Civil War: JEB's York County Ride

Bill Wall

For my first post I decided to pick someone who had quite an impact in the central PA region during the time of the Civil War and the almighty Battle of Gettysburg…No it's not Lee.. Or Pickett, or Meade. Matter of fact this guy didn't show up until July 2nd, a full day after Union cavalry General John Buford initially engaged Confederate infantry General Henry Heth at Gettysburg. If you haven't guessed it yet from the hints or by the picture, the man I wanted to focus on is General James Ewell Brown (J.E.B.) Stuart, the Confederate Cavalry Commander who coincidentally may have had the best beard of the Civil War. To get some an idea of how and why Jeb had such an impact on Central PA and the Battle of Gettysburg, a little context is needed...I am also going to refer to J.E.B. as Jeb moving forward.

Between June 22nd and June 23 1863, Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General of the Northern Army of Virginia (the best the Confederacy had to offer) outlined his plans for his movements north towards Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Union morale was weak, and for lack of manpower and resources, Lee understood the Confederacy could not win a prolonged war against the Union. By destroying the "Grand Army of the Potomac" (the Union’s bread and butter army) on Union soil, Lee wanted to influence the upcoming 1864 northern election in favor of those who wanted to let bygones be bygones and settle for peace.

As Lee made his way north on June 25, Jeb to took 3 Brigades (approximately 5,300 troops [Knott, 2013]), and started his ride north around the Union army conducting reconnaissance, causing havoc and, per Lee’s orders “collect[ing] all the supplies you can use for the army” (Cowsert, 2019), a directive that would be key in the coming days.

As the Army of Northern Virginia moved north into PA, masking their movements by keeping the Blue Ridge Mountains between themselves and the Army of the Potomac, Jeb was on the far right (east) of the Union Army running parallel to Lee. Just north of Washington DC, Jeb hit what he must have thought was the jackpot by capturing a 125 Union wagon supply train (remember Lee’s order to Jeb?).

To make a long story short, Jeb ends up wandering around (slower than usual due to the captured goodies) York County (you can bike his route below) looking for his Confederate brethren, who at that time are consolidating forces outside Gettysburg. During this exhaustive ride Jeb got caught in couple engagements and raided every municipality he went through for horses (his army takes just about any horse they can find) and food. Keep in mind this is the heart of PA farm country, right before the harvest season...There are excellent records of these raids as after the war, approximately half of the York County residents who fell victim to these raids sought reparations with the federal government (check out Scott Mingus's video below). While constantly searching for Lee, Jeb made his way through York County, into Dillsburg, and through (well he kind of stopped and shot cannon for a bit) Carlisle. Finally on July 2nd, exhausted Jeb makes his way into Gettysburg where Lee has been operating blind, without his eyes and ears…..His trusted Calvary.

**I have created a bike route that follows his approximate route below. One thing to keep in mind is that Jeb's ride was a mass movement, not a liner one. 5,300 soldiers were widely spread out along this route. Many of the exact structures Jeb raided are still present. Watch Scott Mingus's video below before riding**

Citations:

Cowsert, Z. (2019, May 13). Scapegoat or scandal? J.E.B. Stuart and the battle of Gettysburg. Civil Discourse. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from http://civildiscourse-historyblog.com/blog/2015/5/20/scapegoat-or-scandal-jeb-stuart-and-the-battle-of-gettysburg#:~:text=When%20Stuart%20did%20arrive%2C%20his,search%20of%20glory%20and%20redemption.

Knott, S. (2013, July 9). Battle of Gettysburg: Why J.E.B. stuart ends up in Carlisle . Youtube. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrXxz4iniRs

Mingus, S. (2021, March 18). Scott Mingus, Sr.: Confederate calamity: Jeb Stuart's Cavalry Ride Through York County, PA. Youtube. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiSpmHOQaLE

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