Department of the Susquehanna facts for kids
The Department of the Susquehanna was a special military group. It was created by the US War Department during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Its main job was to protect Pennsylvania's capital city and its southern areas. It also had to stop the Confederate army from crossing the important Susquehanna River.
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Protecting Pennsylvania
On June 9, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln asked for 100,000 volunteers. This was because Robert E. Lee's Confederate army was planning to invade Maryland and Pennsylvania. About 33,000 people from Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio joined up.
Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton then created two military departments. These were the Department of the Susquehanna and the Department of the Monongahela. Their job was to organize these volunteer soldiers, called militia, to defend Pennsylvania.
The Department of the Susquehanna covered all troops east of Johnstown. It was first based in Chambersburg. Major General Darius N. Couch was put in charge. He had led a large group of soldiers before.
The Invasion Begins
As the Confederates moved into the Cumberland Valley, General Couch moved his base. It went to Harrisburg, the state capital. Volunteer soldiers from New York and New Jersey arrived there. New Pennsylvania emergency militia trained at Camp Curtin.
New York troops from the Susquehanna Department had their first fight on June 20. They met Confederate cavalry (soldiers on horseback) near Greencastle. One New York soldier was killed. This was the first death of the Gettysburg Campaign on Northern land. The New Yorkers then went back to Harrisburg. This allowed the Confederates to take Chambersburg.
Defending the River
General Couch gave a clear order: no Confederate unit was to cross the Susquehanna River. He ordered strong defenses to be built near Lemoyne. These defenses would protect Harrisburg and its river bridges. He put William F. "Baldy" Smith in charge of defending the capital.
Couch also sent his helper, Major Granville O. Haller, to defend Adams and York counties. Haller set up his local base in Gettysburg. Couch sent three groups of state militia to help Haller. The 26th Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia (P.V.M.) went to Gettysburg. The 20th P.V.M. went to York County. The 27th P.V.M. went to Columbia. Their job was to protect the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge. This was a very important crossing over the Susquehanna.
Skirmishes and Retreats
On June 26, 1863, Confederate soldiers under Jubal Early and John Brown Gordon attacked Haller's militia in Gettysburg. They defeated them and took over the town. Haller's troops then moved to York. York surrendered on June 28. It was the biggest Northern town to be captured during the Civil War.
Before the Confederates arrived, Haller moved his troops to Wrightsville. Following Couch's orders, Haller had the covered bridge burned down. This stopped the Confederates from crossing into Lancaster County.
General Smith's troops from the department also fought. They had small fights in Cumberland County at Sporting Hill on June 30. They also fought against J.E.B. Stuart at Carlisle on July 1. Couch then sent Smith's men and many of Haller's troops to help George G. Meade. They helped Meade chase Robert E. Lee's retreating Confederate army. The Department of the Susquehanna kept working after the main battles ended. Many of the volunteer soldiers were sent home.
After the Main Battles
Once the threat was gone, General Couch moved his headquarters back to Chambersburg. The department then mostly handled administrative tasks. They sent militia to help clean up the Gettysburg Battlefield. They also helped prepare for the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. This was when President Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address.
In January 1864, Couch sent troops to deal with rumors. Some unhappy people were supposedly planning to stop the new Pennsylvania Governor, Andrew Curtin, from taking office. In March, there were rumors of another Confederate attack. Couch got ready to defend the state again.
However, Confederates did not return until late July. John McCausland raided and burned Chambersburg. Couch again sent out volunteers and regular troops to fight the enemy. In September, the department sent troops to different places. They helped oversee the military draft, where people were chosen to serve in the army.
The next month, the department again responded to a possible Confederate border raid. Philip H. Sheridan's victories in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 finally ended any further threats. On April 6, 1864, the Department of the Monongahela joined this department. On December 1, 1864, the Department of the Susquehanna was renamed the Department of Pennsylvania.
