Current Newsletter and Archives
Williamsburg Civil War
Roundtable
Meeting Place:
WILLIAMSBURG
Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre
Volume LI Number 7 March 16, 2021
MONTHLY MEETING NOTICE -
NOTICE CHANGE IN DATE
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 7 PM
Michael E. Block
"A Rusty Sword, Five Friends, and "As Perfect a
Beauty Ever
Born on the Soil of The Old Dominion -
The Battle of Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862 "
The meeting will be via Zoom. Zoom links will be sent to all email recipients no later than March 14th.
Join us for the next meeting of the Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable at 7 PM on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (note change of meeting date to third Tuesday).
On Tuesday, March 16th, Michael E. Block will
present “A Rusty Sword, Five Friends, and ‘as
perfect a beauty ever born on the soil of the Old
Dominion.” Incidents and anecdotes from the Battle
of Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862.
The Battle of Cedar Mountain is considered by some
as the opening fight in the Second Manassas
Campaign, others a one-off fight. Mike will give an
overview of the Cedar Mountain Campaign and the
battle itself. But his focus will be on the
experiences soldiers who participated in the battle.
Their stories are typically lost in the recounting
of the fight, so tonight’s presentation features
their tales.
Michael E. Block is a recently retired government
consultant, having served 20 years in the U. S. Air
Force and 19 with the firm Booz Allen Hamilton. He
was recently the Vice-President of the Friends of
Cedar Mountain Battlefield, but still volunteers for
the organizations. He has been published in
Blue and Gray Magazine, Hallowed Ground and will
have his first book published, “The Carnage Was
Fearful: The Battle of Cedar Mountain”, in 2021. His
specialty is the Civil War in the Virginia Piedmont,
with an emphasis on Cedar Mountain and the Winter
Encampment of 1863-64. He resides in Williamsburg,
Virginia with his wife of 39 years, Caryn. They have
two married sons and three granddaughters.
Last Month
On Tuesday, February 16, 2020, Dr. Thomas G. Clemens
presented “Special Orders 191”. A map of the
Antietam campaign and special orders 191 are on our
website at
http://www.wcwrt.org/so191.jpg and
www.wcwrt.org/Antietam-Campaign-3-to-17-1862-June.jpg.
Arguably one of the most famous incidents of the
Civil War is the loss, and discovery, of Special
Orders 191 and its impact on the Maryland Campaign
of 1862. Many authors have speculated about the
effects of this event on Lee’s first invasion of the
North. Did it seal the fate of Lee’s invasion? Was
McClellan slow in reacting to its discovery? Was it
part of conspiracy by a spy in the southern army? Or
was it a scheme to confuse and delay the Union
forces under McClellan? Who lost it? Who found it?
Where and when was it found? What was the impact on
the siege of Harpers Ferry? Likewise, the battle of
South Mountain? Even Antietam/Sharpsburg? What did
it tell McClellan and what didn’t it tell him?
All these questions, and more, will be addressed in
Tom’s talk. Much has been written about the impact
of SO 191 on the Maryland Campaign, and he will
provide a brief summary of past writers and their
take on the importance of SO 191. His views may seem
unconventional to some of you, as he challenges some
of the well-ingrained traditions about SO 191.
It is Tom’s intent to offer his views but leave
ample time to engage in questions and discussion
with the members of CWRT
Dr. Thomas G. Clemens received his Bachelor’s and
Master’s degrees in history from Salisbury
University, and his Doctorate in History Education
from George Mason University, where he studied under
noted Civil War historian Dr. Joseph L. Harsh.
Tom came to Hagerstown Community College in 1978 and
spent most of his 34-year career at HCC teaching
American History, retiring as Professor Emeritus in
2012.
Tom is a founding member and current president of
Save Historic Antietam Foundation Inc., a non-profit
historic preservation organization. In the past 5
years SHAF and the Civil War Trust have cooperated
to purchase four properties, comprising 60 acres,
inside the battlefield boundary. We have demolished
six non-historic structures on these properties, and
more non-historic structures will be removed soon.
Tom is also an NPS-certified Antietam Battlefield
Guide, and a 30+ year volunteer there.
2019-2020 Officers of WCWRT:
President: Bill Miller
Vice-President: Lee Underwood
Secretary:
Gene Danko
Treasurer:
The Executive Committee consists of the elected
officers, the immediate past president and other
members appointed by the incoming president. Those
members include
Debbie Bedosti, Tom Lamb, and Terri Teopke.
Upcoming Meetings and Speakers
- April 27, 2021 - Chris Kolakowski - “Perspectives of the 1862 Virginia Campaigns”
- May 25, 2021 - Matt Atkinson - TBA
Special Events
Visit the Williamsburg Battlefield
Association
(http://www.williamsburgbattlefieldassociation.org/)
(https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgBattlefieldAssociation)
WEBSITE: Be sure to frequently
visit the site for newsletter info, announcements,
future and past speakers, and an up to date calendar
of events in the Civil War world. It’s
available anytime you need the info.
http://www.wcwrt.org.
The purpose of this organization shall be to promote discussion and study of the Civil War and to further stimulate interest in all aspects and phases of the Civil War period.