William Luther Beetem, a twenty-year-old resident of Carlisle in Cumberland County, was the first Carlisle man to give his life in the Civil War while on tour of duty. In the early morning of April 23, 1861, people in Carlisle were frightened by a false rumor that 5,000 Rebel soldiers were marching to Carlisle by Mt. Holly Springs, then known as Papertown. A local company formed and marched to Mt. Holly Springs, only to find the rumor entirely false. Later, as the men were laying their rifles into an accompanying wagon after removing the cartridges, someone in the company had failed to remove his cartridges. When the wagon jolted over a rough part of the road, the rifle discharged, and the bullet struck William, who was walking directly behind the wagon, piercing him in the heart. He exclaimed, “I am shot,” and dropped dead.