So who was Patrick Gass anyhow?Mr. Gass was born in 1771 in Falling Spring, Pennsylvania. That town is now part of Chambersburg. That much is clear, however, much of the rest of his life, other than his military service and the Voyage of Discovery period,…
About twenty-five years ago a friend gave me a book as a gift. It was a history book. Not unusual, while I do read works of fiction, I read more historical materials than any other kind. Frequently, I may be reading as many as four…
I have previously mentioned my youthful fascination with the original portion of the Hancock County Courthouse. I will be the first to admit that I have no architectural training. In fact, I went to school in Pennsylvania where the academic year in grades 7-9 required…
The records of the First Company I, formed in the Spring of 1861 as ninety-day volunteers, list Richard Hooker Brown as a First Lieutenant. When the unit was reformed as a longer term service unit, records list him as a Private. Most sources list his…
As I wrote last week, the Twelfth West Virginia Infantry Regiment was a Civil War Unit largely composed of troops enlisted from the Northern Panhandle. A Civil War Infantry Regiment typically had approximately 1,000 officers and men across ten Companies, when at full strength. However,…
Bill Keifer The Twelfth West Virginia Infantry Regiment was organized at Wheeling on August 30, 1862. Company I was comprised chiefly of soldiers from Hancock County.This Company consisted of approximately 100 soldiers and officers. As part of the Twelfth, it spent the Fall of 1862…
Bill Kiefer The action at Philippi is significant for several reasons, but mostly it is remembered for being the first land battle of the Civil War. Some don’t give the action the dignity of classifying it as a battle, more of a skirmish maybe. But…
The passage of the National Labor Relations Act, otherwise known as the “Wagner Act” after its chief sponsor Senator Robert R. Wagner of New York occurred in 1935. FDR signed it into law on July 5 of that year. The Act, which for the most…