Lake Currents – 12/12/14
The Civil War Study Group Co-hosts Gordonsville Event
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group Inc.
A Blue & Gray Christmas in Gordonsville will be held on Saturday, December 20, sponsored by the Orange County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, which includes LOW’s Civil War Study Group. This event will take the place of the study group’s December meeting. The event begins at 4:30 PM with an 1860s-type Christmas candlelight service at the Gordonsville Presbyterian Church. Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson attended services there during the time his army corps was camped in the area. Greg Randall of Stafford County will portray Jackson attending the service.
Other events of the evening include the Gordonsville Holiday Ball with live period music and dance lessons, a walking tour of historic homes and a video documentary entitled “All Four Years.” This video focuses on the war in western Orange County.
There will also be children’s activities and refreshments. The full schedule and ticket ordering information are available from Orange County Tourism at visitorangevirginia.com. Tickets will also be available at the event.
Lake Currents – 11/14/14
“Behind-the-Scenes”
by Josef W. Rokus, Secretary, Civil War Study Group
The next meeting of the Lake of the Woods Civil War Study Group will be held at the National Park Service’s Chancellorsville Visitor Center on November 21 at 10:30 AM. The program will be a “behind-the scenes” tour of the completely redesigned Visitor Center, located at 9001 Plank Road (Route 3).
There will be no meeting of the Study Group at the Woods Center this month. The NPS Visitor Center was completely redesigned and unveiled this spring as part of the on-going commemoration of the Civil War sesquicentennial. It emphasizes both the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville and the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness that was fought in the Lake of the Woods area.
Lake Currents – 10/31/14
Possible Ghosts at the Civil War Study Group’s Artifacts Cabinet in the LOW Clubhouse?
by Josef W. Rokus, Secretary, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
It started innocently enough soon after the Civil War Study Group installed the Civil War artifacts cabinet in the Clubhouse two years ago. We noticed that the light bulbs in the cabinet were burning out much faster than anticipated. These Xenon bulbs are supposed to last 4,000 hours. Yet, we have now replaced all of them – considerably before they would normally “give up their ghosts.” Hmmmmm… But we did not think much of it and blamed it on poor quality control in some sweatshop in Southeast Asia.
Then we saw that several of the display items and their information cards had noticeably and mysteriously moved from where we had placed them – apparently by themselves. Hmmmmm... Again, we did not give it much thought and corrected this problem by taping the out-of-place items to the shelves. We put the “blame” for this phenomenon on possible vibrations as Clubhouse patrons walked past the cabinet. But why would only certain items move? (None of them contain metal, so we immediately ruled out the possibility of some kind of alignment with the Earth’s magnetic fi eld.)
Most recently, a large document on a display stand rotated itself about 90 degrees! Hmmmmm... This document certifi es that Pvt. John H. Nupp was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 6, 1864! Before securely anchoring it to the shelf, we took the accompanying picture, just in case…
Mysteriously, the picture is signifi cantly out of focus – even though it was taken with a high-quality camera that invariably produces excellent images. Hmmmmm...
We have now really started to wonder! Our best theory is that a Civil War era ghost
(possibly that of Pvt. Nupp) is letting us know in its own way that it appreciates the recognition we have given to the soldiers who were killed in battle in our area during the Civil War.
We will be checking the cabinet very thoroughly from now on, especially after tonight’s Halloween activities! We hope to hear about other strange or ghostly
“phenomena” anyone may have witnessed at the display cabinet or about other theories as to what is going on!
Lake Currents – 10/17/14
Antiques Appraisal Profits to go to CWSG for Historical Cemetery Signs
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group
All profits from next week’s antiques appraisal show will go to the Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods, according to the show’s sponsor, the LOW Wilderness ‘Tiques chapter of Questers International. The show runs from 10 AM to 2 PM on Saturday, October 25, in the lower level of the LOW Clubhouse. Three professional appraisers will be on hand.
The Civil War Study Group is encouraging everyone in and around Lake of the Woods to obtain professional appraisals of their family heirlooms and antiques at this show, since the proceeds will go toward the group’s installing signs that explain the historical signifi cance of four cemeteries inside LOW that are more than a century old.
