As a source of manpower, leadership, and vital supplies, Carlisle and its vicinity played a significant role in the Revolutionary War effort. Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the fact that much of its present population has roots reaching well into the era of America's struggle for independence, the eastern region of Cumberland County has not until recently had its own chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Instead, interested and eligible residents affiliated with groups centered on Harrisburg, York, Gettysburg or Shippensburg.
To fill this gap, on January 22, 1992, the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the American Revolution officially chartered a new chapter, centered on Carlisle. To commemorate a major Revolutionary War activity of the area, the members chose the designation, "Washingtonburg." Although it may not be familiar, it is an ancient name of Carlisle Barracks, which except for West Point is the oldest active military post of the United States Army.1
Longevity is not the only characteristic shared by these two posts. In fact, it could be argued that in their respective ways, West Point and Washingtonburg were the Continental Army's two most vital military installations. West Point, by dominating the Hudson River, blocked any junction between the British forces in Canada and those on Manhattan, and thereby provided a barrier to perhaps the greatest threat of American defeat; Washingtonburg, by serving as the Continental Army's predominant source of munitions, made possible an eventual American victory.
The British certainly saw the importance of both West Point and Washingtonburg. Neither could be taken by direct attack, but plots were developed to take each of them by stealth. The record of Benedict Arnold's treason at West Point is well known, but the story of the plot against Washingtonburg may be less familiar.
For the sake of perspective, the account must begin with the original establishment of the military post at Carlisle in 1757 during the French and Indian War, only six years after the town itself was laid out. As the only British outpost west of the Susquehanna, it was a major center of defense against Indian attacks, which had struck as close as eight miles.2 As British and Provincial strength built up,3 it developed into the chief supply depot and then the jump-off point for the 1758 offensive under Brigadier General John Forbes that forced the French to abandon Fort Duquesne, where the Allegheny and Monongahela meet to form the Ohio River.
In order to carry out that offensive, the soldiers built the first road west to what would become Pittsburgh.4 In 1764, after the French had been defeated and Pontiac's War had ended, the soldiers were moved away. But the road remained, making Carlisle a major way-station between Philadelphia and the west. As the focus of an expanding roadnet, Carlisle developed as a center for the Cumberland Valley's products of grain, horses and cattle. When the Revolution got under way, Carlisle naturally became an important collection point for quartermaster supplies of food, forage and livestock to support the Continental Army.5 This was important, but is a subject for a story in its own right.
“Every man in Cumberland County is a rioter at heart,” lamented Governor John Penn the year he ordered his family’s land in Lower Manor subdivided and sold. The concurrence of his remark and his order to sell may have been mere chance, but young Penn in this instance established himself as seer and prophet. When he used the word “rioter” he spoke of the seething Scotch-Irish, who were virtually the only group then living in the County.
When Post Masters received letters, they listed the names in the newspapers of those to whom the letters were addressed. If the letters were not picked up by a specified date, they went to the Dead Letter Office.