The organization meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month September through May. Meetings are held in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre located at 515 Scotland St in Williamsburg, VA, unless otherwise posted. The meetings begin at 6:30 PM. Membership is open to the general public.
MONTHLY
MEETING NOTICE
Wednesday,
January 28, 2026,
at 6:30 PM
Ryan Quint
"Dranesville:
A Northern Virginia Town in the Crossfire of a Forgotten Battle,
December 20, 1861 "
Beginning with the January meeting and continuing through 2026, we will meet on the fourth Wednesday night in the Stryker Center auditorium (room #127). The Stryker Center is located at 412 N Boundary St in Williamsburg, Virginia 23185.
The program will also be presented online via
a Zoom link for our members and friends near and far. The details for
the Zoom link will be provided in a follow-up announcement
several days prior to the meeting date.
Join us on Wednesday, January 28th, for Ryan
Quint’s presentation of “Dranesville: A Northern Virginia Town in the
Crossfire of a Forgotten Battle, Dec. 20, 1861”.
After the guns of Manassas fell silent, the opposing armies grappled for
position wondering what would come next. Popular history has us believe
that daily briefings reported something along the lines of “All quiet
along the Potomac.” Reality was altogether different. In fact, the fall
and early winter of 1861 was a hotbed of activity that culminated in the
December combat at Dranesville. The Union victory—sorely
needed after the string of defeats at Bull Run, Wilson’s Creek, and
Ball’s Bluff—was small when measured against what was to come; it also
helped shape the bloody years to follow.
Ryan Quint, a native of Maine, earned his degree in history from the
University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. He has worked in
the field of public history, including at the George Washington
Foundation, Colonial Williamsburg, and the National Park Service. Ryan
has been involved with Emerging Civil War (emergingcivilwar.com)
since 2013, and his first book, Determined to Stand and Fight: The
Battle of Monocacy, was published by Savas Beatie in 2017 as part of the
Emerging Civil War Series.
Last Month
On Tuesday, December 16th, Peggy
Vogtsberger presented "All For The Union: The Army of The Cumberland"
The program will focus on why and how the Army of the Cumberland was
formed. The focus will be on the problems of and challenges of command,
including different personalities, politics, and internal divisions that
affected the army. The talk will be on the army's campaigns and battles
but will not be a detailed account of the battles.
Peggy has been a past president of WCWRT as well as a newsletter editor.
Peggy is currently employed at Colonial Williamsburg in Ticketing,
Orientation, and Sales .