The Other Heroes of Gettysburg

This is a re-post of a blog I originally posted in July, 2017

I’ve always loved American history, in particular the Civil War. And when it comes right down to it, I admit…I’m obsessed with Gettysburg. So obsessed that I set my 2014 release, Northern Temptress, right in the midst of it all.

But it's not just the bloody battle fought by soldiers in blue and grey that intrigues me— it's the battle fought by some incredibly brave people. The civilians of Gettysburg.

 Since we are smack dab in the middle of the anniversary of the battle (July 1-3, 1863) I'd like to introduce you to some of the heroes you may not have heard of.

Some fast facts before we meet our civilian heroes:

The town of Gettysburg consisted of 2,400 civilians. 

When the armies moved out, they left behind 22,000 wounded men. 

In all 51,000 men were reported killed or missing. 

And let’s not forget the hundreds of horses, mules and livestock killed during the battle.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t even imagine having my hometown turned upside down by a battle of that scale and then being left to deal with the results of said  battle. 

While John Burns and Jennie Wade are arguably the most famous civilians of Gettysburg, there are other unsung heroes and heroines who quietly did what needed to be done.

Elizabeth Thorn.  German immigrant who was acting as caretaker of Evergreen Cemetery, a job normally performed by her husband, Peter.  But Peter was with the 138^th Pennsylvania, and during the Battle of Gettysburg, he was stationed at Harper’s Ferry and Washington, D.C.  Elizabeth moved her family, which consisted of her elderly parents and three sons ages 7, 5 and 2 from their little gatehouse out of harm’s way and back again more than once during the three-day battle.  She also dug graves for more than 90 dead soldiers during those three days.  Elizabeth was six months pregnant during the battle of Gettysburg.

Salome Myers.  Salome “Sally” Myers was a schoolteacher and assistant to the principal in Gettysburg.  She lived at home with her family during the battle.  Her father was a justice of the peace and the Myers’ were one of the wealthier families in town.  She admitted to being squeamish at the sight of blood, yet got over this quickly and cared for many wounded men from both sides of the battle.  She risked her life many times by traveling back and forth from her home to makeshift hospitals. In the early days of the battle she cared for a badly wounded soldier by the name of Alexander Stuart, sitting with him for days until he succumbed to his injuries.  In late July of 1863 she received a thank you letter from his mother.  A year later Stuart’s mother—along with his brother Henry—traveled to Gettysburg to personally thank Miss Myers.  A romance developed between Sally and Henry and they married in 1867.

Matilda “Tillie” Pierce.  Tillie was only 15 years old at the time of the battle.  Her parents sent her to a neighbor’s farm to wait out the battle.  The farm sat behind what we now call “Little Round Top” and  Tillie became an eyewitness to some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Tillie provided food and water for the wounded and assisted surgeons and nurses caring for the wounded.  Twenty six years later she wrote of her experiences during those three days in July, 1863.

Virginia “Jennie” Wade.  Jenny, as most people know, was the only civilian killed during the battle. The twenty year old was baking bread to feed the Union soldiers when  she was struck by a single bullet that traveled through two doors on the third day of the battle. 

John Burns.  Much like Jennie Wade’s story, Mr. Burns’ story has been told and retold so many times it’s hard to separate fact from fiction.  Nearly 70 years old at the time of the battle, John Burns was a veteran of the War of 1812. When the rebels invaded his hometown, the elder patriot took up his trusty musket and joined the Union soldiers in battle.  He fired 18 of his 25 rounds of ammunition before he was wounded, and claimed to have killed three rebels.

Elizabeth Butler, AKA “Old Liz”.  53 year old Elizabeth Butler was a washerwoman in Gettysburg.  Her husband Samuel was a wagon maker. They owned their own home and enjoyed a comfortable standard of living compared to most African-Americans in 1863.  In the earliest days of the battle Old Liz was taken captive by the Confederate army, with plans to be returned to the south and sold into slavery.  She escaped her captors and returned home the day after the Confederate army retreated. 

Daniel Skelly.  Daniel was a teenager during the battle. While confederate troops camped in the street outside his home on Baltimore Street, Daniel and his mother hid union soldiers in their cellars and outbuildings. Later during the battle he helped his mother care for wounded soldiers.

Daniel also went on to write about his experiences. 

Catherine Garlach.  Catherine and her 12-year-old son, Will also lived on Baltimore Street. Since their house was in direct line of fire for Union sharpshooters, they hid in their basement.  Several times Confederate soldiers tried to commandeer the Garlach home –and each time they were driven back by Mrs. Garlach herself. 

