Letters from War: 1861 | Sergeant James Silliman and the 28th Pennsylvania under fire at the Battle of Bolivar Heights

Posted on by Jake Wynn

"It is truly wonderful that we had no lives lost in our company," wrote Sergeant James Silliman of Pottsville, PA in October 1861. His unit, Company A, 28th Pennsylvania, had fought hard with Confederate soldiers near Harpers Ferry, Virginia on October 16, 1861. Read his letter.

Letters from War: 1861 | Ario Pardee, Sr. and the recruiting of new regiments in the summer of 1861

Posted on by Jake Wynn

New regiments, new volunteers | The Coal Region rebuilds the Union Army after Bull Run | 1861 After the disaster at Bull Run, the Union's three-year recruiting effort reached deep into the anthracite coal fields. Four new companies were forming at Mauch Chunk, a Hazleton coal operator was outfitting a regiment, and the war that everyone thought would be short was quickly escalating. Read the story.