Pamplin Park author talks about defending Washington D.C.

Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier welcomes guest speaker David Lowe on April 7 at 7 p.m. to the Petersburg Civil War Roundtable.

Lowe will share the construction, organization and daily life of the soldiers in the defenses around Washington D.C. during the American Civil War.

In the wake of the Union defeat at First Manassas, federal engineers set to work constructing a ring of defenses around the capital. At wars’ end in 1865, around 68 major forts surrounded Washington D.C. which included 93 batteries consisting of over 900 cannons. This network of forts was connected by 30 miles of roads to supply and allow for the transferring of troops between forts.

This formidable ring of capital defenses were manned initially by volunteer regiments who mustered into service in 1861. They would become know as the “Heavy” regiments as their assignments included drill and training on the massive siege guns during their garrison duty. After a relatively cushy duty outside of the capital, the Heavies would be sent to the front lines in the spring of 1864. They would suffer some of the highest casualty rates while trying to prove themselves to the more veteran regiments.

Lowe served on the staff of the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission with Ed Bearss and James McPherson in the early 1990s. He worked closely with the American Battlefield Protection Program for several years to develop a battlefield survey methodology that continues in use today. Attached to the Cultural Resources GIS program of the National Park Service until 2021, he pioneered the use of Global Positioning Systems and Geographic Information Systems to inventory, document, map battlefield resources at many of the nation’s battlefield parks.

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.