Raleigh Civil War Round Table -- "The same rain falls on both friend and foe."

Raleigh Civil War Round Table

"The same rain falls on both friend and foe."

The Mission of the Raleigh Civil War Round Table is to study the history of the American Civil War, to stimulate interest and promote education in a broad range of topics related to that war, and to aid in the preservation and enhancement of its battlefields, cemeteries, relics, and other historic sites and landmarks.

The Raleigh Civil War Round Table’s April 14^th, 2024, in person/simultaneous Zoom meeting features Dr. Ted Kunstling, M.D., speaking on the topic Raleigh Occupied 1865.
Friends of Fort Macon's Newsletter, can be accessed by clicking here. Among others, it includes articles on Two 24-Pounders Mounted [at Fort Macon] and The Birth of Fort Macon State Park, along with the announcement of Fort Macon State Park's upcoming centennial on June 4^th, 2024, with celebrations and events running June 1^st to 8^th.
A reminder that the podcast Addressing Gettysburg provides "great experiences, quality programs, and a welcoming community for those who love Gettysburg."
New Third Member-Produced Civil War Documentary Blu-ray Film The Civil War in North Carolina: Taking the Offensive, 1864. Available at our April 14^th, 2024, meeting.
Andrew Ballard, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's The Knapsack newsletter editor emeritus, has created and curates a new YouTube channel showcasing an archive of videos of interest to the Raleigh CWRT's members and friends. To access it, click on the link Raleigh CWRT YouTube Channel in the Navigation panel on the left.
Available now for your listening enjoyment are nine additional 2022 Civil War podcasts from Civil War lecturer Freddie Kiger, numbered 049 to 057 (April-Dec. 2022). These can be accessed from the Navigation Column to the Left by clicking on the link Freddie Kiger's CW Podcast.
The Entire 45 Video Collection of FRIDAYS WITH U. S. GRANT, as impersonated by Dr. Curt Fields, Ph.D., is Now Accessible from the Link CWRT Congress in the Navigation Column to the Left.
The American Battlefield Trust is offering free educational materials on the American Revolution and American Civil War.
The American Battlefield Trust Needs Your Help.

Upcoming meeting of the Raleigh CWRT:

The Raleigh Civil War Round Table’s April 14^th, 2024, meeting will feature Dr. Ted Kunstling, M.D., speaking on the topic Raleigh Occupied 1865. This will be immediately followed by a Raleigh Trolley tour of extant, i.e., still-existing, structures/landmarks present at the 1865 occupation.

The meeting will be held at the NC Museum of History's Longleaf Room, located off Jones St. on the north end, lower level, of the Museum in downtown Raleigh, NC. There is free parking in the lot east of the Museum. The wearing of a mask is optional.

We continue to meet in the Longleaf Room in the short term instead of the Auditorium as the Museum transitions into a 2-year renovation project. When the renovation work kicks into high gear, the Museum will be closed and we will have to find another venue for our meetings, at least for the mid term.

We also continue to meet on the 2^nd Sunday of the month. Please join us at 1:30 p.m. DST for refreshments. The program, itself, starts at 2:00 p.m. This event will also be live-streamed on Zoom for those unable to attend in person. A video recording will be made available on http://www.raleighcwrt.org, our Raleigh Civil War Round Table website, following the event.

The program will be immediately followed at 3:00 p.m. by a Raleigh Trolley tour of Raleigh sites dating back to the Civil War. Ted will serve as our tour guide. Those going on the tour will board the trolley on E. Jones St., just a few steps north of the Longleaf Room. At the conclusion of the tour, the trolley will unload at the parking lot in the block just east of the Museum.

Note:   The April 14^th tour is sold out; however, Dr. Kunstling is working on scheduling a repeat Raleigh Trolley tour to be held immediately following our May 2024 meeting.   Currently, 11 of 26 total seats are on a wait list for this repeat tour.   To be added to this list, email your request to RaleighCWRT@Yahoo.com.

If you are on our mailing list, you should receive an invitation our April 14^th meeting, including instructions and a link for joining online if you are unable to attend in person.   Please respond by email to RaleighCWRT@Yahoo.com if you have not received an invitation by April 7^th.

Dr. Kunstling’s topic for April’s presentation, Raleigh Occupied 1865, is based on his interest in the events that occurred when the Civil War came to Raleigh in the form of Gen. William T. Sherman’s invading Federal army during the war’s waning days.   He examines the effects of these events on the local citizenry during Sherman’s occupation from April 13^th–30^th.   For example, the news of Lincoln’s assassination was received in Raleigh at the start of the occupation, sparking a volatile situation.

