10th Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps, Company G

12/18/2024

Beautiful sky this morning

01/23/2024

12/25/2023

Have you ever had to adjust your Christmas plans?

December 25, 1864, was the fourth Christmas of the Civil War. Soldiers and civilians at Petersburg tried to make the day festive, but the realities of war made things less merry.

Some soldiers engaged in athletic contests and games. Others took in concerts from bands and or held parades. Others set off to spend time with friends and relations in nearby units.

Nearly all tried to mark the holiday with special meals. Many U.S. soldiers welcomed the arrival of rare treats from home. Popular menu items included turkey, fresh fruit, mince pies, eggnog, and punch. Some units, like the 21st Connecticut, awaited deliveries that never came and celebrated the day with standard rations.

Christmas delicacies were harder to come by in Confederate camps. Growing logistic troubles limited the arrival of goods from home. The news of the meager Christmas quickly spread, and locals began raising funds and donations for New Year's treats for the men. The people of Petersburg alone raised $35,000. A week later, holiday spreads were delivered for Lee's regiments, though the efforts proved insufficient. In the 17th Virginia, only enough food arrived to feed one of the ten companies.

In Petersburg city, civilians tried to make the best of the difficult season. A dance was held on December 22 and the churches in town held their usual services. Sara Pryor, whose husband was in a prisoner of war camp, boiled corned beef with peas and offered it to soldiers in town, along with walnut pie.

For some soldiers on both sides, Christmas meant a day in the trenches and rifle pits far from the comforts of winter quarters. While the lack of fighting made for a peaceful day, the cheerless holiday surely made them dream of the war's end and their next Christmas at home.

Drawing of Santa Clause by Thomas Nast in January 1863, for Harper's Weekly. Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1929, via Metropolitan Museum of Art under CC 1.0

09/19/2023

159 Years Ago Today... The Third Battle of Wi******er

The Third Battle of Wi******er was the largest and costliest battle ever fought in the Shenandoah Valley. More than 54,000 men fought and over 8,600 became casualties in a ferocious see-saw struggle that saw the Confederates gradually forced back until a final decisive attack by Federal infantry and cavalry struck the Confederate left flank, breaching the defenders’ lines and sending the Confederates “whirling through Wi******er.”

06/26/2023

03/25/2023

A storm that whipped through Mercer County Saturday caused widespread power outages and severe damage, and damaged a statue outside the county courthouse.

10/25/2022

Remember to join us for battle anniversary events on a new date NEXT weekend Saturday October 29! 💣⚔️

09/19/2022

On the night of September 18, 1864 and in the early morning hours of September 19th, 1864, Union forces under Gen. Philip Sheridan began consolidating toward Wi******er to attack Confederate Gen. Jubal Early's scattered army. The time had come to end the mimic war that had dominated the action for the previous month and finally test the full strength of Sheridan's newly formed Army of the Shenandoah against the battle-hardened veterans of Jubal Early's Army of the Valley.

Map courtesy of Scott Patchan and Hal Jespersen.

09/17/2022

September 17:
On this day 160 years ago the battle that resulted in the bloodiest single day in United States history was fought. At 5:30am the 9,000 strong First Corps under the command of Maj. Gen. Joseph Ho**er move into a 24-acre cornfield to attack Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s wing. After the 4-hour fight 8,000 soldiers were killed or wounded. McClellan sends reinforcements in the form of Edwin Sumner’s 2nd Corps. The first of Sumner’s 3 divisions engage Confederates in the West Woods while the other 2 divisions attack the Sunken Road (which will end around 1pm). When the fighting at the Sunken Road started around 9:30am, Federal 9th Corps commander, Ambrose Burnside, started his attack against 500 Confederates defending the Lower Bridge. Burnside successfully captured the bridge at 1pm and his final attack against the Confederate right flank unfolded a little after 3pm. As Burnside was on the verge of driving the Confederates into Sharpsburg, Confederate reinforcements from A.P Hill’s Light Division arrived from Harpers Ferry. Hill smashed into Burnsides left flank and forced his men to reposition on the hills in front of the Lower Bridge (now called Burnside Bridge). With the sun setting, the Battle of Antietam results in 23,000 Americans killed, wounded, or missing and the community of Sharpsburg was transformed forever. Come out this weekend to the 160th Anniversary Commemoration. We have a full schedule of living history programs and ranger hikes and tours. https://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/160-anniversary.htm

09/16/2022

September 16:
On this day 160 years ago, two army commanders ordered their main forces to converge on the small farming community of Sharpsburg, MD. The arrival of the soldiers increased the town’s population from 1,200 to around 100,000; this town became one of the most populated areas in the entire United States overnight. McClellan sent Joseph Ho**er’s First Corp and Joseph Mansfield’s Twelfth Corps across the Antietam Creek where they camped overnight near the Joseph Poffenberger Farm and George Line Farm. The Federal troops men moved against the left flank of Lee’s army the following morning on what became our nation’s bloodiest single day. Join us starting tonight at 6p as we begin our 160th battle anniversary events. For the full schedule, check out our website. https://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/160-anniversary.htm

09/15/2022

September 15:
160 years ago today, after the defeat of his forces at South Mountain, Lee debated whether he should return to Virginia or continue his campaign. His decision was made, once he received a message from Thomas Jackson at Harpers Ferry that stated, “Through God’s blessing, Harpers Ferry and its garrison are to be surrendered.” This information led Lee to decide to remain in Maryland and bring his army back together and make a stand at Sharpsburg. Following the victory at South Mountain, Gen. Israel Richardson’s division led the Federal pursuit of Lee’s army at first light and arrived on the banks of Antietam Creek in the early afternoon. The photo is Gen. Richardson, who was mortally wounded during the fighting at the Sunken Road on the 17th. For a full schedule of anniversary events, which begin tomorrow evening, check out our website.
https://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/160-anniversary.htm