Civil War
No time period in history has more impact on Jefferson County citizens than the Civil War years. Those four years saw families uprooted, homes, farms and livelihoods destroyed, and the end of six decades of arms production at Harpers Ferry. For some, the war crashed through their walls and defeaning terror. For others, it led to freedom and education. And whether by choice or not, Jefferson Countians entered the war as Virginians and left as West Virginians. In his first book, historian P. Douglas Perks--"Mr. Jefferson County"--uses his decades of research and writing on the topic, along with rare first person accounts of four citizens who endured these tenuous years. Perks also brings new focus to the statewide issue of secession. No state in the Union was more divided over this issue, and perhaps no other country. Who would cast their lot with the destiny of Virginia and who would remain "firmly attached to the Union of these States"? Publisher: Harpers Ferry Park Association. Paperback, 158 pages. Measures 6" x 9" x 0.5". Weighs 9.7 oz.
Harpers Ferry experienced the Civil War like no other place and was a case study of repeated invasions, military operations, martial law, and endless danger. Journey into the Civil War with stories from those who lived, worked, fought, and died in a border town. This narrative is complemented by full color and black-and-white illustrations, photographs, and maps. Paperback, 200 pages.Author Dennis E. Frye is the Chief Historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. He is a writer, lecturer, guide, preservationist, and prominent Civil War historian. A well-know author, Dennis has written 77 articles and six books. Measures 7" x 9.75" x 0.4". Weighs 1 lb. 2 oz.
At the bottom of the “hole” where the Shenandoah River flows into the Potomac River is the village of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (which was Virginia in 1862). Towering over this confluence are Maryland Heights, Loudoun Heights, and Bolivar Heights. It all makes for wild, scenic beauty, but the town becomes virtually indefensible if enemy cannons are placed on the heights. In September 1862, Stonewall Jackson did exactly that. But Jackson was late. He was unable to meet Robert E. Lee’s stringent timetable for capturing Harpers Ferry, and the unprecedented loss of Lee’s Special Orders 191 – which detailed the Confederate invasion plan – compromised the operation and endangered the Confederate army. Often overshadowed by Antietam, the battle never would have occurred without Stonewall’s actions at Harpers Ferry. This guide includes several color and black-and-white photographs and maps of the battlefields. Publisher: Harpers Ferry Park Association. Paperback, 103 pages. Measures 6" x 9" x 0.25". Weighs 6.5 oz.
Published by the Harpers Ferry Park Association in memory of David L. Larsen, Interpreter.The diaries, letters and memoirs of the civilians and soldiers who experienced the war in Harpers Ferry have provided park interpreters an invaluable tool for transporting park visitors to the past. Here are 24 stories written by 17 interpreters, volunteers, rangers and interns that recreate six harrowing years of a town under attack. Paperback, 118 pages. Measures 6" x 9" x 0.4". Weighs 6.5 oz.
When the South fired the first shot of the Civil War in April 1861, hundreds of volunteers flocked to answer President Lincoln's call to arms, anxious to defend their country and uphold the sanctity of the Union. Among these first volunteers was Robert H. Milroy. Determined to obtain a military education and denied his wish to attend West Point, Milroy had at last secured a position to attend Captain Partridge's Military Academy at Norwich University in Vermont. After graduating, however, he was thwarted time and again in his desire for a military career, quickly discovering that military appointments tended to favor West Point graduates. A fervent abolitionist and dedicated patriot, Milroy craved military action and viewed the Civil War as his long-awaited opportunity to achieve the glorious reputation he so ardently desired. Compiled from primary sources such as Milroy's correspondence and the letters of those who knew him, this biography details the life and times of General Robert H. Milroy. Although perhaps not one of the major players on the stage of Civil War drama, Milroy was one of the staunchest defenders not only of the Union but of the Emancipation Proclamation as well. Focusing primarily on Milroy's Civil War career, this work serves to provide information about lesser known operations in western Virginia during 1861 and 1862 as well as illustrate the bonds that formed between commanders and their men. It also provides a case study of how an abolitionist general enforced his will in various regions throughout the Confederacy. Appendices contain a portion of Milroy's unfinished autobiography and a list of troops commanded by Milroy in combat. Publisher: McFarland & Company. Paperback, 212 Pages. Measures 8.75"x5.75"x0.375" . Weighs 10.6 oz.
