First Vice President:                   Rob Monroe, Editor       
Richard Forrester                     2416 Edenbrook Dr.     
Second Vice President:                  Richmond, VA 23228-3040  
Shep Parsons                          rmonroe@richmond.com   
March 2004 PROGRAM

Gary W. Gallagher, 

"Has Enough Been Written About Gettysburg?"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 9, 2004, at the
Boulevard United Methodist Church, 321 N. Boulevard,
Richmond, VA (corner of Boulevard and Stuart Ave.) Enter
the basement door on the right side under the front steps.

Gary W.  Gallagher is the John L.  Nau III Professor in  the
History  of  the  American  Civil  War  at the University of
Virginia.  Prior to joining the faculty at U.Va., he  taught
for  12  years  at  Penn  State University.  A native of Los
Angeles, he received his B.A.  from Adams State  College  of
Colorado  and  his  M.A.   and Ph.D.  from the University of
Texas  at  Austin.   Active  in  the   field   of   historic
preservation, Gallagher was president of the Association for
the Preservation of Civil War Sites from 1987 to  1994.   He
also  served as a member of the board of the Civil War Trust
and  has   given   testimony   about   preservation   before
Congressional  committees  on  several  occasions.   He  has
published over 100  articles  and  notes  in  magazines  and
journals,  has appeared regularly on A&E's series "Civil War
Journal" and participates in other  television  projects  on
the subject.                                                

Professor  Gallagher  has received numerous awards including
the 1990 Douglas Southall Freeman History Award for the best
work  in  southern  history.   He  is the author of "Stephen
Dodson Ramseur: Lee's  Gallant  General,"  "The  Confederate
War,"  "Lee  and  His  Generals  in  War  and  Memory," "The
American Civil War: The War in the East 1861-May  1863"  and
"Lee  and His Army in Confederate History." Most recently he
was editor and co-author of "The Shenandoah Valley  Campaign
of  1862" and has served in that capacity for numerous books
including  "The  First  Day   at   Gettysburg:   Essays   on
Confederate  and  Union  Leadership,"  "The  Second  Day  at
Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership"  and
"The  Third  Day  at Gettysburg and Beyond." He will address
the Round Table on the topic "Has Enough Been Written  About
Gettysburg?"                                                

Review of the February Program


Dr.  Charles Lee Cooke gave an insightful and often humorous
talk  to  the Richmond Civil War Round Table at its February
meeting.  A physician practicing in the  Richmond  area  for
several  years, Dr.  Cooke has long studied medicine and the
causes and effects of diseases during the Civil  War.   Most
Saturday  mornings  Dr.   Cooke  may  be  found working as a
volunteer at the Chimborazo unit of  the  Richmond  National
Battlefield  Park.   He  spoke  to the Round Table about the
famous Chimborazo Hospital.                                 

As unlikely as it may seem, Chimborazo Hill is  believed  to
have  been  named  for  Mt.  Chimborazo, the highest peak in
Ecuador.  Many of the  sailors  arriving  on  ships  at  the
Richmond port would have been familiar with that part of the
world through their travels.  Apparently the profile of  the
hill resembled Mt.  Chimborazo and the name stuck.          

During  the Civil War the Confederate government established
28 hospitals in Richmond.  Homes,  schools,  warehouses  and
most  of  the churches in downtown Richmond became hospitals
at various times.  Chimborazo became easily the largest  and
best-known hospital in the Confederacy.                     

Chimborazo  was  run  by  Dr.   James  B.  McCaw, a one-time
Chairman of the Board at the Medical  College  of  Virginia.
Dr.  McCaw proclaimed he "specialized in skin and its entire
contents." He  agreed  to  run  Chimborazo  only  after  two
conditions  were  met.   First,  the hospital must be made a
military outpost.  Second, he must be made  a  commander  in
the  Confederate army.  Dr.  Cooke explained that Dr.  McCaw
had obviously learned valuable lessons from his  years  with
the  Medical  College of Virginia.  These demands helped Dr.
McCaw and the hospital by avoiding the  bureaucracy  of  the
Confederate government.                                     

When  the war began, Richmond was well suited to support its
many hospitals.  It was served by five railroads.  The James
River    and   several   highways   increased   the   city's
accessibility.  Chimborazo Hill was an excellent choice  for
the site of a hospital.  In the 1860s it was just outside of
the city and was described as "a town  of  its  own  in  the
country."  There  were  a number of good springs in the area
and breezes from the river afforded a  welcome  relief  from
oppressive summer heat.                                     

At  its peak, Chimborazo Hospital consisted of 150 one-story
wooden buildings that covered  the  entire  hill.   With  42
surgeons   serving   up  to  5,000  patients  at  one  time,
Chimborazo was the largest hospital ever in  North  America.
In  its  four  years  of  service  the hospital treated over
76,000 patients and employed a boat to travel up  the  James
River as far as Lynchburg to purchase supplies. Chimborazo's
9% mortality rate fares favorably to the 12-15% general rate
of  today's  hospitals.   Dr.   Cooke  explained  that these
numbers are somewhat skewed due to the fact that  Chimborazo
was a "behind-the-lines convalescent hospital."             

Wounds to the body, head or abdomen were "no man's land" and
nearly always fatal, says Dr.  Cooke.  Wounds  to  the  arms
and  legs  were treated with much more success; the "further
from the body, the better." The sick and  wounded  benefited
from  the  care of Chimborazo's Chief Matron, Phoebe Pember.
Her writings have been a great aid to researchers as well. A
South  Carolina native who moved to Richmond after the death
of her husband in 1860, Pember was a highly talented  writer
with  a  great  sense of humor.  Dr.  Cooke credits her with
leaving one of the best first-person narratives of the Civil
War.                                                        

Chimborazo  was the headquarters of the only medical journal
published in the south during the war.  Edited by Dr.  McCaw,
these  14 journals are now worth an estimated $50,000.  When
Federal soldiers entered Richmond in April 1865, Dr.   McCaw
was  offered  a  position  in  the  Union army.  He refused,
however, saying it would be  treason  to  accept  the  offer
while Gen.  Lee still had troops in the field.              

