Curious townspeople gathered near the Seminary on the morning of July 1, "all eager to witness a brush with the Confederates and not dreaming of the terrible conflict that was to occur on that day." As soon as the fighting began in earnest, however, the spectators and the occupants of the ridge, ran into the town according to one witness "at a speed greater than double quick."
The Rev. Charles Philip Krauth, professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, and his family occupied the brick house before you. Like every other structure in the area it was soon filled with the wounded and dying. Following the capture of the ridge, Krauth and his family were forced to flee westward through the Confederate lines to safety. They returned to find their home ransacked and their possessions scattered over the lawn. On July 9, 1863, Krauth wrote: "After almost incredible escapes from destruction and death raging around us, we are alive in good health and greatly comforted....Our loss will be very considerable but we are not sorrowing our losses but rejoicing in our deliverance."
In the small stone house across the Lincoln Highway behind you, Mary Jane Arendt Thompson gave birth on June 30, 1863. The child, who lived only eight months, was named Jane Meade Thompson, and is thought to be the youngest resident of Gettysburg at the time of the battle.
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