Letters from War: 1861 | Returning soldiers riot in Harrisburg as Martin Byrne writes home to Carbondale

Posted on by Jake Wynn

After the disaster at Bull Run, thousands of unpaid soldiers flooded Harrisburg and turned to rioting — storming the arsenal, ransacking a hotel for the paymaster. A young Carbondale officer watched it unfold and called Patterson a "double-dyed traitor." Read the full letter.

Letters from War: 1861 | “The light of a thousand homes has gone out” – A soldier with ties to Pittston writes after Bull Run

Posted on by Jake Wynn

"What a terrible thing a battle is..." On July 21, 1861, the Civil War turned truly bloody at Bull Run. A soldier with ties to Pittston was there - among the first onto the field, and the last to leave - and wrote home to describe the retreat, the dead left behind, and the moment the war became something no one could take back. Read the full letter.