VMHC Lectures

On April 30 at noon, David O. Stewart delivered a Banner Lecture entitled “James Madison’s Gift: The Power of Partnership.” To reach his lifelong goal of a self-governing constitutional republic, James Madison blended his talents with those of key partners—the dashing Alexander Hamilton, the heroic George Washington, the magnetic Thomas Jefferson, and the soldierly James Monroe. With those extraordinary partners, Madison led the drive for the Constitutional Convention, pressed for an effective new government, co-wrote the Federalist Papers, secured the Constitution's ratification, drafted and won adoption of the Bill of Rights, founded the nation's first political party and guided the nation through the War of 1812. Then he handed the leadership of a happy nation to his old friend and sometime rival Monroe. But it was his final partnership that allowed Madison to escape his natural shyness and reach the greatest heights. Dolley was the woman he married in middle age and who presided over both him and an enlivened White House. Their partnership was a love story, a unique one that sustained Madison through his political rise, his presidency, and a fruitful retirement. David O. Stewart, an attorney and an independent historian, is the author of several books, including The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution, American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America, and Madison’s Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America. This lecture is cosponsored with the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Virginia

On April 22 at 5:30 p.m., William C. Davis delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Lee's Last War Winter." Robert E. Lee faced the coming of 1865’s spring campaign season with decided unease. His army dwindled daily from disease and desertion. Across the South the Confederacy had met with nothing but disaster the previous fall, and meanwhile Union forces steadily grew in numbers and power. His only real hope was that Abraham Lincoln might be defeated in his bid for reelection, a hope that was dashed. In that desperate winter, Lee struggled to bolster his army and persuade Richmond to adopt mass conscription, making it clear that without more men, he would be almost powerless to resist Grant. And as the spring of 1865 approached, he did one more thing that few seem aware of today. He met with a few Confederate leaders to discuss surrender and reunion in return for political concessions, and he contemplated engaging in political and public relations maneuvering to force President Jefferson Davis to go along. Even with the coming of April and the evacuation of Richmond, Lee still clung to some hope, if not for victory, then for an end short of absolute defeat. William C. Davis is a retired professor of history and the director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books and numerous documentary screenplays in the fields of Civil War and southern history. His most recent book is Crucible of Command: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—The War They Fought, the Peace They Forged. This lecture is cosponsored with the Richmond National Battlefield Park.

On April 30, 2015, David O. Stewart will deliver a Banner Lecture entitled “James Madison’s Gift: The Power of Partnership.”

Madison's Gift: Five Partnerships That Built AmericaTo reach his lifelong goal of a self-governing constitutional republic, James Madison blended his talents with those of key partners—the dashing Alexander Hamilton, the heroic George Washington, the magnetic Thomas Jefferson, and the soldierly James Monroe. With those extraordinary partners, Madison led the drive for the Constitutional Convention, pressed for an effective new government, co-wrote the Federalist Papers, secured the Constitution's ratification, drafted and won adoption of the Bill of Rights, founded the nation's first political party and guided the nation through the War of 1812. Then he handed the leadership of a happy nation to his old friend and sometime rival Monroe. But it was his final partnership that allowed Madison to escape his natural shyness and reach the greatest heights. Dolley was the woman he married in middle age and who presided over both him and an enlivened White House. Their partnership was a love story, a unique one that sustained Madison through his political rise, his presidency, and a fruitful retirement.

David O. Stewart, an attorney and an independent historian, is the author of several books, including The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution, American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America, and Madison’s Gift: Five Partnerships That Built America.

This lecture is cosponsored with the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Virginia.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On April 22, 2015, William C. Davis delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Lee's Last War Winter."

