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They were on their way toward the Susquehanna River bridge connecting Wrightsville and Columbia.
As a perhaps apocryphal story goes, the invaders thought the narrow Codorus running through the ridge north of York was the Susquehanna River. And the nearby Black Bridge was actually the span they had targeted.
After splashing to the east bank, the Confederates hooted at the ease of crossing the mighty Susquehanna.
The rebels soon learned they had confused waterways and faced a 10-mile trek.
But that stretch of the Codorus served as a watering hole for two gray brigades camped on its banks for two days before their counter march to Gettysburg.
The area occupied by the Confederates, where the Codorus plows through the ridge north of York, has played host to much history since settlers moved into York County after 1730.
A canal system ran through those narrows, making the Codorus navigable in the 1830s. It was replaced by the Northern Central Railroad paralleling the creek. Soon, the rail trail will follow the creek's banks.
P.A. and S. Small used the Codorus' waters to power two large mills
Mostly recently, this region gained national attention as workers struck Harley-Davidson's Springettsbury Township plant.
Since 1969, the Harley plant has sustained three strikes, witnessed the comeback of a great American bike and welcomed three U.S. presidents.
"Near Harley" is about the best way to define this busy sector of the county, but "Black Bridge," "San Carlos," "Loucks Mill Road" and "out near the Sand Bank" also describe it. Pleasureville, sometimes linked with Possumtown, sits northeast of this sector.
Anyway, it's intriguing that one locale can be part of so much history.
York and Hanover's squares and the bridge area of Wrightsville come to mind as places where things tend to happen. These are heavily traveled downtowns.
But this sector was rural and remote for much of its history.
Then came York Safe & Lock's new plant in the buildup
to World War II.
After that, the area really generated news:
· After owner S. Forry Loucks died in 1942, York Safe & Lock fell prey to stormy labor problems, a Navy takeover and assignment of its vital Bofors anti-aircraft ordnance line to Blaw-Knox Co. The guns produced at the company's new plant were standard on naval vessels, vital in the defense of ships against enemy attacks.
· Actress Hedy Lamarr presided at a war bond rally in 1942. Those pledging to purchase bonds got a chance to meet Miss Lamarr. The local drive surpassed its goal.
· The ordnance factory was among the slickest of many well-greased York plants. It was one of about 20 manufacturers to score the hard-to-win Army-Navy "E" award for excellence in defense production.
· The war's end meant reduced demand for Bofors, the return of men in uniform and the furlough of women who had heavily staffed production lines.
What action will this area see in the future?
The age of the former naval ordnance part of the Harley complex demands watching. It's 65 years old, and buildings of that age require mounds of capital for upkeep.
The area represents a changing York County. The railroads and mills and factories are giving way to shopping centers, restaurants and other service-related businesses.
York countians must hope that this change does not gobble up the buildings - old and new - that house Harley, too.
But as painful as that would be, history suggests that something else of import will emerge in this area where the Codorus leaves York.
James McClure is editor of the York Daily Record/Sunday News. He has written five books on county history. To contact him, call 771-2000, or e-mail jem@ ydr.com.
Presidential visits to Harley
Scene setter, York Daily Record - "At Harley-Davidson's Springettsbury Township plant, George W. Bush might as well have been a rock star. Donning sunglasses similar to ones worn by U2 front man Bono, President Bush strutted into the motorcycle maker's Softail plant Wednesday afternoon for a two-hour foray. He stopped to sign an autograph, frequently shook hands with workers and later straddled a shiny blue-and-white Softail Deluxe, revving the engine to workers' screams and hollers."
An ironic twist - Political analyst Terry Madonna contrasted two presidential visits to Harley: In 1987, Ronald Reagan, a Republican free trader, visited and spoke on how well Harley resurged under protective tariffs. In 1999, Clinton, a Democrat, visited and paid tribute to the company's success in free trade.
