Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier welcomes guest speaker Frank O’Reilly on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. to the Petersburg Civil War Roundtable.
O’Reilly will discuss the winter war on the Rappahannock in his presentation titled, “Fredericksburg’s Forgotten War.”
The battle at Fredericksburg, Virginia in December 1862 involved over 200,000 troops and resulted in unequal casualties with the Union losses doubling those of the Confederates. It ruined the career of Union General Ambrose E. Burnside and the defeat was an embarrassment to President Abraham Lincoln.
The Confederate victory boosted the morale of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia who would later triumph again at the Battle of Chancellorsville in May of 1863. O’Reilly will draw upon his intimate knowledge of the battlegrounds to discuss the unprecedented nature of Fredericksburg’s warfare.
O’Reilly has written numerous articles on the Civil War and continues to conduct extensive battlefield studies and tours throughout Virginia. He also is the author of Stonewall Jackson at Fredericksburg: The Battle of Prospect Hill. O’Reilly is a historian and park ranger at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park.
The Petersburg Civil War Roundtable will meet the first Thursday of each month at Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier from 7-8 p.m. Annual membership is $40. Individuals who are already members of Pamplin Historical Park can become members of PCWRT for $20. Non-members can attend for $5 each meeting. Call (804) 861-2408 for more information.
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