Tonight March 9th I went to the archives again to try and learn more about John Keagy Stayman and more about the invasion of Carlisle from the newspaper The Press. I first began looking for information in Stayman just so I and all of you could understand who he was and why cared so much about Carlisle after the shelling and burning took place. Stayman was born in Cumberland Valley near Carlisle on September 28, 1823 and died in Baltimore, Md. on July 4, 1882. Stayman was the professor who wrote the letter to his friend Edgar after he had heard about what had happened. I have not been able to locate any information on who his friend was. I have tried two separate year books that the archives houses but was not able to track him down. I did find out that though that Stayman did attend Dickinson College and graduated in 1841. He proceeded to become a professor here teaching Language, Philosophy, and English Literature. Here is a picture of Stayman from 1871.
John Keagy Stayman 1871. Courtesy of the Dickinson Archives.
The other information that I found tonight was from a newspaper published in Philadelphia called The Press. What I was able to find was a similar story as the one told by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Press reported that General Knipe was on his way to Carlisle when his wagon train was attacked by Confederate forces. Knipe attempted to withdraw to Harrisburg during this engagement. It was then reported that this engagement was much closer to Mechanicsburg then Carlisle. During the night of July 1st citizens of Harrisburg lined the riverbank to listen to thundering of cannon fire that was heard in the direction of Carlisle. The firing had ceased by 12 P.M. Then the citizens could view a bright fire coming from that direction. They believed it to be the burning of General Lee’s headquarters at Dover in York County. By the following day they would learn the truth about what really happened.
I was able to locate this information by looking through the archives collection of newspapers that were read not just statewide and beyond but also in the Carlisle area as well. I plan on researching through two books that I own both of the Gettysburg to find more information on Carlisle’s involvement. One focuses more on General Longstreet and the Confederacy’s plan as a whole but might provide some information. The other focuses primarily on General J.E.B. Stuart and his involvement with the Gettysburg Campaign.