The bronze statue of Sallie Ann Jarrett, an American Staffordshire terrier, at the base of the Pennsylvania 11th Volunteer Infantry Regiment Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park, is a recognition of her bravery.
The little dog lies peacefully on a stone with her head propped up on her paws and her watchful eyes staring out at the battlefield. The same area where she once fought over 150 years ago, and for that people thank her for her great courage.
To this day, visitors from all over the world still pay tribute to him, leaving treats, bones and toys at the foot of the monument.
People continue to leave gifts at this dog’s monument
Sallie joined 11th Pennsylvania when she was just a little puppy, and from that point on she became the official mascot.
Christopher Gwinn, head of education for the military park, told The Dodo:
The regiment was on an active campaign during the fall of 1862, and that’s where they met the dog. It was a case in which the dog follows the regiment while he marches.
Sallie became the soldiers’ personal psychologist, offering them companionship and comfort as they endured the difficult conditions of war. She became an indispensable member of the military unit and she accompanied them anywhere regardless of the risks they might encounter along the way.
Christopher added:
It was said that the dog only barked at three things: women, rebels and democrats. Of course, in the 1860s, Lincoln was a Republican, so the Democrats were on the opposite side of the ideological and political spectrum.
Sallie was so faithful to her military unit that she followed them to the battlefield and took her position at the end of the line of fire. During the Battle of Gettysburg, Sallie joined her team as she used to, but things took a turn for the worse and they were forced to withdraw.
Due to this withdrawal process, the dog got lost and all the soldiers feared the worst and thought that she was probably dead.
However, at the end of the epic three-day battle, the men of the military unit were able to return to the area where the war began, in order to be able to bury their fallen comrades, but there they found Sallie waiting patiently, taking care of the their friends’ bodies.
Christopher said:
She did not leave the battlefield, she stayed with them. The men who fought at Gettysburg always remembered that she never left them.
Although the dog was very weak, she refused to leave her post in the military unit and continued to fight alongside her companions. And she did so until she was sadly assassinated in the fierce battle of Hatcher’s Run in February 1865.
The soldiers loved her so much that they stopped in the middle of the battle to bury Sallie, regardless of the enemy’s crossfire.
She from that moment on she became a heroine of the regiment, and when it came time to design her monument, everyone wanted her to have the real image of her.
Unfortunately, the military park directives did not approve the request of the war veterans and did not even allow her name on the statue. For that reason, to this day the true identity of the dog in the monument remains an insider secret.
However, the monument made in her honor remains a true recognition of her sacrifice, loyalty, and devotion to her fellow soldiers.
Christopher added:
I think it’s a way to honor dogs like Sallie. I think it is a show of respect, a great memory.
People seem to think the same thing, which is why each time they visit the monument they leave a treat or object to pay tribute to Sallie’s loyalty.
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