David McConaughy (July 13, 1823 – January 14, 1902) was a noted attorney,

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

, cemetery president, and civic leader in

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; ) is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,106 people. Gettysburg was the site of ...

and a part-time intelligence officer for the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Gettysburg National Cemetery following the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. He also led early efforts to preserve the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot & at Knoxlyn Ridge ...

for

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Early life

McConaughy was the grandson of Irish

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s who had settled in

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, in 1712. The McConaughy family was among the first settlers of Adams County and among the most prominent pioneers. He was the youngest of six children of John and Margaret (Patterson) McConaughy. His father died when he was four years old, and David was raised by

foster parent Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family memb ...

s. He attended

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about ...

from 1834 until 1838, when he transferred to

Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...

, where his uncle, also named David McConaughy, a former

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister in Gettysburg, was the president. After graduating in 1840, he accepted a position as principal of a high school in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, where he remained two years. McConaughy then studied law under noted

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Thaddeus Stevens Thaddeus Stevens (April 4, 1792August 11, 1868) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, being one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Histo ...

and became an attorney in Adams County. He was active in politics as a Whig. He helped organize the Gettysburg chapter of the

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and often sponsored lectures to raise funds for the organization, which often used "McConaughy's Hall" as a meeting place. From 1853 until 1863, he served as president and chairman of the board of directors for the newly established Evergreen Cemetery, and oversaw the construction of its now famous brick gatehouse on

Cemetery Hill Cemetery Hill is a landform on the Gettysburg Battlefield that was the scene of fighting each day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863). The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive " fish-hook" line, the hill is gent ...

. He joined the newly formed Republican Party, served as a delegate to the 1860 National Convention, and became an outspoken supporter of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

Civil War

When the Civil War started in 1861, McConaughy formed and served as captain of the "Adams Rifles," a company of civilian scouts, primarily composed of his law clients. They were active in monitoring the region for signs of

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activity during several threatened incursions, including during the

Maryland Campaign The Maryland campaign (or Antietam campaign) occurred September 4–20, 1862, during the American Civil War. The campaign was Confederate States Army, Confederate General (CSA), General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the Northern United Stat ...

. McConaughy's scouts and spies were particularly active in late June 1863 during the early days of the Gettysburg Campaign, when they shadowed oncoming enemy

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and, later, the main

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

columns. McConaughy gave this vital information to the local military commander, Maj. Granville O. Haller, who in turn relayed it to Maj. Gen.

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and Governor Andrew Curtin in

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. McConaughy stayed in Gettysburg during the Confederate occupation in early July, still rendering service to the Federal soldiers. Following the battle, Col. George H. Sharpe wrote a letter to McConaughy on behalf of Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, formally thanking him for the critical information on Confederate troop movements. The year before the Battle of Gettysburg, McConaughy had envisioned a Soldiers' Cemetery as part of Evergreen Cemetery. At the time, only two Gettysburg men had been killed in combat, so there was not enough support from the community to fund the project. In the days after the battle, he ordered Elizabeth Thorn, wife of cemetery caretaker Peter Thorn (who was off serving in the army) to bury nearly one hundred soldiers' bodies in Evergreen Cemetery. Within six weeks, McConaughy initiated efforts to form a National Cemetery as a central resting place for the thousands of slain Union soldiers that had been buried at widely scattered graves throughout the Gettysburg region. Having already laid the groundwork for his concept by previously talking to the adjoining landowners, McConaughy acquired purchasing rights for the of land immediately north of Evergreen Cemetery. By doing so, McConaughy foiled rival lawyer David Wills's plans to purchase the land for the

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. He began buying lots on Cemetery Hill with his own money and asked veterans to contribute financially. The National Cemetery was dedicated November 19, 1863, in ceremonies that included Lincoln's

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a Public speaking, speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, U.S. president, following the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. The speech has come to be viewed as one ...

. McConaughy soon left the presidency of the Evergreen Cemetery Association to help establish the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, serving as its first president for ten years. He served as an Elector for Lincoln in the 1864 presidential campaign.

Postbellum career

After the war, McConaughy served as a member of the

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for Adams and Franklin counties. He commissioned a famous painting of the Battle of Gettysburg by artist Peter F. Rothermel. In late August 1869, McConaughy organized a reunion of the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg to recount their experiences and locate specific historic sites on the battlefield. McConaughy was buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

Notes

References

* Files of Gettysburg College, Musselman Library, Special Collections.

External links