CIVIL WAR SEMINARS & TOURS

April 27-30, 2023

 

Welcome to our spring 2023 program, the Williamsburg Trifecta Tour. This is a first of its kind program for us as we will be focusing on four different conflicts: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II/Korea. We are excited to present this new themed program and hope to do more of this sort of program in the future. We have a fantastic array of tours and talks to present to you featuring the leading experts on these events.

 

Six expert historians will cover diverse topics such as the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, the siege of Yorktown in 1781, Virginia militia commanders at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, Civil War Williamsburg, Union General Augustus Wild, and Fortress Monroe’s Acc of Freedom. Tours will include a full day of sites associated with Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s 1862 Peninsula Campaign, including Young’s Mill, Warwick Court House, Lee’s Mill, Skiffes Creek, Dam No. 1, Lee Hall and Fort Magruder.

 

As a bonus, will also visit Fort Pocahontas, the site of the 1864 Battle of Wilson’s Wharf. On Saturday, we will visits Gloucester Point, which played a role in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the Yorktown Revolutionary War battlefield, and the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, which is not only the final resting place of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, it also houses an excellent museum. Sunday will conclude with a half day tour of Fortress Monroe. As a result of this unique program, you should take away a new appreciation for the many and diverse historical sites on the Virginia Peninsula.

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**EARLY BIRD** Save $30 when you register for the Members or Non-Members Conference Package by April 1, 2023. Use code EARLYBIRD25 for Members and EARLYBIRD26 for Non-members.

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General Information:

· Conference based at Wyndham Garden Williamsburg Busch Gardens Area, 201 Water Country Parkway, Williamsburg, VA 23185

• All participants are responsible for arranging hotel accommodations for the seminar, which is not included in tour price. $130/night double occupancy plus tax, $150/night for king. Special pricing for participants based on room availability. MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS HERE.

• Please call to make your reservation at 757-253-6444 and mention you are part of the Chambersburg Civil War Seminars.

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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 Wyndham conference room.

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

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· Owens & Ramsey Historical Booksellers available on Friday, April 28!

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· You are welcome to stay at a different hotel and commute in each morning to catch the bus or attend the lectures.

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Thursday, April 27

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· Bus leaves from Wyndham Garden

· Lunch included

· Return by 5 p.m.

· Dinner on your own

 

8:30  a.m. - 5 p.m. Civil War Day led by Michael Moore

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Bus Tour Sites to Visit:

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· Young’s Mill (Confederate defenses, Lt. Col. Charles Dreux, and Union IV Corps advance)

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· Warwick C.H. (Union IV Corps HQ, Lt. George Custer on the Peninsula, Professor Lowe’s Balloons)

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· Lee’s Mill (Siege Engineering, Warwick-Yorktown Line, April 5, 1862 engagement)

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· Skiffes Creek (Mulberry Island Defenses, Custis Farm Line, and Magruder’s placement of troops)

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· Dam No. 1 (Defense in Depth, Artillery Targeting, Signal Intelligence, and April 16, 1862 engagement)

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· Lee Hall Mansion (Confederate HQ, Balloon Reconnaissance, and May 4, 1862 cavalry skirmish)

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· Fort Magruder (Confederate 3rd Defensive Line, Redoubt 6, May 4-5, 1862 Battle of Williamsburg, Confederate skirmishes in 1863, USCT training)

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· Fort Pocahontas (Site history, Cavalry engagement)

 

Dinner on your own.

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Friday, April 28

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8:30  a.m.—12 p.m.  Morning Lectures

 

· Lectures held at Wyndham Garden’s Conference Room at 201 Water Country Pkwy, Williamsburg, VA.

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· Book Vendor, Owens & Ramsey Historical Booksellers on site

Lectures include:

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· Welcome & Introduction by Eric Wittenberg, program coordinator

 

“The Peninsula Campaign of 1862” by J. Michael Moore

 The Peninsula Campaign of 1862 is one of the largest operations launched by the Union in Civil War. On March 17, 1862, Union Major General George Brinton McClellan’s 121,500-man Army of the Potomac left Washington, D.C. for their much-anticipated strike against the heart of the Confederacy – Richmond, Virginia.  In just three weeks, the Army of the Potomac was disembarked at Fort Monroe and Newport News Point along with all of their artillery and equipage.  General McClellan planned for an offensive launched up the historic Virginia Peninsula, bounded by the James and York rivers, against the Confederate capital in Richmond.  Facing this Union juggernaut, Confederate Major General John Bankhead Magruder commanded a 13,000-man Army of the Peninsula with three lines of fortifications across the Lower Peninsula. One of the most colorful generals of the Civil War, “Prince John” Magruder, known for his flair and style in dress and manner on and off the battlefield, had been charged with the Peninsula’s defense in May 1861. He was matched against McClellan who was the brilliant organizer of a formidable fighting force.  Join author and historian J. Michael Moore for a lively discussion of the historic landscape, participants, and technology associated with this important campaign. 

