"Red Badge of Courage" Virtual Event

Join us LIVE at 7pm (Eastern) on Saturday, August 29 in the Virtual Art Gallery for a special interview with an artist about his Civil War painting

"Ma, I'm going to enlist." With those words, fictional character Henry Fleming—like so many real Civil War soldiers—set his course for the camp and battlefield. Stephen Crane's classic novel, Red Badge of Courage, creates a story of what life and battle was like for the common soldier. The emotions of fear, the understanding of courage, the coming of age on a battlefield present a literary glimpse of the Civil War soldier. Crane was inspired by the stories he heard from New York veterans and based his novel off the Battle of Chancellorsville.

At Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, we are committed to sharing stories of courage and experiences of men in blue and gray on the blood-soaked ground. This year, with Covid-19 limiting in-person events, we're hosting a virtual fundraiser event where you'll get to "meet" historians, "take" a battlefield tour, "chat" with one of Stephen Crane's descendants, and support battlefield preservation. It's take a new look at familiar history at Chancellorsville through the lens of the historical common soldier and literary fiction.

[Enlist today and get all event links sent directly to your inbox!]

We hope you'll mark your calendars and join us daily on our Facebook Event Page from August 12-30 to learn about the novel, Civil War soldiers, and the Battle of Chancellorsville. Then, mark your calendar and join us live on YouTube on August 22 and 29 for special presentations, Q&A, and some fundraising incentives to inspire you to save more battlefield land.

The virtual event is free, but when you donate through this event page you'll get access to exclusive, bonus material! (We also encourage you to register your name and email so we can send your virtual links directly to your inbox and avoid any "lost in the Wilderness" of the internet scenarios.)

Here's the full schedule for our August 2020 Virtual Fundraiser:

• August 12-30 - Join us daily (anytime) on the Facebook event page to learn some history and answer a daily discussion question
• August 22 - Tune in to our LIVE event via YouTube for a special program (about 60 minutes). You'll see special presentations from historians, take a virtual battlefield tour, and have the opportunity to help us meet our gala fundraising goal. (View the event videos here!)
• August 29 - Tune in to our LIVE event via YouTube for an interview with Chad Wallace, an artist and descendant of Stephen Crane as he shares about his ancestor and the Civil War artwork he has created.

It's easy to "attend" this virtual event! Just "enlist" and we'll make sure all the feature invitations and helpful links are sent directly to your inbox.