Brag Bowling, President         Rob Monroe, Editor     
3019 Kensington Ave             2416 Edenbrook Dr.     
Richmond, VA 23221              Richmond, VA 23228-3040

April 2003 PROGRAM

DeAnne Blanton
"They Fought Like Demons:
Women Soldiers in the American Civil War"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 8, 2003, 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.

DeAnne Blanton is a native Virginian who works as  a  Senior
Archivist  at  the  National Archives in Washington, D.  C.,
specializing in  19th  century  Army  records,  particularly
those  of  the  Civil  War.   With  Lauren  Cook, she is the
co-author of They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in  the
American  Civil War, published by Louisiana State University
Press in 2002.  Her article "Women  Soldiers  of  the  Civil
War"  was published in the spring 1993 issue of Prologue and
earned  her  the  1993  Sara  Jackson  Award  for   original
scholarship.                                                

Popular  images  of  women  during  the  American  Civil War
include self-sacrificing nurses, romantic spies,  and  brave
ladies  maintaining  hearth and home in the absence of their
men.  However, that conventional picture does not  tell  the
entire  story.   Hundreds  of  women  assumed  male aliases,
disguised themselves in men's  uniforms,  and  charged  into
battle  as  Union  and Confederate soldiers, facing down not
only  the  guns  of  the  adversary  but  also  the   gender
prejudices of their society.  They Fought Like Demons is the
first book to fully explore and explain these  women,  their
experiences  as  combatants,  and  the  controversial issues
surrounding their military service.                         

Relying on  more  than  a  decade  of  research  in  primary
sources,  They  Fought  Like  Demons documents more than 250
women in uniform and find that their  reasons  for  fighting
mirrored  those  of  men-patriotism,  honor, heritage, and a
desire  for  excitement.   Some  enlisted  to  remain   with
husbands or brothers, while others had dressed as men before
the war.  Some  so  enjoyed  being  freed  from  traditional
women's  roles  that  they  continued  their masquerade well
after 1865.  They Fought Like Demons  describes  how  Yankee
and  Rebel  women  soldiers  eluded detection, some for many
years, and even merited promotion.                          



Review of the February Program


J.  A.  Barton Campbell presented a lively talk titled  "The
Museum  of  the  Confederacy-Past,  Present, and Future?" He
covered the history of the museum and summarized  where  the
organization is today.  His presentation ended with comments
on the current challenges the museum faces.                 

The building known as the White  House  was  constructed  in
1818  by  John  Brockenbrough,  President  of  the  Bank  of
Virginia.   In  1857,  Lewis  Crenshaw,  who  was  a   flour
manufacturer, purchased the home and added a third floor.  An
executive mansion was needed  in  the  spring  of  1861  for
Confederate   President   Jefferson   Davis  after  the  new
government moved to Richmond.  Crenshaw sold the  house  and
all of its furnishings to the city.  It, in turn, leased the
structure to the Confederate government.  Davis,  his  wife,
and their children moved into the mansion in August.  Federal
troops occupied the house on April 3, 1865, and continued to
occupy it until 1870.  The city got the home back and turned
it into  a  public  school  after  auctioning  off  all  the
furnishings.   When  the school closed in 1894, the building
remained unused, and the city  announced  in  1889  that  it
would   demolish   it.    The   Ladies   Hollywood  Memorial
Association decided to acquire the former executive mansion.
In  1890,  the  Confederate  Memorial  Literary  Society was
formed, and it purchased the house with the view of  turning
it  into  a  museum.   The  Society  acquired artifacts from
Confederate veterans until  1895.   Called  the  Confederate
Museum,  the  building  was  opened  early  in 1896.  It was
operated until 1976, when a new structure  was  opened  next
door  and called the Museum of the Confederacy.  Restoration
work then began on the White House, and it reopened  to  the
public in 1988.                                             

"USA  Today"  ranked the Museum of the Confederacy as one of
the ten best military museums in the United States.  It  has
the  world's largest collection of Confederate artifacts and
documents.  With 550 flags, it holds half of the Confederate
banners  that  have  survived.   The museum library contains
200,000 documents, and there are more than 6,000  images  in
the museum's collection.                                    