Ted’s Civil War interest began in his grandfather’s library which contained works by Bruce Catton, Bell Irvin Wiley, Douglas Southhall Freeman, and others.   While growing up, Ted’s parents took him to visit many major battlefields in Virginia and Pennsylvania and Fort Pulaski, Georgia.

As an undergraduate at Duke, Ted majored in History along with his pre-med courses.   He graduated from Duke Medical School in 1968, and received post graduate medical training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.   While there, he and his wife Frances found time to tour many of the significant battlefields in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Ted served in the U.S. Navy from 1970-72, including one year as battalion surgeon of 1^st Battalion / 9^th Marines in the West Pacific.   From 1975 until 2009, he practiced pulmonary medicine in Raleigh and then served as Chief Medical Officer of Duke Raleigh Hospital from 2008 until retiring in 2013.   He is currently President of the Wake County Medical Society.

Dr. Kunstling is a charter member and Past President of the Raleigh Civil War Round Table.   He recently assented to return as interim president while a replacement is being groomed.   Ted is also a board member of the N.C. Civil War & Reconstruction Center in Fayetteville.

He has served on the boards of Duke Raleigh Hospital, the NC Symphony Society, and Urban Ministries of Wake County, and currently serves on the board of the NC Symphony Foundation.

In his retirement, Ted has been able to focus more attention on one of his favorite hobbies, model railroading.   Ted's interest in railroads was formed in early childhood from summer visits spent at his grandparents’ home in Waterloo, Iowa.   This contained the Chicago Great Northern Railroad's switchyard where he spent hours mesmerized by the steam switch engine sorting freight cars.

With his new free time, Ted resurrected the old HO model train set which he had carefully preserved since junior high school days in Norfolk, VA, and is constructing a 8’ x 13’ HO layout in his basement.   Joining the Neuse River Valley Model Railroad Club, Ted continues to learn new skills and make new friends.

Ted enjoys lecturing on the Civil War as it affected Raleigh and on Civil War railroads in North Carolina.   He last spoke to our Round Table in August 2020, when he talked about how railroads played a role in North Carolina during the Civil War.

Ted and his wife Frances have made their home in Raleigh since 1975.   They have two grown daughters and 3 grandsons, one of whom, Jason, age 12, is a budding Civil War historian.

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The Podcast Addressing Gettysburg

The podcast Addressing Gettysburg was founded, and is hosted, by Matt Callery.   Its name is a clever wordplay on Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.   Its motto is "Great experiences, quality programs, and a welcoming community for those who love Gettysburg."   Matt is supported by his team consisting of Veronica Brestensky (Co-Host), and regular contributors and Licensed Battlefield Guides Bob Steenstra and Tim Smith.

Following are two endorsements of Addressing Gettysburg:

"Matt Callery and his Addressing Gettysburg podcast sets out with the idea that history is not boring and succeeds admirably.   The podcasts explore fascinating aspects of the Gettysburg and the American Civil War and Matt asks penetrating, interesting questions that draw the best from his guests.   If you have any interest in Gettysburg or how people endured and responded to extreme circumstances and conditions, you will find this podcast well worth your time investment."

— Scott Hartwig - Author, To Antietam Creek:   The Maryland Campaign of 1862

"Anyone interested in learning more about the events of July 1863, and their place in history and memory, can find something to enjoy in Addressing Gettysburg.   Through engaging interviews with historians, guides, experts, and other informed guests, each episode provides thorough, educational, entertaining, and informative historical content.   From military tactics, to civilian and human interest stories, to the battle's lasting legacy locally and across the nation, when it comes to Gettysburg, this podcast covers it all.

— Codie Eash - Author, Historian, Visitor Services Coordinator at Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum

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Third Member-Produced Civil War Documentary Film Now Available

Andrew Ballard, editor emeritus of The Knapsack newsletter, has just produced a companion Blu-ray film to two earlier documentaries that the Raleigh Civil War Round Table previously released.

This latest documentary film, The Civil War in North Carolina:   Taking the Offensive, 1864, covers events that took place in our state that year including efforts by Maj. Gen. George Pickett to retake New Bern.   The film features the following:

James E. White III (Batchelor’s Creek / New Bern and USS Underwriter)

Philip Gerard (Kinston Hangings)

Alex Christopher Meekins (Battle of Plymouth)

Andrew Duppstadt (CSS Albemarle and Battle of Albemarle Sound), and

Chris Fonvielle (Fort Fisher).

