Results tagged “Pennsylvania” from Cannonball

"Politics makes strange bedfellows," so goes the old saying.

A careful study of the Civil War indicates how many military decisions, particularly officer appointments and promotions, were politically motivated. Democratic governors tended to support their own political appointees, as did the Republicans. Within the Army of the Potomac, commander George McClellan was surrounded by fellow Democrats, many of which were swept out of power after McClellan, Hooker, and their crowd lost favor in 1862, although Dan Sickles and other Democrats remained in leadership positions well afterward.

During the Gettysburg Campaign, partisan politics reached new heights in Pennsylvania, as Democratic newspapers voiced their displeasure with the Lincoln administration, and some called for McClellan's re-ascension to command.

One Reading newspaper early in July issued a rather enlightening editorial blasting the War Department and an unnamed Republican newspaper in Washington about the lack of alacrity in moving Federal troops into Pennsylvania to protect its citizens from the oncoming Confederates.

Interestingly, the letter demands the recall of Pennsylvania troops from the Federal army and darkly hints that perhaps Pennsylvania would be better off as an independent entity.

States rights was not just a Southern topic, and some historians have suggested that, had the South won the Civil War, the North would have fragmented into sections. I'm sure the editor of the Reading paper would have not minded the Country of Pennsylvania.

Here is his editorial...

The southern approach to Mount Royal, Pennsylvania, along the old Carlisle Road as seen in this February 28, 2009, photograph. On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, Major General J.E.B. Stuart led a column of Confederate cavalry into this tiny village nestled in the Conewago Mountains of northern York County. Those forces most likely consisted of the cavalry brigade of Brigadier General Wade Hampton III, the divisional wagon train, and a captured 125-wagon Union supply train that had been taken near Rockville, Maryland, a few days before Stuart's passage through Mount Royal.

Jefferson Station was located west of Jefferson, Pennsylvania, near the intersection of Krafts Mill Road and Jefferson Road (today's State Route 516). It was a railstop on the Hanover Branch Railroad serving the farmers of the Codorus region. The embankment in the right center marks the old track bed. Photo taken from the top of a hill along Jefferson Road / 516 looking to the southeast.

Click to enlarge the photos.

A Cannonball reader has asked me to do a series of posts on the Hanover Branch Railroad during the Gettysburg Campaign. In the first of these, we will look at the little known Confederate cavalry raid on Jefferson Station, an event not marked by any kind of commemorative historical wayside marker, unlike so many other incidents during "the Late Unpleasantness."

Background posts:

The Cost of the Rebel Invasion - Part 1
The Cost of the Rebel Invasion - Part 2
The Cost of the Rebel Invasion - Part 3
The Cost of the Rebel Invasion - Part 4

The Gettysburg Campaign, notwithstanding the 50,000+ human casualties and countless animals, cost the citizens of several southern tier Pennsylvania counties a significant financial loss in terms of damage or loss of personal property and, in some cases, loss of real property such as houses and barns.

A government commission in 1869 covened in York, Hanover, and Dillsburg to hear citizens complaints and tally their losses. Any York Countian who wished to file a claim for damages could do so at that time. The commissioners officially placed the damages to York County, Pennsylvania, at $127,668.55 (an astounding $2,003,824.66 in 2007 using the Consumer Price Index calculations for relative worth).

How did this rank compared to other Pennsylvania counties, and how much was caused by the Confederates and Yankees respectively?

U.S. government photo from 1979 of the heavily modified exterior of 21-23 West Market Street in downtown York, Pennsylvania. In 1863, this was the confectionery and store of prosperous merchant Valentine C. Erney.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Valentine C. Erney was a Swiss immigrant who established a profitable confectionery company in downtown York. In the summer of 1863, his establishment proved to be very popular with Major General Jubal Early's infantrymen who occupied York and its immediate vicinity.

Today, his long since demolished store is the location of York's Cherry Lane park, a popular summertime outdoor spot to eat, look at the murals, relax with friends, and listen to live musical concerts.

What did the Confederates take from the 48-year-old Erney's store?

A view taken December 28 of the historic Detters Mill in northwestern Dover Township in York County, Pennsylvania. A lengthy column of Confederate soldiers passed by this mill, watering their horses in the nearby Conewago Creek. The old mill has been converted into apartments.

On July 1, 1863, as J.E.B. Stuart's column continued it march from Dover, Pennsylvania, to Carlisle, a portion of the division under Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee and Col. John Chambliss, Jr. turned off the main road (State Road / Carlisle Road; portions of which are today's State Route 74). and headed down Harmony Grove Road. Shortly after passing the white frame country church, they reached the Conewago Creek, dividing Dover Township from Warrington and Washington townships.

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.

A view of the town square in Jefferson, Pennsylvania, (also known as Codorus Post Office during the Civil War) looking to the northwest down Berlin Street. The unusual iron Napoleon cannon tube was the subject of an earlier Cannonball entry. William T. Crist's dry goods store once occupied the large brick building during the Civil War. Rebel troopers paid a visit to this building during Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's June 30, 1863, pause at Jefferson.

