[central_va]

From my research the Civil War was different in that a Confederate regiment/brigade could camp for weeks in one place and the soldiers got to know the locals pretty well. Even a Confederate Brigade in Pennsylvania. The PA militia did not harass because it was known that Confeds "were under control".

This would not hold true for Sherman's torches. The only people the knew were the GA militia.

[BroJoeK]

central_va: "Confederate regiment/brigade could camp for weeks in one place and the soldiers got to know the locals pretty well."

But Confederate forces were only in the area of Harrisburg for a matter of days, if not hours, so there was little opportunity to "get to know" the locals.

If you're familiar with that terrain, there's a long mountain called "Blue Mountain" which comes up from Maryland, north of Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Carlisle and all the way to the Susquehanna river.
Well, I live a few miles on the north side of that mountain.
Local history here says that during Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania, scouts from Camp Hill, Carlisle and Chambersburg rode over that mountain and up the valleys to use the telegraph on the Pennsylvania railroad, to report military intelligence.

Needless to say, everyone around here was very excited, panic struck would be a better word for it.
That's why I can't see those poor shop-keepers near Harrisburg as anything other than quaking in their boots on the arrival of Lee's forces.