Unexpected Heroism

Heroism is endurance for one moment more.

— George F. Kennan

While dogs in our modern world fill many roles, a majority are still just pets and therefore their duties and responsibilities pale in comparison to what was expected by dog owners 170 years ago. In the middle of the nineteenth century, for those living outside cities, canines were indispensable. In reality, the dog was perhaps the most important family tool. It was not as much a pet as it was a sentry, hunter, herder, and defender. During an era when almost every rural family saw a dog as essential, it is interesting that canines served no official purpose in the military. It would take more than seven decades before dog training became a part of the military. Yet that didn't keep a feisty terrier out of one of the bloodiest battles in the American Civil War or prevent her from being recognized and saluted by the nation's most revered leader. To fully grasp the unlikely dynamics that brought this story to life, one first has to understand history as it unfolded.

By 1860, in the then not-so-United States, trouble had been brewing for more than a decade. But the event that set the stage for the breaking of a union was the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. In November the tall man from Illinois won the popular and electoral vote over a trio of competitors: John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen Douglas. With Lincoln readying to take over the nation's highest office, those pushing for an end to slavery finally felt as if they had a strong and willing leader in power. Yet it was the fear that Lincoln would act quickly to emancipate the slaves that also created an environment where many in the South vowed to walk away from a nation that refused to recognize individual states' rights to determine whether one man could legally own another. While the newly elected president pushed for an understanding between the two factions, many in the media and in government deemed the nation already irrevocably broken. So in early 1861, even though few could fathom the deadly consequences that soon would drench American soil in blood, a clock was ticking, driven by moral choices that seemed to be anchored in stone. Soon that clock would hit the zero hour and when it did the country would blow up.

On February 8, 1861, a full month before Lincoln was sworn in, the slaveholding states officially left the union and announced the formation of the Confederate States of America. Not unexpectedly the government of the United States did not recognize this new governing body. Yet war didn't break out immediately. Over the next few months, as the nation teetered on the brink of armed conflict, somehow, amid the fiery rhetoric, cooler heads prevailed. Thus many in the new president's administration actually believed the seceding states could be wooed back into the union without a single shot being fired. But those hopes were finally and forever dashed on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. For the next four years it would be brother against brother and father against son as more men died in combat than during any other American conflict.

A few weeks after the shots were fired at Fort Sumter, an unlikely hero was born. No one could have predicted that, more than a century and a half later, a brindle bull terrier would rank as one of the most remembered and cherished symbols of heroism and loyalty during the darkest period in American history. How this untrained canine came to symbolize the sacrifice and horror of war is one of the most unusual and dramatic stories of the Civil War. Yet even more amazing is the way this dog became a role model and inspiration for one of the country's most honored and revered regiments.

With the nation at war, the call went out for volunteers to engage the southern rebels. In communities across the Ohio Valley and up the Eastern Seaboard, tens of thousands signed up to wear union blue. With city bands playing patriotic songs, countless children waving flags, and city leaders making political speeches harkening back to the founding fathers' faith in a complete union of states and solidarity of the American people, the lure to join the military quickly built into fever pitch. These new soldiers had never experienced war. Most had not even been born when the War of 1812 ended. What they knew of battle was a product of books, plays, and family stories dipped in large doses of patriotism and glory and void of death and suffering. Thus, on the surface, war sounded like the greatest adventure known to man. In a very real sense, officers and newly enlisted men alike both saw the war as little more than a parade action.

In this climate, Colonel Thomas Gallagher, Lieutenant Colonel James Porter, and Major Samuel Jackson were directed to create the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment and within days more than a thousand men from throughout the commonwealth jumped at the chance to teach the Rebs a lesson. These passionate volunteers signed to serve just three months. Why? Because that was how long most predicted it would take until the South was tamed and peace was restored to the nation. With an easy victory seemingly ensured, on April 26, 1861, when the men of the 11th left West Chester and headed for Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, for training and organization, the mood was upbeat. Mothers weren't worried about losing sons and few of the men were concerned about dying in battle. In order to fully frame this upbeat and casual mood, a local citizen marched forward soon after the unit's creation with a five-week-old pit bull terrier puppy and presented it to Captain William Terry. This small helpless terrier seemed more a burden than a gift, but the captain readily accepted it figuring the dog would offer his men a diversion during training. The new recruits barked out possible names for their tiny mascot. Finally, after much discussion, the terrier was christened in honor of a beautiful local woman and the unit's colonel, Phaon Jarrett. Thus the tiger-striped pup, barely large enough to fit into a man's hand, became Sallie Ann Jarrett. At that moment of celebration no one could have predicted the horrific price of the war or that the dog's name would still be remembered and honored almost two centuries later.

By modern military standards, the training experienced by the men of the 11th might seem lax. On some days there was as much kidding around as there was teaching and drilling. Thus, there was plenty of time to spoil the growing pup. Using treats and kindness, many of the young soldiers attempted to win the favor of Miss Sallie. In fact, there seemed to be a competition to gain the undying loyalty of the unit's mascot. In those moments war seemed a million miles away and the men were more boys at summer camp than soldiers preparing to engage in a life-and-death struggle. Even when the regiment was assigned to the Army of the Shenandoah and shipped to Maryland, few sensed the horror that lay just over the horizon.

The 11th initially drew guard duty at Annapolis. A few weeks later they...