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In the years preceding the Civil War, Delaware was essentially divided--as a slave state, it had many ties to the South, but as the first state to ratify the federal Constitution, it was fiercely loyal to the Union. With the outbreak of war, the First State rallied to Lincoln's call and sent proportionally more troops to fight for the Union than any free state. Yet even as the renowned Du Pont mills provided half of the Union gunpowder, Southern sympathizers transported war materiel to the Confederacy via the Nanticoke River. Author Michael Morgan deftly navigates this complex history. From Wilmington abolitionist Thomas Garrett, who helped 2,700 fugitive slaves flee north, to the prison camp at Fort Delaware that held thousands of captured Confederates and political prisoners, Morgan reveals the remarkable stories of the heroes and scoundrels of Civil War Delaware.

Rebels, soldiers and watermen have all toiled and roamed among the fields, bays and beaches of Sussex County. With grit and ingenuity they built strong communities that could face the onslaught of storms and sun seekers. From tales of the Black Camp Rebellion and the infamous Patty Cannon to stories of practical jokesters who brought a swamp monster to life, local author James Diehl brings together a fascinating
and whimsical collection of vignettes that paints a portrait of Delaware's largest county. Between its sunny coast and green fields lie the small towns that the hardworking and hospitable people of Sussex County call home.

Though New Castle did not see any battles during the American Revolution, it was the Delaware's Colonial capital, and at it was at the center of the rebellion in the state. Its village green, still present today, served as a venue for early forums where colonists aired their grievances with the British government. Though it was considered more radical and inclined towards rebellion than the rest of Delaware, the city was also home to a sizable Loyalist community. When the city was occupied by the British in 1777, Loyalists from other colonies flocked to the relative safety of the city. However, after their departure, New Castle was still plagued by refugees" who were essentially Loyalist privateers that preyed on the coastal communities of the Delaware Bay. Historian Ted Corbett charts the history of this community in its days leading up to the Revolution, through the conflict and into the early years of the Republic when Delaware struggled to set up its new government."

Bob Trapani, executive director for the American Lighthouse Foundation and co-founder of the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation, recounts the stories of twenty-seven beacons from the lost Cape Henlopen Light Station, completed in 1767, to the Marcus Hook Range Rear Light Station, constructed in 1920. He not only discusses their construction and the changes they have undergone over the years, but also tells dramatic tales of their keepers, who braved storms, isolation and poor conditions so that the lights would stay burning for those at sea.