Letters from War: 1861 | Captain Alfred Dart writes from the banks of the Potomac River on the Fourth of July

Posted on by Jake Wynn

A Fourth of July firefight at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Captain Alfred Dart's Fourth of July opened with a skirmish across the Potomac River. He found time to write home to Carbondale on the holiday. Read the full letter.

Fourth of July cannon disaster at Lykens, PA | 1854

Posted on by Jake Wynn
Explosion of a cannon during a patriotic occasion in the 1850s

In 1854, a festive cannon salute in Lykens, Pennsylvania turned tragic on the Fourth of July. One man was killed, another lost an arm, highlighting the hazards of 19th-century holiday revelry. Read the full story.

Charles Kershner describes Pottsville in the 1850s and details his service in the US Army after the Civil War

Posted on by Jake Wynn

In part two of this interview from 1927, Charles Kershner reveals his experiences on the western frontier with the 5th United States Cavalry.