ONLY -- Civilian Killed - Gettysburg, PA
N 39° 49.397 W 077° 13.855
18S E 309070 N 4410524
It was here on July 3, 1863 that the only civilian was killed during the Battle of Gettysburg, 20-year-old Jennie Wade. The site is marked by her house/museum and an interpretive out front which tells the sad tale.
Waymark Code: WMC5JQ
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/28/2011
Views: 7
The only Gettysburg citizen killed during the Battle of Gettysburg was 20 year old Jennie Wade, fiancée of Corporal “Jack” Skelly (He was also killed in action in July of 1863). She was killed in the house's kitchen on the 3rd day of the battle: July 3, 1863. Along with her sister & mother, Jennie helped the Union Army by baking bread & giving water. The poor kid was baking a loaf of bread and a bullet, probably came from the cemetery, struck and killed her.
I learned about this event from reading the story marker out front. The interpretive is part of a gigantic collection spread about the town which promotes the town's involvement with the Civil War. The interpretives use personal recollections and first-had accounts of the war to offer a unique perspective of the impact the Civil War had on this small farming town in 1863. The SOHs are held together in thick, black, metal frames, horizontal, four feet off the ground and angle up a bit for easy viewing. This SOH is in front of the Wade house, imbedded in the brick sidewalk. In front of it is a brick retaining wall and a few feet away is the Baltimore Pike. The sign offers the following story about this ONLY event:
On the morning of July 1st, Gettysburg resident Jennie Wade and her family fled their town home to this brick double house shared by her sister Georgia McClellan, to distance themselves from the fighting. The Union retreat to Cemetery Hill soon placed Jennie and the rest of the household in the direct path of danger.
Despite the menace of stray bullets that constantly struck the house walls, Jennie busied herself furnishing water and baking biscuits for the many soldiers manning the nearby Union picket line.
Early on the morning of July 3rd, fate claimed Gettysburg’s only civilian fatality. Jennie was killed instantly by a random Confederate bullet while preparing biscuit dough in the kitchen. He mother saw her fall and sadly informed the rest of the family “. . . your sister is dead.”
The JENNY WADE HOUSE, Baltimore St. near entrance to National Cemetery, is a one-and-a-half-story red brick structure with a sloping roof projecting far beyond the low walls. In this house Jenny Wade, a 20-year-old Gettysburg girl, was killed on the third day of the battle when a stray bullet struck her as she was kneading dough in the kitchen. The building houses a museum where relics and souvenirs of the battle are on sale. --- Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State, 1940; page 236-7
Ironically, this was not her house, it was her sister's house. The house is kind of a tourist trap with a souvenir shop to the right of the house. This is where the tour starts, of course. The house is of brick, modest, across from the Hal of Presidents museum along Baltimore Pike. The National Cemetery is caddy corner across the road as well. Parking is next door in a free dirt lot, very convenient. There is also transportation provided which begins at the Visitor Center. They drive a bus around and let you tour the battlefield and the historical sites. Bring lots of money!
From the official link: With but few minor changes and repairs, the Jennie Wade House Museum remains much as Jennie must have known it more than 130 years ago. Authentically furnished from cellar to attic, the museum Is not only a shrine to a heroic martyr but has become a museum of life and living during the American Civil War. The Jennie Wade Gift Shop features unique gifts and collectibles and Jennie Wade related souvenirs. The facility is open March-November 9 am – 5 pm (closed Thanksgiving Day). Admission: Adults $7.25; Children (ages 6-12) $3.50. Prices subject to change without notice. SOURCE