News

December Meeting
December 13, 2021 6:00pm

John Kanaster is originally from Torrance, California. He served in the U.S. Army and attended the University of Alabama. John was the education & events director for the Fort MacArthur Museum in San Pedro, California. He currently works for the Department of Defense in the Washington area. John is also the owner & operator of “Fredericksburg Tours”, a private battlefield guide service of the Fredericksburg area battlefields and beyond. He is also a member of the “Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield”. John is a member of the “Rappahannock Whalers”; a historic sea-shanty singing-group. Today he resides on a portion of the Fredericksburg battlefield below Marye’s Heights. 

On the 159th Anniversary of the battle of Fredericksburg, we will explore an area of the battlefield between the city and the stone wall known as “Bloody Plain”. Our conversation will start where the National Park property ends. This was a very confusing area to be for the Federals as they made their assaults on Marye’s Heights. Today, this is also a very confusing place for visitors due to a neighborhood built on top of the battlefield. We’ll take a closer look and discover the various features and impediments on the battlefield which made it difficult for the Federals to bring their full weight to bear. In an orderly fashion, we’ll sort out the method to the madness on the battlefield with the worst lopsided defeat in the Civil War. We’ll also learn why there’s a neighborhood on the battlefield today and how one can still find traces of it by using a set of “battlefield-detective” eyes.

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Our speaker lineup for 2022 is now available HERE 

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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. 

Virginians: Speak Out

Ask Your State Legislators to Help Support Battlefield Preservation!!! Attached is a link to how you can help the efforts to get Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain State Park by contacting your legislators.

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. 

All, 

Here is the link for the Youtube version, complete with my watermark and opening titles. I ask that you use this version. And please do use it! I'm happy to see so many people getting enjoyment and education from this program. 

Thank you so much for your interest and support. Best regards, Geoff