Thursday, April 28, 2016 (7:30pm) to Saturday, April 30, 2016 (5:00pm)
Headquarters: Glen Allen , VA
Led by: Bruce Venter
Registration Fee: $295
On paper, Union Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick’s plan, approved directly by Lincoln, to release some 13,000 Federal prisoners, “burn the hateful city” of Richmond and capture or kill Confederate President Jefferson Davis, had all the earmarks of success. As one Michigan officer recalled, “The rationale of the raid was a hurried ride, timely arrival, great daring, a surprise, a sudden charge without a moment’s hesitation – success.” Even Confederate cavalry commander Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton felt “the enemy could have taken Richmond” except for some rebel luck. But in execution the Kilpatrick–Dahlgren Raid was a dismal failure; and a major embarrassment to Lincoln when controversial orders were found on the dead body of the expedition’s subordinate commander, the dashing and well-connected Col. Ulric Dahlgren.
Our tour will consider all aspects of the raid’s plan: its execution, the routes taken by Kilpatrick and Dahlgren and the credibility of the infamous “Dahlgren Papers.” We will retrace the raid’s original routes and discuss the decisions, mistakes and happen-stances that affected both the intrepid Federal raiders and the dogged defenders of the Confederate capital. We will focus on the tactical movements of the troops and the decisions made by the commanders on both sides. During most of the tour we will follow the same roads the troopers did in 1864.
America’s History’s bus tour for the Company of Military Historians’ annual meeting will focus on the Civil War’s first major campaign in the East. The call was “On to Richmond” when Union and Confederate armies collided near Manassas Junction, the battle that became known as First Manassas or First Bull Run as it was known in the North.
Our tour this summer will continue the study of Benedict Arnold as one of the foremost combat commanders of the Revolutionary War. Last year we investigated Arnold’s career in Connecticut as both a patriot and a traitor. This year’s tour will follow his career in the first two years of the war when he excelled on land and water. We will also learn about his enterprising relationship with the wily Ethan Allen during their joint venture to capture Fort Ticonderoga and how he handled Horatio Gates when he served under the Northern army commander on two separate occasions during the war.
America’s History is proud to continue its partnership with Fort Ticonderoga by again offering a special one-day Revolutionary War tour. This tour will complete Burgoyne’s 1777 campaign by concentrating on the battles at Saratoga. Led by Eric Schnitzer, historian at the Saratoga National Historical Park and Bruce Venter, we will spend the entire day on the battlefield exploring the first battle at Freeman’s Farm, the second battle at the Wheatfield, Burgoyne’s fortifications, Gates’ line at Bemis Heights, the surrender area and much more. One of the foremost experts of the Saratoga campaign, Eric Schnitzer, will review the strategy and tactics of the opposing leaders in a comprehensive narration, including some new information on Arnold’s conduct based on a recently discovered letter written by an officer serving in the American army. This is a rare opportunity to understand the actions at Saratoga from a leading authority on the campaign. We will return to Fort Ticonderoga in time for you to attend the opening session of Fort Ticonderoga’s American Revolution Seminar.
Many of us will remember the stirring adventures of the “Swamp Fox” portrayed by Leslie Neilson in Walt Disney’s episodic series in the late 1950’s. Again in 2000, Mel Gibson starred in a fictionalized version of a composite Swamp Fox character in the movie “The Patriot.” The real Swamp Fox story, however, is even more exciting than either of its modern day adaptations.
