Bernard Fisher, President              Rob Monroe, Editor       
7300 Ann Cabell Lane                   2416 Edenbrook Dr.       
Mechanicsville, VA 23111               Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
bernard.fisher@comcast.net             RMonroe500@comcast.net   
 December 2007 PROGRAM

John F. Burgwyn
"Kinchen and the 'Boy Colonel': 
A True Story of a Southern Family"


8:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 11, 2007, 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.

The family name Burgwyn looms large in Confederate  history.
Everyone  is  familiar  with  Henry  King  Burgwyn, the "Boy
Colonel of the Confederacy," who fell on the  first  day  of
Gettysburg  with  the  flag  of  his  unit,  the  26th North
Carolina Infantry, wrapped around his body.  Richmond native
John  Fanning Burgwyn grew up with this and other stories of
his forbears.  He studied Civil War history under  James  I.
"Bud" Robertson at Virginia Tech before pursuing a career in
business and banking.  He later found his family  history  a
rich source for his second career as a writer.              

The  result  is  Kinchen:  A  Southern Novel Based on a True
Family Story published in 2003.   Drawing  upon  a  treasure
trove  of  letters  and other primary sources, it chronicles
the "mixed marriage" of Henry Burgwyn's parents, Henry  King
Burgwyn,  Sr.,  of  North  Carolina,  and Anna Greenough, of
Massachusetts, and the life they established for  themselves
and  their  family.   At the story's center is the life-long
relationship between Harry Burgwyn, later the "Boy Colonel,"
and his slave Kinchen.                                      

"The   novel's   major  theme,"  Burgwyn  observes  is  "the
complexity of the times and its institutions." He  seeks  to
"bring 19th-century values to the reader instead of imposing
modern values on the characters." The novel  is  a  tale  of
black  and  white  impressively told in shades of gray.  His
talk to  the  Round  Table  will  emphasize  the  lives  and
relationship of Harry and Kinchen.                          


Gettysburg Photos Appear to Reveal Lincoln

Center for Civil War Photography board member  John  Richter
believes  he  has  found  the  profile  of President Abraham
Lincoln in the deepest  depths  of  two  stereo  photographs
taken by Alexander Gardner just before Lincoln delivered the
Gettysburg Address.                                         

The two stereo views, the negatives of which are archived at
the  Library  of  Congress,  were previously thought to have
shown nothing more than the large crowd  that  had  gathered
for the dedication ceremony on November 19, 1863.  But after
a careful 3D examination of the  smallest  details  of  both
photos   -  an  examination  made  possible  by  ultra  high
resolution scans of the negatives made  by  the  Library  of
Congress  -  the Center reports that Lincoln himself appears
to be visible in both images.  There are no close-up,  clear
views  of  Lincoln at Gettysburg, but his distinctive visage
previously was discovered in the depths of two other photos.

Any such interpretation is open to debate or dispute, and no
one  can  say  with 100 percent certainty that the person is
Lincoln, just as no one can say with absolute certainty that
it  is  Lincoln  in the other two Gettysburg images taken on
November 19, 1863 in which he has been identified.  But  the
visual evidence is more than compelling, and it is backed up
by documentary evidence and accounts by people who  attended
the ceremony.                                               

The  images  were  projected  for  the first time during the
premier of "Lincoln in 3D" a digital stereoscopic slide show
presented  to  the  annual  Lincoln Forum in Gettysburg last
month.  In this case, however, the "new" images  of  Lincoln
were  found  in  the  backgrounds  of  two  images that were
already well known among Civil War photo historians.        

After a comprehensive review of the images that included the
first  detailed  3D  analysis  of  the  details within them,
Richter has concluded that both  images  were  taken  within
about  a  minute  of  each  other,  and  that they both show
President Lincoln riding on horseback through a corridor  of
soldiers as he makes his way toward the speaker's stand.    

In  the  first  view, Lincoln is seen in profile between two
lines of troops.   "When  the  military  units  reached  the
dedication  site,  they  formed lines so the president would
have a lane to the platform steps," author Frank L.  Klement
writes  in  The  Gettysburg Soldiers' Cemetery and Lincoln's
Address.  In the second view, Lincoln appears to be saluting
the  troops  with his white-gloved left hand as he continues
down the lane.  Klement writes that Lincoln had  a  pair  of
white  riding  gloves  for  the  procession,  and  that  the
soldiers formed the corridor to salute the president as well
as to keep the crowd back.                                  

Although  the negatives have survived, no original prints on
original Gardner mounts have ever surfaced, suggesting  that
Gardner  never  marketed  the images.  Richter believes that
after making the stereo photographs, Gardner never  bothered
to  make prints because the results seemed so disappointing.
All he seemed to have on the plates were shots of the crowd,
with  people  mugging  for  the  camera  in  the foreground.
Lincoln was not visible without enlarging the  scene,  which
was   not   feasible   in  the  commonly  used  photographic
technology of the Civil War.                                

Fortunately, he kept  the  negatives,  which  still  survive
after  144  years.   And  with  today's  digital technology,
scholars can examine the smallest details of these and other
Civil   War  photographic  negatives,  and  gain  a  greater
understanding of what the images  show  and  why  they  were
taken.                                                      


CWPT Begins Campaign
to Preserve Glendale Battlefield

The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT),  America's  largest
nonprofit  battlefield  preservation group, has begun a $4.1
million national campaign to preserve four  key  parcels  of
land associated with the Glendale Battlefield, also referred
to as Frayser's  Farm,  in  Henrico  County.   According  to
historians,  the  area  targeted  for preservation witnessed
some of the most  intense  close-quarters  and  hand-to-hand
combat of the entire Civil War.                             