It is narrated by S.N. Burkholder of Middletown, CT and filmed on site.   It includes re-enactment footage along with historical maps and illustrations and period music.

Blu-ray discs of this film will be offered at our August 14^th, 2023, meeting for donations of $10 or more.   Copies of The Civil War in North Carolina:   Battles for the Coast, 1862 and The Civil War in North Carolina:   The Final Campaigns, 1865 are also still available.   As we have done with donations for the first two films, net proceeds from the third film will be used for preservation and conservation efforts related to the Civil War in North Carolina.   Checks should be made out to Raleigh CWRT.

The first film, The Civil War in North Carolina:   The Final Campaigns, 1865, features historians and authors speaking on the major events of 1865, including the following:

Ed Bearss (Overview/Monroe's Crossroads)

Chris Fonvielle (Fort Fisher / Fort Anderson / Wilmington)

David Waller (Wyse Fork)

Andrew Duppstadt (CSS Neuse)

Wade Sokolosky (Averasboro)

Mark Bradley (Bentonville)

Chris Hartley (Stoneman's Raid)

Ernest Dollar (Raleigh / Morrisville)

Bob Farrell (Logan), and

John Guss (Bennett Place)

The experts were all filmed at the applicable historical sites and re-enactment footage from the sesquicentennial events at Fort Fisher, Fort Anderson, and Bentonville is included.

Music by the Liberty Hall Drum & Fife Corps and the 26th North Carolina Field Music/Carolina Fifes and Drums, artwork by Stephen McCall, Martin Pate, and Darrell Combs, and maps by Mark A. Moore and Hal Jesperson are also in the documentary.

The second film, The Civil War in North Carolina:   Battles for the Coast, 1862, covers events that took place in our state that year including the Burnside Expedition and Foster's Raid.   The film features the following:

Former National Park Service Ranger Michael Zatarga (Roanoke Island, South Mills)

Author James E. White III (New Bern)

N.C. State Park Ranger Paul R. Branch Jr. (Fort Macon)

Military Curator for the NC Museum of History Charles R. Knight (Tranter's Creek), and

Founder of the Goldsborough Bridge Association Randy Sauls (Foster's Raid / Kinston, White Hall, and Goldsborough Bridge).

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The American Battlefield Trust is Offering Free Educational Materials on the American Revolution and American Civil War

The American Battlefield Trust "wants to share a sample of the digital resources that might be helpful to you right now.   We hope that they can help bring history to life at home, whether you are a parent, educator, lifelong student of history, or anywhere in between."

Click here to be taken to The American Battlefield Trust's Facebook page where you can find links to free on-line educational materials covering both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War.

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The American Battlefield Trust Needs Your Help

The American Battlefield Trust asks for your help in saving two acres of irreplaceable Civil War history on small, but vital, tracts of land of three Civil War battlefields:   East Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg, PA (one-half acre), Parker’s Cross Roads, TN (one-half acre), and Sailor’s Creek, VA (one acre).   The goal is to raise $193,000. Donations are matched at a ratio of $4.00-to-$1.00.

For more information, click the following link: Save Central Land at 3 Battlefields Including Gettysburg.

The Trust’s website has a web page devoted to a wonderful interactive tool.   Displayed is a map of the U.S. that can be toggled between topographical and satellite views.   In either case, an Interstate highway system is superimposed for reference.

For each State in which Civil War battles were fought, one can zoom in on that State and then drill down to show a specific battle.   Clicking on the battle location brings up a webpage with details about the battle.

The map can be filtered by State, by Civil War year, and by victor.   One can toggle a depiction of any land within the battlefield that is part of the current campaign for preservation.   For each battle, the number of acres already saved as well as the number of additional acres available for saving is displayed.   The interactive map can be found by clicking the following link: Saved Land.

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Raleigh Civil War Round Table

Upcoming meeting of the Raleigh CWRT:

The Raleigh Civil War Round Table’s April 14^th, 2024, meeting will feature Dr. Ted Kunstling, M.D., speaking on the topic Raleigh Occupied 1865. This will be immediately followed by a Raleigh Trolley tour of extant, i.e., still-existing, structures/landmarks present at the 1865 occupation.

