During the Battle of Gettysburg, citizens of the town had to take shelter from bullets and cannonballs flying through the air. They had to find places within their homes that were away from windows, and usually meaning hiding in their cellars. However, with the Garlach family and other members of the community, there was a problem with the cellars in some portions of the borough during the Battle of Gettysburg. Recent thunderstorms producing vast amounts of rain flooded some basements. This occurrence happened in the Garlach basement. They luckily had some shelter to stay on the first floor at times during the fighting, but away from the windows. When the fighting was at a lull, Mrs. Catherine Garlach would go check on their animals out back. She was startled to find someone hiding there.
During the retreat of the Union soldiers rushing southward through town, a commanding officer by the name of Brigadier General Alexander Schimmelfennig was caught in “no man’s land”. This German soldier originally from Prussia was the commanding officer of the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Division, of the 11th Corps. As BG Schimmelfennig dismounted from his horse and played dead as Confederate forces rushed the town, he just wanted to avoid capture. He did so by hiding in the pig shed behind the house of the Garlach Family.
Catherine Garlach would come out and bring food to the pigs and Mr. Schimmelfennig made his presence known on one of her visits out to the shed. With Confederates running around the area, she brought food and water out for the animals, along with some to the soldier hiding in her shed. Luckily, the Confederates never found Alexander Schimmelfennig, and he returned to his command after the Battle of Gettysburg on the morning of July 4th.
Even with all this occurring, Catherine Garlach kicked out at least half a dozen Confederate sharpshooters out of her housel. They were trying to get to the attic to fire upon the Union, but Mrs. Garlach diminished their attempts in get into the house for safety of her children. Everyone survived the Gettysburg and went on their way after the battle. The pig shed was demolished in 1905. After BG Alexander Schimmelfennig death in September 1865, his descendants came to Gettysburg to witness and photograph where he survived in the backyard.