The Civil War Study Group's regular monthly meeting will be at the Woods Center at 10:30 AM on Friday, October 24. It is open to all with an interest in Civil War history. The topic will be the Civil War Museum at the Exchange Hotel in Gordonsville. For more information go to civilwarstudygroup.org or contact Craig Rains at 972-2844
Lake Currents – 10/03/14
Bring Heirlooms to Clubhouse October 25 for Appraisal
by Margo Vanover Porter, Member, Wilderness ‘Tiques
If you’ve ever wondered about the value of a family heirloom, now is your chance to get an expert appraisal for a rock-bottom price. The LOW Wilderness ‘Tiques chapter of Questers International is sponsoring an antiques appraisal show from 10 AM to 2 PM, on Saturday, October 25, in the lower level of the Clubhouse.
Three professional appraisers will be on hand to provide estimates of value. You can get three items appraised for $25 or one item for $10. Tickets will be sold at the door. Both cash and checks will be accepted.
“If you have heavy furniture, you do not have to lug it to the lower level of the clubhouse,” explains Connie LeMay, president of Wilderness ‘Tiques. “One of our professional appraisers will go to your vehicle.” LeMay encourages you to bring antique weapons and tools, china, jewelry, furniture, glassware, silver, and collectibles. No stamps or coins will be accepted.
All profits from the appraisal show will be donated to the LOW Civil War Study Group and designated for appropriately marking the four cemeteries within the LOW community. For more information on the appraisal show, call 972-6123.
Lake Currents – 10/03/14
Civil War Study Group Features Gordonsville’s Exchange Hotel Civil War Museum
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
The Civil War Museum at the Exchange Hotel in Gordonsville will be the focus of the next meeting of the Civil War Study Group at the Woods Center on Friday, October 24, at 10:30 AM. The meeting is free and open to everyone with an interest in the Civil War.
The Exchange Hotel is the only Civil War Receiving Hospital that still stands in Virginia. In 1862, the Confederate government transformed the handsome hotel from a place catering to those traveling by rail into the Gordonsville Receiving Hospital. The wounded were brought in by the trainload from such battles as Cedar Mountain, Mine Run, Chancellorsville, Trevilian Station and the Wilderness.
More than 70,000 soldiers, both Confederate and Union, were treated in the facility in its three years. After the war, it was the headquarters for the Freedman’s Bureau and also was used as a school, hospital, and courtroom for freed slaves.
Historic Gordonsville, Inc. acquired and restored the hotel property in 1971, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The stately Georgian-Italianate building is now a museum of the history of Gordonsville, through the Civil War and reconstruction. It houses one of the most extensive collections of artifacts relating to medical care and surgery during the war, as well as period furnishings. It features displays of uniforms, weapons and accouterments, as well as depicting the Freedman’s Bureau.
Two unusual exhibits are included. One covers the little-known Confederate Secret Service operations in Gordonsville. The other depicts the town’s legendary chicken vendors, who were Orange County’s first female entrepreneurs. They balanced trays of fried chicken on their heads, selling their wares to passengers through the open windows of the rail cars.
The Civil War Study Group presentation will include a present-day phenomenon: paranormal activity at the hotel that has been well-documented. The staff now holds occasional night tours since the hotel was named “the 15th most haunted place in America” by A&E Channel.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods was formed primarily to research and present the historical events that took place during the Civil War, especially in 1864 Battle of the Wilderness and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area. For information, go to www.civilwarstudygroup.org or contact Craig Rains 972-2844.
Lake Currents – 09/19/14
Civil War Study Group Discusses Culpeper’s 1862 Battle of Cedar Mountain
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
One soldier in the Battle of Cedar Mountain later wrote “... there was such a fight as was not witnessed during the war...” This battle on August 9, 1862, stopped the Union army from advancing on Gordonsville in western Orange County and gave Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia the momentum to end the month with a victory at Second Manassas.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods will get an overview of the battle and learn of its importance at the group’s monthly meeting at 10:30 AM on Friday, September 26, at the Woods Center. Mike Block of Bealeton, vice president of the Friends of Cedar Mountain Inc. will present the program.
Diane Logan of Culpeper, president of Friends of Cedar Mountain, will be on hand to report on the actions of the organization as it has teamed with the Civil War Trust in working to preserve the almost-pristine 160-acre battlefield and viewshed. Cedar Mountain is 5.5 miles south of Culpeper on US 15, just 22 miles from Lake of the Woods.
Although outnumbered two-to-one in the battle, the Federal forces made two broad charges against the Confederate lines. After fierce handto-hand fighting, the Confederates gave way and began to retreat. At that point, General Stonewall Jackson rode his horse into the middle of his fleeing army to rally them. With bullets whizzing around him, he attempted to draw his sword, but it had rusted in its scabbard. Jackson unsnapped the scabbard with the sword inside. With his other hand, he grabbed a flag from a soldier and began to wave both sword and flag while shouting for his men to regroup. They did, just as Culpeper’s General A. P. Hill and his division arrived to reinforce them. The Confederates turned the fight and swept the Federals from the field. The day was the bloodiest in Culpeper County history, with some 3,600 killed, wounded, or missing on both sides.
In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt toured the site and took a battlefield-dug shell back to the White House as a souvenir.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods was formed primarily to research and present the historical events that took place during the Civil War, especially in the1864 Battle of the Wilderness and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area. The meetings are free and open to all with contact Craig Rains 972-2844.
Lake Currents – 09/05/14
LOWA Honor Awards
Peter G. Rainey’s love of history and his leadership have had a real impact on LOW. A member of the Germanna Memorial Foundation, the Orange County Historical Society and Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield, he began researching the history of the Lake in 2007 and ultimately created the LOW Civil War Study Group. The group created interpretive plaques on the Battle of the Wilderness events that took place within LOW and procured the relic cabinet and battle artifacts located in the Clubhouse. Dr. Rainey supervised the dedication of a memorial monument to those who died and remain on the battlefield, and has worked closely with the National Park Service on their Battle of the Wilderness Tours Program. He has also worked with local public schools to help students learn more about the history of the area and has supported Orange County tourism.
Lake Currents – 08/08/14
What are Schools Teaching Students about the Civil War?
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
With a deep interest in the Civil War and a strong desire to impart it fully to her students just completed participation in a national institute to broaden her knowledge of teaching that era, thanks, in part, to the Civil War Study Group (CWSG) at Lake of the Woods.
Sharon Grubbs, a teacher at Locust Grove Middle School, received a $1,000 scholarship from CWSG, which allowed her to be a part of the Civil War Trust’s National Teachers Institute held recently in Atlanta. Ms. Grubbs will share her experiences from the institute with the Civil War Study Group at its monthly
meeting at 10:30 AM, Friday, August 22, at the Woods Center. The meeting is open to the public.
This is the sixth year that the Civil War Trust has sponsored its National Teachers Institute program. It is a professional development program that explores the history of the Civil War and new methods for instruction. Teachers from across America gathered for accredited workshops, lectures, seminars and battlefield tours led by some of the leading experts in the War.
This is the first year that the Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods has provided a scholarship for the institute, said Joe Nordsieck, CWSG educational coordinator. One of CWSG’s main missions is education, and Nordsieck said this Civil War Trust program is among the most powerful tools for teachers that is available.
Ms. Grubbs said the Commonwealth’s elementary level study of the Civil War is limited to Virginia’s role in the war. But she takes advantage of the middle school curriculum that allows “the flexibility to magnify and expand on the Civil War utilizing the entire year to spiral in key concepts that led to the conflict.” Her teaching goes beyond details of battles to include “all aspects of the American Civil War, such as the causes, politics, economy, social culture, songs, clothing, medicine, slavery, and perspectives of each side.”
In preparation for her teaching, she has taken her own time to read books and
journals, viewed countless documentaries, and planned summer trips to battlefields and museums.
In selecting Ms. Grubbs to receive the CWSG scholarship, county schools
Superintendent Dr. Robert Grimesey wrote, “Thank you for your dedication to education in the Orange County Public Schools. Your work means so much to your students, their families, and our community.” Ms. Grubbs has been in the Orange
County school system since 2000. She currently is a sixth grade social studies teacher.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods was formed primarily to research and present the historical events that took place during the Civil War, especially in the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness in and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area. The meetings are free and open to all with an interest in the Civil War. For details, go to www.civilwarstudygroup.org or contact Craig Rains at 972-2844.
Lake Currents – 07/11/14
Most Important, Least Remembered County Event is Next CWSG Topic
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
“What is the most important and least commemorated event to occur in Orange County?”
Pete Rainey has made that question the title of his upcoming presentation to the Civil War Study Group at its next meeting, 10:30 AM, Friday, July 25, at the Woods Center. Rainey’s answer is timely in this 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness.
“It is about Union Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant putting his headquarters in our
neighborhood, then never again going back across the Rapidan River,” he says. Grant had been made commander-in-chief of all U.S. armies only two months before he crossed the river in May, 1864, accompanying the Army of the Potomac as it moved to meet Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Previous commanders had always retreated following battles against Lee.
What Grant did, both during the battle and afterwards, changed the course of the war, Rainey notes, and it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. He will discuss how America’s history might have changed had Grant retreated back over the Rapidan after the stalemate in the Wilderness.
Rainey contends that this major battleground site has not received proper attention, even after 150 years. He will outline the history of America’s preserving battlefields, starting right after the Civil War ended and through the 20th century development of the National Park system, including the 1927 Congressional authorization of the initial land purchase for the Wilderness battlefield.
Grant’s Knoll became the first tour stop for visitors to the Wilderness. But it has been almost hidden from public view for decades. In the past few years, some significant actions point to the hope for making Grant’s Knoll, now renamed Grant’s Headquarters, into a significant educational site.
Rainey discusses these changes and makes his case that this “least commemorated event” should get the attention it deserves.
Rainey is chairman of the Civil War Study Group. A descendent of the Spottswood families who lived here in the 1700s and 1800s, he is the author of two historical books about eastern Orange County.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods was formed primarily to research and present the historical events that took place during the Civil War, especially in the 1864 Battle of the Wilderness in and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area. The meetings are free and open to all with an interest in the Civil War. For details, go to civilwarstudygroup.org or contact Craig Rains 540-972-2844.
Lake Currents – 06/27/14
Winners Announced in Historical Poster Contest
by Joe Nordsieck, Member, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
The Orange County Public Schools held its annual History Day Poster Awards Ceremony, Reception, and Exhibition at the Lake of the Woods Clubhouse on May 3. Orange County History Day is held as part of the Fourth Grade Social Studies Enrichment Project. Students were invited to do background research and make posters that related to historical subjects in Orange County and the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to Joe Nordsieck, of the Civil War Study Group (CWSG) at LOW, which sponsored the exhibition and reception. Participating schools were Lightfoot Elementary School and Locust Grove Elementary School.
Carol Hunter, academic gifted coordinator and English for speakers of other languages (ESoL) coordinator for Orange County Schools, joined CWSG Chairman Pete Rainey in welcoming the attendees to the event. The 39 winning posters were displayed at the Clubhouse and their creators received blue ribbons at the ceremony. Jesse Magruder, principal of Locust Grove Elementary, and Jewel Williams, principal of Lightfoot Elementary, were present to support their winning students. District 5 Supervisor Lee Frame attended, as did Jim Hopkins, the LOW area representative on the Orange County School Board.
Earlier in the school year, the posters were judged by CWSG representatives Marcia Baggott, Charles Brewer, Joe Nordsieck, Pete Rainey, and Joe Rokus, who selected those to receive blue ribbons. This is the second year that CWSG has provided judges for the History Day posters. The Lake of the Woods Wilderness ‘Tiques Antique Club, a chapter of the Questers International, provided refreshments for the students, parents and guests who attended.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods was formed primarily to research and present history of the Battle of the Wilderness, especially in and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area. It meets at the Woods Center, at 10:30 AM on the fourth Friday of each month. Its programs are free and open to all with an interest in the Civil War. For details, go to www.civilwarstudygroup.org.
