Harrisburg and the Civil War: Defending the Keystone of the Union (Paperback)

Cooper H. Wingert

ISBN 10: 1626190410 / ISBN 13: 9781626190412

Published by History Press (SC), 2013

About this Item

Paperback. Answering Lincoln's call for volunteers, men swarmed into the Pennsylvania capital to fight for the Union. The cityscape was transformed as soldiers camped on the lawn of the capitol, schools and churches were turned into hospitals and the local fairgrounds became the training facility of Camp Curtin. For four years, Harrisburg and its railroad hub served as a continuous facilitation site for thousands of Northern soldiers on their way to the front lines. This vital role to the Union war efforts twice placed the capital in the sights of the Confederates--most famously during the Gettysburg Campaign when Southern forces neared the city's outskirts. Though civilians kept an anxious eye to the opposite bank of the Susquehanna River, Harrisburg's defenses were never breached. Author Cooper H. Wingert crafts a portrait of a capital at war, from the political climate to the interactions among the citizens and the troops. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781626190412

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Harrisburg and the Civil War: Defending the Keystone of the Union (Paperback)
• Publisher: History Press (SC)
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1626190410
• ISBN 13: 9781626190412
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Answering Lincoln's call for volunteers, men swarmed into the Pennsylvania capital to fight for the Union. The cityscape was transformed as soldiers camped on the lawn of the capitol, schools and churches were turned into hospitals and the local fairgrounds became the training facility of Camp Curtin. For four years, Harrisburg and its railroad hub served as a continuous facilitation site for thousands of Northern soldiers on their way to the front lines. This vital role to the Union war efforts twice placed the capital in the sights of the Confederates--most famously during the Gettysburg Campaign when Southern forces neared the city's outskirts. Though civilians kept an anxious eye to the opposite bank of the Susquehanna River, Harrisburg's defenses were never breached. Author Cooper H. Wingert crafts a portrait of a capital at war, from the political climate to the interactions among the citizens and the troops.

About the Author

Cooper H. Wingert is a Civil War historian based in South Central Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Confederate Approach on Harrisburg and his work has also been published by Gettysburg Magazine. Richard J. Sommers, Ph.D. is the Senior Historian for the Army Heritage and Education Center at the Army War College. He is a past president of the Harrisburg Civil War Round Table, and he is the author of Richmond Redeemed: The Siege at Petersburg" (Doubleday, 1981)."