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   
September 2005 PROGRAM

Robert E.L. Krick
"Brother Against Brother"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 13, 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.

Robert E.  L.  Krick is in his fifteenth year as a member of
the  Richmond  Civil  War  Round  Table.   He grew up in and
around Fredericksburg, most notably on the  Chancellorsville
battlefield.   He  currently  is  historian  on the staff at
Richmond National Battlefield Park.  Earlier  duty  included
short   stints  at  Custer  Battlefield  National  Monument,
Manassas National Battlefield, and a mercifully  brief  stay
in  Philadelphia  at  Independence National Historical Park.
The University of North  Carolina  Press  published  Krick's
book  Staff  Officers  in  Gray  in  2003,  and it became an
alternate selection of the History Book Club.               

Krick will speak about  the  Terrill  brothers,  two  native
Virginians  who  chose  opposite  sides  in  1861.  Both men
attended  prestigious  military  schools,  and  both  earned
reputations as good soldiers.  But neither survived the war.
Their lives and deaths make  an  interesting  story,  tinged
with  mystery and pathos.  They are perhaps the best example
of "brother against brother" in the Civil War.              

The Richmond Civil War Round Table was saddened to learn  of
the  recent  deaths of two highly regarded members, J.  Ives
Townsend and Michael P.  Mason.  Their friends in the  RCWRT
will  sadly  miss these gentlemen.  The Round Table has made
two donations to the Museum of the Confederacy in  honor  of
Mr. Townsend and Mr. Mason

Summary of August Meeting

Our August speaker, Gen.  Josiah Bunting, drew a huge  crowd
to  the  RCWRT's  monthly  meeting.  Suffice it to say there
were more than a few VMI alums in attendance to  hear  their
school's   former  president.   "It's  wonderful  to  be  in
Richmond and not have to ask for money," Bunting quipped. He
joked  that  he was equally glad he had not been summoned to
Richmond to explain why there are women at VMI.             

Bunting prefaced his talk by noting that the  United  States
had  been  "deeply  blessed"  with  great leaders during the
American Revolution, the Civil War and World War II.  One of
those leaders, Bunting declared, was the subject of his talk
-- U.S.  Grant.  Though Northerners regarded him as  a  hero
after  the capture of Vicksburg in 1863, only a year earlier
Grant had been unfairly labeled a  "butcher"  after  Shiloh.
Bunting  described  this bloody battle as the most tragic in
American  history  because  it  was   fought   between   two
inexperienced "gangs" of teenagers.                         

Conversely,  the  meeting  of  Grant  and Lee at Appomattox,
Bunting affirmed, was America's most important hour.  Though
Grant  revered  Lee,  he  was  not intimidated by him.  Soon
after the war, Grant told President Johnson he would  resign
his commission if Lee and Longstreet were tried for treason.
Grant's own failings as president were for the same  reasons
he  was  successful  as  a general, Bunting observed.  Grant
trusted his  subordinates,  Bunting  said,  and  that  is  a
mistake when dealing with politicians.                      

Grant  was  a  good strategist, Bunting surmised, an average
tactician, but an excellent general.  Grant's success  as  a
commander  came  in  his  ability  to  - as Napolean said --
receive  information  dispassionately.   Grant's  greatness,
Bunting concluded, was the result of his unwillingness to be
deflected from his objective.                               

RCWRT's Annual Dinner Scheduled for November

The Richmond Civil War Round Table's annual dinner  will  be
held on Tuesday evening, November 8 on the 24th floor of the
SunTrust Bank, 919 E.  Main in downtown Richmond.  There  is
no  charge  for parking in the bank's Cary St.  entrance and
the high-rise building offers  a  spectacular  view  of  the
Capital City at night.                                      

If  delicious  food and a breathtaking view aren't enough to
lure you downtown, we have an excellent speaker and  program
scheduled.   Jeff  Johnston,  a  marine  biologist  with the
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, will present a discussion
and slide show on the remarkable recovery and restoration of
the legendary ironclad.                                     

The cost for this special dinner and  presentation  is  $35.
You  may  bring  a check to the RCWRT's September 13 meeting
and give to any officer, or mail to:                        

Shep Parsons      
107 Rose Hill Dr. 
Richmond, VA 23229


Lecture to Explore
"The Confederacy in the 21st Century"

"Rebel symbols fall one by one in the South,"  screamed  the
headlines  of  a recent Associated Press story.  The article
described how Southern states, localities, universities, and
businesses  have endeavored to quietly eradicate symbols and
names associated with the Confederacy.                      

