This book discusses eight successful military men who all grew up in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Chapters: Brigadier General Thomas Welsh, Major General Edward Shannon, Lieutenant General Daniel Strickler, Vice Admiral Charles Mason, Brigadier General Charles Supplee, Rear Admiral Richard Kern, Major General Richard Snyder, and Major General Frank Smoker. No bibliography
"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."
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]
The history of northeastern Pennsylvania : the last 100 years : proceedings of the twelfth annual Conference on the History of Northeastern Pennsylvania
The history of northeastern Pennsylvania : the last 100 years : proceedings of the thirteenth annual Conference on the History of Northeastern Pennsylvania
Includes bibliographical references (p. [165]-207) and index.
Summary
"Sweet Land of Liberty reawakens the Revolution in Northampton County ( PA.) with sketches of men and women caught up in it. Seldom is this story told from the vantage point of common folks, let alone those in the backcountry. In Fox's hands, we see in these individuals an altogether more disturbing Revolution than we have ever reckoned with before...Fox's account will startle many readers for whom the Revolution symbolizes the high-minded pursuit of liberty... When the Revolution broke out, militias took control. Frontier justice replaced the rule of law as zealous patriots preoccupied themselves not with fighting the British but with seizing local political power and persecuting their pacifist neighbors."