Robert E. Lee faced the coming of 1865’s spring campaign season with decided unease. His army dwindled daily from disease and desertion. Across the South the Confederacy had met with nothing but disaster the previous fall, and meanwhile Union forces steadily grew in numbers and power. His only real hope was that Abraham Lincoln might be defeated in his bid for reelection, a hope that was dashed. In that desperate winter, Lee struggled to bolster his army and persuade Richmond to adopt mass conscription, making it clear that without more men, he would be almost powerless to resist Grant. And as the spring of 1865 approached, he did one more thing that few seem aware of today. He met with a few Confederate leaders to discuss surrender and reunion in return for political concessions, and he contemplated engaging in political and public relations maneuvering to force President Jefferson Davis to go along. Even with the coming of April and the evacuation of Richmond, Lee still clung to some hope, if not for victory, then for an end short of absolute defeat.

William C. Davis is a retired professor of history and the director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books and numerous documentary screenplays in the fields of Civil War and southern history. His most recent book is Crucible of Command: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—The War They Fought, the Peace They Forged.

This lecture is cosponsored with the Richmond National Battlefield Park.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On April 1, 2015, John J. Fox III, will deliver a Banner Lecture entitled "Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865."

Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865General Robert E. Lee faced the most monumental crisis of his military career on April 2, 1865. By sunrise that morning, the Union 6th Corps had punched a huge hole in Lee's outer line, southwest of Petersburg. He needed time for reinforcements to arrive from Richmond, but how could his depleted army buy that time? Against overwhelming odds, a handful of Confederates made a suicidal desperate last stand at Fort Gregg. Douglas Southall Freeman called this epic fight “one of the most dramatic incidents of an overwhelming day,” and yet it has been overshadowed by all the other historic events of April 1865. Fourteen Union soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their bravery at Fort Gregg. Many battle-scarred veterans from both sides described this clash as the nastiest of their four-year war experience. John J. Fox III, will tell the story of this long-overlooked battle that took place in the last days of the war in Virginia.

Fox, a native of Richmond, graduated from Washington and Lee University before serving on active duty in the U.S. Army for seven years as an armor officer and aviator. He is the author of Red Clay to Richmond: Trail of the 35th Georgia Infantry Regiment (2005), The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865 (2010), and Stuart’s Finest Hour: The Ride Around McClellan, June 1862 (2013). When not writing, Fox is a pilot for American Airlines.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On March 19, 2015, Kevin P. Duffus delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "What's Wrong with Black Beard?"

The traditional historical interpretation of the notorious Black Beard, and the pop culture-Hollywood incarnations it has begotten, may be among the more enduring historical frauds of colonial American history. Much of what the public knows about the infamous pirate simply isn’t true, nor is there documentary evidence to support it. To find the elusive truth of history, noted North Carolina research historian and author Kevin Duffus has delved deeper into the primary sources than anyone to discover a new, more accurate account that reveals the identity, origins, and motivations of Black Beard and his inner circle of cohorts. Join the award-winning research historian, author, and filmmaker in an all-new multimedia presentation that lays bare the popular myths of Black Beard’s widely believed surname of Teach, his ferocity, his purported birth date, his many houses, his many “wives,” and his long-lost treasure.

Kevin P. Duffus, a researcher and filmmaker, is the author of several books, including Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks: An Illustrated Guide, The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, and War Zone: World War II off the North Carolina Coast.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On April 1 at noon, John J. Fox III, delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865." Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865General Robert E. Lee faced the most monumental crisis of his military career on April 2, 1865. By sunrise that morning, the Union 6th Corps had punched a huge hole in Lee's outer line, southwest of Petersburg. He needed time for reinforcements to arrive from Richmond, but how could his depleted army buy that time? Against overwhelming odds, a handful of Confederates made a suicidal desperate last stand at Fort Gregg. Douglas Southall Freeman called this epic fight “one of the most dramatic incidents of an overwhelming day,” and yet it has been overshadowed by all the other historic events of April 1865. Fourteen Union soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their bravery at Fort Gregg. Many battle-scarred veterans from both sides described this clash as the nastiest of their four-year war experience. John J. Fox III, will tell the story of this long-overlooked battle that took place in the last days of the war in Virginia. Fox, a native of Richmond, graduated from Washington and Lee University before serving on active duty in the U.S. Army for seven years as an armor officer and aviator. He is the author of Red Clay to Richmond: Trail of the 35th Georgia Infantry Regiment (2005), The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg’s Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865 (2010), and Stuart’s Finest Hour: The Ride Around McClellan, June 1862 (2013). When not writing, Fox is a pilot for American Airlines.

