[central_va]

The reason why Chambersburg is so renowned is that it was an very striking anomaly, the exception that proves the rule. 99% of the time the CSA conductiong campaigns did not destroy civilian property.

This is funny to a historian almost a comical mischaracterization "I assume by that is meant the people who plundered & burned their way through Union cities from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania to Lawrence, Kansas"

Confederate infantry in the Army of NoVa were required to stack arms in camp and when going to any towns nearby the encampment only the officers were armed ( too shoot any looters ). This was a standing order carried out even when in Union territory.

[OIFVeteran]

I will give you that, the Army of Northern Virginia, and the confederate army in general, didn’t do a lot of pillaging. Kinda dumb actually because that’s how you win wars by destroying the enemies ability to fight. Something we’ve forgotten since WW2.

Of course the rebel army was under explicit orders to capture any “escaped slave” and return him to slavery. And as far as the rebel army was concerned every black American was an escaped slave.

Contrast that with the US Army that liberated the slaves as they conquered territory. So the rebel Army was an army of enslavement and the US army was one of freedom. I think as Americans we can all be proud of that.