End of the War: Richmond, Petersburg, & Appomattox Civil War Seminar

Description

To view the complete brochure, click here.
Join Dr. Richard Sommers, Dr. James “Bud” Robertson, Ed Bearss, Robert E. L. Krick, Lt. Col. Ralph  Peters, Chris Calkins, Ted Alexander, and others as we explore 1864 and 1865 battle sites in Richmond, Va.

Wednesday, July 22
 
Optional bus tour ($225):
Breakfast Homewood Suites (avail. 6 – 9 a.m.)
7 - 7:30 a.m. - Early Registration at Homewood Suites
7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. “Civil War Richmond” - Bus & walking tour led by Jim Dupriest
-Bus leaves from Homewood Suites
-Buffet lunch included
- Buffet dinner included
 
Sites visited include:
· Museum of the Confederacy
· White House of the Confederacy
· “The Battle of Abbey” at Virginia Historical Society
· St. Paul’s Church “The Church of the Confederacy”
· Historic Hollywood Cemetery
· Libby Prison Site
· Locations where the movie “Lincoln” was filmed
· Monument Avenue
· Southern-style lunch at historic 6th Mt. Zion Church
· And more!
6 p.m. Dinner at Homewood Suites

Complete Weekend Package begins:
7 p.m. - Keynote Speaker: “Whatever Happened to…?” Some Civil War Personalities and their Checkered Careers after the Guns Fell Silent” by Dr. James “Bud” Robertson
8:45 p.m. - Insomniacs Session “Mysteries Revealed: the Use of Modern Technology to Research Artifacts” by Catherine Wright
 
Thursday, July 23
Breakfast Homewood Suites (avail. 6 – 9 a.m.)
8 a.m. – 6 p.m. - Tour of Richmond 1864 and 1865 Battle Sites  - Bus tour led by Ed Bearss, Robert E.L. Krick, and Dr. Richard Sommers
-Bus leaves from Homewood Suites
-Lunch included
-Dinner on your own
Tour Description:
· Totopotomoy Creek, Haw’s Shop and Bethesda Church 
- Cold Harbor where thousands fell in minutes
· The Battle of Chaffin's Bluff, September 29-October 2, 1864.  This battle threw Richmond into the greatest danger of capture by a Federal field army of any day of the Civil War.  Our tour will cover how the Bluecoats achieved this breakthrough and how the Confederates overcame the odds and saved their capital.  It includes stops at Deep Bottom, New Market Heights, Fort Harrison, and Fort Gilmer.
 
Friday, July 24
Breakfast Homewood Suites (avail. 6  – 9 a.m.)
8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. - Sessions at Homewood Suites
à Sessions in Presidential Room
à Buffet Lunch included at Homewood
à BBQ Buffet included at Homewood
Sessions at Homewood Suites include:
Welcome and “Preserving Richmond”
 –Superintendent David Ruth
“Summer 1864: The Birth of Modern Warfare”
- Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters
· The campaigns to take Richmond and Petersburg have been viewed by some historians as precursors to the trench warfare of WWI. Listen as a top military analyst makes that case.
Burying the Dead but Not the Past: The Ladies Memorial Associations and the Reburial of the Confederate Dead
- S. Waite Rawls III
· Confederate cemeteries may be viewed all over the South. Find out how they came into existence.
“Obscured by Time: A Look at Some of R. E. Lee’s Key Deputies in the 1864 Defense of Richmond”
- Robert E. L. Krick
· A leading authority on Lee and his commanders will explain the 1864 defense of Richmond by some of Robert E Lee’s great and not so great lieutenants.
12:30 – 1 p.m. - Lunch at Homewood Suites Included
“The United States Colored Troops at Richmond and Petersburg
-Panel with Ed Bearss, Emmanuel Dabney and Jimmy Price
· The United States Colored Troops earned glory through mud and blood in the campaigns to take Richmond. A panel of United States Colored Troops’ scholars will discuss their role.
“Prelude to Appomattox: Life and Death along the Siege Lines in 1865”
- Brig. Gen. John “Jack” Mountcastle
· We will examine the war’s final months from the soldiers eye view in the trenches.
“’Winged Victory’: U.S. Grant and the Search for Success in the Siege of Petersburg”
- Dr. Richard Sommers
· You  won’t want to miss this presentation by the leading scholar on the subject.
“The Confederate Battle Flag: America’s Most Embattled Emblem”
-John Coski
· Find out the story of the Confederate flag from the man who wrote the book on it.
6:30 p.m. - BBQ Buffet at Homewood included
Following dinner: “Lee and the Defense of Richmond” talk by Ed Sanders
8 p.m.- Annual Luhn Memorial Silent Auction—funds raised for battlefield preservation.
· Don’t miss this fascinating presentation on one of the greatest commanders in U.S. History.

Saturday, July 25
Breakfast Homewood Suites (avail. 7 – 10 a.m.)
8 a.m. – 6 p.m. - “Tour of Petersburg Campaign” - Bus tour led by Richard Sommers and Ed Bearss
à Bus leaves from Homewood Suites
à Lunch included
à Dinner on your own
Tour Description:
· Grant’s Headquarters at City Point   
· Battery 5 and Petersburg Visitor’s Center
·  Tour will examine The Battle of Globe Tavern, Aug. 18-21, 1864. A stop at Fort Wadsworth to discuss the Northern victories of the Siege of Petersburg: the cutting of the Weldon Railroad.: The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 1864. This battle allowed the Yankees to break out from Globe Tavern and seize a key crossroads at Peebles' Farm, from there launching further offensives against Southern supply lines during the siege. Yet the combat also enabled the battling Butternuts to beat back Union efforts to cut those supply lines in late September. Tour will cover combat that surged up and down the Church Road and will include visits to Squirrel Level Road, Fort Fisher, Fort Welch, Arthur's Swamp, and Hart's House.
8:30 p.m. Insomniacs Session “Mr. Lincoln Comes to Richmond: April 1865” by Mike Gorman

Sunday, July 27
Optional bus tour ($195):
Breakfast Homewood Suites (avail. 7 – 10 a.m.)
7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
“The Road to Appomattox” bus tour led by Chris Calkins
à Bus leaves from Homewood Suites
à Lunch included
à Dinner included
Sites visited include:
· Five Forks Battlefield
· Sailor’s Creek Battlefield
· Appomattox Court House
· And more!
More detailed descriptions of itinerary included on www.CivilWarSeminars.org.
** Please note: Bus driver compensation is included with each bus tour and we have eliminated the need for “passing the hat.”