- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Location
- Gettysburg area
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, will host a full day of activities on July 17 culminating in a reenactment of the burning of the town by cavalry under Brigadier General John McCausland on July 30, 1864. McCausland ordered the town burned after local officials were unable to meet his demand for ransom of $100,000 or $500,000 in Yankee currency. The action was in retaliation for destruction General David Hunter's troops had caused in the Shenandoah Valley. In Chambersburg, more than 500 buildings were destroyed and some 2,000 residents left homeless. Rebuilding began soon after, and in 1878 residents and the business community celebrated Chambersburg's renewal as a new era for the town. They honored area Civil War veterans with the dedication of a grand Memorial Fountain that remains the focal point of the town square today.
You can find out more about the reenactment and the day's other events--including the Old Market Day street festival, with music, crafts, vendors, book-signings, exhibits, tours, a rock wall, and more--at the Franklin County Visitors Bureau website.
You can find out more about the reenactment and the day's other events--including the Old Market Day street festival, with music, crafts, vendors, book-signings, exhibits, tours, a rock wall, and more--at the Franklin County Visitors Bureau website.