William Young was one of the Georgians who marched with Gordon through York County to Wrightsville. The rainy evening that the bridge burned was his last Sunday night on earth. Bill Young perished July 1, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. Initially buried on the battlefield, he was reinterred in Savannah, Georgia, at Laurel Grove Cemetery. Photo courtesy of one of his family members, Jerry Ivey.

Here is some feedback on the new book that honors Mr. Young, the other Confederates of Gordon's expedition, and the Pennsylvania militia and civilians who opposed them:

"I received the book today and immediately read all the pages listed in the index as containing references to Maj. Granville and Dr. Theodore Haller --- great work, extremely detailed information demonstrating Granville's military expertise, almost all of the material was new to me. It continues to amaze me, that Granville Haller isn't more well-known. Thanks for the inscription and autograph." JT, Washington

"I enjoyed it very much.  I kept having these tantalizing leads and questions throughout which is a good thing :)  It stimulated me to think further on the Gettysburg campaign, not to mention it was an
excellent intro for me on the what was happening on the ground around in Adams and York counties prior to the battle.  Don't believe I've ever read a book with such extensive coverage." JK, New Jersey

"The maps are nicely done by you and Tom. It's always welcome to have maps!" IJ, Illinois

"Scott Mingus, Sr. has penned a first-rate, readable study of John B. Gordon's incursion into south-central Pennsylania. His compelling book... represents the culmination of years of digging through obscure filesin order to cobble together this story. Mr. Mingus has woven a readable and fascinating narrative that finally fills in the large gap in Gettysburg historiography by giving this episode the attention it deserves." EW, Ohio

"You did a fantastic job covering this neglected aspect of the Gettysburg campaign." DW, Connecticut

"I just finished reading Flames Beyond Gettysburg. Exceptionally good reading!  I only regret that I finished it! A job well done. You certainly filled a void in Civil War history with its publication. JB, New Hampshire

"Great writing, Scott !!!" RD, Pennsylvania

"This is an excellent book on an unknown subject. The author writes well, telling the story in an informative but entertaining way. The maps, illustrations and photographs are well placed and helpful." JD, Florida

"In a move similar to publishers’ Petruzzi and Wittenberg’s book One Continuous Fight, Mingus’ book contains six(!) driving tours, and these should prove very valuable to students of this portion of the Gettysburg Campaign.  There are around sixty-five pages of endnotes, and the book looks to have been well researched." BS

"I've finished reading "Flames" and I've got to tell you that I've really enjoyed it!  A first-rate job.  There is enough detail, and sources, for the nit-pickers and enough juice for folks who just want to know what happened.  And you did it in a flowing and easy-to-read style.  My congratulations, sir.  I know it was a long time coming, but speaking as one standing at the far end of the pipeline, it was worth the wait.  You should feel proud of the contribution you've made." JL, Pennsylvania

"This book, however, is pretty extraordinary for those that have a soft place in their heart for the Gettysburg campaign." JH, New Jersey

"Scott, just wanted to let you know that I just got done your Gordon book. It's excellent, man...excellent! Top notch sourcing and d__n well told. (Why was the print and spacing that way though?... It didn't bother me, but it looked strange for a few chapters until I got used to it.) At any rate, great book! Can't wait to see your latest on Harry from LSU. Congrats on a job well done!" RA, Maryland

"I am thoroughly enjoying it!  Lots of new information that I didn't know about.  Great research!: JM, Gettysburg, PA

"Love your book. Since I received it, I've read thru it twice. It was a longtime in coming but well worth the wait. I salute your parents for having a son who sees a vision and goes for it and doesn't get deterred no matter what. Gordon would be proud of your book. You put us right there. Its a map of the happenings never told in its entire overview. Thanks again for the details of this event." LW, PA

"I recently finished reading your book, "Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition June, 1863" --- great well-written book !!!" RD, Pennsylvania

 "I really like your book….I like the detail very much.   This is one well researched book and very enjoyable to read.  I plan to do the driving tour when next out east." EH , Minnesota

"Super book. My congratulations on a fine work sure to be a must in any library." LP, Pennsylvania

"I am actually currently reading--and thoroughly enjoying--Flames Beyond Gettysburg. Excellent work!  I am looking forward to your Louisiana Tigers book." JH, Maryland

When this book arrived, I moved it to the top of my "to read" pile - in all honesty because of my great experiences reading two other Ironclad Publishing books ("Protecting the Flank: The Battles for Brinkerhoff's Ridge and East Cavalry Field" by Eric J. Wittenberg, and "The Battle Between the Farmlanes: Hancock Saves the Union Center; Gettysburg" by David Shultz & David Wieck). As with both of those works, the first thing that struck me was the attractive cover - a nice portrayal of General Gordon superimposed on the burning Columbia-Wrightsville bridge. The impression after reading Ironclad's latest book mimics that which I had for the first two mentioned: this is a really great read and a wonderful book to have.

