Jennie Wade Thesis

Jennie Wade was the only civilian to die in the battle of Gettysburg. Jennie Wade was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and died there just twenty short years later. The battle of Gettysburg was then known as one of the bloodiest battles in the American civil war. This caused a single civilian to lose their life, Jennie Wade was that person to die at Gettysburg. Many other civilians died in the war itself, but only she died at Gettysburg.

In the middle of 1863, the Civil war is in full swing and is very close to halfway over, Jennie Wade was having a normal day in Gettysburg, where she would typically wake up make some bread or other food and then do some chores for the day. She was born sometime in May in 1843, in Gettysburg

Pennsylvania. Both she and her mother took care of a disabled boy named Isaac. Herself and her mother both worked as seamstresses. It's assumed that they would rep are Union army uniforms if they were ripped as well as rep are their clothes or were paid by townsfolk to repair their clothes (Remembering).
She herself and her whole family were very firm believers in the north side of the civil war. She had a husband in the Union army, but he died in a battle and his friend sent a letter to Jennie telling her that her husband died. Her husband's name was Corp. Johnston H. Skelly of the 87th Pennsylvania.
They were deeply in love and if she would have gotten the letter it would have devastated her.

The letter never made it to her before she died. She did many things for theUnion army when they were basically at her doorstep. She filled their canteens, she baked them bread,and she made them food. She died whilst preparing bread for Union soldiers.

She died at Gettysburg. Here's a brief summary of what happened at the battle of Gettysburg. Lee was the general of the confederate side on the battlefield, and he was going against George Meade, who was the general on the union side at the battle. (Google)

At the time of the battle, the very small town of Gettysburg only had about 2,400 people living in it. This was soon to change because as troops from both sides of the battle came into the town, the 160,000 troops made themselves at home in the local houses and shelters. The battle of Gettysburg only lasted about three days in its entirety. At the end of the third day of battle, the confederate troops ran and retreated back into their Capital which is in Richmond Virginia. All three days of the battle were fought in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg, which was fully fought in July 1863, was a Union victory that made the very respected Confederate General Robert E. Lee's retreat all the way back into

Virginia.(Google)
It was also known as one of the only two invasions of the north. This was the second invasion of the North. A little more than 50,000 men fell and died as casualties during the 3-day long battle, making it the bloodiest single battle of the American Civil War. The bloodiest day in the American civil war is Antietam. That battle was only one day and was known as the bloodiest day of the American Civil War.(Google)
Gettysburg was a horrific battle. Confederate snipers in houses in the town rained down bullets on the union soldiers. The union snipers were on cemetery hill and traded fire with the confederate snipers (the Atlantic). It was often thought of as one of the bloodiest battles in the civil war and on American soil. She was killed on the third day of the battle. A stray confederate bullet meant for a union soldier struck the front door and went straight through it. When it went through the door, it flew directly below her left shoulder blade. She was instantaneously killed. None of her other family members were killed in the battle.
At the beginning of the American Civil War, civilians played a very minor role. They started off as spectators watching the battles take place before them. They would bring picnic baskets and there best Sunday clothes to go out and watch this battle between two armies face off to see which army had more strength to win the battle. As the war drew on, the battles kept getting bloodier and when these civilians saw all these men slowly dieing on the battlefield it really disturbed them. They soon realized that this war was not meant for spectators and if they didn't want to get caught in the crossfire they would have to be not only not at the battles but in their homes or underground if the armies ever clashed near their home.
“Civilians in the war zone would later would become unwilling participants and victims of the war's expanding scope and horror” (nps.gov). These armies would come to these towns and these people (usually already picking a side on who they would want to fight for) would try and help out the army they chose either by helping tend to the wounded soldiers, make food and get water for the soldiers, or even actually go out and fight with the army you chose to stand with and maybe even die for. These civilians also had risked, in the American Civil War, as many and maybe more than 50,000 civilians died serving their country.
Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the American Civil War. This caused a civilian to die, Jennie wade. Jennie Wade was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and died there just twenty short years later. The battle of Gettysburg was then known as one of the bloodiest battles in the American civil war.