Four diary entries from the Civil War document the evolution of holiday experiences of a soldier from Pennsylvania's Coal Region.
Four Christmases – Holiday excerpts from Henry Keiser’s Civil War diary
Thanksgiving Day in Schuylkill County – 1864
A detailed description of how Schuylkill County celebrated Thanksgiving as the Civil War reached its climax.
A Lykens Civil War soldier’s close brush with death at the Battle of Cedar Creek, October 1864
Sergeant Henry Keiser had escaped serious injury throughout the Civil War. His luck nearly ran out on October 19, 1864.
This 1864 map of Schuylkill County includes detailed illustrations of mining operations
This map from the Library of Congress collections includes fantastic illustrations of the Coal Region during the Civil War.
Attack on the wife of a Union soldier launched brawl on streets of Pottsville in 1864
After a landlord threw out the family of a Union soldier, the women of Pottsville rose up in anger to attack him.
“The sad duty” – A letter from the battlefield of Cold Harbor
Lieutenant William D. Williams was mortally wounded at Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864.
“With great sorrow I address you” – A heartbreaking letter to the father of a fallen Civil War soldier
Private Anthony Wade died in an accidental shooting near Cold Harbor, Virginia in June 1864.
A Civil War officer’s grisly amputation at Spotsylvania Court House on May 10, 1864
Captain Edwin L. Severn lost his right arm at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House on May 10, 1864.
A Torchlight Parade for Abraham Lincoln in Lykens, Pennsylvania in 1864
In October 1864, residents of Lykens, Pennsylvania showed their support of Abraham Lincoln with an impressive evening parade.
Killed at Spotsylvania Court House – The Workman brothers of Wiconisco, Pennsylvania
On May 10, 1864, Josiah and Franklin Workman were killed in combat during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.
Wynning History 