Noted historian, author to speak at Round Table

COURTESY
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. — Noted historian A. Wilson Greene will be the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of the Green Mountain Civil War Round Table on Tuesday, June 13. The meeting will be held at the Bugbee Senior Center, 262 North Main St., White River Junction, Vermont. Doors open at 6 p.m.; an optional catered dinner from Maple Street Catering will be served at 6:15, followed by a short business meeting at 6:45. The program, titled “A Perfect Hell of Blood: The Battle of the Crater” will take place immediately afterward.

For many students of the Civil War, the Battle of the Crater is synonymous with the entire Petersburg Campaign. The story of the secret construction of a mine, the explosion of 8,000 pounds of black powder, and the disastrous attack of the Union Ninth Corps is reasonably well known. What is less well understood is the context of the Union strategy that precipitated this battle, the specific nature and conduct of the combat, and the reasons why such a promising gambit by the Federal army failed. Mr. Greene will examine these topics and more during his presentation.

Greene holds degrees in history from Florida State University and Louisiana State University. He worked at various Civil War sites for the National Park Service for 16 years and then became the first executive director of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, now the Civil War Trust. In 1995 he became the founding director of Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier near Petersburg, where he served for 22 years before retiring in March 2017.

Greene is the author of six books and more than 20 published articles. His latest book is “A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg,” which is the first of a projected three-volume study of the entire Petersburg Campaign. He lives with his wife in Walden, Tennessee on the site of a Union encampment during the Chattanooga Campaign.

The meeting is open to the public. Reservations for the meal, at $12, must be placed by noon Friday, June 9 with Gail Blake at (802) 296 2919 or by sending an email to [email protected]. Those not having dinner will be asked to pay a modest door fee to cover expenses.

Founded in 1993, the GMCWRT welcomes all who are interested in this time in the nation’s history.