American Civil War Figure. She gained her place in American history books as the only direct civilian casualty of the Battle of Gettysburg. Born Mary Virginia Wade, she was known by her family and contemporaries as merely "Jennie." The three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863, and, fearing the effects of being in a battle, she sought a haven at the home of her married sister, Georgia Wade McClellan. The "Jennie Wade House," as the house became known, was originally the home of her sister. Within a short time, the locality of the McClellan home became a battlefield with Union and Confederate forces frequently dueling nearby. Throughout this ordeal, she repeatedly offered comfort in the way of foodstuffs and water to the Union soldiers who were combating the Confederates outside the home. According to "Keystone Tombstones" by Farrell and Farley, her last words to her sister were: "If there is anyone in this house that is to be killed today, I hope it is me" This was said as her sister was a mother with a newborn. The 20-year old fell dead after a rifle ball penetrated the home's doors on the morning of July 3rd and struck her while she was preparing bread dough. With the cessation of the battle, she was buried in her sister's garden on the 4th of July. In January 1864, her remains were relocated to a cemetery "near the German Reform Church" in Gettysburg. A later reinternment in the Evergreen Cemetery occurred in November of 1865. Within this burial ground is another tragic story intertwined with her own: the one of Corporal Johnston Hastings Skelly, Jr. He was a friend, beau, and presumed fiancé of Jennie's. He died on July 12, 1863, of wounds received in a Virginia battle and is now buried in close proximity of her plot. The two died without knowing the other's fate. For several years, her grave was marked with a non-descript gravestone, however, through the tireless efforts of her sister Georgia, an elaborate marker stands today in the remembrance of her, "The only civilian killed in the battle of Gettysburg."

American Civil War Figure. She gained her place in American history books as the only direct civilian casualty of the Battle of Gettysburg. Born Mary Virginia Wade, she was known by her family and contemporaries as merely "Jennie." The three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, 1863, and, fearing the effects of being in a battle, she sought a haven at the home of her married sister, Georgia Wade McClellan. The "Jennie Wade House," as the house became known, was originally the home of her sister. Within a short time, the locality of the McClellan home became a battlefield with Union and Confederate forces frequently dueling nearby. Throughout this ordeal, she repeatedly offered comfort in the way of foodstuffs and water to the Union soldiers who were combating the Confederates outside the home. According to "Keystone Tombstones" by Farrell and Farley, her last words to her sister were: "If there is anyone in this house that is to be killed today, I hope it is me" This was said as her sister was a mother with a newborn. The 20-year old fell dead after a rifle ball penetrated the home's doors on the morning of July 3rd and struck her while she was preparing bread dough. With the cessation of the battle, she was buried in her sister's garden on the 4th of July. In January 1864, her remains were relocated to a cemetery "near the German Reform Church" in Gettysburg. A later reinternment in the Evergreen Cemetery occurred in November of 1865. Within this burial ground is another tragic story intertwined with her own: the one of Corporal Johnston Hastings Skelly, Jr. He was a friend, beau, and presumed fiancé of Jennie's. He died on July 12, 1863, of wounds received in a Virginia battle and is now buried in close proximity of her plot. The two died without knowing the other's fate. For several years, her grave was marked with a non-descript gravestone, however, through the tireless efforts of her sister Georgia, an elaborate marker stands today in the remembrance of her, "The only civilian killed in the battle of Gettysburg."

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