York's role in the Civil War -- and the Battle of Gettysburg -- is complicated.

Some believe that York, the northern-most city to surrender to the Confederate Army, did what it had to do to survive. It could be said that the town fathers had to pay off the Confederates to preserve the town. They had no choice. It was either accept the occupiers' demands or watch their city be burned to the ground.

Others contend that the town unnecessarily surrendered to the Confederates, allowing them to re-supply before heading to Gettysburg for an epic battle and, eventually, defeat. Indeed, we traveled to meet them with our surrender offer, without even waiting for their entry into town.

History indicates that Robert E. Lee had ordered Confederates not to burn towns like York so the surrender was unnecessary.

York has lived with the fact that it is the largest Northern town to surrender to the invaders. York's role has been a point of contention for, oh, 150 years.

The bottom line is, the Civil War came to York County. As Gettysburg marks the 150th anniversary of the battle, the City of York should be taking advantage of it.

It's not -- at least not to its fullest extent.

York's Civil War heritage goes beyond its involvement in the days leading up to Gettysburg. The town was an important link in the Underground Railroad. Slaves escaping bondage below the Mason-Dixon line found shelter in homes of York residents, who risked imprisonment to help them.


Young men from York answered the call to serve the Union shortly after the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and many paid the ultimate price to preserve our nation.

Local nurses and doctors staffed a hospital established on the grounds that are now Penn Park to treat men wounded in battle. York provided its fairgrounds as a center for thousands of green recruits to train before moving to Southern battlefields.

York has a lot to offer, a Civil War story to tell. Yet, as the anniversary approaches, it is not clear what the City of York is doing to tell its Civil War story and to attract some of the millions in tourist dollars that are expected to flood the region during the celebration in Gettysburg, a mere 30 miles away.

Among other activities, the York County Heritage Trust is opening an exhibit, "The Fiery Trail: York County's Civil War Experience," next Saturday and has produced a book, Ron Hershner's "Letters from Home."

As we said, it is difficult to see what the city is doing to mark this historic anniversary. City Council President Carol Hill-Evans said she was unaware of any plans being made by the city to observe the anniversary.

Mayor Kim Bracey hasn't said anything about it.

She could have said the city is proud of the men who served -- and died. She could have said the city is proud to have treated 14,000 wounded at its hospital. She could have expressed remorse that women and children were subjected to an enemy army for almost two days.

The city could have sought funding to spruce up Penn Park and make it part of the Gettysburg experience, perhaps even recreating the military hospital that once stood there. It could have offered tours of Underground Railroad sites. It could have promoted outings that included visits to the Central Market House and the Penn Street market.

York could have been a participant in the 150th anniversary commemoration.

Instead, the city is sitting on the sidelines, hoping for some passive overflow of traffic to wander into town. Certainly, considering the volume of visitors anticipated in Gettysburg, York, and the rest of the county, can expect a boost from the events to the west.

But still, York could have been part of it. It could have played a role.

After all, the town played a role 150 years ago and regardless of how you interpret the history, it is a part of our heritage.

We don't have to be proud of it to profit from it. That profit goes beyond dollars and cents. It's the good things that come when a city honestly tells its story, celebrates its successes and learns from its bad times.