Raleigh CWRT Monthly Meeting Presentation Video Archive
The Raleigh CWRT has been meeting in person again as of Feb-14-2022. A live Zoom session is recorded simultaneously and is subsequently made available for viewing on this webpage.
- 2024-04-14: Dr. Ted Kunstling, M.D., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Raleigh Occupied 1865
- 2023-08-14: Charlie Knight, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic “Uselessly Sacrificed” – The Destruction of Iverson’s Brigade at Gettysburg, July 1st, 1863
- 2023-07-10: Harry Smeltzer, M.B.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic The Battle of 1st Manassas aka The 1st Battle of Bull Run
- 2023-06-12: Andrew Duppstadt, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Francis Lyell Hoge
- 2023-05-08: Tonia J. Smith, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Orton Williams
- 2023-04-10: Earl L. Ijames, B.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic "Freedom Coming, Freedom For All!" – A Celebration and Commemoration of Juneteenth
- 2023-03-13: Jim McKee, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Abraham Lincoln and the Fort Anderson Flag – A Flag That Might Have Changed U.S. History
- 2023-02-13: C. Michael Briggs, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Guilford Under the Stars and Bars – The Guns from Guilford County
- 2023-01-09: Wade Sokolosky, Col. U.S. Army (Ret.), in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Confederate Hospitals in North Carolina; due to technical difficulties, no video was captured)
- 2022-12-12: Holiday Party – No Video Recorded
- 2022-11-14: Tom Elmore, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic The Burning of Columbia, SC, Feb. 17th, 1865
- 2022-10-10: Chris J. Hartley, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic I Owe the Southern Confederacy a Debt: The Life of George Stoneman
- 2022-09-12: Ernest A. Dollar, Jr., M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War’s Final Campaign in North Carolina
- 2022-08-08: Presentation of the 2022 Gatton Award to Mary Lynn Bryan, Mac Healy, and David Winslow, Board members of the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center in Fayetteville, NC, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), followed by their presentation on The Planning and Development Progress of the History Center
- 2022-07-11: Dr. Chris Fonvielle, Jr., Ph.D., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic "Freedom at Last": African Americans at Wilmington, North Carolina, 1865
- 2022-06-13: Postponed Until August Meeting
- 2022-05-09: Amy & Jay Bauer, plus guests, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Discovery of a Forgotten USCT - A Mystery Solved, the story of the 135th United States Colored Troop.
- 2022-04-11: Freddie Kiger, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic "Sheer Adulterated Violence": The Battle of Sharpsburg/Antietam
- 2022-03-14: Gary L. Dyson, B.S., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic of his book The Ambush of the Isaac P. Smith: Family Ties and the Battle on the Stono, January 30, 1863
- 2022-02-14: Jeff Hunt, M.A., Zoom session only, speaking on the topic of his book Meade and Lee at Bristoe Station: The Problems of Command and Strategy after Gettysburg, from Brandy Station to the Buckland Races, August 1 to October 31, 1863
- 2022-01-10: Meeting Cancelled: Omicron Virulent Variant of the Covid-19 Virus Suddenly Spikes
- 2021-12-13: Holiday Break: No Meeting
- 2021-11-08: Colby Stevens, Site Manager of the Bentonville Battlefield Historic Site, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the subject Expansion Plans for the Bentonville Battlefield as Related to Mower’s Charge and Hardee’s Counterattack
- 2021-10-11: Dr. Judkin Browning, Ph.D., and Dr. Timothy Silver, Ph.D. (Ret.), in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Environmental Influences on the Peninsula Campaign in 1862
- 2021-09-13: David L. Bright, USN Lt. Cmdr. (Ret.), in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic of his book Locomotives up the Turnpike: The Civil War Career of Quartermaster Captain Thomas R. Sharp, C.S.A.
- 2021-08-09: Charlie Knight, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic of his book From Arlington to Appomattox: Robert E. Lee's Civil War, Day by Day, 1861-1865, and presenting a restored NC state flag belonging to the NC 30th Infantry Regiment.
