After his victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee advanced north into Maryland and Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was initially slow to respond due to earlier false invasion alarms, but Governor Andrew Curtin eventually called for 50,000 volunteers. Students at Pennsylvania College quickly enlisted, forming Company A of the 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia. Within days they returned to Gettysburg and were posted as pickets north and west of town. On June 26 they encountered advancing Confederate troops, fired a volley, and were quickly routed, with many captured and later paroled. Although their service was brief, the students were later praised by the community for their efforts to defend the state and the college.