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   
September 2006 PROGRAM

Christopher L. Kolakowski
"Perryville: The Battle for Kentucky"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 12, 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.

Chris Kolakowski is the executive director of the Perryville
Battlefield  Preservation  Association  and  the  Perryville
Enhancement   Project,   charged   with   preservation   and
interpretation  of the Perryville Battlefield and town.  The
project has preserved and  interpreted  over  600  acres  of
critical   battlefield  land  along  with  several  original
structures in  the  City  of  Perryville.   Mr.   Kolakowski
graduated from Emory & Henry College with a B.A.  in History
and Mass Communications.  He served as a historian with  the
Fredericksburg  and  Spotsylvania National Military Park for
four years.  More recently, Chris worked for the  Civil  War
Preservation   Trust   and   spent   much  of  his  time  on
preservation efforts in Henrico and Hanover counties.       

On the night of October 7, 1862, more  than  70,000  Federal
and  Confederate  troops  converged near the tiny village of
Perryville in a desperate search for water.   The  next  day
the  largest  Civil  War battle fought in Kentucky exploded.
During five hours of intense fighting  some  7,500  soldiers
were  killed  or wounded, one of the worst per hour casualty
numbers of the war.  The fate of Kentucky and, perhaps,  the
entire  nation hung in the balance.  Professor Jim McPherson
wrote, "It is scarcely  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  the
Confederacy  would  have won the war if it could have gained
Kentucky,  and  conversely,  that  the  Union's  success  in
retaining   Kentucky   as   a  base  for  invasions  of  the
Confederate heartland brought eventual Union victory."      

Today, Perryville stands out among the  nation's  Civil  War
sites  as  a  preservation  success.   In  addition  to  the
pristine battlefield, there exists the renovated  Merchants'
Row,  a 19th century commercial area that remains relatively
unchanged from the day of the battle.  It is what Ed  Bearss
calls  "a gem, .  .  .  a must see for all who enjoy walking
in the steps of history."                                   


National Park Service Commemorates
the Battle of Chaffin's Farm

Richmond National  Battlefield  Park  will  commemorate  the
142nd  anniversary of the 1864 battle of Chaffin's Farm with
a weekend series of events at the Fort Harrison  battlefield
on September 30 and October 1.  Activities begin at 10:00 on
Saturday and include an evening program.  Sunday's  schedule
runs  from 10:00 to 4:00.  There is no charge for this event
and free parking is available at the Fort  Harrison  Visitor
Center located on Battlefield Park Road off Route 5.        

Join  us  for  walking  and driving tours that highlight the
extensive earthen fortifications built to  protect  Richmond
between  1862  and  1865.   Park historians will explore the
construction of Richmond's defenses with visits to  four  of
the surviving forts; retrace the Union attack route that led
to the capture of Fort Harrison and meet  visitors  at  Fort
Gilmer  to share the fate of one black regiment's attempt to
break through Confederate  lines.   A  photographic  exhibit
using  wartime  images that highlight the fortifications and
their defenders will be on display inside the Log  Cabin  at
Fort Harrison.                                              

Volunteers  representing  Union  and Confederate troops will
set up camp  at  forts  Harrison  and  Johnson  and  perform
scheduled   artillery   and   rifle  firing  demonstrations.
Throughout  the  day  young  people   can   participate   in
activities  to become a Junior Ranger and visit the camps to
learn about the life of the Civil War soldier.              

Saturday evening at 7:30, park historian  Mike  Gorman  will
present  a  one  hour photographic tour of Fort Harrison and
vicinity.   The  program  features  rarely   seen   historic
photographs  taken  in 1864 and 1865 that offer a vivid look
at the massive fortifications and surrounding landscape just
as  they  appeared  at  the  end  of  the war.  We recommend
bringing mosquito repellent and lawn chairs or blankets.    

Fort Harrison battlefield is one of  13  units  of  Richmond
National  Battlefield  Park.   It  is  located  eight  miles
southeast of Richmond, off Route 5 on Battlefield Park Road.
All  programs  are  free.   For further information, contact
park headquarters at (804) 226-1981.                        


