Current Newsletter and Archives
Williamsburg Civil War
Roundtable
Meeting Place:
WILLIAMSBURG
Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre
Volume LVI Number 3 November 25, 2025
MONTHLY ORGANIZATION
NEWSLETTER
November 25, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Owen Lanier
"The Establishment of Arlington National Cemetery "
Join us on Tuesday, October 21st, for the meeting of the Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable, commencing at 6:30 PM in the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre. The library is located at 515 Scotland Street in Williamsburg.
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.
On Tuesday, November 25th , Mark Maloy will
present "The Establishment of Arlington National
Cemetery".
Arlington National Cemetery is perhaps the nation’s
most sacred burial ground. But before it became a
cemetery, it was a plantation that Robert E. Lee
called home. Arlington House, often referred to as
the Custis-Lee Mansion, was constructed in 1802 by
Martha Washington’s grandson, George Washington
Parke Custis. The plantation site witnessed many
interesting stories, both before, during and after
the Civil War. In this presentation,
Mark Maloy will discuss the story of Custis, who
committed his life to George Washington’s legacy,
the legacy of slavery on the plantation, Lee’s
decision to resign from the US Army, the Union
occupation of the plantation, and the establishment
of Arlington Cemetery. He will also share the
present day images that visitors can observe on the
site today.
Mark Maloy is employed by the National Park Service,
the George Washington Memorial Parkway which
administers Arlington House, and The Robert E. Lee
Memorial. Mark has worked for more than fifteen
years in the public history field. He has
previously completed assignments at the Frederick
Douglass House, the Civil War Defenses of
Washington, and Fort Sumter. Mark obtained an
undergraduate degree in History from the College of
William & Mary, and received a graduate degree in
History from George Mason University. He is the
author of two books on the Revolutionary War.
Last Month
On
Tuesday October 21st, Owen Lanier presented “Big Guns in the Tidewater: Yorktown's 1862
Siege”
To halt Maj. Gen. McClellan's march up the peninsula toward Richmond, Confederate Maj. Gen. Magruder built three dams to create impassable lakes on the Warwick River and fortified the dams to prevent frontal assaults by Union forces during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Gloucester Point and Yorktown were transformed into a proverbial "Gibraltar of the Confederacy." Explore the photographs, people, and events that made up an often overlooked chapter of the American Civil War.
Owen Lanier graduated from Gettysburg College as a David Wills Scholar. With his social media account CivilWarFiles, Owen has researched and written about his own family history, and that of many other Americans, for an audience of more than ten thousand. As an independent researcher in Yorktown, Owen has written articles for the Emerging Civil War Blog and the American Battlefield Trust. Most recently, he was published in the Center for Civil War Photography’s Battlefield Photographer magazine for his discoveries surrounding a series of photographs taken at Cornwallis Cave in 1862. Now an employee of York County’s Economic & Tourism Development office, Owen enjoys encouraging visitation to Yorktown, a crucial town in American history.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
- December 16, 2025 - Peggy Vogtsberger: “The Army of the Cumberland”
In January meetings change to fourth Wednesday night in the auditorium (room 127) in the Stryker building
- January 28, 2026 - Ryan Quint: “Dranesville: A Northern Virginia Town in the Crossfire of a Forgotten Battle, December 20, 1861”
- 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
- August 7-9, 2026 – 12th Annual Emerging Civil War symposium at Stevenson Ridge details
Other Notes:
Meeting the Challenge: Bill Miller discusses WCWRT
video Membership Dues for the 2024-2025 sessions
are due. Please help support our remaining schedule
for this season.
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.