Civilians: July 2009 Archives

As Major General J.E.B. Stuart's division of three brigades of Confederate cavalry departed Dover, Pennsylvania, on July 1, 1863, patrols fanned out in a wide swath to acquire fresh horses. More than 700 horses are known to have been taken in York County alone by Stuart's men, and another 500 by other Rebel troops that criss-crossed the county. Among Stuart's early victims as his troops left Dover was farmer Jacob Spangler, who owned this impressive characteristic red barn that still sits alongside Fox Run (not very far from two of my kids' houses in Dover Township). He lost a ten-year-old bay mare and a six-year-old black horse taken from his stable.

The Spangler clan was the hardest hit family in all of York County, as seventeen different men by that surname reported losing horses or trade goods to the Confederate raiders! In total, the Spanglers lost thirty horses, not to mention the contents of Charles Spangler's West Manchester Township store. Many of the Spanglers lived along Carlisle Road, the path that Stuart's column took to reach Dillsburg and then Carlisle. Fathers, sons, brothers, cousins, uncles - the interrelated group took a serious financial loss in terms of lost horseflesh right at the important summer harvest time.

The historic Cashtown Inn has been restored in the past few decades and, under new management since 2006, is a popular dining spot in the foothills of the South Mountain Range west of Gettysburg. Back in the summer of 1863, innkeeper Jacob Mickley was kept quite busy by the repeated passage of Confederate troops, and several leading officers of the Army of Northern Virginia paused at this tavern for refreshment. Prior to the arrival of the Confederates, the building was an outpost for Union cavalry videttes of Maj. Granville Haller. Some accounts suggest a party of four bushwhackers also steeled themselves for the task of sniping at oncoming Rebels by freely imbibing alcohol from Mickley's barroom. Photo courtesy of Dr. Thomas M. Mingus.

While many Pennsylvanians practiced passive resistance when the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia passed through the south-central tier, tens of thousands of others took matters into their own hands. They grabbed their hunting rifles and other weapons and joined informal local militia groups to help defend their hometowns in case the Rebels came near. In the Juniata River region, more than 5,000 civilians (including many former soldiers) took up arms and encamped in the mountain passes. Union authorities derisively called them nothing more than "an army of bushwhackers commanded by ex-officers." Near McKeesport, Pennsylvania, the local militia was so adept at stealing poultry from the area's farmers that they became known as the "Chicken Raiders."

Here in York County, one farmer near the hamlet of Big Mount took matters in his own hands. In circumstances that are not entirely clear, he savagely murdered a foraging Rebel from Louisiana (I document what is known of this incident from official Confederate records in my upcoming book on the Louisiana Tigers from LSU Press).

In Gettysburg, years after the war, the son of one of the local militia leaders gave this brief account of the bushwhacking in that region. Much of the account parallels (and adds to) my narrative of Union Major Granville O. Haller's efforts to organize the defense of Adams and York counties as Major General Jubal A. Early's powerful veteran division approached from the west.

Here is his account... although please note in his old age, the writer has confused some details in his fading memory.

This house sits at the northeastern corner of the intersection of N. Sherman Street and Druck Valley Road. It is located on the heights northeast of York near village of Pleasureville in what in today Springettsbury Township in York County, Pennsylvania. Back on Monday, June 29, 1863, the brick two-story structure housed the general store of a young merchant named Emanuel G. Keller.

In real estate, one often hears the term "location, location, location" in terms of desirability. The unfortunate Mr. Keller was in the wrong location at the wrong time.

Many of you know that a publisher has asked me to research and write yet another book in my popular series of human interest stories. In the never ending quest for fresh material, I was perusing an old copy of Confederate Veteran last night when I stumbled across a different account of John Gordon's brigade in Pennsylvania by an author I had previously used in Flames Beyond Gettysburg. Here are a couple of fresh anecdotes from Private Isaac G. Bradwell of the 31st Georgia Volunteers. The second one is particularly interesting, as it is the only known first-hand account from a Confederate of Gordon's campsite west of York on Monday night June 29, 1863.

Unlike other Rebel accounts, the young Georgian had some very positive things to say about the people of York...

