Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Gettyburg 150 Years ago Today Continued
covered bridge, and destroyed nearby rails and telegraph lines. He demands $10,000 in goods from the town, but to no avail. Earlier in the day he had a brief series of skirmishes with Pennsylvania state emergency militia and two companies of cavalry.
Early's troops are the point of Robert E Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the rest of Lee's Army is spread across western Maryland and southern Pennsylvania in long snake like columns.
President Lincoln has issued a proclamation calling for 100,000 volunteers from four states to serve a term of six months "to repel the invasion of Pennsylvania." Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin has called for 50,000 volunteers to take arms as volunteer militia; however only 7,000 have responded, and Curtin asked for help from the New York State Militia. Gov. Joel Parker of New Jersey has responded by sending troops to Pennsylvania. The War Department has created the Department of the Susquehanna, commanded by Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couch, to coordinate defensive efforts in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia are considered potential targets and defensive preparations are being made. In Harrisburg, the state government is removing its archives from the town for safekeeping. Thousands of refugees from Maryland and Pennsylvania are fleeing northward and eastward to avoid the oncoming Confederates.
There are reports the Confederate Army has seized some 40 northern African Americans, who are being sent south into slavery.
The Union Army of the Potomac is slowly in pursuit in central Maryland being carful to keep between the invading Confederate Army and Washington D.C.