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Rob Monroe, President Gary Cowardin, Editor 9733 Fireside Drive 1404 Lorraine Ave. Glen Allen, VA 23060 Richmond, VA 23227-3735 rmonroe500@comcast.net cowardin@juno.com4602 Cary Street Road, 23226. A parking lot is available behind the church with an entrance off the parking lot to the right and up a few steps into the DINING HALL on the left.
"The Law of Secession: America's Tradition of Nullification, Treason and Sovereignty" by Nathan Hall 7:30pm, Tuesday, October 8, 2019, at the First Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA.,
Nathan Hall is an interpretive ranger at Richmond National Battlefield
Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site. He received his
undergraduate degree in history from Virginia Commonwealth University
and worked locally at the Valentine Museum. He continued his studies by
completing a master's degree program at Louisiana State University in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, writing a thesis examining the identity of Chief
Justice John Marshall as a Federalist in the South and in Thomas
Jefferson's Virginia. He worked for the National Park Service at Jean
Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, site of the Battle of New
Orleans in the War of 1812. Presently, he's returned to his home town
and continues to research the history of Richmond in the times of
secession, Civil War, and Reconstruction.
Meeting Attendance for September: 53
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.)
Message from Our President We've all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. But what about a flag? I hope all of you who came to the September meeting enjoyed Emmanuel Dabney's talk as much as me. His presentation on the U.S. Colored Troops in the summer of 1864 was thorough and enlightening. In a war chock full of ugly incidents, 1864 provided more than its share. That April, reports of the massacre of hundreds of surrendering African American soldiers at Fort Pillow in Tennessee spread throughout the north, if not the south. We know the names Brady and Gardner. When we think of the Civil War, some of the first images that come to mind are the photographs they captured. But do we know the name David Bowser? I confess, I did not before the September meeting. But I know it now and won't soon forget it. As Mr. Dabney took us through the experiences of the U.S. Colored Troops in 1864, one of their flags was displayed on the screen behind him. I may not have seen as many Civil War flags as John Coski or some of the bona fide historians in our group, but I've viewed plenty of them. But I'd never seen anything like the flag of the 22nd U.S.C.T.! Designed by David Bowser, it looked like an item that should be on display in a museum of fine art rather than a smoky battlefield. Bowser was a highly regarded African American artist living in Philadelphia. He was commissioned to do a number of flags during the war. The banner he designed for the 22nd is teeming with symbolism. The flag shows a Confederate soldier on the ground, a sword falls from his right hand--power that has just been lost. His left hand reaches for a white flag of surrender. Above him, an African American soldier in uniform thrusts the point of his bayonet into the rebel's midsection. The Confederate's eyes are filled with fear. In the Union soldier's eyes we see fury. The combatants appear below an unfurled banner reading "Sic Semper Tyrannis." The suppressed is now the aggressor. Vengeance has come at last. If we can look on this flag and be moved in the 21st century, imagine the passions it must have stirred in African American soldiers in the months following Fort Pillow.
Can a flag be worth a thousand words? Yes, and then some.
Rob
Save the Date, Thursday, November 14 The November dinner this year will be at Willow Oaks on Thursday, November 14 (that's the day the speaker had available). Our speaker this year will be Frank O'Reilly. Frank is working on a book on Malvern Hill, and will be bringing us some new insights from his research. It should be an exciting talk! You can bring your checks for $32/person to the October meeting, or you can mail them to: Art Wingo 1414 Patriot Circle Glen Allen, Va. 23059 Doug Crenshaw
A Message from our Secretary Andy Keller We have a new member, Jim McKee who joined at the last meeting. Jim is retired and moved here from Harrisonburg last year. The current Constitution requires that I begin notifying you that your 2020 dues will be due on or before February 15, 2020. They remain $35 for individual members and $45 for couples. Since I think this is a bit early, one of the proposed changes to the Constitution will be to require the first notice to be in December. I will provide full details in the December newsletter. Speaking of which, I know we do not want the vote on the changes to the Constitution to take time away from the Speaker, so unless someone feels the necessity to break out any item(s) for separate votes I would hope we can agree to vote on them as a whole. That means you need to read them beforehand from the links below. If you need an explanation of any of the proposed changes, send me an email at: secretary.rcwrt@gmail.com The proposed 2019 changes to the RCWRT Constitution can be found here. (color indicates the changes) The current Constitution can be found here. Andy secretary.rcwrt@gmail.com
BOOKS FOR BUCK$ - HALF PRICE SALE This month, please check out our book table and take advantage of our half price sale. This is a fantastic opportunity to own a hardcover book for just $5 and a paperback for only $2! One can never have enough books! Right? Ulli
Upcoming Events/Links
National Park Service Richmond
Richmond Battlefields Association News & Events www.saverichmondbattlefields.org/events.htm
Visit the American Civil War Museum at Tredegar and the White House of the Confederacy www.acwm.org
Pamplin Historical Park and The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier www.pamplinpark.org
Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours civilwarseminars.org
RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2019
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