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BY CHRIS POH |
A brisk
cloudy day marked the beginning of our
brief autumn
campaign in western Pennsylvania. David and I headed out of Gettysburg
late afternoon toward that historic Confederate stronghold, and what is
claimed by many to be the most haunted tavern in America – the
legendary, almost mythical CASHTOWN
INN.
![]() THE PORCH WITH FLAG AND FELINE AT THE CASHTOWN INN We
arrived to an empty parking lot. Our initial fear of closure was
abated by a quick check of the hours of posted operation. We celebrated
our good fortune of the potential pick of prime barstools; but opted to
remain outside to take advantage of the early evening light to
photograph the exterior of this welcoming old building. Our tour of the
perimeter was interrupted by an attractive woman who inquired about our
presence on the property. She informed us that the inn was presently
closed to the public because of a scheduled private party. Two very
forlorn out-of-state interlopers retreated to our bivouac in the
eastern heights. Had A.P. Hill’s Third Corps suffered a similar
reception during the summer of 1863, the butternut clad southerners may
have experienced a very different outcome on the fields of Gettysburg.
The next
morning David and I parted company.
Previous commitments back
in Jersey awaited both of us, and David being the more responsible
party, and the one who had to share his hotel room with a spirited
Airedale Terrier opted to head home. I headed west back to Cashtown,
pausing briefly along Seminary Ridge to pay my respects to the memory
of Yankee, Brigadier General John Buford.
![]() GETTYSBURG LANDSCAPE WITH CANNON On June 29th
of 1863, an ailing Confederate,
Lieutenant General Ambrose P. Hill
annexed the accommodations at Cashtown for comfort and military
purpose. He, along with Generals Henry Heth and John D. Imboden
headquartered there for the duration of the conflict, and it was from
this location that the initial actions on July 1st were launched. Many
historians contend that Heth’s division, with shopping list in hand,
was on a routine supply mission when as a matter of happenstance
encountered segments of Union cavalry under Brigadier General
John Buford. A report filed by A. P.
Hill in November of 1863 concerning that summer’s campaign, and Lee’s
orders that day indicate otherwise. Nonetheless, it was the inspired
tactics and precise ground maneuvers employed by Buford on July 1st
that awarded the north the pivotal terrain that would eventually prove
sacred to the preservation of the Union. (It is interesting to note
that Sam Elliot, who portrayed Gen. John Buford in the film Gettysburg,
chose to lodge at the Cashtown Inn during production; much to the
consternation of any rebel wraith that still considers the inn
confederate spoils.)
My arrival at
the CASHTOWN
INN that
morning preceded the
opening of the tavern,
so I used the time to explore the adjacent countryside. There is an
inexplicable feeling of peace that overwhelms the senses when one gazes
upon the pastoral setting that surrounds the inn. David and I
experienced the same feelings the previous evening under grey
foreboding skies, and now as I wandered alongside rolling farmland
beneath a perfect cover of blue, I wondered how a place that had
witnessed so much of the tumult and carnage of that fateful July could
so inspire and rejuvenate the soul.
![]() THE MYTHICAL AND MYSTICAL MAIN ROOM
Jack, who co-owns the inn with his wife Maria Paladino, was open to such possibilities; but, like myself, did not seem to possess the skills or sensitivities needed to detect those souls that may still be paying for their whiskey with Confederate scrip. ![]() COMMERATIVE BATTLEGROUND ALES Somewhere towards mid-afternoon I faced
the fact that I had to muster
the energy and will to leave this idyllic setting. On the way out to my
car I paused a while on the front porch and reflected on the endless
columns of brimmed felt hats that poured through this narrow passage of
ground one hundred and forty four summers ago. I suspect those wide
brims were turned up on that day in June so that the uneasy citizens of
Cashtown might gaze upon the face of the conquering soldier. A few days
later they would pass this way again, turned down to hide the pain, the
fear and the shame of the vanquished.
![]() The majority of those amongst the living believe that they possess freewill, and that the departed are governed by forces that dictate their eternal fate: rewarded in Heaven, cast into Hell or trapped behind on this earthly plain for some incomprehensible reason. Perhaps it is the other way around. Because I have to ask myself why would men choose war over peace, and why would I choose Jersey over Cashtown? I turn around and look at the very door that A.P. Hill walked through, and I wonder who might have decided to remain behind. The Cashtown Inn is certainly the perfect place to spend the day, the night or quite possibly - even eternity!
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