Albertus McCreary.  First young Albertus was nearly killed by Confederate sharpshooters while peeking out a rooftop door of his home.  Then a short while later, while standing on the porch of his family home, wearing a Union kepi given to him by a solider, a Confederate officer tried to take him captive, assuming he was a soldier.  It was only over the protest of his father, and after questioning several neighbors as to whether or not the boy actually lived in town, that the officer let him go.

Agnes Barr.  While other townspeople hid inside their homes on July 3, avoiding the fetid smell of decaying men and animals, Mrs. Barr left her home on Baltimore Street—darting between buildings to avoid the sharpshooters—many times in order to take food and supplies to the makeshift hospitals and care for wounded soldiers. 

Source: When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg, George Sheldon; Days of Darkness: The Gettysburg Civilians, William G. Williams; What A Girl Saw and Heard by Tillie Pierce Allman; A Boy’s Experiences During the Battle of Gettysburg by Daniel Skelly.

Let's Get "Back in Time"

 

Normally when we hit late June/early July my thoughts turn to the town of Gettysburg.  I know, I know, mildly obsessed.  But it has been that way most of my life and after the years of research I did into the battle and what the civilians went through for my 2014 release Northern Temptress, it’s not about to stop now.

 

Most years around the anniversary of the battle, I re-post a blog I wrote a few years ago about the civilians during the battle, but I did not get a chance to do that this year.    

 

So I am back today to take a step—and a leap—back in time.  First a small step back to early July of this year, when I should have posted this. And then a leap, back to July of 1863.

 

Most of us know about the Battle of Gettysburg, if only from history class in school.  Even those who are not history buffs have at least heard the name and –hopefully--understand the significance of this battle.  Okay, maybe they just understand that it was significant.

 

But I always wondered about the people who lived and worked in the town at the time and why they were not talked about more.  (Thought it’s easier to find information on the civilians now, at the time I first began researching the townspeople of Gettysburg, information was quite limited). The military aspect is undeniably heroic—what those men did in the heat of early July is nothing short of amazing.  I could go on ad nauseum about the different battles, the courage of the enlisted men and commanders from both sides and what that battle meant to our country at that time. 

 

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today.

 

The idea for Northern Temptress came about when I realized that after the battle, when the military pulled out, the civilians-- a town of about 2,400-- were left to handle some 22,000 wounded as well as bury the dead (in all 51,000 men were reported killed or missing) and that included hundreds of horses, mules and livestock.

 

We’ve seen enough disasters and wars in movies and on the news to give us an idea of what this must have looked like—but it’s impossible to grasp from the comfort or our spoiled 21^st century lives just what an enormous task this town faced.  The idea of the Red Cross was only just forming in the mind of Clara Barton.  There were no government agencies who would swoop in with aid and food and water, no news crews to offer live reports and no online accounts by which to donate money. And the men? Well all the young and able ones were off to war.  The ones who had served their time and come home were few and far between. 

 

There were Christian charities who came in to help and arrived within days of the battle, just as the trains started moving again. But those agencies were small potatoes compared to the scale of things we are accustomed to seeing today.

 

So this week I’d like to focus on the civilians, and the town and the battle and share some snippets from the story of my heart.  I did spend the early days of July this year watching the movie Gettysburg, as I usually do, and have been watching documentaries about the battle and the Civil War in general. And I've been reading, in some cases re-reading, events written by the civilians who lived through the battle.  

 

I am also enjoying the YouTube channel from The Adams County Historical Society, as well and enjoying the new content debuting weekly. I am happy to see that they offer information about the civilians as much as they do about the battle itself.  Right now my writing is focused on finishing up my Wylder West projects, but the muse is definitely not done with Gettysburg. As we speak there are a lot of characters waiting for the chance to pull up a chair and tell me their stories. I cannot wait to listen!

 

It's Here!

It's finally here!  Northern Temptress is for sale exclusively on Kindle right now!!!

Lots to Smile About

Northern Temptress is just back from the copy editor at TWRP, who had this to say:

I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Alexa is a complex character, full of spunk, love and compassion. Caleb, wow... he is the ultimate Southern dashing gentlemen, quiet strength. Together, they light the page on fire. Great story, really a great story. Even the setting, Gettysburg in the Civil War with blood shed, made me feel as if the house shook with the cannon shots. I can not express how much this story really hit my senses. I loved it. Thanks for a fantastic read.

Wow.  It doesn't get any better than that!

