Join Ed Bearss, America’s most famous battlefield guide, as he presents Part VI of his multi-year series of battlefield tours. This time, we will gather with Ed in Richmond, the Capital of the Confederacy, and set forth on successive days to the most important battlefields that surround the Richmond hub.

 

After a welcome dinner and tour orientation on Tuesday evening, October 2, we will depart by bus on Wednesday morning and travel southeast to visit Fort Monroe, held by Union forces throughout the Civil War and from whence several sea and land expeditions were launched by Union forces. The action of the Monitor and Merrimack, on 9 March 1862, took place just off the fort, and Gen. George B. McClellan began the Peninsula Campaign from it. Jefferson Davis was confined in Fort Monroe from 1865 to 1867.

 

Our Thursday tour will take us to Big Bethel, site of the first Civil War land battle in the Eastern Theater – on June 10, 1861 - as a part of the Federal blockade of Chesapeake Bay. We will learn how Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, from his base at Fort Monroe, sent converging columns from Hampton and Newport News against Confederate outposts at Little and Big Bethel. The Confederates fell back to their entrenchments near Big Bethel Church as Federals, under the command of Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Pierce, pursued, attacked frontally along the road, and were repulsed. The disorganized Union forces retired, returning to Hampton and Newport News.

On Friday we will tour the Siege of Yorktown which began on April 5, 1862 as the numerically superior Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by a cautious General George B. McClellan, surrounded Yorktown, which was held by 13,000 Confederate troops under Major General John B. Magruder. The siege continued until May 3 when the Confederate commander, General Joseph E. Johnston, withdrew his forces toward Richmond before McClellan could use his newly arrived artillery.

 

On Saturday we’ll follow J. E. B. Stuart on his famous 100 mile ride around the Army of George McClellan as he gathered intelligence critical to Lee’s forthcoming Seven Days Campaign, disrupted Federal communications and supply lines, and dealt a psychological blow to McClellan and his army.

 

On Sunday, we will tour the Seven Days Campaign during which Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia ascended to center stage as they unleashed a daring attack on the Army of the Potomac.  Key sites we’ll visit are Gaines’ Mill, Savage’s Station, White Oak Swamp, Frayser’s Farm and Malvern Hill.

 

On Monday, we’ll tour sites dealing with the Confederate defense of Richmond in 1864 - Haw’s Shop - the second largest cavalry battlefield of the war in the eastern theater - and Totopotomoy Creek, Bethesda Church, and surviving sites from the Battle of Cold Harbor.  

 

On three of the evenings, we will enjoy dinner and discussion with Ed – on opening night, Tuesday, October 2; on Friday night, October 5 and on Sunday night, October 7. Throughout the program, we will be based at the full-service Wyndam Richmond Airport hotel which offers complimentary shuttle service from Richmond International Airport.

 

Our Program Begins on Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at 6:30 PM with a Welcome Dinner at the Wyndham. Our charter bus will depart from the Wyndham each day at 8:00 AM. Return times each day will range from 4:30 PM-6:00 PM. Our Program will conclude on Monday, October 8, 2007 at 6:00 PM when our bus arrives back at the Wyndham.

 

You are welcome to enroll for all or any part of this multi-day program. Please see the various registration options listed below. We hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to join the one and only Ed Bearss on this exciting tour of battlefield, including some seldom seen. Registration must be limited to one bus – 44 – and interest is considerable, so please enroll now.

 

About Our Tour Leader

Edwin C. Bearss is Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service and the most well known battlefield guide in America. He is acclaimed as one of the stars of Ken Burns's award-winning PBS series, The Civil War. While working for the NPS at Vicksburg in 1956, he helped locate and raise the ironclad gunboat Cairo, one of the most significant artifacts of the Civil War. He is the author of countless articles on the Civil War and many books including The Vicksburg Campaign; Forrest at Brice’s Cross Roads and in Northern Mississippi in 1864; Protecting Sherman’s Lifeline: The Battles of Brice’s Cross Roads and Tupelo, 1864, and most recently Fields of Honor: Pivotal Battles of the Civil War.

 

Registration Fees (lodging on own):

·        Full Program – 6 tour days, 6 lunches, 3 dinners - $995

·        Dinner & Discussion – Tuesday, October 2 - $45

·        Fort Monroe tour day – Wednesday, October 3 – includes lunch - $165

·        Big Bethel tour day – Thursday, October 4 – includes lunch - $165

·        Siege of Yorktown tour day – Friday, October 5 – includes lunch - $165

·        Dinner & Discussion – Friday, October 5 - $45

·        Stuart’s Ride tour day – Saturday, October 6 – includes lunch - $165

·        Seven Days tour day – Sunday, October 7 – includes lunch - $165

·        Dinner & Discussion – Sunday, October 7 - $45

·        Cold Harbor tour day – Monday, October 8 – includes lunch - $165

 

If You Must Cancel: Your registration fee will be 100% refunded.

 

Base Location & Lodging: We will be based at the Wyndham Richmond Airport hotel, 4700 S. Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23231 where we have reserved a block of rooms at the special nightly rate of $85.00 + tax – Single or Double. To reserve a room under our block, call 800-996-3426 after May 15 and identify yourself as a registrant for the CWEA tour. Free Shuttle Service is available to and from Richmond International Airport. Upon arrival at the airport, call the shuttle from the ground transportation kiosk as shown. Please Note: Free Parking is available at the Wyndham for all attending the program, whether enrolled as hotel guests or not.

 

Driving Directions: Coming from north of Richmond:

·        I-95 South to I-295 South via Exit 84-A (on the left) toward Rocky Mount, NC.

·        Merge onto US 360 West via Exit 37-B toward Mechanicsville.

·        Turn Left onto VA-197East/East Laburnum Avenue.

·        Follow Laburnum to 4700