Our speaker will be Gabe Neville, who will cover his book The Last Men Standing: the 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolution and use it as the basis for a presentation on how the Virginia Continental Line was authorized, organized, and recruited.
Gabriel Neville is an author, researcher, and historian whose work focuses on Virginia, Pennsylvania, the American frontier, and the origins of the Constitution during the Revolutionary War era. In addition to his book on the 8th Virginia Regiment, and he has had articles published in the Journal of the American Revolution, the American Battlefield Trust, Emerging Revolutionary War Era, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and various historical society journals. Gabe is also the creator of two websites. Revolutionary Virginia, at Virginia1776.com, and The 8th Virginia Regiment at 8thVirginia.com. He grew up in Pennsylvania amid the geography of the Revolutionary War’s 1777 Philadelphia Campaign and just a few miles from Valley Forge. A former journalist and longtime congressional staffer, he now serves as a senior business consultant in Washington, D.C. Gabe lives in Fairfax County, Virginia, with his wife. He is the father of two patriotic young men.
Click Here to Reserve Your Spot
Line-up for Our Spring Meetings:
Our remaining Spring hybrid in-person and Zoom meetings are as follows:
May 12, 2026: Richard Bell, professor of history at the University of Maryland, speaks on his new book, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World)
June 16, 2026: John Maass speaks on his book, The Battles of Spencer’s Ordinary and Green Spring, 1781
2. Sad News-Two Recent Losses
I am sad to report that we lost two ARRT members recently. Edgar Bishop ("EB") Vandiver, an active and longtime member of our ARRT, passed away at his Fairfax home on March 15. A veteran, EB spent seven years as a government contractor and 44 years as a federal government employee, often in leadership positions. He frequently attended our meetings in-person; in the last few years, he was driven by his neighbor Joe Thompson. Rob Orrison said that EB recruited him to become a member of our ARRT. When I took over the presidency of our ARRT, I overheard EB telling another member that I seemed to know what I was doing. I took that as a high compliment, coming from him. There will be a funeral service for EB on March 25. Please find his obituary and service details below:
https://www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?page=1
https://www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Edgar-Bishop-Vandiver-Iii?obId=47763963
12:00-1:00 PM visitation; 1:00-2:00 PM funeral; 2:00 graveside service
I am also sad to report the passing of Stephen “Steve” Michael Connair, 75, of Annandale, Virginia, on December 12, 2025, after a long illness. Steve was a loyal member of our ARRT and in recent years during his illness saw our meetings with his wife, Karen, by Zoom. Steve had a 30-year career at the Pentagon and retired in a leadership role in 2015. He was an avid history buff and he and Karen would often go on history road trips to places like the National Road, Natchez Trace, Lincoln Highway, and the Lewis and Clark Trail. He will be missed; my deep condolences to Karen.
And my condolences to any of you who knew EB and Steve.
3. America's History LLC Presents: 13th Annual Conference of the American Revolution, March 27-29:
This terrific annual conference is scheduled for March 27-29 at the Virginia Crossings Hotel and Conference Center, 1000 Virginia Center Pkwy, Glen Allen, VA.
Richard “Rick” Bell—”The American Revolution and the Fate of the World”
Todd W. Braisted—'”You must expect to hear me talked of as a monster of cruelty’: Colonel Francis Lord Rawdon and the Revolutionary War”
Denver Brunsman—”Prisoners, Press Gangs, and the Battle for Sailors in the Revolutionary War.”
Iris de Rode—”Something New to Think About: The Dutch in the American Revolution”
William “Larry” Kidder – “Defending Fort Stanwix: New York’s Frontier During the Revolutionary War:
Lorna Hainesworth Sponsored Speaker: Stephen L. Kling – “An Underappreciated Victory: Bernardo de Gálvez’s Mississippi River Campaign Against the British in 1779”
Mark Edward Lender—”War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution”
Charles P. Neimeyer—”Revolutionary Riverine Warfare: The War for Independence on America’s Rivers and Lakes”
Gordon Blaine Steffey—”‘Trust Not Professions’: Feuding Founders and Diplomatic Disorder in the Arthur Lee-Silas Deane Affair”
Andrew Waters—”Backcountry War: The Rise of Francis Marion, Banastre Tarleton and Thomas Sumter”
Cocktail Reception on Friday Evening at 6:30pm for All Speakers and Attendees
Friday Bus Tour (8am-4:30pm): “More Virginia Founding Fathers: Essentially Important for Independence”—Ferry Farm, Gunston Hall, and Historic St. John’s Church.
Tour Leader: Edward G. Lengel—independent Historian and Washington Scholar
**Limited to one bus, so please register early!**
Conference Registration: includes cocktail reception, two buffet breakfasts lunch and refreshment breaks: $325, if paid by 3/1/26; after 3/1/26 registration is $375.
Friday Bus Tour: includes an experienced guide, all admissions, lunch, refreshment breaks, and all gratuities $195. Bus leaves Virginia Crossings Hotel promptly at 8 AM.
You can register here (copy link and paste it in your browser):
https://americashistoryllc.com/2025/13th-annual-conference-of-the-american-revolution-march-27-29-2026/
Revolutionary War 250 2026 Symposium, National US Army Museum, Fort Belvoir, Friday, May 8, 2026
8:45-9:45 a.m. – The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution, with Kevin Weddle, Ph.D.
10-11 a.m. – General George Washington at the Battle of Brandywine: A New Understanding, with Gary Ecelbarger
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – FOB Valley Forge: Washington’s Armed Camp on the Schuylkill, with Ricardo Herrera, Ph.D.
12:15-1:45 p.m. – Lunch on your own and gallery exploration
1:45-2:45 p.m. – “The Guns Roared and the Blood Flowed Abundantly”: The Revolutionary War in the South, 1777–79, with Mark Maloy
2:45-3:30 p.m. – The Origin Story of the French Alliance, with Iris de Rode, Ph.D.
3:45-4:45 p.m. – A Handsome Flogging: The Battle of Monmouth, 1778, with William R. Griffith IV
(There is also a May 7 evening event that is virtual only)
This conference is free, but you must register and seating is limited. There is also a Friday evening event.
You can register here (copy link and paste it in your browser):
https://www.thenmusa.org/symposium2026/
Thank you and have a great day!
Christian McBurney
President (mcburneyc1@gmail.com)
George Washington American Revolution Round Table of the District of Columbia
Other Officers for the
George Washington American Revolution Round Table of the District of Columbia:
Vice President: Eugene Procknow (geneprock@gmail.com)
Treasurer: Richard Rankin (brandywinecreek@aol.com)
Secretary and Webmaster: Doug Bonforte (ebonforte@cox.net)
Here is the link to our website (copy link and paste it in your browser):
https://arrt-dc.blogspot.com/
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In-person attendance only: Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7. We will be meeting in person at the Mount Vernon Inn, south of Alexandria, Virginia, at 6 p.m. (social hour) and 6:40 p.m. (dinner). If you plan to attend, please let me (Christian McBurney) know by e-mail and also inform me of your main course selection (salmon or meatloaf). I need a dinner count by Friday April 5, so please let me know by then. You must pay at the door. Our dinner rate is $40 per dinner. Checks are preferred but cash is fine. Write your check to: ARRT. The meeting will start about 7 p.m. Feel free to share this email with a friend or family member whom you think may be interested.
Our speaker will be Gabe Neville, who will cover his book The Last Men Standing: the 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolution and use it as the basis for a presentation on how the Virginia Continental Line was authorized, organized, and recruited.
