DOCSLIB.ORG

Marching Through Pennsylvania

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Marching Through Pennsylvania MARCHING THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA: THE STORY OF SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS DURING THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN by JASON MANN FRAWLEY Bachelor of Arts, 2000 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia Master of Arts, 2003 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of AddRan College of Humanities and Social Sciences Texas Christian University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2008 Copyright by Jason Mann Frawley 2008 Acknowledgements This has always been the section I looked forward to writing most. Not only does it signify that I have completed my project but also that I have not traveled the weary path toward completion alone. While I certainly enjoy the pursuit of knowledge and find great pleasure in composing the narrative of history, I admittedly much prefer the opportunity to shine the light of appreciation on those people who have helped me through the difficult process. Granted, I will likely forget someone, and to him or her, I extend my deepest apologies Now, allow me thank the people who have helped me in what has been the most arduous journey of my academic career up to this point. First and foremost, I must thank my academic advisor, Dr. Steven E. Woodworth. He has been both a benevolent taskmaster and a generous friend. While our lunch-table conversations often diverged from the topic of history and led us into arguably more interesting and certainly more important areas of discussion, we always managed to find our way back to the task at hand. I could not have asked for a better mentor, and while I had the opportunity to go elsewhere, I know that I made the correct decision in choosing to study at Texas Christian University. Put simply, I do not know that I would have finished without Dr. Woodworth’s patient support, and I hope that we continue our friendship well into the future. I also wish to extend my gratitude to a number of other professors who have advised and taught me along the way, including Dr. Alan C. Downs of Georgia Southern University, Dr. Mark T. Gilderhus of Texas Christian University, Dr. Todd M. Kerstetter of Texas Christian University, Dr. Ethan S. Rafuse of the U. S. Command and General Staff College, Dr. Mark A. Snell of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the ii Civil War at Shepherd University, and Dr. Kenneth R. Stevens of Texas Christian University. They are all exceptional educators and accomplished scholars, and they have all provided me with countless hours of counsel and support. In short, their guidance has proven invaluable in my efforts to become more like them. I would also like to thank a large number of staff members from various archives and libraries that made my job much easier. From The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study for the Study of the Civil War, where I was the George M. Nethken Memorial Fellow in the summer of 2005, I wish to thank Mark Snell, Denise Messinger, Mike Strauss, Tom White, and Lori Kaylor. From the various historical societies and archives where I conducted my research, I wish to thank the following people: Wayne Motts and Tim Smith of the Adams County Historical Society; Ted Alexander of the Antietam National Military Park Library; David L. Smith, Rob Schwartz, and Debbie Miller of the Cumberland County Historical Society; Ruth E. Bryan, Elizabeth Dunn, J. Samuel Hammond, and Michael Shumate of Duke University’s Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library; Glen Cordell of the Fulton County Historical Society; John Heiser of the Gettysburg National Military Park Library; Richard J. Sommers of the U. S. Army Military History Institute; and the staffs of Dickinson College’s Waidner-Spahr Library, the Interlibrary Loan Department at Texas Christian University’s Mary Coutts Burnett Library, the Kittochtinny Historical Society, the Library of Congress, the Lillian- Besore Public Library, the Pennsylvania State Archives, the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the York County Heritage Trust. iii I especially want to thank my friends and family members for the endless support they have given me in this journey. I am fortunate to have too many good friends to list here, but you know who you are, and I thank you all. That being said, I do want to extend a special thank you to my life-long friends Dave and Dan for the countless hours of laughter and entertainment they provided me with when I felt like I was losing my way as I worked to complete my very own “Quest of Mount Doom.” With regards to my family, I want to thank my brother Lewis Daniel Frawley, Jr., and my father, Lewis Daniel Frawley, Sr., for never badgering me about completing the dissertation and for just letting me be me when we were together. I know you wanted me to succeed, and I hope I have made you both proud. Second, I want to thank my mother, Mary Jane Frost, for simultaneously holding my feet to the fire and providing me with a safe place to land when the stress got the best of me as only a mother can do. It would have been an exponentially more difficult journey without you, and I thank you for always being there. Finally, I want to thank my beautiful wife and my best friend, Jill Strickland Frawley. You put all of your dreams on hold to pack up our belongings and move to Texas for me, and I will never forget your sacrifice. While I question whether I could have finished this project without the help of others, I know I could not have done it without you. As always, you remain my first priority, and now that this phase of our life is complete, I am ready to see what the future holds for us as we continue this wonderful journey together. For all that you have done for me in my life and for all that you will continue to do, I dedicate this dissertation to you. