Meeting Dates
The organization meets on various Tuesdays each month February through May 2015. Meetings are held in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre located at 515 Scotland St in Williamsburg, VA, unless otherwise posted. The meetings begin at 7 PM. Membership is open to the general public.
This Month's Speaker
Patrick Schroeder
"A Visit to Old Appomattox With
County Clerk George Peers"
The March meeting will be held on Monday, March 31, 2015 at 7pm in
the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre at 515 Scotland Street.
Patrick Schroeder will present “A Visit to Old Appomattox With County
Clerk George Peers”. Patrick will portray the persona of George Peers, a
civilian resident of Appomattox Court House, who will provide eyewitness
observations of the military operations and cessation of hostilities in
the Appomattox area in April of 1865.
Journey back in time with the former sheriff and county clerk of
Appomattox Court House, Virginia, George T. Peers, in a visit to old
Appomattox. Attendees will experience a first-person, living
history program taking them to Appomattox Court House in the summer of
1867 with Mr. Peers, who was born and raised in the county. He
perhaps knew more than anyone about the area from his clerking duties,
and he became known as the “Ambassador of Appomattox” as he liked to
show visitors and curiosity seekers the sites and tell of the events
connected with the surrender.
Mr. Peers will tell some of the early history of Appomattox County,
about some of its famous citizens, and the war years leading up to that
fateful April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army
of Northern Virginia at the tiny hamlet of Appomattox Court House.
Peers will give a recount of the arrival of the armies, the battles in
and around the village on April 8 and 9, of Wilmer McLean and his house
where the surrender took place, the surrender meeting between Lee and
Grant, Grant and Lee’s meeting outside of his house on April 10, his
visits with General Joshua Chamberlain and the surrender ceremony, and
his thoughts about post-surrender Appomattox. Peers’ narration
about the trying days of April 1865 as the towns people were surrounded
by nearly 100,000 soldiers, North and South, will take you back to a
time when the future of the country was in the hands of two men, and the
generosity and respect from Americans to Americans at the end of the
nations’ bloodiest conflict will speak volumes of the power of
Appomattox. George Peers is portrayed by veteran, living history
interpreter and Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Historian, Patrick Schroeder. The program will last approximately
one hour.
Scholarship Contest -The Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable and the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy have partnered with the local chapter of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans to provide financial support to an essay contest for local high school seniors. Please click here for details. You are encouraged to promote this scholarship contest to any local high school seniors that may be interested in participating.
Visit the Williamsburg Battlefield Association
(http://www.williamsburgbattlefieldassociation.org/)
(https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgBattlefieldAssociation)