This is the fourth part in a series on the recent Central Virginia Battlefield Trust spring seminar: The Road to Fredericksburg The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in United States military history, almost always overshadows the other clashes between the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac during the first invasion...
This is the fourth part in a series on the recent Central Virginia Battlefield Trust spring seminar: The Road to Fredericksburg The First Defenders Civil War Round Table had the opportunity in March 2024 to hear Greg Mertz present on the Battle of Cedar Mountain, but while this similarly titled program still touted “Jackson is...
This is the third part in a series on the recent Central Virginia Battlefield Trust spring seminar: The Road to Fredericksburg. There was a time when Civil War literature focused largely on military actions without appreciable consideration of related “social issues.” In 1993 when National Park Service historian John Hennessy published “Return to Bull Run:...
This is the second part in a series on the recent Central Virginia Battlefield Trust spring seminar: The Road to Fredericksburg. The “Maryland Campaign” has gone down in Civil War history as a series of events during the late summer of 1862 that culminated in the sanguinary Battle of Antietam…the bloodiest day in American history…on...
The following email was received on February 25th from the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust about a looming threat to the Wilderness Battlefield… February 25, 2025 Legal Developments Regarding Mega-Development Near Wilderness Battlefield In a fervent display of dedication to historic preservation, plaintiffs and nonprofit preservation advocates are continuing their bold stand against a proposed...
The First Defenders, past and present, have always had a strong commitment to battlefield preservation. Primarily through our book raffles, the money raised has gone to organizations focusing on the preservation of hallowed ground. Mark Quattrock has kept a keen eye on opportunities where our donations can be leveraged to the greatest benefit. Mark has...
The Berks History Center has scheduled its spring conference for Saturday, April 13th, with an all-day program focusing on the Civil War. Speakers for the event include Mark Pflum, John M. Lawlor, Jr., Stephen Recker and Scott Mingus. Click here for a complete agenda and conference description:...
The First Defenders Civil War Round Table unveiled its first-ever “member survey” during its March program. Designed to help chart the organization’s future, 33 surveys have already been returned and the results are being compiled. In developing the survey, special attention was focused on the types of programs members would like to see in the...
With the vernal equinox in the rear view mirror, the trees will begin to bloom and the roads will dry sufficiently to let the First Defenders again take to the field. Two advances are already planned… Starting off, the Berks History Center is hosting another Stroll Through History on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at 12:30...
This article first appeared in Atlas Obscura on October 25th, 2018, and was written by Evan Nicole Brown. In modern-day Altavista, Virginia, a town that covers 5 square miles of what was the first English colony in North America, sits the Avoca Museum. The former residence of Colonel Charles Lynch, a politician and American Revolutionary Patriot, it...
