Friday, September 9, 2016

Amercian Civil War Monuments: 
Evergreen Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Evergreen Cemetery was established in 1854 by David McConnaughy who in 1863 would be instrumental in establishing the Gettysburg National Cemetery which adjoins it.  Evergreen Cemetery would go down in history as the cemetery for which Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge would become infamous for the battles fought for them, the first three days of July, 1863.  Perhaps its most famous “resident” is Jenny Wade who was killed instantly on the morning of July 3, while preparing bread for Union soldiers.

photo and text courtesy of LCWRT member Charlie Moore

Jenny was the only civilian killed during the battle.  Her fiance, Johnston Skelly, of the 87th Pennsylvania Volunteers had been wounded at the Battle of Winchester 2 weeks earlier and died on July 12th unaware that Jenny had been killed.  In 1882 the United States Senate voted to grant Jenny’s mother a pension, citing that her daughter had been killed serving the Union cause, baking bread for Union soldiers.

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