And for last fall's release, This Moment in Time, there is a new review on Amazon by Larura Hartland who had this to say:

I love time-travel romances, so I was overjoyed to see this one available for my kindle. And from the very first page I was hooked both by the heroine, Josette - also known as the Rose of Virginia - and the hero, Jamie, a modern-day knight looking for a cause. What could be better?

Josette Beaumont is a woman in an impossible situation, caught in the midst of the Civil War, her husband dead and her beloved home overtaken by Union Soldiers - including one General Stillwater, an absolutely loathsome character whom I loved to hate. Josette has been passing information to aid the Southern cause through one of the few people she's permitted to see during her imprisonment, her pastor, Reverend Huckabee. But the vile Stillwater is suspicious and not above using any available means to intimidate her.

Enter Jamie D'Alessandro, a man of our time who seems like he's been given every advantage, not the least wealth and devastating good looks. But Jamie has already lost so much, including his parents and his direction in life, and he's searching, though at the beginning of the book even he doesn't know exactly for what he's searching. He takes on the job of restoring the ruined mansion that was once Josette's home and stumbles into a portal through time, where he finds a cause that claims his whole heart.

I don't want to ruin any surprises and give away the ending here, but it's a thrilling ride after that through danger, love, achingly sweet sex and Josette's misguided desire to sacrifice herself for Jamie's sake. In the end, Jamie proves he's well able to fight for the woman he loves, and Josette is faced with the choice of two lifetimes.

Though this book is, in fact, a novella, it didn't feel like it while I was reading, and it certainly lacks nothing in suspense or character development. I was so satisfied at the end! I only wish I could give it six stars!

Amazin, Laura, thank you so much for "getting' my characters and their story.

As if all this wasn't enough to plaster a permanent goofy grin on my face,  this weekend is the TWRP author luncheon here in Rochester, and I can't wait to meet some TWRP authors and editors.  Lots to look forward to --and lots to smile about!

Friday Friends: Susan Macatee

I'm very excited to have my friend and fellow American historical author here today, Susan Macatee.  I've been a fan of Susan's work for many years, now it's your turn to get to know this super talented and lovely lady.

Hi Susan!  Welcome!  Tell us a bit about yourself and why you write the genre you do.
I've always loved books and dreamed of being an author someday. But I came to my chosen genre in a roundabout way. As a teen and young adult, I devoured science fiction. So, that's what I first tried writing. It wasn't until years later, as a young mother, that I discovered romance. Times travels, followed by historicals, were my favorite escapes. Then my husband pulled me into Civil War reenacting. I love the romance of the period, as well as the grit, and just had to place my romances in this time period. As a result, my first romance novel was a Civil War time travel.

How long have you been writing?
I could honestly say since childhood. I remember writing picture books to distribute to friends. I had kind of a start in my early college years, when I tried submitting short stories to magazines and wrote for a 'Star Trek' fanzine. But it was after my youngest son started school that I joined Romance Writers of America and began to write both short stories and book length romance and submit my work to publishers. So, we're talking about 23 years.

Describe your typical writing day
My writing day doesn't start until afternoon, although I do a couple of email checks, plus a little book promo in the mornings. Once I settle down to write, I either have a word quota, if I'm writing a first draft, or a page or hourly quota, in the case of revisions, edits or plotting. I start with whatever project I'm currently working on, but if I have extra time before I have to start dinner, I might make notes on my next project before I stop for the day.

What was your “Aha!” moment—when you knew you had to write?
I took a creative writing class my junior year in high school. For my fiction assignment, I wrote a 12 page horror story and got an A++. My teacher would have read it to the class, if not for the length. From that point on, I knew writing in some form was something I was meant to do.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
In college, I took a few elective psychology courses and did really well in them. I think I would've majored in psych if I wasn't fixated on writing.

What is your best cure for writer’s block?
The absolute best cure is to read a good book by another writer. Always gets me in the mood to get back to work on my own project.

Tell us a little bit about your new release, Thoroughly Modern Amanda

Thoroughly Modern Amanda is a sequel to my 2009 Civil War time travel romance, Erin's Rebel. This new story is set in 1880 and the heroine, Amanda Montgomery, was a child in Erin's Rebel, the daughter of the widowed hero. The hero, Jack Lawton, is a modern day construction worker who wants to refurbish an old Victorian home, but the owner dies and her heir wants to sell the land and have the house demolished.


