Letters from War: 1861 brings together firsthand accounts from soldiers of Pennsylvania’s Coal Region during the opening year of the Civil War. Drawn from letters published in local newspapers in communities throughout the anthracite coal fields, these writings were read by families and neighbors hungry for news as the nation entered its most violent conflict.
These letters capture the voices of young men at a turning point in American history. They reveal the early patriotism and urgency of 1861, as volunteers rushed to defend the Union, but also hint at the beginnings of disillusionment with army life – the realities of camp, uncertainty, and the first signs that the war would not be short or simple.
As primary sources, these accounts offer a direct window into the past. They show how soldiers understood the meaning of the Civil War, how communities on the home front followed their progress, and how quickly optimism could give way to the harder truths of war.
Together, these letters help us understand what it felt like to live through one of the most turbulent moments in United States history in the words of those who experienced it firsthand.
Letters will be added here as we publish them
“He goes warmed by a spirit of true patriotism.”
In April 1861, a 19-year-old printer from Pittston, PA put down his tools and marched off to war.
“We have enlisted our lives and honors in the most noble cause…”
As volunteers poured into Camp Curtin, a Schuylkill County printer-turned-soldier captured the surge of patriotism at the very start of the Civil War
“It is almost impossible to form a word, on account of the noise and confusion caused by about 800 men around me…”
“If you could but see our outfit, methinks that you would not want to be a soldier.”
Sergeant Charles Cyphers described the long hours, rough conditions, and early realities of army life just miles from the Mason-Dixon line.
“Our country needs the aid of every young man, in this, its hour of need.”
Writing from Harrisburg, PA in April 1861, a 19-year-old Scottish immigrant tried to explain why he had volunteered for service in the Civil War – framing the conflict as both a duty and a test of loyalty to his adopted country.
A Minersville soldier writes from Washington, DC
“The President… visited our Regimental quarters on Monday last…”
The coal miners of the Ringgold Infantry had been in Washington less than a week – sleeping on bare floors, waiting on uniforms, and short on food in the Civil War’s early weeks.
Read the letter
Featured Image: Military units at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1861 – Harper’s Weekly Magazine
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