Many
Gettysburg-lovers will easily recognize the 11TH Pennsylvania
Infantry monument along Doubleday Avenue at Oak Ridge. Mascot “Sallie” is by
far the most popular of the battlefield dogs depicted on regimental monuments,
and on this photo you can see a dog biscuit lying next to her. I
particularly like this shot. Besides the brilliant blue sky, there’s a nice
contrast between monument, modern road, and old stone wall.
The
second photo shows the Union battle line at Oak Ridge. The 11TH
Pennsylvania can be identified by the soldier statue and by the tiny bronze
speck that is Sallie. And of course the third photo is the sort that has been
snapped many times by Sallie-lovers. What I find most interesting is that the
biscuit seems to be partially-eaten. Hmmmmm . . .
**HONORED TODAY**
CPL. JOHN MERRIAM
Co. D, 19TH Maine
Infantry
Born October 11, 1829 --- Died August
25, 1863 at age 33
Cpl.
Merriam must have marched to Gettysburg with a very heavy heart. Not only did
he leave home with the knowledge that his wife and two children would be
without his help, but a baby son, Charles, had been born in February 1863 and
would never know his father. To make matters much worse, his four-year-old son
Leroy died on June 10, 1863, and his two-year-old daughter Hattie passed away
June 04, 1863. At just 33, Cpl. Merriam was well-acquainted with
heartache. After his initial wounding he
was taken to Camp Letterman where he died on the 25TH of August, no
doubt thinking of his lost children and of the wife and baby left alone in
Maine. Cpl. Merriam was later buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery but is
memorialized at Morrill Village Cemetery in Morrill, Maine.
(c) 2013 Skies of Blue and Gray
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