Civil War Book Review: Civil War Voices from York County, Pa.: Remembering the Rebellion and the Gettysburg Campaign

Civil War Voices from York County, Pa.: Remembering the Rebellion and the Gettysburg Campaign
Scott L. Mingus Sr. and James McClure

A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee's Triumph 1862-1863 by Jeffry D. Wert

Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Colecraft Industries; 1st edition (April 1, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0983364001
  • ISBN-13: 978-0983364009

Civil War Voices from York County, Pa.: Remembering the Rebellion and the Gettysburg Campaign by Scott Mingus and James McClureIn 1863, York County is not the epicenter of the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania.  That “honor” belongs to neighboring Adams County to the west.  Even still, the residents knew the sound of enemy boots.  They heard the cannon at Gettysburg and tried to help the battles wounded.  The Gettysburg Campaign created stories that went into letter, journals or became party of family history.  These stories are of everyday people caught up in an extraordinary event.  This is the human face of the Gettysburg Campaign and the Civil War.  These are stories of Early’s division and Stuart’s cavalry, fighting at Hanover and Wrightsville, nursing the wounded and life 150 years ago.  They tell of going off to war and coming home when it was over.  This book’s title truthfully captures the contents.  This is the voice of people fighting a war and trying to survive.

If you have never been to York County, there is a good map as you open the book.  This will keep you positioned and help place the stories.  Illustrations are placed throughout the book putting faces to names or showing us locations.  Endnotes and a full index complement the text.  Two of the five chapters are about the Gettysburg Campaign.  The other chapters remember the war and illustrate its impact on the county.  The Afterward tells us of how the war changed the county and how those changes endured even to the present.  This is a sit and read or a pick up and browse book depending on your mood.  It is equally enjoyable either way.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *