In anticipation of the arrival of Confederate invaders, Dickinson College, at its annual commencement ceremonies, hastily granted baccalaureate degrees to thirteen members of the class of 1863.  Seven were from Pennsylvania, three from Virginia, two from Maryland, and one from Missouri. Only a few days later, Confederate infantry entered the town and camped on the grounds of the College. (By James Gerencser)

Dickinson College, at its annual commencement ceremonies, granted baccalaureate degrees to seventeen members of the class of 1861.   Among the graduates was Charles Henry Gere, who, following two years of wartime service with the U.S. Army, moved to Nebraska and played a prominent role in that state’s political and social development. (By James Gerencser)

Dickinson College, at its annual commencement ceremonies, grants baccalaureate degrees to twenty-four members of the class of 1860. Half of these graduates will enter military service at some point during the Civil War, six with the United States and six with the Confederacy. (By James Gerencser)

Dickinson College, at its annual commencement ceremonies, grants baccalaureate degrees to nineteen members of the class of 1859. Among the graduates is Zebulon Dyer, who will serve as a lieutenant in the Confederate Army and be killed at the battle of Allegheny Mountain in 1861. (By James Gerencser)

Dickinson College, at its annual commencement ceremonies, grants baccalaureate degrees to 36 members of the class of 1858. Among the graduates is Daniel Mountjoy Cloud, who will serve with the Secret Service of the Confederacy during the Civil War. A classmate of Cloud's, Horatio Collins King, will author the words to the College's Alma Mater and also earn the Congressional Medal of Honor for service at the Battle of Five Forks in 1865. (By James Gerenscer)