John Coski, President                  Rob Monroe, Editor       
5028 King William Road                 2416 Edenbrook Dr.       
Richmond, VA 23225                     Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
jmcoski@peoplepc.com                   RMonroe500@comcast.net   
 December 2008 PROGRAM

Robert E.L. Krick
"The Critical Seven Days Battles:  
A Confederate Perspective"

The eyes of the world fastened on Richmond, Virginia  during
the  Seven  Days  Battles  in  1862.   Most participants and
observers believed that the events in  Hanover  and  Henrico
counties would determine the fate of the Confederacy.       

We  know  now  that  the Civil War lasted nearly three years
beyond the Seven Days Battles; and even larger  battles  and
greater  campaigns  eventually supplanted the events east of
Richmond during that summer 146 years ago.  However, much of
the  war's course in 1862 and 1863 evolved directly from the
results of McClellan's campaign against  Richmond.   Indeed,
the  momentum  of  the Civil War in Virginia changed in just
the 125 hours of time during which the battles were fought. 

At our December meeting, R.E.L.  Krick will present a  broad
spectrum  of  subjects related to the campaign-from strategy
and   tactics,   to   leadership,   geography   and   modern
scholarship-all  from  the  Confederate  point of view.  His
talk will be the first in a series of three on  the  subject
of  the  Seven  Days  battles,  which  will  conclude at our
February 2009 meeting.                                      

Bobby Krick is a member and former president of the Richmond
Civil  War  Round  Table.   A  graduate  of  Mary Washington
College  (now  the  University  of   Mary   Washington)   in
Fredericksburg,  he is an historian on the staff at Richmond
National Battlefield Park.  He is widely published on  Civil
War topics.                                                 


2009 Meeting Dates-Speakers

December brings us to the end of  another  outstanding  year
for  the  Richmond  Civil  War  Round  Table.  Ed Wooldridge
rounded up a stellar cast of  speakers  in  2008  and  Davis
Wrinkle  has  been hard at work on our lineup for next year.
Our January and February programs will be  the  continuation
of our three-part series on the Seven Days Battles beginning
with  Bobby  Krick's  presentation  this  month.   The  2009
schedule:                                                   

January 13 Seven Days Battles-Part 2
Dr.  Ethan S.  Rafuse, U.S.  Army Command and General  Staff
College,  Ft.   Leavenworth,  KS;  Seven  Days of Battle and
their Long Shadow: The Union Perspective on the  1862  Fight
for Richmond.                                               

February 10 Seven Days Battles-Part 3
Mike Gorman, Richmond National Battlefield Park; Seven Pines
and  Drewry's  Bluff  Battles  in 1862, Prelude to The Seven
Days Battles.                                               

March 10 Mark Grimsley
Ohio State University Department of History and  Speaker  at
U.S.   Army  War  College;  And Keep Moving On, The Virginia
Campaign -- May-June 1864.                                  

April 14 Mike Boehme
Director of the Virginia Aviation Museum, Richmond;  Balloon
Use in the Civil War.                                       

May 12 Dr. Gerald J. Prokopowicz
East Carolina University, Associate  Professor  of  History;
Did Lincoln Own Slaves?                                     

June 9 Fred L. Ray
Author and Publisher, Asheville, NC;  Shock  Troops  of  the
Confederacy:  The  Sharpshooter  Battalions  of  the Army of
Northern Virginia.                                          

July 14 Bevin Alexander
Military History  Author  and  Adjunct  Professor,  Longwood
University;  Subject to be determined.  Recent book: How the
South Could Have Won the Civil War.                         

August 11 George C. Wunderlich
Executive Director of the  Museum  of  Civil  War  Medicine,
Frederick, MD; Subject to be determined.                    

September 8 Dr. Gary W. Gallagher
Professor  in  the  History  of  the  American  Civil   War,
University  of  Virginia;  Grant  and  Lee  in  the Overland
Campaign:  Views  from  the  Battle,  Home,  and  Historical
Fronts.                                                     

October 13 David Poyer
Author of  Naval  Fiction,  Eastern  Shore;  Subject  to  be
determined.                                                 

November 10 (Annual Dinner) Dr. James I. "Bud" Robertson Jr.
Alumni Distinguished Professor in  History,  Virginia  Tech;
Subject to be determined.                                   

December 8 Dr. Richard M. McMurry
Author, Dalton, GA; Joe Johnston-The Man.                   



Pamplin Park Announces Change in Operation

Effective January 2, 2009, Pamplin Historical Park  and  the
National  Museum  of  the  Civil War Soldier will be open by
reservation only.  Guests wishing to visit the Park  may  do
so  by  making a reservation 48 hours in advance.  Admission
fees for non-members will be $100 for a group of up  to  ten
people, and $10 per adult for groups of more than ten.  Park
members may make reservations 24 hours in  advance  with  no
minimum numbers and no admission fee.                       

