CIVIL WAR SEMINARS & TOURS

ITINERARY

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GENERAL INFORMATION:
 

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Conference Location:

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites

150 N. Pinetta Drive, Richmond, VA 23235

804-447-8326

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 All participants are responsible for arranging hotel accommodations for the seminar, which is not included in tour price. $132/night double occupancy plus tax ($139/night king plus tax).

Pricing includes breakfast for hotel guests. Special pricing for participants based on room availability.  When making reservations, mention Chambersburg Civil War Tours or BOOK HERE:

tinyurl.com/civilwar26

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· Continental breakfast for hotel guests each morning. 

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· Check-In will be in the hotel lobby about 1 hour before the day’s activities begin. You only need to check-in once.

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· Each participant will receive a packet of tactical maps and a name badge at check-in

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· Classroom sessions will be held in the hotel conference room.

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· Bus tours will leave from the Fairfield parking lot at the specified time.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29

 

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• Bus leaves from Fairfield Inn

• Lunch provided

• Return by 6pm

• Dinner on our Own

 

 

8am - 6pm Clash on Richmond's Doorstep bus tour led by Greg Mertz

This tour follows the 1864 Overland Campaign near Richmond, highlighting pivotal clashes between Grant and Lee. At Yellow Tavern, cavalry fighting left Confederate commander J.E.B. Stuart mortally wounded. Mount Carmel Church and Hawes Shop mark early cavalry actions as Union forces pressed south. North Anna showcases Lee’s strong defensive line, while Totopotomoy Creek reflects the armies’ tense maneuvering. The journey ends at Cold Harbor, site of a costly Union assault against entrenched Confederate positions.

 

 

Sites to visit:

• Yellow Tavern

• Mount Carmel Church

• North Anna Battlefield Park

• Hawes Shop

• Totopotomoy Creek

• Cold Harbor

 

 

Return to hotel by 6 p.m. Dinner on your own.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 30

• Bus leaves from Fairfield Inn

• Lunch provided

• Return by 6pm

• Dinner on our Own

 

 

8am - 6pm The Fall of Richmond bus tour led by Marc Ramsey

​​This tour explores key sites tied to the final days of the Confederacy and the fall of Richmond in April 1865. At the White House of the Confederacy, visitors see where Jefferson Davis directed the war effort before evacuating the capital. Tredegar Iron Works highlights Richmond’s industrial backbone, while the Richmond Battlefield and Virginia State Capitol trace the city’s collapse and the Union occupation that signaled the Confederacy’s end.

 

Sites to visit:

• White House of the Confederacy

• Tredegar Iron Works

• Richmond Battlefield

• Virginia State Capitol

• & More

 

 

Return to hotel by 5 p.m. Dinner on your own. 

 

 

 FRIDAY, MAY 1

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8:30  a.m.—12 p.m.  Morning Lectures

• Lectures held at Fairfield Inn’s Conference Room

• Lunch provided, Dinner on your own

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Lectures include:

· Welcome & Overview of Civil War Preservation Project by Karen Lowry

 

Myths about Lee’s Surrender talk by Patrick Schroeder

• We will cover some of the most interesting aspects from the books Thirty Myths about Lee’s Surrender and More Myths about Lee’s Surrender. An enlightening lecture telling what really happened at Appomattox – separating myth from fact.

 

 

Bivouac of the Dead: Death in the American Civil War talk by Joshua Lindamood

Immediately following the thunderous clash of Union and Confederate forces, a different kind of work began on American Civil War battlefields- disposing of the dead. Farms and small towns were completely overwhelmed with the sheer number of human remains creating a ghastly visage across the landscape that required immediate action. Soldiers often remained un-interred for days, weeks, and sometimes, months. Who made the coffins, buried the deceased, and notified the next of kin?

• How did the process of death and burial during the Victorian-Era differ between home and the battlefield?

• Due to the sensitive nature of the content and historical photographs, this program may not be suitable for individuals under the age of sixteen. Participant discretion is advised.

 

 

12 - 1 p.m. Lunch provided at Fairfield Inn

 

 

1 - 4:30 p.m. Afternoon Lectures at Fairfield Inn

 

 

Don’t Touch That!”: Historian’s Museum Objects Program featuring items displayed at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park - talk by Patrick Schroeder

• This program discusses the history of the item and the back-stories of how the items became part of the park collection or loaned for display. It will feature items such as the Louis Guillaume painting of the surrender, the truce flag, John Gibbon’s Camp Table used in the Commissioners Meeting and the Commissioners pens, the death letter of Lt. Charles Minnigerode, Jr., the coat worn by James G. Field at the surrender and the Silent Witness doll.

