1863 Wartime Sketch of Emmitsburg

Submitted by John A. Miller

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This is a genuine engraving titled "Emmitsburg, Maryland, General Meade's Army pursuing General Lee. Published in Frank Leslie's "Illustrated History of the Civil War." This was made from a wood engraving plate that was copied onto paper. The engraving itself was made backwards and when placed on paper the engraving was then engraved the way we view it today.

If you notice the engraving we have scanned, shows that it was made from six pieces. The sketch also shows Emmitsburg in a "state of harmony" considering a fire had destroyed three blocks of the town on June 15, 1863. The view is taken from somewhere on the Gettysburg/Emmitsburg Road near the intersection of North Seton Avenue and Route 15 looking West. Mount Saint Mary's College is on the left. The Church in the center of the engraving may be the Elias Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Want to learn more about the Civil War? Then try our archived edition of the Civil War along the Mason and Dixon Line!