Harrisburg and the Civil War (eBook)

AnsweringLincoln’,s call for volunteers, men swarmed into the Pennsylvania capital tofight for the Union. The cityscape was transformed as soldiers camped on thelawn of the capitol, schools and churches were turned into hospitals and thelocal fairgrounds became the training facility of Camp Curtin. For four years,Harrisburg and its railroad hub served as a continuous facilitation site forthousands of Northern soldiers on their way to the front lines. This vital roleto the Union war efforts twice placed the capital in the sights of theConfederates—,most famously during the Gettysburg Campaign when Southern forcesneared the city’,s outskirts. Though civilianskept an anxious eye to the opposite bank of the Susquehanna River, Harrisburg’,sdefenses were never breached. Author Cooper H. Wingert crafts a portrait of acapital at war, from the political climate to the interactions among thecitizens and the troops.

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This Civil War history examines the vital role played by the Pennsylvania capital and the many ways the conflict left its mark on the city and its people.   Answering President Lincoln’s call for volunteers, men from across Pennsylvania swarmed Harrisburg 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.   Its vital role in the Union war effort twice placed Harrisburg 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. In Harrisburg and the Civil War, Cooper H. Wingert crafts a portrait of a capital at war, from the political climate to the interactions among the citizens and the troops.