April 2019 CWRT: Brad Gottfried on the Maps of the Fredericksburg Campaign

Every Civil War buff knows there are never enough maps (enough GOOD maps) to illustrate a battle or campaign. Our April speaker, Dr. Brad Gottfried, has addressed this concern by embarking on a journey to map every campaign in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. His most recent effort, The Maps of the Fredericksburg Campaign, will be the subject his talk to our group. While most know of the futile attempts to capture Marye's Heights, fewer know about the other major action at Prospect Hill that almost cost Lee his decisive victory. He will also illustrate the challenges Robert E. Lee and Ambrose Burnside experienced in getting their armies to Fredericksburg and the dreadful January Mud March. Gottfried will have books on hand that he will sell and sign at a discount. Brad Gottfried retired after a 40 year career in higher education. After receiving his Ph.D. in Zoology, he taught for eleven years at three colleges and then became an administrator. He ultimately served as president of two colleges for seventeen years. Gottfried has received a number of national and regional awards and recognitions for his leadership including: the National Council of Marketing Professionals' National Pacesetter of the Year and Leadership Maryland's Gold Leadership Award. As a historian, Brad has authored thirteen books and two additional works are moving through the editorial process. After writing five Gettysburg books, Brad has devoted his time to researching and writing a series of map studies of the Eastern Theater Campaigns, including the: Maps of First Bull Run, Maps of Antietam, Maps of Gettysburg, Maps of Bristoe Station & Mine Run, Maps of the Wilderness, and his newest volume, the Maps of Fredericksburg. He has completed two other books in the series, which should be published in the next few years: The Maps of the Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign and the Maps of the Spotsylvania/Overland Campaign. His Maps of the Petersburg Campaign is well under way. He has also completed a small book on the Point Lookout Prisoner of War Camp for Confederates, which he wrote with his wife and is self-published.