A user-friendly companion to the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails initiative of the Commonwealth that groups the state into seven different road trips, exploring buildings, battle sites, towns, monuments, and museums that memorialize the conflict. Includes visitor information and helpful maps.
A historian's investigation of the life and times of Gen. George Gordon Meade to discover why the hero of Gettysburg has failed to achieve the status accorded to other generals of the conflict.
Walk in the footsteps of history with this stunning volume that brings more than thirty Civil War battlefields to life. From the “First Battle of Bull Run” to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House four years later, this book celebrates the history and scenic beauty of these hallowed grounds in a large-format, beautifully produced volume. Explore more than thirty Civil War battlefields— from Antietam to Chancellorsville, Gettysburg to Shiloh—including the first five national battlefield parks preserved by veterans in the 1890s. Each battlefield features extensive photos of the key sites and monuments, as well as beautiful landscapes and historic archival photography. The essays enable the reader to understand each battlefield from a strategic perspective—its topography, geography, and military value—the battle’s seminal moments, and its historical significance, and guide the reader on how best to tour the grounds on foot. With maps, rarely seen archival photos, and stunning contemporary photography, this photo- and information-packed book is an inspirational bucket list for Civil War and history buffs, as well as those who wish to walk in the literal boot steps of American history.
An award-winning biography of one of the Confederacy’s most colorful and controversial generals. Winner of the 2013 Nathan Bedford Forrest History Book Award for Southern History Nominated for the 2014 Virginia Book Award for Nonfiction Despite a life full of drama, politics, and adventure, little has been written about William “Extra Billy” Smith—aside from a rather biased account by his brother-in-law back in the nineteenth century. As the oldest and one of the most controversial Confederate generals on the field at Gettysburg, Smith was also one of the most charismatic characters of the Civil War and the antebellum Old South. Known nationally as “Extra Billy” because of his prewar penchant for finding loopholes in government postal contracts to gain extra money for his stagecoach lines, Smith served as Virginia’s governor during both the war with Mexico and the Civil War; served five terms in the US Congress; and was one of Virginia’s leading spokesmen for slavery and states’ rights. Extra Billy’s extra-long speeches and wry sense of humor were legendary among his peers. A lawyer during the heady Gold Rush days, he made a fortune in California—and, as with his income earned from stagecoaches, quickly lost it. Despite his advanced age, Smith took to the field and fought well at First Manassas, was wounded at Seven Pines and again at Sharpsburg, and marched with Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania. There, on the first day at Gettysburg, Smith’s frantic messages about a possible Union flanking attack remain a matter of controversy to this day. Did his aging eyes see distant fence-lines that he interpreted as approaching enemy soldiers—mere phantoms of his imagination? Or did his prompt action stave off a looming Confederate disaster? This biography draws upon a wide array of newspapers, diaries, letters, and other firsthand accounts to paint a portrait of one of the South’s most interesting leaders, complete with original maps and photos.
Eerie tribute to the ghosts and ghouls of American Civil War soldiers. Riveting ghost stories from all the major engagements of the war including Manassas, Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Petersburg, and Appomattox.
What stories do we tell about America’s once-great industries at a time when they are fading from the landscape? Pennsylvania in Public Memory attempts to answer that question, exploring the emergence of a heritage culture of industry and its loss through the lens of its most representative industrial state. Based on news coverage, interviews, and more than two hundred heritage sites, this book traces the narrative themes that shape modern public memory of coal, steel, railroading, lumber, oil, and agriculture, and that collectively tell a story about national as well as local identity in a changing social and economic world.
Where to find every monument and tablet on the Gettysburg Battlefield--over 800 in all--organized by state, military unit, person, or armyPhotos and descriptions of each monument, with information on who is being honored and what they did during the battleCovers the entire Gettysburg National Military Park and all three days of fighting
Artillery played an important and perhaps decisive role at the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Although many hundreds of books have been published on the battle, few have focused on the artillery. Silent Sentinels fills this flaring gap in the literature. This well-written and illustrated study was designed for both the casual battlefield visitor and the serious scholar. The former will use Silent Sentinels to tour the battlefield, browse existing guns, ponder the many photographs, and learn more about artillery in general; the latter will find the extensive primary sources, diagrams, appendices of numbers and losses, and informative discussion of organization and tactics an indispensable reference resource. Silent Sentinels discusses in detail every gun-type used at Gettysburg, the equipment needed to operate the guns, their organization, and the tactics employed by both Union and Confederate artillery men. In addition to a history of the artillery and how it was used, the author includes chapters on the park’s collection of 436 guns, the pieces on display at the field today, how to identify the different types of cannon, and how to identify the date and place of manufacture. Silent Sentinels concludes with a driving tour of the battlefield, specially designed with the artillery in mind. This lovely historical guide, complete with detailed endnotes and bibliography, will be a welcomed addition to the growing Gettysburg titles.
A terrific guide to the history of Eastern Pennsylvania and its environs. Historical Trails of Eastern Pennsylvania takes visitors through Revolutionary War battle sites; past Civil War encampments sites; up and over ancient, coal-rich mountain ranges; through one-of-a-kind history museums; and along back roads filled with quaint covered bridges and barns displaying hex signs. Part guidebook and part odyssey, it is a panoply of you-are-there history, richly textured landscapes, and old tales made new for adventurous travelers. As well as offering deep explorations of eastern Pennsylvania for residents and visitors, this book will delight armchair travelers who enjoy compelling narration. Anthony D. Fredericks has written more than 100 books, including a host of children’s books, teacher resource guides, and Desert Dinosaurs (Countryman). He is a longtime resident of PA and a professor of education at York College of Pennsylvania.
In Hiking through History Pennsylvania, you can hike where George Washington suffered his first humiliating defeat as a military commander as well as the grounds where, over the course of a winter, he molded what would become a victorious army. Or you can walk the battlefield that not only turned the tide of the Civil War, but spawned one of the most famous speeches in American history. Or walk where the world’s first commercial oil well was drilled. There’s all that and more to explore. Hiking Through History Pennsylvania profiles 40 hikes focusing on the state’s military, industrial, natural and conservation history. Tragedies, some intentional, some not, are explored, too. Whether you’re a curious tourist or a local history buff, this is a comprehensive guidebook to the area’s natural and human history.