Chambersburg Sacked and Burned by McCausland’s Rebel Force July 30, 1864

Three times during the Civil War the rebel horde rode into Pennsylvania, but two occasions stand out as conspicuous. First when Lee, with nearly 90,000 troops, in personal command, marched to his Waterloo at Gettysburg, the other was when three thousand Confederates were sent by General Early into Pennsylvania to burn Chambersburg in retaliation for General Hunter’s disgraceful and disastrous raid into Virginia.

General Darius N. Couch was in command of the Union forces at Chambersburg. Although a department he had but one hundred and fourteen men under his command and they were scattered over the country as scouts.

The startling news came to General Couch’s headquarters on the evening of July 29, 1864, that a Confederate force had entered Mercersburg and was marching toward Chambersburg. This was untimely news for less than twenty-four hours earlier a sufficient number of troops had passed through Chambersburg on their way to join General Hunter, to have repelled this rebel invasion.

The rebels reached the outskirts of Chambersburg before daylight, and employed their time in planting two batteries in commanding positions, and getting up the whole column, fully three thousand strong.

At 6 o’clock Saturday morning they opened with their batteries and fired six shots into the town. Immediately thereafter their skirmishers entered by almost every street and alley, and finding the way clear, 520their cavalry, to the number of 831, came in under the immediate command of General McCausland. General Bradley Johnson and the notorious Major Harry Gilmore were also with him.

McCausland and Gilmore demanded of the citizens, who were on the street, that they collect some of the prominent inhabitants with a view of entering into negotiations; the court house bell was rung, but only a few responded. To the few citizens who did come together, Captain Fitzhugh, of McCausland’s staff, produced and read a written order, signed by General Jubal Early, directing the command to proceed to Chambersburg, to demand a tribute of $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in greenbacks, and on failure to secure the sum, to proceed to burn the town in retaliation of the burning of six or eight houses specified as having been burned in certain counties in Virginia, by General Hunter. He was promptly answered that Chambersburg could not and would not pay the ransom.

Infuriated at the determination of the people to do nothing, Major Gilmore rode up to a group of citizens, consisting of Thomas B. Kennedy, William McLellan, J. McDowell Sharpe, Dr. J. C. Richards, William H. McDowell, W. S. Everett, Edward G. Etter and M. A. Faltz, and ordered them under arrest. He said that they would be held for the payment of the money, and if not paid he would take them to Richmond as hostages and also burn every house in the town.

While the officer was endeavoring to force them into an effort to raise the money, his men commenced the work of firing, and they were liberated when it was found that intimidation would effect nothing.

The main part of the town was enveloped in flames in ten minutes. No time was given to remove women or children, the aged and infirm, or sick, or even the dead. They divided into squads, beat down the doors, smashed furniture, rifled drawers, appropriated money, jewelry, watches and valuables, then threw kerosene upon the combustible articles and plied the match. They invariably demanded ransom, before burning, but even when it was paid the property was burned. The people escaped with only the clothes on their backs, and some even then with difficulty.

The work of demolition continued two hours, more than half the town on fire at once. Three million dollars worth of property was destroyed, three thousand rendered homeless and many penniless, and not one of the innocent victims had violated any accepted rule of civilized warfare.

There were many incidents of the burning but only a few can be related. The house of James Watson, an old and feeble man past eighty, was entered, and because his wife remonstrated, they fired the room, hurled her into it and locked the door on the outside. Her daughters rescued her by bursting in the door before her clothing took fire. The widow of a Union soldier, pleading on her knees, was robbed 521of her last ten dollars and her little home fired. An aged invalid, unable to be out of his bed, pleaded to be spared a horrible death in the flames, but they laughed at him as they fired his home. Father McCullom, the Catholic priest, was robbed of his watch.

Colonel Stumbaugh was arrested near his home early in the morning, and with a pistol presented to his head ordered to procure some whiskey. He refused, for he had none, and was released. But afterwards was rearrested by another squad, the officer of which referred to him by name, when he was insulted in every possible way. He informed the officer that he had been in the service, and that if General Battles was present, they would not dare to insult him. When asked why, he answered: “I captured him at Shiloh, and treated him like a soldier.” A rebel major present, who had been under Battles, upon inquiry, was satisfied that Colonel Stumbaugh’s statement was correct, ordered his release and withdrew the entire rebel force from that part of Second Street, and no buildings were burned.

Soon after the work of destruction had commenced, a squad was detailed to burn “Norland,” the beautiful residence of Colonel Alexander K. McClure afterwards for many years the editor of the Philadelphia “Times.” “Norland” was a mile from the center of the town, and no other building was fired within a half mile of it, although fifty houses intervened. They would not allow Mrs. McClure or any servant to save anything belonging to the Colonel.

Several of the rebel thieves perpetrated their last pillage. Major Bowen, of the 8th Virginia Cavalry, got too far ahead of the firing in his greed for plunder and he was captured by several citizens and, slightly wounded, he took refuge in a burning cellar, where the intense heat blistered him. He begged to be spared, but he burned to death. Another demon, caught in an atrocious act of vandalism, was shot dead. A Captain Cochran, quartermaster of 11th Virginia Cavalry, was caught by Thomas H. Doyle, of Loudon, and at the point of his pistol was given just fifteen minutes to live. Cochran begged piteously for his life, but Doyle, on the very second, shot the thief dead, and found on his person $815 in greenbacks, all stolen from citizens, and $1750 of rebel currency.

Scores of McCausland’s command were killed on the retreat by General Averill’s forces. Many of them were intoxicated and so demoralized by their plunder they became an easy prey to the Federal troops who passed through Chambersburg in pursuit of the barbarians.

522