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The Most Gallant Fight of the War: The Battle of High Bridge, April 6, 1865 talk by Carson Butler

• This talk explores the desperate clash on April 6, 1865, as Union raiders attempted to burn the vital High Bridge crossing during Lee’s retreat toward Farmville. Outnumbered but determined, the Federal detachment fought fiercely against Confederate cavalry before being overwhelmed in brutal hand-to-hand combat that left nearly the entire Union force killed, wounded, or captured. The program highlights the dramatic leadership losses on both sides and the chaos surrounding the struggle for the Appomattox River crossings—but also the deeply personal toll the battle exacted on individual soldiers and families. From fallen officers and soldiers to the haunting ambrotype of a little girl found on the field, the human stories of High Bridge reveal a tragedy long overshadowed in the war’s final campaign, now brought back into the light through new research that restores this overlooked fight to its rightful place in Civil War history.

 

 

7th South Carolina Cavalry talk by Marc Ramsey

• Discussing the last uniformed Confederate regiment to leave Richmond, and the rear guard of Lee’s Army on the retreat to Appomattox

 

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4:30 - 7 p.m. Dinner on your Own

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7 p.m. The Lesser Known Surrenders After Appomattox talk by Robert Dunkerly

• Appomattox is seen as the ending of the Civil War, yet it was just the first of several major surrenders, Each unfolded differently and involved different circumstances. We will discuss how the other surrenders occurred and how they differed from the famous one at Appomattox.

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SATURDAY, MAY 2

 

 

• Bus leaves from Fairfield Inn

• Lunch provided

• Return by 6pm

• Dinner on our Own

 

 

8am - 6pm Road to Appomattox: The Petersburg Campaign bus tour led by Zachary Pittard

This tour highlights pivotal moments of the Petersburg Campaign, where Grant’s siege strategy steadily strangled Lee’s army. At City Point, visitors see the Union headquarters and supply hub that powered the offensive, while sites such as Battery 5, Fort Stedman, and The Crater illustrate the brutal fighting that failed to break the deadlock. The tour concludes with the decisive Battle of Five Forks, where Union forces finally cracked Confederate defenses, forcing the fall of Petersburg and setting the stage for Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.

 

Sites to visit:

• City Point

• Union Fort/City Point Defenses

• Battery 5

• Fort Stedman

• The Crater

• Fort Wadsworth/Globe Tavern

• Poplar Grove National Cemetery

• Fort Fisher

• White Oak Road

• Five Forks

 

 

Return to hotel by 6 p.m.

 

Dinner on your Own.

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SUNDAY, MAY 3

 

 

• Bus leaves from Fairfield Inn

• Lunch provided

• Return by 6pm

• Dinner on our Own

 

8am - 6:30pm The Final March: From Sailor’s Creek to the Surrender at Appomattox bus tour led by Bert Dunkerly

This tour follows the final days of Lee’s retreat toward Appomattox. At Sailor’s Creek, visitors learn how crushing Confederate losses signaled the collapse of the Army of Northern Virginia, with the Hillsman House illustrating the battle’s human cost. A stop at High Bridge highlights the desperate struggle to delay Union pursuit. The tour then moves to Appomattox Station and finally Appomattox Court House, including the McLean House and surrounding village, where Lee’s surrender to Grant brought the Civil War to a close.

 

 

Sites to visit:

• Sailor’s Creek Battlefield State Park

• Hillsman House

• High Bridge State Park

• Appomattox Station Battlefield

• Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park

• Appomattox Village including McLean House, Clover Hill Tavern, Surrender Site

 

 

Return to hotel by 6:30 p.m. This concludes the conference.

 

Thank you for coming!

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Seminar registration fee schedule:

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____$930 Members Conference Package (Entire program)

____$970 Non-Members Conference Package (Entire program)

____$250 Wednesday Only

____$250 Thursday Only

____$250 Friday Only

____$250 Saturday Only

 ____$250 Sunday Only

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*Early Bird Pricing - Save $30 when you register for the Members or Non-Members Conference Package by February 15, 2026. Use code RICHMOND30 for Members, code RICHMOND301 for Non-Members when registering online.

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