Sheppard Parsons, President            Rob Monroe, Editor       
107 Rose Hill Road                     2416 Edenbrook Dr.       
Richmond, VA 23229                     Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
shep.parsons@suntrust.com              RMonroe500@comcast.net   
June 2006 PROGRAM
Dr. Gary Gallagher
"The Seven Days Battles As A Major Civil War Turning Point"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 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.

Gary W.  Gallagher is the John L.  Nau III Professor in  the
History  of  the  American  Civil  War  at the University of
Virginia.  A native of Los Angeles,  he  received  his  B.A.
from  Adams  State College and his M.A.  and Ph.D.  from the
University of Texas at Austin.  He has written, co-authored,
or  edited some twenty books on the era of the Civil War and
Reconstruction, and has  published  more  than  one  hundred
articles   in   scholarly   journals   and  popular  history
magazines.  Most recently he was editor and co-author of The
Shenandoah  Valley  Campaign  of  1864.   Dr.   Gallagher is
active in historic preservation and is currently  writing  a
book exploring how the Civil War has been presented in films
and artworks.                                               

The Confederacy experienced a series of  major  setbacks  in
the first year of the war.  They lost control of many of the
western rivers routes, saw the closing of many Atlantic  and
Gulf  ports,  and  suffered  the  loss of several key cities
(Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk).  Defeats at Mill Springs,
Pea   Ridge,   Glorieta   Pass,   and  Shiloh  had  thwarted
Confederate offensives.  In the spring of 1862, the Army  of
the  Potomac,  under  Gen.  George McClellan, had marched up
the Peninsula to the  very  gates  of  Richmond.   With  the
wounding of Gen.  Joseph Johnston on June 1, Gen.  Robert E.
Lee assumed command of the Army of  Northern  Virginia.   In
less  than a month, from June 25 to July 1, Lee's army drove
the Federals away from Richmond and into a retreat down  the
Virginia  Peninsula.   Professor  Gallagher will discuss the
significance of these events and the Seven Days Battles.    


Summary of the May Meeting

Dr.  Charles Cooke, a Richmond area physician, made a return
visit  to  the  Richmond  Civil  War Round Table in May.  An
expert on Civil War medicine and diseases, Cooke last  spoke
to the RCWRT in March 2004, giving an excellent presentation
on Chimborazo Hospital.  Last month Cooke enlightened  Round
Table members with a lively discussion of the development of
the Union Ambulance Corps during the Civil War.  Much of the
success  of  this  unit is due to Surgeon Jonathan Letterman
who headed up medical services in the Army of the Potomac.  

There were 94 surgeons in the U.S.  Army in 1860.  Even that
relatively   small   number  may  be  over  inflated,  Cooke
explained.   At  the  time,  there   was   a   much   looser
interpretation  of  the term "surgeon," and the title didn't
necessarily mean that a doctor had ever  performed  surgery.
Letterman  went  to  great lengths to ensure operations were
done by the most experienced surgeons.                      

Prior to the  Civil  War,  the  U.S.   Army  owned  only  51
ambulances.   Often  they were commandeered to haul personal
belongings.  Most ambulances were two-wheeled wagons with no
springs.   A  soldier  with  a  bone  fracture  would  be in
excruciating pain in one of these wagons when it traversed a
corduroy  road.   Later in the war, the Ambulance Corps went
to four-wheel wagons with springs, cabinets for supplies and
curtains  for  bad weather.  Railroad cars were outfitted to
move as many as 50 men at a time.                           

Letterman enjoyed a good relationship with George McClellan.
For  all  his  faults  as a battlefield tactician, the Union
general put a high priority on the  Ambulance  Corps  having
witnessed  firsthand  the  medical  disasters of the Crimean
War.  Letterman insisted his men excercise daily  and  bathe
at least once a week.  They were trained to properly pick up
wounded men in battle.  Letterman would  discipline  men  by
sending   them   to   the   morgue.    In  the  days  before
refridgeration, the  morgue  was  an  especially  unpleasant
place to pass the time.                                     

The  efficiency  of medical services greatly improved as the
war progressed.  At First Manassas some men  went  72  hours
without  medical  attention.   An  open  wound is considered
infected, Cooke pointed  out,  after  only  six  hours.   At
Fredericksburg,  about 9,000 men were in hospitals within 24
hours of the battle.  Later at Gettysburg, over  14,000  men
were  transported  to  hospitals within a day.  Confederates
copied some of Letterman's ideas but lacked the resources to
do as much.                                                 


Powhatan Round Table Makes Sizable Donation to RBA

A tip of the kepi goes to our friends in the Powhatan  Civil
War  Round  Table.   At  its  April meeting the group raised
$3,600 for  the  Richmond  Battlefields  Association  (RBA)!
That's  an amazing amount for a relatively young Round Table
(less than a decade old).  The RBA will  use  the  money  to
help preserve the battlefield at Frayser's Farm.            


