Sallie Ann Jarrett: Hero of Gettysburg
Quick answer: Who was Sallie Ann Jarrett?
Sallie was a brindle bull terrier and the mascot of the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. After the first day at Gettysburg she was found guarding the regiment's dead and wounded on Oak Ridge. She was killed at Hatcher's Run in February 1865, and a bronze likeness of her lies at the base of the regiment's Gettysburg monument.
When you go to Gettysburg, John suggests looking for Sallie Ann Jarrett on Oak Ridge. Her memorial isn't easy to find unless you know where to look, and if you're expecting a person, you're looking for the wrong species. In May 1861, Captain William Terry of Company I, 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was training his new regiment at Camp Wayne in West Chester, Pennsylvania, when a townsperson gave him a puppy only a few weeks old. The men named her after a young woman of West Chester who had caught their eye and after their first commander, Colonel Phaon Jarrett. Colonel Richard Coulter later described her as "a brindle, bull-terrier, of a fine breed" who "showed marks of blood," and other regiments came to know her as "Dick Coulter's dog." Her first battle was Cedar Mountain in 1862, and men of the regiment wrote that she stayed with the color guard through the fight. On July 1, 1863, the first day at Gettysburg, she was separated from the regiment during the retreat through town. After the battle the men feared she was dead. She was found on Oak Ridge, guarding the regiment's dead and wounded, and returned to them. Sallie was shot and killed at Hatcher's Run in February 1865 while moving forward with the first line. Survivors of the regiment later dedicated a monument at Gettysburg with a bronze Sallie lying at the soldier's feet, facing the field where so many of the 11th Pennsylvania fell.
Why it matters for leaders: Loyalty comes in many forms, and the soldiers of the 11th Pennsylvania made sure hers would be remembered.
Q: Where is Sallie's memorial?
A: On the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry monument on Oak Ridge (Doubleday Avenue) at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Q: How did Sallie die?
A: She was killed at the Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia, in February 1865.
Read the full article on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sallie-ann-jarrett-hero-gettysburg-john-fenzel
By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation