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L. Prang & Co. print of the 1887 painting 'Hancock at Gettysburg' by Thure de Thulstrup, showing Pickett's Charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. Restoration by Adam Cuerden of scan from original in US Library of Congress.

Gettysburg exhibit tells of York’s surrender, occupation

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
L. Prang & Co. print of the 1887 painting 'Hancock at Gettysburg' by Thure de Thulstrup, showing Pickett's Charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. Restoration by Adam Cuerden of scan from original in US Library of Congress.
L. Prang & Co. print of the 1887 painting ‘Hancock at Gettysburg’ by Thure de Thulstrup, showing Pickett’s Charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. Restoration by Adam Cuerden of scan from original in US Library of Congress.

YORK, Pa. — The eyes of the world are on Gettysburg, for the next two weeks.

Rightfully so, many say, given that the fight there 150 years ago was a turning point in the Civil War.

But before the Confederates reached Gettysburg, many came through York, leaving an impact that is still felt today.

The Fiery Trial: York County’s Civil War Experience, opening to the public at the York County Heritage Trust on June 29, focuses on life in York leading up to and during the Civil War, including the two days the Confederates occupied the town.

Victoria Allen, assistant librarian at the trust, said each piece in the exhibit has importance.

From the two John Brown pikes, which belong to the trust, to the telegraph equipment loaned to the trust by the Morse Telegraph Club, Inc., on display in a special interactive portion of the exhibit, The Fiery Trial is designed to allow visitors to connect with the past.

“To me, to hold that (pike) and think that John Brown held it, is amazing,” said Daniel Roe, director of education at the trust.

Allen added, “History’s awesome when you can connect to it.”

For her, the discovery of one piece included in the collection brought particular joy.

In the back corner of Gallery IV, the Glatfelter Gallery — one of two spaces that house the exhibit — on a shelf not much bigger than a shoebox, behind a pane of plastic glass, museum visitors will find a letter about the size of a postcard. The half sheet of lined, white paper dated June 27, 1863, is proof of a unanimous vote of York City’s Committee of Safety to authorize they “surrender the town, peacefully” to the Confederates.

The letter acknowledges the Committee of Safety, charged with making decisions that would keep the citizens safe during conflict, believed York to be “defenseless,” Allen said.

Before she found the letter, Allen said she sometimes joked with her colleagues at the trust that A.B. Farquhar, the businessman who first made contact with the invading Confederates, rode his horse out to greet them and surrender the town. There are many people who think the surrender was a cowardly act.

“This has been a controversy for 150 years,” Allen said about whether York should have surrendered.

But the letter has given her something to think on.

In June 1863, “there were no troops here,” Allen said. The local militias were comprised of men “too old or too young” to defend the town.

“There was no choice,” Allen said. “They weighed their options and knew they had nothing on their side.”

The document doesn’t answer all the questions about the surrender.

But it might start a conversation among visitors to the museum.

Cindy Brown, collections manager, pointed out several pieces of clothing that will be included in the exhibit.

“Life didn’t stop during the Civil War,” she said, pointing out a formal rich, gold ball gown. “The South had cotillions and the North had a social life.”

The Fiery Trial offers a broad look at life for York’s residents in 1863, she said, as she encouraged people to come out and see it.

“It’s a little smaller here and a little quieter” than what’s happening in Gettysburg for the 150th, Brown said. “But we have quite a story to tell.”

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

L. Prang & Co. print of the 1887 painting 'Hancock at Gettysburg' by Thure de Thulstrup, showing Pickett's Charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. Restoration by Adam Cuerden of scan from original in US Library of Congress.
L. Prang & Co. print of the 1887 painting ‘Hancock at Gettysburg’ by Thure de Thulstrup, showing Pickett’s Charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. Restoration by Adam Cuerden of scan from original in US Library of Congress.