Rappahannock Valley Civil War Round Table
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Tapp Field
Internships are sponsored throughout the year at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
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News
May Meeting
May 12th, 2025 7:30pm
Victor Vignola
Victor Vignola is a lifelong student of the Civil War. His first book Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 – June 1, 1862, is a recipient of the prestigious Fletcher Pratt Award (2023) – awarded by the Civil War Roundtable of New York. In addition to the Pratt Award, Contrasts in Command was named as a finalist for another prestigious award Best Military History Book (2023), sponsored by the American Battlefield Trust. His research while developing Contrasts in Command directly led to the preservation of a twelve-acre parcel of hallowed ground where the Fair Oaks fighting occurred. That parcel remains the only preserved ground for the entire Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) battlefield. Vic has also authored magazine articles for Civil War publications. He also conducts Civil War history programs and tours of various sites. He resides with his family in Orange County, New York, home of the 124th New York “Orange Blossoms” Regiment.
Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan marched his Army of the Potomac up the Virginia Peninsula during the early spring of 1862 and placed his inexperienced IV Corps at the tip of the spear south of the flood-prone Chickahominy River. McClellan’s opponent Joe Johnston took the opportunity to strike and crafted an overly complex attack plan for his Virginia army to crush the exposed corps. A series of bungled marches, piecemeal attacks, and a lack of assertive leadership doomed the Southern plan. One of the wounded late in the day on May 31 was Johnston. The bloody two-day battle was fought on the doorstep of the Confederate capital. It was the first major combat in the Eastern Theater since Bull Run/Manassas almost a year earlier, left more than 11,000 casualties in its wake, and cost the primary Southern field army its commander. The possession of Richmond hung in its balance.
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Our speaker lineup for 2025 is NOW available HERE
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Dinner Meeting Extras!!
At each monthly dinner meeting we offer multiple door prizes, including gift certificates to Brock's Riverside Grill and Riverby Books. We also have dozens of used Civil War and military history books available for a "pay what you will" rate. All book proceeds are donated to the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust.
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Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT)
Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) is a nonprofit organization preserving land associated with the Civil War campaigns of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House. They have preserved nearly 1,700 acres of hallowed local battlegrounds since incorporating in 1996. RVCWRT has raised and donated over $40,000 to support CVBT projects. Our round table is proud to be the 2017 recipient of the CVBT Dr. Michael P. Stevens Preservation Award, whose purpose is "to shine a light on those who have made notable contributions to the preservation of Civil War resources in Virginia." Learn more about this active and important preservation organization at www.cvbt.org.
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Brock's Riverside Grill
Brock’s Riverside Grill, 503 Sophia Street, on the Rappahannock River in historic Old Town Fredericksburg, has been our favorite meeting venue for many years. Brock’s is open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch year round. Menu is American “steak and seafood” with a southwestern flair. More information is available at Brocksgrill.com. Call 540-370-1820 for reservations.
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A Note from Riverby Books
Riverby Books has been buying and selling quality used books in downtown Fredericksburg since 1996. Our 3-level store houses more than 25,000 volumes for readers, scholars, and collectors alike, with an additional 25,000 volumes of rare and unusual titles found only in our online inventory. We carry titles for all interests and all levels of expertise, with a large selection of American History. We buy books (and whole collections) every day, pay fair prices, price them cheap, and delight in watching our customers take them home. No topic is too obscure. Beach reads, kids books, cook books, antique books and more. Open 7 days a week at 805 Caroline St.
LOOKING FOR A BATTLEFIELD TOUR?
Hallowed Ground Tours is run by RVCWRT member Scott Walker, a trained historian who has lived in Fredericksburg for over 50 years. He offers tours not only of area battlefields but also of architecture and history of various designated historic districts within the city. His tours, which also emphasize the changes to and preservation of the local landscape, are tailored to your interests and needs.
Website: HallowedGroundTours.com
E-mail: Tourmaster@HallowedGroundTours.com
Telephone: 540-809-3918
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Battlefield Tours of Virginia, operated by RVCWRT member John Kanaster, came about because of the need to get visitors mobile with a battlefield guide and to achieve a comprehensive private battlefield tour experience. The company has addressed this need by creating a team of knowledgeable and experienced battlefield guides, primarily based out of the Central Virginia area. Many of these battlefield guides are published historians with their own book and are available to speak. Battlefield Tours of Virginia offers tours in and around Fredericksburg, Culpeper, Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley.
Website: battlefieldtoursofvirginia.com
Email: info@battlefieldtoursofvirginia.com
Telephone : 540-310-8162
Geoff White Music
Geoff White is from Blowing Rock North Carolina. He has played the fiddle all his life, and has performed in pubs, bars, restaurants, concert halls, and battlefields all across the east coast. Geoff was a member of the bluegrass group Sugar Run for several years. He currently lives in Roanoke. He earned a degree in History from Radford University in 2002.
