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   
December 2006 PROGRAM

Mr. Stephen Recker
"IX Corps Final Attack:
The Pickett's Charge of Antietam"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 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.

Stephen Recker  is  the  Director  of  Antietam  Battlefield
Guides,  a  guide  service  he  founded  in partnership with
Western Maryland Interpretive Association, the non-profit at
Antietam National Battlefield.  The program is modeled after
the Gettysburg system of licensed battlefield  guides.   Mr.
Recker  produced  Virtual Gettysburg, a critically acclaimed
interactive  Civil  War  battlefield  tour,  and   will   be
releasing   Virtual   Antietam  this  coming  summer.   Both
products have companion websites: VirtualGettysburg.com  and
VirtualAntietam.com.   Recker, a graduate of Berklee College
of Music in Boston, was named a "Top  100  Producer"  by  AV
Multimedia  Producer  Magazine.  He recently completed a DVD
about Little Bighorn and is currently producing a  new  film
for the Antietam National Battlefield visitor center.       

Over  the  last  16  years the Antietam National Battlefield
Park has more than doubled in size due to the acquisition of
properties such as the Otto Farm.  The National Park Service
continues to improve and interpret  the  south  end  of  the
battlefield  which  until  recently  was inaccessible to the
public.  On the afternoon of Sept 17, 1862 the  final  Union
assault  took  place over this rolling terrain.  The Federal
IX Corps literally fought an uphill battle as they  ascended
200  feet from the banks of Antietam Creek to the streets of
Sharpsburg.  They came within a hairsbreadth of cutting  off
Lee's  avenue  of  escape  to the Potomac fords.  The broken
ground contributed greatly to the  Confederate  defense  and
allowed  A.P.   Hill's  arriving reinforcements to inflict a
crushing flank attack, which stopped the Union advance.   In
this  month's  program,  Stephen  Recker  will take you on a
`virtual'   tour   of   that   decisive   ground   using   a
never-before-seen prototype of Virtual Antietam.            


Museum of the Confederacy News and Events

At its November's meeting, The Museum of  the  Confederacy's
Board  of  Trustees  announced  their  election of Executive
Director S.   Waite  Rawls  III  to  the  newly  established
position  of  President and Chief Executive Officer.  Museum
Board Chairman Carlton  Moffatt  said  of  the  appointment,
"Electing  Mr.   Rawls  to  this position reflects the trust
that the Board has in him  and  his  abilities.   Since  his
arrival  he  has dealt with a remarkably difficult situation
with professionalism and sound judgment.  We have confidence
that  with  his  guidance  the  Museum will continue to move
forward with success."                                      

Rawls became executive director of  the  museum  in  January
2004   following   a   long   career   as  an  executive  in
international  investment  and  commercial   banking.    His
parallel  career  in  volunteering  for historical and civic
organizations includes long-term trusteeships of  the  Civil
War Preservation Trust and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
and member of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute  Board  of
Visitors.                                                   

When asked about his change in position at the museum, Rawls
replied, "I am  honored  that  the  Board  of  Trustees  has
recognized  my  efforts in this way, but any accomplishments
at the Museum are a joint result of the hard work by all the
staff, our volunteers, members and donors, who have given of
themselves and  their  resources  to  help  aid  the  museum
through our financial crisis."                              

A  native of the town of Franklin, Rawls received a B.A.  at
VMI and was awarded an M.B.A.  and J.D.  by  the  University
of  Virginia.   Since the mid-1980s, he has been director of
The Camp Foundation and the College Orientation Workshop, an
organization that sponsors rigorous academic summer programs
for inner city teenage boys.                                

In other news  from  the  Museum  of  the  Confederacy,  the
institute  is  offering  visitors  the chance to explore its
exhibits like never before.  "Behind the Glass Case: Gallery
Talks  and Demonstrations" is a series of programs beginning
at 11:45am each Monday through February, excluding Christmas
Day  and  New  Years  Day.   Museum experts chat about their
favorite subjects in the galleries and give visitors a fresh
look at history.                                            

Talks  last approximately 30 to 45 minutes and are free with
the regular admission price.   Please  call  (804)  649-1861
ext.   10  on  the  day  of the talk for lecture topic.  The
tentative  schedule  for  upcoming  programs  includes   the
Confederate  Navy  (December  11),  a  medical demonstration
(December 18) and flags on display (January 8).             

The Museum of the Confederacy has also  designed  a  program
for  Junior Girl Scouts seeking to meet all the requirements
of the Folk Arts Badge.  On Saturday January 6, Girl  Scouts
will  discover  what  photographs  can  tell us about family
life, participate in  the  Virginia  Reel,  design  a  quilt
square,  play children's games of the past, create their own
period craft and tour the White House  of  the  Confederacy.
Scout  leaders may enroll their troops in either the morning
(9:30-12:15) or afternoon (1:45-4:30) session.  The  program
will  be  offered  again  in  February  and March.  For more
information contact Kelly Hancock at (804) 649-1861 ext.  21
or khancock@moc.org


American Civil War Center Invites Holiday Shoppers

The American  Civil  War  Center  at  Historic  Tredegar  is
encouraging  holiday  shoppers to give a gift of history and
save money at the same time.                                