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ii Table of Contents v Introduction 1 Chapter 1: “We Should Assume the Aggressive” 20 Chapter 2: “Wars and Rumors of Wars” 42 Chapter 3: “The Great Invasion” 76 Chapter 4: “Instances of Forgetfulness” 100 Chapter 5: “Are We Not A Fine Set of Fellows?” 135 Chapter 6: “It Was A Disagreeable Surprise” 175 Conclusion 201 Bibliography 217 v Introduction Between 1861 and 1865, the United States nearly tore itself apart in the deadliest war in its history. The American Civil War, which pitted the eleven southern states of the Confederacy—South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee—against the combined might of those states that remained loyal to the Union, cost America more than 620,000 lives and devastated the infrastructure of much of the country. Since that time, professional historians and amateur enthusiasts, alike, have scrutinized nearly every aspect of the conflict, though some points of interest have found themselves under the historical microscope more than others. The Battle of Gettysburg, an engagement that ravaged the landscape surrounding a small borough in south-central Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863 and which stands as the bloodiest confrontation in the war, is perhaps the best example of this phenomenon as it has proven especially fertile ground for both burgeoning authors and accomplished scholars. Together, amateur and professional historians have invested a tremendous amount of brainpower and physical energy in the creation of often weighty tomes that analyze the minutest details of this bloodiest and most famous of Civil War battles. Harry Pfanz and Jeffrey Wert have even broken the three-day contest down into twenty-four-hour studies with books entitled Gettysburg: The First Day , Gettysburg: The Second Day , and Gettysburg, Day Three , which taken collectively devote more than one-thousand-five- hundred pages to the subject. Gary Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia, has issued at least four separate essay collections covering the Battle of Gettysburg, including one entitled The Third Day 1 at Gettysburg and Beyond . These examples represent only a tiny fraction of the many titles devoted to the Gettysburg Campaign. In 1982, Richard Allen Sauers published The Gettysburg Campaign, June 3 – August 1, 1863: A Comprehensive, Selectively Annotated Bibliography , a text that runs 277 pages and includes 2,757 individual entries, and since its release twenty-five years ago, publishers have continued to print articles and books on Gettysburg at a staggering rate. 1 While scholars and students generally agree that historians have virtually exhausted the topic, authors continue to seek opportunities to publish books on Gettysburg in the hopes of adding their names to the already long roster of those writers who have recorded their thoughts regarding what might be the most over-studied three days in American history. After all, the town of Gettysburg and the rolling hills surrounding it that together make up Gettysburg National Military Park stand as the quintessential American mecca as thousands of people from all over the world make pilgrimages to the site of the battle annually. After visiting the grounds, watching a film based on the campaign, or reading about the battle’s history, one cannot deny that Gettysburg has become an important part of America’s national identity, and as such, 1 Harry W. Pfanz, Gettysburg: The First Day (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2001); Harry W. Pfanz, Gettysburg: The Second Day (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1998); Jeffrey D.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During the 19Th Century
    Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2018 Contested Narratives: The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During The 19th Century Jarrad A. Fuoss Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Fuoss, Jarrad A., "Contested Narratives: The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During The 19th Century" (2018). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 7177. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/7177 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Contested Narratives: The Influence of Local Remembrance on National Narratives of Gettysburg During The 19th Century. Jarrad A. Fuoss Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Science at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in 19th Century American History Jason Phillips, Ph.D., Chair Melissa Bingman, Ph.D. Brian Luskey, Ph.D. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 2018 Keywords: Gettysburg; Civil War; Remembrance; Memory; Narrative Creation; National Identity; Citizenship; Race; Gender; Masculinity; Veterans.
