Mosby Heritage Area Association Newsletter - August 2010
From the President
Members of the Mosby Heritage Area Association will soon be receiving the 2009 Annual Report. This informative report gives a detailed look at MHAA’s accomplishments last year. I’d like to point to one especially noteworthy item in the Annual Report: that 82% of MHAA’s funding for educational programming comes from the generous donations of our members and from our special events. We also highlight the support from MHAA’s many generous volunteers.
Speaking of educational programs, the August 7 Cavaliers, Courage and Coffee program was a great success. More than 60 people of all ages visited our Civil War camps and witnessed military actions with historic Welbourne and Crednal as the background. The Virginia Light Horse Cavalry and MHAA joined together to present this living history program, whicht gave participants a feel for the Loudoun County countryside at the time of the Civil War.
We want to thank Nat and Sherry Morison of Welbourne and Stanley and Anna Dees of Crednal for hosting this event. The success of the program must be credited to the many MHAA volunteers and re-enactors of the Virginia Light Horse Cavalry.
The next event on our calendar is “Saving Monticello; Past, Present and Future.” This fundraising event features a talk at the Hill School on Thursday evening, September 2 by Leslie Bowman, the President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and Susan Stein, Monticello’s long-time curator. This will be followed on Friday, September 3 with an exclusive behind the scenes tour of Monticello.
We hope you will support MHAA by attending this entertaining and informative program or by becoming a sponsor. Sponsors at the $1,000 level are invited to a dinner with the speakers at historic Oak Hill. Please join us, as we need your financial support to enable us to continue our mission of “Preservation through Education.” Register online at www.mosbyheritagearea.org on the Calendar Page or call the MHAA office at 540-687-6681
MHAA will be hosting an Antietam Battlefield Tour on Saturday, November 20. Garry Adelman, the director of History and Education for the Civil War Preservation Trust historian, will lead the tour. The Battle of Antietam took place on September 17, 1862, which is known as the bloodiest day in American history. A special ticket is being offered for MHAA members.
Scroll down for more details, and plan to spend a day on truly hallowed ground of exceptional importance to our national history. Come, listen, and learn! Your participation will be a valuable learning experience and your support funds our work which creates the increasingly widespread awareness and appreciation of our uniquely beautiful heritage area.
We hope that you will plan to participate in these events to show your support of MHAA and its ‘Preservation through Education’ mission.Childs Burden
President, MHAA
Saving Monticello: Past, Present and Future
Time is short for reserving your place at the Mosby Heritage Area Association’s exclusive two-day event on September 2 and 3. This event features a special presentation by Leslie Bowman, President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, and Susan Stein, Monticello’s long-time curator, on Thursday evening, September 2, in Middleburg, and a personal, behind-the-scenes tour of Monticello on Friday, September 3.
On Thursday evening, Ms. Bowman and Ms. Stein will share their insights on Monticello’s past, present, and future at the Shelia C. Johnson Performing Arts Center at The Hill School in Middleburg, Virginia. The evening will include a cheese and wine reception beginning at 6:00 pm, followed by the presentation at 7:00 pm and a book signing.
On Friday, September 3, Marc Leepson, author of Saving Monticello, will lead a bus tour to Thomas Jefferson’s “Essay in Architecture” in Charlottesville. Participants will take an exclusive, guided, behind the scenes tour of Monticello—including visits to private second floor bedrooms once occupied by members of the Jefferson family, to the famous dome room on the third floor, which is not open to the public, and to the new, interactive “Crossroads” exhibition under the house. You will see unique interior architectural features, learn about on-going historic restoration efforts, and gain insight into what one of Jefferson’s granddaughters called the “bustle and hurry” of life at Monticello.
This trip also includes a picnic lunch at Monticello and a signed copy of Mr. Leepson’s book.
Tickets for the Thursday evening talk are $150 per person or $250 for couples. Tickets for the Friday bus tour to Monticello are $175 per person or $300 for couples. Sponsorships for the event are available beginning at $250.
Click here to purchase tickets or become a sponsor online.
