From Denise Harrell secretary of the Hampton Roads Civil War Round Table (HRCWRT).
Join us Thursday, September 17th for our monthly dinner meeting at Virginia Beach National Golf Club, 2500 Tournament Dr., Virginia Beach, VA, beginning at 6 pm, followed by dinner at 6:30, and our program at 7. Author and historian Frank O’Reilly will examine the pivotal Battle of Malvern Hill, and the complexities of its outcome. Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862, marked the climax of the Seven Days’ Battles around Richmond. For the first time since the Civil War began, the full might of Major General George B. McClellan’s Union Army of the Potomac and General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia met on one field. The world watched and wondered as this high-stakes combat played out on the doorsteps of the Confederate capital. Frank O’Reilly is one of the nation’s leading Civil War historians. He has been a professional battlefield guide for 40 years, and Lead Historian at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park since 1990. His book, The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War On The Rappahannock was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. His newly published book, Retreat From Victory: The Battle of Malvern Hill and the End of the Seven Days, July 1, 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2026), is the first book-length treatment of this critical and important battle. With Frank’s trademark depth of research, insight, and gift for bringing the past to life, the evening promises to be both engaging and memorable.
The dinner buffet, which is optional, will include BBQ, Tuscan Chicken, red roasted potatoes, steamed vegetable medley, mesclun salad, dessert, iced tea and water. Cost is $20, plus tax and 21% gratuity. Please notify the HRCRT secretary Denise Harrell by email (cdharrell@cox.net ) as soon as possible, but NO LATER THAN NOON MONDAY September 14th, if you would like to have dinner. Virginia Beach National requires a firm headcount and a three-day advance notification. Also, if you have a history book you would like to donate to our book sale or raffle please bring it to the meeting. We welcome new members and guests. Please invite your history-loving friends and neighbors to come join you at our meeting.
**Don’t forget, Saturday, September 19, 2026 will be our “Charles City Plantation Tours” trip to tour Berkeley Plantation (the Harrison family) and Sherwood Forest (John Tyler). Please contact Judy Payton at (757) 323-2924 for more information.
The Chancellorsville/Spotsylvania Battlefield Trip on November 6th and 7th is full and a wait list has been started. Please contact Glen Robertson at grobertson@wolriv.com or Judy Payton at paytonsathe@msn.com if you wish to be added to the wait list.
The Round Table’s new membership year began July 1, 2026 and ends June 30, 2027. Annual Membership Dues are $50 (Individual) and $70 (Family) and can be paid at the monthly meeting with the attached form or mailed with the attached form to Treasurer Dale Robertson at: 23020 Rolfe Ave., Windsor, VA 23487. Please note: dues are not considered paid without the attached form being filled out. The form appears below.
Application form
Future HRCWRT Programs
October 15, 2026– “An Evening With James W.D. Bland: A Free Black Virginian’s Civil War Era Life of Consequence,” by Living Historian Al Jones, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park.
November 19, 2026: “Robert E. Lee at Antietam,” by Kevin Pawlak, Historian, Author, Contributing Member of Emerging Civil War and Licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam National Battlefield
December– Membership Only Christmas Dinner: “Seven Times When the Confederates Could Have Won the Battle of Gettysburg,” by Rob Abbot, Maj. USMC (Ret), Certified Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park