The Raleigh Civil War Round Table

Well it’s April… the start of campaign season.

There’s hardly a better time of year to hop in the car for a drive through southside Virginia in my opinion.  And though bittersweet for some of us Southerners, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park is putting on quite a myriad of events the week of April 8th-12th.  Too much for me to list so please take a look at their events list if you’re interested (click the link below).

And if that’s not enough for you, the Park will be hosting reinacting activities the weekend of April 17th-18th with members of H. K. Burgwyn’s own 26th NC Infantry (reinactors of course) along with artillery and Federal infantry demonstrations as well as Civil War artifact displays.

Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

If you’re looking for a reason to get out of town the weekend of March 20th, Johnson County might just be a great destination…

The 145th anniversary of the Battle of Bentonville is this coming week and the Bentonville Battlefield Historical Association, Inc. is planning quite a weekend of events.

Please note that this event is only held once every five years.

Please join the RCWRT on Saturday, May 1st as we welcome historian John V. Quarstein to speak on The Battle of Big Bethel (VA).  Tickets are $10 and all proceeds will be donated to the Hampton History Museum in their attempt to raise funds to help preserve and interpret additional acreage associated with the June 10, 1861 battle.

Like many of you, I’m vaguely familiar with the battle itself as it seems to get overlooked so often with later engagements on the Peninsula but like a lot of you, I’m aware that North Carolina played a special role in the battle.  D. H. Hill, the 1st North Carolina Regiment (later the 11th NC or the Bethel Regiment of the famed Pettigrew-Kirkland-McRae brigade), Henry Lawson Wyatt and who could forget the sobriquet earned there on the field by NC troops:  First at Bethel… all products of this one little engagement.

So please, come on down town that afternoon and enjoy yourself.  Additionally, after the presentation, we will move across the street to the Henry Lawson Wyatt memorial on the Old Capital grounds to hear additional remarks by the speaker.

Click here for additional information.

My apologies on the lack of recent updates.  Works and studies have taken a lot of me since the beginning of the year but I promise to stay vigilant going forward.  On to new news…

Well, as you might have guessed with this being the 2nd Monday of the month, tonight the RCWRT will be having their March meeting downtown at the museum of History.  Tonight’s discussion by guest speaker Matt Farina, should be a good one:  The Wounding and Death of Joshua Chamberlain.

Check out the latest Knapsack for a teaser on tonight’s discussion along with some other very interesting topics.