    [Show full text]
  • GOVPUB-CS1-4C9e09d16748d10e2bdd184198d2c071-1.Pdf
    I 1 Proi Of RECORDS, [NISTRATION f 4&**i /$ Tio,r «c0iSrte^u REGISTER OF ALL OFFICERS AND AGENTS, CIVIL, MILITARY, AND NAVAL, IN SERVICETHE OF THE UNITED STATES, ON The Thirtieth September, 1851. WITH THE NAMES, FORCER AND CONDITION OP ALL SHIPS AND VESSELS BELONG-- ING TO THE UNITED STATES, AND WHEN AND WHERE BUILT ; TOGETHER WITH THE NAMES AND COMPENSATION OF ALL PRINTERS IN ANY WAX EMPLOYED BY CONGRESS, OB ANY DEPARTMENT OR OFFICER OF THE GOVERNMENT. PREPARED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, In pursuance of Resolutions of Congress of April 27,1816, and July 14,1832. WASHINGTON: GIDEON AND CO., PRINTERS. 1851. RESOLUTION requiring the Secretary of State to compile and print, once in every two years, a register of all officers and agents, civil, military, and naval, in the service ot tne United States. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Con­ gress assembled, That, once in two years, a Register, containing correct lists of all the officers and agents, civil, military, and naval, in the service of the United States, made up to the last day of September of each year in which a new Congress is to assemble, be compiled and printed, under the direction of the Secretary for the Department of State. And, to ena­ ble him to form such Register, he, for his own Department, and the Heads of the other De­ partments, respectively, shall, in due time, cause such lists as aforesaid, of all officers and agents, in their respective Departments, including clerks, cadets, and midshipmen, to be made and lodged in the office of the Department of State.
    [Show full text]
  • The Riflemen's Standard
    TThhee RRiifflleemmeenn’’ss SSttaannddaarrdd Volume VIII ♦ ♦ ♦ November 2014 (1864) ♦ ♦ ♦ No. 7 The Official Newsletter of the PPALMETTO RRIFLEMEN && NNEW YYORK ZZOUAVES Palmetto (S.C.) Sharpshooters & 17th N.Y. Veteran Volunteers Volume VIII, No. 8 The Riflemen’s Standard Thursday, November 13th, 2014 Volume VIII, No. 8 Thursday, November 13th, 2014 The “Rifleman’s Standard” is the monthly publication of the “Palmetto Riflemen” & “New York Zouaves,” a group of American Civil War Living Historians and Reenactors, it is sent out via e-mail the first Thursday of each month. All submissions are welcome, and should be sent to the Editor. CONTENTS OF THE STANDARD Quote . 2 From the Field Desk – Captain K. Robison . 2 Comments from the Company Commander Attention to Orders . 2 Announcements, notices, advertisements, and other items of interest Marching Orders – Events Schedule . 3 Upcoming events and activities for the year School of the Soldier – The Sergeant . 3 – 6 Articles about reenacting, drill, improving your impression, etc. Company Songster – The Fall of Charleston . 7 Period music, songs, and poetry, written prior to January of 1865 Company Classroom – 17th N.Y. Veterans in November 1864 . 8 – 11 Historical articles about people, places, or events prior to January of 1865 After Action Reports . 11 – 12 Reports from reenactments, living histories, etc., from unit members COMPANY STAFF Captain Kenneth H. Robison II [email protected]; (803) 345 - 2025 1st Sergeant Matthew E. Wilbanks [email protected]; (864) 638 - 7598 Corporal Charles E. Ferguson [email protected] Company Website – http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scprnyz/MainPage.html On the Cover: Photograph of the Officers of the 17th N.Y.
