On June 27, 1863, Confederate General Richard S. Ewell stopped at Carlisle for supplies, forage, and food before moving towards Harrisburg. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Stuart arrived in Carlisle on the evening of July 1, 1863 looking for Ewell’s troops, but instead found General William F. “Baldy” Smith’s 32nd and 33rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia and 1st New York Cavalry.  After Smith’s refusal to surrender, Stuart allowed Maj. General Fitzhugh Lee to start firing on the town.  Lee’s artillery fired about 80 shells into Carlisle, stirring up the militia and townspeople but causing minimal injuries to both civilians and soldiers.  Shots landed in many places including one at the Courthouse and two on the street wall of the First Presbyterian Church. Around midnight, Stuart received a message from General Robert E. Lee stating that the army was in battle at Gettysburg and to call off the action in Carlisle.  Before leaving, Fitzhugh Lee burned a lumberyard and set fire to the Carlisle Barracks.

Harper’s Weekly Magazine issued on July 25, 1863, provides a clear outline of the happenings by the locals in Carlisle and a sketch of  Main Street or present day High Street by Thomas Nast. The sketch shows the Rebels shelling women and children as well as the New York militia, putting the town into immense chaos.