Event
Gibraltar of the Chesapeake: Sickness, War, and Freedom on Hampton Roads - A Free Virtual American Civil War Seminar hosted by National Park Service, Fort Monroe Authority, and Civil War Trails
Fee:
Free.Dates & Times
Date:
Time:
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Type of Event
Description
Schedule
8:50 am Introduction and Welcome
Park Ranger Aaron G. Firth
Acting Superintendent Eola L. Dance
9 am Gibraltar of the Chesapeake
John R. Weaver II
9:45 am Fort Monroe’s Other Encampment: Carving a Pathway out of Slavery at Freedom’s Fortress
Chandra Manning
10:30 am Of Fevers and Diarrhea: The Garrison Live of a Union Surgeon at Fort Monroe
Chris Grimes
11:15 am Sustaining Community in the Pursuit of Freedom: The Greater Shirley Communities' Lives in Fort Monroe and Hampton, Virginia
Maya Moretta
12 pm Heavy Firepower: Heavy Artillery Regiments During the American Civil War
Steve T. Phan
Speakers
John R. Weaver II
Weaver is a nationally known expert on masonry coastal defenses and is the author of the highly acclaimed A Legacy in Brick and Stone: Coastal Defense Forts of the American Third System, 1816-1867. He is an active member and former chair of the Coast Defense Study Group, a member of the Council on America’s Military Past, the treasurer of the Camp Tippecanoe Civil War Roundtable, and a member of several Friends groups of various forts, including Fort Monroe.
In addition to two editions of Legacy, John has authored three book chapters, numerous technical articles, and conference presentations (including multiple keynote presentations), and a glossary of fortification terminology. He gives technical tours of nineteenth-century fortifications for technical staff as well as for the general public. John has provided technical support for two major fort-restoration projects, several interpretive displays, and historical markers. He consults for the National Park Service, and several state park organizations, providing training for park leadership, interpretive rangers, and volunteers. Currently, John is providing technical support and on-camera presence for three television documentaries produced by Ravelin Films.
Chandra Manning
Manning is Professor of History at Georgetown University. Her first book, What This Cruel War Was Over: Soldiers, Slavery, and the Civil War (Knopf, 2007) won the Avery O. Craven Prize awarded by the Organization of American Historians and Honorable Mention for the Lincoln Prize. Her most recent book, Troubled Refuge: Struggling for Freedom in the Civil War (Knopf, 2016) won the Jefferson Davis Prize. Eventually she intends to write something that would qualify for a prize not named for a dead American Civil War president. “Escaping Slavery, Building Diverse Communities," a digital history project about freedom seekers in Washington, DC during and after the American Civil War that she and a group of dedicated undergraduates completed, is an OAH featured project. A former park ranger with the National Park Service, she has also advised historical sites, museums, and community groups.
Chris Grimes
Grimes’ love for medical history began in 2009 when he was introduced into the world of historic medicine. As he traveled this road of historical exploration, it struck him that while we have made many advances during the last two centuries in the areas of anesthesia, germ theory, blood typing, and antibiotics, many things haven’t changed. Major medicines today are actually descendants of centuries-old remedies. Surgical procedures and the instruments associated with them remain unchanged. He grew to realize that medical care is something that touches everyone, both young and old. Chris’ new historical infatuation began to infect all his portrayals (note: he still likes to shoot cannons and blow things up) much to the chagrin of some of his shipmates. So, ten years after being introduced to something he never had an interest, it is his primary living history focus (and the reason he goes to work every morning…to fund his habit!)
Maya Moretta
Moretta is a senior at Georgetown University, pursuing an undergraduate degree in History. During her time at Georgetown, Maya studied the intersections between history, education, and social justice. In her first two years, she worked as a research assistant in the Georgetown Slavery Archive and was a core member of the GU272 advocacy team which passed an internationally recognized reparative justice initiative. Currently, she is researching for her thesis which focuses on the lives of the people who were enslaved by the Carter family at Shirley Plantation on the Virginia Peninsula. Maya is working as an academic assistant, aiding in the design of a culturally sustaining curriculum for the 1619 Freedom School after-school program in Waterloo, Iowa. Born in Dallas, Maya considers herself a very proud Texan, and an exceptionally good cook. During her free time, you can find her in the deep recesses of Wikipedia or consuming an inordinate amount of reality television.
