Photo credit: Jennifer Michael
Preservation Updates and News
From the President's Desk
Welcome to December! This is a time of year for reflection and celebration. Of course, it is also the time of year when the pressures of creating holiday magic and busy schedules can be overwhelming.
As hectic as the season is for us today, those engaged in the Civil War would have welcomed such hustle and bustle.
Captain Alexander (Sandie) Pendleton, while serving on General “Stonewall” Jackson's staff headquartered at Moss Neck plantation, penned a letter to his sister Mary, on December 28, 1862.
Pendleton wrote:
[Christmas Day was not even] a holiday, much less a Christmas. No, we had no Christmas, merely the 25th of December come and gone. No chimes of gladness at the recurring anniversary of the advent of the Prince of Peace – no outward recognition of the fact that anything was commemorated by the day – only incessant work of the army which brought in the regular routine of the day – a pause of only two hours with a better dinner than usual – a glance of surprise to see our table garnished with oysters &; turkey – a hearty meal, a great joke &; Christmas was gone, and we in camp watching the Yankees, and only anxious as to the duration of the war.
As we sit around the table with family and friends consuming our own feast, let us remember those not only in the Civil War but all wars and on deployment today. Reflect upon those great memories of the past and remember those we have lost. Make new memories with the loved ones we are fortunate to have today.
Celebrate our good fortune as there are always those less fortunate than ourselves. Lend a helping hand to those who have need.
By supporting the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, you continue to allow the stories of those who fought and fell to be told. You enforce the mantra of “never forget.”
The entire CVBT team and I thank you for all your contributions and sincerely wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.
Celebrate, enjoy, and be safe. May Santa grant you all your wishes.
Tom Van Winkle
Preservation Updates
2023 Giving Tuesday Update
On GivingTuesday this year we raised over $5,300 to help create public access and provide interpretation on more of the battlefield land that you helped us save. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort, and if you'd still like to do so, you can at the link below.
We are already working on plans for some of our properties on both ends of the Chancellorsville battlefield, as well as lands at Spotsylvania, including Myer's Hill. You can support these efforts at any time by giving here.
Save the Date!
Details and registration information are coming soon!
Save the Date!
The 2024 CVBT Annual Conference will take place September 13-15, 2024.
Look for additional information, as well as registration in early 2024.
Become a CVBT General Today!
We have created, and recently simplified, a special designation for those donors who go beyond answering land appeals and paying membership dues and choose to invest in CVBT further.
CVBT "Generals" are those who give an additional $1,000 a year over and above membership and land appeal donations. This is an INVESTMENT in an organization that has proven itself for well over two decades and shown that big successes can come from a relatively moderately sized group of dedicated individuals and partners.
So, other than extra giving, what makes the CVBT Generals different?
CVBT feels that anyone qualifying to join the ranks of the Generals should garner some special attention. CVBT will hold at least one, maybe more, private invitation-only battlefield tours with a noted historian exclusively for the Generals. There will also be a special event(s) at our Annual Conference offered specifically for this group.
For those Generals investing $2,500 above and beyond land appeals and dues, CVBT will waive the annual Conference fees for yourself and one guest in addition to the benefits listed above.
CVBT is a small organization doing incredible things. We appreciate all donors and welcome you as Partners. For those who think well enough to further invest in our mission we cannot thank you enough as you literally keep the lights on and allow the business of saving America's precious history to continue.
Learn more about how to become a CVBT General here.
Historic Quote
"Our battery has lost three men killed and sixteen wounded, eighteen or twenty horse, one limber and one caisson blown up, and one gun disabled . . . . A piece of shell went through my coat sleeve; it stung a little. A Minie ball went through the [sponge rammer], and it or a splinter struck me on the head. I was by the gun looking at the Yankees when a great piece of shell, big as my two fists, came along and knocked a spoke out of the wheel, and it or a piece of the spoke, or something else, hit me square in the breast. I did not know whether I was mortally wounded or not, but after a while I opened my shirt, and found that the skin was not bruised.
Excerpt from a soldier named "Ben" in the Pee Dee Artillery to his father and published in the Charleston Daily Courier on December 30, 1862.
Photo credit: Jennifer Michael
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