124804921_web1_Coronavirus

Luzerne County COVID-19 cases increase by 93 to 741; state at 11,510

Trump uses coronavirus crisis to push his broader agenda

A farm house said to be 175 years old when it was demolished in April 1927 was once occupied by Edmund Lovell Dana, a veteran of two wars, a civil engineer and a judge in Luzerne County.
				&ldquo;With its passing, Wyoming Valley looses another of its historic landmarks. The old house had huge stone fireplaces, built in book cases old-fashioned handmade locks and latches on its doors and many other relics in its making of days of the long ago,&rdquo; the Times Leader reported April 1, 1927.
				Dana, born Jan. 28, 1817, died inside the house on April 25, 1889.
				As a boy, he grew up tending to the farm surrounding the house that stretched from Wilkes-Barre Mountain to an area where Carey Avenue is located today. His family also farmed land they owned near Tunkhannock in Wyoming County.
				Dana was schooled at the Wilkes-Barre Academy and studied engineering at Yale College in Connecticut, earning a degree in civil engineering.
				After graduating college, Dana played a role in surveying and construction of the North Branch Canal from Pittston extending to the New York state line.
				Dana began his law career in 1839 studying under the Honorable Luther Kidder, and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar Association in April 1841, according to Dana&rsquo;s obituary published in the Wilkes-Barre News newspaper on April 26, 1889.
				During his legal career, Dana enlisted in the Wyoming Artillerist in 1846 as a captain, leading 78 other officers and soldiers. The Wyoming Artillerist would be activated to fight in the Mexican War in November 1846, sending the artillerist regiment to Pittsburgh where they were mustered into service.
				Dana fought during the Mexican War until the end in February 1848.
				&ldquo;When the Wyoming Artillerist and their brave leader returned home to Wilkes-Barre, they were accorded a grand reception by the people,&rdquo; Dana&rsquo;s obituary states.
				Dana was a candidate for Congress in 1851 from the district comprising of Wyoming, Luzerne and Columbia counties, but was defeated by John Brison. He also was a candidate and lost for state senate in 1853.
				At the outbreak of the Civil War, Dana, then 45, enlisted in the Union Army as a colonel of the 143rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment assigned to the 9th Division. He would be promoted to major general during the Civil War and several months after the war ended, he would be promoted to Brigadier General on July 26, 1865, before mustering out of the military in August 1865.
				Dana&rsquo;s regiment fought during major battles, including the three-day battle at Gettysburg July 1 to July 3, 1863.
				&ldquo;General Dana and his command were soon on the move from daylight till dark marching double quick. Upon reaching the outskirts of Gettysburg, Dana heard the roar of (Gen. John) Buford&rsquo;s cannon engaging the extreme advance of the enemy,&rdquo; reported Dana&rsquo;s obituary published in the Sunday News newspaper on April 28, 1889.
				In his own report of the Gettysburg battle, Dana and the 143rd Infantry was one of the first regiments to assist Buford&rsquo;s Calvary.
				&ldquo;&#8230;within some 2 miles of Gettysburg, a heavy firing at the front indicated that the advance had become engaged with the enemy,&rdquo; Dana wrote, describing how the Union Army was out-flanked and was forced to retreat to Cemetery Hill.
				Dana described how he took command of the Second Brigade after Gen. John F. Reynolds was killed near McPherson&rsquo;s Farm.
				Dana&rsquo;s name is inscribed on the 143rd Infantry plaque of the Pennsylvania Monument in Gettysburg National Military Park.
				In the first day&rsquo;s battle of the Wilderness in Virginia on May 5, 1864, Dana was wounded when his horse was shot from under him and taken prisoner.
				&ldquo;He was taken to Charleston, May 15, and was one of the 50 officers placed under fire in retaliation for the Union forces shelling the city,&rdquo; Dana&rsquo;s obituary reads.
				Dana was released during a prisoner exchange for a Confederate officer on Aug. 3, 1864.
				Following the Civil War when he returned to Wilkes-Barre, Dana resumed the practice of law and was elected in 1867 as a judge for Luzerne County.
				Dana spent 10 years on the bench before he lost retention by a candidate who was a member of the Greenback-Labor Party.
				&ldquo;Upon his retirement from the bench, Judge Dana went to his library where he spent the balance of his days in study, now and then giving his attention to some important law case,&rdquo; his obituary says.
				Dana died from a stroke inside his South Main Street home.
				&ldquo;In the death of Judge Edmund L. Dana, Luzerne loses one of her most eminent citizens. For nearly half a century, his every act has added to the lustre of our country&rsquo;s name, giving us fame in the annals of war and in the pages of judicial history,&rdquo; reported the Wilkes-Barre Record April 27, 1889.
				Dana was buried in Hollenback Cemetery.
				For more Look Back stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/tag/look_back" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">click here</a>.

Look Back: Luzerne County judge fought at Gettysburg during Civil War