Jake Wynn | July 13, 2013
Few men were as important to the Army of Northern Virginia as Jebediah Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss had served the army throughout the war, and gain notoriety with “Stonewall” Jackson as a mapmaker. In early 1863, thirty-five year old Hotchkiss was given the task of sending scouting parties to map the Shenandoah and Cumberland Valleys from Virginia […]
Jake Wynn | June 20, 2013
Almost as soon as the threat to Harrisburg became apparent in June 1863, preparations were made to properly defend the city from the Confederate advance. Civilian and military leaders in Washington approved the creation of a new military district that included Central Pennsylvania. Known as the Department of the Susquehanna, this new district would be […]
Jake Wynn | June 18, 2013
As yesterday’s post illustrated, the state government felt it necessary to begin evacuating the archives found within the state library in the midst of the crisis. Today, we will examine the situation in Harrisburg from a different perspective… Today’s post will allow the people who were in the city on June 16, 1863 to tell […]
Jake Wynn | June 17, 2013
While Confederate troops splashed across the Potomac River and headed towards Pennsylvania, the state capital at Harrisburg went into a full crisis mode. The state government immediately sent out notice for troops to be raised to defend the state from the perceived threat of invasion. Governor Andrew Curtin sent out a proclamation calling for aid […]
Norman Gasbarro | July 4, 2011
In Harrisburg, the preparation for celebration of the Union victory of 1865 was well underway as troops returning from the war flooded the capital. A controversy developed that centered around the desire of Gov. Andrew Curtin to hold a celebration and parade on the 4th of July to recognize and honor the veterans and the […]
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