Monticello
Civil War Conference
The Battle of Fredericksburg; December 11-15, 1862
October 1-3, 2010
Seats are filling up fast for this year’s Conference on the Art of Command in the Civil War. Eight nationally acclaimed authors and historians will present engaging talks on The Battle of Fredericksburg, December 11-15, 1862. In total, nine talks will be presented from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening with the conference concluding in a day-long tour of the Battle of Fredericksburg on Sunday.
Among this year’s speakers is historian Kim Holien, a conference favorite. Mr. Holien has been a professional military historian with the Department of the Army since 1979. From 1886-1989, he was the civilian historian for staff rides for the Secretary of the Army and the Army General Staff at the Pentagon. He is the author of Battle at Ball’s Bluff.
Mr. Holien will be the second speaker on Saturday morning following Clark Hall. “Burnside at Fredericksburg; Defeated by Both Blue and Gray” will be his topic.
Other speakers include Robert K. Krick, Clark Hall, Greg Mertz, Frank O’Reilly, Jeffry Wert, and George Rable. Speaker biographies may be found at www.mosbyheritagearea.org. A detailed schedule and registration form can be found on the “Calendar of Events” page.Click here to download a registration form and brochure.
Battle of Fredericksburg - Volunteers Crossing the Rappahannock River
Tour of Antietam Battlefield
The Bloodiest Day in American History
On September 16, 1862, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and his Union Army of the Potomac confronted Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Sharpsburg, Maryland. At dawn on September 17, Maj. General Joseph Hooker’s Union corps mounted a powerful assault on Lee’s left flank that began the Battle of Antietam, and the single bloodiest day in American military history. Learn more about this battle….
Repeated Union attacks, and equally vicious Confederate counterattacks, swept back and forth across Miller’s cornfield and the West Woods. Despite the great Union numerical advantage, Stonewall Jackson’s forces near the Dunker Church would hold their ground this bloody morning. Meanwhile, towards the center of the battlefield, Union assaults against the Sunken Road would pierce the Confederate center after a terrible struggle for this key defensive position. Unfortunately for the Union army this temporal advantage in the center was not followed up with further advances.
Late in the day, Maj. General Ambrose Burnside’s corps pushed across a bullet-strewn stone bridge over Antietam Creek and with some difficulty managed to imperil the Confederate right. At a crucial moment, A.P. Hill’s division arrived from Harpers Ferry, and counterattacked, driving back Burnside and saving the day for the Army of Northern Virginia. Despite being outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force at the Battle of Antietam, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his Federal force. McClellan’s piecemeal approach to the battle failed to fully leverage his superior numbers and allowed Lee to shift forces from threat to threat.During the night, both armies tended to their wounded and consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan on the 18th, while removing his wounded south of the Potomac. McClellan, much to the chagrin of Abraham Lincoln, did not vigorously pursue the wounded Confederate army. While the Battle of Antietam is considered a draw from a military point of view, Abraham Lincoln and the Union claimed victory. This hard-fought battle, which drove Lee’s forces from Maryland, would give Lincoln the “victory” that he needed before delivering the Emancipation Proclamation - a document that would forever change the geopolitical course of the American Civil War.
On Saturday, November 20 the Mosby Heritage Area Association will sponsor a tour of the Antietam Battlefield. The tour includes stops at the Dunker Church, Bloody Lane, and Burnside’s Bridge, all key positions during the Battle of Antietam.
Garry Adelman, historian, author, and licensed Civil War battlefield guide will lead the tour. Mr. Adelman is the director of History and Education for the Civil War Preservation Trust.
The bus will leave Atoka at 8:30 am and return following the tour at 3:30pm. Lunch will be at the Mumma Farm.
Tickets are $95 per person ($75 for MHAA members), which includes the special guided tour, luxury bus transportation and a box lunch.
For reservations go online to the Calendar Page of the MHAA website or call 540-687-6681.
Click here to reserve your seat for the Tour of the Antietam Battlefield.
Burnside Bridge, Antietam National Battlefield
New MHAA Members
We welcome new MHAA members who joined with more than 70 other individuals, businesses and professionals during our 15th anniversary year to support our “Preservation through Education” mission:
Heritage Sentinel
Ms. Joyce Wilkinson, Herndon, Va.
Mrs. Ruth Delp, Newport News, Va.
Ms. Pegge Graham, Midlothian, Va.
