Letters from War: 1861 | A Pottsville surgeon walks the ruins of Fort Walker after the Battle of Port Royal Sound

Posted on by Jake Wynn

"My duties compelling me to remain below, I had little opportunity of observing the progress of the fight, and was... in a disagreeable state of suspense." Surgeon Robert Weber of Pottsville, PA experienced the Battle of Port Royal Sound on November 7, 1861 aboard the USS Unadilla. He described the battle and its aftermath in a letter to his parents in Schuylkill County. Read the full letter.

Letters from War: 1861 | Colonel Benjamin Christ and the 50th Pennsylvania ride out a hurricane off Hatteras

Posted on by Jake Wynn

“A fearful ride we had of it. God preserve me from ever having another like it.” In November 1861, Colonel Benjamin C. Christ and the 50th Pennsylvania sailed with a vast Union fleet into a hurricane off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. In a letter to his wife, Christ described how he and his soldiers fought to keep their ship afloat in the raging seas. Read his letter.

Letters from War: 1861 | A Schuylkill County soldier watches the largest US fleet ever assembled

Posted on by Jake Wynn

"It was a fine spectacle, especially at night, when all the vessels were lighted up, giving the Roads the appearance of an American Venice." In October 1861, the Schuylkill Regiment - the 48th Pennsylvania - watched a vast US fleet leave Hampton Roads in Virginia, bound for Port Royal Sound in South Carolina. A letter writer described the largest fleet yet assembled in American history. Read the full letter.

Podcast | Before Emancipation: Reconstruction Starts on the South Carolina Coast with Rich Condon

Posted on by Jake Wynn

In this episode of Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly, Jake and Molly are joined by public historian Rich Condon to explore the Port Royal Experiment - an early, improvised effort to build freedom during the Civil War. Long before Reconstruction formally began, formerly enslaved people tested land ownership, education, and self-governance in coastal South Carolina. Listen to the episode.

Podcast | The Patriot: The American Revolution as action movie

Posted on by Jake Wynn

In this episode of Public History with Justin, Jake, and Molly, we revisit The Patriot (2000) as both a Revolutionary War story and a product of its time. The conversation digs into mythmaking, historical shortcuts, and how Hollywood action tropes still shape how Americans imagine the Revolution. Listen to the episode.

The Gazette: Episode 1 – The War Begins

Posted on by Jake Wynn

Pittston responds to the astonishing news that Southern militia forces fired upon a Federal garrison in April 1861. The Civil War had begun.