Napoleonic Alliance

1998 Williamsburg Conference

THE SECOND ANNUAL Conference of the NAPOLEONIC ALLIANCE was held in the Williamsburg Historic District on October 2-4. Except for a slight drizzle on Sunday, the weather was superb. Williamsburg is simply magical with autumn in the air. Friday began with a meeting of the Board of Directors (these meetings are open to all members) which adjourned before noon.

Members then had the opportunity to obtain pre-release copies of Proctor Jones' translation of Marchand's Memoirs. Registration was open throughout the day, with attendees receiving a plate commemorating the Egyptian Campaign.

After lunch, there was a delightful walking tour of Williamsburg led by none other than the Marquis de Lafayette, who introduced those present to the Honorable George Washington. A cocktail party beginning at 4:30 p was followed by dinner in one of the Williamsburg taverns. The evening concluded with a candlelight debate in the great hall of the Governor's Mansion: "Was England the Evil Empire of the Napoleonic Era?" Todd Fisher represented the French viewpoint, and Virginia Medlen represented the British viewpoint. The end result was not as one-sided as one would expect, however in the end the French viewpoint was given a narrow victory.

Saturday was filled with seminars and occasional visits to the dealer's room: lots of goodies to tempt the pocket book. Lunch was provided.The final speaker of the day was none other than General Bonaparte, escorted by the 7e Hussard. Monsieur. Le General Bonaparte (aka Mark Schneider) discussed his Egyptian Campaign. Kodak stock doubtlessly soared as the attendees snapped pictures of one of our favorite generals. The Saturday banquet was well attended, and the food was excellent.

Sunday, although damp, was unexcelled. The attendees were taken on a fascinating tour of the Yorktown battlefield, where we learned about the critical role of the French in the American Revolution and in the battle of Yorktown. Afterwards, a final cocktail party, and then farewell. If you didn't make it to the conference this year, you missed a wonderful experience.

More Napoleonic Alliance

Back to Table of Contents -- Napoleon #14
Back to Napoleon List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1999 by Napoleon LLC.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
The full text and graphics from other military history magazines and gaming magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com
Order Napoleon magazine direct