Bradwell remembered, "At early dawn the rattle of the drum called us to ranks, and we set out on the march to York. This place was much larger than Gettysburg and the inhabitants did not shut themselves up in their houses through fear of us, but were so anxious to see us and converse with us that we had some difficulty in forcing our way through the city.

It was Sunday morning, and everybody was dressed in his very best. So great was the pressure that our officers marched us through the town in single column of twos. Handsomely dressed women extended their hands from each side, anxious to have a word with us; but our officers hurried us along as rapidly as possible. Among the men I saw several who were suffering from wounds, but these kept themselves well to the rear and did not seek to come in contact with us.

The people of York were the most refined and intelligent folk we met in the State and reminded us of our friends at home, both in manners and personal appearance. They did not seem to be a bit reserved, and if we had not known where we were, we might, from their conduct, have supposed ourselves in Dixie."

Bradwell and the brigade marched to Wrightsville, where they attacked Union militia entrenched west of town but failed to capture the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, which was burned by the retreating Yankees. On Monday afternoon about 4 PM, the Georgians marched back through downtown York and camped in the countryside along the Carlisle Road (Route 74 today).

The young private added some interesting details...

Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early arrived in York on the afternoon of Sunday, June 28, 1863. He established his headquarters in the sheriff's office in the columned York County Courthouse on East Market Street. He ordered an aide, William Thornton, to transcribe a requisition for supplies--165 barrels of flour or 28,000 pounds of baked bread; 3,500 pounds of sugar; 1,650 pounds of coffee; 300 gallons of molasses; 1,200 pounds of salt; 32,000 pounds of fresh beef or 21,000 pounds of bacon or pork. All were to be delivered at the market house on Main Street at 4:00 p.m. Early's chief quartermaster, Major Charles E. Snodgrass, wrote a second requisition, calling for clothing - 2,000 pairs of shoes or boots, 1,000 pairs of socks and 1,000 felt hats and $100,000.

Chief Burgess David Small informed Early that the town's banks had already sent off their assets, and could not raise that amount of cash. Snodgrass eventually wrote a receipt for $28,610 collected from York's citizens, as well as the remaining goods that had been requisitioned. Attorney James W. Latimer "very foolishly gave them one hundred dollars" John Evans donated $50, W. Latimer Small $25, and the firm of P. A. & S. Small contributed $752. Gettysburg resident Sallie Broadhead wrote in her diary that the people of York were "dunce-like" in paying this ransom to the Rebels, "which they pocketed."

Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Union cavalry of Judson Kilpatrick's division captured scores of Confederate supply wagons retreating across South Mountain near Monterey Pass. Among the diverse items in the wagons were supplies taken from York to fulfill General Early's controversial ransom, as well as personal property stolen from York County residents. However, the goods were never returned to their owners. Instead, most received the torch.

Cannonball reader Jim Brown is a long-time collector of old Civil War letters. He recently read my piece on the Amish and other conscientious objectors in York County, Pennsylvania, during the war. It reminded him of one of the letters in his extensive collection, which he was kind enough to transcribe, edit a bit for clarity of sentence structure, and then forward it to me to share with our readers.

He wrote,

Dear Mr. Mingus,

"Just finished reading your wonderful piece in "Viewpoints" about the Amish during the Civil War. Thanks for writing it; I learned a lot.

As a long time collector of Civil War letters, I immediately thought of a letter in my collection from an Amish (Pennsylvania Dutch ?) lady describing what the farmers were doing as two great armies advanced into Pennsylvania only to meet at a little town called Gettysburg. The letters date is June 26, 1863.

I must warn you that it is somewhat difficult to read. Many words are spelled phonetically and I have included punctuation for easier reading. It is transcribed exactly as it was written. It's most interesting to read what they were doing with their farm animals to hide them from the rebels.

I hope you enjoy it."

With Jim's permission, here is the fascinating letter from Phebe Angeline Smith, who lived in Washington Township in northwestern York County. Members of the Smith family were visited by the Rebels during the Gettysburg Campaign. Mrs. Smith writes to her sister on June 26, 1863, the day before the Confederates begin streaming into western York County on multiple roads from Adams County.