Tillie Pierce: Memories of a Teenage Girl

Matilda "Tillie" Pierce was born in 1848. By the time she had reached age 15 she had lived her entire life in the sleepy, humdrum little town in Pennsylvania - Gettysburg. Her father made his living as a butcher and the family lived in an apartment above his shop in the heart of the town. At the time of the battle, she was moved from farm to farm in attempt to assure her safety. Witness to this great battle, Tillie recorded and published her experiences and observations 26 years later.

"We were having our literary excercises on Friday afternoon, at our Seminary, when the cry reached our ears. Rushing to the door, and standing on the front portico, we beheld in the direction of the Theological Seminary, a dark, dense mass moving towards town. Our teacher, Mrs. Eyster, at once said: 'Children, run home as quickly as you can!' It did not require repeating. I am satisfied that some of the girls did not reach their homes before the Rebels were in the streets.

"As for myself, I had scarcely reached the front door when, on looking up the street, I saw some of the men on horseback. I scrambled in, shut the door, and hastening to the sitting room, peeped out between the shutters.

"What a horrible sight! There they were, human beings! Clad almost in rags, covered with dust, riding wildly pell-mell down the hill towards our home! Shouting, yelling almost unearthly, cursing, brandishing their revolvers, and firing left and right.

"I was fully pursuaded the Rebels had actually come at last. What they would do to us was a fearful question in my young mind.

"Soon the town was filled with infantry, and the searching and ransacking began in earnest. They wanted horses, clothing, anything and almost everything they could conveniently carry away. Nor were they particular about asking. Whatever suited them they took. They did, however, make a formal demand of the town authorities, for a large supply of flour, meat, groceries, shoes, hats, and (doubtless not least in their estimations) ten barrels of whiskey; or, in lieu of this, five thousand dollars.

"But our merchants and bankers had too often heard of their coming, and had already shipped their wealth to places of safety. Thus it was, that a few days after, the citizens of York were were compelled to make up our proportion of the Rebel requisition."

To be continued...