Thaddeus Stevens Chronicles No. 69

Thad is missing from the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum

The Gettysburg National Military Museum is an amazing place.  Besides hundreds of exhibits about the Gettysburg battle, it has displays about the origins of the Civil War and its aftermath. It even has a huge picture of Thomas Jefferson at the entrance for some unexplained reason. What it doesn't have is any mention of Thaddeus Stevens even though he played a large role in the Gettysburg campaign.

Stevens, who was the most powerful congressman in 1863, suffered the largest civilian financial loss of the battle and owned the house where Confederate general Robert E. Lee set up his headquarters. Yet he does not get a mention at the museum.

Stevens's massive financial loss happened at his Caledonia iron furnace, now a state park near Chambersburg. On June 26, 1863, Confederate General Jubal Early burned the iron facility to the ground in retaliation for Stevens's hardline abolitionist policies. "Mr. Stevens is an enemy of the South. He is in favor of confiscating their property and arming the negroes," Early said at the time. "His property must be destroyed."

Stevens, who lived in Lancaster, PA at the time, was at the iron mill shortly before the raid, but fled, which was a good thing since Early said he would have murdered him. "I would hang him on the spot and divide his bones and send them to the several [Confederate] states as curiosities," he told the mill's foreman.

Besides burning the iron mill, the Confederates stole all of the mill's horses, mules and harness, 4,000 pounds of bacon, molasses, $1,000 worth of corn and $4,000 worth of bar iron to use for shoeing horses. In all, lost more $75,000, which is over $2 million in current dollars.

The burning would not be the only effect the battle had on Stevens. When the Confederates got to Gettysburg, Lee set up his headquarters at the home of Mary Thompson at he top of Seminary Ridge. The house was owned by Stevens, who had bought the building at a sheriff's sale to prevent Thompson being evicted. 

With the theft from the Caledonia mill and the take over of the Thompson house, it could be said that Stevens in part supplied and housed the Confederate invasion of Gettysburg, unwillingly of course. Yet none of this is at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum. The Thaddeus Stevens Society has on a number of times brought this to the attention of National Park Service, which operates the museum, and the Gettysburg Foundation, which owns the museum, but to no avail. 

Exhibits at the museum are changed from time to time and maybe an exhibit that at least mention's Thaddeus Stevens might be considered. The Stevens Society stands ready to help if this ever happens. 

Ross Hetrick is president of the Thaddeus Stevens Society, which operates the Thaddeus Stevens Museum at 46 Chambersburg St. in Gettysburg, PA.  More information about the Great Commoner can be found at the Society's website: https://www.thaddeusstevenssociety.com/