    [Show full text]
  • A Regular Slave Hunt” the Army of Northern Virginia and Black Civilians in the Gettysburg Campaign
    “A REGULAR SLAVE HUNT” THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND BLACK CIVILIANS IN THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN “They took up all they could find, even little children, whom they had to carry on horseback before them. All who could get there fled to the woods, and many who were wise are hid in the houses of their employers.” —Jemima K. Cree Ted Alexander “A Ride for Liberty—the Fugitive Slaves” (circa 1863) by Eastman Johnson (1824-1906). Courtesy Brooklyn Museum of Art (40.59A), gift of Gwendolyn O.L. Conkling. 82 NORTH & SOUTH SEPTEMBER 2001 • VOL. 4 • NUMBER 7 VOL. 4 • NUMBER 7 • SEPTEMBER 2001 NORTH & SOUTH 83 On Friday, June 26, 1863, McNeill’s Rangers, after the Battle of Antietam, when President Lincoln issued his a Confederate partisan band operating on the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This was to take ef- fringe of the Army of Northern Virginia, entered fect in January 1863. Although it did not free all the slaves, and the small south-central Pennsylvania farming indeed did not free any immediately, it did declare all slaves in community of Mercersburg. Named after Revo- areas controlled by the Confederates to be free, and essentially paved the way for total emancipation. lutionary War hero Dr. Hugh Mercer, and birth- From late 1861 bands of contrabands, sometimes num- place of President James Buchanan, the town bering in the thousands, congregated around Union camps. boasted one school of note, the Reformed Attempts to recapture them were not uncommon during rebel Church Theological Seminary. During the Civil incursions into Union held territory. In May 1862, thousands War one of its leading professors, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • James Longstreet and the Retreat from Gettysburg
    “Such a night is seldom experienced…” James Longstreet and the Retreat from Gettysburg Karlton Smith, Gettysburg NMP After the repulse of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet’s Assault on July 3, 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee, commanding the Army of Northern Virginia, knew that the only option left for him at Gettysburg was to try to disengage from his lines and return with his army to Virginia. Longstreet, commander of the army’s First Corps and Lee’s chief lieutenant, would play a significant role in this retrograde movement. As a preliminary to the general withdrawal, Longstreet decided to pull his troops back from the forward positions gained during the fighting on July 2. Lt. Col. G. Moxley Sorrel, Longstreet’s adjutant general, delivered the necessary orders to Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws, commanding one of Longstreet’s divisions. Sorrel offered to carry the order to Brig. Gen. Evander M. Law, commanding John B. Hood’s division, on McLaws’s right. McLaws raised objections to this order. He felt that his advanced position was important and “had been won after a deadly struggle; that the order was given no doubt because of [George] Pickett’s repulse, but as there was no pursuit there was no necessity of it.” Sorrel interrupted saying: “General, there is no discretion allowed, the order is for you to retire at once.” Gen. James Longstreet, C.S.A. (LOC) As McLaws’s forward line was withdrawing to Warfield and Seminary ridges, the Federal batteries on Little Round Top opened fire, “but by quickening the pace the aim was so disturbed that no damage was done.” McLaws’s line was followed by “clouds of skirmishers” from the Federal Army of the Potomac; however, after reinforcing his own skirmish line they were driven back from the Peach Orchard area.
    [Show full text]
  • “Never Was I So Depressed”
    The Army of Northern Virginia in the Gettysburg Campaign “Never Was I So Depressed” James Longstreet and Pickett’s Charge Karlton D. Smith On July 24, 1863, Lt. Gen. James Longstreet wrote a private letter to his uncle, Augusts Baldwin Longstreet. In discussing his role in the Gettysburg Campaign, the general stated: General Lee chose the plan adopted, and he is the person appointed to chose and to order. I consider it a part of my duty to express my views to the commanding general. If he approves and adopts them it is well; if he does not, it is my duty to adopt his views, and to execute his orders as faithfully as if they were my own. While clearly not approving Lee’s plan of attack on July 3, Longstreet did everything he could, both before and during the attack, to ensure its success.1 Born in 1821, James Longstreet was an 1842 graduate of West Point. An “Old Army” regular, Longstreet saw extensive front line combat service in the Mexican War in both the northern and southern theaters of operations. Longstreet led detachments that helped to capture two of the Mexican forts guarding Monterey and was involved in the street fighting in the city. At Churubusco, Longstreet planted the regimental colors on the walls of the fort and saw action at Casa Marta, near Molino del Ray. On August 13, 1847, Longstreet was wounded during the assault on Chapaltepec while “in the act of discharging the piece of a wounded man." The same report noted that during the action, "He was always in front with the colors.