Steve Phan
Phan currently serves as the acting chief of interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument. An historian and park ranger for the Civil War Defenses of Washington, Steve has worked at several parks in the national park system including, Gettysburg National Military Park, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Stones River National Battlefield, Rock Creek Park, and Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument.
Presentations
Gibraltar of the Chesapeake
Fort Calhoun (later renamed Fort Wool) and Fort Monroe were designed to guard the entrance to Hampton Roads and support the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The defensive duo was designed to provide 581 guns, howitzers, and mortars to control Hampton Roads. Although Fort Calhoun was not completed in time for the American Civil War, the overwhelming power of Fort Monroe provided an impenetrable defense. This presentation will describe these forts and their role in the American Civil War defense of this important harbor.
Fort Monroe’s Other Encampment: Carving a Pathway out of Slavery at Freedom’s Fortress
From the moment that Virginia voters ratified secession on May 23, 1861, Fort Monroe emerged as a central staging ground for the Union’s military strategy. Troops in blue soon numbered in the thousands, and an elaborate campaign to take the Confederate capital of Richmond, VA would launch from the fort. But on that very same day, May 23, 1861, the actions of three enslaved men—Frank Baker, Shepard Mallory, and James Townsend—would launch another campaign when the men fled bondage by making their way to the US Army at the fort. Their story, and the story of the thousands that followed, sheds light on both the stunning achievement and the heartbreaking limitations of slavery’s destruction in the American Civil War.
Of Fevers and Diarrhea: The Garrison Life of a Union Surgeon at Fort Monroe
A medicinal exploration of the American Civil War will discuss the various illnesses and injuries being treated by Union surgeons. Soldiers, civilians, “Contraband,” prisoners, men, women, and children, the practice of surgeons serving at US Army posts provided a varied and unique presentation of experience from service in the field. Utilizing primary sources and historic records one should anticipate a positive prognosis.
Sustaining Community in the Pursuit of Freedom: The Greater Shirley Communities' Lives in Fort Monroe and Hampton, Virginia
Throughout the American Civil War and the years following, many enslaved people at Shirley Plantation fled Charles City, VA to establish lives as people considered “Contraband” in Fort Monroe, and Downtown Hampton, VA. They established new lives in the region while maintaining the community bonds they had formed while enslaved. During this time, the greater community of Shirley Plantation celebrated milestones together such as weddings, and the addition of new children into families. They also negotiated their relationship with the Freedmen’s Bureau while both receiving and being deprived of resources from the agency. By examining and valuing these people’s individual stories, we can better understand the complex dynamics of the lives of freedom seekers in the area surrounding Fort Monroe. We can also acknowledge how the resilience of a community provides power and agency to individuals in their pursuit of true freedom.
Heavy Firepower: Heavy Artillery Regiments During the American Civil War
Explore the formation and service of federal heavy artillery units during the American Civil War. The heavies in Washington DC were maligned as "Uncle Abe's Pets and Band Box Regiments" and played an integral role in protecting the nation's capital; one not fully appreciated until the Confederate Raid in July 1864. Their organization, training, and duties were far different than that of light artillery, infantry, and cavalry units. Heavy artillery service was specific and unique, but it did not earn them the adoration of their comrades-in-arms or battlefield honors until 1864. A close evaluation of their time in the capital forts will prove how invaluable the heavies were to the war effort overall.
Registration Required - Free and open to all.
Cosponsors:
National Park Service
Fort Monroe National Monument
Civil War Defenses of Washington
Fort Monroe Authority
Casemate Museum
Civil War Trails
Reservation or Registration: Yes
Image Gallery
NPS