A Northern Friend of the Southern Confederacy

The identity of this southern Pennsylvania "Copperhead" farmer is unknown, but during the Civil War the majority of pro-Southern sentiment in York County was in Dover, Codorus, and North Codorus townships. A few farmers in those rural regions filed damage claims for multiple horses taken by the Rebels, but it is impossible to know exactly who the reporter was describing.

Interestingly, in reading through more than a thousand border claims from Cumberland, Franklin, Adams, and York counties, commonplace merchandise such as pencils and personal goods such as key chains were allowable claims, but livestock such as cattle, chickens, and pigs were not allowed to be listed as legitimate damage caused by either army. Foodstuffs such as jelly, flour, crackers, and even barrels of mackerel were allowed, but a herd of cows did not qualify for recompense.