I took a little time away from the holiday festivities this weekend to firm up the details for some speaking engagements that I'll be doing next year. The first talk of 2008 for me will be a special presentation to the 'Lee’s Hill 55 Club' at a private event held on March 8 at Lee’s Hill Community Center. After accepting their gracious invitation, I presented the group’s board with a list of current talks that I do, as well as an offer to present something completely new and original.

To date I have done the following presentations: 1. For God and Country: (Chaplains in the Confederacy, Stonewall's Sunday School for Slave Children, Oliver Howard: Battlefield Believer, Father Corby: Priest of the Irish Brigade, and The Double-Edge Sword of Theology). 2. J.E.B. Stuart: Christian Cavalier: (From a Boy to a Man, From a Man to a Soldier, From a Soldier to a General, From a General to a Legend). 3. Faith under Fire: Discipleship during the Civil War: (Civil War Memory, Father Corby: Irish Brigade Chaplain, Jefferson Davis: Protestant President, Nathan Bedford Forrest: Saint and Sinner, Oliver Howard: Battlefield Believer, Great Troop Revival, Sgt. Kirkland: Angel of Marye's Heights). 4. Houses of the Holy: Historical Churches of Fredericksburg (I'm doing this one for the general public in April as part of the SPC church's Community Lecture Series).

The '55 Club’s' decision was for me to do a modified version of ‘Faith Under Fire’, with a special focus on events that took place in the immediate area around the Lee’s Hill community. There are over 40 Virginia historical roadside markers within 15 miles of the subdivision, so my choices are plentiful. From General Lee’s and JEB Stuart’s winter headquarters – to the start of Sheridan’ raid and the site of Jackson’s flank artillery – I have a nice selection of subjects to wrap into what I am calling a "History In Your Own Backyard" presentation.

I am hoping to incorporate some graphical overlay maps (then vs. now) and photos of the roadside markers into a slide presentation. Of course now I have to create something completely new, but it is another great opportunity to expand my guest-speaker catalog. This group deserves something fresh, new, and relatable to their community. Stay tuned as this talk progresses.