Central Virginia Battlefields Trust 2023 Annual Conference “The Crossroads of Fire”

By Tom Van Winkle · Originally published December 2023 · pp. 18–19

Central Virginia Battlefields Trust 2023 Annual Conference “The Crossroads of Fire” By Tom Van Winkle (CVBT President) Photos by Tim Talbott, Jennifer Michael, and Terry Rensel Once again, the CVBT Annual Conference was sold out. The October 6 weekend was packed with tours, lectures, a superb dinner, and fantastic historians.

Frank O’Reilly speaking at Moss Neck. at the manor and his fondness of little Jane Corbin, “the darling of the whole staff.” From Moss Neck the tour continued to the winter camps at Santee Plantation, Grace Church, and lunch at Round Oak Church. Friday evening, all attendees were welcomed to the “Presidents Reception” hosted by Charlie and Mary Wynn McDaniel. This year’s reception was held at the historic Sentry Box, Charlie and Mary Wynn’s home in Fredericksburg, overlooking the Middle Pontoon crossing site of the Rappahannock River. This is a private home with deep historic roots. A complimentary cocktail reception, with heavy hors d’ oeuvres, was enjoyed by all. Guests were treated to a tour of the home and a stellar Civil War weapons collection honed through the years by Charlie. Saturday morning started out with some early rain but soon cleared for the day. Historians and authors Kris White (Deputy

We started off our weekend on Thursday with a special “Generals” day tour of the Mine Run battlefield. The CVBT Generals ranking is achieved by donating at least $1,000 in unrestricted funds over and above CVBT membership dues and land appeals each year. Our guide John Kanaster owns and operates Battlefield Tours of Virginia. John reviewed the actions and non-actions, of combatants during November 1863 while noting the relevance of the forthcoming battle in the Wilderness in 1864. Key properties that need to be preserved were also pointed out. Friday morning marked the official start of the Conference weekend with a special tour of Moss Neck, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s winter headquarters after the Battle of Fredericksburg. Our friend, well-known author and historian Frank O’Reilly, led two busloads of guests on a rare visit to Moss Neck, regaling the group with stories of Jackson’s Christmas

Director of Education for ABT) and Chris Makowski (Editor-inChief and co-founder of Emerging Civil War and CVBT Vice President) led the group to several locations on the Chancellorsville battlefield. Stops included First Day Battlefield, Bivouac Site, Jackson Trail East - Flank attack, Jackson’s Wounding Site, and the Chancellorsville Intersection. Lunch was held at the historic Wilderness Baptist Church where all enjoyed some excellent BBQ. The Kris and Chris team wowed the group and interjected a little humor. Saturday evening began our dinner and meeting with a social hour where guests reacquainted themselves. Attendees perused the items available at the silent auction tables and entered their bids. A delicious buffet was served for dinner. Shortly after dinner, the official meeting began. Introductions to special guests were made with thanks given to our volunteer staff from the newly formed “Friends of CVBT.” Formalities such as CVBT Board nominations and year in review were presented. Renominated and accepted for a three-year term on the CVBT Board of Directors were Gordon Rhea, Pete Kolakowski, Kevin Leahy, and Jim Pates. A review of projects for late 2022 to date was given. CVBT ended 2022 with the October purchase of the 2.0 acre Stonewall III tract extending our Jackson Flank attach footprint even further. We look to pay off our previously saved Becham tract with eventual grants available and continued fund raising. CVBT has also reached out to several landowners on the Mine Run battlefield. More to come on these. We have begun a study of several properties we now own as to creating public access and interpretation. In many cases we needed to wait and accrue enough contiguous battlefield land to make such a venture productive. Myer’s Hill will be our largest project. 2023 has been a year filled with many diverse types of battles, some legal in nature. The Chancellorsville and Wilderness battlefields are under unprecedented siege. There are three major development projects threatening these battlefields, all being sought in unison. Wilderness Crossing Development in Orange County includes 2,602 acres of residential, commercial, and industrial, including data centers. (CVBT) has joined the American Battlefield Trust, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, as well as adjacent residents in Orange and Spotsylvania Counties, as a plaintiff in a legal appeal. CVBT believes the development plan fails to analyze serious impacts to the historic landscape and public utilities, or to address major environmental repercussions. Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania County, is considering a special station, convenience store, and professional complex further west of the saved First Day tract in an area at the heart of fighting later in the battle. This proposed complex is only 1,500 feet from the Chancellorsville intersection and house ruins. The property is defined as core battlefield area. CVBT and ABT are supporting the large local outcry from residents to deny this permit. Chancellorsville yet again. Andora Oaks subdivision is a proposed 155 home subdivision directly across Plank Road (Route 3) and south of the First Day battlefield. Owner, Terra Dominion HP LLC, also owns the parcel at 6166 Plank Road, directly across Route 3 from the First Day property, which could provide the proposed development with an outlet to the highway. This is the area of Rodes’ attack during the May 1st battle. As you can see the westward push by development encroaching on what is left of the pristine rural area and battlefield land is working at the “Double Quick” and we need to, and are, putting forth an immediate defense. Two awards were given Saturday evening to deserving recipients. First was the Dr. Michael P. Stevens Preservation Award. We award this to an individual, or group, that continually contributes to Civil War preservation and or education in Virginia. This year’s recipient was National Park Historian Noel G. Harrison. Noel holds a B.A. in historic

