Central Va. Battlefield Group To Meet May 5, 6

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - A riverboat cruise and a tour of little-known Civil War sites in Fredericksburg will be among the attractions of the fourth annual meeting of the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT), May 5-6.

The meeting is open to all at a charge of $115 for members and $150 for non-members. Costs for a single day will be $60 and $80 respectively.

Information and registration are available by calling board director Carroll Hayden at (540) 898-6626.

Saturday's events will include a riverboat tour of Civil War sites along the Rappahannock River from noon to 2 p.m., and a walking tour of the city led by Frank O'Reilly, historian at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. The annual meeting will follow a barbecue dinner that night under a tent on the river bank.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the following day, historians Robert K. Krick and Gary Gallagher will conduct a tour of little-known Fredericksburg Civil War sites. Among them will be wartime churches, the homes of wartime diarists, nearly forgotten Fort Hood, and the birthplace of George S. Patton (grandfather of the Patton of World War II fame) and his brother Waller Tazewell Patton. George was killed at Third Winchester and Tazewell during Pickett's
Charge.

Krick called CVBT the "creme de la creme" of Civil War organizations. "They have in their four-and-a-half years saved a dozen tracts with many hundreds of acres, worth millions of dollars," Krick said.

As a private organization, CVBT supports the national park by buying properties quickly and often at a higher price than the park is allowed to pay, eventually turning the land over to the park and receiving partial reimbursement.