Sons of Union Veterans - Fort Walla Walla, Camp 3

06/12/2026

AFTER GETTYSBURG — During a thunderstorm on the evening of July 4, 1863, thousands of retreating Southerners and their wagon and ambulance trains used Pennsylvania’s historic Maria Furnace Road following the Battle of Gettysburg. As Union forces pursued, including cavalry units under George A. Custer, the significant actions at Monterey Pass ensued.

Many wagons were left burning in the woods throughout the pass and along the road and horse teams bolted down mountainsides as they were frightened by the thunder and lighting from the fight and Mother Nature.

If you’re ever planning to spend multiple days in or around Gettysburg, I highly recommend trying to carve out some time to check out the Monterey Pass Battlefield Park & Museum. Over the recent years, an entire network of new trails with interpretive signs and waysides (and a great platform overlook) has been established. This site, located around 25 minutes (17 miles) southwest of Gettysburg, really helps to tie in a better overall picture of the campaign.

06/11/2026

EVIDENCE OF CAMPGROUNDS — Remaining on Maryland Heights in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, this stone wall was likely the outline of a camp after it had been cleared by soldiers. Union forces occupied this elevation from the end of 1862 until the end of the war and refortified many of the various defenses up here during that time. Many of these walls are still visible across the ridge. Fascinating trails and history!

06/11/2026

There is a fascinating postwar structure at Turner’s Gap (above Boonsboro) on South Mountain in Maryland that has a unique wartime, personal connection.

During the fighting here on September 14, 1862 (a few days before Antietam), General John Gibbon's westerners from Indiana and Wisconsin of the named "Iron Brigade" hit the Confederate right while General George G. Meade's Pennsylvania Reserves struck the left.

These actions finally allowed Union forces to break through the line around the gap but darkness prevented its capture. Other Ninth Corps units had tried to assist Hooker's force but ran into their own stiff resistance around Fox's Gap.

06/10/2026

06/10/2026

This is near where my late wife grew up. Very interesting.
/ Raymond

VIEWS & HISTORY — This is the historic Washington Monument on South Mountain above Boonsboro, Maryland. This unique stone structure was used as a signal station by Union forces during the war. Additionally, the world famous Appalachian Trail passes right through this state park. This is definitely a worthy stop if you’re touring the nearby Antietam National Battlefield or the additional September 1862 fighting around the gaps up here on South Mountain…

06/10/2026

06/09/2026

A rare SUVCW event in the great state of Alaska!

06/03/2026

Today we'd like to share our research on another Oregon GAR post, A. J. Smith Post No. 17 of Drain, Oregon: https://www.suvpnw.org/gar-post-details/a-j-smith-post-no-17-of-drain-oregon

One fundamental question: Who was A. J. Smith, the Post namesake? Also, we'd love help finding the burial place of members William Reazee, Henry Rogers, and George W. Woodring.

In sharing this, we hope that additional information about this Post and its members can be learned and added to this history. Additional Post records, such as its charter or descriptive book, might possibly be located. Newspaper articles about the Post could also provide additional information. If you have any information that might be helpful, kindly send it to [email protected].

05/24/2026

My late wife was born only a few feet from there. The cabin her parents lived in no longer exist.
I took her ashes along with our oldest daughter's, and we buried them in her family's plot near there.
Raymond Marshall PCC Fort Walla Walla camp #3

The War Correspondents Memorial Arch stands at Crampton's Gap on South Mountain (Maryland). Reporter and later novelist George Alfred Townsend ended up purchasing the property around this gap that hosted battle action on September 14, 1862 and established an estate. Created by Townsend and dedicated in 1896, this arch honors the occupations that covered the war.