Bernard Fisher, President              Rob Monroe, Editor       
7300 Ann Cabell Lane                   2416 Edenbrook Dr.       
Mechanicsville, VA 23111               Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
bernard.fisher@comcast.net             RMonroe500@comcast.net   
 August 2007 PROGRAM

Arthur W. Bergeron, Jr.

"A Thrilling Narrative:
Captain Dennis E. Haynes and His Civil War Memoir"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 14, 2007, 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.

The Civil War memoir of Capt.  Dennis E.  Haynes is  both  a
unique  and  rare document.  Few Southern Unionists wrote of
their experiences, and Haynes's is the only such publication
by  a  Louisiana  Unionist.   It  is  also  the only account
produced by a member of the 1st Louisiana Battalion  Cavalry
Scouts,  a  unit that existed for less than three months and
saw its only real action during the Red  River  Campaign  of
1864.  Haynes narrated his opposition to secession in Texas,
his harrowing  odyssey  trying  to  reach  Union  troops  in
Louisiana,   the  injuries  he  suffered  at  the  hands  of
Confederate soldiers and civilians, and the  fate  of  other
anti-Confederates  (whom  he dubbed "martyrs of liberty") in
Louisiana, and his experiences during the  first  months  of
Reconstruction.   August's  program  will  be  a  summary of
Haynes's life and Civil War adventures.                     

Bringing us this unusual perspective on the Civil War  is  a
man very familiar to the Richmond Civil War Round Table. Art
Bergeron was a member for eight years while he was Historian
at  Pamplin  Historical  Park;  he  had  begun  his  term as
president  when  he  transferred  to  his  current  job   as
Reference  Historian  with  the  United States Army Military
History Institute in Pennsylvania in 2004.  Art and his wife
Carol edited the Round Table newsletter for several years. A
Louisiana  native,  Art  received  his  Ph.D.   in  American
history  from LSU, where he studied under the late T.  Harry
Williams and William  J.   Cooper,  Jr.   Before  moving  to
Richmond,  Art  served as Historian at the Port Hudson State
Historic Site, and subsequently  as  Chief  of  Interpretive
Services  for  the  Louisiana  Office  of  State  Parks.   A
Thrilling Narrative is the latest of nearly  a  dozen  books
Art has written, edited, or co-edited.  He is now conducting
research for biographies of Union  general  Godfrey  Weitzel
and Confederate general John Rogers Cooke.                  


Pamplin Park Announces Acquisitions

Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of  the  Civil
War  Soldier  has announced the recent acquisition of a rare
copy of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution  signed
by  members  of  the  Senate and House of Representatives as
well as Vice  President  Hannibal  Hamlin.   The  Park  also
purchased  four other significant Civil War-era artifacts at
an auction including an  original  copy  of  General  Orders
Number 9 owned by General William Mahone, a lock reported to
be from Richmond's Libby Prison, a  slave  bracelet,  and  a
flag  carried  by  the  2nd North Carolina Infantry (African
Decent).                                                    

Approved by the Senate in  April  1864  and  by  the  United
States  House  of  Representatives  on  January 1, 1865, the
Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution  abolished  slavery
in the United States.  With the nation still at war, members
of the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  a  government
organization  designed  to  improve soldier health and raise
money  to  support  the  Northern  war  effort,  asked  that
handwritten copies of the Amendment be created and signed by
members of the Senate  and  the  House  of  Representatives.
These  copies were then used to raise money for troops still
in the field.  Pamplin Park's copy includes  the  signatures
of  all  the  members of the House and Senate as well as the
Vice President.                                             

Only  four  months  after  the  passage  of  the  Thirteenth
Amendment,  Confederate  General  Robert E.  Lee took pen in
hand and began drafting a farewell address to his vanquished
army  at  Appomattox  Court House.  Dated April 10, 1865, he
wrote, "After four  years  of  arduous  service,  marked  by
unsurpassed  courage  and  fortitude,  the  Army of Northern
Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers
and  resources."  Known  as  General  Order  Number  9,  Lee
provided transcribed copies of this document to all  of  his
commanders.   The  copy  now  in the Pamplin Historical Park
collection belonged to  Confederate  Major  General  William
Mahone who saved the document until his death in 1895.      

The  Park  also  added  to  its  collection  a bracelet with
African American figures  and  a  flag  said  to  have  been
carried  by the men of the 2nd North Carolina Infantry.  The
2nd North Carolina became part of the 36th  Regiment  United
States  Colored  Troops  and  participated in the Battles of
Chaffin's Farm on the outskirts of Richmond  where  Corporal
Miles  James  became one of twenty-four African Americans to
earn the Medal of Honor during the Civil War.  Both of these
items,  along with the copy of the Thirteenth Amendment will
be included in the Park's traveling exhibit, "Many Thousands
Go: African Americans and the Civil War."                   

