Clark H. Lewis, President         Art & Carol Bergeron, Editors
P. O. Box 1122                    3901 Paces Ferry Road      
Richmond, VA 23218                 Chester, VA 23831-1239   

April 2002 PROGRAM

Dr. Edward C. Smith

"The Civil War Through the Eyes of
Lincoln, Lee, and Douglas"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 9, 2002, at the
Boulevard United Methodist Church, 321 N. Boulevard,
Richmond, VA (corner of Boulevard and Stuart Ave.)

The Round Table is happy to have Professor Edward C.   Smith
of  American  University  as  our April speaker.  He is well
known in Civil War circles and has sparked much debate  with
his  often  controversial  views  of  the  war  and Southern
leadership.                                                 

Professor Smith is a third generation Washingtonian and  the
Director  of  American  Studies and Special Assistant to the
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.  He has taught  at
American  University  since  1969.   He is also a Civil War,
African-American Cultural Heritage, and Art History Lecturer
and  Study  Tour  Leader  for  the  Smithsonian Institution,
National Georgraphic Society, and National Park Service.  He
has  served  as  a  consultant to numerous federal agencies,
including the U.  S.  Senate, and in 1977-1978,  he  took  a
leave of absence from teaching to work at The White House as
a    presidential    speechwriter    during    the    Carter
administration.                                             

Smith's  writings  have  appeared  in  The  Yale Review, The
Washington  Post,  The  Military  Review,   The   Gettysburg
National  Battlefield  Journal,  The  Wall  Street  Journal,
Washington History, The Lincoln Review, and  numerous  other
publications.   He  is  an  Honorary  Cabinet  Member of the
Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum in Beauvoir,
Mississippi,  and  a member of the Board of Directors of the
Abraham Lincoln Institute of The Library of Congress.  Smith
is  currently  writing two books on the Civil War.  In 1991,
he  was  awarded  the  American  University's  Distinguished
Faculty  Award.   Most  recently  an endowed scholarship has
been named in his honor at the  University  of  Richmond  to
further  the  study of the Civil War era and beyond.  He was
also made a Distinguished Honorary Member  of  the  Virginia
Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.               

Article by Dr. Smith


Review of the March Program


Dr.  William C.  Cooper, Jr., spoke on "Jefferson Davis  and
His  Generals."  Cooper suggested that, to understand Davis'
relationship with his generals, it is important to  look  at
his  antebellum  career.   Cooper pointed out that Davis did
not want the union to come apart.  He was a devoted patriot.
Davis'  father  had  served  as  a  soldier  in the American
Revolution.  Davis had graduated from West Point, had been a
hero  in  the  Mexican  War, was a representative and U.  S.
senator from Mississippi, and was Secretary of  War  in  the
1850s.   Davis did not advocate secession.  He tried to find
a way out of the crisis, but none was found.   Davis  waited
in  Washington,  D.   C.,  until  he  received  notice  that
Mississippi had seceded.  He told a friend that it  was  the
saddest  day  of  his  life;  the union he loved so much had
failed.                                                     

As president of the Confederacy, Davis would not contemplate
its  failure.  He believed that the people of the South must
have a strong allegiance and loyalty to the new nation.  The
old  party  system  was  a thing of the past.  There were no
more Democrats or Whigs.  Davis believed in the  "one  party
of  the  South."  The  cause was above political or personal
ambition.  If a man  could  not  put  those  aside,  he  was
unworthy of power.                                          

Cooper  described  Davis'  relationship  with four generals.
Davis knew Joseph E.  Johnston well, and they had  something
of  a  history  together.   Johnston  had received important
appointments from Davis,  and  the  two  were  very  cordial
before  the  war.   The  problem between them developed over
rank.  When  the  full  generals  of  the  Confederacy  were
announced  in  the  fall of 1861, Johnston was fourth on the
list behind Samuel Cooper, Albert Sidney Johnston, and  Lee.
Johnston  was  outraged.   When  the  war began, he had been
Quartermaster General in the old army, the  highest  ranking
of  its  officers.  He felt he should be the highest ranking
Confederate general.   When  he  complained  to  Davis,  the
president  was  enraged.   Johnston  had exhibited pride and
ambition, and Davis only saw him as putting self  above  the
cause.   Their  relationship  was poisoned from then on, and
neither man ever trusted the other.                         

Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was the first  Confederate
hero,  the  conquerer  of  Fort  Sumter.  He was happy to be
fifth on the list  of  full  generals.   Beauregard's  first
problems  with  Davis came immediately after First Manassas.
The president began to question Beauregard's loyalty.  After
the  Battle of Shiloh, Beauregard went on sick leave without
permission.   Davis  was  incensed  and  replaced  him  with
Braxton   Bragg.    Davis   never   regained  his  trust  in
Beauregard.                                                 

As commander of the Army of Tennessee, Braxton Bragg  was  a
good  organizer  and  trainer of men.  Davis looked upon him
favorably because, when Bragg was  commanding  at  Pensacola
early  in  the war, he never questioned orders that sent men
away from his command.  Davis saw  his  abilities  and  felt
that  Bragg  was  committed to the Confederacy.  Bragg was a
poor field general, and eventually Davis had to  remove  him
from command.                                               

Robert  E.   Lee  had an outstanding reputation when the war
began.  He served for a time  as  Davis'  personal  advisor.
After  some  unsuccessful  field  commands,  Lee returned to
Richmond.  Davis named him commander of the Army of Northern
Virginia  after the Battle of Fair Oaks.  The two men agreed
on the Confederacy's approach to the war.  Lee was  a  great
subordinate as well as a great field general.  He kept Davis
informed, and there was great trust between them.           

Cooper  concluded  that  Davis'  great  commitment  to   the
Confederacy  may  have been the very thing that hurt him the
most in dealing with  his  generals.   He  did  not  utilize
Johnston   and   Beauregard  properly  because  of  personal
feelings and was too loyal to Bragg for too long.           



 Announcements 

April Raffle

This month's raffle prize is the new book A Scythe of  Fire:
The Civil War Story of the Eighth Georgia Infantry Regiment,
by Warren Wilkinson and Steven E. Woodworth.                

Read Danny Witt's review of this book.



Spring Field Trip

The Richmond Civil War Round Table's Spring field trip  will
be  on  May  4  and  will  a  visit  to  the  Averasboro and
Bentonville battlefields in North Carolina.  Mark L.  Bradley
will   be  the  tour  guide.   Bradley  is  a  native  North
Carolinian and the author of Last Stand  in  the  Carolinas:
The  Battle  of  Bentonville  and This Astounding Close: The
Road to Bennett Place.  He is an experience tour  guide  and
should make this a memorable trip.                          

Cost  for  the trip will be $30.00 per person.  The bus will
depart from the shopping center parking lot at the corner of
Brook  Road  and  Parham at 6:30 a.m.  Return will be around
6:30 p.m.  that evening.  Please bring a lunch  and  drinks.
Morning and afternoon snacks will be furnished.             

You can make a reservation  by  giving  your  check  to  Art
Bergeron  at  one  of  the meetings or by mailing it to:    

Art Bergeron          
3901 Paces Ferry Road 
Chester, VA 23831-1239


Civil War Classes at University of Richmond

Dr.  Jack Mountcastle is offering the following two classes.
They  will  be  held  from 7:00 - 9:30 P.M., and the fee for
each one is $31.00.  On Monday, April 15, the topic will  be
Joshua  Lawrence  Chamberlain.  This evening, the class will
look closely at the man and his family, the troops he led in
battle,  and  his  leadership style.  On Monday, May 13, the
topic will be  John  Brown  Gordon.   The  class  will  look
closely  at  this  Confederate  general from Georgia who was
wounded in action  five  times  and  selected  to  serve  as
commander   of   Confederate   troops  during  the  official
surrender  ceremony  at  Appomattox.   Call  the  School  of
Continuing   Studies   at   804-289-8133   for  registration
information.  Their hours are 8:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., M - Th,
and 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Friday.                           


Ukrops' Golden Gift Program

Once again this year, we will be collecting Ukrops' receipts
from  its  Golden  Gift  Program  to  benefit  the  Richmond
Battlefields Association (RBA).  Please remember to  solicit
these receipts from friends and co-workers who may otherwise
not  donate  them  to  any  particular  organization.   Your
support of the RBA is greatly appreciated.                  


Volunteer Needed

The Round Table needs a volunteer to take responsibility for
setting  up  snacks  for  our  monthly  meeting.  Please see
Richard Grosse for details or call him at 798-1051.   Thanks
in advance.                                                 


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2002


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:           

for May; May 24     
for June; June 21 for July; July 19 for August; August 23   
for September; September 20 for October; October 18         
for November; and November 22 for December                  


Richmond Civil War Round Table Newsletter
Art & Carol Bergeron, Editors
3901 Paces Ferry Road
Chester, VA 23831-1239