Throughout the month of December, shoppers save 10%  on  all
purchases  made  in  the  center's museum store.  On Sunday,
December 17, visitors can enjoy discount admission - $4  for
adults/seniors; $2 for children 17 and younger - from 1-5pm.
There will be  living  history  demonstrations,  period  and
holiday  music,  children's  "make  and  take" crafts, light
refreshments and free parking.                              

Displays throughout the store  will  explore  a  variety  of
cultural   and  religious  traditions  associated  with  the
holiday season.  Shoppers are invited to peruse the  store's
diverse  selection  of  books  ranging  from  works by local
authors to biographies of famous Civil War  leaders.   Books
highlighting  the African American experience, both pre- and
post-Civil War, Richmond history and civilian life line  the
shelves.                                                    

For  the  young  at  heart,  there are collectibles of every
kind.  From the broad spectrum of reproduction period  toys,
to  such  novelties  as cartridge powder candies and Lee and
Grant bobblehead dolls, there  is  something  for  everyone.
Dolls  of  the period, playing cards, plastic swords and toy
soldiers allow for active play and youthful imagination. Or,
fit   your  very  own  uniforms  for  the  little  Union  or
Confederate soldier in the family complete with a hat, coat,
belt plate or canteen.                                      

The adult history enthusiast may choose from pewter and hand
painted collectible statues, jewelry, and house  wares.   An
ornate  silver  plated clock in a biscuit box is the perfect
vintage accent to home d‚cor.                               

The American Civil War Center is open daily, Monday  through
Sunday,  9am to 5pm.  Regular admission to the exhibit is $8
for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and $2 for children
age  7-12.   For  more  information  visit www.tredegar.org,
phone (804) 780-1865 ext.  10 for the museum store or  visit
the Center at 500 Tredegar Street.                          


Pamplin Park to Host Lecture and Book Signing

A.  Wilson Greene, author, historian and President & CEO  of
Pamplin  Historical  Park & The National Museum of the Civil
War Soldier, will speak at the museum about his newest book,
Civil  War  Petersburg:  Confederate City in the Crucible of
War.  The book tracks both Petersburg's civilian  experience
and  the  city's  place in Confederate military strategy and
administration.  Employing scores  of  unpublished  sources,
the  book  weaves  a uniquely personal story of thousands of
citizens -- free blacks, slaves and their  holders,  factory
owners  and  merchants  --  all  of  whom  shared a singular
experience in Civil War Virginia.                           

The lecture is free and will be held  at  2:00  on  Saturday
afternoon,  December 16 at the Hardtack & Coffee Cafe in the
museum.  Afterward, Greene will sign  copies  of  his  work,
which  will  be available for sale in The Civil War Store at
Pamplin Historical Park.                                    


Commission Plans to Commemorate
150th Anniversary of Civil War

On  Thursday,  November  9,  members  of  the  newly  formed
Virginia   Sesquicentennial   of   the  American  Civil  War
Commission met at Pamplin Historical  Park  &  The  National
Museum  of  the Civil War Soldier.  The Commission discussed
plans and objectives for the upcoming commemoration  of  the
American  Civil  War.   Organizations  represented  in  this
meeting included Commission members of the General Assembly,
the National Park Service, the Civil War Preservation Trust,
the Virginia Historical Society, the White House and  Museum
of  the  Confederacy  and  Pamplin  Historical  Park  &  The
National Museum of the Civil War Soldier.  Noted individuals
in  the  discussion included the Chair, Speaker of the House
of Delegates, Bill Howell; Vice-Chair, President Pro Tempore
of the Senate, John Chichester; and distinguished author and
historian, Dr.  James I.  Robertson, Jr.                    

A.  Wilson Greene, President and CEO of  Pamplin  Historical
Park  stated,  "This  commemoration  needs  to  include  all
Virginians from all walks of life.   The  150th  anniversary
will  be  our best opportunity to create a new generation of
Civil War enthusiasts."                                     

The Virginia Sesquicentennial  of  the  American  Civil  War
Commission  was  created  this  year  and will be a standing
commission through July 1, 2015.  The commission is  charged
with  planning,  developing,  and  carrying out programs and
activities appropriate to commemorate  the  sesquicentennial
of the Civil War in Virginia.                               

To  find  out more about the 150th anniversary commemoration
of the  Civil  War,  contact  Cheryl  Jackson,  Division  of
Legislative  Services,  at  (804)  786-3591.  In 2007, a new
website specifically dedicated for  the  commemoration  will
have  more  detailed  information  of events and meetings at
www.virginiacivilwar.org


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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