A  severe  fiscal  deficit in 2002 resulted in a significant
staff reduction, and the museum is still  operating  in  the
red.  Nevertheless, new efforts have been and are being made
to increase visitation and revenues.  The  museum  shop  has
been  enlarged.   A  local company refurbished the porch and
balustrade  of  the  White  House.   There  is  now  a   new
membership  brochure, and the staff has created a long-range
plan for the organization.  A new exhibit, "The  Confederate
Nation,"  will  open  on  May 23, 2003.  In 2005, the museum
will open its first ever exhibit on the Confederate navy.   

Is the concept of a Museum of the Confederacy obsolete?  Has
such  a  museum  outlived  its  relevance?  Campbell clearly
answered "no" to these questions.  Yet the  museum  faces  a
number  of  challenges.  One is its viability as a business.
Will its cash flow improve?  Visibility is  another  problem
because the museum is not easy for many people to find.  The
museum  must  be  competitive  in  receiving  artifacts  and
getting dollars.                                            

Campbell  concluded  that  the  Museum  of  the  Confederacy
provides a unique window on the soul of  our  country.   The
organization  needs to continue to educate and enlighten the
citizens of the nation and  to  spread  a  respect  for  the
people of the Civil War era.                                


 Announcements 

April 12 & 13
CIVIL WAR WEEKEND

Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil
War  Soldier,  near  Petersburg.   One  of the finest annual
Civil War events in America.   Learn  first  hand  what  the
Civil  War soldiers' experience was like, from enlistment to
battle.  Watch exciting tactical demonstrations  and  mingle
with the soldiers in camp.                                  

April 24
BOOK SIGNING AND TALK
Time:7:00 pm
Location: Short Pump Barnes and Noble

Frank O'Reilly,  author  of  "The  Fredericksburg  Campaign:
Winter  War  on  the Rappahannock" and "Stonewall Jackson at
Fredericksburg: The Battle of Prospect Hill", will speak and
sign books.  For additional information call 360-0103.      

April 24-27
CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST -- 2003 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
"Breaking the Line: The Petersburg Campaign"

The CWPT will hold its annual conference at the Crowne Plaza
on Canal St.  in downtown Richmond.  The registration fee of
$475  includes  tours,  tour  guides,  coaches,   conference
welcome  packet,  name  tags,  etc.   Hotel reservations not
included.  For more details  see  www.civilwar.org or  call
888-606-1400.                                               

April 25
"SILENT PORTRAITS":
AN EVENING OF SILENT FILMS ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR 
Time: 6:30 pm 
Location: Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works

Program includes dinner at the Tredegar Cafe followed by the
showing  of  two  films  from  the  silent  movie era in the
auditorium of the Civil War  Visitor  Center.   Reservations
and fee required for dinner.  Films are free.               

For more information contact Mike Andrus at 804 226-1981.   

April 26
RICHMOND CIVIL WAR DAY AT TREDEGAR IRON WORKS- 
Time: 10 am to 4 pm
Location: 490 Tredegar Street

Learn what soldier life was like during the Civil War. Union
and  Confederate soldiers will perform drill, rifle firings.
Also on hand will be  sailors,  and  civilians  with  period
music and medical demonstrations.                           

For more information call Mike Andrus at 804-226-1981 or the
Civil War Visitor Center 804-771-2145.                      

April 26-27
BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS REENACTMENT

Battle  reenactment   at   5000-acre   Oak   Ridge   Estate,
Lovingston,  south  of  Charlottesville.   This  event  will
include a battle each day,  a  Saturday  evening  dance  and
civilian   activities.    All   proceeds   go   to  historic
preservation.   Hosted  by  7th  Virginia  Co.    F.    More
information at www.7thva.com or call 410-529-1399.          

Town of Chancellorsville Defeated Rezoaning Request

At a March 25 meeting,  the  Spotsylvania  County  Board  of
Supervisors   unanimously   rejected   a  Northern  Virginia
developer's request to rezone about 800 acres of  land  that
was   part  of  the  Battle  of  Chancellorsville.   Dogwood
Development  Group  had  proposed  building  a   number   of
businesses and almost 2,000 homes as part of a project to be
called the Town of Chancellorsville.   Following  more  than
seven  hours of board discussion and comments from citizens,
the supervisors voted 6-0 to deny  Dogwood's  request.   The
decision against rezoning is viewed as a substantial victory
for several preservation groups that  strongly  objected  to
the development.                                            

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:           

May newsletter, April 25        
June newsletter, May 23         
July newsletter, June 20        
August newsletter, July 25      
September newsletter, August 22 
October newsletter, September 26
November newsletter, October 24 
December newsletter, November 21

Information may be emailed to rmonroe@richmond.com

RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2003


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