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June 2009
rcwrt.org
Edward J. Wooldridge, Pres.            Gary Cowardin, Editor    
13700 Lintel Lane                      1404 Lorraine Ave.       
Midlothian, VA 23113                   Richmond, VA 23227-3735  
edwool@verizon.net                     cowardin@juno.com        

June 2009 Program Fred L. Ray Shock Troops of the Confederacy 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 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. Born in Louisiana, Fred Ray grew up in Pensacola, Florida and attended Florida State University where he received a BA in International Affairs. Commissioned into the Army in 1968 he served six years on active duty including two tours in Vietnam and one in Germany. During the 1980s, he worked as a river guide and whitewater instructor, specializing in river rescue and safety operations. In 1998 he started CFS Press, specializing in books on flood and swift water rescue, and has just published the fourth edition of his first book, River Rescue. Mr. Ray has had a lifelong interest in military history, but only began writing about it while working on a family history project when he discovered that an ancestor was a Confederate sharpshooter. This revelation led to his first Civil War book, Shock Troops of the Confederacy which tells the story of the development of the Army of Northern Virginia's sharpshooter battalions. This book will be the subject of our June meeting. In Shock Troops of the Confederacy, Fred Ray describes the development of the Army of Northern Virginia's sharpshooter battalions, the weapons they used, how they trained with them, and their tactical use on the battlefield. The book also tells the human story of the sharpshooters themselves, describing in their own words what it was like to be in the thick of battle, on the skirmish line, and at their lonely picket posts. Located in Asheville, NC, Fred Ray maintains a website - "Shock Troops of the Confederacy" ( www.cssharpshooters.com ) which breaks new ground in military history and in the Civil War while reinterpreting many of its major battles. Fred Ray's work has been characterized by one reviewer as "the most significant small unit tactical analysis of the Army of Northern Virginia ever written."
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Upcoming Events
Historic Polegreen Church Foundation Saturday, June 27, 2009, 10:00 a.m.-4:00p.m. Civil War Living History Encampment and Program A local living history unit which has partnered with the Historic Polegreen Church Foundation in an effort to maintain the appearance of Polegreen's newly enhanced site will offer several free programs for tourists, Civil War enthusiasts and families. Polegreen's volunteers strive to tell the accurate story of the Civil War soldier in the Virginia Theater between 1861 & 1865. One artillery unit that they often portray is the Richmond Howitzers, who in 1864 were forced to fire on Polegreen Church after union soldiers took up sharpshooter positions in the church. Today, the modern gun crew of the Richmond Howitzers is giving back what the original gun crew was forced to take away. Location: Historic Polegreen Church Site 6411 Heatherwood Drive Mechanicsville, Virginia 23116 For complete schedule see: http://www.historicpolegreen.org/news/#z9
Visit the The Museum of the Confederacy Online Events Calendar for MOC Events Calendar: http://www.moc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=visit_cal
Pamplin Historical Park and The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier Special Events Calendar: http://www.pamplinpark.org/events.html
RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2009
Richmond Civil War Round Table Newsletter Gary Cowardin, Editor 1404 Lorraine Ave. Richmond, VA 23227-3735 cowardin@juno.com


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