Friday, July 31, 2009

What is the name of the dog on the dog statue?


Answers:
This one?

http://www.bitsofblueandgray.com/july200...

Second, there is the monument for the 11th PA, dedicated to the "heroic dead of the regiment. The monument of the 11th Pa stands silently atop Oak Ridge at the stop they defended that afternoon of July 1st. Driving along the row of monuments honoring the men of John Robison's division, you will immediately see a fine bronze statue of a skirmisher preparing to fire sitting atop the 11th PA monument. Few bother to get out and walk to the front where another bronze statue can be found, the statue of a small dog curled up as if sleeping. The dog Sallie was the mascot of the 11th and, she too, was numbered among the heroic dead to whom the monument was dedicated."

Sallie had been given to the regiment as a puppy during the early days of the war. Growing up with the men of the regiment, she became a comrade in arms, sharing the marches, the hardships, the extremes of the climate, and the dangers of battle. During battles, Sallie was known to take her position at the end of the line of battle, barking as loud as she could at the enemy. Of a friendly nature, Sallie was said to hate only three things: "Rebels, Democrats, and Women."

At Gettysburg, the little dog was with the men of the 11th PA throughout the battle of July 1st. During the course of the retreat through the town, she became separated from the unit. Not knowing where they had gone, she remembered where they had been and worked her way back across the field to this ridge and her fallen comrades. There, amidst the wounded, the dying, and the dead, Sallie laid down and maintained a silent vigil over her friends for the remainder of the battle. After the Confederate retreat, a member of the 12th Massachusetts found her still lying among the dead, weak from lack of food, but alive. She was returned to her unit. Recovering quickly, Sallie resumed her place in the regiment serving faithfully through the balance of the war. On February 6, 1865, within two months of the war's end, she was going into battle with her regiment at Hatcher's Run, Virginia. During the course of the fight, she was shot through the head and killed. Such was the feeling of the men of the regiment towards their mascot, that they buried her on the field despite the heavy enemy fire. Years later, when designs for the regimental monument at Gettysburg were discussed, it was felt only appropriate that their little pet, their friend, and their comrade be memorialized with the regiment.

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