The women of Gettysburg endured quite a few hardships during the summer of 1863 and in the preceding months. With the men off to war, the women of Gettysburg pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and began putting their town back together. The Civil War marked a turning point for women and their role in society. Before the war, their home was base for most of the work that they completed. Women were expected to cook, clean, and make the home comfortable and presentable for the family and guests.

However, the tide began shifting with the outbreak of the Civil War. Many women volunteered to help in the war effort. They worked in a variety of roles. From cooking and nursing to battling alongside their male counterparts. Officially, women were not allowed to serve in the military during the Civil War. However, this did not stop them. Records reflect that a total of five women fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. Overall, it is estimated that between two hundred and fifty to four hundred women served in the war.

One such woman was Lizzie Compton. After falsifying and changing her name, Compton enlisted at the age of 14. She saw considerable action during her enlistment with seven different regiments. She also held the record for most re-enlistments. Her true identity was discovered while she was being treated for injuries. She fought and was wounded at the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Gettysburg.

Staying close to home did not guarantee safety. On the morning of July 3rd, around 8:30 am, Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade was shot dead while kneading dough in her sister’s kitchen on East Cemetery Hill. Her demise sealed her place in history as the only civilian killed by fire during the Battle of Gettysburg. The dough she was kneading at the time of her death eventually became fifteen loaves of bread served to the Union soldiers.

Approximately a year and half after the end of the war, The Gettysburg Orphanage and Widows’ Home was opened in October 1866. The facility was created by Dr. John F. Bourns after fundraising resulting from the identification of a Battle of Gettysburg soldier and casualty Amos Humiston’s children in an ambrotype. Along with their mother, Philinda, those children: Alice, Frederick and Franklin would become the first residents of the Homestead. In 1867, Ulysses S. Grant was photographed with orphans at the entrance. An 1870 Pennsylvania bill was used to fund the facility.

The origin history of the homestead was prosperous.  However, after the initial head mistress was replaced by Rosa J. Carmichael, the history of the orphanage took sinister turn. Carmichael was a cruel disciplinarian who created a dungeon for disciplining children. This dungeon, along with the stories that accompany it have made the homestead notorious. The orphanage originally stood on the Gettysburg Battlefield along Steinwehr Avenue on the north foot of Cemetery Hill. It is now open for tours at 777 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.