About This Book

A Treasure Trove of Primary Source Material Chronicling the Role of a Pivotal City in America’s Most Important Conflict

The city of Philadelphia played a major role in the Civil War as a manufacturing base, naval port, arsenal, financial and transportation center, and supplier of thousands of troops for the Union cause. Philadelphia provided the most uniforms for the Union army, built warships, was the site of the two largest military hospitals in the North, and recruited more than fifty infantry and cavalry regiments. Philadelphia was the closest free-state metropolitan area to the Confederacy and in fact had close contact with the South before the war. However, once the war began, Philadelphians embraced the Union cause.

First published more than one hundred years ago, Philadelphia in the Civil War presents the complete story of the city during America’s greatest conflict. Richly illustrated with rare images, the book describes every detail of the region’s response to the war, ranging from accounts of each of the military units that served, medicine and medical staffs, and the city’s defense measures to lists of information, such as regiments losing fifty or more men, officers who gained the rank of general, recruiting stations, and famous songs.

Frank H. Taylor (1846–1927) was born in Rochester, New York, but his family soon moved to Philadelphia where he remained for the rest of his life. A prolific artist, writer, and designer, he wrote and illustrated a number of books, worked for several newspapers, and produced many prints of historic Philadelphia that remain collectable today.