- 2021-07-12: Jeff Hunt, M.A., speaking on the topic of his book Meade and Lee After Gettysburg: The Forgotten Final Stage of the Gettysburg Campaign, From Falling Waters to Culpeper Court House, July 14 – 31, 1863
- 2021-06-14: Wade Sokolosky, Col., U.S. Army, Ret., speaking on the topic Success and Failure in the Saddle: Mounted Operations During the 1865 Carolinas Campaign
- 2021-05-10: Gene Schmiel, Ph.D., speaking on the topic The Civil War in West Virginia and the Role of Jacob Cox
- 2021-04-12: Douglas Waller, M.A., speaking on the topic of his book Lincoln's Spies: Their Secret War to Save a Nation
- 2021-03-08: Al Bredenberg, M.A., speaking on the topic Raleigh Civil War Fortifications
- 2021-02-08: Dr. Curt Fields, Ph.D., U.S. Grant Impersonator, speaking on the topic Reflections on the Recent Vicksburg Campaign
- 2021-01-11: Leonard J. Fullenkamp, Col., U.S. Army, Ret., speaking on the topic Ulysses S. Grant: The Making of a General
- 2020-12-14: Michael K. Brantley, M.A., M.F.A., speaking on the topic of his new book Galvanized: The Odyssey of a Reluctant Carolina Confederate
- 2020-11-09: Mike Rucker speaking on the topic The Meanest and "Damnest" Job: Being the Civil War Exploits and Civilian Accomplishments of Colonel Edmund Winchester Rucker During and After the War
- 2020-10-12: Dr. Christian Keller, Ph.D., speaking on the topic The Lee-Jackson Partnership and Confederate Strategy in the East, 1861-1863 (Not Recorded...)
- 2020-09-14: Sandy Barnard, M.A., speaking on the topic An Aide to Custer: The Civil War Letters of Lt. Edward G. Granger
- 2020-08-10: Dr. Ted Kunstling, MD, speaking on the topic Civil War Railroads
2024-04-14: Dr. Ted Kunstling, M.D., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Raleigh Occupied 1865
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2023-04-10: Earl L. Ijames, B.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic "Freedom Coming, Freedom For All!" – A Celebration and Commemoration of Juneteenth
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2023-03-13: Jim McKee, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Abraham Lincoln and the Fort Anderson Flag – A Flag That Might Have Changed U.S. History
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2023-02-13: C. Michael Briggs, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Guilford Under the Stars and Bars – The Guns from Guilford County
Due to a technical glitch, the first 7.5 minutes of the video had a garbled sound track. The following is a transcript of those 7.5 minutes:
[Charlie Knight:] Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to the Feb. 2023 meeting of the Raleigh Civil War Round Table. It's great to see so many folks out here this evening, including a lot of new faces. We hope we'll keep seeing new faces in the future.
My name is Charlie Knight. I am the Round Table President for this year. We've got a great program lined up for you this evening. If you like 19th century fire arms, you've come to the right place. Our speaker tonight has brought plenty of reading material on that topic as well, so hopefully you folks will something up here that peaks your interest.
Before we get to our presentation this evening, we've got a few procedural things to take care of, starting with the pledge of alliegence. If you'll all please rise.
[Pledge of allegiance, followed by introduction of guests.] [Charlie Knight:] Well, great! Welcome!
I'd like to start off with a few announcements. I've got a lot to share this evening. Some of you may have been able to attend the annual Civil War symposium at Longwood University in Farmville, VA last weekend. I was unfortunately unable to make it, but I understand that it was a fabulous event as usual.
There's one event coming up in a few weeks at Blacksburg, Virginia Tech's annual Civil War Conference, the 24th to 26th of March. They have some fantastic speakers lined up for that, headlined by William C. “Jack” Davis, Caroline Janney, and Garry Adelman, among others.
