York Civil War Roundtable

On September 18, 2024 Scott Mingus will present “Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Confederate Expedition to the Susquehanna River, June 1863”

This program will be in person and on-line (on Zoom and Facebook).

In Person registration

For Zoom link

Please note that all registrations are now run through the History Center website. If you have any questions, please contract Nicole Smith at nsmith@yorkhistorycenter.org.

In late June 1863, two powerful columns of Confederate troops approached the Susquehanna River in south-central Pennsylvania. One, under Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell, marched northeasterly from Franklin County through Carlisle toward Harrisburg and the other, under Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early, headed eastward through Gettysburg and York towards Wrightsville/Columbia. This PowerPoint talk covers Early’s expedition as his division seized control of Gettysburg after a series of skirmishes on June 26 and then two days later occupied York, the largest Northern town to fall to the Confederates during the entire war. Early ransomed York for $100,000 and supplies and surrounded the town with artillery and troops. Hastily organized state militia defended the river crossing at Wrightsville against John Gordon’s Georgia brigade and then burned the world’s longest covered bridge to prevent the Confederates from passing into Lancaster County, from which Jubal Early had hoped to threaten Harrisburg.

Multiple award-winning author Scott Mingus is a retired scientist and executive in the global specialty paper industry.  The Ohio native graduated from Miami University. He was part of the research team that developed the first commercially successful self-adhesive U.S. postage stamps, and he was a pioneer in the early development of bar code labels. He has written more than 30 Civil War and Underground Railroad books and numerous articles for Gettysburg Magazine and other historical journals. He has appeared on C-SPAN, C-SPAN3, PBS, PCN, and several other TV networks. Mingus writes a blog on the Civil War history of York County, PA, where he and his wife Debi live. He also has written six scenario books for miniature wargaming.  Mingus received lifetime achievement awards from the York County History Center and the Camp Curtin Historical Society for his many contributions to local Civil War history.  The Gettysburg Civil War Round Table recently presented Mingus and co-author Eric Wittenberg with the 2023 Bachelder-Coddington Award for the best new book on the Gettysburg Campaign, If We Are Striking for Pennsylvania. His 4th -great-grandfather served in the 1st NY in the American Revolution, and 3rd-great-grandfather Pvt. William Mingus was in the 2nd Ohio Militia in the War of 1812. He was part of the force that defended Fort Meigs against Tecumseh and a mixed force of native warriors and British soldiers. Several direct ancestors served in the Union army in the Civil War, including 15-year-old Pvt. John D. Sisson of the 51st Ohio.

Upcoming programs:

October 16 – Tyrone and Sue Cornbower – “In Camp and Field 1861-1865: The American Civil War Through the Lenses of the Stereopticon”

November 20 – Scott E. Rosenau – “‘And the War Came’: Lincoln, the Road to Secession and the Beginning of the Civil War”

Founded as the White Rose Civil War Round Table, the York CWRT holds monthly meetings the third Wednesday of every month except December at 7:00 p.m. at the York County History Center now at 121 N. Pershing Ave. in York, Pennsylvania. There is free parking behind the building. Each meeting features a guest speaker talking about a Civil War topic of local or national interest. Meetings are FREE and open to the public.

The York Civil War Round Table is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote, interpret, preserve, and protect the Civil War heritage of York County, Pennsylvania, through the education and exchange of information with its members and the general public. Membership is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about the American Civil War. For upcoming programs, please visit the Cannonball webpage http://www.yorkblog.com/cannonball/york-cwrt/.