Are you ready to invest in the MHAA mission? For more information or a membership application, visit our website, www.mosbyheritagearea.org or call 540-687-6681.
CLICK HERE to visit the Membership Page on our website.
Charter Business and Professional Membership
In 2010, the Mosby Heritage Area Association is celebrating its 15th Anniversary. As part of this celebration, MHAA has created a new membership category, Business and Professional Memberships. Businesses and professionals that join in this anniversary year will form an exclusive group: MHAA Charter Business and Professional Members.
Since January, the following organizations have joined that exclusive group:
Heritage Sponsor
McGregor Craig & Associates, Hume
Briar Patch B&B Inn, Middleburg
Joan of Art, Marshall
Locke Store, Millwood
Engle, Paxton & Hawthorne Insurance Service, LLC, Leesburg
Standard Communication, Inc., Hume
Bluemont Capital Advisors, Middleburg
Fox Meadow Winery, Linden
Heritage Cavalier
Computer Medical Center, Front Royal
Loudoun Commercial Title, Inc., Leesburg
Heritage Patron
Chilton Farm, Middleburg
L&M Commonwealth Properties, LLC, Loudoun County
Jamestown Exploration Company, Middleburg
Heritage Benefactor
Middleburg Eccentric, Middleburg
Nina Carter McKee, CPA, PC, Washington, Va.
Framecraft, Warrenton
The Piedmont Virginian, Warrenton
Heritage Silver Circle
Marketing Resource Management, Aldie
If you would like to join this exclusive group, go to the MHAA website’s Membership Page to learn about MHAA Business and Professional Memberships.
Click here to become a Business and Profession Member of MHAA.2010 Mosby Heritage Area Association Raffle
There are only three months left for you to purchase your raffle tickets to win one of the special prints being offered for this year’s raffle project. Either print would be a great addition to anyone’s local history collection, a wonderful present for a family member or friend with an interest in local history, or a special Christmas present. Best of all, your purchase of raffle tickets will be used to continue and expand MHAA’s mission of “Preservation through Education.”
In 2010, MHAA expanded its raffle project to include two prints noted Civil War artist Mort Kunstler’s The Gray Ghost and P. Buckley Moss’s Teddy’s Ride. Both depict special events in the history of the Mosby Heritage Area. Both have been expertly framed by Framecraft.
The Gray Ghost by Mort Kunstler
Mort Kunstler, the nationally known Civil War artist, donated an artist edition print of The Gray Ghost to the Mosby Heritage Area Association for its 2010 Raffle. Mark Moore of Framecraft in Warrenton, Virginia, expertly framed this 25”x21” print. The signed print depicts Colonel John S. Mosby and his Rangers riding out of Warrenton on January 18, 1863 after having dinner at the Warren Green Hotel.
The Gray Ghost by Mort Kunstler
Teddy’s Ride by P. Buckley Moss
Teddy’s Ride by nationally known artist P. Buckley Moss is also being offered for this year’s raffle. This print depicts President Theodore Roosevelt on horseback in front of the Warren Green Hotel. President Roosevelt rode to Warrenton from Washington, D.C., to demonstrate to his military leaders that the U.S. Cavalry was getting soft. After getting a fresh mount, President Roosevelt rode back to Washington. This print was commissioned for Fauquier County’s 250th Anniversary.
Teddy's Ride by P. Buckley Moss
Tickets are $20 per ticket or $100 for six tickets (The six tickets may be split between the two prints). Tickets are available at the MHAA office, at MHAA events, and the MHAA website, www.mosbyheritagearea.org
The winning tickets will be drawn on December 3, 2010 at Framecraft in Warrenton during Warrenton’s Holiday Celebration.
Click here to purchase tickets online.
News Shorts:
The Civil War at Welbourne and Crednal
On Saturday, August 7, the Civil War era came alive at Welbourne and Crednal with MHAA’s Cavaliers, Courage and Coffee program. Those in attendance visited Civil War military camps; learned about military actions in the area during the Civil War; and discovered the history of two historic homes, Welbourne and Crednal. Stories of Col. Mosby and his Rangers also were presented. MHAA would like to thank Nat and Sherry Morison of Welbourne, Stanley and Anna Dees of Crednal, and the Valley Light Horse Cavalry group for their contributions to the success of this program.
