Jack Skelly
Johnston Hastings "Jack" Skelly Jr. (August 4, 1841 – July 12, 1863) was a Union soldier – a corporal in the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry – who died as a result of wounds sustained at the Second Battle of Winchester. He was the friend, and possibly fiancé, of Jennie Wade, the only civilian to die in the Battle of Gettysburg.[1] He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, near Wade's grave.
Johnston Hastings Skelly Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Jack |
| Born | August 4, 1841 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
| Died | July 12, 1863 (aged 21) Winchester, Virginia |
| Buried | Evergreen Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1863 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | 87th Pennsylvania Infantry |
Biography
Skelly was born to parents Elizabeth and Johnston Skelly Sr.[2] in Gettysburg. He joined the Union Army, made the rank of corporal, and he and his brother Charles joined Company F of the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry, along with childhood friends William T. Ziegler and William Hotzworth. During the Battle of Carter's Woods near Winchester, Virginia, Jack, his brother, and their two friends were captured by enemy soldiers. After they were called upon to surrender, they attempted to flee, and Skelly was shot in the upper arm on June 15, 1863.[3] He died a month later. The Grand Army of the Republic post in Gettysburg was named after Skelly.[4]
Book
The book My Country Needs Me: the story of Johnston Hastings Skelly Jr., by Enrica D’Alessandro, includes five previously unpublished letters from Jennie Wade to Jack Skelly and is the first book about their relationship.[2]
References
- Petruzzi, pp. 220–21, 223. Skelly and Wade were childhood friends and some historians have speculated that they were engaged to be married. Only one letter between the two survived the war, and it had no romantic content.
- "My Country Needs Me: The Story of Corporal Johnston Hastings Skelly Jr., 87th Pennsylvania Infantry; A Son of... by Enrica D'Alessandro (May 1, 2012)". Retrieved Jul 4, 2020.
- "Untitled Document". Retrieved Jul 4, 2020.
- Citizen, Beverly Sayles Special to The. "Sayles: The story of three Gettysburg childhood friends". Auburn Citizen. Retrieved Jul 4, 2020.
Notes
- Bellamy, Jay. "Brother vs. Brother, Friend against Friend: A Story of Family, Friendship, Love, and War" (PDF). Prologue (Spring, 2013): 20.
- Petruzzi, J. David, and Steven Stanley, The Complete Gettysburg Guide, Savas Beatie, 2009, ISBN 978-1-932714-63-0.