All photos taken by SLM on December 18, 2008.

Jefferson, a small village in southern York County, saw three different armed forces of cavalry pass through its town square during a single week in the Gettysburg Campaign. It was first visited on June 27, 1863, by Elijah V. White and the 250-man 35th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, which had trotted into town from Hanover Junction to the northeast and then took the road in the upper right of this photo northwesterly toward Spring Forge (now Spring Grove).

On June 30, twenty times the number of Confederate cavalrymen would ride through the town square... and then on July 1, it would be Union cavalry that passed through Jefferson, this time to the welcome of the townspeople.

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.

One of the classroom assignments I recall as a child growing up in southeastern Ohio was a task to write a brief letter to the President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson. I penned a few lines, but I honestly don't recall what I said -- probably something along the lines of "have a nice day, Mr. President," and "greetings from Ohio." I have no clue if our teacher even mailed the letters, as we never heard anything back from the White House.

Back in the spring of 1863, a group of patients and staff members at the U.S. Army Hospital in York, Pennsylvania, got together and passed a series of resolutions avowing their support for the war effort. The cover letter was signed by the three-man executive committee. However, due to military protocol, it could not be mailed until endorsed by the senior post commander and sent up the command chain.

Here is the text of that letter from York sent so long ago to a man who at the time was embroiled in controversy as the "Copperhead" movement gained momentum, threatening to forever split the Union.

An old Civil War artillery tube sits in the traffic circle in Jefferson, Pennsylvania. In the background is a brick structure that was present when three separate cavalry forces passed through Jefferson during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign. More on that in a future post.

I spent my lunch hour yesterday taking several photographs in the Jefferson area. This unique artillery piece will be removed from display in 2009 and transported to Georgia to undergo restoration, according to Codorus Valley Historical Society member Ray Kinard.

What makes this cannon tube so unique?

In some cases during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign, patrols from the Army of Northern Virginia went around searching for specific individuals who had been targeted for seizure because of their position as employees of the Federal government. Mostly, these unfortunate individuals were postmasters and similar occupations. York's postmaster fled to Lancaster County to avoid capture (as did Gettysburg's David Beuhler) and Dover's postmaster remained hidden for several days. In other towns, the men were indeed rounded up and taken back to Virginia in captivity. Other men were also detained, including a few civilians who became belligerent with the occupation force. In a few cases, the captives were former Union soldiers, such as in the case of one York Countian snatched on July 1 in northwestern York County.

Hanover resident and Licensed Battlefield Guide John T. Krepps has spent years researching the Battle of Hanover, and the general Civil War history of southwestern York County, Pennsylvania. I ran into John a couple of years ago in the State Archives in Harrisburg when I was researching the state damage claims for York County, searching for stories about farmers and businesses raided by the Louisiana Tigers. John was researching the same files for a manuscript on the Battle of Hanover. Now, Colecraft Industries has published John's exhaustive work.

A Strong and Sudden Onslaught: The Cavalry Action at Hanover, Pennsylvania is a wonderful book, full of well researched accounts that have rarely or never been used in any previous studies of the June 30, 1863, battle. In addition to the damage claims, Krepps makes extensive use of Hanover-area accounts, including newspapers, letters, diaries, and other accounts from local eyewitnesses. He has also scoured hundreds of soldier's accounts and digested them in a fast-paced narrative that breaks new ground.

A lone Confederate supply wagon passes down a back country road somewhere in York County, trailing a patrol of Virginia cavalry who are going from farm to farm seeking forage, supplies, food, and, perhaps most importantly, fresh horses and mules. From a Civil War diorama / 15mm wargaming layout by Scott Mingus.

Maj. Gen. Jubal Early stripped his division of its encumbrances for the march from Greenwood, Pennsylvania (just west of South Mountain on the Chambersburg Pike). He left behind all his wagons loaded with tents, supplies, personal baggage, and non-essentials, leaving each regiment with an ambulance and a cooking wagon, as well as extra ammunition. What he did bring along was a vast train of empty wagons to be filled with the plunder he took from the region. The materiel would be sent back to the Old Dominion and used for future military needs. Few wagons returned empty, as Early's men, particularly his cavalry, were very efficient in scouring the county for these supplies. Here are some of their stories...

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.

Fellow blogger and York historian and architectural expert Scott Butcher has recently announced the publication of his latest book, York's Historic Architecture, by History Press, a Charleston, SC-based publisher. The book is now hitting local bookstores and gift shops, and is also available on Amazon or directly from the publisher (scroll to bottom).

Scott will be signing books at the York Emporium on West Market Street in York on August 17th.

The York Civil War Round Table is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote, interpret, preserve, and protect the Civil War heritage of York County, Pennsylvania, through the education and exchange of information with its members and the general public. Membership is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about the American Civil War.

