Far away from home in unfamiliar territory. Well behind enemy lines. Weary from days and days of travel. Riding on someone else's horse, one just purchased from a farmer. Tired from exposure and weakened from hunger. Knowing that the enemy has been on your tail for days. Homesick from missing your sweetheart and parents. Exhausted from two years of fighting a war that you expected to be over in a few months when you enlisted.
Put yourself in the minds of J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalrymen that invaded York County on June 30 and July 1, 1863. Any escape from the wearisome toil of the march and the mind numbing routine was welcomed. For Virginia-born J. E. Cooke, that pleasant diversion came in the form of wall decorations in one Dillsburg tavern.
