Please note: Optional Dinner will start at 6:00 PM. The Lecture will start at 7:00 PM. To make dinner reservations, email CvilleCWRT@gmail.com and indicate your entree choice: prime rib, salmon or chicken. Dinner includes salad and dessert. Cost is $24 for members and $30 for non-members.

LECTURE TOPIC: William W. (Bill) Bergen will speak on "Grant Finally Takes Command: How the Race to Appomattox Was Won." He will explain how Grant did not gain complete control of the selection of generals until after Lincoln's re-election in November 1864 and how the changes that he made led to the sudden stillness at Appomattox.

SPEAKER BIO:  Bill Bergen is an independent historian who specializes in the U.S. Army of the Potomac, with a particular focus on how politics influenced the appointment of Union generals. He served as the Union army expert for several University of Virginia Civil War Conferences led by Gary Gallagher. He is considered the leading expert on Union General Horatio Wright. Bill's writing credits include essays in Gallagher's books published by the University of North Carolina Press.