A little bit closer to home, and one that probably will interest some folks here, for those of you who have been following along with Bob Graesser's articles about railroads in the newsletter, Bob is going to be speaking at the Southern Pines Round Table on Thursday of this week. So, hopefully you all can come on out to Southern Pines and support Bob. He'll have to do that presentation here sometime.
One other thing. We don't have a date lined up yet, but we're working on getting a tour lined up for members of the Round Table of the Wyze Forks Battlefield, outside of Kinston with the one and only Wade Sokolosky. We have to work out some details on that to figure out what date that will be, so stay tuned for more details on that one. That will be one that you definitely don't want to miss. I can't think of a better guide to that battlefield than Wade. Hopefully, if things go well, we'll actually be able to tour that battlefield in the future as well. Hopefully, this won't be a last harrah before the bulldozers hit. We'll have to wait and see how that plays out.
Anyone have any other announcements to share? Yes, sir! [Audience member:] On the 18th of the month, there will be an all-day symposium at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, VA.
[Charlie Knight:] OK, great! Hopefully, we can get some folks to attend that one, either in person or virtually. Anybody else? All right!
Well, with that, our speaker tonight has probably one of the, if not the, finest collection of long arms in the entire state of NC. At this time last year, some of my colleagues and I from here at the Museum got to go to his house and see some of his goodies up close and personal. It was more impressive than our own weapon's collection at the Museum!
Michael Briggs is a native of Greensboro, and was educated at Ben L. Smith High School and Rockingham Community College. He is the President & C.E.O. of Call Coverage, Inc, a 46-year-old business that specializes in unified communications technology. He is a long time student of world war history and a collector and student of Piedmont North Carolina Decorative Arts, including longrifles, powder horns, furniture, and North Carolina-made Civil War items.
He has given programs on these subjects for the National Park Service, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Greensboo Historical Museum, High Point Museum, Rowan Museum, Davidson County Historical Museum and the Charlotte Museum of History. He resides in Greensboro with his wife Nancy. It is my pleasure to introduce Michael Briggs.
[The video picks up at the 7.5 minute mark.]
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2022-11-14: Tom Elmore, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic The Burning of Columbia, SC, Feb. 17th , 1865
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2022-10-10: Chris J. Hartley, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic I Owe the Southern Confederacy a Debt: The Life of George Stoneman
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2022-09-12: Ernest A. Dollar, Jr., M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War’s Final Campaign in North Carolina
Top of Page
2022-08-08: Presentation of the 2022 Gatton Award to Mary Lynn Bryan, Mac Healy, and David Winslow, Board members of the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center in Fayetteville, NC, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), followed by their presentation on The Planning and Development Progress of the History Center
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2022-07-11: Dr. Chris Fonvielle, Jr., Ph.D., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic "'Freedom at Last': African Americans at Wilmington, North Carolina, 1865
Top of Page
2022-05-09: Amy & Jay Bauer, plus guests, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the subject Discovery of a Forgotten USCT - A Mystery Solved, the story of the United States 135th Colored Troop.
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2022-04-11: Freddie Kiger, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the subject "Sheer Adulterated Violence": The Battle of Sharpsburg/Antietam
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2022-03-14: Gary L. Dyson, B.S., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the subject of his book The Ambush of the Isaac P. Smith: Family Ties and the Battle on the Stono, January 30, 1863
NOTE: Due to an unexpected technical issue of which we were unaware, the audio on the first 17 min 12 sec of the video has a pronounced feedback echo. At that point, the sound suddenly clears up. We apologize for the inconvenience.
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2022-02-14: Jeff Hunt, M.A., Zoom session only, speaking on the subject of his book Meade and Lee at Bristoe Station: The Problems of Command and Strategy after Gettysburg, from Brandy Station to the Buckland Races, August 1 to October 31, 1863
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2022-01-10: Meeting Cancelled Due to Sudden Spike of the Omicron Virulent Variant of the Covid-19 Virus
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2021-11-08: Colby Stevens, Site Manager of the Bentonville Battlefield Historic Site, in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the subject Expansion Plans for the Bentonville Battlefield as Related to Mower’s Charge and Hardee’s Counterattack
Top of Page
2021-10-11: Dr. Judkin Browning, Ph.D., and Dr. Timothy Silver, Ph.D. (Ret.), in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic Environmental Influences on the Peninsula Campaign in 1862.
