She knew of the danger of being shot- but she couldn’t ignore the cries of thirsty and wounded soldiers. In the evening Jennie crawled out of her house on her hands and knees to bring more water to the soldiers. Michael Jacobs, who recorded temperatures and sky conditions during the Battle of Gettysburg, on July 1 it was cloudy with temperatures in the mid-seventies.

Jennie spent that first day, July 1, giving out food and bread to Union soldiers, in warm weather and under cloudy skies.Īccording to Rev. The family had been in the house since July 1 when fighting first erupted. Jennie’s mother, and a 6 year old boy they cared for-Isaac- were also staying at the McClellan home.īullets flew, shells exploded and– it was hot. It was tense that summer morning in the small brick home where Georgia McClellan, Jennie’s sister, was recovering from childbirth.

The night before, July 2, a 10 pound shell had crashed into the upstairs and lodged in a wall. The battle at Gettysburg had raged for two days already. On the morning of July 3, 1863, the young woman who became known as Jennie Wade (a newspaper mis-reported her name, friends called her Gin or Ginnie) was kneading dough in her sister’s kitchen in Gettysburg.

Heat of battle 3