The book sets out to cover the usually overlooked aspect of the pre-Gettysburg expedition trying to cross the Susquehanna River by Gordon's brigade. When Lee invaded Pennsylvania he apparently had some broad-stroke ideas on how he intended to proceed, and one of the key ideas was to strike at the critical areas of Pennsylvania, both in terms of military objectives but also some political ones as well. The Pennsylvania state capital at Harrisburg - just across the Susquehanna River - was one such target. General Lee ordered General Ewell to take his Second Corps eastwards, and potentially threaten that important Northern city. As things progressed relatively smoothly at first, a plan was made to push Gordon's men across the critical Columbia-Wrightsville bridge - thus trying to potentially come at Harrisburg from the south whilst Ewell's other troops came at the city from the west.

The key tactical target for General Gordon was the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge which was needed to affect the overall strategic plan. The bridge was an amazing engineering structure in and of itself - over 5,600 feet long with 27 piers - it had separate paths for pedestrians, carriages, towpaths and a double-track railway. It was the world's longest covered bridge and was critical to traffic in this area of the state. Due to the crucial nature of the bridge, the Union exerted a lot of effort to at first try to defend it, and then in a last desperate attempt to stop the Confederates from using it, they burnt it down.

Mingus tells the tale of Gordon's brigade (along with the closely associated Lt. Colonel Elijah White's 35th Virginia Cavalry Battalion) in very fine fashion, detailing the various parts of the expedition from when Ewell's whole corps entered Pennsylvania up to the retrograde movement of Gordon's brigade back to Gettysburg to participate in that great battle. The author maintains a fair balance between detailed accounts of the Confederates actions with a thorough description of the various Union efforts to try and stop the Rebel advance to the Susquehanna. The way he carries the reader along is like watching a complex game of parry and thrust between Gordon and various Union militia forces trying to get in his way. Given the numerical superiority and experienced nature of Gordon's men, the Union attempts end up being a couple of hopeless stands by the militia starting at Gettysburg and ending in Wrightsville.

But Mingus doesn't stop there: he also provides copious amounts of detailed citizen accounts. It's very hard for us to imagine what it was like 146 years ago to live in Adams and York counties as the Confederates came marching through. Mingus helps us along here by showing the various amounts of panic that permeated the region as civilians tried different ways to handle the situation. Some people chose to flee - taking what they could with them eastwards. Others tried to hide what they could and weather the storm. A remarkable few attempted to take up arms and show some resistance - including an all-black company that performed admirably in the attempt to defend the western end of the Columbia-Wrightsville bride. And, apparently, some "Copperheads" almost seemed to welcome the invading army (much to their later regret).

The book also includes a very detailed set of endnotes, bibliography and index making this a very valuable reference book for this part of the Gettysburg campaign. It also contains a set of driving tours that help you find places along the route.

This book works on many levels: as a reference book the detailed accounts provided, coupled with its organization of the material fills a void that's been out there. As an account of the expedition, the story moves along very well - filled with interesting characters, many of whom will be unfamiliar, but a few well-knowns are there too. For example, Darius Couch and "Baldy" Smith show up - and a controversy over a certain man named Lt. Colonel William Sickles, who just happened to share a last name with another "interesting" character at Gettysburg). The book also helps to open up one's eyes to the trials and tribulations of both the citizens of York and Adams Counties as well as the diverse nature of the Confederate soldiers. The discrepancy between the actions of the relatively well-behaved thousands under Gordon are in stark contrast to the couple of hundred "Comanches" under White for example.

I heartily enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to those of you who are interested in one of the off the beaten path aspects of this major campaign, or are interested in civilian reactions to incoming enemy troops, or perhaps just looking for a good read.

U.S. Congressman Joe Pitts (R - PA) and Pennsylvania author and wargamer  Scott L. Mingus Sr. met on March 9 to discuss the Civil War in Lancaster and York counties.  Here, the writer (right) presents Congressman Pitts with a personalized copy of Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Gordon Expedition, June 1863. Pitts is a long-time supporter of Lancaster-area historical venues and in particular has been interested in the burning of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge during the American Civil War.

Two of Mingus’s children graduated from Lancaster County colleges (Millersville University and Elizabethtown College), and Professor Scott L. Mingus, Jr. teaches World History at Harrisburg Community College’s Lancaster regional campus.

Several south-central Pennsylvania bookstores now have Flames Beyond Gettysburg in stock for your browsing pleasure:

York:

The York Emporium

The Historical Society Museum of the York County Heritage Trust

Gettysburg:

Gettysburg Gift Center (Wax Museum)

Gallery 30

American History Store

Mechanicsburg:

Civil War and More

Baltimore, Maryland:

Butternut and Blue

Columbia and Wrightsville, PA:

RiverTownes

Susquehanna Valley Visitors Center

If you are a book reseller or retailer, the book is available wholesale from Casemate Publishing or directly from Ironclad Publishing's Eric J. Wittenberg or J. David Petruzzi.

Scott Mingus signing a copy of the book at the 4th Annual Reenactor Appreciation Weekend in Gettysburg, PA on March 7, 2009. Photo by Curt Daniels.

