Meeting Dates
The organization meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month September through May. 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
MONTHLY MEETING NOTICE
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 7 PM
Steven T. Phan
"The Capital Can't Be Taken!
The Civil War Defense of Washington"
On January 26, 2021 at 7PM Steve Phan will present, via a Zoom
Session, "The capital can't be taken!" The Civil War Defenses of
Washington".
Fortress Washington was under siege. Three years of extensive
construction, expansion, and training—all at the expenditure of
exorbitant resources—had come down to a race. The Confederate Army of
the Valley District commanded by Lt. Gen. Jubal Early, advanced south
along the Rockville-Georgetown Pike on the morning of 10 July 1864. The
day was hot and humid, and dust covered the road as the exhausted rebel
force aimed to complete their campaign by seizing the Federal capital.
General Robert E. Lee’s “Bald Old Man” was running out of time. The
previous day, Early’s infantry and cavalry columns unexpectedly ran into
heavy Federal opposition along the Monocacy River on the outskirts of
Frederick, Maryland. Token Resistance was expected, however. Elements of
the Federal Middle Department (8th Army Corps) commanded by Major
General Lew Wallace operated in the area for several days. Wallace
cobbled together a hodgepodge mix of rear-echelon, garrison, and
part-time troops to engage Early long enough for reinforcements to
arrive on the field, and most importantly, to secure Baltimore and
Washington. Support appeared on the waterways. The Federal high command
outside Petersburg, Virginia at last responded to ominous reports of a
large Confederate force operating in the Shenandoah Valley and advanced
north into Maryland Wallace’s prospect of delaying Early improved
dramatically with the arrival of veterans from the Army of the Potomac.
Brigadier General James B. Rickett’s 3rd Division 6th Corps led the
vanguard of reinforcements dispatched from the trenches of Petersburg.
It was Rickett’s division that Early’s collided with on the morning of 9
July, turning a minor action into a major pitched battle. The blue-clad
defenders outgunned and undermanned—a rare occasion for Civil War
battles—retreated in disorder toward Maryland after an 8-hour fight. As
a result, recalled one of Early’s division commanders, Major General
James B. Gordon: “The way lay open to Washington.”
Awaiting the Confederate army was one of the most heavily fortified
cities in the world. By summer 1864, the elaborate defensive system
encircling Washington D.C. comprised 60 forts, 93 detached batteries, 5
blockhouses, fortified bridges, over 30 miles of military roads, and
armament massing 800 cannons. Supplementing the defenses was a garrison
of over 30,000 men. The capital defenders comprised heavy
artillerist—expertly trained to operate the large caliber artillery
pieces mounted in the forts—together with a mix of infantry and cavalry
regiments. Nominally, such a heavy force entrenched in fortified
positions made an enemy advance on Washington D.C. foolhardy and
desperate. But 1864 called for desperate measures by both the Union and
Confederacy.
Steve T. Phan is a Park Ranger and Historian at the Civil War Defenses
of Washington. He has worked at Richmond National Battlefield Park,
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Stones River National
Battlefield, Rock Creek Park, and Buffalo Soldiers National Monument. A
military history scholar of the Civil War era, Phan’s research focuses
on military occupation, operational command, and fortifications during
the Civil War. He is the author of articles about Asians and Pacific
Islanders in the Civil War and the Defenses of Washington for numerous
publications. He was nominated for the National Park Service Tilden
Award for Excellence in Interpretation (2019). He holds a master’s
degree in American History from Middle Tennessee State University.
American Civil War Museum newsletter (with register by Feb 1st for virtual symposium ) view
February 6, 2021 - Longwood presents - "Experiencing Aspects Of The Civil War Virtually " details
Previous Zoom Meeting Presentations
September 21, 2020 - Kevin Pawlak presented "Robert E. Lee Defends the Confederate High Water
Mark at Sharpsburg" (view presentation -
73 minutes)
Kevin can be reached at
https://antietamguides.com/antietam-guides/antietam-battlefield-guides/kevin-pawlak/
November 24, 2020 - Scott Mingus presented "Flames
Beyond Gettysburg - The Confederate Expedition to the Susquehanna
River - June 1863
(View
presentation - 85 minutes)
December 8, 2020 - Ken Rutherford presented "America's
Buried History - Landmines in The Civil War".
View
presentation - 66 minutes
Visit the American Battlefield Trust site to view animated Peninsula Campaign map
Visit the Williamsburg Battlefield Association (view
newsletter)
(http://www.williamsburgbattlefieldassociation.org/)
(https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgBattlefieldAssociation)