Battle of Carlisle

Battle of the American Civil War

This article is about the US battle. For other uses, see Siege of Carlisle (disambiguation).

Battle of Carlisle

Part of Gettysburg Campaign
| Date| July 1, 1863 (1863-07)

|

Location|

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

40°12′04″N 77°11′04″W﻿ / ﻿40.2011°N 77.1845°W﻿ / 40.2011; -77.1845[citation needed]
Result|  Inconclusive
Belligerents
USA (Union)|  CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
William F. Smith|  Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
Strength
PA & NY state militia
(~1,000 men)|  3 cavalry brigades, e.g.:
Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee's brigade
Casualties and losses
1 KIA, 12 wounded|  8 casualties

* v
* t
* e

Gettysburg campaign

* Franklin's Crossing
* Brandy Station
* 2nd Winchester
* Aldie
* Middleburg
* Upperville
* Fairfax Court House
* Corbit's Charge
* Hanover
* Sporting Hill
* Carlisle
* Gettysburg
* Retreat from Gettysburg
* Fairfield
* Monterey
* Williamsport
* Boonsboro
* Funkstown
* Manassas Gap

The Battle of Carlisle was an American Civil War skirmish fought in Pennsylvania on the same day as the Battle of Gettysburg, First Day. Stuart's Confederate cavalry briefly engaged Union militia under Maj. Gen. William F. "Baldy" Smith at Carlisle and set fire to the Carlisle Barracks. Stuart's cavalry withdrew and arrived at the Battle of Gettysburg, Second Day, to the annoyance and concern of Gen. Robert E. Lee.[need quotation to verify]

## Background

[edit]

Carlisle was settled in 1751, and the Carlisle Barracks military post was established nearby in 1757, during the French and Indian War. The United States Army Cavalry School was established at the post in 1838.

Captain Stoneman's four companies had a Civil War encampment at Horner's Mill on May 6, 1861.[1] By June 1863 the barracks' cavalry had been "withdrawn to Harrisburg".[2]

On June 27, 1863, Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia stopped at Carlisle en route to Harrisburg and requisitioned supplies, forage, and food from the populace. Ewell, as well as some of his officers, had been stationed at the Carlisle Barracks prior to the Civil War when they were still members of the United States Army. He paused in Carlisle while sending his cavalry under Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins towards the Susquehanna River and Harrisburg. After resting much of his infantry overnight, Ewell moved northward in his quest to seize the state capital.

After the Confederates left in response to an order from Lee to concentrate near Gettysburg, Carlisle was reoccupied by Baldy Smith and a small contingent of New York and Pennsylvania militia from the Department of the Susquehanna, dispatched by the department commander, Maj. Gen. Darius N. Couch. The 32nd and 33rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, Landis's Philadelphia militia artillery battery, and a company of the 1st New York Cavalry formed Smith's force.

## Stuart's raid

[edit]

During the early evening of July 1, Stuart led two brigades of cavalry, which had just completed a raid in Maryland and Pennsylvania, to Carlisle. Their mission was to search for supplies and try to determine the location of Ewell's troops.[3][verification needed] A third brigade, under Wade Hampton, remained behind in York County to guard a train of 125 captured Federal supply wagons. Instead of finding Ewell, Stuart encountered Smith's militiamen. Despite having a large numerical advantage, Stuart's troopers were too exhausted from a month of campaigning to attack the town outright, and Stuart initially feared that the enemy troops were veterans from the Army of the Potomac.[need quotation to verify]

After learning that Smith's men were only militia, Stuart sent Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee into Carlisle with a white flag, telling Smith to either evacuate the town or clear out the women and children. Smith replied that he had already done the latter, and refused to surrender. Stuart's horse artillery under Captain James Breathed then began bombarding the town. After shelling Carlisle for several hours, Stuart received word that fighting had broken out to the southwest at Gettysburg between the main armies. Unable to take the town by force, Stuart disengaged, having ordered his troops to set fire to the Carlisle Barracks. Stuart's troops started moving towards the fighting at Gettysburg at approximately 1:00 am on July 2, 1863.