Lake Currents – 06/13/14
Discarded Items from Wilderness Battlefield Yield Clues to Soldiers’ Lives
by Craig Rains, President, CWSGI
“Artifacts and Individuals of the Battle of the Wilderness” is the topic for this month’s Civil War Study Group’s program at 10:30 AM, Friday, June 27. It will be presented by Beth Parnicza, National Park Service historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, who will bring along Wilderness Battlefield relics to display and stories to tell about them.
“Our daily lives -- our lived experience – is often shown in the items we own, the things we carry with us, or the pieces we leave behind,” Beth said. “Artifacts of the past, whether treasured and carefully passed down through generations or used, discarded, and instantly forgotten, can therefore tell us a national story through a very personal lens.”
She noted that participants in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-7, 1864, left a significant trail of possessions in the wake of the fight. “From melted lead that bore witness to the unspeakable horror of the Wilderness’ infamous fires to the everyday items of a woman who refused to yield even her yard to the Yankees, each artifact can tell a story of the battle, those who witnessed it, and a nation that felt the shockwaves of the first clash of Lee and Grant in the Virginia woods,” Beth said. “This talk will explore several such items and the stories
of those who used them.”
Beth is a 2011 graduate of West Virginia University. She joined the NPS and moved here to the “other Virginia” to pursue her passion for Civil War history. Her ongoing research interests focus largely on the human aspects of war, such as the looting of Fredericksburg, command relationships in the Overland Campaign, the experience of battle, and the early historians of the F&SNMP. Beth is the supervisor of the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center, which just opened its completely revised, and greatly expanded, exhibition area.
The Civil War Study Group also displays more than 100 examples of Wilderness battlefield relics found by LOW residents in its artifacts cabinet in the LOW Clubhouse.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods is dedicated to historical research, preservation, and education concerning the American Civil War, especially during the Battle of the Wilderness in and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area of Orange County. Its monthly programs are held at the Woods Center, 104 Fairway Drive, at 10:30 AM on the fourth Friday. They are free and open to all with an interest in the Civil War. For details, go to civilwarstudygroup.org.
Lake Currents – 05/30/14
Civil War Study Group Dedicates Unique Battle of the Wilderness Memorial
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
A memorial that is unique in the 8,000-acre Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Memorial Park was dedicated on May 5 by the Civil War Study Group (CWSGI) at Lake of the Woods. The memorial is “dedicated to the fallen from Wilderness Run to Flat Run,” whose bodies were never recovered after the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-7, 1864.
“We honor those who remained in these woods long after the battle is over,” said Pete Rainey, CWSGI chairman, at the dedication. Rev. Adam Colson, LOW Church youth pastor, offered a prayer of remembrance for “these brave men from both the North and the South and...we celebrate their lives this day, standing on the grounds that serve as their fi nal earthly resting place...” To conclude the dedication ceremony, Roy Perry, of the Matthew Maury Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans in Fredericksburg, blew taps on a Civil War cavalry bugle, and Andy Jackson fi red three volleys from a Civil War cannon.
The memorial is adjacent to the National Park Service battlefi eld at the southwest corner of The Lake of the Woods Church parking lot. It is a landscaped area delineated by four granite corner markers and featuring two large granite stones on which are engraved quotes from military leaders concerning the unrecovered dead ( pictured above).
On a Georgia gray-granite stone is part of Confederate Gen. Richard Ewell’s report that his divisions buried as many of their dead as they could, and over 1,100 Federal soldiers, before receiving orders to move his Corps on May 7. He wrote that “probably one-third or more were still unburied of those who were within reach of our lines.”
A Pennsylvania blue-black granite stone includes a line from a report by U.S. Army Captain J.M. Moore, who returned to claim the Federal dead 13 months later. When he arrived in the Wilderness, he realized his reinterment units would never be able to complete its task. In his fi nal report, he wrote “...the visitor will be unable to fi nd the last resting place of those who have fallen.”
Hundreds of others, from both North and South, remained buried and lost on the Wilderness battlefield.
During the famed Gordon Flank Attack on May 6 in and around the Lake of the Woods area, Rainey said, “Both sides were lost in these woods after sunset; men died without witnesses.” It is these men who will be remembered by this new memorial.
