After Robert E. Lee’s victory over Joe Hooker’s Army of the Potomac at Chancellorsville in early May 1863, he began to plan another invasion of the North this time into Pennsylvania. The victory, however, was costly for Lee with the death of Stonewall Jackson on May 10th. He would reorganize his army into three corps commanded by Lieutenant Generals James Longstreet, Richard Ewell and A. P. Hill. Ewell and Hill would serve as Corps commanders for the first time. Lee hoped for a major victory on Northern soil that might both demoralize the North and encourage European intervention. In addition, he hoped to move the war out of Virginia allowing Virginia farmers to harvest a crop. After crossing the Potomac into Maryland Lee’s army would enter Pennsylvania (shown in the map below).

The vanguard of Lee’s army entering Pennsylvania was the Second Corps under Richard Ewell. Ewell’s Corps was divided into three divisions commanded by Major Generals Jubal Early, Robert Rodes and Edward “Allegheny” Johnson. Brigadier General Albert Jenkins independent cavalry brigade, which really was more of a mounted infantry, would function as an advance reconnaissance force for Ewell. Jenkins reported directly to Lee. He crossed the Potomac River at Williamsport on the 15th, moved through Hagerstown and Greencastle, and reached Chambersburg the same day. Jenkins remained there from June 15-17. On the 16th his men burned the Cumberland Valley Railroad’s bridge near Scotland. His troops camped northeast of town on Alexander McClure’s farm. He sent foraging expeditions over Cove Mountain to McConnellsburg on June 19th, as well as to Mercersburg and Waynesboro. After briefly withdrawing back to Hagerstown, Maryland, amid reports of a large Union force headed his way, which proved to be false, Jenkins returned to PA through Greencastle on the 22nd where the first Union soldier (Corporal William H. Rihl) was killed in combat on PA soil. Jenkins would return to Chambersburg and remain there from June 22-24. General Lee would reach Chambersburg on the 27th and set up his headquarters east of town in Messersmith’s Woods.

Early’s division crossed the Potomac at Boteler’s Ford in current day Shepherdstown, WV, into Maryland. They marched toward Sharpsburg and camped near Boonsboro on June 22nd. The next day they moved through Cavetown, Smithsburg, Leitersburg to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. The 24th would see them pass through Quincy, Mount Alto and Greenwood where they camped on June 24-25 eight miles east of Chambersburg.

Ewell’s two other divisions would enter Maryland further to the west. Rodes division crossed the Potomac at Williamsport, marched through Hagerstown and crossed the Mason-Dixon Line on the 22nd. Johnson’s division was behind him. Rodes was in Chambersburg on June 24th and Johnson on the 25th.

On June 25th Ewell ordered Rodes and Johnson to head to Carlisle and Harrisburg along with Jenkins cavalry. Early was ordered toward Gettysburg to York. The towns that we will cover (in bold faced type) in this series of posts will be located along the two paths taken by Ewell’s Second Corps.

We will start with Greencastle which is south of Chambersburg (covered in the Burning of Chambersburg series), and then move on to towns along the two split routes of Ewell’s Corps.

Rhodes’ and Johnson’s Divisions–

Shippensburg– Jenkins cavalry enters town after a brief skirmish with Union cavalry on June 23rd and he establishes his headquarters here June 24-27th.

Carlise– Jenkins cavalry arrives here on the 27th. Rodes’ and Johnson’s divisions follow. On July 1st Stuart will arrive via Dover and Dillsburg looking for Early’s division and shell the town.

Lemoyne, Camp Hill and Mechanicsburg– Jenkins is then ordered to reconnoiter approaches to Harrisburg and will do so from June 28-30. He arrived in Mechanicsburg on the 28th. A skirmish was fought at Oyster Point that day in Camp Hill. This was the closest Jenkins’ cavalry got to Harrisburg. The Battle of Sporting Hill took place on June 30th in Camp Hill between elements of the 16th VA Calvary and two New York Militia Regiments. This was the northernmost engagement during the Gettysburg Campaign.

