During the Gettysburg campaign, Confederate troops were under orders not to destroy non-government property, but by their next raid into the North that policy had changed. On July 30, 1864, Brigadier General John McCausland and 2,800 Confederate cavalrymen entered Chambersburg and demanded $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in greenbacks. When the residents failed to raise the ransom, McCausland ordered the town burned. More than 500 structures were destroyed, leaving more than 2,000 people homeless, and one resident died of smoke inhalation. Damage was estimated at more than $1.6 million. Many drunken Confederate soldiers also looted homes and abused civilians, while angry townspeople seeking retribution killed several Confederates. Some Confederates helped citizens escape and save valuables, a captain ordered his company to douse the flames, and Colonel William Peters refused to take part and was placed under arrest by McCausland. Chambersburg was the only Northern town destroyed by the Confederates, and the raid inspired a national aid campaign and helped push the Union Army toward a more aggressive strategy that contributed to the war’s end.