As the Battle of Gettysburg raged, Harrisburg residents heard the distant thunder of cannon fire, signaling the scale of the conflict to the south. On July 3, 1863, the Harrisburg Evening Telegraph reported intense anxiety in the state capital, as the city braced for news of the battle’s outcome and prepared to receive wounded soldiers in the days ahead. Read the full story.
As Lee’s army marched into Pennsylvania, Pottsville residents crowded the Schuylkill County Courthouse, vowing to defend both their homes and the vital anthracite fields. Just days later, the Battle of Gettysburg would decide the fate of this high-stakes campaign. Read the full story.
A correspondent of the Luzerne Union newspaper provides an account of a fatal train wreck in June 1863.
Learn more about the Coal Region's response to the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863.