Gettysburg Civilians Caught Between Two Armies
The Gettysburg National Military Park preserves one of America’s most famous battlefields, but it also tells the forgotten story of the 2,400 civilians who lived through three days of terror in July 1863.
When over 165,000 Confederate and Union soldiers converged on Gettysburg, residents found themselves trapped in their own homes as bullets flew through their streets and artillery shells crashed into their neighborhoods.
Here’s how the people of Gettysburg endured their own personal hell while history unfolded in their backyards.
Terrified Locals Fled as Confederate Troops Approached
News spread fast in June 1863 that Confederate forces were marching toward Gettysburg. The town’s 2,400 locals faced tough choices based on their race.
White families worried about damage to their homes, but Black residents knew they might be captured and sold into slavery. While many white locals hid in cellars, Black residents quickly packed and fled north.
Abraham Brian left his farm near Cemetery Ridge, joining vet Basil Biggs and oyster seller Owen Robinson in their escape.
Confederate troops caught about 40 Black northerners during their campaign and sent them south into slavery, ignoring their legal free status.
Peaceful Farmland Erupted Into War on July 1st
The battle started on July 1 when Union cavalry fought Confederate infantry west of town. Small fights along Chambersburg Pike and Willoughby Run grew bigger as both armies sent more troops to the area.
Farmers watched their fields fill with thousands of soldiers shooting at each other. The wounded flooded the town as army doctors turned churches into hospitals.
As gunfire grew louder, Gettysburg families hid in their cellars, covering their ears as war sounds closed in around them.
Union Soldiers Ran Through Streets in Chaotic Retreat
By late afternoon on July 1, Union forces north and west of town broke under Confederate attack. Thousands of Union troops ran through Gettysburg’s streets while locals watched from windows.
Some hurt or lost Union soldiers hid in homes or barns to avoid capture. The McClellan family counted over 150 bullet holes in their house after the fighting.
Women and children huddled together as men in blue uniforms rushed past their homes in panic, with Confederate troops chasing them.
Rebel Soldiers Searched Homes and Emptied Stores
Confederate troops quickly took over Gettysburg, going into homes to look for hidden Union soldiers and supplies. They cleaned out every store in town, taking food, medicine, clothing, and anything useful.
One local wrote, “All the Stores, Mills and Warehouses have been emptied. There is not enough left for the people to live on for two weeks.”
Union sharpshooters shot from second-story windows along Baltimore Street to slow the Confederate advance. Many stubborn families stayed in their homes despite warnings to leave.
Families Huddled in Basements as Bullets Flew Overhead
During the second and third days, Gettysburg’s southern and eastern neighborhoods became deadly zones. Families spent hours crouched in damp cellars while bullets broke windows and walls above them.
By July 3, many homes sat right between Union forces on East Cemetery Hill and Confederate positions in town.
Georgia McClellan and her newborn son nearly died when a stray bullet flew through their bedroom window and hit their bedpost. The constant gunfire and cannon blasts kept civilians awake as they hid from the crossfire.
Local Women Fed Hungry Union Soldiers Despite Danger
When Union cavalry first came to Gettysburg, many local women showed support by giving food and water to the troops.
Jennie Wade joined other young women who stood along Washington Street, singing patriotic songs and handing out bread to passing soldiers.
Four days after her sister Georgia had a baby, Jennie and her mother moved into Georgia’s house to help care for them. By the battle’s third day, Jennie’s bread supply ran low.
Around 8 a. m. on July 3, she started making dough in her sister’s kitchen to feed more Union soldiers despite the battle raging around them.
Stray Bullet Killed Jennie Wade While She Kneaded Bread
Twenty-year-old Jennie Wade became the battle’s only civilian death on the morning of July 3. As she worked dough in her sister’s kitchen, a Confederate bullet went through two doors before hitting her.
The bullet struck her left shoulder blade, went through her heart, and stopped in her corset, killing her right away. Union soldiers wrapped her body in a quilt and buried her in the backyard until after the fighting.
The next day, July 4, Jennie’s sad mother finished baking 15 loaves of bread using the same dough her daughter had made before dying.
Pregnant Cemetery Caretaker Guided Union Generals Through Town
Elizabeth Thorn, six months pregnant and in charge of Evergreen Cemetery, found herself pulled into the conflict when Union General Howard arrived at the cemetery gatehouse.
Despite her condition, she offered to guide Union officers, showing them local roads and hidden paths that might help them.
That night, a soldier came back to the gatehouse ordering Elizabeth to cook dinner for Generals Howard, Sickles, and Slocum. She made and served the meal despite food shortages and the chaos of battle plans.
Residents Escaped to Farms as Fighting Engulfed the Town
The Thorn family finally left their gatehouse home on July 2 when Cemetery Hill became a major battle spot. Soldiers fought hand-to-hand just yards from their front door.
Around town, locals packed into whatever shelter they could find, with several families sometimes crowding into a single basement or barn.
The summer heat made these hiding places very hot, with little water and poor sanitation. As the battle raged overhead, a worse threat appeared.
The smell of rotting bodies grew stronger each day, creating an awful odor throughout the area.
Thousands of Bodies Covered Fields After Battle Ended
When the shooting finally stopped on July 4, Gettysburg locals came out to find over 50,000 casualties spread across their town and nearby farms.
Elizabeth Thorn returned to Evergreen Cemetery on July 7 and found her home trashed, windows broken, and furniture stolen. Worse, dead soldiers and horses covered the cemetery grounds, needing quick burial.
Food ran low as thousands of wounded soldiers and medical staff stayed in the area. Many water sources became dirty with blood and human remains, raising fears of sickness among survivors.
Pregnant Caretaker Buried 100 Bodies in Summer Heat
Despite being six months pregnant, Elizabeth Thorn took on the grim job of burying the dead in Evergreen Cemetery.
Working with her elderly father in the July heat, she buried 40 bodies within two weeks and eventually put about 100 fallen soldiers in the ground.
The wounded stayed in Gettysburg until January 1864, needing months of care from locals.
The town smelled so bad that one resident wrote, “We can scarcely live in it. I fear an epidemic. ” Bullet-riddled homes, ruined crops, and stolen livestock left many families broke.
The damage to Gettysburg lasted for decades after the armies left.
Visiting Gettysburg National Military Park
Gettysburg National Military Park is free to visit daily from dawn to dusk, where you can explore the same ground where civilians endured three hellish days in 1863.
The Visitor Center has free entry, though museum tickets cost $20. 75 for adults.
Kids will enjoy the Children of Gettysburg 1863 on Baltimore Street with hands-on exhibits about civilian survival. For deeper insights, hire a Licensed Battlefield Guide for $82 per vehicle.
Starting April 2025, you can try the new “Ticket to the Past” virtual reality experience to better understand what locals faced during the battle.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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