John Summerfield Staples: In the Shadow of History | Joy and Sorrow
January 01 , 2015 Filed in: John Staples
John Summerfield Staples returned to Washington D.C. from a lengthy and stressful prisoner guarding sojourn to Ohio and found the Capitol celebrating the re-election of President Lincoln. He wondered how Stroudsburg would be marking the event. Parades and flag-waving were probably not on the agenda. Read More...
John Summerfield Staples: In the Shadow of History | Legend and Legacy
April 04 , 2015 Filed in: John Staples
Many have risen to positions of power and glory only to end up as footnotes in seldom-read history books. John Summerfield Staples of Stroudsburg is different — he’s always been a footnote. His position as President Lincoln’s representative in the Union Army is certainly unique in military history, but attempts to recognize and honor him have not exactly ignited the public’s interest, although there have been some highlights. Read More...
John Summerfield Staples: In the Shadow of History | A Meeting with President Lincoln
October 10 , 2014 Filed in: John Staples
Washington, D.C., July 1864 — Life in the nation’s capital was unlike life in Monroe County’s seat of government. John Staples, Summerfield’s father, experienced a period of adjustment, but was now accustomed to the traffic, heat, humidity, and the crowds of people, to say nothing of the mosquito population. Read More...
John Summerfield Staples: In the Shadow of History | Retreat to Stroudsburg
July 07 , 2014 Filed in: John Staples
New Bern, N.C., May 1863 — Home and family seemed a distant memory. In the delirium of fever, brought on by typhoid, John Summerfield Staples struggled to recall the events of the past seven months. He concentrated on separating reality from dreams. There was no doubt about the reality of death. They had buried three men, boys really, along the route of march, all lost to the same disease he now lay stricken with. Read More...
John Summerfield Staples: In the Shadow of History | Off to War
April 04 , 2014 Filed in: John Staples
Stroudsburg, Pa. 1845 — From early morning until dusk a relentless sun bore down from a cloudless sky and heat shimmered and danced off buildings and streets. Flowering plants and shrubs, long a symbol of pride and prestige in the Borough of Stroudsburg, went without water so vegetable gardens could produce food for families. Read More...