We are pretty polarized today, but nothing like what was happening at this time in 1863, both at Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
LATEST NEWS
Battle Near Gettysburg
Near Gettysburg, July 1
A heavy engagement has been going on since 9 o'clock this A. M., between the rebel force of Longstreet and Hill and the First and Eleventh corps, under Gens Reynolds and Meade.
The locality of the fight is beyond Gettysburg, on the Chanbersburg Pike.
Portions of the fight have been very severe and attended with heavy loss. Thus far the onset of the enemy has been successfully resisted by the two corps mentioned and the Third and Twelfth are now coming up.
I regret to aay that Maj. Gen. Reynolds was mortally wounded, and has since died.
STILL LATER.
Washington, July 2.
The latest dispatches received from General Meade are dated last night; they state that the corps engaged with Ewell's army were Reynolds' and Howard's.
Pleasanton succeeded in inflicting a serious injury upon Stuart's cavalry. General Reynolds was killed. The reports received from all quarters are encouraging.
FURTHER PARTICULARS
Baltimore July 2.
Gen. Reynolds was killed at the battle near Gettysburg. His body arrived here this morning, and was taken to the residence of his brother-in-law, Mr. Gildersleve. We regret to learn from an officer who brought down the body of Gen. Reynolds, that Brigadier General Paul was killed in the same fight in South Gettysburg. Gen. Paul commanded the third brigade of the First Army Corps.
Cols. Stone and Wistar were both wounded and taken prisoner.
Col. Wistar commanded a Pennsylvania regiment, the Bucktails, and Colonel Stone also commanded a Pennsylvania regiment in the second brigade of the First Army Corps, snd was acting brigadier of the second brigade.
Newton took command of the First Army Corps on the fall of Major Genernl Reynolds.
LATER.
We learn from one of the officers of Gen. Reynolds staff, that our force passed through Gettysburg at 10 o'clock yesterday morning and when a quarter of a mile west of the town encountered Longstreet and Hill, who attacked Reynolds' corps, which was in the advance. It stood the force of an attack until relieved by the Third corps. The rebels made a strong attempt to flank our position, but were repulsed, and it was here that Generals Reynolds and Paul were killed by a volley from the infantry of the Rebels.
At the close of the evening, the whole Army of the Potomac had reached the field, and Gen. Meade had all arranged for the renewal of the battle this morning. The loss of the enemy is fully equal to ours - Our loss to officers is severe. Colonels Wistar and Stone and others are wounded.
THE INVASION,
THE SITUATION.
[From the Harrisburg Telegraph of the 1st Inst.]
Let no man be deceived this morning that the city of Harrisburg is safe from rebel attack; that they have left our immediate vicinity, and retracing their steps towards Virginia. Such is not the fact. It is true that thev hare retreated from our immediate front, but there is no doubt that they are concentrating their forces in the mountains between Carlisle and Gettysburg. Remember that they left Chambersburg, and after their citizens returned to their homes, believing that they would not be molested again. the rebels returned, which enabled them to steal mote the last time than thev obtained on their first visit.
Danger to Pennsylvania nnd the North is still imminent - everything depending upon the encounter between Lee and Meade. If our armv should be defeated, we have no hope except in the large armies raised in the North. No efforts should be spared to bring forward military organizations everywhere. We have the best of reasons for giving this intimation.
ARRIVAL OF THE REBELS
During the afternoon of Saturday the advance guard of rebels arrived at Carlisle, which consisted of twelve regiments, who encamped ut the Garrison, one brigade encamped in the College grounds, and another brigade at Bosler's Mills, at the head of the Letort Springs.
They had twenty pieces of artillery with them, nnd under the command of Gen. Ewell.
Gen. Senkins rode at once towards Mechanicsburg, with a force of about fifteen hundred cavalry. Gen. Johnson had a force of near five thousand men around Plainfield nnd Mount Rock.
