Though the mountains of Western Maryland were not the site of any major battles during the Civil War, the area did have its share of activity and minor skirmishes. One of the most-daring raids of the war occurred in Cumberland in 1865 when McNeill's Rangers kidnapped two Union generals from their hotels beds and carried them off to Richmond, Va. Also, because of its location on the B&O Railroad, the county was also the site of many temporary hospitals to care for wounded soldiers. Echoes of War Drums is a collection of three dozen stories and more than 50 pictures of the Civil War in Mountain Maryland. From spies to generals, from battles to healing, James Rada, Jr. looks at the Civil War in the region from all angles with attention-getting stories.

50 years after the Battle of Gettysburg, another army invaded Gettysburg In 1865, more than 165,000 soldiers fought and tens of thousands died on the battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Many historians consider this the turning point of the Civil War. As the years passed, the surviving veterans grew older and passed away. By the turn of the century, the remaining veterans were in the 70's. As the 50th anniversary of the Civil War approached, it became apparent that if the country intended to honor its veterans, this would be the last chance to thank many of them. In the early years of the 20th Century, plans began forming for a Grand Reunion in Gettysburg for the 50th anniversary of the battle. More than 54,000 Civil War veterans plus tens of thousands of spectators, family, visitors and journalists descended on Gettysburg in 1913. The veterans stayed in a tent city on the battlefield as they remembered the great battle fought there. No North, No South... is the story of the reunion and the Union and Confederate veterans who came together there to remember their service to country and celebrate renewed friendships. It contains more than 100 photographs from the 1913 Grand Reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg that will give you a sense of what it was like to be part of the greatest reunion of Civil War veterans that there ever was.

In fall turned to winter in 1949, the residents of Shallmar, Maryland, were starving. The town's only business, the Wolf Den Coal Corp. had closed down, unemployment benefits had ended and few coal miners had cars to drive to other jobs. When children started fainting in school, Principal J. Paul Andrick realized the dire situation the town was in and set out to help. He worked to get the story of the town's troubles out and get help for the town's residents and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams just in time for Christmas.

"The country had only 600 trained nurses at the start of the Civil War. All were Catholic nuns. This is one of the best-kept secrets in our nation's history," Father William Barnaby Faherty once wrote. When the Civil War broke out, the Union and the Confederacy were prepared to fight, but they weren't prepared to care for the wounded that their fighting created. While many people volunteered to care for the soldiers, the only ones with any experience were Catholics sisters. Among the sisters, the most-experienced were the Daughters of Charity based in Emmitsburg, MD. When war broke out, they had already been caring for the sick for decades. However, the brutality of the war would test even their abilities as they ran hospitals, served on troop transports and provided care in battlefield hospitals and ambulances. They even had their own Central House occupied by armies from both sides of the war. The Daughters of Charity had such a high level of trust among the government officials that they were allowed in the early part of the war to move back and forth across the border between the two warring countries. Nor did they betray that trust as they served officers and soldiers, Union and Confederate, with the same level of care. With their wide, white cornettes looking almost like wings, the Daughters of Charity did resemble battlefield angels. The sight of those wing-like cornettes told soldiers that relief was on the way; someone who cared for them was coming.

From the unsolved to the unusual. From the historical to the hysterical. From the famous to the friendly. This is life in the Maryland mountains. Did you know that a Russian prince once worked as a priest in Cumberland? Have you heard the story about the German POW camp near Flintstone during WWII? Do you know about the mining wars that were fought to try and unionize the coal mines in the Georges Creek region? Do you know the story behind Cumberland's only lynching? Have you heard the story about the baseball game played between the Cumberland Colts and the New York Yankees? These are the stories of Allegany and Garrett counties in Maryland found in old newspapers, history books and other places. It's the stories of people who tamed the mountains, established cities, raised families and lived their lives. Journey back in time and look beyond the photos that so well document the region's history. This collection of 40 stories spans 220 years of life in Western Maryland. Originally published in the Cumberland Times-News and Allegany Magazine, some of these stories have been expanded as new information has been uncovered and new photos accompany some of the stories.