Joseph Richburg, Operations Manager for Lebanon Cemetery, reads the new Civil War Trails sign which recounts the story of Reverend Jesse S. Cowles and helps visitors find the other graves of African American Civil War veterans. Located at 1412 N. George St., York, PA. Photo courtesy of Civil War Trails, Inc. First Civil War Trails Marker in the City of York to Remember Black Veterans Lebanon Cemetery becomes the first Civil War Trails site in the City of York, PA YORK, PA – On Tuesday, April 2, Lebanon Cemetery became the first Civil War Trails site in the City of York, Pennsylvania. The ..read more

Here is the schedule of events for 2024 for Company C, 87th Pennsylvania living history group. Come out to the events and chat with a reenactor, or, better yet, explore joining the group! 87th PA Co. C Finalized 2024 Events Schedule   *FVB Event*—These events are maximum attendance and designated as Brigade events March 2nd Company drill at John Rudy park – 400 Mundis Race Rd, York, PA 17406 March 16th 38th annual York St. Patrick’s Day parade April 13th Monocacy skirmish review – (NCOs only) – 5201 Urbana Pike, Frederick, MD 21704 April 27th & 28th Carroll County Farm ..read more

  George Alfred Townsend is not widely known today outside of hardcore Civil War circles, but in his day, he was one of the most talented and best-known newspaper correspondents and journalists in North America, with several novels also to his credit. Townsend was born in Delaware in January 1841 and went to work for a newspaper in Philadelphia. He then moved to the New York Herald in 1861, where he worked as a field correspondent. He is considered to be the youngest correspondent in the Civil War.  After the war, he wrote extensively on a variety of topics and constructed a spaciou ..read more

Tired. Saddle-weary. Hungry. Sleep-deprived. Dulled senses. The Confederate cavalrymen were deep in enemy territory and in desperate need of rest. It was the early evening of Wednesday, July 1, 1863. South Mountain cast shadows from the setting sun as Confederate Brigadier General Wade Hampton III and his brigade rode through the streets of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, and headed out the road toward Carlisle. Two of brigades of Major General J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry division of the Army of Northern Virginia were somewhere ahead of Hampton farther to the northwest in Cumberland County. Stuart himsel ..read more

As the American Civil War progressed, the deep political and social divide, the military battles, and the oft larger-than-life personalities frequently were news stories across Europe and many other parts of the globe. Names such as Lincoln, Davis, McClellan, Grant, Lee, Stuart, and Jackson eventually became quite familiar to foreign readers. Confederate sympathizers in France urged Napoleon III to take a more aggressive role in North America, where French troops were garrisoned in Mexico. Russian leadership and high society followed the unfolding events in the dis-United States with keen inte ..read more

Lt. General James Longstreet commanded the First Corps of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia for much of the Civil War, at times including independent command and special assignments. His commander, Gen. Robert E. Lee, referred to Longstreet as “my old war horse.” Longstreet, a South Carolina native, was among the highest-ranking non-Virginians in Lee’s vaunted army. He had a reputation as a hard-hitting fighter, one who brought out the best in his men. Yet, it is his performance at Gettysburg that has drawn the most attention to the general over the years. He is oft depicted in the med ..read more

Today, Cannonball is featuring a guest post by longtime Hanover-area resident John T. Krepps. He is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park and is one of the foremost experts on the June 30, 1863, Battle of Hanover. He has researched soldiers from the Hanover region who served in the 130th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Civil War. In the course of his study, he discovered that at least one African-American man from Hanover, David Thompson, served in Company B of the 22nd United States Colored Troops. That was a regiment of Black men serving under white officers ..read more

In March 1781, famed General “Mad Anthony” Wayne came to York, PA, to take command of the Pennsylvania Line infantry and recruit new soldiers for the Continental Army. His force soon grew to almost 1,000 men, and he drilled them constantly at their encampment on Penn Common (now Penn Park). The general made his headquarters in a house at the northwest corner of what is now Market and Beaver streets. At 9 a.m. on May 26, despite smaller enlistment than expected and lacking sufficient equipment, Wayne set out for Fredericksburg, Virginia, to reinforce forces gathered there under the Marquis de ..read more

Recently, I gave a customized tour of Jeb Stuart’s ride through York County, Pa., during the Gettysburg Campaign to my friend and fellow engineer Don Madar. We retraced the Confederate route from Hanover north to Dillsburg. Along the way, we briefly paused at Dubs Church, near Lake Marburg, where I retold the interesting story of the slain Union cavalry courier who was carrying an important dispatch from the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade. Local tradition says the victim was a New York cavalryman whose father came to Stone Church in Brodbecks to exhume his ..read more

More than 150,000 soldiers, Union and Confederate, fought at the Battle of Gettysburg from July 1-3, 1863. Each had his own individual life story. Almost all had left family, friends, and home behind to serve their respective cause. A few were professional soldiers before the war and had made the military their career. Most, however, came from civilian occupations: farmers, mechanics, mill workers, teachers, craftsmen, etc. Many of these warriors had earlier in the war had their photographs taken for posterity. Ronald S. Coddington is one of America’s foremost experts on martial images from th ..read more