"We have a tremendous preservation opportunity at Glendale,"
remarked CWPT President James Lighthizer.  "Until two  years
ago,  practically  none  of  the  historic  center  of  this
battlefield was protected.  Visitors had trouble finding  so
much  as  a  place to pull off the road.  If our campaign to
save Glendale is successful, we will have saved  nearly  the
entire battlefield from scratch."                           

According  to  Robert  E.   L.  Krick, historian at Richmond
National Battlefield Park, "There has been nothing  like  it
before  in  Virginia....  These acres do not fill in gaps or
simply improve an existing picture.  They are  the  core  of
the battlefield."                                           

Despite  its  historical significance, until recently nearly
the  entire  Glendale  battlefield  remained  vulnerable  to
development.    The  only  areas  protected  were  the  tiny
Glendale National Cemetery and a small preserved area on the
outskirts   of   the  main  battle  area.   Citing  numerous
impending housing developments with  names  trading  on  the
battlefield's  history,  Glendale  was  included  in  CWPT's
annual list of most  threatened  battlefields  in  2004  and
2006.                                                       

Late  in  2005,  the  first  piece  of Glendale's remarkable
reclamation puzzle fell into place when CWPT began moving to
acquire  a  crucial  39-acre  tract at the very heart of the
battlefield.  "For the first time we had cause to  celebrate
a   preservation  success  at  Glendale,"  Lighthizer  said.
"Suddenly doors were opened and we could hope that  not  all
of this hallowed ground would be lost to development."      

Today,  preservationists  stand on the cusp of preserving an
additional 319 acres at the very heart of  the  battlefield.
To  get  to  this  point, negotiations have stretched across
many months and multiple meetings.  However, CWPT is not yet
ready  to  list the properties as saved; first, they must be
paid for.                                                   

Since  these  lands  lie  entirely  within  the   authorized
boundary  of the Richmond National Battlefield Park, federal
matching grants are not available for acquisition  of  these
parcels.   Instead,  this  land  will  be  purchased  almost
entirely  through  the  donations  of  private  groups   and
individuals.    Initial   commitments  to  the  project  are
approaching $1.5 million, including  an  extremely  generous
donation   of   $100,000   from  the  Richmond  Battlefields
Association.                                                

With  65,000  members,  CWPT  is   the   largest   nonprofit
battlefield  preservation organization in the United States.
Since 1987, the organization has saved nearly  25,000  acres
of hallowed ground, including 11,700 acres in Virginia.     


Pamplin Park and ACWC Announce Holiday Events

Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of  the  Civil
War  Soldier  is  inviting  visitors to get into the holiday
spirit with a 19th century-inspired Santa Claus.  Guests can
have  their  photograph  taken with a Santa Claus dressed in
1860s costume.                                              

"We have invited `Civil War Santa'  to  the  Park  for  many
years,"   said   Brian   Musselwhite,   Assistant  Chief  of
Interpretation at  Pamplin  Historical  Park.   "People  are
always  surprised  to  see  that  the image of Santa we know
today originated 140 years ago  during  the  American  Civil
War."                                                       

Santa's  outfit  is  based  on an illustration by the famous
cartoonist Thomas Nast.  "Santa Claus in Camp"  appeared  on
the  January  3,  1863  cover  of  Harper's  Weekly.  Nast's
drawing,  based  on  descriptions  of  Saint  Nicholas  from
Clement  Clarke  Moore's  1823  poem  "A  Visit  from  Saint
Nicholas" (more commonly known as "`Twas  the  night  before
Christmas"), shows Santa Claus visiting a Civil War camp and
handing  out  gifts   to   children   and   soldiers.    The
illustration depicts Santa in his sleigh pulled by reindeer,
with a long white beard, star-covered coat, stripped  pants,
and  furry hat.  Pamplin Historical Park will have a copy of
the1863 Harper's Weekly  cover  on  display  for  guests  to
enjoy.                                                      

Using  their own cameras, park visitors may take photographs
with "Civil War Santa" at The National Museum of  the  Civil
War  Soldier  from  10 am to noon and 1 to 4 pm on Saturday,
December 15.  Visiting "Civil War Santa" is free and open to
the  public.   Pamplin Historical Park Members receive a 20%
holiday discount on merchandise at The Civil War Store every
Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the end of the year. For
additional information about taking pictures with "Civil War
Santa" or the Members' discount, please call (804) 861-2408.

On  Sunday  afternoon,  December  16, the American Civil War
Center (ACWC) will hold its Second Annual Holiday Happenings
at  Historic  Tredegar.  There will be reduced admission for
adults ($4) and children ($2).  The  event  features  period
music,  light  refreshments,  children's activities, holiday
displays  and  decorations  from  1  to  5  pm.   For   more
information  call  (804) 780-1865 or see the ACWC's website,
www.tredegar.org


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2007


You can receive your newsletter sooner and help the Richmond
Civil  War  Round  Table save money by signing up to receive
your newsletter via email.  To add your name  to  the  list,
simply email the editor at RMonroe500@comcast.net   Thanks! 


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