12.7.10 Historian and author Rick Britton joins Coy to wrap up their discussion of the 25 most important Civil War battles. The final engagement between the Confederate and Union Armies took place at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, and in today’s recreation of the events, General Robert E. Lee finds himself totally outnumbered and surrounded on three sides by General Sheridan’s cavalry. Lee is willing to scrape together one final stand, but after hearing a message that his men cannot break through the Union lines, the Confederate General realizes his pool of options has run dry. The conversation also teases Britton’s new speaker series on early Virginia history at the Charlottesville Senior Center.
In the fall of 2010, the Senior Center offered one of Rick’s programs entitled “Virginia History 101.” Running from October 7th through November 18th, this six-session lecture series was designed for those interested in Virginia’s fascinating early history. The series focused on some of the big topics that dominated the Old Dominion’s first two centuries, including, Native Virginians, Tobacco, Slavery, the Revolution, George Washington’s Presidency, and Jeffersonian Architecture. The series was followed with a travel session where participants experienced Virginia history first hand.
On October 7, 2010, Rick Britton himself delivered a talk on the Monacan Nation. Controlling most of the Virginia Piedmont, the Monacan Indians made war against the Tidewater’s Powhatan Nation, established five major villages, grew corn, and hunted deer, elk, and bison. Unfortunately, all that remains of this elusive people are the remnants of their tools, knives, and projectile points.
This is the first in a six part series for 2010.
Click here to listen to all six lectures in this series:
* December 2, 2010 – The Monacan Nation – Rick Britton
* December 9, 2010 – Tobacco, The First Cash Crop – Susan Kern
* December 16, 2010 – Foodways of the Enslaved – Leni Sorensen
* December 23, 2010 – The Yorktown Campaign – Ed Lengel
* December 30, 2010 – Washington’s Presidency – David Hoth
* January 6, 2011- Architecture in the Jeffersonian Period – Ed Lay
11.30.10 Professor of English at the University of Virginia Stephen Railton joins Coy to discuss Mark Twain. A nationally recognized expert on America’s first true celebrity, Railton provides insight into his early life, his writings, his ability to characterize American life, and exactly why the country was so fascinated by this figure. Today’s conversation honors the 175th anniversary of Twain’s birth, as well as the centennial of his passing.
11.29.10 Best-selling and award-winning author James Swanson joins Coy to discuss his new book Bloody Crimes. Swanson’s new release continues the Civil War story he started telling in Manhunt, his previous release. The book’s subtitle “The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln’s Corpse” provides a great description of the gripping topics included in Bloody Crimes.
11.19.10 Historian and author Rick Britton joins Coy to continue their discussion of the 25 most important Civil War battles. Today on the program, the discussion zeroes in on the Battle of Sayler’s Creek. The fight took place in Amelia and Prince Edward Counties in April of 1865, and today’s conversation describes how General Robert E. Lee was forced to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond before the retreating Confederate troops were cut off by Union soldiers led by General Sheraton. Hear the whole story recreated, here.
11.5.10 Rick Britton joins Coy with the countdown of the 25 most important Civil War battles in Virginia. This week Rick recaptures the Battle of Fort Stedman: Lee’s last attempt to break the Petersburg Siege on March 25, 1865.
On Wednesday October 20, 2010, Ron Wilson, who served for 25 years as historian at Appomattox Court House national park, delivered a presentation on John Brown’s Harpers Ferry raid. On October 16th, 1859, fanatical abolitionist Brown, with an "army" of 21 men, captured the Harpers Ferry-located U.S. Armory & Arsenal with the hope of inciting a slave rebellion. Instead he was captured by U.S. Marines under then Lieut. Col. Robert E. Lee, tried for treason by the State of Virginia, and hung in nearby Charles Town.
On Wednesday October 27th, Rick Britton & Ron Wilson will conduct a tour of Harpers Ferry, an absolute must see for every history enthusiast. The bus tour departs from the Charlottesville Senior Center at 8:00 am. There is a fee for the tour. Call 974-6538 for more information
This is the sixth and final part in this series for 2010.
Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald, authors of Invisible History: Afghanistan’s Untold Story joined Coy to discuss the latest developments in the war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