Lecture Focuses on Confederate Emancipation

The Museum of the Confederacy and the University of Richmond
are  teaming  up  once  again  to  sponsor  the  11th Annual
Bottimore Lecture on Thursday  evening  ,  September  28  at
7:30.   Based  on  his  new  book, Confederate Emancipation,
Professor Bruce Levine will speak on a little-known but very
revealing  episode  in  the Civil War -- the proposal to arm
Confederate slaves to fight against Union troops and  reward
those  who  did  so  with  their  freedom.   The  proposal's
significance and its accomplishments will  be  examined,  as
well  as  the light it sheds on relations between slaves and
slave-owners, secession, the war,  and  the  nature  of  the
Confederacy.                                                

The lecture will be held in Keller Hall on the University of
Richmond campus.  The event is free and reservations are not
required.                                                   


American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
to Open October 7, 2006

On Saturday, October 7, the Board of Directors and staff  of
the  American  Civil  War Center at Historic Tredegar invite
the general public, residents and visitors  alike,  to  it's
grand  opening  and  the  unveiling of the Center's flagship
exhibit, In the Cause  of  Liberty.   The  permanent  10,000
square  foot state-of-the-art interactive exhibit is located
in the Center's historic 1861 Gun Foundry.  The Center  will
also  incorporate new features including the construction of
a pavilion, home to the museum  store  and  visitor  welcome
area and an adjacent terrace.  The construction is more than
85 percent complete.  Exhibit installation began in August. 

The first of its kind in the nation, the  In  the  Cause  of
Liberty  exhibit  will  explore  the American Civil War from
three  perspectives  -  Union,  Confederate,   and   African
American  -  while  staying true to the Center's mission "to
tell the whole story of the conflict that still  shapes  our
nation."                                                    

In the Cause of Liberty will showcase more than  150 objects
from more than 30 premier collections based in  places  such
as  Maine  and  Minnesota,  Arkansas  and  Tennessee.  These
include  artifacts  from  the  John  H.   Motley  Collection
illustrating  African  American  roles  in  the  Civil  War;
objects from the Museum of the  Confederacy,  the  Valentine
Richmond  History  Center,  the Virginia Historical Society;
and never before seen items borrowed from New  York's  famed
Gilder-Lehrman Institute, to name a few.                    

The  Center's  grand opening will include indoor and outdoor
activities for children, living history  demonstrations  and
period music.  Visit www.tredegar.org for more details.     


Registration Now Open for Civil War Class

Registration is now open for the fall Civil War class at the
University of Richmond.  The course, described more fully in
last month's newsletter, will focus on  the  1862  and  1864
campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley and will be taught by the
U.S.   Army's  former  Chief  of  Military   History,   Jack
Mountcastle (a Richmond Civil War Round Table member).      

Classes  will  meet  from  7-9pm  on four consecutive Monday
evenings beginning on October 23.  The  course  will  review
the  "Valley  Campaign"  of General "Stonewall" Jackson, the
impacts of war on the civilian population of the Valley, and
the  critically  important  summer  campaign of 1864, during
which Federal forces seized the Valley.  A daylong bus  tour
of  selected battlegrounds of the 1862 and 1864 campaigns on
November 18 allows students to walk over the  actual  ground
that was fought upon.                                       

To  request  more  information  call (804) 289-8133 or visit
www.richmond.edu (choose "Continuing Studies" then  look  at
"Non-credit Courses").                                      


Bus Filling Up for Next Month's Field Trip

The bus for the Richmond Civil War Round Table's fall  field
trip  is  already half full!  Don't wait until it's too late
-- reserve your seat now for our unique tour  of  Jamestown,
Yorktown,  and Williamsburg.  Although they are better known
for their 17th- and 18th-century history, all  three  places
played  roles  in  the  Civil  War  and  boast earthworks or
buildings that speak of their significance.  For  the  field
trip we have enlisted the services of expert guides who have
helped develop Civil War  tours  of  these  famous  Colonial
sites.   The  Saturday, October 28 date will allow us to see
the Yorktown fortifications after their annual autumn trim. 

The bus leaves at 8am from the James River Bus Lines parking
lot  (on N.  Allen St.  between Leigh and Broad) and returns
at 6pm.  Our guides will be David Riggs (curator at Colonial
National  Historical  Park  and  author of Embattled Shrine:
Jamestown in the Civil War), Dr.  Adrian  Wheat  (author  of
guidebook to Civil War Yorktown) and Robin Reed (Director of
Historic Area Programs at Colonial  Williamsburg  Foundation
and  formerly  Executive  Director  of  The  Museum  of  the
Confederacy).  Bring your own lunch.                        

The trip costs just $25 per person  and  is  limited  to  53
people.   Reserve  your  seat  today  by completing the form
below and bringing it with your  payment  to  the  September
meeting.   You  may  also register by mailing this form with
your check (payable  to  RCWRT)                             


Richard Grosse	       
14187 Hickory Oaks Ln. 
Ashland, VA 23005      


Name_______________________________________________________________________

Address____________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip___________________________________________________________

Phone number and/or Email address__________________________________________

Number of seats requested_______________x $25 = (total payment)$___________


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RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2006


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