Gettysburg in the Civil War: The Civilians Struggle

There are more books than one can count on the Battle of Gettysburg, however very few books have been written on the civilians of Gettysburg. The battle left the town’s residents in terror and their homes turned into hospitals. The civilians of Gettysburg found safety by leaving town or hiding in the cellars of their homes. As residents came back to town they found homes ransacked for food, clothing and valuables. The homes and churches which served as field hospitals had blood stained walls and floors. Farmers found damage to their homes and barns, trampled farm crops, and soldiers buried in shallow graves on the farm fields. Life slowly came back to normal; however the scars of the battle stayed with the civilians of Gettysburg for years.