Letters from War: 1861 | An account of the first US Army/US Navy joint operation at Hatteras Inlet on North Carolina’s Outer Banks

Posted on by Jake Wynn

"Now commenced the really grand spectacle." In a letter to a friend in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Sgt. Louis Roth described the Battle of Hatteras Inlet on North Carolina's Outer Banks in August 1861. He described the fighting, the Union victory, and the terrible conditions as follows. Roth also writes a great passage about his regiment's consumption of lager beer, a favorite among the German regiments. Read the full letter.

Scenes at a coal yard in the Lower East Side of Manhattan | October 1902

Posted on by Jake Wynn
Photograph at a coal yard in New York City during the 1902 Coal Strike

In October 1902, as the Coal Strike came to an end, crowds gathered outside a coal yard in New York City’s Lower East Side, eager to secure fuel before winter. This photograph from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly captures the urgency as anthracite coal shipments from Pennsylvania resumed, bringing relief to the city’s residents. Read the full story.