REBELS ARE COMIN' (Rachel Cormany)
by Michelle Boehm
All of a sudden, I was awakened by the sound of horses clattering through the town. Cora and I had only been asleep for half an hour when we heard the Greybacks invading our community. I stumbled over to the window to take a peek and saw the men storming by with their fingers on their triggers. Troop after troop passed by hoping to ruin our town. This continued until about two in the morning when the streets became quiet once again. My daughter Cora and I retired back to bed until five a.m. All was still quiet when we awoke, and I thought that possibly the rebels had left our town. Unfortunately, our hopes were dashed when the confederate troops rode back through the town at noon. Rumor had it that they were headed out to the McClures and were expected to fight our troops there. Dear Samuel, wherever you may be, may the Lord watch over you.
As you could tell, times were getting tense here in the northern town of Chambersburg. This area was squarely in the middle of the valley where Lee launched both his second and last great offensive battle in 1863. Chambersburg was just twenty-five miles to the west of Gettysburg. This small community was where the Confederate troops were centrally located during the Gettysburg campaign. After the rebels lost at Gettysburg, they retreated toward the Potomac River. My dear husband's regiment was hot in pursuit of these rebels in order to get them out of our town. It was very scary for a young mother to have her best friend at war.
People around this area have been anxious for the past few days, but so far no troops have entered our town. Gettysburg was the area that was getting the majority of the attention, and we prayed that the Rebels would stay the twenty-five miles away. But word has spread recently that the Rebels will be here in one hour. As a Christian, though, I realized that I needed to continue trusting God for protection, especially of my dear Samuel. Unfortunately, the enemy troops entered our town on the evening of June 15, 1863.
The evening of June 16 proved to be an eye opening experience for me, as a visitor came to the door. Here was this innocent looking young lady, who claimed to be a pastor's daughter, fleeing from the Rebels. So without thinking, I allowed her to stay in our home. It didn't take me long to realize that she was a thief, and her story was just an enormous lie. So, I put things out of her reach and told her that I kept a loaded pistol nearby all the time and would not be afraid to shoot it. She even wanted me to go to bed, but I told her I would be the one to lock the door and get into bed last. She finally realized I was not going to give in to her trick and then went to bed. When I awoke the next morning, she was gone.
Much more excitement continued to occur in Chambersburg on June 17. The rebels continued to ride through the streets. I would often peer out the window as they passed by and even saw southern General Jenkins and his troops as they marched by my window. Later in the day, one of the Graybacks fired a shot at Oaks warehouse. Many of our citizens became upset and almost shot this man. The rebel troops had completely left our town by evening, and we rejoiced, although initial reports of our men coming through the town were false.
Since all the enemy troops had deserted our town, many of us women did our wash and went outside to get more groceries. Life was hard during war, as we never knew how long we might be cooped up in our homes. However, we were so thankful for every time that we could leave our homes. Reports said that the Rebels were coming back again, but fortunately for two days we had peace and quiet in our town. Throughout all of this tension, I continued to sleep well, knowing that my Heavenly Father was watching over me.
The rebels were now in nearby Hagerstown and are reported to be on their way to Chambersburg. To help calm our fears, the New York Greys (militia) came to watch over our town. A letter from Samuel came today, which is such a comfort. It was always so nice to receive mail from him; but since the troops are headed into our town soon, we probably won't get any mail for a while.
I truly expected to wake up the next morning to the sound of the Confederates once again entering our town. Thankfully, they had not arrived yet. So, I took Cora, and we went for a walk, since I figured we would be shut in again once the troops arrived. Sure enough, later that day, the rebels came in, terrorizing our town. They sawed down telegraph poles, destroyed the Scotland bridge, took possession of our warehouses, and ate much of the food. I just know that through all of this the Good Lord would protect us. Many brigades passed through our town heading toward Harrisburg, where a desperate battle was expected. Another long day passed with a few troops marching through our town. A reliable report reached us at the end of the day stating that McClellan had a heavy force ready to meet the Rebs at Harrisburg. I prayed that this would be the beginning of the end.
It was now June 27, and many pieces of artillery and troops continued to come through Chambersburg. Even General Lee and Longstreet passed through today. It made me sick knowing that many of these people had come to kill our men. I realized that the fighting had begun when our schoolhouse became the hospital for the sick and injured. It was becoming even more dangerous to be on the streets, as one fellow was stripped today. Word had it that if our men held Hagerstown, then it would not be long before they came home!! But the rebels were giving them a tough fight, as they had torn up the railroad and had prepared to burn down our warehouses and machine shops.
Aahh!! I was awakened in the middle of the night to the yells of the rebels running through our town. Many people thought that our men had attacked them by surprise, but this turned out to be false. It was such a great shock that all I could imagine was my Samuel being killed in battle. It was scary whenever the dead and wounded reports came into town.
Reports lately have said that the men could be returning home any day now. I was so excited hoping to see Samuel walk into town. I wouldn't even leave my house because I didn't want to miss him when he arrived. However, on July 4, rumors circulated that a dreadful fight was about to occur. Oh Lord, please, no more fighting. The next day, while talking with a neighbor, we heard a fuss outside and were terrified that it was fighting. As we looked out, we saw our men coming in. Unfortunately, no Samuel, as these were only Milroy's men. So, I went to sleep once again disappointed.
The next morning I was reading a book when a neighbor boy came shouting, "Mrs. Cormany, a soldier has come to see you!" When I got to the door, there stood my dearly beloved Samuel. I was so glad to see him that I didn't know how to act. After we hugged and kissed, he cleaned up; and we went to the parlor to listen to music played by the neighbors.
This story was based on a diary written by Rachel Cormany during the civil war. After reading the diary, I wrote the story based on the things she had written in it. It is historical fiction since some of the details are based on my interpretation of the writings from Mrs. Cormany and may not be entirely true. I am not sure about what happened to the Cormany's following the war, but I know that they had this blessed reunion.
Worksheet
- What was special about Chambersburg during the Gettysburg campaign?
- Who was the main general for the south during the civil war? He also came through the town of Chambersburg.
- What was the name of the nearby town which the north needed to hold in order to come home to Chambersburg?
- In what ways did the rebel troops hurt the people in Chambersburg?
- Put yourself in Rachel Cormany's situation. Would you have been as brave as she was with her husband at war and with fighting occurring so close to home?
- What types of things made Rachel think her visitor was a thief?
'REBELS ARE COMIN
I. Rachel Cormany
A. Rebel troops invaded town of Chambersburg
B. Rachel peeks out her window and sees the troops
II. Flashback
A. Explain Chambersburg
- Location
- During Gettysburg campaign it was central town
for Rebel troops
B. Samuel Cormany
- Rachel's husband
- His regiment pursuing the Confederates
III. Calm Period
A. June 14-16
B. Trusting in God during this time
IV. Exciting time of war
A. June 17
- Sleep well because trust in Christ
- Mail from Sam was comforting
B. June 23
- Troops moved in to Chambersburg
- Tear down buildings and harass citizens
C. June 26
- Commander reports come into town
- Rachel anxious about safety of the troops
V. Reunion
A. Anticipation- July 3
B. Sam returns- July 6
Props: Dress from the 1800's, toy gun, and map from Gettysburg
Answers to the questions:
- Chambersburg was the central location for the Confederate troops.
- General Lee rode through Chambersburg and also was the south general to surrender at Appomattox Courthouse ending the civil war.
- Hagerstown was the key city for the north to hold.
- They tore down buildings, lines, railroads, stopped the mail, and harassed the citizens of Chambersburg.
- Answers may vary
- Answers may vary
Sources: http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vshadow/rcormany.html