Jennie Wade facts for kids
Jennie Wade (born May 21, 1843 – died July 3, 1863) was a young woman from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She is remembered because she was the only regular person, or civilian, who was killed during the famous Battle of Gettysburg. The house where she died is now a museum called the "Jennie Wade House."
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Jennie Wade's Early Life
Jennie Wade was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The house where she was born is still standing today. When she was young, Jennie and her mother worked as seamstresses. This means they sewed clothes for people. They lived in a house on Breckenridge Street. Jennie's father was also a tailor, but he lived in a special hospital.
Jennie and Jack Skelly
Jennie Wade might have been planning to marry a young man named Johnston Hastings "Jack" Skelly. He was an officer in the Union Army. After Jennie died, his picture was found in her pocket.
Jack Skelly was hurt in another battle called the Second Battle of Winchester. He passed away from his injuries on July 12, 1863. He never knew that Jennie had died just a few days before him. Jennie and Jack had been friends since they were children. Only one letter between them is still around today. It doesn't say anything about them being in love.
The Battle of Gettysburg and Jennie's Death
The Battle of Gettysburg started on July 1, 1863. Early that morning, Jennie and some other family members went to her sister Georgia McClellan's house. They wanted to help Georgia, who had a baby only five days old.
Georgia's house was at 528 Baltimore Street. This spot was right between the two armies: the North's Union soldiers and the South's Confederate soldiers. During the battle, the house was hit by about 150 bullets! An artillery shell, which is like a big cannonball, even went through the roof. Luckily, it didn't explode. It stayed there for 15 years!
In the early morning of July 3, 1863, Jennie was in her sister's kitchen. She was busy making biscuits and bread for the Union soldiers. Suddenly, a bullet came through two doors and hit Jennie. It went through her left shoulder blade and then through her heart. It stopped in her corset. She died right away.
No one knows for sure which side fired the shot. Some people think it was a Confederate soldier. Jennie Wade was the only regular person in Gettysburg who was killed directly during the battle.
Three Union soldiers found Jennie's body almost immediately. They told her family, who then hid in the cellar for safety. Jennie's body was placed in a coffin that was actually meant for a Confederate officer. She was buried in her sister's backyard. On July 4, Jennie's mother finished baking the bread that Jennie had started. In January 1864, Jennie's body was moved to the cemetery of the German Reformed Church in Gettysburg.
Jennie Wade's Monument
In November 1865, Jennie Wade's body was moved again. She was buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, close to Jack Skelly. A woman from Gettysburg named Anna M. Miller designed a special monument for Jennie. It was placed in the cemetery in the year 1900. This monument has a Flag of the United States that flies all the time, day and night. The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia is the only other place dedicated to a woman that has a flag flying 24/7.