The  Park  will  continue  to  offer  all  reservation-based
programming  as  usual,  including   school   field   trips,
battlefield  tours,  Annual  Symposium,  Civil War Adventure
Camps, Summer Teacher Institutes, and History Day Camps.    

"The severe economic downturn has undercut  the  ability  of
the  Pamplin  Foundation  to  support  the  Park  at current
levels," said Pamplin Historical Park President, A.   Wilson
Greene.   "We  deeply regret the necessity to curtail normal
daily operations to meet this new fiscal reality."          

Greene added, "Should economic conditions improve,  we  hope
to restore some regular public operating hours next spring."

According  to  Greene,  Pamplin  Historical  Park's ratio of
earned income to operating expenses  is  nearly  double  the
average for history museums nationwide.  "We have maintained
steady or increasing visitation  and  revenues  since  1995,
even  this  year  when  many historic sites have experienced
significant  declines  in  attendance  and  revenues,"  said
Greene.   "The  difference is that many history museums rely
on public funding to  bridge  the  gap  between  income  and
expenses, and we receive no government appropriations."     

The Park will continue to accelerate its use of the internet
to  fulfill  its   educational   mission   through   on-line
programming.   "Pamplin  Historical  Park has always been on
the cutting edge of museum education and we believe that the
worldwide  web  will  play an increasingly prominent role in
the way museums reach their audiences," said Greene.        

Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil
War  Soldier  preserves  422 acres near Petersburg including
the Breakthrough Battlefield, a National Historic Landmark.


Upcoming Events

On Sunday afternoon, December  7,  the  American  Civil  War
Center  at  Historic  Tredegar  will  host  its Third Annual
Holiday Happenings event featuring reduced admission, period
music,  refreshments  and  holiday  displays.   At  noon  on
Wednesday, December 10, Elizabeth R.   Varon,  professor  of
history  at  Temple  University,  will  be at the Library of
Virginia to discuss and sign her new  book,  Disunion!:  The
Coming  of  the American Civil War, 1789-1859.  On Saturday,
December 13, the Petersburg National Battlefield  will  host
"Christmas  at  City Point." Visitors are invited to Grant's
Headquarters in Hopewell  to  discover  the  different  ways
plantation owners and enslaved people celebrated Christmas. 

The  Museum  of  the  Confederacy has several holiday themed
events planned for this month.  From 1-3 p.m.  on  Saturday,
December  6,  "Christmas with the Davis Family" looks at how
families in the South, especially Jefferson and Varina Davis
and  their  children,  celebrated  the holiday.  The program
features a tour of the Davis's decorated White House of  the
Confederacy.    The   Museum   will   join   other  downtown
attractions for Court End Christmas from noon to 5 p.m.   on
Sunday,  December  14.   There  will also be special evening
tours of the White  House  (in  Victorian  Christmas  dress)
Friday,   December   26   through   Tuesday,   December  30.
Reservations are required for these tours and may be made by
calling (804) 649-1861, ext. 37.                            


Archeological Work Underway at
Hanover County Plantation

In late October, contractors employed by  Richmond  National
Battlefield  Park  began  archeological work at the historic
"Rural Plains" site near Studley, in Hanover County, on  the
Totopotomoy Creek Civil War battlefield.                    

The objectives are to gather information about the house and
its immediate grounds as the National Park Service  prepares
to  open  the site to the public in the future.  With nearly
285 consecutive years of private ownership  by  the  Shelton
family,  archeologists  and historians are excited about the
enormous potential for learning more at this pristine site. 

The circa-1725 house and the surrounding 124 acres  came  to
the  National  Park  Service  through donation in 2006.  The
property has many connections  to  colonial  and  Civil  War
history.    Patrick  Henry's  marriage  to  a  Shelton  girl
occurred in the parlor of the  house  in  1754.   Contending
Civil  War armies waged war on the property 110 years later,
damaging  the  house  and  scarring  the   plantation   with
entrenchments.                                              

"Opportunities  to  investigate such unspoiled properties in
detail are rare,"  noted  park  Superintendent  David  Ruth.
"Nearly  three  centuries of Virginia history are wrapped up
in this one special place.  As  the  new  stewards  of  this
magnificent  property  our  job  is  to  treat  the historic
resources with care, while preparing the site for  enjoyment
by generations of visitors.  This archeology will help guide
us  through  the  basic  decisions  about  mixing  permanent
preservation with public use."                              

Since  acquiring  the  site  in  2006,  the Park Service has
concentrated  on  the  preservation  of   the   house,   and
developing  plans to provide visitors access to the grounds.
Currently the site is open to the public  one  weekend  each
fall for house tours and special programs.                  


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2008


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