The meeting will be held at the NC Museum of History's Longleaf Room, located off Jones St. on the north end, lower level, of the Museum in downtown Raleigh, NC. There is free parking in the lot east of the Museum. The wearing of a mask is optional.

If you are on our mailing list, you should receive an invitation our April 14^th meeting, including instructions and a link for joining online if you are unable to attend in person. Please respond by email to RaleighCWRT@Yahoo.com if you have not received an invitation by April 7^th.

Ted’s Civil War interest began in his grandfather’s library which contained works by Bruce Catton, Bell Irvin Wiley, Douglas Southhall Freeman, and others. While growing up, Ted’s parents took him to visit many major battlefields in Virginia and Pennsylvania and Fort Pulaski, Georgia.

Dr. Kunstling is a charter member and Past President of the Raleigh Civil War Round Table. He recently assented to return as interim president while a replacement is being groomed. Ted is also a board member of the N.C. Civil War & Reconstruction Center in Fayetteville.

He has served on the boards of Duke Raleigh Hospital, the NC Symphony Society, and Urban Ministries of Wake County, and currently serves on the board of the NC Symphony Foundation.

Ted enjoys lecturing on the Civil War as it affected Raleigh and on Civil War railroads in North Carolina. He last spoke to our Round Table in August 2020, when he talked about how railroads played a role in North Carolina during the Civil War.

Ted and his wife Frances have made their home in Raleigh since 1975. They have two grown daughters and 3 grandsons, one of whom, Jason, age 12, is a budding Civil War historian.

The Podcast Addressing Gettysburg

Following are two endorsements of Addressing Gettysburg:

— Scott Hartwig - Author, To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of 1862

— Codie Eash - Author, Historian, Visitor Services Coordinator at Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum

Third Member-Produced Civil War Documentary Film Now Available

Andrew Ballard, editor emeritus of The Knapsack newsletter, has just produced a companion Blu-ray film to two earlier documentaries that the Raleigh Civil War Round Table previously released.

This latest documentary film, The Civil War in North Carolina: Taking the Offensive, 1864, covers events that took place in our state that year including efforts by Maj. Gen. George Pickett to retake New Bern. The film features the following:

It is narrated by S.N. Burkholder of Middletown, CT and filmed on site. It includes re-enactment footage along with historical maps and illustrations and period music.

The first film, The Civil War in North Carolina: The Final Campaigns, 1865, features historians and authors speaking on the major events of 1865, including the following:

The experts were all filmed at the applicable historical sites and re-enactment footage from the sesquicentennial events at Fort Fisher, Fort Anderson, and Bentonville is included.

Music by the Liberty Hall Drum & Fife Corps and the 26th North Carolina Field Music/Carolina Fifes and Drums, artwork by Stephen McCall, Martin Pate, and Darrell Combs, and maps by Mark A. Moore and Hal Jesperson are also in the documentary.

The second film, The Civil War in North Carolina: Battles for the Coast, 1862, covers events that took place in our state that year including the Burnside Expedition and Foster's Raid. The film features the following:

The American Battlefield Trust is Offering Free Educational Materials on the American Revolution and American Civil War

The American Battlefield Trust "wants to share a sample of the digital resources that might be helpful to you right now. We hope that they can help bring history to life at home, whether you are a parent, educator, lifelong student of history, or anywhere in between."

Click here to be taken to The American Battlefield Trust's Facebook page where you can find links to free on-line educational materials covering both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War.

The American Battlefield Trust Needs Your Help

For more information, click the following link: Save Central Land at 3 Battlefields Including Gettysburg.

The Trust’s website has a web page devoted to a wonderful interactive tool. Displayed is a map of the U.S. that can be toggled between topographical and satellite views. In either case, an Interstate highway system is superimposed for reference.

For each State in which Civil War battles were fought, one can zoom in on that State and then drill down to show a specific battle. Clicking on the battle location brings up a webpage with details about the battle.

Raleigh Civil War Round Table

Upcoming meeting of the Raleigh CWRT:

The Raleigh Civil War Round Table’s April 14th, 2024, meeting will feature Dr. Ted Kunstling, M.D., speaking on the topic Raleigh Occupied 1865. This will be immediately followed by a Raleigh Trolley tour of extant, i.e., still-existing, structures/landmarks present at the 1865 occupation.