 

“The Siege of Yorktown” by Bert Dunkerly

The year 1781 started ominously for the Americans with mutiny, economic collapse, and military stalemate. Yet a series of events brought the war's climax to Virginia that fall. We will discuss what brought the armies to Yorktown, the larger strategic situation, and cover the details of the siege and surrender.

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“Sons of the Old Dominion: Virginia Militia Commanders at the 1781 Siege of Yorktown” by Sean Heuvel

Much has been written about the leaders of the Continental Army and French forces present during the 1781 Siege of Yorktown. However, much less is known about the top leadership of the militia forces present during that decisive engagement. This presentation will explore the lives and service of the regimental and brigade level Virginia Militia commanders at Yorktown and help shed light on their important contributions to the Revolutionary cause. 

 

12 - 2 p.m. Lunch on your own

 

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2—5 p.m.  Afternoon Lectures

Lectures held at Wyndham Garden’s Conference Room

 

“Civil War Williamsburg, Forgotten in the Historic Triangle” by Drew Gruber

Every year Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown is inundated with visitors coming to soak up our nation's formative stories. They walk upon and drive past sites and stories associated with the May 5, 1862 Battle of Williamsburg but the long Civil War era. Drew's talk about the battle will only scratch the surface of the Civil War stories and sites which the most ardent history nerds can find here - with the right guidance. 

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“Union General Edward Augustus Wild—Protagonist & Antagonist by Shelly Liebler

General Edward Augustus Wild headed up the garrisons at Wilson's Wharf and Fort Powhatan in Benjamin Butler's Army of the James campaigns of May 1864. Although successfully leading his USCTs in battle over General Fitzhugh Lee's Confederate Cavalry, other behaviors led to his Court Martial.. This talk will provide further background on Wild's provocative military exploits along with his fate in the Union Army. 

 

5 p.m. Dinner included

 

7 p.m. “The Fort Monroe Arc of Freedom” by Robert Kelly

Fort Monroe's history is often described as an "Arc of Freedom." From the arrival of the first Africans in English North America in 1619, marking the beginning of the American institution of slavery, to the 1861 "contraband decision" marking the beginning of the end of slavery, to President Barack Obama's 2011 proclamation of the Fort Monroe National Monument, the Fort's history has come full circle. Robert Kelly, President of the Fort Monroe Historical Society, will discuss his research to identify and humanize the enslaved who helped build the fort and those who were declared contraband during the Civil War. 

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Saturday, April 29

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· Bus leaves from Wyndham Garden

· Lunch included

· Return by 5 p.m.

· Dinner on your own

 

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Military through the Ages” bus tour led by Michael Moore

 

Sites to visit:

· Gloucester Point (Fort James, Revolutionary War, Civil War)

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· Yorktown Battlefield (The Hornwork, Second Parallel, Redoubts 9 and 10, Surrender Field)

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· MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk (MacArthur Family, Philippine Insurrection, World War I, World War II, and Korean War)

 

Dinner on your own.

 

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Sunday, April 30

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· Bus leaves from Wyndham Garden

· Lunch included

· Return by 12 p.m.

· Dinner on your own

 

8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fort Monroe bus tour led by Michael Moore

 

Bus Tour Sites to Visit:

1619, Design and Construction, Contraband of War Decision, Peninsula Campaign of 1862, Jefferson Davis’s imprisonment, Coast Artillery 1898-1946, TRADOC, Preservation.

 

Conference Completion by 12 p.m.

 

Thank you for your patronage!

 

 

Conference Completion by 12 p.m.

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Thank you for your patronage!

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Pricing Breakdown

Please note lodging is not included in tour price. Registration includes packet of maps, name tag, meals as described, and cold bottled water during bus tours.

 

 

Seminar registration fee schedule:

$995 Members Conference Package (Entire program)

$1,025 Non-Members Conference Package (Entire Program)

$300 Thursday Only

$300 Friday Only

$300 Saturday Only

$225 Sunday Only

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*Early Bird Pricing - Save $30 when you register for the Members or Non-Members Conference Package by April 1, 2023. Use code EARLYBIRD25 for Members, code EARLYBIRD26 for Non-Members when registering online.

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