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Gettysburg in Adams County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

"… It was enough to frighten us to death!"

 
 
"... It was enough to frighten us to death!" Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 27, 2010
1. "... It was enough to frighten us to death!" Marker
Inscription. On the afternoon of June 26, 1863, Confederate cavalry dashed up Chambersburg Street and into the square. Shocked and frightened citizens fled the streets. Sara Broadhead recorded in her diary: "They came with such horrid yells that it was enough to frighten us to death!"

Confederate infantry soon followed, many busying themselves by shopping in local stores and paying the merchants with unwelcome Confederate money. Others set about looting several R.R. cars before burning them along with a nearby R.R. bridge. That evening a regimental band playing in the square serenaded the town with the tune DIXIE.

Anxious citizens arose the next morning to find the Confederates gone from Gettysburg, moving east toward York.
 
Erected by Main Street Gettysburg, Inc., National Park Service / American Battlefield Protection Program.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is June 26, 1925.
 
Location. 39° 49.87′ N, 77° 13.883′ W. Marker is in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in Adams County. It is at the intersection of Carlisle Street (Business U.S. 15) and Chambersburg Street (U.S. 30), on the right when traveling south on Carlisle Street. Located on the northwest, outside quadrant of the Gettysburg
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traffic circle. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gettysburg PA 17325, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Diamond (here, next to this marker); Lincoln Square Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Center Square (within shouting distance of this marker); "It seemed so awful..." (within shouting distance of this marker); Citizens of Gettysburg (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Company K, First Pennsylvania Reserves (within shouting distance of this marker); The Stoever - Schick Building (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gettysburg.
 
Another marker is no longer nearby. "by the skin of our teeth" (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
 
More about this marker. On the right is a depiction of the Confederate arrival at Gettysburg. Troopers of the 35th VA. Battalion gallop into the "Diamond," intimidating citizens with shouts and pistol shots, described by Charles Tyson as "...some in blue and some in gray." Painting by Dale Gallon, 1993.
 
Related marker. Click
"... It was enough to frighten us to death!" Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 27, 2010
2. "... It was enough to frighten us to death!" Marker
here for another marker that is related to this marker. A new style Main Street Gettysburg wayside has replaced this - The Diamond - "… It was enough to frighten us to death!"
 
Another View of the Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 27, 2010
3. Another View of the Marker
Looking across the traffic circle.
The Diamond image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Swain, March 27, 2010
4. The Diamond
The traffic circle in the center of Gettysburg evolved from "The Diamond."
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,754 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 30, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
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Jun. 20, 2026