In addition to minimal Union and Confederate casualties, a lumber yard and the town gas works were destroyed after being set ablaze. However, Stuart's delay at Carlisle impacted his ability to rendezvous with Lee's main army.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Chapter XXX: Cumberland Township". History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania: Part III, History of Adams County. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co. 1886. pp. 236–247\. Part III, History of Adams County. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
2. ^ "Confederate Occupation of Carlisle, Pennsylvania". American Civil War. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
3. ^ Wittenberg, Eric J; Petruzzi, J. David (2006). Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg. New York: Savas Beatie. ISBN 1-932714-20-0.

* Boatner, Mark Mayo III (1988) [1959]. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: McKay. ISBN 0-8129-1726-X.[citation needed]

## External links

[edit]

* The Shelling of Carlisle

* v
* t
* e

Gettysburg campaign

Engagements|

* Brandy Station
* Second Winchester
* Aldie
* Middleburg
* Upperville
* Sporting Hill
* Hanover
* Carlisle
* Hunterstown
* Fairfield

| Gettysburg|

* 1st day
* 2nd day
* Little Round Top
* 3rd day
* Pickett's Charge
* Artillery barrage
* Cavalry battles

|

Retreat|

* Monterey Pass
* Williamsport
* Boonsboro
* Funkstown
* Manassas Gap

Confederate commanders|

* Robert E. Lee
* E. Porter Alexander
* Richard H. Anderson
* Jubal A. Early
* Richard S. Ewell
* Henry Heth
* A.P. Hill
* John B. Hood
* Allegheny Johnson
* James Longstreet
* Lafayette McLaws
* W. Dorsey Pender
* J. Johnston Pettigrew
* George E. Pickett
* Robert E. Rodes
* J.E.B. Stuart
* Isaac R. Trimble
* Lewis Armistead

Union commanders|

* Joseph Hooker/George G. Meade
* John Buford
* Joshua L. Chamberlain
* George A. Custer
* Abner Doubleday
* John Gibbon
* George S. Greene
* Winfield S. Hancock
* Oliver Otis Howard
* Henry J. Hunt
* Alfred Pleasonton
* John F. Reynolds
* John Sedgwick
* Daniel E. Sickles
* Henry W. Slocum
* George Sykes
* Gouverneur K. Warren

Army of the Potomac
(order of battle)|

* I Corps
* II Corps
* III Corps
* V Corps
* VI Corps
* XI Corps
* XII Corps
* Iron Brigade
* 1st Minnesota
* 20th Maine
* Medal of Honor recipients

Army of Northern Virginia
(order of battle)|

* First Corps
* Second Corps
* Third Corps
* Cavalry Corps

Campaign geography|

* Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
* Departments:
* Monongahela
* Susquehanna
* Virginia
* West Virginia
* Maryland
* Pennsylvania
* Gettysburg Battlefield

* Category

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Pennsylvania in the American Civil War

Campaigns and battles|

* Gettysburg Campaign (template)
* Fairfield
* Gettysburg (template)
* Hanover
* Hunterstown

Fights and skirmishes|

* Carlisle
* Chambersburg
* Monterey Pass
* Greencastle skirmishes

Cities and counties|

* Harrisburg
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* Franklin County

Units and people|

* Monongahela department
* Susquehanna department
* Units and formations

Posts and hospitals|

* Camp Letterman
* Fort Mifflin
* Camp Curtin
* Camp Scott
* Camp Union
* Camp William Penn
* Carlisle Barracks
* Mower General Hospital
* Satterlee General Hospital
* York General Hospital

Manufacturers|

* Frankford Arsenal
* Phoenix Iron Works

Civil War museums and
historic sites

* Civil War Museum of Philadelphia
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* Gettysburg National Cemetery
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Monuments and memorials|

* North Carolina Monument
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