Jim Schmick Talks Civil War...and More!

One of the letter "M"s in PROMM stands for "More." So who is a more fitting presenter than someone who will give us more than we ever expected to find out about the Confederate's march toward Harrisburg, PA. Some people may not realize that our state's capital was the real target that General Robert E. Lee wanted to capture. Gettysburg became his back-up opportunity, after being recalled by one of the soldiers who heard Lee tell the others that "they were not going to Harrisburg" whilst camped out in Chambersburg.

After America's largest covered bridge was burned, at a mile and a quarter long, the troops could not get across the Susquehanna. Gettysburg was their next plan of attack, and we all know how that ended up. Mr. Schmick brought along a lot of images, photocopies of documents, and books that added to his presentation of just how much of our great state of Pennsyvlania the Confederates really advanced into.

For instance, Jenkins and his men attacked a three-prong section of Shippensburg, Newville, and Newburg before continuing on to Carlisle and eventually into Mechanicsburg for a spell. Another interesting fact was that the Navy Depot used to be a field of cherry trees that the troops ate off of the branches like popcorn. And, did you know that the Confederate troops took 70,000 sheep and cows from the surrounding farmlands?

Mr. Schmick brought in references to newer locations to help our attendees visualize just where all of the troops were camping. He gave a brief mentioning to the Carlisle/Harrisburg Pike where an old stone house sits between Best Buy and REI Camping. The structure first started out as a Turnpike House, where people would pay the fare and the 'turn the pike' to allow the travelers to go down the paved roads of the day.

Having been fascinated with the Civil War battlegrounds since he was a child, Mr. Schmick has dedicated numerous hours to learning, studying, and preserving the sites we sometimes take for granted. If you would like to learn more about the war that brought us together as a nation, you can visit his shop, Civil War and More, located in downtown Mechanicsburg or visit his website.

Thanks for dropping by and we look forward to seeing you at the next event! #booksongettysburg #civilwar #southerns #yankees #gettysburg #battlefields #gettysburgghosts