The Conway Cabal: The Conspiracy to Replace George Washington as Commander-In–Chief
Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm

Fortunately for General George Washington there was no such thing as Public Opinion Polls during the American Revolutionary War. By the late Fall of 1777, after more than two years of inconclusive war, there was growing concern about whether he was the right man for the job of Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army. Washington's stature was at an all-time low following the defeat at Brandywine (Sept. 11, 1777), the occupation of Philadelphia by the British Army (Sept. 26, 1777), the defeat at Germantown (Oct. 4, 1777), and the loss of the Delaware River forts (mid-November 1777). Meanwhile, following a stunning victory at Saratoga (Oct. 17, 1777), a victory which would convince the French to recognize American independence, General Horatio Gates was given a gold medal by the Continental Congress.  As Washington's weary soldiers trudged into winter encampment at Valley Forge (Dec. 19, 1777), General Washington was not only fighting to keep his army from completely dissolving, but also to keep his thankless position.
 
Please join Park Ranger Eric Pominville as he discusses the “Conway Cabal” the effort by some to replace George Washington as the Commander-In-Chief during the Revolutionary War. Regarded by many historians as nothing more than grumblings of discontent by a disaffected few; others see it as the only serious challenge to Washington's position of ultimate authority. The episode provides a fascinating window into the myriad responsibilities, challenges, and personal headaches of the man we call "The Father of Our Country."

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The Washington National Mall
Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm


The National Mall in Washington, DC has had three lives. During its early decades, the Mall was little more than a pasture. In the 1870s, the Army Corps of Engineers created a picturesque park where gravel paths wound through dense plantings and around ornate Victorian buildings. In the 1930s, the National Park Service swept away the Victorian landscaping and replaced it with the rows of elm trees and wide-open spaces that are familiar to us today.

Please join Peter Penczer, assistant archivist at the B. F. Saul Company, Bethesda, Maryland, for an illustrated tour of the Mall’s varied past. Penczer is the author of The Washington National Mall, the first general history of the park, published in 2007. He will share his collection of photographs, many of them unusual and unpublished, offering a surprising glimpse into the past lives of the National Mall.

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The Battle of Fredericksburg
Tuesday, December 18, 2012, 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm 

When measured against Civil War engagements of greater renown, such as Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in December of 1862, normally fails to elicit much excitement. For Union and Confederate soldiers that fought the battle, and for the officers that commanded them, Fredericksburg was that great “whirlpool of destruction,” as one Federal soldier from Ohio recalled it. 

The battle was far more than that, however, possessing importance on both military and political fronts.  Students of military history appreciate Fredericksburg for the opportunities it offers for the study of everything from aerial observation and long-range target bombardment to a hostile river crossing and an assault on a fixed enemy position. Military commanders recognize Fredericksburg for the great lessons it teaches about what to do—and what not to do—in the theater of offensive operations. 

Please join Park Ranger Michael Kelly for a look at look at not just the military implications of the Battle of Fredericksburg (it helped set the stage for Robert E. Lee’s 1863 invasion of Pennsylvania), but also the political ramifications on both sides. Confederates desperately fought to defend southern territory while Federals carried into combat for the first time Abraham Lincoln’s twin banners of Union and Emancipation.