The Civil War Study Group, Inc., is a nonprofi t corporation dedicated to historical research, preservation, and education. For more information on the CWSGI and its meetings and events, go to civilwarstudygroup.org or contact Craig Rains, CWSG President, at 972-2844 or craig.rains@att.net.
Lake Currents – 05/02/14
150th Anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness Fills May with Special Events
by Pete Rainey, Chairman, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
Starting in May, the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s longest and bloodiest campaign will be commemorated from Lake of the Woods to Petersburg with a series of events marking Gen. U. S. Grant’s Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. It was an 11-month struggle that finally ended with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
The Overland Campaign began with the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-7, 1864. The area that is today’s Lake of the Woods community was included in that fighting. Almost all of Lake of the Woods is included in the federal government’s Wilderness Battlefield Official Boundary.
The Civil War Study Group (CWSG) at LOW will hold special activities to help kick off the month and be joined by the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, Civil War Trust, Orange County, and Spotsylvania County, among others, throughout the month of commemoration.
LOW’s Civil War Study Group Hosts Several EventsThe Civil War Study Group (CWSG) at Lake of the Woods has special events taking place inside LOW:
May 3, Noon to 2 PM, CWSG hosts the awards recognition reception for winners of the Virginia/Orange County History Day Poster Contest for fourthgraders from Locust Grove and Lightfoot Elementary Schools at the LOW Clubhouse.
May 5, 10:30 AM, Unveiling and dedication ceremony for the CWSG Battle of the Wilderness Memorial at the southwest corner of the Lake of the Woods Church main parking lot. The memorial is dedicated to all the men, both North and South, who died in the Battle of the Wilderness and whose bodies were never recovered and still lie buried on the battlefield, including in Lake of the Woods.
National Park Service will be presenting a Living History Program at the Union infantry encampment at Ellwood and at Saunders Field (Wilderness Tour Stop 3 on the map). At both locations, tactical and firing demonstrations are scheduled for May 3, 4, and 5. On May 6, at sunrise in Widow Tapp Field (Wilderness Tour Stop 6), the program will include cannon firings.
The complete Living History schedule is available at http://www.nps.gov/ frsp/planyourvisit/living-history-schedule.htm
May 3, 1 to 3 PM, A walking tour to the area of Grant’s headquarters, Wilderness Tavern and other sites associated with the Battle of the Wilderness. Two miles. Meet at Ellwood Manor.
May 4, Noon to 1 PM, A walking tour across Saunders Field. Tour Stop 3 on Hill-Ewell Drive.
May 4, 2 to 3 PM, The Higgerson Farm. A walking tour that departs from Tour Stop 4, Hill-Ewell Drive.
May 4, 4 to 5 PM, A walk in the Wilderness. Park off Longstreet Drive, inside the entrance to Fawn Lake, off route 621.
Real-time program events are scheduled for May 5 and 6
The following National Park Service programs are scheduled to take place at the exact hour as they did 150 years ago. These events held in “real time” will give participants a sense of how the soldiers saw the fighting unfold as they went into battle.
May 5, 1 to 3 PM, Opening shots at Saunders Field. One-mile walking tour. Meet at Tour Stop 3.
May 5, 5 to 7 PM, Life and Death at the Crossroads. Two-mile walking tour. Park off Longstreet Drive, inside entrance to Fawn Lake, off Route 601.
May 6, 6 to 8 AM, Sunrise at Tapp Field. A walking tour featuring live cannon firing. Tour Stop 6, Hill-Ewell Drive.
May 6, 9:30 AM to Noon, First-ever public walk of the route of Longstreet’s Flank Attack; ending at the site of his wounding. Two miles of challenging walk through woods. Meet at Longstreet Drive inside entrance to Fawn Lake, off Route 601. Wear protective clothing and bug spray.
May 6, 1 to 3 PM, Battle along Plank Road. Two miles through woods. Meet at Longstreet Drive inside entrance to Fawn Lake, off Route 601. Wear protective clothing and bug spray.
The last real-time event starts inside Lake of the Woods.
