Sergeant Henry Keiser | A Pennsylvania soldier at Appomattox Court House

On April 9, 1865, Sergeant Henry Keiser of Wiconisco Township, PA, recorded in his diary the moment he and his fellow soldiers learned of General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, marking the end of their service in the Civil War. After surviving brutal battles from Gettysburg to Cedar Creek, Keiser returned home to Pennsylvania, where he lived until 1933, remembered as a dedicated soldier and community member. Read the full story.

A Luzerne County newspaper’s editorial about Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia | April 1865

"The rebellion of American slavery against American freedom has just been beaten and crushed..."

How Pottsville commemorated the first anniversary of the Confederate army’s surrender | 1866

Parades, speeches, and way too much alcohol characterize how Schuylkill County marked the one year anniversary of the Civil War's end.