1863

“An American citizen of African descent” – Black men in the battle for Culp’s Hill at Gettysburg

Amid the intense fighting on Culp's Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg, a Black man took up arms and joined US soldiers in combat.

Patrick DeLacy: Scranton’s Fighting Irishman

The Scranton Civil War veteran received the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864.

Mud and Graybacks - 125th Pennsylvania Infantry and the 'Mud March'

In the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericksburg, the 125th Pennsylvania experienced thick, sucking mud and lice known as "graybacks."

The Pennsylvania veterans who opposed Gettysburg’s first Confederate monument

In the decades after the Civil War, Pennsylvania veterans sought to keep Confederate monuments and memorials off the Gettysburg battlefield.

"No traitor blood lurks in my veins" - George Washington Woodward's Civil War

George Washington Woodward ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Pennsylvania during the darkest year of the Civil War.

"A vigorous defense" - Pittsburgh's forgotten Civil War fortifications

In 1863, authorities began construction on a series of fortifications defending Pittsburgh from possible Confederate invasion.

“The Sudden, Tremendous, and Simultaneous Fire” - The Keystone Zouaves Assault Fort Wagner

The 76th Pennsylvania made numerous bloody assaults against Confederate fortifications on Morris Island in July 1863.