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Conflicting Accounts of a Confederate Officer's Acts During the 1864 Burning of Chambersburg

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One of the Confederate officers ordered to carry out the burning of Chambersburg, Pa., on July 30, 1864, was 1st Lt. Fred Smith, the son of former Virginia Gov. William "Extra Billy" Smith. Fred returned home with two beautiful silver goblets and a story about his chivalry that day. But a Chambersburg reverend and eyewitness had a very different story to tell.
"Life on the Civil War Research Trail" is hosted by Ronald S. Coddington, Editor and Publisher of Military Images magazine. Learn more about our mission to showcase, interpret and preserve Civil War portrait photography at militaryimagesmagazine.com and shopmilitaryimages.com.
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Image: The Late William A. Turner Collection.
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4 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 51

@davefranklin2522 2 месяца назад

As a young boy, I visited my great-grandmother, who was 95 and bedridden. She was a young girl in Chambersburg when it was burned. She told me a story of a woman who had died in child-birth, and how the confederate soldier was such a gentleman. She said he helped the husband bury his wife and baby, before burning the house. She didn't know the soldiers name. An interesting story.

@williamrossetter9430 2 месяца назад

I would bet that the second story was the truth. War is horrible on either side, but it is important to see that even the enemy can be chivalrous and kind in light of difficult circumstances. Great story, Ron!

@crippledcrow2384 2 месяца назад

😅

@user-vo8fr5cv1s 2 месяца назад

Great. I'm from Chambersburg. In the late 60's there were still a few wild horses left in Horse Valley. Townsfolk got word of Confederates camped north of town .... drove most the horses and cows to mountains west of town.

@danielvillalobos9487 2 месяца назад

By today's standards, he would be considered a terrorist.

@crippledcrow2384 2 месяца назад

Just like Shermans and Sheridans terrorists were, huh?

@soyyoroaldo 2 месяца назад

Another great episode! Thank you for making these.

@michaelwilson9986 2 месяца назад

Somewhere in-between

@KevinCave-rj8eq 2 месяца назад

I am like you ron it is probably somewhere in the middle

@spacehonky6315 2 месяца назад

I find Reverend Schneck's account more believable. I am biased though, because i appreciate timely sarcasm. He and I both find the Lost Cause narrative of perfect Confederate chivalrous knighthood somewhat pathetic🙄. The letter from the prisoner to Mrs.McClure was beautifully written. If the letter is authentic, I hope that i could convey sincere gratitude so eloquently.

@hw260 2 месяца назад

You are just another biased yankee with a keyboard. Bless your little heart.

@robertm.9633 2 месяца назад

I totally believe that letter is real. Perfectly written kindness in a way only people of that time could do. I have my Confederate ancestor’s letters and he waxed perfect poetic venom at Pennsylvania people. Though, only 2 generations separated himself.

@crippledcrow2384 2 месяца назад

You would believe Shrek. U.S. troops protecting the Governor of Virginia house? Get real. Those thieves and looters never did anything but burn and destroy. That Chambersburg story smelled a little fishy too. Newspaper editors would dream up stories to sell papers, much like today's news media.

@wmschooley1234 2 месяца назад

It needs to be mentioned that the burning of Chambersburg wasn’t the end of the story. Chambersburg led directly to the subsequent confederate rout at the Battle of Moorefield. About 3,000 confederate vandals left Chambersburg pursued by 1700 cavalry troopers under the command of Brigadier General William W. Averell, On August 7, 1864, the Confederates vandals were badly beaten at Moorefield, Virginia in a surprise Union attack. Over 400 rebs were either killed or captured, During the battle, Union soldiers were shouting “Remember Chambersburg! ” and “Surrender, you house-burning villains!”

@crippledcrow2384 2 месяца назад

You damned Yankees and your version of events! Vandals? Have you ever described Sherman or Sheridan men as Vandals? 😂😂😂

@grantlawrence611 2 месяца назад

The second version is likely the true one. Certainly the first one isn't.

@markminter3960 2 месяца назад

How do you know without your emotional opinion?

@brucevaughn2886 2 месяца назад

Hum. War crimes. Guess turn about is fair play. Sherman’s excuse was to say war is hell. Looks like this guy dished out a small bit of hell. At least he and his command, unlike federal forces invading the South, did not engage in murder, rape, grand theft, mayhem, etc.

@owensomers8572 2 месяца назад

Sounds like Fred singled out a house to burn in a neighborhood, and absconded with valuables. He must have been quite a charmer that the mistress of the house rewarded him for burning her home! Feel free to cite examples of murder, rape and mayhem caused by Sherman's forces liberating the South, just not from Mi-Maw's anecdotes. There was extensive press across the South in the form of small town newspapers. I have read many accounts of "escaped slaves" and "deserters" executed by Southern militias, but have never read accounts of your allegations against Sherman's forces. Many of these publications are now digitized, I would be happy to read any articles you can find.

@davide9658 2 месяца назад

Who knows where the truth is in this story. I'm nearly always bias towards the Confederate perspective as a Virginian whose ancestors were all on that side. One thing is for certain, there is no comparison between the level of destruction of civilian property in the North versus the South. Although unfortunate and sad, what happened in Chambersburg was an isolated incident when considering what happened countless times throughout the South.

@michaelhenry8890 2 месяца назад

The war was in the south. So of course there was more civilian life and property losses. If the war was in the north, the confederates would have been doing the same thing the yanks were doing in Dixie.

@williamrossetter9430 2 месяца назад

And didn't your folks start the Civil War? Being on the other side with my relatives, you were fortunate that the entire South was not burned down. Yes, Chambersberg was an isolated incident, but total war like what we are seeing in the Ukraine today is what the North imposed on the South to break down the will of the Southerners to carry out the war. Sad but true, it worked.

@2ezee2011 2 месяца назад

That's what happens when you start a war and cannot defend your territory. Plus the fact that the war the traitors started was to keep slaves. Any consideration of the horror that had been inflicted on slaves for centuries at the hands of slave owners? Sometimes Karma is really nasty.

@normanlathrop6533 2 месяца назад

I completely agree with you. I am also fortunate to have southern blood running through my veins and ancestors who fought and died fighting against northern aggression. We can trace our ancestry back to Jamestown,Virginia 1607.

@lewdachris7721 2 месяца назад

If by Isolated you mean every time the southern army went north then yeah sure, isolated. The army of northern Virginia, possibly your ancestors, kidnapped free black families from the Pennsylvania countryside

@evilstorm5954 2 месяца назад

My money is on the Reverend telling the truth.

@RN-wn8qx 2 месяца назад

No reason to equivocate here, it seems pretty clear that the Reverend Schneck's version is far more believable than the 'story' passed down by Smith's family.

@crippledcrow2384 2 месяца назад

😂😂😂😂

@debbiegipson4512 2 месяца назад

We all see events through the prism of our own personal bias. Hmm..... My question is...Why South Africa?

@lewdachris7721 2 месяца назад

The confederacy of the African continent

@thescarletandgrey2505 2 месяца назад

“In this treacherous world Nothing is the truth nor a lie. Everything depends on the color Of the crystal through which one sees it.” Pedro Calderon de la Barca

@owensomers8572 2 месяца назад

There were potential fortunes to be made in a number of endeavors, and the colonial government was looking for settlers of his ethnicity who didn't speak Afrikaans.

@2ezee2011 2 месяца назад

To me looting and burning are absolutely NOT "chivalrous ". Plus the fact the Confederate moved out of country post war and never returned speaks volumes of his contempt for the USA. The fact he willingly joined the terrorist Mosby is another indicator.