September 2012 - rcwrt.org
Jack Mountcastle, President Gary Cowardin, Editor 3821 Middletown Way 1404 Lorraine Ave. Glen Allen, VA 232060 Richmond, VA 23227-3735 mtcastle@comcast.net cowardin@juno.com
Gregory A. Mertz "The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House - - Determining the Intent of the Enemy" >>> 7:30pm <<<, Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 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.
Greg Mertz Federal forces overwhelming
Confederates at the Apex of the Muleshoe just
after dawn on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House was fought from May 8 to 21, 1864
and was the second battle in the Fredericksburg area between Union
General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Though
Union forces had been in the Fredericksburg vicinity for more than two
years by that point, they had never penetrated so far into Spotsylvania
County, so were in unfamiliar territory, and were further hampered by
inaccurate maps. Learning about new territory, as well as keeping track
of enemy movements and positions fell primarily to the cavalry. But
through an interesting set of circumstances, Grant sent virtually all of
his cavalry away on the second day of the battle. Lee had little choice
but to dispatch a significant part of his own cavalry to counter the
Union horsemen. This left both armies without their "eyes and ears."
One way of looking at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House is through
the distorted lenses of the army commanders and how they sought to
determine just what the other army was up to. We will see both
commanders make some very logical conclusions regarding the enemy
intent, only to find that though reasonable, they were wrong. Join us
as we examine this battle by comparing what the generals thought was
happening, with the actual situation.
Greg was born and raised near St. Louis, Missouri. He Was active in
Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Interest in the Civil War
began and grew out of annual hiking and camping trips the scout troop
made to the Shiloh, Tennessee battlefield every spring.
He has a BS degree in Recreation and Park Administration from the
University of Missouri and began National Park Service career at
Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site
as a Park Ranger in 1980.
Greg earned his Master of Science degree in Public Administration from
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in 1984 and Transferred to
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in 1984. He
served as site historian at the "Stonewall" Jackson Shrine and then as
site historian and museum curator for the Chancellorsville Battlefield
Visitor Center. He is currently serving as Supervisory Historian,
selecting, training and evaluating the permanent, seasonal, intern and
volunteer employees at the park.
Greg has also written articles in the Confederate Veteran and the Blue
and Gray Magazine.
He was the initial President of the Rappahannock Valley Civil War Round
Table and current board member and a former Board member of the Brandy
Station Foundation.
Meeting Attendance for: July 2012 = 80
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.)
President's Message Welcome to our September meeting! We've had a remarkable summer, with a super historical trip to "Mosby's Confederacy", excellent speakers, high attendance rates at our monthly meetings, and a steady stream of visitors. The Richmond National Battlefield, Richmond Battlefields Association, and the Museum of the Confederacy distinguished themselves this summer during the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Seven Days Battles of 1862. We should all be proud of the prominent roles played by those Round Table members who are affiliated with these fine organizations! You will note the announcement of our dynamic speaker for this year's annual dinner meeting at Willow Oaks Country Club -- Jack Davis from Virginia Tech. The folks at Willow Oaks did a fine job of supporting last year's November reception and dinner and they are looking forward to our return. I hope that you'll join us this year. Please send your reservation forms to Brent Morgan right away. That will help in our planning for this enjoyable event. We've got National Park Service Ranger Greg Mertz coming down from Fredericksburg to speak to us this month. I'm looking forward to his talk! See you at 7:30 on 11 September. Jack Mountcastle
RCWRT's 2012 Annual Dinner Tuesday, Nov.13, 2011 On Tuesday, November 13, the RCWRT's 2012 annual dinner meeting will again be held at Willow Oaks Country Club. We are very fortunate that the award-winning Civil War historian and author W. C. Davis will be speaking to us about "The Monstrous Regiment of Women." These were the women who posed as men to serve in the Civil War. This promises to be an outstanding presentation.
The evening will begin 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 for the second year in a row. 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
beverages may be purchased for $4.
We expect to have an enthusiastic response to this annual event and we
have to confirm our count early. You are therefore encouraged to make
your reservations now.
Please print, copy, or clip the reservation form below or click here and print this form and send it along with a check (made out to "RCWRT") to Brent Morgan.
RCWRT's 2012 Annual Dinner Tuesday, Nov.13, 2012 6:00 - 9:30 PM Willow Oaks Country Club 6228 Forest Hill Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23225 #_____ Members & spouse/date @ $32/ea #_____ Guests @ $35/ea $________Total Due Name____________________________________________________________ Name____________________________________________________________ Name____________________________________________________________ Brent Morgan Questions, call Brent 9091 Pantego Ln. Mechanicsville, VA 23116-5837 Home: 550-3039
Books for Buck$$ Again in September, we're offering members a chance to purchase excellent Civil War history books donated by other members of the Round Table. The money raised through the Books for Buck$$ program will help defray the cost of attendance at our annual dinner meeting in November. All of the funds collected will be applied to the costs of the reception prior to the dinner. Please check your bookshelves to see if you have any books or Civil War magazines that you would like to donate. Look for the book display at our meeting. Prices are: Hardbacks -- $10 Paperbacks -- $5 Magazines -- $1
Civil War Trust For the latest CWT news visit: www.civilwar.org
Upcoming Events Links
www.virginiacivilwar.org
Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission
Visit The Museum of the Confederacy Online www.moc.org and their Events Calendar for MOC Events Calendar
Richmond Battlefields Association News & Events www.saverichmondbattlefields.org/events.htm
Visit The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar www.tredegar.org and their Events Calendar
Pamplin Historical Park and The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier www.pamplinpark.org and their Special Events Calendar
RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2012
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