Edward J. Wooldridge, Pres.            Gary Cowardin, Editor    
13700 Lintel Lane                      1404 Lorraine Ave.       
Midlothian, VA 23113                   Richmond, VA 23227-3735  
edwool@verizon.net                     cowardin@juno.com        
 June 2009 Program

Fred L. Ray

Shock Troops of the Confederacy

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 9, 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.

Born in Louisiana, Fred Ray grew up in Pensacola, Florida  and  attended
Florida  State  University  where  he  received  a  BA  in International
Affairs.  Commissioned into the Army in 1968  he  served  six  years  on
active  duty  including two tours in Vietnam and one in Germany.  During
the 1980s, he  worked  as  a  river  guide  and  whitewater  instructor,
specializing  in river rescue and safety operations.  In 1998 he started
CFS Press, specializing in books on flood and swift  water  rescue,  and
has just published the fourth edition of his first book, River Rescue.  

Mr.  Ray has had a lifelong interest in military history, but only began
writing about it while working on  a  family  history  project  when  he
discovered  that  an  ancestor  was  a  Confederate  sharpshooter.  This
revelation led to  his  first  Civil  War  book,  Shock  Troops  of  the
Confederacy  which  tells  the  story  of the development of the Army of
Northern Virginia's sharpshooter battalions.   This  book  will  be  the
subject of our June meeting.                                            

In  Shock  Troops of the Confederacy, Fred Ray describes the development
of the Army of Northern Virginia's sharpshooter battalions, the  weapons
they  used,  how  they  trained with them, and their tactical use on the
battlefield.  The book also tells the human story of  the  sharpshooters
themselves,  describing in their own words what it was like to be in the
thick of battle, on the skirmish line, and at their lonely picket posts.

Located in Asheville, NC, Fred Ray maintains a website -  "Shock  Troops
of  the Confederacy" ( www.cssharpshooters.com ) which breaks new ground
in military history and in the Civil War while  reinterpreting  many  of
its  major  battles.   Fred  Ray's  work  has  been characterized by one
reviewer as "the most significant small unit tactical  analysis  of  the
Army of Northern Virginia ever written."                                


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Upcoming Events


Historic Polegreen Church Foundation
Saturday, June 27, 2009, 10:00 a.m.-4:00p.m.
Civil War Living History Encampment and Program

A local living history  unit  which  has  partnered  with  the  Historic
Polegreen  Church  Foundation in an effort to maintain the appearance of
Polegreen's newly enhanced site will offer  several  free  programs  for
tourists, Civil War enthusiasts and families.                           

Polegreen's  volunteers  strive  to tell the accurate story of the Civil
War soldier in the Virginia Theater between 1861 & 1865.  One  artillery
unit that they often portray is the Richmond Howitzers, who in 1864 were
forced to  fire  on  Polegreen  Church  after  union  soldiers  took  up
sharpshooter positions in the church.  Today, the modern gun crew of the
Richmond Howitzers is giving back what the original gun crew was  forced
to take away.                                                           

Location:  	Historic Polegreen Church Site
                6411 Heatherwood Drive        
                Mechanicsville, Virginia 23116

For complete schedule see:                                              
http://www.historicpolegreen.org/news/#z9


Visit the The Museum of the Confederacy Online Events Calendar
for MOC Events Calendar:

http://www.moc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=visit_cal


Pamplin Historical Park
and
The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier

Special Events Calendar:

http://www.pamplinpark.org/events.html


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2009


Richmond Civil War Round Table Newsletter
Gary Cowardin, Editor  
1404 Lorraine Ave.     
Richmond, VA 23227-3735

cowardin@juno.com