GDG- Jenny Wade, the Heroine of Gettysburg

[128thpa at comcast.net]

I know someone who does an excellent first person of Tillie Pierce and has done a great deal of research on her.  There definitely was a problem between the Pierce and Wade family.  I don't think Tillie's comments could be attributed to "schoolgirl fantasies".  She was an adult woman and married living in Selingrove, Pa when she wrote her book.  Plus, Jenny Wade was a bit older than her - Tillie was 15 during the battle and Jenny IIRC 19 or 20.  That is a big difference at that age.  

Paula

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Dennis Lawrence <denlaw at kc.rr.com> 

> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes: 
> 
> 
> At 11:50 AM 12/1/2006, you wrote: 
> >Esteemed GDG Member Contributes: 
> > 
> > 
> ><< Her sister Georgia was instrumental in the fundraising for the 
> >monument. She lived in Iowa by that time but still made it a priority to 
> >honor her sisters' memory. >> 
> > 
> > 
> >Didn't Tillie Pierce have some rather uncomplimentary things to say about 
> >the Wade family? Or am I confusing her with somebody else? 
> > 
> >I seem to recall her commenting on the fact the family were southern 
> >sympathizers, and that it was no cooincidence that Jenny (or Ginny) was 
> >short for "Virginia", and that her sister was named Georgia. 
> 
> 
> Here is what Tom Desjardin said in an archived GDG discussion on 
> her: http://www.gdg.org/Discussions/dtindi.html#culp 
> 
> 
> 
> "In her account of the battle, Tillie Pierce Alleman wrote of a young man 
> living with her family on Baltimore Street. His name was Sam and he was 
> Jennie's brother. Jennie lived diagonally across B'more street in the house 
> now occupied by the GBPA. Jennie was worried about her brother who tried to 
> take and hide the Pierce horses. 
> 
> "About this time the boy's sister, who was standing a short distance off, 
> screamed at the top of her voice to Mother: 'If the Rebs take Sam off, I 
> don't know what I'll do with you folks!' Thus holding us responsible for 
> her brother Sam's safety even in times like that." 
> 
> Later in the day (July 1) Jennie apparently told CSA soldiers that Tillie's 
> father was a "black Abolitionist; so black, that he was turning black; also 
> that he had two sons in the Union army, whom he supposed had taken as much 
> from the South as they were now taking from him." Tillie believed that this 
> caused the CSA men to keep the Pierce's horses. 
> 
> "I am afraid her (Jennie's) sympathies were not as much for the Union as 
> they should have been. She certainly manifested a very unkind disposition 
> toward our family, who had been doing all we could for her brother. It 
> would surprise a great many to learn who this person was, but as no 
> detraction is intended, I will dismiss the subject at once." 
> 
> John Burns once made a sort of flippant comment about Jennie as well... 
> 
> "I knew Miss Wade very well. The less said about her the better. The story 
> about her loyalty, her being killed while serving Union soldiers, etc., is 
> all of fiction, got up by some sensation correspondent. You can refer to 
> any loyal citizen for the truth...I could call her a she-rebel." 
> 
> Most of these statements could reasonably be attributed to either 
> schoolgirl jealousies or Burns jeaolousy over Jennie as a competitor for 
> local hero status. It is interesting, however, that so many claim she was 
> promiscuous or "loose" as if any criticism of a 19th century woman must be 
> really about that. 
> 
> Enjoy 
> 
> Dennis 
> 
> 
> 
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