Jenkins did not reach Harrisburg. We’ll cover the Harrisburg National Civil War Museum (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4), the State Museum of Pennsylvania, as well as the State Capitol building and its surrounding area in future posts.

When Lee discovers that the Union Army has crossed the Potomac on the 28th he will need to consolidate his army. Rodes’ and Johnson’s divisions are in Carlisle. Rodes travels through Mt. Holly Springs, York Springs and camps near Heidlersburg on the 30th. He then traveled down the Carlisle Road to Oak Hill in Gettysburg and joined the battle on July 1st. Allegheny Johnson’s division was not with the rest of the Second Corps near Heidlersburg. Johnson was ordered to move southwest down the Cumberland Valley towards the Chambersburg area, because his division was tasked with transporting the Corps huge wagon train of plundered supplies. Johnson’s division marched from Carlisle, through Shippensburg, and along the Black Gap Road through Scotland to the Chambersburg Pike. This route put the wagon train closer to the Shenandoah Valley in the event of a withdrawal. However, it resulted in them getting caught in a traffic jam along the same route that Longstreet and Hill’s Corps were using to March to Gettysburg. As a result they arrived on the battlefield much later than Ewell’s other two divisions. Too late to play any significant role in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Early’s Division– Ewell ordered Lieutenant General Jubal Early to take his 6,500-man division across South Mountain to Gettysburg and then proceed to York, cut the North Central Railroad, and destroy the bridge across the Susquehanna River between Wrightsville and Columbia. Early headed east on the Cashtown Pike where he burned the Caledonia Furnace on the 26th. On the same day he passed through Cashtown and then defeated Pennsylvania militia in Gettysburg. Early would divide his force into three parts on the way to York. The larger force taking a more northern course through Hunterstown, Hampton and East Berlin would consist of Harry Hays, Isaac Avery and William “Extra Billy” Smith’s brigades. Gordon’s brigade traveled separately via New Oxford on a more direct route on a macadamized road. They would be the first to arrive in York. A third group of Lieutenant Colonel ElijahWhite’s cavalry would cut telegraph lines and destroy bridges and railroad track near Hanover Junction.

Hanover– On the 27th a detachment from Gordon passed through Hanover on the way to Hanover Junction. On June 30th a cavalry battle was fought here between troops commanded by J.E.B. Stuart and Judson Kilpatrick.

York– Early’s division is in York on the 28th.

Wrightsville– Gordon’s brigade is ordered to Wrightsville with instructions “to proceed to the Columbia Bridge, and secure it at both ends, if possible.” The bridge there is the only bridge across the river between Harrisburg and the Maryland state line. The Pennsylvanians burned the bridge on the 28th as they retreated to Columbia.

Columbia– which the Confederates did not reach

When Lee decides to consolidate his forces because of the nature of the road system in this part of PA Gettysburg becomes a logical converging point. Early leaves York on the 30th and is 3 miles east of Heidelersburg where he camps that evening. The next day, July 1, he will march down the Harrisburg Road and join the Battle of Gettysburg which was in progress.

Sources for this series

The Last Road North, A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign 1863 by Robert Orbison and Dan Welch from the Emerging Civil War Series

The Confederate Approach on Harrisburg, The Gettysburg Campaign’s Northernmost Reaches by Cooper H. Wingert

Flames Beyond Gettysburg The Confederate Expedition to the Susquehanna River, June 1863 by Scott L. Mingus Sr.

Fight Like the Devil The First Day at Gettysburg July 1, 1863 by Chris Mackowski, Kristopher D. White and Daniel T. Davis Emerging CivilWar Series

A Strong and Sudden Onslaught, The Cavalry Action at Hanover, Pennsylvania by John T. Krepps.

”If we are striking for Pennsylvania” The Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac March to Gettysburg. Volume 1: June 3-21, 1863 by Scott L. Mingus Sr. And Eric J. Wittenberg.