On October 4, 1861, Private James Morgan succumbed to complications from a gunshot wound he suffered during the Battle of Hoke's Run in July 1861. Morgan was mentioned in several letters written by members of the 11th Pennsylvania that were part of the Letters from War: 1861 series. Read the fully story.
In a letter written in October 1861, Captain Oliver Bosbyshell of Pottsville, PA described the arrival of the 48th Pennsylvania at Fort Monroe in Virginia. Bosbyshell described the camp, the regiment's drill, and the events happening around the important Union base on the Cheseapeake Bay. Read the full letter.
Sergeant Charles Cyphers wrote home to his former employers at the Pittston Gazette on September 30, 1861. He described his journey to join the 23rd Pennsylvania and the sights he'd seen since arriving in the nation's capital. Read the full letter.
Martin Byrne arrived in Washington on August 6, 1861 and found a city locked down by mounted police, drilling soldiers, and the weight of a war gone badly wrong. He wrote home to say his health had never been better — and that he'd gained twenty pounds since leaving Carbondale. Read the letter.
“The people flocked in by thousands… it seemed as if its whole population had been poured forth.” On a cold April day in 1861, Pottsville, PA came to a standstill as hundreds of young men marched to the railroad depot and into a civil war that had just begun. Crowds filled the streets, handkerchiefs waved from every window, and the sound of cheers followed the train as it pulled away. The soldiers went into history as the "First Defenders." Read the Full Story.
Pittston's young men mobilized for action one week after the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861.