A lot of people think of the war between the states (as there was really nothing civil about it), and they remember all of the battle fields. Lexington, Concord, Gettysburg, and so many other places come to mind. And while these are all great places for the more exciting parts of re-enacting the war, there is one place, which very rarely receives any kind of credit for making the war what it was (not to suggest that such a bloody, time consuming use of American lives and resources is anything that should ever be congratulated). That place is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Go past all those delicious cheese steak sandwiches, and past all the Philly apartments, and you will find a rich tapestry of Civil War history, which may very well have been the tipping point between a successful secession and the preservation of our Union. For one thing, Philadelphia was a huge supplier of just about every item that the Union Army required. If not for Philly, the Army pretty much would have had to fight in the nude, as it was the production hub for their uniforms. And for another, Philly was also foremost among the bank rolling centers for the Union Army pay roll – and there are few worse things in this world than soldiers who go with out pay. One of those things is an army which does not exist. Philadelphia just happened to supply not only the war ships which blockaded the South into lacking resources for the long war which ensued. And on top of that, they did not merely contribute a massive supply of weaponry and ammunition. They out right contributed the soldiers themselves! From Philly alone, 50 entire regiments (thousands of individual fighting men) of volunteers were recruited to do their part in keeping the United States of America… well, united.