Cannonball

As I continue my series on old grist mills raided by the Confederate cavalry and infantry during the Gettysburg Campaign, today I turn my attention to William Dubs‘ grist mill, which sat along Codorus Creek which was dammed up by Glatfelter to create Lake Marburg (the Marburg designation came from a small hamlet that is now underwater). Dubs’ mill was a local gathering spot for farmers in the region, who would bring their grain to be ground into flour.

On Saturday, June 27, 1863, Confederate cavalry from Virginia and Maryland under the command of Lt. Col. Elijah V. White rode into Dubs’ mill yard and dismounted. Not having any wagons, they stuffed flour into their haversacks and rode off leading an 8-year-old brown mare.
A few days later, J.E.B. Stuart‘s boys also rode to Dubs’ Mill. Unlike White, they had an empty wagon, and within several minutes, the mill had been picked clean. They hit Dubs hard. The 37-year-old miller later filed a claim listing his losses as 34 bushels of wheat, 40 bushels of rye, 315 bushels of corn, 240 bushels of corn, and 30 five-gallon grain bags.
He also lost a second horse, this one a 9-year-old brown mare, as well as a leather saddle, hind gears, and a wagon line.
Dubs’ Mill was abandoned in the 20th century, and the site, like the rest of the Marburg region, is now under the waters of Lake Marburg. Few, if any, of the recreational boaters in the summertime have a clue about the history of the area below them, and I am certain none know the story of the Confederate raids on this long-ago old mill.