Caught In The Crossfire

Caught In The Crossfire. Shrivers' Home Becomes Sharpshooters' Nest. Imagine having to flee your home because the largest battle of the Civil War roared onto your doorstep. That is exactly what happened to Hettie Shriver and daughters, Sadie (5) and Mollie (3). George and Hettie Shriver moved into this new home in 1860, where he planned to establish his new business: Shiver's Saloon and Ten Pin (Bowling) Alley. War, however, soon pulled George away when he joined the Union Cavalry in 1861., On July 1, 1863, as thousands of retreating Union troops rushed by here, Hettie sought safety at her parents' farm for herself, Sadie, Mollie and young neighbor, Tillie Pierce. As they passed through Evergreen Cemetery, Tillie wrote that Union troops warned them they were "in great danger of being shot by the Rebels." After a frightful three-mile trek, they arrived at the Jacob Weikert farm, which sits at the base of Big and Little Round Tops., Confederate sharpshooters, meanwhile, occupied the Shriver's home, knocking holes through the south attic wall to fire on their adversaries. Eyewitnesses reported Union gunfire killed at least two sharpshooters in the attic. Hettie returned home on July 7 to find her house in shambles., "My native townsmen … had suddenly thrust upon them the most gigantic battle of modern times. They … were totally unprepared for such an unthoughtof [sic] experience." , Tillie Pierce, neighbor, (sidebar) Tour the Shriver House to learn how the family was affected by the Battle of Gettysburg. During an award-winning restoration, ammunition, medical supplies, and bloodstains were discovered in the sharpshooters' nest in the attic., (caption) In 1863, the Shriver House had an open yard to the south offering Confederate sharpshooters a clear view of Cemetery Hill. Today, the south side of the house is packed with Union bullet strikes.