ROBBING STORES
On Sunday morning the marauders commenced robbing the stores nnd houses of citizens, Mr. Lyne, the hardware merchant, lost about $4,000 worth of hardware.
Mr. Saxton, another hardware merchant, was completely robbed of everything in his store.
Small grocery stores were also completely cleaned out, nothing worthy of notice was left behind. F. Showers, lost about seven hundred barrels of whisky.
A GOOD SECRETER.
The Rev. Mr. Smiley, who keeps a clothing and boot and shoe store, was more fortunate than his neighbors. He had upwards of $20,000 worth of goods secrcted, in such a complete manner that all their efforts to find them proved unavailing. Several copperheads had discovered that his goods were removed, and our Rererned friend was compelled to move thcm several times to keep their hiding places unknown. Several men were especially busy to give informationn against loyal citizens, and told them where the goods were secreted.
PRIVATE HOUSES
were disturbed only where goods were secreted, but nearly every house was searched and wherever goods were found they were carried off.
NEWS FROM VICKSBURG
Whilst the rebels were in Carlisle they received the news that Vicksburg had fallen, which dispirited them very much.
OUTRAGEOUS TREATMENT OF UNION PRISONERS.
One hundred and twenty-six prisoners which they had captured at Gettysburg, were paroled this morning in the market house. These men were robbed of their boots, shoes and stockings, and obliged to walk from Gettysburg to Carlisle. The articles taken from them were immediately placed on the feet of rebels.
DEPARTURE OF TROOPS
Gen. Ewell's forces commenced to leave Carlisle yesterday morning at 8 o'clock, their rear column got out about 8 o'clock. Some 250 cavalry were still in and around the town at 12 o'clock, at which time the Barricks had not been burnt. They moved towards Mount Holly on the Baltimore pike. The force under Gen. Johnson stationed at Mount Rock and Plainfield, also retreated last night at 11 o'clock.
DESERTION.
Several hundred deserted from their ranks. The largest portion of them were very tired of the war.
REBELS AT YORK.
The rebels have also left York for the same direction. The highway robber. Gen. Early, issued the following impudent address to the citizens before leaving, after having robbed them of everything that he could carry. Read it:
York, Pa., June 30, 1863.
to the Citizens of York:
I haved abstained from burning the railroad building; and car shops in vour town because after examination I am satisfied that the safety of the town would bo endangered, and acting in the spirit of humanity which has ever characterized my government and its military authorities, I do not desire to involve the innocent with the same punishment of the guilty. Had I applied the torch without regard to consequences, I would have pursued a course that would have been fully vindicated as an act of just retaliation for the unparalled acts of brutality perpetrated by your own army on our soil. But wo do not war upon women and children and I trust the treatment you have met with at the hands of my soldiers will open your eyes to tho odious tyranny which it is apparent to all you are yourselves practicing.
J. A. EARLY,
Major General, C. S.
THE MILITARY SPIRIT.
The rebel invasion has aroused our people completely, thousands are arriving here to shoulder the musket. The rebel raid, so far, has done an immense amount of injury, but it will shorten the war very much. Our people are now thoroughly united and aroused on tho subject, and will fight the rebels to the bitter end. Lee has done us a great deal of good in that respect, and we shall profit by it.
FROM YORK COUNTY.
A refugee who arrived in this city last night from Wrigbtsville, says that the rebels only succeeded in colleetiug $27,010 in money, and $7,000 in goods, of the amount levied on the people of York. At York they destroyed fifty freight cars.
A lot of frame buildings were destroyed at Wrightsville, including a foundry aud the postal office, by the fire from the bridge.
HARRISBURG, July 1,
The movement of the troops on the Cumbeland side of the river, to day, were all strictly confidential. No passes were isued to citizens to cross the river, and reporters, particularly, were positively forbidden to cross or in any way to make use of information concerning the operations of the Army of the Susquehanna. Of course these facts will heighten public expectations.
