Results tagged “Dover” from Cannonball

This memorial plaque commemorating the Gettysburg Campaign activities in the Dover, Pennsylvania, region now sits in front of the local fire station on East Canal Street.

Background post: Old memorial plaque recalls J.E.B. Stuart's occupation of Dover PA

An old Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper article from November 1907 describes the ceremony in Dover to dedicate the Civil War marker.

Dover ceremony.pdf

This newspaper scan is courtesy of NewsInHistory.com, a fascinating new website that was reviewed in Cannonball recently.

The text of the newspaper article follows:

A view of the northwestern corner of the main intersection in Dover, Pennsylvania. In the 19th century, the town (and surrounding township) had a significant population of citizens with German heritage, including a Mrs. Forscht, who owned the white house.

The sturdy red brick building was the office of Dr. John Ahl, which was the Confederates' business office during their half-day stay in Dover on July 1, 1863. Here, Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton fired off dispatches via couriers, and later supervised the parole of 230 Yankees, including 21 men captured at the Battle of Hanover. Ahl's house was a beehive of activity, with a long line of Union prisoners lining the pavement awaiting their turn to sign the papers that promised they would not take up arms again until they were properly exchanged. They would be sent down into York, where they would be generously fed by the citizenry.

Dr. Ahl never filed any border claim for any damage to his property or theft, so it would appear that Hampton and his staff kept a tight rein on their men (and on the prisoners who paraded before them).

Who was Dr. John Ahl?

Back in November of 1907, the citizens of Dover, Pennsylvania, commissioned a copper-plated cast iron plaque commemorating the July 1, 1863, raid by Major General J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry on the town and its environs during the Gettysburg Campaign. That plaque was later moved to the Dover Fire Hall when it was built and is now on one side of a small rectangular brick pillar, along with an old fire bell and a flag pole.

The Stuart marker was one of the earliest memorials to the events surrounding Stuart's Ride unveiled in southern Pennsylvania, and it remembers the suffering of the residents of that day while their small town was occupied by three full brigades of Rebel cavalry, concurrent with the opening of the Battle of Gettysburg some 30 miles to the southwest.

This old farm at the intersection of Baker Road and East Berlin Road in West Manchester Township was among the hundreds of similar farms visited by patrols from Confederate Major General J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry division during its sojourn through York County, Pennsylvania, on June 30 - July 1, 1863. More than 450 different residents of the county later reported losing horses to Stuart's column.

Among Stuart's diverse regiments was the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry, which had lost its commander as a prisoner or war during the Battle of Hanover. The regiment had been severely depleted in manpower during the earlier battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville in the Loudoun Valley prior to Stuart's Ride around the Union Army, and the fighting at Hanover had not helped the matter, nor had the grueling retreat northward toward Dover. Horses played out, soldiers rode together on the remaining horses, and patrols scoured the countryside for fresh horses and mules.

Included in the saddle weary ranks was James A. Buxton, an 18-year-old soldier who had only joined Company H of the 2nd North Carolina in February of that year. Already he had seen considerable combat action and was now a seasoned veteran. He had been slightly wounded at the June 9 Battle of Brandy Station and had been reassigned to General Stuart's headquarters as a special courier while he recuperated. He was still serving in that capacity as the division rode through Maryland and southern Pennsylvania during the early stages of the Gettysburg Campaign. He would remain as one of Stuart's couriers throughout the Battle of Gettysburg and the rest of the summer campaign, returning to his regiment in September prior to the Bristoe Campaign.

Years later in the pages of the Confederate Veteran magazine, Jim Buxton, by then a senior citizen living in Newport News, Virginia, recalled his brief visit to York County...

This well maintained old 19th century farmhouse and associated outbuildings are located at the intersection of Butter and Bull roads (a.k.a "Eastmont") in northeastern Dover Township in York County, Pennsylvania. During the American Civil War, Confederate cavalry patrols from Brig. Gen. Wade Hampton III's brigade of Jeb Stuart's cavalry corps passed by this home and foragers likely wandered around the barn and stable looking for horses. It is probable they found none, as farmer E. Gross did not file a formal damage claim with the state to recover any losses for personal property taken by the Rebels. Of course, not every York Countian whose horses or other possession were stolen bothered to file a claim after the war.