"I'm sure my Dad will love the book as much as I do."  - RH, North Carolina

"Scott Mingus' new book is the most thorough micro-study yet of the Confederate expedition to the banks of the Susquehanna River in late June 1863" - JM, Pennsylvania

"Your pictures are clear and the maps are good.... congratulations on a good book" - NL, Ohio

"Very impressive work! Great research and sources." RY, Pennsylvania

"The cover looks great and I can't wait to read it." - JK, Connecticut

"OUTSTANDING ! You left no stone unturned, and covered the period from every angle imaginable." GW - Georgia (descendant of one of Gordon's soldiers)

"Great job, Scott! The book is terrific." - CM, Pennsylvania

"I have read a lot of your book and enjoyed it. You are a very talented writer and quite expert at managing the details... I actually think that you may have done better with a 8.5 x 11 softcover format that would've allowed you to use larger maps and would have been a more amenable companion for people doing the driving tour." HJ, California [Author's note - the book is double spaced for easy reading for older eyes, but it makes it a bit thick in size]

"This book will be the standard work on this little studied and appreciated facet of the Gettysburg Campaign." - JP, Pennsylvania

"I just love the cover - really nicely done! So far I've read the first two chapters, and have found it to be just great - informative, well-told, and it definitely is starting to open up some previously closed eyes... What a great read! Very entertaining and informative. " - AB, New Hampshire

"It has been very difficult to get anything done around the house because I keep picking that book back up!! So far, so VERY good!" - LS, Pennsylvania

"Awesome!" - GT, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

My friend J. David Petruzzi of Ironclad Publishing passed along a newspaper article from the Gettysburg Star & Sentinel of July 29, 1883. Written by an Adams County, Pennsylvania, man named Daniel D. Gitt, it adds some color and depth to my book's study of the operations of  militia cavalry in the week before the Battle of Gettysburg.

Mr. Gitt was among those thousands of private citizens who formed themselves into loosely organized and totally untrained volunteer companies to do their part to defend Pennsylvania during the Confederate invasion of 1863. He and 24 other men in Arendtsville, a village in northern Adams County, formed a company under the command of Captain Elias Spangler and Lieutenant Hiram Lady.  Composed of old men, men not healthy enough for regular military duty, and those with physical limitations, the company wore no uniforms, but they did carry state-issued rifles. However, they had no ammunition, so Gitt bought powder and lead, and the women of the town made improvised cartridges, enough for three rounds per man. 

Major Granville O. Haller of the Regular Army was in charge of the defense of Adams and York counties. Heordered Captain Spangler's company to blockade a pass on South Mountain along the Gettysburg and Chambersburg turnpike. Spangler and Lady marched their men to the designated placeandsent forward pickets to watch for the Rebels. Soon, a patrol of Bell's Adams County Cavalry passed by and headed farther west to watch for the enemy.

Spotting Confederate Major General Jubal Early's lengthy column approaching, the cavalrymen retired to Gettysburg to inform Haller, and of course notified Captain Spangler as they rode past the civilian company. Spangler ordered his volunteers to hide in the dense thickets on the slopes beside the road. Some of the men who were constructing the barricades had left their guns lying in the road, so, just as the Rebels came into range, a few men raced out into the pike to retrieve the weapons. Seeing the commotion and the barriers, Early's cavalry vanguard halted. Some troopers cautiously rode forward, dismounted, and deployed on either side of the densely packed gravel roadway. They captured the Arendtsville pickets, who hid their guns and denied beingconnected to a military force.

Early's troops resumed the march to Gettysburg. Not long afterward, a bushwhacker named Henry Hahn (who was not a member of Spangler's volunteer company) fired from ambush and mortally wounded one of the Rebels. Angry Confederates threatened to hang their prisoners if they were connected with the shooter, but the civilians managed to persuade their guards that they had no knowledge of the ambush. The Rebels fell back, taking the wounded man with them.

Spangler's men retired to Cashtown, where there was a strong picket post of Bell's Cavalry and the First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry.

More to come...

They are $23.95 each for a signed first edition copy directly from the author. Send an e-mail to scottmingus@yahoo.com for ordering information.

Thanks!!!

I should be receiving my shipment of 300 books shortly. I have received some pre-release copies and the book looks terrific! I am quite pleased with the cover art and the general quality (the book was printed by Sun Graphics in Parsons, Kansas).

Autographed first edition copies are only $23.95 plus $5 postage / handling within the US (this is a relatively big book!) and are available directly from the author. PayPal is accepted as payment, as well as personal checks and money orders. International shipments require more in postage, depending upon country, and are only available through the PayPal payment system.

Send any inquiries to scottmingus@yahoo.com.

I have uploaded to the gallery more than 100 photographs and sketches associated with the Gordon expedition, including old postcards, vintage map illustrations, old photographs, and modern photos (color and black/white) taken by one of my sons or by me during various site visits. These can be viewed via slideshow or by clicking on the right or left arrows. Be sure to read the comments at the bottom, which add some flavor and background to the photo.

The printer has submitted the galley proof signatures to Eric and me for final proofreading and editing. I have found a couple little things I wanted to change, and have submitted these to the graphic designer, who has corrected the master files.

The proofs have been returned to the printer and the changes made. They should print the first edition of this book in Q1 '09. Watch this blog for further news!