May 6, 6 to 8 PM, Gordon’s Flank Attack. Two miles through the woods as the sun is setting. Meet at Lake of the Woods Church parking lot. Wear protective clothing and bug spray. Bring a flashlight.
The complete National Park Service Wilderness and Spotsylvania guide to Sesquicentennial Events, May 3 -26, 2014 is available at http://www.nps. gov/frsp/planyourvisit/upload/2014-4-4-Overland-150th-Bookletfinalsmall. pdf.
This brochure is available at the Chancellorsville Visitor Center and at Ellwood.
Reenactments of the Battles of The Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse
On May 1-4, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse campaign will be reenacted, 150 years after the original battles. Sponsored by Spotsylvania County Tourism and others, the reenactments are not officially affiliated with the National Park Service. About 7,500 reenactors are expected and the county is planning this event to target over 12,000 spectators per day.
On May 3 and 4, events will feature historic interpreters, sutlers, music, special speakers, and vendors. All reenactments will take place near the Spotsylvania Courthouse, at the intersection of Brock Road and Courthouse Bypass, 9019 Old Battlefield Blvd, Spotsylvania. For information on tickets, parking and details go to http://150spotsylvania.com
More Commemoration Events in May
May 2, 2 PM, a reenactment of the baptism of the granddaughter of Confederate Gen. A. P. Hill and goddaughter of Gen. Robert E. Lee will take place at Mayhurst B&B, 12460 Mayhurst Lane in Orange, where it was held on May 1, 1864, three days before Lee’s army moved out of Orange to face Grant at the Wilderness. Sponsored by Orange County Department of Tourism. $5 fee benefits the Love Outreach Food Pantry.
Central Virginia Battlefield Trust will hold its annual dinner on May 2 at the Fredericksburg Hospitality House Hotel. Guest speaker is Gordon Rhea, author of the book, The Battle of the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864.
Friends of Wilderness Battlefield has several living history events at Ellwood Manor on May 3 and 4 from 10 AM until 5 PM. For details, see article on page 15 or go to http://www.fowb.org/index.php/150thanniversary/150th-anniversary-info.
Take advantage of as many of these historic events as you can, as this is the only time they will happen in your life.
Lake Currents – 04/18/14
U. S. “Colored” Troops Fought for Their Freedom
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
As the Civil War moved into its final year, the Union army began to make more use of “colored” soldiers and about 178,000 black men eventually joined, accounting for about ten percent of the entire army, and providing manpower that the South was unable to match.
On Friday, April 25, the Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods will hear of the impact these men made in turning the tide of war. The meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 10:30 AM at the Woods Center, 108 Fairway Drive.
Steward Henderson, a member of the 23rd Regiment of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) living historians unit, will present “Fighting for Their Freedom: The United States Colored Troops.”
Today’s 23rd Regiment USCT promotes a greater awareness and understanding of African American military service and sacrifice during the Civil War, their lasting contribution to freedom, and continued legacy and relevance to freedom and democracy. Through a variety of venues and programs, the living historians of this regiment commemorate the role of the 23rd USCT and other USCT regiments in the Civil War and their continued importance in today’s America.
The present-day 23rd USCT living history unit represents the actual 23rd regiment that fought in our part of Virginia. Some of its members were freed black men from Orange and Spotsylvania counties.
Steward Henderson has been a seasonal park historian at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park for the past seven years and was a National Park Service volunteer for two years before that. He attended Howard University and retired after a 35-year career in the financial services field. He has had a life-long interest in the Civil War and is a co-founder of the 23rd Regiment USCT, which is affiliated with the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center Museum in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
The Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods was formed primarily to research and present the historical events and actions that took place during the Battle of the Wilderness, especially in and around what is today’s Lake of the Woods area. It meets at the Woods Center, 104 Fairway Drive, at 10:30 AM on the fourth Friday of each month, except May and November through January. The meetings are free and open to all with an interest in the Civil War. For details, go to www.civilwarstudygroup.org.
Lake Currents – 04/18/14
Civil War Sesquicentennial activities come our way May 3-6.
