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.
March's Meeting Will Be Held On the Third Tuesday, March 17th
MONTHLY
MEETING NOTICE
Tuesday,
March 17, 2026,
at 6:30 PM
Michael Block
"The Mine Run Campaign"
Join us on Tuesday, March 17th for the Williamsburg Civil War Roundtable commencing at 6:30 PM at the Williamsburg Regional Library Theatre, 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.
Join us on Tuesday, March 17th, for Michael Block's presentation of “The
Mine Run Campaign"
On November 26, 1863, MG George G. Meade’s Army of the Potomac crossed
the Rapidan River in an effort to turn the Army of Northern Virginia’s
right. Meade’s objective was to force Robert E. Lee’s army out of their
fortified positions along the river and potentially open the road to
Richmond.
Lee would not accommodate Meade’s plan. The resulting Mine Run Campaign,
is the last of three brief campaigns in the fall of 1863 that followed
Gettysburg. Neither side was willing to risk all and press their enemy.
Mine Run became just another campaign of lost opportunity.
Michael Block will present an overview of the Mine Run Campaign,
highlighting Meade’s strategic objectives and Lee’s successful reaction.
We will discuss key events which eventually thwarted Meade’s plan – The
misadventures in crossing of the Rapidan; the battle of Payne’s Farm and
Lee turning his line ninety degrees; and finally with MG Gouverneur K.
Warren’s taking it upon himself not to attack. Using primary source
material, the Mine Run Campaign will progress through the eyes and pens
of the participants.
A life-long student of the American Civil War, Mike moved to southern
Fauquier County in 2004 where he developed a deep appreciation and love
of Culpeper County and what happened in the historic Virginia Piedmont
during the Civil War.
As a public historian, he has developed and led battlefield tours and
lectured for over two decades, focusing on the stirring events in
Culpeper, Orange and Fauquier Counties. Mike developed and led Civil War
Staff Rides at Gettysburg for a government agency, focusing on the
intelligence and geospatial information available to the wartime
participants.
In January 2022, his first book, “The Carnage Was Fearful: The Battle of
Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862” was published. Mike has also published
in Blue & Gray Magazine, Hallowed Ground, and North and South Magazine.
He is a guest blogger for Emerging Civil War and has appeared in
numerous podcasts. His next project, a full study of the Cedar Mountain
Campaign, is nearing completion. (Also book projects on the Battle of
Rappahannock Station and Kelly’s Ford are in the wings).
Mike is a member of the Board of Directors for the Friends of Wilderness
Battlefield and a former board member of both the Brandy Station
Foundation and the Cedar Mountain Foundation, and served on the Culpeper
and Fauquier Counties Civil War Sesquicentennial Committees. Mike is a
tour guide for Battlefield Tours of Virginia.
Last Month
On Tuesday, February 25th, Rob
Abbott presented “Old Clubby: Alleghany Johnson’s Division on Culps
Hill. Everybody goes to the top of Culp’s Hill and honors Brig Gen
George Sears Greene (as we should), but nobody ever looks at Culp’s Hill
from the bottom, from the Confederate perspective. Major General Edward
Johnson, CSA, "Old Clubby” leads the attack. Who is this guy? Join LBG
Rob Abbott as we follow Johnson’ s Division as they muscle their way
through traffic to the vicinity of Benner’s Hill and then go into the
attack. The discussion will center on how the orders came to Johnson,
what he could reasonably see, the decisions that he made and how the
attacks turned out.
In 2014, Rob passed his final certifications as a Gettysburg Licensed
Battlefield Guide (LBG). He works as a full-time LBG. He leads annual
leadership staff rides for the U.S. Forest Service, various first
responder organizations, Gettysburg Foundation, Princeton University,
George Mason University and numerous military groups.
This season's membership is due. Print the membership form here and mail or bring to the next meeting.
Meeting the Challenge- Bill Miller discusses WCWRT video
2026 Blue and Grey Education Society Tours
details
Culpeper Battlefields State Park: This is a new State Park, which includes the Cedar Mountain and Brandy Station Battlefields. Our friend Drew Gruber is the Park Ranger who oversees the operations of the new park. details
March 14, 2026 - Petersburg Battlefields Foundation: annual meeting at Pamplin Park is free and open to the public.
March 21, 2026, - Central Virginia Battlefields Trust: Spring Seminar
March 27-29, 2026 - Virginia Tech’s Civil War Weekend: details
April 9-11, 2026 - Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation: The SVBF National Civil War Conference. details