A few years ago, York County author and blogger Jim McClure and I briefly discussed a fellow by the name of John A. Wilson, who is thought to be the last black Civil War veteran from York County to have been laid to rest. I started digging into this man, researching what Jim had found and searching for a little more information. Not only was "Quil" Wilson the last surviving black ACW veteran, he was among the youngest men to take up arms against the Confederates during the Gettysburg Campaign, when he served as an unpaid volunteer manning the trenches defending Wrightsville against the Confederate brigade of Brig. Gen. John B. Gordon. There are no specific records of Wilson's individual service at Wrightsville, but his small company was noted by the Lancaster Examiner and Herald as having "fought bravely."

Posted in Civilians Other places Wrightsville Yankees

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Cover art from a 1991 book, The Story of the Northern Central Railway, by Robert L. Gunnarsson, Greenberg Publications.

All over York County, from the outskirts of Abbottstown to the west across the turnpike to Wrightsville and from Hanover to the southwest up to Dillsburg (and dozens of other towns and hundreds of farms), residents took stock of their losses. For some, the damage was relatively light - as low as a single horse. For others, their livelihoods had been destroyed (for example, a large milling operation in Wrightsville that had burned down, displacing the workers). In the next few days, I will outline some of the damage in York County (and perhaps beyond) caused by the Confederates.

I thank York County railroad buff, author, and historian Ivan E. Frantz, Jr. (and a colleague of mine at work) for sharing the following very interesting information he has gleaned from the files of the Northern Central Railway, one of the hardest hit companies.

Posted in Civilians Confederates Gettysburg Campaign Hanover Hanover Junction Other places Railroads York

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Maj. Gen. Jubal Early's veteran Confederate division, one of the hardest fighting units in the Army of Northern Virginia, departs from camps near Mummasburg, Gettysburg, and Hunterstown and heads eastward toward the prize they had been ordered by Richard S. Ewell to capture - the prosperous town of York. Early's main column - 3/4 of his artillery, all but one company of the 17th Virginia Cavalry, and the brigades of Ike Avery and Extra Billy Smith trudged from Mummasburg toward Hunterstown, picking up the Louisiana Tigers en route. John Gordon's Georgians left the Wolf farm just east of Gettysburg and marched out the turnpike (today's U.S. 30). It would be a leisurely march for these two columns this day, one that would end at Big Mount and Farmers, respectively.

It was the third column that would create the military excitement on this day - White's Comanches which had terrorized much of northern Maryland and had earned a reputation for lightning raids on Union supply lines. Now, their war whoops would be heard in southwestern York County...

Posted in Civil War people Civilians Confederates Gettysburg Campaign Hanover Hanover Junction Jefferson Other places Spring Grove Yankees York

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Among the many damage claims filed after the Civil War by York Countians are depositions regarding thievery of the Confederate soldiers. York resident William Ross reported that, on July 1, 1863, a squad of Rebel cavalry rode up to his farm, escorting a train of empty supply wagons. When the "Johnnies" departed, the wagons were now filled with 75 bushels of corn and other items taken from Ross's farm.

Dover resident Mary Roth had been visited a day earlier by William A. French's 17th Virginia Cavalry, which served under Major General Jubal A. Early. Confederate troopers confiscated 40 pairs of horseshoes and 50 pounds of horseshoe nails, as well as stealing 9 bushels of coal.

Posted in Civil War people Civilians Dover Gettysburg Campaign Other places York

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When not on campaign, Civil War troops (particularly the Federals) had semi-permanent camps with tents and log structures. While on the road, they made do without these luxuries. For the Rebels on the march to Pennsylvania, the camp was usually a piece of grass, an old blanket, and the starry sky. (Library of Congress)

Recently I posted a message and photograph of the John Wiest house / tavern in Spring Grove, which was used as a Confederate camp site during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign. Some of you have inquired as to the locations of other CSA camps and headquarters during the Confederate invasion, so I will begin a series of occasional articles on the topic. First, some basic information to help set the table for this new series...

Posted in Confederate camp sites Confederates Gettysburg Campaign Other places Spring Grove Wrightsville York

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As the spring of 1863 began, the last thing many York Countians expected was that the Civil War would roll northward into this lush agrarian region. The war was down in Virginia, and in places way out west where names like Murfreesboro had been in the news over the winter. Yet, as April and May rolled into June, little did the locals dream that they would soon play host to two separate major Confederate incursions within a three-day period, as well as smaller raids.

Heidelberg Township merchant George Zain was among the dozens of merchants and shopkeepers who were visited by Confederate troops.

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My wife and I used watch a half-hour TV program entitled 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Daughter. It starred the late actor John Ritter, the son of famous country and western singer Tex Ritter, and the show was a source of entertainment and escape. While I normally detest sitcoms, this was one of the rare ones I would sit through, unlike Ritter's earlier horrible Three's Company, which I could not stand. Not long before Ritter's death at age 54, I finally came to appreciate his talents. John Ritter had a famous lineage, as well as fame and fortune.

For one ordinary 19th Century York County namesake, the Gettysburg Campaign took away a little of his fortune, but made the name John Ritter a part of local Civil War history.

