November 2007 Archives

Jubal Early
Library of Congress

The Richmond Daily Dispatch was among the more vitriolic and controversial Southern newspapers during the Civil War. The staff often repeated stories lifted directly from other papers, or repeated rumors heard in the streets of Richmond from sources that were not always reliable. Exaggerations, rumors and half-truths can all be found in their pages during the war, many of which can now be read on-line. Many Northern newspapers were equally bad (or worse in terms of what later was termed "yellow journalism"), and the Southern papers often took special delight in mocking their Yankee counterparts.

One thing the staff certainly was good at was trash-talking the Yankees and all things related to the North. On Saturday morning, July 11, 1863, shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, the paper took sarcastic aim at Pennsylvanians, in relation to one of York County's more notable visitors, Major General Jubal Anderson Early, who captured the town of York and ransomed it.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Library of Congress

Over the course of June 27 - June 30, 1863, perhaps more than any three-day period in York County's history, dozens of men who would later gain fame in the political arena would visit this area, all in the uniforms of American armies. I covered a few future governors in my previous blog post, and will look at a couple more in this installment, as well as some other late 19th Century notable lawmakers.

Governor Fitzhugh Lee of Virginia, a veteran of the Battle of Hanover
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

Tens of thousands of soldiers, both those wearing blue and those wearing gray and butternut, tramped or rode through York County during the Gettysburg Campaign. Some were prominent in civilian life, although the majority were "common folks" who would disappear from the stage of history once their military service was over. Jubal Early's Confederate division, J.E.B Stuart's and Judson Kilpatrick's opposing cavalry, scores of Union infantry regiments in southwestern York County en route to Gettysburg, state militia, crews and officers from the U.S. Military Railroad, medical personnel - all spent at least some time in this area.

For some of these soldiers, the march through York County would lead them to death or injury at Gettysburg or on future battlefields. For others, it would be another step in life's journey that would lead them to post-war obscurity or fame and public awareness. A few of the men who traversed York County would go on to political fame, including holding their respective states' highest office.

I will be telling stories from and signing copies of my new book, Human Interest Stories of the Gettysburg Campaign, Volume 2, Friday night, December 7, at 7:00 p.m. This free event will be held at the York Emporium on West Market Street in York (plenty of free parking!). Refreshments will be complimentary, courtesy of Jim and Pam Lewin.

25% of the proceeds from this event will be donated to Historical York & Architectural Warehouse to help preserve and protect some of York County's historic properties.

And, while you are there, please check out the great selection of inexpensive used Civil War books! They make great Christmas gifts.

Much has been written about the "triumphal entry" of Brigadier General John B. Gordon's brigade into York on Sunday, June 28, 1863. Gordon's men marched down Market Street en route to Wrightsville and its imposing military target, the mile-and-a-half-long wooden covered bridge across the Susquehanna River. Less has been mentioned about the Georgians' return to York after the Pennsylvania militia thwarted their efforts by burning the only passageway across the river between Harrisburg and Havre de Grace, Maryland.

Here is one contemporary account of Gordon's march back through York the following afternoon.

Happy Thanksgiving, Cannonball readers!

With the recent publicity about the possibility that President Abraham Lincoln appears in an old photograph of the crowds gathering for the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in November 1863, I thought it would be appropriate to reprint the proclamation that Lincoln penned on October 3, 1863, declaring the last Thursday of November as a formal "day of thanksgiving" for America. He traveled to Gettysburg on November 18 for the ceremony at the cemetery and his "few remarks," and then returned to Washington via Hanover Junction. A few days later, he joined his fellow countrymen in prayer and thanksgiving for what blessings could be celebrated in the midst of the worst year of strife to that point in American history.

Take time this Thanksgiving to carefully read Lincoln's words - very carefully and thoughtfully. While we are not fighting a civil war, we still have conflicts and personal pains, and can reflect on Lincoln's words of encouragement. There is a lot to be thankful for, despite all that may be going on around us.

Here are the timeless words of the 16th President of the United States, penned seven score and four years ago this month) ...

