Introduction by August Marchetti
The Journal of the Pennsylvania Reserves presents a collected series of essays and studies written by the late Justin Sanders, a historian whose work focused closely on the soldiers, units, and service of the Pennsylvania Reserves during the American Civil War. Written over the course of many years, these articles reflect sustained research, careful interpretation, and a deep respect for primary source material.
Originally composed as independent works and circulated within a small scholarly community, these writings are now presented together to preserve their coherence, context, and long-term research value.
Journal Contents
Curtin’s Crisis: April 15-30, 1861
- Washington, April 15th, 1861
- Harrisburg: April 17th, 1861
- Harrisburg: April 18th, 1861
- Patterson’s Problems: April 19th-21st, 1861
- Harrisburg: April 23, 1861
- Capital Salvation, April 25, 1861
- Patterson’s Solution: April 26th, 1861
- Harrisburg: April 28th, 1861
- Harrisburg: April 30th, 1861
Reveille on the Northern Tier: April 16-30, 1861
- Introduction
- Towanda: April 24th, 1861
- Wellsboro: April 24th, 1861
- The Siege of Troy: April 25-30, 1861
The Camp Curtin Chronicles
- May 2, 1861
- May 5, 1861
- May 6-9, 1861
- May 10, 1861
- May 11, 1861
- May 14-15, 1861
Biddle’s Campaign to West Virginia
Origins of the Journal
Much of the research underlying the Journal of the Pennsylvania Reserves traces its foundation to the work of noted Pennsylvania Civil War historian Dr. Richard A. Sauers, particularly his unpublished Bibliography of Soldier Letters Printed in Pennsylvania Newspapers, 1861-1865. Compiled during the 1980s as part of Dr. Sauers’ research for his two-volume work Advance the Colors: Pennsylvania Civil War Battle Flags, the bibliography represents a painstaking survey of approximately 130 Pennsylvania newspapers published during the war years.
Although unpublished, the bibliography has long functioned among researchers as an indispensable guide to otherwise obscure primary sources. For scholars of the Pennsylvania Reserves, it serves as a map to more than six hundred pieces of wartime correspondence written by members of the corps, letters that illuminate daily service, combat experience, and the personal costs of war.
Drawing extensively upon this work, Sanders located, transcribed, and contextualized a substantial body of Reserve Corps correspondence. With limited exceptions, the soldier letters presented within this journal were identified through Dr. Sauers’ bibliography and accessed primarily through holdings at the Pennsylvania State Library in Harrisburg and regional historical institutions.
Research Scope and Method
The articles published within the Journal of the Pennsylvania Reserves examine the corps from multiple perspectives, including unit organization, individual soldiers, military service, regional recruitment patterns, and the wartime press. Particular emphasis is placed on contemporaneous correspondence, allowing the voices of the soldiers themselves to remain central to the narrative.
Sanders’ approach reflects careful attention to provenance, transcription accuracy, and contextual interpretation. Where evidence is fragmentary or incomplete, uncertainty is acknowledged rather than resolved through speculation. This methodological restraint is a defining characteristic of the series.
Scholarly Lineage and Acknowledgment
The journal project was conceived, in Sanders’ own words, as a tribute to Dr. Sauers’ decades of scholarship and to the broader community of archivists, librarians, historians, and preservationists whose work made this research possible. Numerous individuals and institutions contributed direct or indirect assistance, including archival access, reference support, and regional expertise.
While individual acknowledgments are preserved within the original articles themselves, the series as a whole stands as a reflection of collaborative historical labor, often unseen, frequently uncredited, but essential to the preservation and interpretation of the historical record.
On Historical Record and Continuity
There is an unavoidable strangeness in recognizing that these writings, once part of an active exchange among living colleagues, now occupy a fixed place within the historical record they sought to interpret. Like the letters and reports upon which they are based, the articles collected here have crossed from living inquiry into documented history.
In that sense, the Journal of the Pennsylvania Reserves is now intertwined with the history of the corps itself, not as a definitive account, but as part of the continuing effort to understand their service, their losses, and their place within the broader history of the Civil War. Preserving this work acknowledges that historical interpretation, once recorded, becomes evidence for those who follow.
Editorial Note
Articles in the Journal of the Pennsylvania Reserves are published substantially as originally written. Editorial intervention has been limited to matters of clarity, formatting, and contextual annotation, all of which are clearly identified where applied. The intent is to preserve the integrity of the original scholarship while situating it responsibly within current research frameworks.
Use and Citation
The Journal of the Pennsylvania Reserves is published for educational and research use. Readers are encouraged to cite individual articles accordingly and to consult referenced source materials where available.
Currently a resident of Burke, Virginia – I’m originally from the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have been a student of the Pennsylvania Reserves since 1997 and thoroughly enjoy telling their story. By trade I’m a former IT Professional but presently fill the seat of President of the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps Historical Society.