Chambersburg in Franklin County, Pa., was occupied three times by Confederates during the Civil War - in October 1862 by Jeb Stuart, June 1863 and July 1864.
It was the third occupation that destroyed the town that was settled in 1730 by Benjamin Chambers and called “Chambers Town.”In 1864, Confederate Gen. Jubal Early was seeking retribution for looting and burning in the Shenandoah Valley allowed by Union Gen. David Hunter.
Early set his sights on Chambersburg where he asked for a ransom of $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in currency or he would burn down the town. In Chambersburg on July 30, 1864, Gen. John McCausland was told there was no money - bank funds had been removed and sent north.
“Confederate soldiers broke into houses and evicted residents, smashed furniture, heaped the pieces into piles, and then set them on fire. By 8 a.m. the city was in flames. As the city burned, renegade soldiers robbed citizens, looted stores and drank whatever liquor they could find. Some demanded ransom money to spare a home, then torched it anyway after the ransom was paid,” according to explorepahistory.com.
After the war the borough was rebuilt.
(Video by Deb Kiner/PennLive.com)