Founded as the White Rose Civil War Round Table, the York CWRT holds monthly meetings the third Wednesday of every month except December at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the York County Heritage Trust's Historical Society Museum at 250 E. Market Street (the historic Lincoln Highway) in York, Pennsylvania. Each meeting features a guest speaker talking about a Civil War topic of local or national interest. There is no admission or membership requirements to attend any of these meetings.

Other scheduled events include an annual clean-up day at Gettysburg National Military Park as part of the "Adopt-a-Position" program. Members and guests tidy up the area around the 102nd Pennsylvania / 62nd New York on the John Weikert / Althoff Farm Lane. A free battlewalk with local experts is usually included to round out the day. Other regularly scheduled battlewalks by Dr. Charlie Fennell occur in the autumn.

For more information, contact the York Civil War Round Table.

The Historical Society Museum in York, PA, where the York CWRT meets monthly.

York Civil War Round Table - 2010 Schedule of Events

January 20, 2010 - Bruce Liddic - "George Armstrong Custer: From Ohio to Pennsylvania, Boyhood to Generalship"

February 17, 2010 - Cal Doucette - "A Conversation With Horace Greeley"

March 17, 2010 - Dick Simpson - "Missouri 1861 and the Battle of Wilson's Creek"

April 21, 2010 - Scott L. Mingus, Sr. - "The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign"

May 19, 2010 - May 19, 2010 - Matt Atkinson - "Assault on Vicksburg"

June 16, 2010 - Jim McClure - Topic TBA

July 21, 2010 - John Ream - "Civil War Hospital Stewart John Weakley of the 87th PA"

August 18, 2010 - Dr. Charles C. Fennell, Jr. - "Fighting or Flying Dutchmen: The 11th Corps from Barlow's Knoll to Cemetery Hill"

September 15, 2010 - Tyrone Cornbower - "Sheepskin Fiddlers and Straw Blowers: Field Music in the Civil War"

September 18, 2010 - Battlefield Walk at GNMP with Dr. Charles C. Fennell, Jr.

October 20, 2010 - TBA

November 17, 2010 - TBA

No meeting in December!

Past speakers and events - 2009:

January 21 - Dr. Chuck Teague - The Shadow of Napoleon on Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg

February - 18 - Jim Lewin - Lines of Contention: Political Cartoons of the Civil War.

March 19 - Scott L. Mingus, Sr. - Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition, June 1862. .

April 15 - Joe Mieczkowski - Senator Simon Cameron: Civil War Secretary of War.

May 2 - Monument Clean-Up Day Adopt-a-Position at Gettysburg.

May 20 - Ivan E. Frantz, Jr. - The Pennsylvania Railroad in the Civil War.

June 17 - Scott D. Butcher - York : Prize of the Confederacy

July 15 - Craig Caba - Aspects of the J. Howard Wert Gettysburg Collection

August 19 - Dr. Charles C. Fennell, Jr. - Confederate Disaster on Oak Ridge

September 16 - Bill Woodworth - The Piper Farm Attack at Antietam

September 19 - Battlefield walk at GNMP - Dr. Charles C. Fennell, Jr.

October 21 - Jim Hessler - Sickles at Gettysburg

November 18 - Timothy H. Smith - Abraham Lincoln - 25 Hours at Gettysburg

Tucked in a pleasant little valley not far from Spring Grove, this house was the home in 1863 of the Rev. Samuel L. Roth, a prominent area minister whose church was not far from his abode.

Background post: Confederate camp site - Jacob S. Altland House.

As an attorney, Civil War general, railroad executive, coal mine owner, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Georgia (as well as an early organizer of the KKK in Georgia by some accounts), John Brown Gordon met thousands of people during his busy lifetime. The vast majority were forgettable - common folks who elicited no special mention or recognition, consigned to be just another hand shaken by a veteran politician, or another nameless private saluting his commander.

However, a handful of York Countians received special recognition from Gordon in the years after the war during his popular speaking tours and his oft-quoted and somewhat controversial memoirs. And then there were his memorable encounters with Samuel Roth, a Jackson Township preacher whose persistence and never-give-up attitude stayed long in the memory of the Confederate general.

An engraving of Richard S. Ewell before his hairline significantly receded.

By the early summer of 1863, the name Richard Stoddard Ewell was well known within North America. The balding and somewhat eccentric Ewell had received considerable press as a brigadier general for his service during the Peninsular Campaign, and had survived a bad wound at the Battle of Groveton that cost him a leg. Promoted to command of a corps in the Army of Northern Virginia in May 1863, his men had won a smashing and decisive victory only a few weeks later at the Second Battle of Winchester. By late June, Ewell was approaching Harrisburg with two-thirds of his force, while a division under Jubal Early threatened York.

York was a place quite familiar to "Old Baldy," for he had visited the town before the war, and an older brother, Benjamin, had moved to York in the late 1830s to accept a position as assistant engineer of the Baltimore & Susquehanna Railroad. The former West Point professor had subsequently married a York woman.