Stuart divided up his force, with the brigades of Col. John Chambliss, Jr. and Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee heading northwesterly via Harmony Grove Road to Wellsville, where they too apparently split up on parallel roads for a short period before rendezvousing south of Dillsburg.

Press Release:

DOVER -- Glatfelter scientist and local historian Scott L. Mingus Sr. will give a presentation at the March meeting of the Greater Dover Historical Society, 7:00 p.m. Thursday. March 19, 2009, at Calvary Lutheran Church on the square in Dover (near the intersection of Carlisle Road (Route 74) and Canal Road).

Mingus will discuss the trails of Civil War generals Early, Stuart, Hampton and others as they led their troops through Dover Township and Dover, and east to York or northwesterly toward Dillsburg.

He will speak on Dover-area families whose lives were directly touched by the troops while they camped on local farm properties and helped themselves to horses and crops. Some family names he will touch on are Meisenhelter, Bowersox, Kinsey, Laucks, Daron and Weigle.

The public is invited to the free program. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. For details, call president Madelyn Shermeyer at 292-2018 or e-mail mmshermeyer@ddogcom.net.

The society will meet again at 7 p.m. April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16 (picnic), Aug. 20, Sept. 17, Oct. 15 and Nov. 19, all at Calvary Lutheran Church.

The Meisenhelter / Meisenhelder family was one of the more prominent families in Dover and Conewago townships during the 19th century. The private family cemetery is dotted with the names of men and women who played a key role in the agricultural economy of the region during the Civil War years. Descendants still live in the area, and many of the old farmsteads still exist, including two on Bull Road that I will discuss briefly in today's Cannonball blog entry.

These folks were prime targets of Confederate raiding parties, as Bull Road was (and is) a quick route for people to get from northern York County to York without using Carlisle Road (State Route 74). Four members of the large family are known to have lost horses to the Southern foragers.

More than two thousand Confederate cavalrymen rode past the site of Harmony Grove Church, a landmark in Dover Township, York County, Pennsylvania. The present white frame building was constructed sometime about 1870 I believe.

Jeb Stuart's Confederate cavalry filed northwesterly from Dover, Pennsylvania, toward Carlisle in neighboring Cumberland County. Stuart did not turn west to follow the trail of Jubal Early's division, but elected to head to Carlisle, where it was rumored the bulk of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps was located.

Just north of Dover, in early afternoon, Stuart split his column to make better time and to scour a wider region of the countryside for fresh horses. He kept Wade Hampton's brigade and the wagon trains with him on the State Road, and sent Fitzhugh Lee and John Chambliss, Jr. to the left on Harmony Grove Road toward Wellsville.

The dust clouds kicked up by the cavalry and wagon train could be seen for miles.

This covered bridge spanned Little Conewago Creek east of Dover, Pennsylvania. Photo from an old postcard.

Confederate horsemen were quite active in Dover Township visiting farms and mills collecting horses, mules, grain, and flour. On June 28 and 29, Col. William H. French's 17th Virginia Cavalry roamed the region, raiding more than forty farms and taking horses. Recruited in the mountain region of what had since become West Virginia, they were proficient foragers, and scores of York Countians were paid a visit by these troopers. At the same time, Major John Campbell of the First Louisiana Brigade (the famed and feared Louisiana Tigers) and a large contingent of infantrymen and wagons were raiding mills and nearby farms north of York, including roaming into Dover Township.

A view taken in December 2008 of the northwestern corner of the main intersection in Dover, Pennsylvania. In the 19th century, Dover had a town square, which accounts for the setback of the white frame building on the left. The town (and surrounding township) had a significant population of citizens with German heritage, including Mrs. Forscht, who owned the corner lot with the white house. The sturdy red brick building to the right was the office of Dr. John Ahl, which would be the Confederates' business office during their half-day stay in Dover on July 1, 1863. Here, General Wade Hampton fired off dispatches via couriers, and later supervised the parole of 230 Yankees, including 21 men captured at Hanover.

Dawn of July 1, 1863, saw Dover firmly in the grasp of the famed Southern cavalier, Major General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart. His men surrounded the town, with the brigade of the future Governor of South Carolina, Wade Hampton III, likely occupying the ground immediately west of Dover as it was the rear guard of the force, and it is known that Hampton's men later that day skirmished with Federal pursuers near Salem Church. What is less clear is the exact location of the brigades of Fitzhugh Lee and John Chambliss, Jr. although I am still combing through old records to see if a clue can be obtained. It is known that the main body of the Rebels camped near Fox Run, the main source of water in the Dover area, although picket posts were established well out the main roads.