We learn from persons who left Carlisle this morning at four o'clock, that the rebels evacuated the town at eleven o'clock last night. They state that the rebels were in great consternation, and left in such a hurry that they were unable to destroy the Garrison.
They robbed the grocery store of Mr. Joseph Halbert whilst he was actually dying and made themselves jolly on his [illegible] whilst he was lying dead in the house.
The railroad track is torn up from Carlilse as far as the poor house, a little over a mile. A large force of hands from the Pennsylvania railroad went over to the other side this morning and we presume that the road will be fully repaired in a day.
The rebels left without destroying tbe United States barracks. This is a most singular proceeding; Thoy must expect to come back, otberwise it would have been destroyed.
THE DOINGS OF THE REBELS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY
HARRISBURG, July 2.
We saw and conversed with a gentleman last night, who had just managed to effect his escape from Franklin county. Ho gives a horrible description of the ravage of tho rebels in Chambersburg, nnd within a circle of ten miles around that ancient borough. Every article that the rebel desired to eat or to wear, was ruthlessly wrested from the people. After the stores of Chamberasburg had been stripped, private residences were entered, and then searchcd from the attic to the cellar. In robbing the stores, the rebels destroyed what they could not carry off. Suuar was trampled under toot. Coffee was scattered on the side-walks. Rebel canteens were filled with molasses. Webs of muslin, roll of cloth, hats, shoe, hardwuru, drugs, medicines, and every article of manufacture or merchandise, were seized, placed in wagons, and sent toward the Potomac. After the stores had been thus relieved, citizens were attacked on the streets, their hats taken from their heads, their coats pulled from their backs, nnd their feet relieved of their shoes or boots. It wus evident, too, that the rebels had the assistance of the copperhead spies of Chambersburg, as they would visit a citizen, nnd announce tu them that they wanted certain articles, coupling with the announcement the information, that they (the rebels) would point to the spot where the articles were concealed, and if they were not voluntarily given up, they would be taken by force, even nt the peril of the life of the owner. One citizen of Chambershurg had secreted iu his cellar three barrel of fine sugar. He was called on by the rebels, informed that they knew the fact, nnd then asked to hand it over. One lady was told that she was suspected to have abundance of jewelry, that it was secreted in a certain part of her residence, and that if she did not show where it was, her house would be fred to light the chivalriu thieves to the spot where the jewels were secreted. In many of the houses of Chambrsburg the clothing of the male inmates was so completely cur ried off that the owner can scarcely appear in public, unless it is as a Georgia captain once reported ou parade, iu a shirt and a pair of spurs.
Our informant, on whose statement this description is written, says that Franklin county will not fully recover from the effects of this raid for years to come. It has completely ruined many of the most prosperous men of ChamberMiurg and vicinity. And it has made an impression ou the minds of all, which will hereafter put an end to much of treason sympathy which heretofore abounded iu that locality.
A BATTLE IN PROGRESS.
Nine o'clock, p. m. A battle is now in progress. Heavy cannonading has been heard all evening, and we have no doubt Gen. Meade's forces have surprised the enemy on the South Mountains between York Springs nnd Mt. Holly, or Gen. Knipe's forces have encountered them and are attacking their rear guards.
Half past ten. - A large fire can be seen in the direction of Carlisle, and is surmised that the rebels have returned to burn the Barracks.
PA. officials were surprised that more Pennsylvanians did not rise up to defend their own counties when the Confederates invaded in 1863. The Confederates wanted to control the railroad bridges across the Susquehanna, plus takeover Harrisburg. They also wanted to capture shoe factories.
ReplyDeleteThe Confederates could have threatened DC from the north. If Lee had listened to Longstreet and made a dash south to DC, there may have been a major Confederate victory during the campaign. Instead, too many quality Confederate troops were wasted in the useless "pickett's charge" (while Pickett was resting in the shade). Lee was then made into a diety and Longstreet was ostracized after the war.
This is some really old news.
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