Field Trip is a Success

Beautiful weather greeted the 22  Round  Table  members  who
attended  the  sold  out field trip of Dahlgren's Raid.  The
tour took place on Saturday, February  28  and  was  led  by
Hobbie   Godden,  Southworth  Wallace  and  Dick  Forrester.
Members traveled  through  Goochland  and  Henrico  counties
following  the  route  taken  by Col.  Ulric Dahlgren in his
attempt to reach Libbie Prison in Richmond.   The  tour  was
just   two   days  shy  of  the  140th  anniversary  of  the
unsuccessful raid.                                          

New SUV Camp Recruiting Members

A new Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War  camp  is  now
actively recruiting members.  The Col.  James D.  Brady Camp
63 will have a belt of influence that extends from  Richmond
to  Fort  Monroe.   A Virginia native who moved north before
the war, Brady served in the 63rd  New  York  Regiment,  the
Irish  Brigade.   When  the war had ended, Brady returned to
the Commonwealth where he got married and eventually  became
a  Congressman.  He took a conciliatory approach in politics
and worked to bind the nation's wounds.                     

The RCWRT's own Neil Hanlon will  serve  as  commander.   He
extends  a  welcome  to  all  Round  Table  members who have
ancestors  who  fought  for   the   Union.    The   heritage
organization  plans to meet every month or every other month
in  either  Petersburg  or  Williamsburg.   The  group  will
discuss books, contribute to battlefield preservation, serve
as an outlet for reenactors and become involved in  memorial
services,  often  to  compliment  the  Sons  of  Confederate
Veterans.                                                   

For more information, call Bill Rose at 804-931-6335 or Neil
Hanlon at 800-739-6464.                                     

Lectures Highlight March Events

Wednesday, March 17

Dr.  Mark Grimsley, "Union Military Policy  Toward  Southern
Civilians."  Library  of Virginia Lecture Hall, 5:30 pm.  $5
or free to Museum of the Confederacy members and Library  of
Virginia donors. Reservations required, 804-649-1861 ext. 10.

Thursday, March 18

Dr.  Daniel Sutherland, "Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism  in
the  Civil  War."  University  of Richmond, Jepson Hall room
118, 7:30 pm.                                               

Wednesday, March 24

Dr.  Mark E.  Neely, Jr., "The Fate of  Civil  Liberties  in
the  Confederacy and the Union." Library of Virginia Lecture
Hall, 5:30 pm.  $5 or free  to  Museum  of  the  Confederacy
members   and  Library  of  Virginia  donors.   Reservations
required, 804-649-1861 ext.  10.                            

Thursday, March 25

Dr.   Daniel  Sutherland,  "Coping  with  War  in  Culpeper,
Virginia."  University  of  Richmond,  Jepson Hall room 118,
7:30 pm.                                                    

Wednesday, March 31

Mauriel Joslyn and Dr.  James M.  Gillispie, "The  Treatment
of Prisoners." Library of Virginia Lecture Hall, 5:30 pm. $5
or free to Museum of the Confederacy members and Library  of
Virginia donors. Reservations required, 804-649-1861 ext. 10.

"Celebrate South" Activities Focus on Georgia

The Museum ot the  Confederacy's  annual  "Celebrate  South"
weekend  will  honor  the state of Georgia with a variety of
events next month:                                          

Friday, April 2

11:30 am-1:30 pm, "The People Back Home," living history  of
people  touched  by  war.   $30, lunch included.  2300 Club,
23rd and E.  Grace streets.                                 

7 pm-10 pm, "Homecoming Gala &  Silent/Live  Auction,"  over
150  items  up  for  bid.   $35,  music and Southern cooking
included.  Museum of the Confederacy.                       

Saturday, April 3

8 am-1  pm,  "Battlefield  Tour,"  a  day-in-the-life  of  a
soldier   in  the  1864  Overland  Campaign.   $30  includes
transportation   from   Museum   of   the   Confederacy   to
Spotsylvania Battlefield.                                   

8:30  am-1:30  pm,  "Historic  Richmond  Tour"  visits local
Confederate  sites.   $35.   Leaves  from  Museum   of   the
Confederacy.                                                

7:30  pm-midnight,  "The  Grand  Georgia Gala," black tie or
period  clothing.   $200  reserved  or  $100   non-reserved.
Tredegar Iron Works Gun Foundry Building.                   

Sunday, April 4

10 am-noon, "Farewell Brunch" featuring  Southern  breakfast
favorites.  $15.  Museum of the Confederacy.                

Tickets to all  events  are  limited  and  reservations  are
required.    Call   the   museum   for   more   information,
804-649-1861 ext.  44.                                      


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2004

Newsletter Deadlines

To facilitate the printing and timely  distribution  of  the
monthly  newsletter,  information for it should be submitted
to the editors no later than the following dates:           

April newsletter			April 2    
May newsletter				April 30   
June newsletter				May 28     
July newsletter				July 2     
August newsletter			July 30    
September newsletter			September 3
October newsletter			October 1  
November newsletter			October 29 
December newsletter			December 3 

Information may be emailed to rmonroe@richmond.com

Richmond Civil War Round Table Newsletter
Rob Monroe, Editor     
2416 Edenbrook Dr.     
Richmond, VA 23228-3040