Jim Lewin is the owner of the York Emporium, a fine (and sprawling) used book store on West Market Street in downtown York. He hosted a Civil War event back in September complete with reenactors, authors, speakers, and all sorts of interesting events and demonstrations. Jim is a published author, with several books to his credit.

I stopped by the York Emporium on Sunday afternoon to discuss my upcoming book signing, and he graciously gave me a copy of his new book for me to review. It's really interesting! Here is my review of his book that I wrote for amazon.com.

One of the underpublicized aspects of the Gettysburg Campaign is the fact that the Confederate army at times seized black people and escorted them back into Virginia. Some were escaped slaves that the Confederacy believed were legally allowed to be returned to their masters if identifiable. However, others taken prisoner were free men and/or their families. This practice seems to have been more prevalent early in the campaign, particularly in Franklin County.

Dozens of accounts exist from primary sources of this atrocity, including a couple of stories of daring rescues to free some of the prisoners. However, a number of people (both black and white, by the way) disappeared and were presumed or proven to have been taken South into captivity. (Many of the whites transported to Virginia were Federal workers such as postmasters.)

There is only one such account I am aware of here in York County.

Is this Honest Abe?

WGAL TV-8 has been showing images of an old photo from the Library of Congress's archives that may show President Lincoln arriving on horseback, surrounded by his Union cavalry escort and other dignitaries, to deliver the Gettysburg Address. John Richter from Hanover first suggested this photo may show the president, and famed Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer agrees. His endorsement is good enough for me!

Here is the link to WGAL's webpage. Be sure to have a look at the blown up, enhanced images and make up your own mind.

Is this Abraham Lincoln? What do you think?

2007 Remembrance Day parade

My two-year-old grandson and I attended today's annual Remembrance Day parade in Gettysburg, with more than 1,000 reenactors marching in front of thousands of onlookers. This was the fourth time I have attended the parade in the six years we have lived in Pennsylvania, but the first time for my grandson, who loved the music, the pageantry, the brightly colored flags, and the horses, especially the horses!

Pennsylvania monument to 87th, 67th, and 138th PVI at the Monocacy battlefield. Photo courtesy of NPS.

My last post asked Cannonball readers to scour through your old photo albums and files to look for engravings, photographs, CDVs, drawings, and other visual representations of former members of the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry for a project Chris Buckingham is working on. I appreciate the responses so far, and keep looking! There may be scores of photos still out there unaccounted for. Remember, these do NOT have to depict the man in his uniform, but can be of the ex-soldier in old age or in civilian attire at any point in his life.

The 87th PVI fought in a number of significant battles, and at times served in the Army of the Potomac. Here is an amusing anecdote from its service during the Siege of Petersburg.

Two young unidentified privates of the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry
CDV from the collection of Chris Buckingham.

Did any of your ancestors serve in the 87th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry? Do you know anyone whose family members did? This regiment was primarily raised in York and Adams Counties. Author Dennis Brandt recently published a very interesting book chronicling the regiment and its service. Now, another York County author is also planning a new work on this regiment, but from a much different slant.

Chris Buckingham is collaborating with the York County Heritage Trust to locate and identify old photographs of the men of the 87th, from its field officers down to the lowest private. He has already assembled more than 225 photographs so far, but this represents only a fraction of the men who served in the regiment at various times during the war. He's looking for help from you!

Monument to the 26th Militia at Gettysburg

Many local (and national) Civil War buffs are aware of the Battle of Hanover and the Skirmish of Wrightsville. However, there was other fighting in York County, albeit very minor in nature, including insignificant cavalry skirmishes near Jefferson and Dover, as well as near York, where Virginia cavalry fired potshots at retreating Union forces as they were abandoning York for Wrightsville. One other York County town was spared the frightful rattle of gunfire and the fear of potential casualties to be nursed in area homes, despite two opposing forces warily eyeing one another in nearby fields.

Dillsburg was a sleepy little rural village nestled in the shadow of South Mountain. It was primarily known in 1863 as a rest stop for travellers on the road from York to Carlisle, and it boasted a couple of fine taverns, a few stores, a post office, and some other businesses, as well as a nearby sprawling commercial fruit farm. Not far away was the strategically important, from a military viewpoint, gap in the mountain range at Yellow Breeches Creek. That passage offered an egress from the Cumberland Valley into the heart of northwestern York County.

