The Death of Jennie Wade
Once the Battle of Gettysburg broke out, the Wade and McClellan families became busy not only helping Georgia with baby Lewis but also helping the Union soldiers in their area. Like they did everywhere, Union soldiers would stop at the homes they were near. There, they would be able to get some food and water. Jennie and her mother would often give them some bread and water. Every morning, Jennie would go into the kitchen to make the bread from the dough she kneaded the day before and knead more dough.
A bit before 8:00 in the morning on July 3, 1863, Jennie went into the kitchen to start baking more bread and knead more dough for the next day. By this point, the family had been surrounded by gunfire as there were over 150 holes from bullets all around the McClellan house. It was 8:30 a.m. when Jennie was kneading the dough, and one of the soldiers shot a weapon. The mini ball went through the two doors and hit Jennie in the shoulder. The bullet pierced her heart and stopped in her corset.
Jennie’s mother heard her fall to the floor and screamed. She then went to Jennie’s sister in the next room and told her that her sister had been shot and was dead. At the same time, two Union soldiers who were upstairs in the house came down the stairs to see why they heard screaming. Jennie’s mother brought them to Jennie and told them that a bullet killed her. They then wrapped Jennie in a blanket and took her down to the cellar where she stayed until they were able to bury her.
The next day, on the Fourth of July, Jennie’s mother decided to carry on with the good deed that Jennie always did for the Union soldiers. That morning, she went into the kitchen and made over a dozen loaves of bread from the dough Jennie was kneading when she was shot dead. About a week later, Skelly, who had no idea about Jennie’s death during the Battle of Gettysburg died from his wounds. While we have no idea if Skelly’s letter ever got to Jennie, we do know Jennie’s apron pocket held a picture of Skelly.
Both Jack Skelly and Jennie Wade are buried next to each other at Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg. Residents of Gettysburg raised money to place a monument at Jennie’s grave. An American Flag is part of this monument and is always in place. The only other woman to hold an honor like this is Betsy Ross. Jennie’s death made her the single woman and civilian to die during the Battle of Gettysburg. Today, you can step back in time to see the home just as Jennie Wade saw it as she lived.
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Here are our sources:
“History.” Jennie Wade House, Gettysburg Battlefield Tours.
7 Facts About the Battle of Gettysburg. Christopher Klein. History Channel.