Carlisle, PA

Letter from John K. Stayman to Edgar E. Hastings
August 13, 1863

John Keagy Stayman questions Edgar E. Hastings as to when the draft will be lifted from Cumberland County, as he is “considered by Uncle Sam a ‘first class man’.” He also asks whether or not Dickinson College is still being used as a hospital, and hopes that it will quickly be vacated so that...

Letter from John K. Stayman to Edgar E. Hastings
July 1863

John Keagy Stayman writes to Edgar E. Hastings and describes Carlisle after the departure of Confederate troops. Stayman depicts Carlisle as a town in shambles after the invasion, but suggests that with a return to normal “the town will put on its usual appearance.” Stayman also mentions a...

Letter from Theodore M. Johnson to James H. Morgan
February 26, 1933

Theodore M. Johnson writes to Dickinson College President James H. Morgan and describes the cordial greeting between his father, Dickinson College President Herman M. Johnson, and a Col. Wilson of the Confederate army in 1863. Theodore notes that Col. Wilson accepted request that the college not...

Letter from Thomas M. Griffith to His Siblings
July 3, 1863

Thomas Miller Griffith writes to his brother and sister and describes the scenes in Carlisle as the Confederates occupied and shelled the town in the days before the Battle of Gettysburg. As the Confederates first approached Carlisle in late June 1863, Griffith recalls the expedited Commencement...

Map of "Carlisle, PA: Bombarded by the Rebels, July 1st"
July 4, 1863

This map, published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, shows Carlisle in July 1863 when Confederates shelled the town.

Philadelphia Inquirer, "Our Harrisburg Letter"
July 4, 1863

The Philadelphia Inquirer publishes this letter from a regular correspondent that relays information about the shelling of Carlisle, including information from a dispatch from Harrisburg and an eyewitness account from the following morning.

"Our Harrisburg Letter," ...

Philadelphia Inquirer, "The Defense of Carlisle - Noble Service of the Militia"
July 4, 1863

This article, on page four of an issue of The Philadelphia Inquirer, praises the work of General Smith and the Militia in Carlisle for their defense of the town and their unwillingness to give in despite General Lee's various requests for surrender. Transcript included.

"The...

Philadelphia Inquirer, "The Rebels at Carlisle"
July 4, 1863

This article, from an issue of Philadelphia Inquirer, page 3, describes in detail the occurrences of the shelling of Carlisle, including the pre-attack discourses between General Lee and General William Farrar Smith. Transcript included.

"The Rebels at Carlisle," Philadelphia...

Philadelphia Press, "Special Despatch to The Press"
July 2, 1863

In this "Special Despatch to The Press," two reports mention Carlisle in reporting on the movement and actions of Confederate troops in central Pennsylvania. It provides a short account of the Confederate occupation of Carlisle and notes that they requisitioned supplies from civilians. The...

Pocket Diary of Charles F. Himes
1863

In diary entries from late June and early July, Charles Francis Himes (Class of 1855) describes the Confederate invasion of Carlisle. Himes, who follows the Confederates as they move on to Gettysburg, describes his interactions and movements through several days. Himes also briefly mentions...

The Methodist, "A Few Days Under Rebel Rule"
July 18, 1863

Samuel Dickinson Hillman, an alumnus and a professor at Dickinson College, recalls the invasion and shelling of Carlisle in this article from The Methodist.  Hillman covers the appearance of the Rebel troops, conversations had during the occupation, and the bombardment, all from his...

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