Confederates occupied York 149 years ago today
On Sunday, June 28, 1863, exactly 149 years ago today, Confederate soldiers under Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early marched into downtown York, Pennsylvania, from the west. The first arrivals came about 10:00 a.m. as many citizens strolled the streets en route to church. Guards occupied the key intersections and more than 1,800 veteran infantrymen from Georgia filed through the town on three parallel streets. Within hours, almost 5,000 other Confederates would camp in and around the town, including unlimbering artillery on Reservoir Hill and Diehl’s Hill. It was, in the words, of local resident Cassandra Morris Small, a time “never to be forgotten.”
Authors Jim McClure and Scott Mingus are seeking previously unpublished eyewitness accounts of the Confederate occupation of York County for a manuscript in progress entitled More Civil War Voices from York County, Pa. Feel free to contact them at jem@ydr.com or scottmingus@yahoo.com.
