The 41st USCT Regiment was organized at Camp William Penn in the fall of 1864. This regiment participated in several engagements in Virginia: “On the 27th of March [1864], in connection with the Twenty fourth Corps, under command of General Ord, to the Second Division of which it now belonged, it move to join the […]
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Apr
10
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Apr
10
Discovering the Civil War
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Places to Visit, Recent News, VideoThis article from the Washington Post describes “Discovering the Civil War,” a new exhibit that will open at the National Archives in Washington D.C. on Friday. This exhibit, as reporter Michael E. Ruane explains, “seeks to explore more of the little-known aspects of the battle and glimpse some of the dimmer corners of the conflict […]
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Apr
10
Watch a short slideshow or take a look at these images related to the United States Colored Troops (USCT). All of these images are from the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.
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Apr
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Presentation of Colors to the 20th USCT
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic PeriodicalsAs USCT regiments were organized in northern states, they were often honored at ceremonies held in local cities or at their training camps. A previous post described a flag raising ceremony at Camp William Penn. This article in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, however, described the event at which the 20th USCT received their colors in […]
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Apr
10
Voting Rights and the Grand Review (Nov. 1865)
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Recent ScholarshipWhile Gerald G. Eggert’s article in Pennsylvania History focuses on the experiences of Harrisburg’s African American community throughout a century, it also includes a short but interesting description of Harrisburg’s Grand Review in November 1865. The parade in Harrisburg was clearly an opportunity for that community to honor the African Americans who served in the […]
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Apr
10
Civil War Letters of John C. Brock
Posted by Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & Diaries, Recent ScholarshipThe book Making and Remaking Pennsylvania’s Civil War is a collection of essays about the events and legacies of the Civil War in Pennsylvania. The essay “The Civil War Letters of Quartermaster Sergeant John C. Brock, 43rd Regiment, United States Colored Troops,” edited by Eric Ledell Smith, focuses specifically on the issue of African-American troops from […]
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Apr
10
The 3rd USCT Regiment, which was organized in August 1863, was the first unit to receive training at Camp William Penn, located outside of Philadelphia. (You can read about this regiment’s flag raising ceremony in a previous post). The War Department initially sent this regiment to South Carolina, where it was involved in the campaign […]
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Apr
10
Battle of Port Hudson (May 1863)
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicals, ImagesThe Battle of Port Hudson on May 27, 1863 did not include USCT regiments organized in Pennsylvania, but it was among the first major engagements of the Civil War that involved African American regiments. The Union’s efforts in late May 1863 failed to capture Port Hudson, Louisiana, which in turn led to a siege that […]
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Apr
10
Jeffry Wert’s article in Pennsylvania History provides a great overview of Camp William Penn’s operation as well as interesting details on events that took place at the camp. Camp William Penn, which was located outside Philadelphia, was a critical part of the effort to train African Americans for service in the USCT during the Civil […]
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Apr
10
Abraham Lincoln in 1860 at the Library of Congress
Posted by Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Images, Lesson Plans, Letters & DiariesThe Library of Congress provides a wealth of resources for teachers to use in the classroom. Most helpful are the themed Collection Connections, which seek to give historical context to the Library’s collections and assist teachers in using them in the classroom. One of these Collection Connections is on the Abraham Lincoln papers. In this […]
