Letters from War: 1861 | Peter Byrne visits his son at Camp Lyon near the Chain Bridge in Washington, DC

Posted on by Jake Wynn

A father visits his son at war - and ends up behind Union lines in Virginia Peter Byrne came to Washington to check on his son, a lieutenant in the 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery. He left having crossed into Virginia in a borrowed uniform, stood behind an artillery battery in the pouring rain, and talked his way back across the Chain Bridge using a pass that called him "Colonel." Read the full letter.

Letters from War: 1861 | Martin J. Byrne guards the Chain Bridge above Washington

Posted on by Jake Wynn

From his post guarding the Chain Bridge above Washington, Lieutenant Martin Byrne watched General McClellan and President Lincoln ride through a grand review of the division on August 21, 1861. Lincoln, he noted, had "that lofty, though care worn appearance." Read the full letter.

Letters from War: 1861 | Martin J. Byrne describes the armed camp of Washington in August 1861

Posted on by Jake Wynn

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.

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.