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COMING
SOON: Battlefield Blessings: The Angel of Marye's
Heights Tour
Walking tour and presentation by
local Christian author and historian Michael
Aubrecht
On the morning of December 14th,
1862, Sergeant Richard Rowland Kirkland of the 2nd
South Carolina Infantry looked out over the field
at Fredericksburg and was appalled by what he saw.
The day before, wave after wave of courageous
Federal troops had charged into the deadly massed
fire of the Army of Northern Virginia, which was
entrenched on a sunken road, behind a stonewall.
The results were dreadful, and had left a sea of
bloody, blue-uniformed dead and wounded on the
slope leading to Marye's Heights. Hour after hour,
the cries of the dying filled the air with a
nauseating symphony of suffering. What happened
next stopped the entire Civil War in its tracks, if
only for a moment. Join Michael Aubrecht for a
private, Christian-based tour at the site of this
mission of mercy.
PROGRAM
This special program includes a
walking tour of the stone wall and field, an "Angel
of Marye's Heights" presentation at the Kirkland
Monument (including a reading of Sgt. Kirkland's
personal letters), a correlation of acts to
Biblical scripture, and a special prayer service at
the nearby National Cemetery. This 1-hour program
will be both educational and inspirational as we
hear how God's presence can be found in the midst
of war. Following the tour, attendees may visit the
adjacent museum or walk the hallowed
grounds.
This subject is one that has been
repeated a few times in my work, the inspirational
story of Sergeant Richard Kirkland. "The Angel of
Marye's Heights" has made appearances in my
devotional The Southern Cross, my
presentation Faith Under Fire, and in an
article on compassion and charity that I penned for
the SPC Post. This walking-tour however is an
expansion of the story to include the reading of
personal letters, as well as the rest of this
extraordinary soldier's life up to and including
his death. By taking the audience there and
positioning them on the field near the site of the
actual event, as well as in the shadow of the great
monument that stands today in homage to the act, I
strive to present the Christian courage and
conviction that Sgt. Kirkland possessed. Associated
scripture passages will also be offered to
correlate his act of kindness with God's Holy Word.
A Puritan historian recently stated in a discussion
on the theology of forgiveness that "I see
Kirkland's downhill leap over the stonewall as a
veritable leap into the 'valley of the shadow of
death.'" I could not agree more.
BOOKING
Location: Tours meet at the Fredericksburg
Battlefield Visitor's Center.
Directions: Visit
www.nps.gov/archive/frsp/vc.htm for more
information.
Time: Approximately 1 hour.
(Some short distance walking to monument and
hilltop cemetery)
Admission: Adult: $25,
Child (15-): $12.50 (minimum of $150) Signed books
will also be available.
Hours: By appointment only,
minimum booking two-weeks prior to the
event.
EMAIL
for more information on booking
this one-of-a-kind experience.
Virginia historian, Michael
Aubrecht, has dedicated his studies primarily to
the role of Christianity during the Civil War. He
is the author of numerous articles and books on the
subject including Onward Christian
Soldier: The Spiritual Journey of Stonewall,
Christian Cavalier: The Spiritual Legacy of JEB
Stuart, and The Southern Cross: A
Civil War Devotional. He is currently
working on a regional book for The History Press
titled Houses of the Holy: Historic
Churches of Fredericksburg. For more,
visit his website at www.pinstripepress.net.
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Copyright 2007 - Michael Aubrecht /
Pinstripe Press
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