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Typical interior of a small country store

Boredom. Routine. Monotony... By June 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia had spent more than half a year relatively idle in its camps since the Battle of Fredericksburg, with the exception of the flurry of activity in May at Chancellorsville. As the soldiers headed northward for the summer campaign, they passed through dozens of small towns in Virginia, with most of the businesses barren from the hardships of the war. When the troops got to Pennsylvania, soldiers marveled at the well-stocked stores and shops, and there are scores, if not hundreds, of surviving letters and diaries that discuss individual Confederates' shopping sprees.

York County was no exception. While the soldiers were often gleeful at the rare chance to leisurely shop for whatever goods they needed, the local merchants were not at all happy about the situation.

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The Louisiana Tigers left the Willoughby Run / Oak Hill area northwest of Gettysburg on June 27, 1863, and marched through East Berlin into western York County, finally camping late that afternoon near Big Mount. The roads were "exceedingly muddy," and scores of men straggled in the slop and mire. A few never rejoined the ranks, taking the opportunity to slip away and desert. An old book has a cryptic entry for Private Charles Brown of the 8th Louisiana, who was "supposed to have been killed by the citizens of Penn[sylvania]."

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Thomas L. Kane, US Volunteers

Elements of the Union Army occasionally camped in York County for varying periods of time. Usually, the troops were passing through the region and stopped for an extended rest break while awaiting orders to march elsewhere. One such regiment was the 13th Pennsylvania Reserves (also known as the 42nd Infantry Regiment), filled with woodsmen and lumbermen from the mountains of western Pennsylvania. The men wore the white tails of deer in their caps and became known as the "Bucktails."

They were under the command of Colonel Thomas L. Kane. Before the war, the Philadelphia native had been an influential friend of the controversial Mormons and helped mediate an end to the Utah War in 1858. Colonel Kane and his Bucktails spent time in the autumn of 1862 in Shrewsbury in southern York County, where they were accused of wanton destruction of private property.

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Southwestern York County was visited by multiple military units during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, beginning June 27 with the 35th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (later to be known as White's Comanches for their ferocity in battle and their war whoops). Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart passed through the area on June 30, as did Union cavalry under Judson Kilpatrick. Over the next couple of days, Federal infantry columns also traversed the Hanover area en route to Gettysburg.

For many local residents, this criss-crossing of the armies brought emotional highs and lows - fear of the Rebels often turned to surprise when they proved to be well behaved and gracious, and joy when the Federal soldiers arrived turned to shock and disgust when they openly robbed York Countians. In many cases, the U.S. Army caused as much (or more) damage to property and livestock than did the invading Confederates. Favorite targets for these raiders included horses and mules, clothing and shoes, chickens and pigs. In particular, soldiers would open larders, pantries, and kitchen cabinets, emptying them of their supplies of food.

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One of York County's current charms is its vast array of casual dining chain restaurants - there are so many options to choose from and, just this year, a number of new restaurants opened, highlighted by the new shopping center off of Route 24. Mexican - we have it. Chinese - you bet. American - of course. We even have Japanese, Indian, and other specialties, as well as some fine dining establishments (with more on the way downtown).

Back in the Civil War era, York County also had a number of casual dining houses (no Denny's however!). Many rural crossroads boasted small taverns, usually brick or wooden frame houses with a bar, small restaurant area, and a few guest rooms for the weary traveller. Not having the luxury of daily delivery by distribution companies, many of these out-of-the-way taverns relied heavily on large storehouses of food, supplies, and liquor, as well as their small gardens for fresh vegetables. The loss of these provisions was an economic disaster to many of these establishments.

As one travels York County, there are many of these former taverns that still exist as private homes today. I will cover a few of them in the next year here in Cannonball. For now, here's one story of an unidentified tavern owner who had a bad day when Rebs came calling at his restaurant.

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Neighborhood and country stores in the 19th Century were important gathering places where locals could exchange gossip, catch up on the latest news, exchange pleasantries with family and friends, and make general small talk. Often, the most popular place in these shops was the old cracker barrel, which seemed to be an accepted place for social interactions. The modern "Cracker Barrel" country restaurant chain attempts to evoke the memories of the old cracker barrel as the gathering place for travellers and visitors.

Back in the tumultous summer of 1863, one young York County shopkeeper learned the hard way about hanging around the cracker barrel.

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Confederate cavalryman; adapted from Taber, Battles and Leaders.

Numerous small skirmishes and engagements occurred throughout York County during the Gettysburg Campaign. In the vast majority of these fights, a few shots were exchanged and both sides rode away, with few, if any, casualties resulting from the encounter. It has been estimated that there were over 10,000 such minor fights in the Civil War, with most being too small to be remembered except for casual mention in local newspapers or diaries / journals from townspeople or eyewitnesses. Very few of these engagements had any strategic importance, and more were relatively long-distance exchange of gunfire from patrols, pickets, scouts, and other small parties of soldiers.

York County saw its fair share of these minor skirmishes. Here is the story of one such now long-forgotten encounter, one that foreshadowed the large Battle of Gettysburg, as it was among the first contact points between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Federal Army of the Potomac.

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Major General Jubal Early led a powerful division of Confederate infantry, artillery, and scattered cavalry elements into York County in late June 1865. Early's first evening in York was a rather memorable one for the crusty officer Robert E. Lee called "my bad old boy." On March 5 and June 4, 1885, two decades after the war, from his home in Lynchburg, Virginia, an elderly Early penned a pair of letters to York County historian George Prowell relating his encounter with one of the local ladies of German extraction - an old woman who showed him some old-fashioned York County hospitality.

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