Sallie, the Loyal Civil War Bull Terrier

Sallie, the Loyal Civil War Bull Terrier


Did you know …

Sallie was a four-week-old puppy when someone gave her as a gift to First Lieutenant William R. Terry. William was a soldier in the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry, part of the Union Army in the Civil War.

Sallie grows up around the soldiers.

The soldiers trained often during the early days of the war. Sallie watched the men as the leaders taught skills to keep them safer in a battle. She stood near by at shooting practice. She heard the drummers beat exact rhythms and the buglers play specific tunes for different commands like “Charge!”

The bugler played a song known as Reveille every morning to wake up the soldiers. After the music started, Sallie considered it her job to wake them up, too.

Sallie is friendly and lovable.

Sallie loved her soldiers. She was friendly and lovable. She liked to march with them. The men who were with her owner, William, grew to love her very much and she was loyal to them.

Sallie goes to the battle with her soldiers.

Sallie followed her soldiers into battles. When the men stood in line to prepare to fight, she barked ferociously at the soldiers on the other side. When one of her soldiers was hurt during the fighting, she licked their hand to let them know she was there.

At the Battle of Gettysburg

On July 1, 1863, Sallie’s soldiers were in a fierce battle on Oak Ridge, just outside of the town of Gettysburg. Soldiers from the other side fought very hard and forced the men in Sallie’s regiment to retreat. There were so many soldiers running back toward Gettysburg that poor Sallie couldn’t find her friends.

She returned to Oak Ridge where some of her soldiers had been wounded during the fight. She licked their hands. Then she refused to leave them.

Three days later, after the battle ended, a soldier from a different regiment found Sallie. He recognized the hungry, brave dog and returned her to her friends.

– Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment,” Stone Sentinels, 2014/11/10 http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/PA/11Pa.php.

“Animal Mascots of the Civil War,” Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site, 2014/11/10 http://alexandriava.gov/historic/fortward/default.aspx?id=40198.

Based on Works by Boritt, Gabor. The Gettysburg Story Battlefield Auto Tour, Right to Rise, Boritt Films, LLC, 2010.

“Battlefield Places and Stories,” The Historic Tour Company of Gettysburg, 2014/11/10   http://www.historictourcompany.com/gettysburgbattlefield.html.

“Civil War Dog Lives On Through Monument,” DogsofHonor.com, 2014/11/10 http://www.fallendogs.com/story.php?dogID=39.

“Gettysburg: An animal-lover’s tour of the battlefield,” Evening Sun, 2014/11/10 http://www.eveningsun.com/gettysburg150/ci_23555931/gettysburg-an-animal-lovers-tour-battlefield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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