Current Newsletter and Archives
Williamsburg Civil War
Roundtable
Meeting Place:
WILLIAMSBURG
Stryker Center auditorium (rm #217)
Volume LVI Number 5 January 28 2026
MONTHLY ORGANIZATION
NEWSLETTER
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 programs also will continue to 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 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.
Officers of WCWRT
President: Bill Miller
Vice-President: Lee Underwood
Secretary
Treasurer:
The Executive Committee consists of the elected officers, the immediate past president and other members appointed by the incoming president. Those members include Debbie Bedosti, Tom Lamb, and Terri Teopke.
2025-2026 Membership dues are due. Please click on the application form link for the form.
Upcoming Meetings and Speakers
- February 25, 2026 - Rob Abbott: “Old Clubby: Alleghany Johnson’s Division on Culps Hill”
- March 25, 2026: Michael Block: “The Mine Run Campaign”
- April 22, 2026 - Dennis Frye: “Lee’s Achilles Heel: Harpers Ferry”
- May 27, 2026 - Richard Hatcher: “Fort Sumter: The Key to the Entrance into This Harbor”
Upcoming Outside Events
- 2026 - Blue and Grey Education Society Tours details
- August 7-9, 2026 – 12th Annual Emerging Civil War symposium at Stevenson Ridge details
Other Notes:
Meeting the Challenge: Bill Miller discusses WCWRT
video
Support our Book Raffle: This
is an important secondary source of revenue to
support our programming. It’s a wonderful way to
supplement your Civil War library with great books
at bargain basement prices.
Help our effort increase our membership:
The best method of recruitment is by word of mouth.
Help our effort to grow your Roundtable by inviting
your friends and neighbors to accompany you to our
meeting.
Visit the Williamsburg Battlefield
Association
(http://www.williamsburgbattlefieldassociation.org/)
(https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgBattlefieldAssociation)
WEBSITE: Be sure to frequently
visit the site for newsletter info, announcements,
future and past speakers, and an up to date calendar
of events in the Civil War world. It’s
available anytime you need the info.
https://www.wcwrt.org/news/2024 Newsletter
archive.pdf.
The purpose of this organization shall be to promote discussion and study of the Civil War and to further stimulate interest in all aspects and phases of the Civil War period.