The York Difference Maker?

Gettysburg is known as the famous southern PA town that changed the course of our young nation.
However, many historians agree it was what happened at York PA prior to that epic Civil War battle that helped the Union to withstand.
 For those who grew up in the north most can recall from their American History classes the vital importance of the bloodiest battle at Gettysburg to preserve and eventually unite us into one nation.
 The fact that Confederate forces penetrated well across the Mason Dixon line is hard to fathom when you consider how outnumbered and out resourced they were by the North.
However, few know that York became the largest Northern town to be occupied by the Confederate army.  A  large division of Major General Jubal Anderson Early spent June 28–30, 1863, in and around York.

Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Penn Common, York, Pennsylvania. The Common, or the Penn Park now, goes back to the family of William Penn, who gave it to the City in perpetuity as a common space. Soldiers and Sailors Monument is to York's Civil War servicemen. It was built c1901 on the site of a Civil War field hospital. 
By Smallbones (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons



Meanwhile the brigade of John B. Gordon marched to the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville and back. Early took the bold step of laying York under tribute and collected food, supplies, clothing, shoes, and $28,000 in cash from citizens and merchants. 
He then departed westward obeying the revised orders of Robert E. Lee.
In this region of Susquehanna River Towns there are stories of brave ordinary citizens who did what they could to stop the invading southern army.  Did you know one town burned their only bridge down that stopped the southern advance on the state capital, Harrisburg?
In nearby Hanover, General Custer of Little Big Horn fame, defeated the Confederates. Historians say that victory paved the way for the decisive victory in Gettysburg.
Few know today the sprawling York U.S. Army Hospital on Penn Commons in York served thousands of Union soldiers wounded at the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg.

We give tribute to historical York's difference making role in the Civil War in our intro to our latest video.

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