Sponsor: CWRT Congress
 

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Scott Mingus, Sr. returns to the CWRTC zoom stage with his presentation about General William “Extra Billy” Smith.  Smith, the oldest and one of the most controversial Confederate generals on the field at Gettysburg, was also one of the most colorful and charismatic characters of the Old South and the Civil War.  Despite a life full of drama, politics, and adventure, his story has largely been untold.

Known nationally as Extra Billy because of his prewar penchant for finding loopholes in government postal contracts, Smith served as Virginia’s governor during both the War with Mexico and the Civil War, served five terms in the U S Congress, and was one of Virginia’s leading spokesmen for slavery and States’ Rights.  Extra Billy’s extra-long speeches and wry sense of humor were legendary among his peers.  A lawyer during the heady Gold Rush days, Smith made a fortune in California and, like his income earned from stagecoaches, quickly lost it.  You won’t want to miss Extra Billy’s fascinating story.