Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg - Tillie Pierce

Gettysburg, PA, 3-day battle, July 1 - July 3, 1863

Gettysburg was a small town in Pennsylvania, with rolling hills of corn and wheat fields and only 2,400 inhabitants.  The residents seemed unaware that two huge armies, about 170,000 men, were converging on their sleepy little town.  The fiercest battle of the war was about to ignite.  The Battle caught the residents of Gettysburg completely by surprise. 

Tillie Pierce:

Tilllie Pierce 16 years old at the time of the Battle.  Her father was a butcher and the family lived above his shop in the heart of town. She was attending the Young Ladies Seminary school when the cry is heard "the Rebels are coming!"

Soon Confederate soldiers were streaming through the area.

"Rushing to the door, and standing on the front portico we beheld a dark, dense mass, moving toward town.  Our teacher, Mrs. Eyster, at once said:  'Children, run home as quickly as you can.'  It did not require repeating. ...  I had scarcely reached the front door, when, on looking up the street, I saw some of the men on horseback.  

What a horrible sight!  There they were, human beings!  Clad almost in rags, covered with dust, riding wildly, pell-mell down the hill toward our home!  Shouting, yelling most unearthly, cursing, brandishing their revolvers, and firing right and left.

Soon ...ransacking began in earnest.  They wanted horses, clothing, anything and almost everything they could conveniently carry away.  Nor were they particular about asking. Whatever suited them they took.  They did, however, make a formal demand of the town authorities, for a large supply of flour, meat, groceries, shoes, hats, ... ten barrels of whisky; or, in lieu of this, five thousand dollars."

At the urging of her family, Tillie and some friends left the town and went to what they thought would be a safe place, Jacob Weikert's farmhouse.  

"During our flight over to the farm-house, and when about half way, Mrs. Weikert happened to think of some highly prized article of dress, that in our sudden flight she had never thought of. Nothing would do but that her husband would have to go back to the house and get it. Thus in the midst of the confusion of battle, Mr. Weikert started back. Just as we were reaching our starting point, we met him coming out with the treasure; a brand-new quilted petticoat; and we all went panting into the house. During the whole of this wild goose chase, the cannonading had become terrible! Occasionally a shell would come flying over Round Top and explode high in the air over head."

Sometime between 4 and 5 p.m. that afternoon, Tillie Pierce and her friends were caught between the opposing forces.

"On this evening the number of wounded brought to the place was indeed appalling. They were laid in different parts of the house. The orchard and space around the buildings were covered with the shattered and dying, and the barn became more and more crowded. The scene had become terrible beyond description."

Over 700 wounded and dying soldiers found shelter in the farmhouse and barn during the battle.  Tillie provided water and food to the soldiers and assisted the surgeons and nurses caring for the wounded.

The battle raged for 3 days.  "It seemed as though the heavens were sending forth peal upon peal of terrible thunder, directly over our heads; while at the same time, the very earth beneath our feet trembled. The cannonading at Gettysburg, has already gone down into history as terrible." 

After the battle:  "We were all glad that the storm had passed, and that victory was perched upon our banners.  But oh! the horror and desolation that remained. The general destruction, the suffering, the dead, the homes that nevermore would be cheered, the heart-broken widows, the innocent and helpless orphans! Only those who have seen these things, can ever realize what they mean."

"The whole landscape had been changed and I felt as though we were in a strange and blighted land."

Civil War Sweetener - Sorghum

Sorghum Arrives in America

The first sorghum arrived in North America on slave ships.  Sorghum is an ancient grain that was cultivated by the Egyptians.  In America it was used as livestock fodder and by enslaved people for food with its juice used to make syrup as a sweetener, an alternative to expensive sugar. 

Civil War

During the Civil War, the northern blockade of southern ports begun in 1861, caused many food shortages.  The Civil War scarcities led to replacement crops — chicory root for coffee, field pea mash for flour.  Among the scarce items was sugar.  Northerners  wanted to avoid supporting the sugarcane industry in the South and chose sorghum. Southerners turned to sorghum in place of cane sugar, because it was cheap and plentiful in the south.  

Sorghum is a grain that grows tall like corn.  From a distance it looks like corn. 

However, you’ll find no ears and there is a reddish tinge to the leaves, stalk and ripe seed head. Stalks stand up to 10 feet tall.

Sorghum holds a sweet juice extracted by crushing the cane. That sweet juice is then reduced until it runs slow as molasses, but boasts a deeper, more complex flavor. 

The Camel of Crops

Sorghum  is known as “the camel of crops” because it doesn’t need much water and grows in soils other grains won’t. It's a plant for tough times, and tough places.  

Much of the world is turning hotter and dryer these days, and it's opening new doors for sorghum.  Some farmers are looking for crops that aren't so "thirsty".  Aquifers are getting lower in areas, and crops such as corn need much more water than sorghum. Compared with corn, for instance, sorghum needs one-third less water, and it doesn't give up and wilt when rains don't come on time. It waits for moisture to arrive.

It flourishes in dry areas.  It’s an important crop in dry areas such as Ethiopia.  It is used to make a popular Ethiopian flatbread, injera, beverages, and feed farm animals.

Sorghum is Trendy

Sorghum has become a "trendy" food.  Sorghum is naturally gluten-free.  Some sorghums are high in antioxidants, which are believed to help lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease.  It is an ancient grain relatively untouched by modern agriculture.