Rob's Historic Sites

This is the extraordinary story of southern American/Confederate soldiers trying to save homes and stores in a northern town in Pennsylvania after Yankees burned a nearby bridge. Confederates had entered Pennyslvania primarily to pressure politicians in Washington DC to end the war. These stories are an interesting stark contrast to the many stories of Yankees burning southern towns during their conquest (list found below). Unlike Yankee orders, Confederates were operating under an order from Lee not to destroy private property. This historical marker in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania explains how the town caught fire after northern Yankees burned the bridge. After Gordon's Confederates failed to save the bridge, they went to work trying to save the town. Read the marker for an interesting story of how one of the women responded. Just up this street are the guns with the marker: "these guns presented by US Government mark Wrightsville as the farthest point east reached

Today in history, Feb 17, 1864, the CSS Hunley became the world’s first successful combat submarine, a full 50 years before submarines were widely adopted for use in WW1. After completing the mission, the submarine vanished and remained lost at sea for over +130 years until it was finally discovered and recovered in 2000. Today, the Hunley is Charleston South Carolina’s #1 historic tourist attraction. Overall, the Confederacy lost 21 southern American crewmen in three separate sinkings of the Hunley during her short career. Here’s my visit to the final resting place of all three crews over a year ago in Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, South Carolina. It happens to be located directly across from my 2nd cousin's Heyward plot. Another interesting historical tidbit: Although the Confederacy had a small navy, it is recognized for at least one other unusual maritime record. Raphael Semmes, a 30yr US Naval Officer who joined the Confederacy become the most successful raider in mar

Sharing brief stories of the ignored and forgotten. The following was published in the Nov 1, 1901 issue of the Times Newspaper in Richmond, Virginia about Jeff Shields: Jefferson (Jeff) Shields is a man of rugged character and is a great favorite among the white people, especially the old-soldier element, for Uncle Jeff counts himself one of the followers of the “Lost Cause.” Uncle Jeff entered the Confederate service as cook [and body servant] with his young master, James K. Edmondson, who became colonel of the 27th Virginia Regiment, Stonewall Brigade. Later he was cook for General “Stonewall” Jackson, and of this honor he never tires of talking. After General Jackson’s death, he cooked for General J.E.B. Stuart, then for an officers’ mess until the close of the war. He recalls many incidents of General Jackson’s colored Sunday school, taught here in the Presbyterian lecture-room several years previous to the Civil War. Uncle Jeff. was in General Jackson’s class, and he is t