J. Tracy Power
What Marse Robert Says Is Gospel In This Squad:
Robert E. Lee and His Soldiers
8:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 13, 2011, at the
First Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA., 4602 Cary Street Road, 23226
A parking lot is available behind the church with an entrance off the
parking lot to the left and down a few stairs.
Everyone who has ever written about-or read about-the Army of Northern
Virginia acknowledges that Robert E. Lee and his soldiers had a very
special relationship. Very few historians, however, have ever tried to
explore just how that bond was forged, how it worked, and how it was
only strengthened over time, so that by the end of the war many officers
and men said they were fighting for Marse Robert himself more than for
any other reason. Understanding this bond between Lee and his men is
central to understanding the Confederate experience.
Dr. J. Tracy Power, author of Lee's Miserables, will give us an
introduction to a long-term work in progress. He will begin with the
ways in which participants during the war and historians since have
looked at this relationship, highlight the four "Lee to the rear!"
incidents in the Wilderness and at Spotsylvania, and conclude with a
proposal for an original portrait of a general and his soldiers,
intended to shed new light on that bond which affected them for the rest
of their lives.
Dr. Power has been a historian with the South Carolina Department of
Archives and History since 1986, where he is co-coordinator of the
National Register of Historic Places and coordinator the South Carolina
Historical Marker Program. A Georgia native who has lived in Columbia,
South Carolina, since 1981, he was educated at Emory University, where
he received his undergraduate degree, and the University of South
Carolina, where he received his M.A. and Ph.D. He has also taught
American history at the University of South Carolina and at Midlands
Technical College.
His award-winning book Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern
Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox was published in 1998 by the
University of North Carolina Press. Lee's Miserables won Second Place
in the Lincoln Prize, given by the Lincoln and Soldiers' Institute at
Gettysburg College; the Jefferson Davis Award, given by the Museum of
the Confederacy; the Jerry Coffey Memorial Book Prize, given by the
Grady McWhiney Research Foundation; and the Richard Barksdale Harwell
Award, given by the Atlanta Civil War Round Table.
Dr. Power is also the co-editor of The Leverett Letters, a collection
of more than 200 letters by the family of Reverend Charles Leverett of
Beaufort District, published in 2000 by the University of South Carolina
Press. His children's biography of Stonewall Jackson was published in
2004 by PowerKids Press. He is also editing a documentary edition of
the letters of Captain Charles Stevens Dwight of the Confederate
Engineer Corps. Dr. Power is married to Carolyn Thompson Power, an
academic advisor at Midlands Technical College in Columbia.
Be sure to come early to get a good seat.
Meeting Attendance: August 2011 = 58
NOTE: Please put on your NAME BADGE on when you arrive for the meeting.
(They will be on a table near the back or side of the room.)
A Word from Our President
Welcome all RCWRT members to our September meeting. As usual we have a
very good speaker-with an interesting topic. In addition, Jim Seguin
will present some slides and info on the 150th First Manassas
battlefield reenactment at 7:30 pm. (Should last about 15 minutes.)
Please remember to bring a friend, neighbor or relative [I don't think
you did last month.]
See you Tuesday,
David Whitehead, Pres. RCWRT
RCWRT's 2011 Annual Dinner - Tuesday, Nov.8, 2011
On Tuesday, November 8, the RCWRT's 2011 annual dinner will be held at
Willow Oaks Country Club. We are very pleased that the award-winning
author Elizabeth Brown Pryor will be speaking to us about many
fascinating aspects of Robert E. Lee's character.
"Cutting Edge--What We Now Know about Robert E. Lee's
Decision to Side with the South."
The evening begins with a reception at 6:00 PM. The excellent Buffet
Dinner begins at 7:00 PM, with our speaker to follow. Thanks to the
efforts of several Round Table members, the cost for this year's dinner
has been reduced. The ticket price this year will be $32 for members
and their spouses or dates. (The cost for your guests who would like to
attend, but are not members of the Round Table will be $35 per person.)
Beer, wine, cocktails, and soft drinks will be available at the
reception. There is no charge for soft drinks. Tickets for alcoholic
drinks may be purchased for $4.
We expect to have an enthusiastic response to this annual event. You
are therefore encouraged to make your reservations early. (Buffet)
Price: Members & spouse/date @ $32/ea, Guests @ $35/ea.
To make your reservations please click here, print the form page, and
send it along with a check (made out to "RCWRT") to Jack Mountcastle.
Civil War Trust
For the latest CWT news visit: www.civilwar.org
Upcoming Events
September 24, 2011 @ 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Battle of North Anna Fund-Raising Bus Tour
Led by NPS historian Robert E. L. Krick with stops at Jericho Mills
and the Doswell House. Includes light breakfast & lunch at Hanover
Tavern and their Civil War exhibit. Tickets are $65 for Tavern members
and $75 for non-members. Contact David Deal at 804-537-5050 or
Ddeal@hanovertavern.org
Henrico County Civil War Commemoration September 23 - 25
Henrico County - Gateway to Richmond, 1861 - 1865
Friday, September 23, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Henrico Theatre, 305 E. Nine Mile Road, Highland Springs, 23075
Registration is required. Please call 804-328-4491.
Encampment and Exhibits
Saturday, September 24, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Tree Hill farm, 6404 Osborne Turnpike, VA 23231
Tours and Demonstrations in partnership with the National Park Service
Sunday, September 25, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Fort Harrison, 8621 Battlefield Park Road, VA 23231
For more information about these goto: www.henrico400th.com/calendar
www.virginiacivilwar.org
Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial CommissionVisit The Museum of the Confederacy Online
www.moc.orgVisit The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
www.tredegar.org
and their
Events CalendarPamplin Historical Park and
The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier
www.pamplinpark.org
and their
Special Events CalendarRCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2011
If you have an E-mail address and internet access and are not currently
receiving your newsletter notification via E-mail please let me have
your NAME and E-mail address. My E-mail address is: cowardin@juno.com
(Just click my E-mail address above)
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