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Civil War Blog

A project of PA Historian

The Draft of 1861 and the Second Amendment

| December 30, 2015

Further proof that the Second Amendment originally applied specifically to a “well regulated militia” and not individuals collecting personal arsenals of unregulated weapons for their own protection and defense, is found in an explanation of the Pennsylvania Draft of 1861 as it was presented to the public in an article appearing in the Reading Times, […]

Michael Bernard Gratz – Did He Serve in a Union Regiment?

| December 28, 2015

Of the three grave stones pictured above, only the one on the right bears a flag representing military service in the Civil War.  The stones, found in the Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky are from left to right, marking the graves of: (1) Michael Bernard Gratz (1822-1889); (2) Hyman Cecil Gratz (1836-1866); and (3) Captain Cary […]

Christmas and the Spirit of Giving

| December 25, 2015

In this Christmas season, don’t forget to reward your local historical society with a tax-deductible gift.  That gift can either be monetary, goods, or services. To determine whether a historical society is a legitimate 501(c)3 organization, properly registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the IRS provides current, on-line information about each group in this […]

Who Was John Greiner of Williamstown & Mifflin Township?

| December 23, 2015

John Greiner, who was about 36 years old (born about 1829) when he enrolled in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, Company G, as a Private at Harrisburg on 7 March 1865 and was mustered into service at the same place two days later, was 5 foot eleven inches tall, had sandy hair, a light complexion, and […]

Edward Pugh of Lykens – 96th Pennsylvania Infantry

| December 21, 2015

Edward Pugh was born 6 April 1843 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the last-known child of English immigrants Samuel Pugh and Catherine Philpot.  The two oldest children, Peter Pugh and John Pugh were born in England.  The third child, Elizabeth Pugh, was born in Pennsylvania after the parents arrived in Philadelphia in 1836 aboard the ship […]