For more photos of modern Dover and commentary, click the link.

Typical York County farmland. Confederate columns criss-crossed the undulating region during the last week of June 1863. Rebel soldiers took more than 1,000 horses from county residents, at times leaving behind worn out nags and mules. Stuart's column freed 80 exhausted mules in one farmer's field, destroying his entire crop of oats. Many farmers hid their animals in ravines, hollows, brushy fields, orchards, woods, and on mountains. However, the Rebels often discovered the horses and mules and took them with them when they departed.

June 30, 1863, had been a trying day for J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry division. Many of the troopers had participated in an emotional battle against Union cavalry at the Battle of Hanover, and several men left friends and family members behind, dead or wounded. The Secessionist saddle soldiers had then endured a grueling ride through southwestern York County's undulating terrain, hampered by a captured train of 125 Yankee supply wagons. Most would march an average of 23 miles from Hanover.

The lead elements of Stuart's column, the Virginia brigade of Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, began arriving in Dover sometime about 2:00 a.m. on July 1.

Three brigades of veteran Confederate cavalry under Major General J.E.B. Stuart passed through scenic York County, Pennsylvania, on June 30, 1863, en route from the Battle of Hanover to Dover, PA where they camped for the evening near Fox Run.

Background post: Rebels visit Dover - Part 1 of a series.

Dover had managed to miss the big one so far, as Jubal Early's 5,000 infantrymen bypassed the town on June 28 and instead headed farther south to Weigelstown before cutting across York County to the Harrisburg Road near Emigsville and turning south to York. Now, on the afternoon of June 30, Stuart's three brigades, burdened by a slow moving captured Union supply train of 125 forage-laden wagons, began pulling out of the Hanover vicinity.

Their destination was York, where Stuart hoped to link up with Early, but circumstances would lead them to Dover.

The historic Salem Church near Dover, Pennsylvania, as seen in the summer of 2008. On the night of June 30 - July 1,1863, this prominent landmark was passed by thousands of Confederate cavalrymen, although most made the passage long after dark.

A reader has asked me to spend a little time exploring the Civil War history of Dover, Pennsylvania. Two of my adult children live near that community, as well as my grandsons, so the Dover area is of particular interest to me.

Dover has a rich history during the Gettysburg Campaign, and I wrote a well-received article a couple of years ago on "J.E.B. Stuart Visits Dover, Pennsylvania" which appeared in Gettysburg Magazine. Over the next few weeks, occasionally i will present some stories and anecdotes from this article, and from other sources.

Dover's venerable Salem Church was the scene of a small skirmish in June 1863 during the Gettysburg Campaign.

York County had a major cavalry battle at Hanover, as well as a skirmish at Wrightsville that easily could have been a more significant fight had the opposing commanders made other decisions. There were dozens of smaller engagements, often no more than a few cavalry scouts shooting at each other such as in the case of the 17th Virginia's brief exchange of potshots with the First City Troop west of York on June 27.

Here is a brief account of a short firefight on the ridges west of Dover on July 1.

Pennsylvania author J. David Petruzzi is the featured guest speaker for the May meeting of the York CWRT.

From June 30 through the wee morning hours of July 2, elements of J.E.B. Stuart's vaunted, but road-weary and exhausted Confederate cavalry column trudged through western York County. They fought a pitched battle at Hanover, as well as a couple of very minor rear guard skirmishes near Jefferson and Dover. Stuart did not arrive on the Gettysburg battlefield until late on July 2, having fought yet again at Hunterstown.

Historians for 145 years have argued the merits of Stuart's controversial ride around the Union army, one that put him out of touch with the main force of the Army of Northern Virginia for part of the campaign. Some critics blame Stuart for leaving Lee blind while in enemy country; others argue that the move made military sense and circumstances beyond Stuart's (and Lee's) control contributed to the delayed reunion with the infantry.

Brockway, PA author J. D. Petruzzi will present a FREE talk at the York County Civil War Round Table on Wednesday, May 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the York County Heritage Trust at 250 East Market Street in downtown York. This promises to be of strong interest to anyone interested in exploring the Civil War history of this region, and a chance to see and hear one of America's leading cavalry experts deliver his personal opinion on Stuart's ride.