Customer Reviews

Guide To Civil War Philadelphia

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This book starts with a brief introduction about Philadelphia before and during the U.S. Civil War. In 1860, Philadelphia was the second largest city in the country with over half a million people. Its population was increasing as many immigrants arrived and moved to neighborhoods along the edges of the city. There were businesses everywhere, especially in textiles, and the railroads covered so much of the city that they were a safety concern. The book addresses a little of what that time was like, but its main purpose is to describe sites associated with the war.

There are 15-20 sites described per chapter, with chapters ranging from the Abolition movement to libraries to vanished Civil War sites. I picked up this book because I was researching some Philadelphia ancestors who lived in the city during the Civil War and I wanted to know more about some of the resources available for researching that period. For this reason, I found the chapters on libraries and cemeteries to be more interesting. Over 20 museums, libraries, and historical societies are described, including lesser known places such as the Civil War Library and Museum on Pine St. and the Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library. There are examples of regimental histories, biographies, manuscript collections, etc. that you can find at these locations. Descriptions for 18 cemeteries are also provided, with Laurel Hill and Woodlands receiving the most attention. Information includes famous Civil War military people who are buried there.

The appendix has some interesting lists, including companies that had government contracts, military hospitals that existed between 1861-1865, Civil War manuscript collections that can be found at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Chester County Historical Society, and a list of Philadelphia shipyards with their specific vessels and launch dates. Also, the book provides over 70 black & white photos.

Overall, this is a nice introductory guidebook. It's especially useful if you're looking to take some day trips of Civil War sites or cemeteries, and you're a historian or a genealogist. It's not for the casual tourist. Also, if you're just starting to do some research on Philadelphia history/genealogy during that period, then this book can give you a general idea of where to find some things.

The City of Brotherly Love is most commonly associated with the American Revolution and the founding of our great country. With Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's grave and more this is completely understandable. However don't that fool you. For Civil War enthusiasts there is a wealth of things to do as this book so capably shows.

Part history guide and mostly travel guide this is a must have for those interested in the Civil War who are travelling to Philadelphia. The book is broken down by category: abolition and underground railroad, museums and libraries, Civil War sites, vanished Civil War sites, cemeteries, and outlying sites.

For a city that was as far from the actual war as Philadelphia was there are an amazing number of places to see. Listed by category in alphabetical order Saunders gives a brief description of each site and it's importance or relevance to the war. This is helpful but then we run into the main problem with the book.

The book is dated badly. Travel guides are old even by the time they are printed. This one unfortunately is eight years old. Museums come and go, hours and admissions change, and perhaps most importantly is the explosion of the Internet. Very few listings are shown as having a website which in this day and age I find hard to believe. Da Capo Press if you are reading...How about an updated version? A very good book could be made even better.

For researchers the large appendix will be very useful. Included are listings of manuscript holdings at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Chester County Historical Society. A listing of Philadelphia shipyards and Civil War vessels is included as is a large listing of Civil War regiments and company breakdowns that were recruited in the city and surrounding area. A small listing of regimental histories is included separately from the bibliography.

Despite my reservation regarding the age of the book I can still recommend it as a starting point for those visiting Philadelphia who want to explore it's Civil War history. Take the information you gather inside and sit down with your computer and get the updated information that way. There are plenty of places listed here that you would miss otherwise.