Josiah Gitt was a dry goods merchant from Hanover, Pennsylvania who owned a farm in York County. He, along with other farmers throughout the region suffered greatly in June 1863 as passing soldiers took animals and other supplies from the surrounding countryside. Gitt and others later sued the federal government for the damages done to their properties. Lawsuits (of this sort seeking recompense for Civil Era property damage) were filed well into the early 20th century.