Chambersburg
Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Settled 1734 by Benjamin Chambers, who laid out "Chambers Town" in 1764. Seat of Franklin County since 1784. Scene of Civil War events: Raided by "Jeb" Stuart, 1862; occupied by Confederates in 1863; and burned by them in 1864.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Founded by Benjamin Chambers, who settled here in 1734 and laid out "Chambers Town" in 1764, Chambersburg became the seat of Franklin County in 1784. Its location in south-central Pennsylvania placed it repeatedly in harm's way during the Civil War: J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry raided it in 1862, Confederate forces occupied it in 1863, and in 1864 they burned much of the town after its people could not meet a ransom demand.
Why it matters
The repeated Confederate incursions—culminating in the town's burning—make Chambersburg a rare case of the Civil War's destruction visited directly upon a Northern community.
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Related people
- · Benjamin Chambers
- · J.E.B. Stuart
Related events
- · Burning of Chambersburg, 1864
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Gettysburg Campaign
Greene Township, PA · est. 1947
In late June 1863, Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia poured north into Pennsylvania, and General Richard S. Ewell's corps marched this road bound for Carlisle with orders to threaten the state capital at Harrisburg. Before he could strike, Ewell was recalled on June 29 to concentrate with Lee near Cashtown. Within days those converging roads would funnel both armies into the fields around Gettysburg.
Old Franklin County Jail
Chambersburg, PA · est. 1975
Built in 1818 in restrained Georgian style, the Franklin County Jail served Chambersburg for 152 years—among the borough's oldest surviving buildings. Its stone walls stood through one of the Civil War's boldest raids: in July 1864 Confederate cavalry, demanding a ransom the town could not pay, put much of Chambersburg to the torch. The jail endured while blocks around it burned.
Burning of Chambersburg
Chambersburg, PA · est. 1947
On the morning of July 30, 1864, Confederate cavalry under Gen. John McCausland rode into Chambersburg and demanded a ransom in gold and cash. When the town could not or would not pay, McCausland put it to the torch in retaliation for Union Gen. David Hunter's destruction in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. The fire gutted the heart of the town, making Chambersburg the only major Northern community burned by Confederate forces during the Civil War.
Confederate Conference
Chambersburg, PA · est. 1953
In the tense days before Gettysburg, the Confederate army swept north into Pennsylvania, and Chambersburg found itself briefly in the path of the invasion. On June 26, 1863, Robert E. Lee rode into the town square—the old "Diamond"—and conferred with corps commander A.P. Hill before setting up headquarters on the edge of town. Within days those same roads would carry his troops east toward the war's decisive battle.