Celebrate Gettysburg May/June 2013 : Page 22

civil war journal The Coming Storm: June 26, 1863 f By Joanne Lewis For two years, the citizens of Gettysburg heard the cry “the Rebels are coming, the Rebels are coming,” and for two years, they had been disappointed. Sure, a few Confederate scouts came in, but not “real” Rebels. In mid-June, Pennsylvania Gov. Andrew Curtin sent a telegram telling the people along the state’s border that the Rebels were indeed coming and asked for men to sign up for the emergency. He cautioned the people to get anything of value out of the town especially currency, horses and livestock. He didn’t have to ask twice. Farmers left with their horses and cows, and bank clerks emptied the vaults. On June 22, the men of Gettysburg, determined to protect their town, formed a party to go out and cut down trees to obstruct the mountain passes. Resident Sarah Broadhead related that “about fifty, among them my husband, started… but they had not gone halfway, when the discovery was made that it was too late; the Rebels were on this side of the mountain, and coming this way.” The town waited with deep anxiety as the campfires in the mountains off to the west grew in number. On June 26, the emergency militia passed through town and headed toward the west. But before these green troops could even get situated, the Confederates hit them, capturing hundreds and sending hundreds more fleeing back toward Harrisburg. The town was on its own. Sarah said that around 2 p.m. a report came in that the Rebels were near. “No one believed this, for they had so often been reported as just coming, and had as often failed to appear, and little attention was now paid to the rumor,” she reported. Top: Sarah Broadhead Bottom: A view of Chambersburg Street looking east from around Springs Avenue 22 In a short while, however, the Confederates entered the town “with such horrid yells that it was enough to frighten us to death.” The Rebel band played in the town square or “Diamond.” People grabbed their children, ran for their cellars and locked their doors. All was chaos. For 10-year-old Charlie McCurdy, though, this was what he had been waiting for his whole life! He and a group of friends headed out to Seminary Ridge to hopefully catch a glimpse of the dreaded Rebels. “I waited only for the front line to come into view, near enough to see that they really were what I had hoped to see, and making record time struck for home, which was on their line of march, and stationing myself on the front porch watched the spectacular entry,” he wrote. The child was not as impressed as he had hoped to be, saying, “The pistols were fired in the air, the yelling sounded half hearted and altogether it lacked dramatic effect.” Boys! Charlie told how the local confectioner (candy maker) had locked his doors at the first sign of the Confederates. Now the soldiers were at his door demanding that he open his store. Charlie watched in awe as the Confederate soldiers bought up everything in Mr. Winters’ store. “He was doing the business of his life, handing out candy in exchange for Confederate money,” Charlie wrote. As one soldier came out of the store, he saw “an expectant looking small boy gazing enviously at his store.” The soldier gladly shared. “How often during the years that have passed have I thought of that kindly youth,” Charlie wrote. He hoped and prayed that this soldier made it safely through the war. The Confederates stayed in Gettysburg overnight, but early the next morning, they left the town leaving its citizens relieved but wondering what would happen next. Where were the Confederates going? Was there to be a battle somewhere? Where? G AdAms County HistoriCAl soCiety AdAms County HistoriCAl soCiety c Joanne Lewis is a Licensed Town Guide and a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg. Guided walking tours of downtown Gettysburg are available from Gettysburg’s Licensed Town Guides. To schedule a town tour, call 717-339-6161. To book a battlefield tour with a Licensed Battlefield Guide, call the Gettysburg Foundation at 877-874-2478 or 717-334-2436.

Civil War Journal

Joanne Lewis

The Coming Storm: June 26, 1863 For two years, the citizens of Gettysburg heard the cry “the Rebels are coming, the Rebels are coming,” and for two years, they had been disappointed. Sure, a few Confederate scouts came in, but not “real” Rebels. In mid-June, Pennsylvania Gov. Andrew Curtin sent a telegram telling the people along the state’s border that the Rebels were indeed coming and asked for men to sign up for the emergency. He cautioned the people to get anything of value out of the town especially currency, horses and livestock. He didn’t have to ask twice. Farmers left with their horses and cows, and bank clerks emptied the vaults. On June 22, the men of Gettysburg, determined to protect their town, formed a party to go out and cut down trees to obstruct the mountain passes. Resident Sarah Broadhead related that “about fifty, among them my husband, started… but they had not gone halfway, when the discovery was made that it was too late; the Rebels were on this side of the mountain, and coming this way.” The town waited with deep anxiety as the campfires in the mountains off to the west grew in number. On June 26, the emergency militia passed through town and headed toward the west. But before these green troops could even get situated, the Confederates hit them, capturing hundreds and sending hundreds more fleeing back toward Harrisburg. The town was on its own. Sarah said that around 2 p.m. a report came in that the Rebels were near. “No one believed this, for they had so often been reported as just coming, and had as often failed to appear, and little attention was now paid to the rumor,” she reported. In a short while, however, the Confederates entered the town “with such horrid yells that it was enough to frighten us to death.” The Rebel band played in the town square or “Diamond.” People grabbed their children, ran for their cellars and locked their doors. All was chaos. For 10-year-old Charlie McCurdy, though, this was what he had been waiting for his whole life! He and a group of friends headed out to Seminary Ridge to hopefully catch a glimpse of the dreaded Rebels. “I waited only for the front line to come into view, near enough to see that they really were what I had hoped to see, and making record time struck for home, which was on their line of march, and stationing myself on the front porch watched the spectacular entry,” he wrote. The child was not as impressed as he had hoped to be, saying, “The pistols were fired in the air, the yelling sounded half hearted and altogether it lacked dramatic effect.” Boys! Charlie told how the local confectioner (candy maker) had locked his doors at the first sign of the Confederates. Now the soldiers were at his door demanding that he open his store. Charlie watched in awe as the Confederate soldiers bought up everything in Mr. Winters’ store. “He was doing the business of his life, handing out candy in exchange for Confederate money,” Charlie wrote. As one soldier came out of the store, he saw “an expectant looking small boy gazing enviously at his store.” The soldier gladly shared. “How often during the years that have passed have I thought of that kindly youth,” Charlie wrote. He hoped and prayed that this soldier made it safely through the war. The Confederates stayed in Gettysburg overnight, but early the next morning, they left the town leaving its citizens relieved but wondering what would happen next. Where were the Confederates going? Was there to be a battle somewhere? Where? Joanne Lewis is a Licensed Town Guide and a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg. Guided walking tours of downtown Gettysburg are available from Gettysburg’s Licensed Town Guides. To schedule a town tour, call 717-339-6161. To book a battlefield tour with a Licensed Battlefield Guide, call the Gettysburg Foundation at 877-874-2478 or 717-334-2436.

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