On March 19 at noon, Kevin P. Duffus delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "What's Wrong with Black Beard?" The traditional historical interpretation of the notorious Black Beard, and the pop culture-Hollywood incarnations it has begotten, may be among the more enduring historical frauds of colonial American history. Much of what the public knows about the infamous pirate simply isn’t true, nor is there documentary evidence to support it. To find the elusive truth of history, noted North Carolina research historian and author Kevin Duffus has delved deeper into the primary sources than anyone to discover a new, more accurate account that reveals the identity, origins, and motivations of Black Beard and his inner circle of cohorts. Join the award-winning research historian, author, and filmmaker in an all-new multimedia presentation that lays bare the popular myths of Black Beard’s widely believed surname of Teach, his ferocity, his purported birth date, his many houses, his many “wives,” and his long-lost treasure. Kevin P. Duffus, a researcher and filmmaker, is the author of several books, including Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks: An Illustrated Guide, The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, and War Zone: World War II off the North Carolina Coast.

On February 19, 2015, Turk McCleskey delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Fellow Travelers on the Road to Black Ned’s Forge."

Edward Tarr, known widely as “Black Ned,” became a blacksmith while enslaved in Pennsylvania. After purchasing his freedom, Tarr and his white wife moved to Timber Ridge, in modern Rockbridge County, Virginia, where his forge on the Great Wagon Road became a well-known landmark. In 1753, Tarr helped found the Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church. When he bought a 270-acre farm on Mill Creek in 1754, Tarr became the first free black land owner west of the Blue Ridge. The son of Tarr’s last master attempted to re-enslave him, but with the help of his neighbors, Tarr preserved his independence. Exceptional free persons of color, such as Edward Tarr, can be found in every region and in every period during the history of slavery. As Edward Tarr’s story illustrates, these were more than isolated individuals: by the coming of the American Revolution, they constituted a self-aware, cohesive set of lobbyists capable of wielding the rhetoric of political liberty to roll back the encroachments of racist laws. Ironically, however, the Revolution undercut the legal gains made by free persons of color in the 1760s.

Turk McCleskey is professor of history at Virginia Military Institute and the author of The Road to Black Ned's Forge: A Story of Race, Sex, and Trade on the Colonial American Frontier.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

On February 19 at noon, Turk McCleskey delivered a Banner Lecture entitled "Fellow Travelers on the Road to Black Ned’s Forge." Edward Tarr, known widely as “Black Ned,” became a blacksmith while enslaved in Pennsylvania. After purchasing his freedom, Tarr and his white wife moved to Timber Ridge, in modern Rockbridge County, Virginia, where his forge on the Great Wagon Road became a well-known landmark. In 1753, Tarr helped found the Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church. When he bought a 270-acre farm on Mill Creek in 1754, Tarr became the first free black land owner west of the Blue Ridge. The son of Tarr’s last master attempted to re-enslave him, but with the help of his neighbors, Tarr preserved his independence. Exceptional free persons of color, such as Edward Tarr, can be found in every region and in every period during the history of slavery. As Edward Tarr’s story illustrates, these were more than isolated individuals: by the coming of the American Revolution, they constituted a self-aware, cohesive set of lobbyists capable of wielding the rhetoric of political liberty to roll back the encroachments of racist laws. Ironically, however, the Revolution undercut the legal gains made by free persons of color in the 1760s. Turk McCleskey is professor of history at Virginia Military Institute and the author of The Road to Black Ned's Forge: A Story of Race, Sex, and Trade on the Colonial American Frontier.