Pamplin  Historical  Park  is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.  daily
with extended hours during  the  summer  months.   Admission
prices  are  $13.50  for  adults,  $12.00 for seniors 62 and
over,  and  $7.50  for  children  ages   6-11.    For   more
information  about  Pamplin  Historical  Park & The National
Museum of the Civil War Soldier, visit the park's website at
www.pamplinpark.org or call 1-877-PAMPLIN.                  


Class Examines Lee's Victories

This year, in honor of the 200th anniversary  of  Robert  E.
Lee's birth, the University of Richmond School of Continuing
Studies announces a course titled "Civil  War  in  Virginia:
Lee  Triumphant."  After  turning  back a Union assault upon
Richmond in July, 1862, General Robert E.  Lee led his  Army
of  Northern Virginia through a series of battles during the
next year without suffering defeat.  The  non-credit  course
explores  Lee's  generalship and the impact of the Civil War
upon Virginians, their  allies  and  their  adversaries.   A
variety  of  materials  will  be supplied by the instructor,
RCWRT member Jack Mountcastle.                              

The class is scheduled for  Monday  nights  from  7:00-9:00,
beginning  on September 24th.  The class members will take a
Saturday bus trip  to  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville
battlefields  on October 20th.  The course fee is $169.  For
more information, call the School of Continuing  Studies  at
(804)  289-8133, or visit the University of Richmond website
at www.richmond.edu.  Choose "Continuing Studies" then  look
at  "Non-credit  Courses"  for  info contained in the "Think
Again" catalog for Fall 2007.                               


Upcoming Events

The  Museum  of  the  Confederacy's  next  walking  tour  of
"Jefferson  Davis's  Richmond" is set for Tuesday, August 14
from noon to 1 p.m.  For more information on this tour,  see
the  July  newsletter or go to www.moc.org.  Space for these
tours is limited  and  reservations  are  required.   Please
contact   Dean   Knight   at  (804)  649-1861  ext.   37  or
dknight@moc.org to reserve a spot.                          

On Saturday, August 18, American Civil  War  Center  Curator
Jennifer  Gaudio  will  give  a  guided tour of the Center's
flagship exhibit, "In the Cause  of  Liberty."  Ms.   Gaudio
will  share  her unique perspective on creating the nation's
first exhibit to explore the Civil War from three  essential
perspectives  -  Union,  Confederate,  and African American.
Tour begins at  2  p.m.   Cost:  $10  or  free  with  museum
admission, free for ACWC members.                           

At noon on Thursday, August 30, the Library of Virginia will
host a free event.  Marc Leepson, former  staff  writer  for
Congressional Quarterly, and author of five books, including
Flag: An American  Biography  and  Saving  Monticello,  will
speak about and sign his new book, Desperate Engagement: How
a Little-Known Civil War Battle Saved Washington, D.C.,  and
Changed   American   History.   Leepson  contends  that  the
Confederate victory at the 1864 Battle of Monocacy  Junction
in Maryland held up the Confederate troops and allowed Union
reinforcements time to save Washington, D.C.,  from  capture
by the forces of Confederate General Jubal Early.           

There  will  be two Civil War events on Saturday and Sunday,
September 8 and 9, at Meadow Farm Museum in Henrico  County.
On  Saturday  night  from 7:15 to 9:00 there will be lantern
tours featuring a series of  vignettes  covering  the  years
1861-1865.   Guides  will  leave from the Orientation Center
every 15 minutes.  On Sunday from noon to 4:00,  "Civil  War
Days:  The Other Half of the Story" will visit the women and
the men left behind to run the farm while dealing  with  the
shortages resulting from the war.  These events are free but
registration is required for the lantern tours.  Call  (804)
501-5520.                                                   


Round Table Ramblings

The Round Table is looking to expand the popular raffle held
at  each  meeting.  In the near future, possibly as early as
this month, there will be drawings for two or three  prizes.
If  you  have  an  item  (or  items) that you would consider
donating for the raffle, please see Sam Craghead.  The Round
Table  has  a  tight  budget  and  your participation in the
raffle helps us offset some costs.                          

In addition to the raffle, the  Museum  of  the  Confederacy
will  also  have  a table to sign up new members or to renew
memberships.  There will be special gifts and incentives for
both  new  and  renewing members.  Also, in the near future,
the Museum is looking  to  host  a  wine  and  cheese  event
featuring  special  tours  of  the collection storage areas.
More details will be coming soon.                           


RCWRT member Don Blake reports that after the Round  Table's
May  meeting  he  and  other  members  witnessed  a white or
cream-colored SUV back into his vehicle (parked in the front
lot of the Virginia Historical Society) and then drive away.
Don says the driver of the SUV may not have thought  he  did
any damage.  If you have any information about this incident
please contact Don at 672-9222.                             


In order to facilitate the timely printing and  distribution
of  the RCWRT's September newsletter, please submit notices,
articles, etc.  by Friday, August 31.  Thank you!           


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2007


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