    [Show full text]
  • Mark A.Smith,Ph.D
    1005 State University Dr. Office: 478-825-6667 Dept. of Behavioral and Social Sciences Fax: 478-825-6161 ARK MITH H (he/him ) Fort Valley State University [email protected] M A. S ,P .D. Fort Valley, GA 31030-4313 Education Ph.D., History ° The University of Alabama, 2004. ° Fields: U.S. History to 1865, U.S. History since 1865, Military & Naval History. ° Dissertation Title: “The Corps of Engineers and National Defense in Antebellum America, 1815-1860.” M.A., History ° The State University of West Georgia, 1997. ° Thesis Title: “A Tactical Analysis of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain with respect to the Tactical Precepts of Dennis Hart Mahan.” B.A., History ° Kennesaw State University, 1995 (Cum Laude). Employment Professor, Tenured ° Fort Valley State University, Department of History, Geography, Political Science, History and Criminal Justice; Fall 2017 to present. ° Taught first both of US History Surveys, Georgia History, Historical Methods, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the American Revolution and New Nation, and US Military History. Associate Professor, Tenured ° Fort Valley State University, Department of History, Geography, Political Science, and Criminal Justice; Fall 2010 to Fall 2017. ° Taught both US History Surveys (including an honors version of U.S. History to 1865), World Civilization since 1500, Georgia History, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Jacksonian America, the American Revolution and New Nation, Colonial America, US Military History, and Historical Methods. Assistant Professor ° Fort Valley State University, Department of History, Geography, Political Science, and Criminal Justice; Fall 2005 to Spring 2010. ° Taught both US History Surveys (including an honors version of U.S. History to 1865), World Civilization since 1500, Georgia History, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Old South, Jacksonian America, and the American Revolution and New Nation.
    [Show full text]
  • Gov. Andrew G. Curtin & the Union's Civil
    Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2012 For the Hope of Humanity: Gov. Andrew G. Curtin & the Union's Civil War Jared Frederick West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Frederick, Jared, "For the Hope of Humanity: Gov. Andrew G. Curtin & the Union's Civil War" (2012). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4854. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4854 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “For the Hope of Humanity: Gov. Andrew G. Curtin & the Union’s Civil War” Jared Frederick Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Ph.D., Chair Brian P. Luskey, Ph.D. Kenneth Fones-Wolf, Ph.D. Department of History Morgantown, West Virginia 20125 Keywords: History, American Civil War, Pennsylvania, Politics, Liberalism Copyright 20125Jared Frederick ABSTRACT “For the Hope of Humanity: Gov.
    [Show full text]
  • President Lincoln and the Altoona Governors' Conference, September
    Volume 7 Article 7 2017 “Altoona was his, and fairly won”: President Lincoln and the Altoona Governors’ Conference, September 1862 Kees D. Thompson Princeton University Class of 2013 Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe Part of the Military History Commons, Political History Commons, and the United States History Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Thompson, Kees D. (2017) "“Altoona was his, and fairly won”: President Lincoln and the Altoona Governors’ Conference, September 1862," The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era: Vol. 7 , Article 7. Available at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe/vol7/iss1/7 This open access article is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “Altoona was his, and fairly won”: President Lincoln and the Altoona Governors’ Conference, September 1862 Abstract This article explores the long-forgotten Altoona Conference of 1862, when nearly a dozen Union governors met at the Civil War's darkest hour to discuss war strategy and, ultimately, reaffirm their support for the Union cause. This article examines and questions the conventional view of the conference as a challenge to President Lincoln's efficacy as the nation's leader. Rather, the article suggests that Lincoln may have actually welcomed the conference and had his own designs for how it might bolster his political objectives.