I was privileged to have been invited to speak at the November meeting of the Central Ohio Civil War Round Table in Columbus, Ohio. My presentation earlier tonight was on the burning of the Wrightsville-Columbia Bridge, a topic relatively familiar to York County history buffs, but an event almost totally unknown outside this region. For many of the 50+ attendees, it was the first time they had heard the details of the strategic importance of the bridge, the invasion of York County, and the Gordon Expedition, the subject of a new book I wrote that is due out shortly. I had dinner with my publisher, Eric Wittenberg, his graphics designer, and some of the CWRT members this evening, and it looks like the book is ready for submission to the printer after final copy edit.

The Central Ohio CWRT is one of Ohio's largest groups, with a number of active projects and field trips. This was my first time to speak to this organization, and I had a blast talking about the role Gordon's Brigade played in the campaign, and how York figured into the Confederate strategy.

It's always fun to export a little York County history to others!

A Yankee and a Rebel meet

The Civil War has, at times, been termed the War Between the States. In some cases, perhaps it should be called the War Between the Brothers, as perhaps thousands of brothers fought on opposite sides of the conflict. York County was not immune to this tragedy. There are several known examples of local brothers split by the wearing of blue or gray, including the tragic story of the Hoffman boys.

J. K. Duncan, CSA

The American Civil War was truly a war of brother against brother, family against family, and neighbor against neighbor. Such was also the case here in York County, where a number of local men served in the Southern forces, particularly in Maryland units. One brevet major general in the Confederate army hailed from this area. Johnson Kelly Duncan was born and raised in rural Chanceford Township, which borders the Susquehanna River in the southeastern part of the county.

America: land of the free and home of the brave!

Today is Veterans Day. After church (I attend the Stillmeadow Church of the Nazarene just north of York off of Susquehanna Trail), I drove over to Gettysburg to lead a walking tour of East Cemetery Hill for fifteen wargamers from the massive wargaming convention that had just concluded. I spoke for about 90 minutes, stopping at various places on East Cemetery Hill to describe the Union defenses and the determined attack by half of Jubal Early's veteran division on the evening of July 2. We closed at the monument to the 7th West Virginia Infantry, a regiment that contained my grandmother's uncles and several of their cousins), where I paused with the attendees to remember that it is Veterans Day. What could be more fitting - bright sunshine, crisp autumn air, several good friends, and a chance to reflect at Gettysburg on the sacrifices of our ancestors?

Dennis Brandt's fascinating new book

This month's regular meeting of the York Civil War Round Table (formerly the White Rose Civil War Round Table) will be at the York County Heritage Trust's headquarters on East Market Street in York at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 14. Red Lion author Dennis Brandt will present a PowerPoint show on the 87th Pennsylvania, an infantry regiment with strong ties to York and Adams counties. The talk is based upon his interesting recent book, From Home Guards to Heroes: The 87th Pennsylvania and Its Civil War Community.

ADMISSION IS FREE!! Why not come hear one of York County's finest regimental historians discuss some of the men who helped defend the Union?

Scott Mingus's 15mm wargame of the Attack on Fox's Gap at South Mountain from a previous gaming convention

I took a day of vacation from work and attended the annual Fall In! miniature wargaming convention at the Eisenhower Inn and Conference Center in Gettysburg. I presented a miniature wargame of the hypothetical attack on Cemetery Hill that Ike Trimble proposed late in the afternoon of July 1, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg. An after-action report on the game and its outcome can be found here.

The convention features more than 300 miniature wargames over the three day event, with more
than 1,000 wargamers filling the Ike and the adjacent All-Star Sports Complex. It is one of the four largest miniature wargaming conventions in North America and annually pumps tens of thousands of dollars into the Adams County economy.

Have you ever attended a wargaming convention? If so, what are your fondest memories and some of the best games you have played?

A York County family secreted a fine draft horse in their elegant parlor. When a patrol of the feared “Louisiana Tigers” stopped at the front door, the residents denied even having a horse. However, its loud neighing soon confirmed its presence. The Confederates barged inside, seized the frightened animal from beside an expensive rosewood piano, and led it away. The farmer was left with a fistful of worthless Confederate currency and a parlor that smelled like a barnyard.

