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Date: | Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:04:28 -0500 |
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"For the residents of the Gettysburg area, however, the impact of the
Confederate invasion continued. Both sides had wrecked farms and
fields... In July 1864 Confederate forces invaded Pennsylvania one
last time. Outraged at the burning and looting of farms in the
Shenandoah Valley, a brigade of 2000 soldiers passed... into Franklin
County and set fire to the town of Chambersburg... Rebels had
occupied the city in October 1862 and again in June of 1863, soon
before the battle of Gettysburg. On both occasion Southern troops had
behaved reasonably well, although they had burned military supplies
and railroad equipment during Jeb Stuart's raid of 1862... Earlier
that summer, [Union] General Hunter had allowed his troops to loot
and burn private property in the Valley... [General] Early decided
Chambersburg would be the object of his retribution. [He] gave its
residents a chance to hand over $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in
currency to compensate the people of the Valley for the loss of their
homes... [the city could not pay and was looted and] 550 buildings
went up in flames... the Masonic hall was spared when an officer who
was a Mason posted guards to prevent its burning. A Colonel of the 21
Virginia Cavalry refused to obey the order... Other Confederates
tried to help frantic citizens retrieve household goods before their
homes were burned... only one civilian was
killed..." [exploreahistory.com]
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I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.
--Daniel Boone
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