The meeting will be held at the NC Museum of History's Longleaf Room, located off Jones St. on the north end, lower level, of the Museum in downtown Raleigh, NC. There is free parking in the lot east of the Museum. The wearing of a mask is optional.

If you are on our mailing list, you should receive an invitation our April 14th meeting, including instructions and a link for joining online if you are unable to attend in person. Please respond by email to RaleighCWRT@Yahoo.com if you have not received an invitation by April 7th.

Ted’s Civil War interest began in his grandfather’s library which contained works by Bruce Catton, Bell Irvin Wiley, Douglas Southhall Freeman, and others. While growing up, Ted’s parents took him to visit many major battlefields in Virginia and Pennsylvania and Fort Pulaski, Georgia.

Dr. Kunstling is a charter member and Past President of the Raleigh Civil War Round Table. He recently assented to return as interim president while a replacement is being groomed. Ted is also a board member of the N.C. Civil War & Reconstruction Center in Fayetteville.

He has served on the boards of Duke Raleigh Hospital, the NC Symphony Society, and Urban Ministries of Wake County, and currently serves on the board of the NC Symphony Foundation.

Ted enjoys lecturing on the Civil War as it affected Raleigh and on Civil War railroads in North Carolina. He last spoke to our Round Table in August 2020, when he talked about how railroads played a role in North Carolina during the Civil War.

Ted and his wife Frances have made their home in Raleigh since 1975. They have two grown daughters and 3 grandsons, one of whom, Jason, age 12, is a budding Civil War historian.

The Podcast Addressing Gettysburg

Following are two endorsements of Addressing Gettysburg:

— Scott Hartwig - Author, To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of 1862

— Codie Eash - Author, Historian, Visitor Services Coordinator at Gettysburg Seminary Ridge Museum

Third Member-Produced Civil War Documentary Film Now Available

Andrew Ballard, editor emeritus of The Knapsack newsletter, has just produced a companion Blu-ray film to two earlier documentaries that the Raleigh Civil War Round Table previously released.

This latest documentary film, The Civil War in North Carolina: Taking the Offensive, 1864, covers events that took place in our state that year including efforts by Maj. Gen. George Pickett to retake New Bern. The film features the following:

It is narrated by S.N. Burkholder of Middletown, CT and filmed on site. It includes re-enactment footage along with historical maps and illustrations and period music.

The first film, The Civil War in North Carolina: The Final Campaigns, 1865, features historians and authors speaking on the major events of 1865, including the following:

The experts were all filmed at the applicable historical sites and re-enactment footage from the sesquicentennial events at Fort Fisher, Fort Anderson, and Bentonville is included.

Music by the Liberty Hall Drum & Fife Corps and the 26th North Carolina Field Music/Carolina Fifes and Drums, artwork by Stephen McCall, Martin Pate, and Darrell Combs, and maps by Mark A. Moore and Hal Jesperson are also in the documentary.

The second film, The Civil War in North Carolina: Battles for the Coast, 1862, covers events that took place in our state that year including the Burnside Expedition and Foster's Raid. The film features the following:

The American Battlefield Trust is Offering Free Educational Materials on the American Revolution and American Civil War

The American Battlefield Trust "wants to share a sample of the digital resources that might be helpful to you right now. We hope that they can help bring history to life at home, whether you are a parent, educator, lifelong student of history, or anywhere in between."

Click here to be taken to The American Battlefield Trust's Facebook page where you can find links to free on-line educational materials covering both the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War.

The American Battlefield Trust Needs Your Help

For more information, click the following link: Save Central Land at 3 Battlefields Including Gettysburg.

The Trust’s website has a web page devoted to a wonderful interactive tool. Displayed is a map of the U.S. that can be toggled between topographical and satellite views. In either case, an Interstate highway system is superimposed for reference.

For each State in which Civil War battles were fought, one can zoom in on that State and then drill down to show a specific battle. Clicking on the battle location brings up a webpage with details about the battle.

The Raleigh Civil War Round Table’s April 14^th, 2024, meeting will feature Dr. Ted Kunstling, M.D., speaking on the topic Raleigh Occupied 1865. This will be immediately followed by a Raleigh Trolley tour of extant, i.e., still-existing, structures/landmarks present at the 1865 occupation.

If you are on our mailing list, you should receive an invitation our April 14^th meeting, including instructions and a link for joining online if you are unable to attend in person. Please respond by email to RaleighCWRT@Yahoo.com if you have not received an invitation by April 7^th.