Confederate POWs taken at the Battle of Gettysburg

In my last entry, I briefly looked at an account of the first Confederate soldiers to be taken prisoner in York County during the Gettysburg Campaign - straggling cavalrymen seized by Hanover citizens and turned over to the military. During the subsequent week, dozens more Confederates would be rounded up by various Union cavalry patrols, or taken in battle in the fighting at Hanover on June 30, 1863. With the exception of the prisoners taken at the Battle of Hanover, the majority of these POWs were stragglers, deserters, or men who had otherwise become separated from their commands.

On June 27, 1863, the 35th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry rode into Hanover. The battalion was comprised of four companies of Virginians and one from Maryland, all under the command of young Lt. Col. Elijah V. White. After raiding the town for supplies and items of interest to soldiers far from home (including liquor), they mounted and rode on through Jefferson to Hanover Junction.

Unseen by White, a few of his men stayed behind, either tired of the war or perhaps too drunk to continue. The next day, Hanoverians discovered some of these stragglers still in town. As there were no Union soldiers nearby and no policemen present to arrest them, the Confederates were “impudent and boastful in their manner.” Dr. Zieber, a local minister and the chairman of the Committee of Safety, walked up to them and demanded to know why they were still in Hanover. With the assistance of others, he arrested the cavalrymen and took them to the Central Hotel. There, guards placed the Rebels on a wagon and conveyed them to Westminster, Maryland, where they turned their captives over to military authorities

One of the author's typical wargaming layouts

Did you ever play with toy soldiers as a child? Even today, do you enjoy looking at dioramas and miniature depictions of Civil War battles? What about looking at model railroad layouts and marveling at the high quality terrain? Do you enjoy strategy and matching wits in a competitive environment with people who also like military history?

Then, this weekend offers an event you should check out in nearby Gettysburg. The annual Fall In! miniature wargaming convention is being held at the Eisenhower Resort and Conference Center and the adjacent All-Star Sports Complex just south of the Gettysburg Battlefield on the Emmitsburg Road (Business 15). November 9-11; 9 a.m until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday is a limited schedule of events from 9 until 1.

Movie Poster for Johnny
I grew up in central Ohio in the town of Zanesville, most noted for its unique Y-bridge and as the birthplace of Western author Zane Gray. Not too far away is the city of Newark, Ohio, the birthplace of John Clem (also spelled Klem), one of the 516,000 German-Americans to fight in the American Civil War. Clem, a young drummer boy in an Ohio regiment, gained national fame as "Johnny Shiloh" and "Johnny Chickamauga." Years after the war, he became the youngest major general in U.S. Army history.

In the 1960s, Disney make a somewhat fictionalized movie based loosely on Clem's Civil War exploits, entitled Johnny Shiloh. Now, a relatively unknown film company, Historical Productions, has produced a new movie on John Clem's service in the Union army. The movie trailer can be found at the company's website. Directed by R. David Burns, this movie at least looks better than the classic Disney flick (at least, it has better reenactors and uniforms!).

I have fond memories of the Disney Johnny Shiloh flick from my childhood, although my favorite ACW movies are Glory and Gettysburg. What is your favorite Civil War movie, and why?

An old castle in Baden-Baden

I returned late this week from an interesting business trip to Germany and France for the paper company I work for. I had a little bit of time to do some sightseeing with my colleagues to historic Strasbourg, France, as well as in the old resort town I stayed in, Baden-Baden. I am descended from an early German immigrant, Christian Menges, who sailed to what is now New York in 1709, settling at West Camp on the Hudson River. He left Germany to avoid the persecution during the early part of the Palantinate Revolution. His grandson, Moses Mingus (note the spelling change), fought in the American Revolution in the 1st New York Line Infantry before resettling in Ohio on land granted by Congress to veterans for their war service.

There are many parallels to York County, not the least of which is the original spelling of my name, which lives on in Menges Mills in the southwestern part of the county. For a look at the influence of other Germans in the Civil War, click on the link.