Photo credit: Terry Rensel
Preservation Updates and News
From the President's Desk
I am pleased to report that our 2024 CVBT Annual Conference was a resounding success. We started the weekend on Thursday with a special tour for our CVBT “Generals” to Brandy Station. Our tour guide, Chris Army, treated the group to an in-depth program on the battlefield. That day's early morning fog gave the battlefield an eerie ambiance. CVBT played a key role in saving Fleetwood Hill by donating $770,000 several years back and it is great to see the battlefield in such a wonderful state of preservation.
On Friday, Paul Sacra toured two busloads of CVBT guests across the Payne’s Farm battlefield, the site of the major fighting during the November 1863 Mine Run Campaign. Paul and Ted Savas originally researched and discovered this amazing battlefield. We thank Paul for sharing his knowledge with us.
On Saturday, nearly 100 guests were treated to a tour of the Wilderness, the infamous “72 Square Miles of Hell,” and learned about how this area affected the region's 1863 and 1864 campaigns. The tour, led by retired NPS Historian Greg Mertz, featured a number of site stops including Mayhurst in Orange County. General Ambrose Powell Hill, who commanded the Third Corps of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, headquartered at the Willis home, now known as Mayhurst Inn.
Saturday evening's CVBT annual meeting and banquet began with a social hour where our 130 guests mingled and reacquainted with old friends and made new ones. A superb dinner followed. I provided the opening remarks and recognized the many organizations represented in the audience as well as the CVBT board members and CVBT “Generals” members. I also shared some thoughts and comments on the “holistic approach" to battlefield preservation and its overall effects on history, green spaces, and our area's quality of life.
The evening's keynote speaker, well-known historian, educator, and television personality Jack Davis delighted the audience with a talk on “Myths and Mythology,” particularly as it related to the Civil War. Jack pointed out how actual events, and others not so factual, were embellished through the years, published and republished until they were ingrained in the public’s minds as fact. Jack gave several very thought-provoking and entertaining examples.
The 2024 Dr. Michael P. Stevens Preservation Award was presented to retiring CVBT board member Paul T. Scott for his lifetime work of preserving Civil War battlefields in the Fredericksburg area.
Sunday morning's program opened with a wonderful breakfast buffet at Stevenson Ridge in Spotsylvania. Then, keynote speaker Dr. Steven Cushman spoke about his recently published book, The Generals' Civil War: What Their Memoirs Can Teach Us Today. It was a fascinating review of how and why memoirs, specifically Civil War memoirs, were written and why one of the leading figures in the Civil War, Gen. Robert E. Lee, never penned his own.
In summary, this year's conference was yet another sold out and successful event. We were genuinely pleased to receive many compliments from our attendees. I thank all who attended, and of course, our CVBT staff and volunteers who made it all happen.
Be sure to save the dates of September 12-14, 2025, as next year’s conference is already in the planning stage. Our tentative topic is “The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.” You don’t want to miss it!
Tom Van Winkle, CVBT Board President
2024 Annual Conference Thank Yous!
Thank you to all who attended the 2024 Annual Conference. We had over 130 attendees this year, a record!
This year's Dr. Michael P. Stevens Preservation Award was presented to retiring CVBT board member Paul Scott, in recognition of his commitment to preservation through his involvement with not only CVBT, but with the Fredericksburg Civil War Roundtable, as well as the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation and other efforts.
We'd also like to thank the following businesses and organizations for their support of this year's conference:
We would also like to thank the CVBT board, staff, and volunteers.
Save the Date: Next year's conference will take place September 12-14, 2025.
Friends of CVBT Volunteers Needed!
As you know, CVBT is a land trust. We focus primarily on purchasing endangered battlefield properties. However, we also host a large three-day annual conference, standalone events, and we interpret and maintain our lands. We need help in all of these areas.
In the past, CVBT has often relied on individuals from organizations to assist us, and for their help we are extremely grateful. But now we are in the process of recruiting CVBT's own official volunteer corps.
We have created “The Friends of CVBT." The purpose for this all-volunteer group is to be the “on call” corps of CVBT’s volunteers, serving the organization by assisting with events and battlefield-related needs. Active volunteer members will have the unique opportunity to be involved with events hosted by nationally acclaimed historians, assist in tours, and work on preserved battlefields. Participating volunteers will also be enrolled in the membership ranks of CVBT every year that they contribute.
CVBT will provide each Friend of CVBT with an official volunteer staff shirt and CVBT cap to wear at events, or wherever wanted. We will be limiting this new group to 18 volunteers.
CVBT is now beginning its 28th year of preserving our local battlefields; the very battlefields that you study and trek across. We would be honored to have you join the ranks of CVBT volunteers and help us further our mission of preserving our nation’s history.
If you are interested in being a part of our volunteer corps, please email executivedirector@cvbt.org.
Beckham Tract Landscape Restoration
CVBT is beginning the preliminary work to remove the modern structures on the Beckham Tract in order to return the land to its natural appearance. We are currently about 70% of the way toward our $35,000 goal to make this happen. You can learn more at our website.
Historic Quote
"My regiment stood firm, holding the enemy in check, until the ground on my flanks was occupied by the enemy in force. Three minutes more and we would have been taken prisoners. I then ordered my men to fall back. In doing so [Corp. George H.] Johnson, the color bearer, on reaching the open space at the cross-roads in the woods, stopped, unfurled the national flag, and waved it in the face of the enemy."
Excerpt from the report of the Battle of Payne's Farm by Col. Robert McAllister, 11th New Jersey Infantry.
Photo credit: Terry Rensel
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