| Wounded, Weakened and Dangerous: The Army of Northern Virginia in the Fall of 1863 - Detailed Itinerary |
Itinerary
Member price also applies to members of the Museum of the Confederacy and to members of the South Carolina Historical Society. To register by mail, use our downloadable, printable registration form or call 888-741-2437. Thursday, November 4th, 2010 Check in and pick up your reading book at 6 PM at the Holiday Inn Express in Culpeper, Virginia. 6:30 Opening Lecture: Confederate Autumn: The Fall of 1863 by Len Riedel, Executive Director, BGES, 7:15 P.M—Dinner. Friday, November 5th, 2010 Depart at 8:00 A.M Culpeper was a central location in the operations of both armies in the Civil War. We will start today by studying the little known but painful battle of Culpeper. Here in mid September, federal cavalry under the command of Alfred Pleasanton conducted a recon in force to determine the position of Lee’s infantry. The running fight was finally stopped south of town by rebel canister fire with George Armstrong Custer suffering a painful wound to his foot. Following this we will set up the Bristoe Campaign with the little known 2nd Battle of Brandy Station—fought on a smaller scale on the same grounds as the more famous fight of June 1863. Following James Longstreet’s deployment to Tennessee, Robert E. Lee settled into a defensive posture to refit his hard fought forces. Left to his own devices by Union general George Meade temptation arose when the Federal XI and XII Corps were dispatched to the west. Substantially weakened, Meade was strung out along his supply line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad and an aggressive move might obtain decisive results at a relatively cheap cost. In mid October, forces under the command of AP Hill moved from Madison to the rear of Meade’s forces near Bristoe Station. Unfortunately, Hill was no Jackson and his attack was hastily directed against the concealed II Corps. The October 14th assault produced heavy Confederate losses and Lee’s admonition to Hill was to “bury these poor men and let us say no more about it.” We will study that effort today and time permitting will follow the Confederate cavalry’s success at what is now popularly called the Buckland Races. We will return to the hotel where you can enjoy dinner on your own. Lunch will be provided. Saturday, November 6th, 2010 Depart at 8 AM: Today you will witness the Alpha and the Omega of the Confederate fortunes in the fall of 1863. Union general Meade had been under some pressure to take advantage of Longstreet’s absence by pressing Lee’s army. Success at Bristoe Station provided an opening which he pursued. Following a smashing victory at Rappahannock Bridge in which Jubal Early’s forces lost nearly 2,000 men the federals pressed on towards Locust Grove and the retreating Confederates. It appeared the Federals would enjoy a sweeping victory until they arrived at the vicinity of Mine Run. Here the depth of Lee’s thirty plus years of engineering experience were on display. Impressive fortifications and sweeping fields of fire greeted the uninvited visitors. Meade was an engineer himself and in one of the most impressive displays of self discipline shown during the war, upon the advice of another engineer: corps commander G.K. Warren, he declined to make the effort. There would be no “show down” battle at the end of November of 1863; however, the political battles were just beginning and we will discuss those in context before closing. The Mine Run Campaign is spoken about but hardly ever studied or visited. We are pleased to give you this entire fall campaign in context as a missing yet important component of the war in 1863. I am sure you will be enlightened. We will provide dinner and lunch. Thanks for coming. The FacultyGreg Mertz is the Supervisory Park Historian for the Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania National Military Parks which is one of the premiere facilities of its type in the country. This site has an exceptional roster of the Park Service’s best interpretative rangers and historians. Greg is the author of most of the Blue and Gray Magazine articles on the 1864 Overland Campaign and has been active in the preservation of Brandy Station. Greg has also been active in supporting a number of the Friends groups which preserve the central Virginia battlefields. Greg has been a supportive dues paying member of the BGES for many years and each of his tours has earned acclaim for the informative interpretation and the unprecedented access that he has been able to provide. Meeting Site and Hotel: We will be headquartered at the Holiday Inn Express, 787 Madison Road, Culpeper, VA 22701. This new property is easily accessible off of US Hwy 29 and state route 3 (from Fredericksburg). We have set aside a block of 15 rooms at the group rate of $89.99 plus 10% tax. There are other hotel options in the area; however, this is the newest property there. Call 1-540-825-7444 to reserve against the Blue and Gray Education block. A cut off date of October 1, 2010 has been established to release unused rooms back into the hotel inventory. Airport and Transportation Arrangements: There are no convenient airports. The closest is Charlottesville. Richmond (RIC), Washington Reagan (DCA) and Washington Dulles (IAD) are the nearest major airports and all are 80-100 miles distant. A rental car is your best bet for transportation to and from the airport. Ihave done very well bidding low on Priceline.com. Key Publications and Recommended Reading (includes shipping and handling) You will receive a reading book and maps to assist you with this tour. Douglas Southall Freeman, Lee’s Lieutenants, Volume 3, Gettysburg to Appomattox out of print visit Amazon.com or Abebooks.com for secondary availability. Theodore Lyman, Meade’s Headquartersout of print visit Amazon.com or Abebooks.com for secondary availability. Jubal Early, Jubal Early’s Memoirs out of print visit Amazon.com or Abebooks.com for secondary availability. Burke Davis, Jeb Stuart: The Last Cavalier out of print visit Amazon.com or Abebooks.com for secondary availability. Samuel Martin, Kill-Cavalry: The Life of Union General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick out of print visit Amazon.com or Abebooks.com for secondary availability. David M. Jordan, Happiness is Not My Companion, The Life of General G. K. Warren visit Amazon.com or Abebooks.com for a better price than I can offer you. To register by mail, use our downloadable, printable registration form or call 888-741-2437. |
||||