios), and Frank
Smith (Founder and Director of the  African  American  Civil
War Memorial).                                              

Local  residents  are  welcome  to  attend  the  conference.
Information about the CAACW  and  a  registration  form  are
available on the conference's website, www.caacw.org.  Those
without internet access can gain information by calling  Ann
Blumenschine   at  Petersburg  National  Battlefield,  (804)
732-3531, ext.  203                                         

Frequent visitors to Petersburg  National  Battlefield  Park
may  have  noticed  a  strange new detour as they walked the
path near Colquitt's Salient at Tour Stop Number Five.   The
usual trail has been rerouted due to the discovery of a bald
eagle's nest!                                               

And lastly, this tidbit from the newsletter of the Civil War
Round  Table  of  Milwaukee: (quoting a Tennessee newspaper)
"Based on the battles mentioned in the book `Gone  With  The
Wind,' Melanie would have [been] pregnant 21 months.  Author
Margaret Mitchell's only reply  to  the  discrepancy  was  a
Southerner's pace is slower than that of a Yankee."         

RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2005

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!   

Information may be emailed to RMonroe500@comcast.net   
or
Richmond Civil War Round Table Newsletter
Rob Monroe, Editor     
2416 Edenbrook Dr.     
Richmond, VA 23228-3040