A Dog Story with an Unexpected Chester County Connection

By Bill Wilson, Esquire

Afew years ago, my wife and I got to take care of my son’s little Staffordshire Terrier for a few months, and now I love that kind of dog. So, the last time I was at Gettysburg, I noticed what appeared to be a bronze Staffordshire at the base of the monument to the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry on Cemetery Ridge. I thought that a strange place to find a little dog, so I looked it up. In case you did not know, you can find a lot of neat stuff on the internet. I found a story worth telling.

The little dog was named Sallie Ann Jarrett. She was a brindlecolored puppy, and was given to one of the younger officers of the 11th while they were in training in, of course, West Chester, in 1862. She was a gift from a young woman the lieutenant was seeing, whose name was Sallie Ann something or other. Jarrett was the name of the original regimental commander, and that is about all either of them have to do with the story. I wasn’t expecting that local connection when I started my surfing. That also isn’t the main reason I decided to take the time writing this.

The dog hung around the regiment, and followed its new commander’s horse while they marched through the ensuing campaigns until nearly the end of the Civil War. Sallie did not shrink from combat, although she did not understand all of it. She would snap at bullets when they hit the ground around her, apparently thinking they were some sort of fast-moving bug. She was wounded in the neck at Spotsylvania Courthouse. Eventually, her insistence on being with the guys caught up with her, and she was killed at Hatcher’s Run on February 6, 1865. With the battle still ongoing, three soldiers of the 11th exposed themselves to fire in order to scoop out a shallow grave for Sallie, rather than just leave her there on the field. That was odd. If you know soldiers, you are aware that they can be a sentimental lot, but risking a Minnie ball in the forehead is extraordinary respect for a dead dog. More than that, those same soldiers, and the others of the regiment, made sure their monument had that little bronze statue at the base. You may wonder why they would go to such lengths.

On the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the 11th Pennsylvania took up positions on Oak Ridge, just west of the town, to delay the enemy until reinforcements could arrive and secure the key positions extending to the south. They withdrew, leaving casualties behind. After the withdrawal, Sallie was missing in action, and no one expected to see her again. She did not reappear during the next two days, while Little Round Top, Pickett’s charge and all the rest went on. Yes, the same folks who risked death to bury Sallie nineteen months later, withdrew leaving both her and some of their comrades behind. Why the difference?

As we know because the country survived, the 11th was on the winning side of the battle. When the army reoccupied Oak Ridge afterwards, there was Sallie. She was guarding the dead of the 11th Pennsylvania. She wouldn’t let anyone not from the regiment near them.

By Jamie W. Goncharoff, Esquire