Friends of Wilderness Battlefield is pleased to host a dinner/speaker event at The Cove at Fawn Lake on Saturday, May 7, from 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM.  A cash bar will be available starting at 6:00 PM.  Our speaker is John Hennessy, recently retired Chief Historian with the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and his presentation will look at how this unusual landscape came to embody what the Civil War had become, the immense stakes, and the profound sense of moment the nation felt as the armies fought their way through Spotsylvania County in May 1864. Guests may browse through select items for a Silent Auction beginning at 5:30 PM.  Winners will be announced at the end of the evening! Entrée choices include a delectable Crusted Parmesan Chicken, savory Grilled Atlantic Salmon or a delicious Vegetable Scampi. The salmon is gluten free. All entrees come with an Asian Salad, and Apple Pie will complete the meal. Iced tea, hot tea and coffee will also be included as a beverage selection.  Guests will choose their meal option when they RSVP online. Tickets are $36 (plus processing fee) up until April 13, as an Early Bird Special!  Beginning April 13, tickets will be $46 (plus processing fee) per person.  Tickets may be ordered beginning April 1 via this website: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5409343 The deadline for reservations is Friday, April 22.  We are not able to accept any reservations after that date. We will provide a list of names at the main security gate for guests coming in who are not residents of Fawn Lake. John Hennessy recently retired as the Chief Historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, where he worked for the final 26 years of his NPS career. Before coming to Fredericksburg, he worked as an exhibit planner for NPS sites across the country and, as a front-line ranger-historian at Manassas National Battlefield Park, where he began his career. He is the author of four books, most notably Return to Bull Run: the Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas, originally published by Simon & Schuster and still in print after 30 years.  His books, articles, and essays have appeared under the imprint of Cambridge University Press, LSU Press, the University of North Carolina Press, Kent State University Press, Stackpole Books, and another dozen publications. In his retirement, he will be working on books relating to the history of the Army of the Potomac, the Fredericksburg region during the war, and a study of the care and relief of the wounded in the battles around Fredericksburg.