Believing anything is possible, magazine reporter Amanda Montgomery dreams about being a modern woman in a nineteenth century world, much like her exceptional step-mother.  But society expects well-off young ladies to focus on finding a suitable husband and raising a family.  And then Jack appears—with no past and unconventional ideas. Does he hold the key to another century as well as her heart, or is she destined to stay in her own time?

Construction worker Jack Lawton wants to preserve an old home that's scheduled for demolition.  But when he sneaks inside for a final look, a loose beam falls on his head, and upon waking, he finds himself in the arms of a beautiful woman.  His only problem—he's no longer in the twenty-first century.  Can he find his way back home? Does he really want to?

Jack blinked, focusing his gaze. Blinding pain in the back of his head nearly caused him to pass out again. The last thing he recalled was a beam blindsiding him.

“Sir?” a female voice cooed. “What’s happened? Did the beam hit you?”

He tried to focus on a face hovering above him. “Yeah, the beam hit me. It must have knocked me out.” He lifted his arm, intending to probe his aching head.

“Don’t move,” the woman said. “I have a rag covering the gash. You need a doctor, I think.”

He gazed at the woman. With her red-gold hair piled on her head and her old-fashioned looking gown, she didn’t seem real. Like something out of a crazy dream. If her face wasn’t so smooth and youthful, he’d believe he was back at Mrs. Grayson’s house, but the old woman was dead and she’d never dressed like this.

“Where am I?” he groaned. A flash of pain shot through his skull.
The woman’s blue eyes widened. “You don’t know where you are? The beam must have taken your memory.” She glanced around. “This house is under construction. You’re obviously one of the workmen hired to build it.”

“Under construction?” A new wave of pain pierced his skull. “No. This house is going to be torn down.”

“Shh.” She placed a finger over his lips. “You must have had a memory lapse.”

Her soft touch and scent enveloped him. Something seemed familiar about her, but he wasn’t sure what. He tried to rise, but she pushed him back.

“Don’t try to get up. I’ll go for help.”

“No.” He rubbed his head. “I think I can sit up with your assistance. Pushing onto his elbows, he gazed around the room. His heart dropped as he realized this wasn’t the dilapidated house he’d been exploring. The scent of fresh cut wood and unfinished walls chilled him.

“You say this house is under construction?” He made an effort to sit up straight.

She moved to brace his back. “You mustn’t move so quickly. You could aggravate your injury.”

“This doesn’t make any sense.” He reached for the towel she’d placed against the back of his head. The rag slid down his back.

She retrieved it, then gently probed his head.

He winced at the pain.

Her gaze met his. “It doesn’t look so bad now. The bleeding’s stopped, but you will need someone to look after you. I’ll contact your family.”

“There’s no need. I can drive. Just help me to my car. It’s parked outside.”

“Car?” She bit her lip, drawing his attention to her full, ripe mouth. “You mean carriage? I saw no carriage outside.”

“No, I mean a car. It’s a dark green four door.”

“I saw no carriage as you describe.” She wrung her hands glancing toward the open doorway. “I’ll go find help.”

His hand shot out to stop her. He didn’t want her to go, even to get help. If he was able to stand…

“Help me up,” he said.

She frowned, but grasped his hand. Pushing up on his legs with her assistance at his side, he stood. But his equilibrium seemed off. She braced her weight against his.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here? I’ll find a neighbor to help you to go…” She hesitated. “Where do you want to go?”

“Home, but I need my car to get there.” His hand dropped to his pocket to search for his wallet, but a strap and two buttons on his waistband diverted his attention. He wore a pair of suspenders, a loose fitting shirt with four buttons reaching from his mid-chest area to his collar, and baggy wool pants. These weren’t the clothes he’d been wearing when he’d explored the house.

What the hell?

His alarmed gaze drifted down to the woman who still supported his weight. The clothes he wore matched the period of her gown. And the condition of the house, compared to the dilapidated building he'd been in, set his brain awhirl.

“Where in hell am I?” he gasped.

The woman’s eyes widened as she gazed open mouthed at him.


Anything else in the works you can share with us?
Yes, I’m currently working on a novella based on a minor character from my 2009 Civil War romance, Confederate Rose. In ‘The Physician’s Irish Lady’ the hero is a small town doctor, who served as a Union army surgeon during the Civil War. The heroine is an Irish immigrant on the run from a man she met in New York City, who tried to sell her to a brothel.

Leave a comment on this post for the chance to win a PDF copy of Thoroughly Modern Amanda and a $10.00 gift card for The Wild Rose Press.

Buy link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5074

Susan, thanks so much for visiting with us today!