CivilWarNews.com preservation and history from Mary Washington College and an M.A. in history from the University of Virginia. He served as the park’s first full-time Cultural Resource Manager and as a historian. He currently works as its Manager of Easements. Park Superintendent Lewis Rogers stated, “During a career spanning the last four decades, Noel has made tremendous contributions to our understanding of the Civil War experience of the Fredericksburg area and achieved numerous successes in preserving historically significant ground on the area’s battlefields.” “In the early 1990s, when Spotsylvania County requested the park’s assistance in developing a related lands data base to document unprotected lands associated with the Civil War battles across the county, Noel was tasked with leading the effort to create the data base. During his years as the park’s cultural resources manager, Noel played a critical role in developing strategies for preserving lands slated for development.” Throughout his career, Noel has continued to work to advance the preservation mission of the National Park Service. He continues to conduct historical research on the battlefield resources of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania and to share his findings with park staff and with the public. Keynote Speaker Kris White. The second award of the evening, the prestigious Ralph Happel award, was bestowed upon Rebecca Campbell Light. Many people are interested in history, but only a small percentage care enough to act to preserve it. Rebecca has turned an emerging interest in history into an enduring legacy. She sees her efforts in simple terms stating: “I’m saving places for other people to learn what I learned.” Rebecca’s literary efforts have brought a better understanding of civilian strife during the Civil War in the Fredericksburg region. “War at Our Doors” vividly captures the experience of three sisters navigating through war in Caroline, Spotsylvania, and Culpeper County. “Between Two Armies” is the documentary story of a Unionist family trapped in a war-torn town. Rebecca has taken bold steps to preserve the vestiges of history that remain in the Fredericksburg area. She donated the site of Forest Hill to the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc. Its sale, with restrictions, generated more than $1.3 million for preservation, and put in place protections for the cemetery, historic trees, and original house site. She also collaborated with CVBT to protect witness trees on an adjacent parcel, providing a gift of $500,000 to CVBT to support the maintenance of the trees and the preservation of battlefield lands elsewhere. Rebecca Campbell Light’s efforts place her in the highest echelon of Fredericksburg’s preservationists and the Happel award is well deserved. The evening came to a close. Announced were the dates and subject of CVBT’s 2024 Annual Conference. The battles of “Mine Run & Wilderness” to be held October 4-6, 2024. Sunday morning came early with Conference attendees meeting for breakfast at historic Stevenson Ridge on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield. This beautiful event site sits adjacent to Spotsylvania National Battlefield and has trenches running through the back of the privately-owned property. A panel discussion was presented with the theme “Chancellorsville, a prelude to Gettysburg.” Historians Sarah Kay Bierle, Robert Lee Hodge, Scott Walker, and Chris Mackowski gave intriguing insights to the question. Attendees asked many questions and interesting discussions followed. Sunday concluded the Conference with tired but delighted guests returning home.