When Robert Bradbury enlisted in the 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery in August 1862 he held strong convictions to do whatever he could to support the Union War effort. This series of twenty-nine letters chronicles not only Bradbury's wartime experience from the Virginia Peninsula to the Shenandoah Valley, but presents his thoughts on the war, politics, and the home front. Independently Published. Paperback, 130 Pages. Measures 8.9"x5.9"x0.25" . Weighs 7.6 oz.
Part of The Virginia Regimental Histories SeriesA history of this proud unitAuthor: Robert E. L. Krick. Publisher: H. E. Howard, Inc. Hardcover, 120 Pages. Measures 9.125"x6.5"x0.5" . Weighs 12 oz.
A brother and sister separated by war, a nation fighting for survival. By April 1863 the Civil War has been raging for two years. On their sleepy farm in Gettysburg, sixteen-year-old twins Susanne and Stephen are alarmed by news that Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee are threatening to invade the North for a strike at Washington, D.C.! Rebel forces in the Union capital? Is it possible? Frustrated with farm life and itching for action, Stephen runs away to join the beleaguered Army of the Potomac to fight Johnny Reb. Susanne is left behind to care for her embittered great uncle and superstitious great aunt. Separated by war, death, and disease, the twins maintain correspondence. But little do they know that Union and Confederate forces are converging on a small town for a battle that may determine the outcome of the war- a town called Gettysburg. Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC. Paperback, 178 pages. Measures 5" x 7.5" x 0.5". Weighs 4.6 oz.
In September 1862, two great armies faced off across Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, knowing that the fate of the United States and the future of millions of slaves were at stake. From behind-the-scenes conversations to the action on the front lines, renowned nonfiction writer Jim Murphy provides an in-depth look at the battle that prompted Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and changed America forever. Murphy uses photographs, maps, and first-person accounts to sweep young readers into the chaos and confusion of battle. Gritty and utterly engaging, this is a powerful portrayal of a day on which 22,717 people were killed or wounded--the single bloodiest day in American history. Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books. Hardcover, 103 pages. Measures 10.25" x 9.25" x 0.6". Weighs 1 lb 7.8 oz.
Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was the largest battle fought on the American continent. Remarkably few who study it contemplate what came after the armies marched away. Who would care for the tens of thousands of wounded? What happened to the thousands of dead men, horses, and tons of detritus scattered in every direction? How did the civilians cope with their radically changed lives? Gregory Coco's A Strange and Blighted Land. Gettysburg: The Aftermath of a Battle offers a comprehensive account of these and other issues. The late Coco was a park ranger at Gettysburg deeply interested in the battle and what was left in its wake. The Vietnam veteran who wrote well and often about the battle waxes eloquently about the carnage of war, its terrors and pain, its irreplaceable cost in human life and treasure, and the toll it took on the families who lost sons and husbands there. Arranged in a series of topical chapters, A Strange and Blighted Land begins with a tour of the battlefield, mostly through eyewitness accounts, of the death and destruction littering the sprawling landscape. Once the size and scope is exposed to readers, Coco moves on to discuss the dead of Gettysburg, North and South, how their remains were handled, and how and why the Gettysburg National Cemetery was established. The treatment of the wounded, Union and Confederate, was organized chaos. Every house and barn became of hospital or medical station, and the medical and surgical practices of the day were little short of compassionate torture. The author also discusses at length how prisoners were handled and the fate of the thousands of stragglers and deserters left behind once the armies left before concluding with the preservation efforts that culminated in the establishment of the Gettysburg National Military Park in 1895. Coco's prose is gripping, personal, and brutally honest. There is no mistaking where he comes down on the issue: There was nothing pretty or glorious or romantic about a battle--especially once the fighting ended. Publisher: Savas Beatie. Paperback, 433 pages. Measures 6" x 9" x 1". Weighs 1 lb 9.7 oz.