Messersmith's Wood
Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Name of grove selected by Gen. R.E. Lee for his headquarters, June 26-30, 1863. Here he issued the order for the concentration of troops near Gettysburg. Site of woods is just south of this point.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In late June 1863, as the Army of Northern Virginia pushed deep into Pennsylvania, General Robert E. Lee made his headquarters in a grove near Chambersburg. From here, between June 26 and 30, he issued the orders concentrating his scattered forces toward Gettysburg—setting in motion the campaign's climactic collision. The quiet woods became a pivotal command post on the road to the war's most famous battle.
Why it matters
It marks the decision point that drew both armies to Gettysburg, the turning-point battle of the Civil War.
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Related people
- · Robert E. Lee
Related events
- · Gettysburg Campaign
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Chambersburg
Chambersburg, PA · est. 1948
Chambersburg traces its beginnings to Benjamin Chambers, who settled at this Cumberland Valley site in 1734 and laid out "Chambers Town" in 1764; it became the seat of Franklin County in 1784. During the Civil War the town endured repeated Confederate incursions—J.E.B. Stuart's 1862 raid, an 1863 occupation, and its burning in 1864 after residents could not pay a demanded ransom.
Israel Benevolent Society Cemetery
Chambersburg, PA · est. 2002
Consecrated in 1844, this Chambersburg burial ground was established by a Jewish Holy Burial Society so that the area's small but growing Jewish community could bury its dead according to Jewish law. It stands as the first Jewish cemetery west of Philadelphia, opened during the wave of mid-19th-century migration that carried Jewish families inland from the coast. Among those interred is Isaac Burgauer, remembered as the only Southern Jewish soldier who fell at Gettysburg to rest in a Northern Jewish cemetery.
Masonic Temple
Chambersburg, PA · est. 1964
Raised in 1823-1824 as the Cumberland Valley was settling into the young republic, this hall was built expressly for Masonic fellowship and has served that purpose ever since — a rare continuity for an early American fraternal lodge. Its most dramatic hour came in July 1864, when Confederate cavalry put much of Chambersburg to the torch after the town refused to pay a ransom, yet this building was left standing amid the ruins.
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.