RCWRT Members Invited to Tour Civil War Center

All members of  the  Richmond  Civil  War  Round  Table  are
invited  to an inside tour of what's coming this fall at the
American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar.  Come see  a
newly updated presentation on the new exhibit being designed
for the Tredegar  Gun  Foundry.   Called  In  the  Cause  of
Liberty,  it  will  weave  together  Confederate, Union, and
African American stories and will show how their interaction
shaped the course of American history.  We'll also go inside
the Foundry and see the nearly completed construction.      

We can meet in the courtyard at Tredegar at  9:30  a.m.   on
Saturday,  June  17 or June 24, whichever is more convenient
for the membership.                                         


Pamplin Park to Host Civil War Weekend

This month Pamplin Historical Park & the National Museum  of
the  Civil  War  Soldier  is promising the biggest Civil War
event in the attraction's history.  On June 24 and  25,  the
park  outside  Petersburg  will  be  packed  with reenactors
entertaining visitors with  battlefield  demonstrations  and
encampments.   The  tenth  annual  Civil  War  Weekend  will
feature special guided  tours  and  programs  on  Civil  War
medicine and music.                                         

The park will also be opening a new exhibit, "Many Thousands
Go: African Americans  and  the  Civil  War."  Comprised  of
artifacts  from  the  Gladstone African American collection,
this new exhibit will tell the story  of  African  Americans
and  their  role  in  the American Civil War, both North and
South.  A special  exhibit  opening  reception  for  Pamplin
Historical  Park  Members will be held on June 16.  For more
information,  go  to  www.pamplinpark.org  or  phone   (804)
861-2408 or toll free 1-877-PAMPLIN.                        


Programs to Commemorate Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill Battles

The Richmond National Battlefield Park will commemorate  the
battles  of  Gaines  Mill  and  Malvern  Hill with a pair of
anniversary programs.  On June 24 and  25  the  Gaines  Mill
program   will   feature   walking   tours,   rifle   firing
demonstrations and a living  history  encampment  throughout
the  weekend.  On July 8 and 9 the Malvern Hill program will
include park ranger guided walking tours and  demonstrations
of  Confederate infantry and Union artillery.  Both programs
are from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on  Sunday.
For  more  information, call the Civil War Visitor Center at
(804) 771-2145.                                             


Tour Highlights Petersburg Area Cemeteries

A special bus tour to some of  the  Petersburg  area's  most
historic   cemeteries   is  scheduled  for  June  17,  2006.
Departing at 10am from the Petersburg  National  Battlefield
Visitor  Center  parking  lot, stops will include City Point
National  Cemetery  in  Hopewell,  Poplar   Grove   National
Cemetery  in Dinwiddie County, and the Memorial Hill section
of the Blandford  Cemetery  in  Petersburg.   The  bus  will
return to the Petersburg National Battlefield Visitor Center
at 3:00pm.                                                  

In 1866 The  Ladies  Memorial  Association  was  created  to
ensure that Confederate soldiers who died during the 292 day
siege of Petersburg would  receive  proper  burials  at  the
Blandford  Cemetery.   That same year the federal government
established the national cemeteries at City Point and Poplar
Grove  to provide proper burials for Union soldiers who died
during the siege.  The history of each cemetery as  well  as
its points of interest will be highlighted at each stop.    

Participants  are  encouraged to bring their cameras as each
of the cemeteries has a unique beauty and  wealth  of  photo
opportunities.   Participants  may  bring  a  light lunch or
snack if they wish.  Light  refreshments  will  be  provided
after  the tour of Poplar Grove National Cemetery.  The cost
of the tour is $15 per person and reservations are required.
For  reservations,  please  call  the  City  of Petersburg's
visitor center at (804) 733-2400.                           


RBA Offers Special Malvern Hill Tour on June 10

The  Richmond  Battlefields  Association  (RBA),   a   local
non-profit  Civil War battlefield preservation organization,
will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, June  10,  at  the
Malvern  Hill battlefield.  Noted historian and author Frank
O'Reilly will lead a walking tour of seldom seen portions of
the site.                                                   

The  program  begins  at  10am,  is  free to the public, and
should last about three hours.  Tour location is on the west
side of Willis Church Road (Route 156) between the Parsonage
and  Willis  Church.   Parking  is  limited  so  carpool  if
possible.   For  more  information, visit the RBA's website,
www.saverichmondbattlefields.org or call  272-8888.   Please
note  the  early  date for this event: June 10, the Saturday
before the RCWRT's June meeting.                            


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! 


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2006

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