A cold rain fell as Confederate soldiers of Early’s men march towards Gettysburg in search of “shoes”. Really, all they wanted was shoes? Ha! Anyways, they approached the town from the west and soon spotted raw Union recruits near Knoxlyn’s Ridge. The 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Militia was commanded by Col. William Jennings. He was a young 24 year old soldier commanding the militia.
A local cavalry unit commanded by Capt. Robert Bell’s Adams County Cavalry Company comprised of 50 locals. After being dismissed by Bell to evade capture from the approaching Confederates, Private George Washington Sandoe and William Lightner ride past Georgia’s House ( The Jennie Wade House ) and the Evergreen Cemetery and towards Rock Creek on Baltimore Pike around 4pm. Sandoe fell and dies after being shot off his horse by the Rebels. Sandoe is often referred to the first Federal casualty at Gettysburg. The Confederates takes his horse and rides back to town.
Earlier that day, around 2:30 p.m., about an hour before the Confederates rode past in chase of Private Sandoe and Private Lightner, Georgia Wade McClellan gave birth to her first son, Louis Kenneth McClellan.
Meanwhile, after Sandoe was killed, the Confederates in the chase stopped at the Evergreen Cemetery. They asked for food and water from the caretaker of the cemetery. Mrs. Elizabeth Thorn, who was 6 months pregnant, serves the enemy their food and they disappear into night.
