Gettysburg National Military Park is a place very dear to me. As a child, my family used to make yearly visit to the Park; and my father would tell me all the stories of the battles and the men that fought them. Begin a curious boy, we came across a monument that featured a small black dog statue beneath the base. I asked my father why there was a dog in a park filled with statues of soldiers. He told me of the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and how their mascot was a small Pit Bull Terrier who was gifted to their Captain and had accompanied them throughout the Civil War. After my parents returned home a few weeks ago from their latest visit to the Park, I started remembering this small story about the Dog of the Civil War. As I started doing some research, I found out her name was Sallie Ann Jarett. She stayed along side the 11th Infantry, adapting her life into a well trained soldier. She fascinatingly even followed the soldiers into battle, barking at the enemy and alerting medics to where fallen soldiers laid in need of attention. After the battle of Gettysburg, she was struck by a bullet above her shoulder, causing her to become weak but continued to fight on with the Infantry. On February 5th, 1865, the soldiers reported that her fighting spirit seemed to be returning as she joined the men over their fire for a share of stories and food. Some believe it was because she sensed of the impending dangers of the following morning, that she wanted to join her comrades one final time. The following day, the Infantry advanced an attack on the Confederates, sparking a battle that would be known as the Battle of Hatcher's Run. At some point during the battle, an enemy bullet pierced Sallie Ann's brain; killing her instantly. After the dust settled, she was discovered by the Infanty and was buried alongside her fallen comrades. What I hoped to capture with this painting is the sense of a "Calm before the storm" and to show Sallie Ann with the Union soldiers in a moment of peace that she might have felt on the last evening she spent on this world. I hope that maybe you've learned a new story about the Civil War. If you did, then this painting has done it's job! The Statue of Sallie featured under the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Monument, at Gettysburg National Military Park.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
This Month's
Featured Painting "Brian Boru:
The Lion of Ireland"
Catalog of Paintings
April 2020
|