Letters from War: 1861 was featured by WVIA News this week. Roger DuPuis and I talked about the project, the chaotic opening months of the Civil War, and what these Coal Region soldiers' letters still reveal 165 years later. Read more and find the full interview.
One of the first Coal Region soldiers to die in the Civil War never saw a battlefield. Henry Yeager of Pine Grove was 21 years old when he fell ill at Camp Slifer near Chambersburg. He died on June 1, 1861 - not from enemy fire, but from spotted fever. His body was sent home draped in American flags. Read the story.
“There was no better or braver soldier than... John Dougherty.” At the Battle of South Mountain in September 1862, a Pottsville railroad worker turned US Army officer fell leading his men into battle. I recently visited the grave of this Irish-born Civil War hero in Pottsville, PA. Read the full story.
Ten days after Antietam, a young soldier from Wiconisco Township, PA sat down to put it into words for his father back home. Private Joseph Workman of the 96th Pennsylvania had just walked the battlefield days earlier. "I saw an awful sight," he wrote. "We had to move away from there on account of the stink." His letter, recently digitized by the Library of Congress, provides insights into what he witnessed at the Battle of South Mountain as well. Read the full story.
Check out Pottsville’s proud tribute to Col. George C. Wynkoop: a rare 1863 broadside from the PA State Archives invites citizens to Town Hall for a ceremonial sword presentation honoring his leadership of the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Learn how this celebration reflected Civil War–era community spirit, wartime pride, and military valor. Read the full story.
Before they marched off to fight in the Civil War in April 1861, Irish immigrant soldiers in Pottsville, PA gathered inside St. Patrick’s Church for Mass. Father Patrick Nugent spoke to them, "urging their stalwart defense and maintenance of our national Government..." Read the Full Story.
“There is but one feeling expressed, and that is, the government must be sustained.” That line appeared in a letter written from Eckley, Pennsylvania just days after the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861. In the Coal Region, the news sparked a surge of patriotism as young men began volunteering for the US Army. Read the Full Story and Letter.
On March 16, I’ll be in Columbia, Maryland for Historians on Tap: Luck of the Irish. We'll be sharing stories about Irish history in Maryland and Virginia. Join us for drinks, history, and stories that still resonate. Read more and register for free.
Major Joseph Anthony, an Irish immigrant and revered Civil War veteran, survived grievous wounds at Chancellorsville only to succumb to their effects in 1885. After the war, he helped shape anthracite mining in Williamstown, Pennsylvania, earning lasting admiration for his bravery and leadership. Read the full story and a moving obituary for this Civil War veteran.
In this episode of Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly, Jake and Molly are joined by public historian Rich Condon to explore the Port Royal Experiment - an early, improvised effort to build freedom during the Civil War. Long before Reconstruction formally began, formerly enslaved people tested land ownership, education, and self-governance in coastal South Carolina. Listen to the episode.