As America commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War there is a renewed interest in the history of the conflict, its battles and its impacts. This paper looks at what came to be referred to as the "Battle of Papertown," an incident that resulted in the death of a young Carlisle man.
The experiences of Levi Bowen during the Civil War are examples of perseverance in the face of severe hardship. It is surprising he survived the war after the trauma he endured. Levi’s diary describes his service from April to December 1864. Before he started his diary, he had already served m
OFFICERS
Henry J. Biddle, William B. Blaney, James S. Colwell, George W. Comfort
In the summer of 1863, the Cumberland Valley was awash in fear and excitement as General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia came northward, culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Much has been written since then, 'indeed perhaps too much- by one estimate more than 5000 books and articles have been written about the Gettysburg Campaign of June and July 1863.
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, James Colwell and his wife Ann were living in Carlisle, Pa.
This paper is a by-product resulting from research completed for "Lincoln Cemetery- the Story Down Under" a paper published in October 2011. After finding many articles about the "colored" G.A.R. Post in the local newspaper as part of that research, it seemed obvious that the story of this fine organization needed to be told.
The 1863 shelling of Carlisle during the American Civil War left indelible marks on some of the town's buildings. It crystallized into stories passed down in family histories. Its presentation in print was a fascination for local residents who relished the collection of facts and opinions in their newspapers. A piece in the Carlisle American gave the popular opinion that the Confederate leader in charge of the shelling, Major General Fitzhugh Lee, was "the dastard ... not only lost to pity but destitute of humanity".
Born in France during the reign of King Louis Philippe, Peter Karlskind arrived in America in 1863, fought with the Irish Brigade during the Civil War and died in Cumberland County on or about New Year’s Day 1900.
Read Before Historical Meeting of the Hamilton Library Association, Carlisle, Pa., November V. 1902, and Reprinted for the Historical Department. From all sources obtainable it is generally conceded that Lees' objective point when he attempted the invasion of Pennsylvania was Philadelphia, though he expected to give battle before reaching this point.
On Monday, April 10, 1865, news of the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia reached Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In response to this event one of the town’s newspapers, the American Volunteer, exclaimed, “Thank God! [T]he fearful and bloody rebellion that has desolated our land for over four long years, costing, as it did, hundreds of thousands of lives, thousands of millions of treasure, is, so far as fighting is concerned, over.”1 Lee’s surrender signaled an end to the fighting between the United States and the Southern Confederacy.