Members need to be aware we will have an influx of invited guests heading to activities at the Clubhouse and Lake of the Woods Church. Our own Civil War Study Group is hosting a Clubhouse dinner May 3 with notable speakers. Some members near LOW Church and abutting the Wilderness Battlefield may see Civil War history enthusiasts hiking the old trails. We are talking with National Park Service officials to help ensure private property rights are respected. Visitors from near and far will be in our area, and we want to extend them our Virginia hospitality. Consider participating in all the offerings virtually at your doorstep.
Lake Currents – 04/04/14
Dinner Planned to Commemorate the Sesquicentennial of Wilderness Battle
by Craig Rains, President, Civil War Study Group, Inc.
The Civil War Stud
y Group (CWSG) at Lake of the Woods will host a dinner to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness at the LOW Clubhouse on Saturday, May 3. The evening will begin with a cash bar at 5:30 PM, followed by dinner at 7 PM.
Guest speakers Chris Mackowski and Phill Greenwalt will discuss battle actions that took place in and near LOW, including fighting on the Union right flank in LOW and the historic Gordon’s Flank Attack on May 6, 1864.
Dr. Chris Mackowski is a professor at St. Bonaventure University, a historical interpreter at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park and author of several Civil War-related books, including The Dark Close Wood: the Wilderness, Ellwood, and the Battle That Redefined Both.
Phill Greenwalt is a National Park Service historian at the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. One of his ancestors was killed in the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, in or near LOW. He coauthored a book that was released recently: Bloody Autumn: the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864.
Seating is limited and reservations already have been received from visitors from Maine to Missouri. Reservations for the event are $40 per person for the three-course dinner at the LOWA Clubhouse. To make reservations, send the form below with a check for $40 per person made payable to CWSG, and mail to CWSGI, P.O. Box 1204, Locust Grove, VA 22508. Be sure to indicate the entree choice of Tuscan Chicken or Tilapia Almandine for each person.
For more information or for a reservation form, go to the CWSGI website: www.civilwartudygroup.org.
Lake Currents – 02/07/14
Civil War Study Group To Take a Look at Character Under the Stress of War
by Craig Rains, President, CWSG
After a winter hiatus, the Civil War Study Group at Lake of the Woods resumes its monthly meetings at 10:30 AM on Friday, February 28, at the Woods Center. Dr. John Tole will present a program on “Character and Characters of the Civil War in
Virginia.”
Tole has studied military leaders of both sides a
nd learned a great deal about the content of their character and how that refl ected on their abilities to lead, how their soldiers responded to their leadership, and how their examples are timeless.
Tole is president of the Rappahannock (County) Historical Society and led the charge to get a $130,000 grant to fund more than a 30 panels for the Civil War Trails program in his county. He selected locations, secured rights of way, and drafted the text for the markers and brochures. He continues today as the county’s manager of the program.
A native of Washington, D.C., Tole holds a doctorate in instrumentation engineering from M.I.T. and remains professionally active, partnering with his son, Jeremy, in the hi-tech company, Golden Gate Integrated Circuits.
Since moving to Woodville, VA, his interest in the Civil War has become one of his consuming passions. He knew that one of his ancestors was an officer in the U.S. Navy in the Civil War. However, while researching the war in Virginia, he discovered his great-great-grandfather, Solomon Clem, was a private in the 5th Virginia Infantry, part of the famed Stonewall Brigade. That meant that Clem probably camped with the brigade in Rappahannock County during Robert E. Lee’s advance to and withdrawal from the 1863 battle of Gettysburg.
On November 27, 1863, Clem was wounded in the Mine Run Campaign’s battle of Payne’s Farm, west of Lake of the Woods. Earlier, he had participated in the Battle of Cedar Mountain and later fought under Jubal Early in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
LOW residents also may know Dr. Tole for his other passion: acoustic music of America’s historic eras. He is half of the duo Evergreen Shade that performs music from the Civil War. He is also a contributing columnist on the Civil War in the Culpeper Star Exponent.
The CWSG meeting is open to anyone with an interest in the Civil War. For more information, go to www.civilwarstudygroup.org or contact CWSG President Craig Rains at 972-2844 or email him at craig.rains@att.net.