Locals Seek a History Lesson from a Civil War Battle

By John A. Miller

On April 1^st and 2^nd, the One Mountain Foundation along with Mike Vallone of the Gettysburg National Park Tour Guides held a 90 minute walking tour of the battle site of Monterey. This event was part of the Gettysburg Civil War Discovery Weekend.  About 200 visitors came out and toured the Monterey battle site and took in a history lesson that most people who live in the area are unfamiliar with. 

The tour started at the Hawley Memorial Church where Mr. Vallone made his opening statements about the importance of the Monterey area during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign. Mr. Vallone stated “The Gettysburg Campaign should be considered the Pennsylvania Campaign because of the hundreds of thousands of lives that were affected by the Civil War.”

The walking tour took history seekers to the site of the Monterey House, where Civil War enthusiasts were educated about a H.C. Burhman, a local guide that helped General Kilpatrick find his way through the Monterey area. This was also the area where much hand to hand combat took place and was near the spot that General Kilpatrick deployed his artillery. The walk concluded at the Lions Club Park, the site where General Custer engaged Confederate forces that were guarding the road that the Confederate wagon train was traveling as it made its way to Waynesboro before turning westward to Williamsport.