Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-231) and index.
Contents
Two German immigrations and ethnic identity on the eve of the Civil War / Christian B. Keller -- German-Americans and the war up to Gettysburg / Martin Oefele -- The Pennsylvania Dutch as first defenders / David L. Valuska -- The Pennsylvania Dutch and "the hard hand of war" / Christian B. Keller -- The campaign and battle of Gettysburg / Scott Hartwig -- "Fight with what is left" / David L. Valuska -- Pennsylvania's German-Americans, a popular myth, and the importance of perception / Christian B. Keller -- The Pennsylvania Dutch fight for "old Dutch Pennsylvania" / David L. Valuska -- After Gettysburg / Christian B. Keller and David L. Valuska.
It is late June 1863 in southern Pennsylvania. The Confederates are invading the North, and one of their toughest and most cantankerous generals has decided to capture the grand covered bridge that spans the Susquehanna from Wrightsville to Columbia. From there, General Jubal Early plans to capture Lancaster, and then seize the state's capital, Harrisburg. General Early had orders to destroy it, but intended to capture it on his way to siege the North. Fire on the River tells the story that is often described as a mere skirmish in most history books. What happened in the tiny village of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, on June 28, 1863, changes the course of the Civil War. Here is the story that for so long has been overlooked in the history books. It is an amazing story of courage, and perhaps not surprisingly, how the U.S. Congress never compensated the bridge's owner for the loss, yet the burning of the covered bridge probably saved the Union. [from Amazon.com]
xix, 321 p., [8] leaves of plates : ill., maps ; 25 cm.
Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 293-308) and index.
Contents
The Gettysburg campaign : a brief chronology -- Prologue : the lay of the land; a sign of the times -- An afternoon in the badlands -- The season of disbelief -- Desolation's edge -- Flying thick like blackbirds -- Bold acts -- The wide eye of the storm -- The aftermath -- The seesaw of honor, or, How the pigpen was mightier than the sword -- Women and remembrance -- Making a living on hallowed land.
Summary
"In the summer of 1863, as Union and Confederate armies marched on southern Pennsylvania, the town of Gettysburg found itself thrust onto the center stage of war. The three days of fighting that ensued decisively turned the tide of the Civil War. In The Colors of Courage, Margaret Creighton narrates the tale of this crucial battle from the viewpoint of three unsung groups - women, immigrants, and African Americans - and reveals how wide the battle's dimensions were."
"Creighton draws on memoirs, letters, diaries, and newspapers to bring to life the individuals at the heart of her narrative. In telling the stories of these participants, Margaret Creighton has written a work of original history - a narrative that is sure to redefine the Civil War's most remarkable event."--Jacket.
Keystone Confederates : Pennsylvanians who fought for Dixie / Christian B. Keller -- Avenue of dreams : patriotism and the spectator at Philadelphia's Great Central Sanitary Fair / Elizabeth Milroy -- "We were enlisted for the war" : ladies' aid societies and the politics of women's work during the Civil War / Rachel Filene Seidman -- "The world will little note nor long remember" : gender analysis of civilian responses to the Battle of Gettysburg / Christina Ericson -- The Avery Monument : the elevation of race in public sculpture and the Republican Party / Henry Pisciotta -- The Civil War letters of Quartermaster Sergeant John C. Brock, 43rd regiment, United States Colored Troops / edited by Eric Ledell Smith -- Sites of memory, sites of glory : African-American Grand Army of the Republic posts in Pennsylvania / Barbara A. Gannon -- "A disgrace that can never be washed out" : Gettysburg and the lingering stigma of 1863 / Jim Weeks -- "Magnificence and terrible truthfulness" : Peter F. Rothermel's The Battle of Gettysburg / Mark Thistlethwaite -- The brothers' war : Gettysburg the movie and American memory / William Blair.
"Produced for Rivertownes PA USA in commemoration of the 140th anniversary of the burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge on 28 June 1863, this program narrates the dramatic story of the bridge's destruction and details the valiant attempt of an outnumbered detachment of raw Union militia to halt the advance of Confederate Brigadier General John Gordon's determined veteran infantry."
Also "introduces the poignant, very risky participation of a company of free blacks from Columbia."
