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 6:30 PM. Membership is open to the general public.
MONTHLY
MEETING NOTICE
Tuesday,
October 27, 2026,
at 6:30 PM
Robert J. Miller
“From Rome to Appomattox - A History of (Catholic) Civil War Chaplins"
Join us on Tuesday October 27th, for the meeting of the Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable, commencing at 6:30 PM in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre. The library is located at 515 Scotland Street in Williamsburg.
The programs also will continue to be presented online via a Zoom link for our members and friends near and far. The details for the Zoom link will be provided in a follow-up announcement several days prior to the meeting date.
Join us on Tuesday, October 27 for Rev. Robert Miller’s presentation of “From
Rome to Appomattox – A History of (Catholic) Civil War Chaplains”.
Military chaplaincy has existed for over 1,600 years, with its earliest
connections being seen some 3,000 years ago. In this talk, we will
outline the history of religious people being actively involved with the
world’s military. We will start with the Assyrians and Israelites, speak
of the rise of Christianity, the Middle Ages systematizing of the role,
and end with the Civil War beginnings of our modern American military
chaplaincy.
Robert J. Miller is a Catholic priest of 49 years, retired from 35 years
of inner-city Chicago ministry. He has Masters degrees in Religious
Education and Divinity, has authored 5 books on spirituality and faith,
and was an adjunct professor of Church History at the University of St.
Mary of the Lake. A former President of the Chicago Civil War Round
Table, he frequently speaks on topics of spirituality and history,
especially on Civil War religion. His 2007 book, Both Prayed to the Same
God – Religion and faith in the Civil War, was the first book-length
overview of the topic. His newest book – Faith of the Fathers – A
Comprehensive Study of Catholic Civil War Chaplains – on the 126
Catholic Civil War chaplains, was published in April 2025. A summary of
his work in this area, and a documentary film, can be found at
www.faithofthefathers.net
.
Last Month
On Tuesday, September 22nd, Dr. Alexander B. Rossino
presented “Lee’s Army in Maryland: A New perspective on the
Campaign of September 1862".
Students of the Civil War tend to think the story of Robert E. Lee’s
1862 Maryland Campaign is complete, and that any new study of the
subject must by necessity rely on interpretations long-since accepted
and understood. But what if this is not the case? What if the histories
previously written about the first major Confederate operation north of
the Potomac River missed key sources, proceeded from mistaken readings
of the evidence, or were influenced by Lost Cause ideology? Dr.
Alexander B. Rossino will demonstrate that distortions like these
continue to shape modern understanding of the campaign, and he will
offer a new interpretation of the events. Award-winning author and
historian.
Alexander B. Rossino holds degrees in History from Canisius College
(B.A.) in Buffalo, New York, and Syracuse University (M.A. & Ph.D.) in
Syracuse, New York. A resident of historic Charles Town, West Virginia,
Dr. Alex Rossino is an independent historian and author. He earned
Master’s and Doctoral degrees in History at Syracuse University before
working for nine years as a historian at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum in Washington, DC.
2026-2027 Officers of WCWRT:
President: Bill Miller Vice-President: Lee Underwood
Secretary 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 Teresa Teopke.
Membership Dues for the 2026-2027 sessions are due in September 2026. Please help support our schedule for next session.
Petersburg National Battlefield 2026 Luminary Program & Volunteer Opportunities (11/14 -11/15) details
Meeting the Challenge- Bill Miller discusses WCWRT video
2026 Blue and Grey Education Society Tours
details
Culpeper Battlefields State Park: This is a new State Park, which includes the Cedar Mountain and Brandy Station Battlefields. Our friend Drew Gruber is the Park Ranger who oversees the operations of the new park. details