Battle of Gettysburg
The Day the South Won Richard D. L. Fulton Based on The Last to Fall: The 1922 March, Battles, & Deaths of U.S. Marines at Gettysburg by Richard D. L. Fulton and James Rada, Jr. We have all been taught that the South “lost” the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, fought when the Confederate Army of…
Emmitsburg Railroad Less Told Stories of the Short-Line RR
Richard D. L. Fulton There was a time in history when the country was laced with short-line railroads. In fact, almost all of the early railroads were short-line railroads, until many were absorbed through consolidation with larger railroads, years later. Most short-line railroads were created to serve limited purposes, as dictated by local economies. Many…
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is traditionally known as the official start of summer. The first Memorial Day was celebrated in 1865, known as Decoration Day, established to recognize the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. After World War II, the name was changed to Memorial Day to remember and honor those who have died while serving our…
Day Trippin’
“The National Road” (US 40A) JoAN bittner FRY While perusing information for books I wrote, I was intrigued by the history of the National Road. This road links centuries of American history. Taverns and towns that are over 250 years old and mountain passes that were of strategic importance during the Civil War can be…
Veteran Spotlight
Scatter Come Together by Priscilla Rall The motto for the 190th Field Artillery Long Tom Battalion (FAB) refers to its cavalry history going back to the Civil War. It reflects the cavalry tactics for a hard fought battle. But instead of horses, the 190th FAB used modern artillery pieces. A member of battalion’s headquarters group…
Looking Back
Recollections of the Civil War, Part 2 by James Rada, Jr. Editor’s Note: This is the second of two articles recounting Sarah (Six) Schnure’s recollections of life in Thurmont during the Civil War. Schnure wrote her recollections while living in Hollywood, California, in the 1930s. Sarah Six had been ten years old when the war…
Looking Back
Recollections of the Civil War by James Rada, Jr. Editor’s Note: This is the first of two articles recounting Sarah (Six) Schnure’s recollections of life in Thurmont during the Civil War. Schnure wrote her recollections while living in Hollywood, California, in the 1930s. Sarah Six was ten years old in 1861. Her family lived in…
New Biography of Moves from the Civil War to WWII into the Age of Nuclear Energy
Charles “Chuck” Caldwell has talked with Civil War soldiers, fought against the Japanese in WWII, and chased mushroom clouds after atomic bomb explosions. Now ninety-two years old, he had become part of the history that he loves so much. His story is now the focus of a fascinating new biography by The Catoctin Banner’s contributing…
looking back
by James Rada, Jr. — 1938 — The End of a Generation in Thurmont When Thomas H. Shelton died on February 19, 1938, Frederick County lost its last Veteran of the Civil War, seventy-three years after the war ended. Shelton died at the home of his daughter-in-law, Stella Shelton, who lived near Rocky Ridge. The…
looking back
Mount St. Mary’s and the Civil War by James Rada, Jr. In the years leading up to the Civil War, Mount St. Mary’s enjoyed prosperity. The college celebrated its golden anniversary in 1858, and student enrollment was around 200 young men and growing. “The Mount was thriving, as was most of the South thriving before…