Flames Beyond Gettysburg: The Confederate Expedition to the Susquehanna River, June 1863

An in-depth look at a Confederate general and the first blood spilled at Gettysburg, with maps, photos, and a guide to historic sites.

This book examines the key role played by one division of Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell's Second Corps during the final days in June 1863. It is the first in-depth study of these crucial summer days that helped shape the course of the Gettysburg Campaign.

In two powerful columns, Ewell's Corps swept toward the strategically important Susquehanna River and the Pennsylvania capital looming beyond. Fear coursed through the local populace while Washington and Harrisburg scrambled to meet the threat. One of Ewell's columns included a veteran division under Jubal Early, whose objectives included the capture and ransom of towns such as Gettysburg and York and the destruction of railroad bridges and the Hanover Junction rail yard.

Early planned to seize the Columbia Bridge, which spanned the Susquehanna River between Wrightsville and Columbia. Capturing the longest covered bridge in the world would allow the division to cross into prosperous Lancaster County and move against the capital in Harrisburg.

Flames Beyond Gettysburg vividly narrates Early's drama-filled expedition, including key Southern decisions, the response of the Pennsylvania militiamen and civilians who opposed the Confederates, and the burning of the Columbia Bridge. It also features detailed driving tours of the various sites discussed in the book. Based upon extensive primary source material and featuring original maps by cartographer Steven Stanley, this fast-paced and gracefully written history is a welcome and important addition to the Gettysburg literature.