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John L. Burns
1794 - 1872

On July 1, 1863, John Burns left the shelter of his Gettysburg home and joined in the fighting west of town. Wounded and captured, Burns survived the battle to become a national celebrity. In the months that followed, he was visited by reporters and photographers; he received the personal thanks of Abraham Lincoln, and Congress passed a special act granting him a pension. As his tale spread across the land, some of its details became distorted, and today much of what happened is shrouded in myth and legend.

●John Burns was a veteran of the War of 1812 and was a former Constable of Gettysburg.
●He was 70 years old when he picked up his flintlock musket to defend his homeland at the Battle of Gettysburg.
● Wounded three times during the fighting at Gettysburg.
●John Burns monument was dedicated July 1, 1903.
●Buried Evergreen Cemetery

John Burns Monument.

The plaque reads:
MY THANKS ARE SPECIALLY DUE TO A CITIZEN OF GETTYSBURG NAMED JOHN BURNS WHO ALTHOUGH OVER SEVENTY YEARS OF AGE SHOULDERED HIS MUSKET AND OFFERED HIS SERVICES TO COLONEL WISTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS. COLONEL WISTER ADVISED HIM TO FIGHT IN THE WOODS AS THERE WAS MORE SHELTER THERE BUT HE PREFERRED TO JOIN OUR LINE OF SKIRMISHERS IN THE OPEN FIELDS. WHEN THE TROOPS RETIRED HE FOUGHT WITH THE IRON BRIGADE. HE WAS WOUNDED IN THREE PLACES.
GETTYSBURG REPORT OF MAJ-GEN. DOUBLEDAY.

John Burns gravesite

John Burns gravesite Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Evergreen Cemetery.
Date of photo: April 2005.

The Stone Reads:
JOHN BURNS
1794 - 1872
HIS WIFE
BARBARA
1799 - 1868

PATRIOT

John Burns - The Hero of Gettysburg

The Hero of Gettysburg. Smith. John L. Burns remains one of the most famous civilian warriors in American history. This full-length biography sorts out fact from fiction, covering how he was wounded, captured and survived to become a national celebrity; how he received a personal thanks from Abraham Lincoln; how Congress passed a special act granting him a pension; and much more. 203 pgs., 60 B&W photos, 6"x 9", sfbd.

Firestorm at Gettysburg

Civilian Voices June-November 1863. Slade & Alexander. In this book, the civilians who lived through the battle of Gettysburg recount this pivotal event in their own words. Their eyewitness accounts, spanning from June 15, 1863, through Lincoln's address in November of that year, are compelling tales told by those literally trapped inside the lines of the two great, warring armies. 208 pgs., 160 B&W photos, 8½"x 11", hdbd. $39.95

Jennie Wade
Mary Virginia Wade or Jennie Wade, was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg. Jennie was 20 years old at her death during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Tillie Pierce
Matilda "Tillie" Pierce or Tillie Pierce, wrote perhaps the best documentation about events that took place during the Battle of Gettysburg. Tillie Pierce was only 15 years old at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Salome "Sally" Myers
Elizabeth Salome Myers a schoolteacher, got over the sight of blood and helped care for wounded soldiers during the Battle of Gettysburg.

John Burns
Gettysburg Civilian John Burns, a veteran of the War of 1812, picked up his flintlock musket and went to the scene of the fighting. At 70 years old, he was wounded during the fight.

Elizabeth Thorn
Buried 91 soldiers in the Evergreen Cemetery while she was six months pregnant.

Women at Gettysburg

E. F. Conklin. Tells the story of 40 women who served on the field of Gettysburg both during and after the battle. These army matrons, Christian and Sanitary Commission workers, State agents, laundresses, nurses, vivandieres, soldiers, and civilians represented states from Maine to Louisiana, and include among them three recipients of the Kearny Cross. "All Civil War books should be researched this well." - Civil War News. 430 pgs.

The Ties of the Past : The Gettysburg Diaries of Salome Myers Stewart, 1854-1922

Memoirs of a schoolteacher who became caught up in the horrible battle at Gettysburg, nursing wounded soldiers.

The Colors of Courage: Gettysburg's Forgotten History: Immigrants, Women, and African Americans in the Civil War's Defining Battle

In the summer of 1863, as Union and Confederate armies converged on southern Pennsylvania, the town of Gettysburg found itself thrust onto the center stage of war. The three days of fighting that ensued decisively turned the tide of the Civil War. In The Colors of Courage, Margaret Creighton narrates the tale of this crucial battle from the viewpoint of three unsung groups--women, immigrants, and African Americans--and reveals how wide the conflict's dimensions were. A historian with a superb flair for storytelling, Creighton draws on memoirs, letters, diaries, and newspapers to bring to life the individuals at the heart of her narrative. The Colors of Courage is a stunningly fluid work of original history-one that redefines the Civil War's most remarkable battle.

At Gettysburg; or, What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle (Illustrated Edition)

Matilda (Tillie) Pierce Alleman (1848-1914) was a young girl of 15 and a resident of Gettysburg during the battle of Gettysburg. Her maiden name was Tillie Pierce. During the first day's fighting, Tillie's father, James Pierce, ran a butcher shop in the town. During the first day of fighting at Gettysburg, the Pierces moved Tillie out of the town to a farm, thinking she would be safer there. It turned out that Tillie ended up right behind the Union lines on the second and third day. The farm where she stayed became a field hospital, and this young girl witnessed much suffering and death. Later in life, Mrs. Alleman wrote an account of what she saw, and it is considered a very accurate and excellent first hand source.

At Gettysburg: Or, What A Girl Saw And Heard Of The Battle