    [Show full text]
  • Vol. Xxxvii, No. 2 November 1996
    Vol LXI, #4 Michigan Regimental Round Table Newsletter—Page 1 April 2021 The MRRT celebrates its 61st year in 2021 – and now is a great time to show your support by renewing your membership! (Or become a new member!). Membership is $25 a year – or $5 for students. Checks should be made out to Treasurer Jeanie Graham (the bank does not like checks made out to the RoundTable) and can be mailed to her home at 29835 Northbrook, Farmington Hills, MI 48334-2326. Those of who have not paid your dues yet, please help us out so that when we get going again, we will be ready. The April 2021 meeting was cancelled because of the pandemic. We are optimistic that we will be able to meet during 2021 (in person or maybe virtually) and travel to the Culpepper, Virginia area for our field trip. The Farmington Library remains in Phase 4 of their re-opening plan. The restrictions on the number of people in the library, 25, and only 30 minutes per visit is far short of what we need for a Roundtable meeting. Please visit our website at http://www.farmlib.org//mrrt. Links to interesting Civil War programs are available. Civil War Essentials - Henry Sibley – Confederate General and Inventor One of the lesser Confederate leaders, whose Civil War experience has been largely forgotten, also developed several pre-war inventions to improve the life of the American soldier in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Henry Hopkins Sibley is best remembered for a type of tent still available today. Sibley was born in 1816 in Mississippi but moved to live with an uncle in Missouri after his father died.
    [Show full text]
  • General AP Hill at Gettysburg
    Papers of the 2017 Gettysburg National Park Seminar General A.P. Hill at Gettysburg: A Study of Character and Command Matt Atkinson If not A. P. Hill, then who? May 2, 1863, Orange Plank Road, Chancellorsville, Virginia – In the darkness of the Wilderness, victory or defeat hung in the balance. The redoubtable man himself, Stonewall Jackson, had ridden out in front of his most advanced infantry line to reconnoiter the Federal position and was now returning with his staff. Nervous North Carolinians started to fire at the noises of the approaching horses. Voices cry out from the darkness, “Cease firing, you are firing into your own men!” “Who gave that order?” a muffled voice in the distance is heard to say. “It’s a lie! Pour it into them, boys!” Like chain lightning, a sudden volley of musketry flashes through the woods and the aftermath reveals Jackson struck by three bullets.1 Caught in the tempest also is one of Jackson’s division commanders, A. P. Hill. The two men had feuded for months but all that was forgotten as Hill rode to see about his commander’s welfare. “I have been trying to make the men cease firing,” said Hill as he dismounted. “Is the wound painful?” “Very painful, my arm is broken,” replied Jackson. Hill delicately removed Jackson’s gauntlets and then unhooked his sabre and sword belt. Hill then sat down on the ground and cradled Jackson’s head in his lap as he and an aide cut through the commander’s clothing to examine the wounds.
    [Show full text]
  • Communities at War
    COMMUNITIES AT WAR The Civil War was, as President Lincoln explained in his address to Congress on July 4th, 1861, "essentially a People's contest."1 A Pennsylvania newspaper put it this way:"We are all in this war; those who fight and those who stay at home."2 Those who stayed at home in the border region of mid-Maryland became connected to the war in profound ways. Their communities became battlegrounds as armies marched, camped, and fought in their streets and in their fields. They had to cope with the many disruptions this caused: the presence of soldiers, the destruction of property, the regulations imposed by military officials, the sick and wounded men who filled the makeshift hospitals, and the drafting of land, homes, and public buildings into military service. They also had to take sides. As declarations Detail from The Burning of Cham bersburg, painted by Daniel of war were made, citizens with opposing Ridgway Knight, depicting Ch ambersburg civilians taking points of view suddenly became enemies. shelter in a barn as Confederates torch the town in 1864 Many would spend four years trying to (Washington County Museum of Fine Arts) preserve the Union; for others, it was the Confederacy that upheld their concept of what America meant, and they worked to support it. Maryland would remain in the Union, but deep and bitter divisions existed within the communities and the families of this border region. EXCITEMENT AND ALARM In the spring of 1861 the mid-Maryland border region existed in a state of “excitement” and alarm.3 The people of Frederick witnessed daily marching by militias, the appearance of federal troops, and, on April 26, the convening of a special session of the state legislature to consider the issue of secession (see section on Civil Liberties).
    [Show full text]