Other recent  news  stories  testify  that  the  purging  of
Confederate symbols and names does not go unchallenged.  The
Tennessee State  Court  of  Appeals  ruled  that  Vanderbilt
University  could  not  change the name of Confederate Hall,
which had been built in the 1930s with funds from the United
Daughters  of  the Confederacy.  Southern heritage activists
score occasional victories in defending  students  suspended
for wearing Confederate battle flag clothing to school.  And,
while the Commonwealth of Virginia has  declined  in  recent
years to designate a Confederate History and Heritage Month,
dozens of local governments throughout the south  have  done
so.                                                         

Many  Americans  are  surprised to read that the Confederacy
remains such a contentious subject in the 21st century,  140
years  after  its  demise,  and that so many individuals and
groups rally to its defense.  Scholars and commentators  see
in this a culturally significant struggle over the ownership
of American history.                                        

The Museum  of  the  Confederacy's  tenth  annual  Elizabeth
Roller  Bottimore  lecture  will  explore  the  place of the
Confederacy on the landscape  of  21st-century  America.   A
panel  consisting  of  historians and activists of different
perspectives will discuss the  ongoing  controversies  about
Confederate  heritage,  their  historical  roots,  and their
cultural implications.                                      

The panelists include Brag Bowling, National  Press  Officer
for the Sons of Confederate Veterans; W.  Fitzhugh Brundage,
Professor of History at the University of North Carolina and
author  of  the  forthcoming  book, Remembering the Southern
Past: A Clash of Race and Memory; and John Coski,  Historian
and  Library  Director  at the Museum of the Confederacy and
author  of  The  Confederate  Battle  Flag:  America's  Most
Embattled  Emblem.   Other  panelists  may  be  added to the
lecture.                                                    

Cosponsored by the University of Richmond History Department
and  the Museum of the Confederacy, the program will be held
on Thursday, September 22 in the Keller Hall reception  room
on  the  University of Richmond campus.  The program is free
and  open  to  the  public.   Because  seating  is  limited,
reservations are required.  Please call (804) 649-1861, ext.
28 or email library@moc.org to reserve your place.          

Fall Field Trip is Sold Out

The "Battle of Hampton Roads" boat tour on  October  1st  is
sold  out!  We will depart from the James River Bus Terminal
promptly at 8am.  There is ample parking at  915  N.   Allen
Avenue  (between Broad and Leigh streets).  Remember to pack
a lunch and bring a photo ID.  If you have questions, please
contact  Bernie  Fisher  at  (804)  730-1785  or  via email:
bernard.fisher@comcast.net

RCWRT Announces Special Raffle

Longtime RCWRT member Joe Monroe has kindly donated  to  the
Round  Table his set of an acclaimed series of books.  About
20 volumes make up this full  set  from  Time-Life's  "Civil
War"  series.   All  of  the books are in fine condition and
would carry a hefty price tag if you were  lucky  enough  to
find the full set available at a used book store.           

The  Round  Table will hold a special raffle for this set of
books.  You may purchase $1 tickets at each of  our  monthly
meetings  through  the  end  of  the year.  We will draw the
lucky winner at the December meeting.                       

In the meantime, don't forget to bring an  extra  dollar  or
two  for  Sam  Craghead's regular monthly raffle.  The Round
Table would like  to  thank  Joe  again  for  this  valuable
donation!                                                   

Civil War Book Fair to Feature Over 20 Authors

Over 20 nationally renowned Civil War  authors  will  be  in
Richmond  on  Saturday,  September  17.   These  historians,
novelists and children's book writers will be taking part in
a   Civil  War  book  fair  hosted  by  the  Museum  of  the
Confederacy.  All authors will have a  dedicated  table  and
will autograph their books, many of which will be on sale in
the  museum.   The  authors  will  present  20-minute  talks
throughout  the  day  in  the  museum's  lower  level.   The
schedule of speakers will be posted at the museum that day. 

Authors  scheduled  to  appear  include  RCWRT  members  Dan
Balfour,  Robert  E.L.   Krick  and John Coski as well as Ed
Ayers, John Quarstein, Thomas Lowry, DeAnne Blanton,  Nelson
Langford, Ervin L.  Jordan, Jr., Edward Longacre, Anne Sarah
Rubin,  Greg  Clemmer,  David  Bridges,  John  Burgwyn,  Ann
McMillan,  Garry Fisher, George Kundahl, Fran Hawk, James A.
Morgan, Laura Malone Elliott, Steven Newton, David Poyer and
Rebecca Barbour Calcutt.                                    

A  reduced admission fee of $7 will allow visitors to attend
the book fair  and  tour  the  museum.   This  fee  will  be
refunded  if  a  book  is  purchased  at  that time.  Museum
members get free admission and 20% off book purchases.   For
more  information,  contact  the  museum  at Info@moc.org or
(804) 649-1861, ext. 53.                                    

RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2005

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