150th anniversary of Civil War begins across the country

Across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the nation, Tuesday marked the beginning of four years of sesquicentennial exhibits, commemorations, parades and battle reenactments recalling the key events of the Civil War. On that date 150 years ago, when Philadelphians learned war had been declared, there was "an electricity in the air," said Anthony Waskie, a Temple instructor and author of the new book Philadelphia and the Civil War: Arsenal of the Union. "People stayed up late that night. They were frustrated and angry. Mobs demanded everybody show the flag," he said.
April 12, 2011 | Philadelphia Inquirer