Top of Page
2021-09-13: David L. Bright, USN Lt. Cmdr. (Ret.), in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic of his book Locomotives up the Turnpike: The Civil War Career of Quartermaster Captain Thomas R. Sharp, C.S.A.
Top of Page
2021-08-09: Charlie Knight, M.A., in person (with simultaneous Zoom recording), speaking on the topic of his book From Arlington to Appomattox: Robert E. Lee's Civil War, Day by Day, 1861-1865", and presenting a restored NC state flag belonging to the NC 30th Infantry Regiment.
Top of Page
2021-07-12: Jeff Hunt, M.A., speaking on the topic of his book Meade and Lee After Gettysburg: The Forgotten Final Stage of the Gettysburg Campaign, From Falling Waters to Culpeper Court House, July 14 – 31, 1863
Top of Page
2021-06-14: Wade Sokolosky, Col., U.S. Army, Ret., speaking on the topic Success and Failure in the Saddle: Mounted Operations During the 1865 Carolinas Campaign
Top of Page
2021-05-10: Gene Schmiel, Ph.D., speaking on the topic The Civil War in West Virginia and the Role of Jacob Cox
Top of Page
2021-04-12: Douglas Waller, M.A., speaking on the topic of his book Lincoln's Spies: Their Secret War to Save a Nation
Top of Page
2021-03-08: Al Bredenberg, M.A., speaking on the topic Raleigh Civil War Fortifications
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2021-02-08: Dr. Curt Fields, Ph.D., U.S. Grant Impersonator, speaking on the topic Reflections on the Recent Vicksburg Campaign
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2021-01-11: Leonard J. Fullenkamp (Col., U.S. Army, Ret.) speaking on the topic Ulysses S. Grant: The Making of a General
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2020-12-14: Michael Brantley speaking on his new book Galvanized: The Odyssey of a Reluctant Carolina Confederate
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2020-11-09: Mike Rucker speaking on the topic The Meanest and "Damnest" Job: Being the Civil War Exploits and Civilian Accomplishments of Colonel Edmund Winchester Rucker During and After the War
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2020-10-12: Dr. Christian Keller speaking on the topic The Lee-Jackson Partnership and Confederate Strategy in the East, 1861-1863
Not Recorded...
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2020-09-14: Sandy Barnard, M.A. speaking on the topic An Aide to Custer: The Civil War Letters of Lt. Edward G. Granger
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2020-08-10: Dr. Ted Kunstling, MD, speaking on the topic Civil War Railroads
- George Edgar Turner, Victory Rode the Rails: The Strategic Place of the Railroads
in the Civil War (Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1953) (First Bison Book printing 1992). This is considered the classic study of Civil War Railroads.
- Earl J. Hess, Civil War Logistics: A Study of Military Transportation (LSU Press 2017)
- John E. Clark Jr., Railroads in the Civil War: The Impact of Management on Victory and Defeat (LSU Press 2001)
- Robert C. Black III, The Railroads of the Confederacy (UNC Press 1998)
- General Herman Haupt, Moving the Union Army; Reminiscences of General Herman Haupt…1901 (Big Bite Books 2014
- James A. Ward, That Man Haupt: A Biography of Herman Haupt (LSU Press 1973)
- James C. Burke, The Wilmington & Raleigh Rail Road Company 1833-1854 (McFarland & Company 2011)
- James C. Burke, The Wilmington & Weldon Railroad in the Civil War (McFarland & Company 2013)
- Allen W. Trelease, The North Carolina Railroad 1849-1871 and the Modernization of North Carolina (UNC Press 1991)
- Burke Davis, The Southern Railway: Road of the Innovators (UNC Press 1985)
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