Video Discription |
Join the @BobbleheadGeorge crew and Garry Adelman and Kristopher White from @AmericanBattlefieldTrust for a look at the burning of the Wrightsville Bridge just days prior to the Battle of Gettysburg!
-video chapters-
0:01 - intro and drone footage of John Wright Restaurant
0:05 - collaboration with Garry Adelman & Kristopher White from @AmericanBattlefieldTrust
0:12 - drone footage of the Susquehanna River and Wrightsville Bridge
0:26 - The need for a bridge across the Susquehanna River in the 19th century
0:52 - the first bridge to span the Susquehanna River between Wrightsville and Columbia
1:18 - the Second, Third, and Fourth bridges to connect Columbia and Wrightsville
1:36 - the largest covered bridge in the world!
2:02 - The burning of the Wrightsville Bridge on June 28, 1863
2:14 - Garry Adelman, Chief Historian at American Battlefield Trust
3:06 - Kristopher White, Deputy Director of Education at American Battlefield Trust
5:27 - Thank you for joining Bobblehead George and American Battlefield Trust at the John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
5:49 - Bobblehead George animation
5:56 - Special thank you to American Battlefield Trust, John Wright Restaurant, and Alex Raymond Films
The burning of the Wrightsville Bridge over the Susquehanna River on June 28, 1863, counts as one of the most iconic moments of the Gettysburg Campaign. Retreating militia units burned the railroad span in a desperate bid to halt the advance of Confederate forces.
By late June 1863, the Confederate Army had invaded Pennsylvania. After capturing York, the Rebels planned to take the state capital, Harrisburg, and possibly Philadelphia. To get there, they would need to cross the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville.
Pennsylvania militiamen from Columbia, on the Lancaster County side of the river, vowed to block the Confederate advance. Union troops retreating from York joined them.
When Confederate Brigadier General John Brown Gordon arrived on June 28 with approximately 1,800 troops, the Federals were waiting in their entrenchments. The Rebels opened up with artillery fire, and the Union position rapidly became untenable. The Federals decided to retreat to Columbia and blow up a section of the over mile-long bridge behind them, denying the Rebels access to Lancaster.
The explosion failed to destroy the bridge, so the order to burn it was given. As the Confederates surged forward, the bridge erupted in flames. Gordon's men worked for hours to extinguish the blaze. They kept Wrightsville from going up in smoke, but the bridge, financed by the First National Bank of Columbia, was destroyed. Gordon's brigade was recalled to York the next day. The Pennsylvania militia had saved Lancaster.
This was the second bridge to cross the Susquehanna between Columbia and Wrightsville. The two-year construction project began in 1832 and was financed by the Columbia Bank and Bridge Company for $157,300.
At the time, it was the longest covered bridge in the world, being over a mile long at 5,620 feet sitting on 27 piers. It sat just north of the current Route 462 bridge. On the outside, two towpaths for moving canal boats were added in 1840. A double railroad track was added in 1850.
The piers of the bridge are still visible today just north of the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Bobblehead George would like to thank our good friends, Garry and Kristopher at American Battlefield Trust . Make sure to visit Battlefield Trust at https://www.battlefields.org/
We would also like to thank our hosts and friends at the John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania for their kindness, generosity, and hospitality. Please visit John Wright Restaurant at https://jwrpa.com/
As always, our videos would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of Alex Raymond from Alex Raymond Films. Please visit Alex Raymond Films at https://www.alexraymondfilms.com/
Bobblehead George is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to creating and providing unique, accurate, and entertaining educational content to life-long learners of ALL ages. Our organization was started by public school teachers, David Raymond, Eric Gimbi, and Mike Graham. Dave, Eric, and Mike are incredibly passionate about teaching and education.
Our mission is to share that love of learning within our community, across the nation, and around the globe! Bobblehead George provides a unique opportunity to reach students beyond the traditional classroom walls by providing virtual field trips that are fun, informative, & engaging.
To help ensure that our mission is successful, we rely on donations from kind people like you. Consider making your donation a tribute to an educator who made a difference in YOUR life.
Please visit https://www.bobbleheadgeorge.org/ to learn more!
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