Dick Lundgren, MHAA Volunteer, at Crednal, the Carter Family Home in Loudoun County, VA
Rector House Opening
The Rector House has been staffed by volunteers throughout the summer on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Visitors learn about the history of the Rector House, John S. Mosby and J.E.B. Stuart’s connections to the house, and MHAA’s historic preservation mission.
The Rector House will remain open through the month of August. On August 21 Gary Carroll (aka Col. John S. Mosby) will be available to tell visitors first-hand about the exploits of Col. Mosby and his Rangers. Admission is free. Donations are accepted.
Directions: The Rector House is located 4 miles west of Middleburg off Route 50 on state road 713. This stone house is the first one on the left once you turn unto 713. The physical address is 1461 Atoka Road, Marshall, VA 20115.
The Rector House
Battle of Thoroughfare Gap Commemoration at Chapman/Beverley Mill
On Saturday, August 28, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm the Turn the Mill Around campaign will sponsor an event commemorating the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap. Childs Burden, Bruce Slawter and Jim Burgess will lead tours of the battlefield at 9:30 am, 11:00 am, and 5:30 pm. A Union Army survivor of the battle will tell his story along, with the 1st Virginia Confederate Cavalry throughout the day. Admission to the event is $5 and children under 12 are free. For directions go to the Turn the Mill Around website, www.chapmansmill.org.
Chapman/Beverley Mill
When the War Came to Snickersville
On March 6, 1864, 23 troopers from the 1st New York Cavalry were surprised by fourteen 6th Virginia cavalrymen in the village of Snickersville (now Bluemont). The Snickersville Turnpike Association will host a reenactment of this event on Saturday, September 25, at noon and 4:00 pm. A narrated video will be shown at 10:00 am and at 2:00 pm. Additionally, there will be village tours, as well as opportunities to talk with pickets and other re-enactors. Admission is $5 with students 12 and under free. Additional information can be found at www.snickersvilleturnpike.org under "events" and "newsletters" or by calling 540-554-8591.
Site of the Month
Old Jail Museum, Warrenton, Virginia
The Old Jail Museum, formerly the Fauquier County jail, is now the home of the Fauquier Historical Society. Built in 1808, the front portion of the jail contained four cells, each of which was approved to house 40 prisoners. In 1823, a new stone jail complete with hanging/exercise yard, was built to the rear of the older structure and the 1808 jail converted to a house for the jailor. Operated as a jail until 1966, this is one of the most perfectly preserved old jails in the Commonwealth.
The Old Jail Museum features Revolutionary War, Civil War, World WarI, and World War II artifacts, a display of items associated with Col. John S. Mosby and the Black Horse Cavalry, a Rappahannock Canal boat, a Wine Cellar Exhibit, a 19th Century Toy Exhibit, and much more. The jail features a maximum security cell block, a Colonial kitchen and a hanging and exercise yard.
The Old Jail Museum is located at 10 Ashby Street in Warrenton, Virginia, near the Fauquier County Courthouse. You can read more about the museum on their website www.fauquierhistory.com. The museum is open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday.
Click Here to view more photos of the Old Jail Museum
The Old Jail Museum, Warrenton, VA. Photo by Reggie Hall
Did You Know?
Frank Rockefeller, brother of John D. Rockefeller, spent time in the jail for stealing potatoes. Read more about this by going to the Old Jail Museum’s FaceBook Page
MHAA Store
A new shipment of “Prelude to Gettysburg” CDs has just arrived. For several months MHAA has not been able to offer this very popular audio tour of the cavalry battles of Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville. This tour was researched, written and narrated by historian Robert O’Neill, an authority on the cavalry battles. The CD features an introduction by Willard Scott who eloquently presents the case for preservation of the Mosby Heritage Area.
The audio tour has a new packaging. A photo of the First Massachusetts Monument on the Snickersville Turnpike is on Disc 1 and Goose Creek Bridge is on Disc 2. A map of the tour is included with the CDs.
The new CDs will sell for $20. They are available at the headquarters of MHAA in Atoka or online from our MHAA Store.
Click here to visit the Store Page.
