David McMillan Residence

Tom Elmore

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A description of the Caroline Buck (nee McMillan) Family Papers (1856-1978) at the Harvard University Library has led to a lot of interesting information from different sources on her father, David McMillan, whose property occupied a prominent location on Seminary Ridge. One of these was shared by randy596, who attached a wonderful history of the McMillan house in a previous thread, "the historic families of Gettysburg." Please refer to it for additional details.

Caroline, or Carrie as she was known, was born in the house to David and Louise Hetzer McMillan in 1844 or 1845. Her mother died during her birth. Carrie graduated from the Gettysburg Female Institute in 1863, prior to the battle. Her father David (1798-1885), had children John (b. 1831), Selma Jane (b. 1835), Oscar (b. 1838 or 1839), Martha Adelaide "Ada" (b. 1841), Laura and Carrie. When the battle commenced, David was in the house along with Laura and Carrie; Oscar was away in the army with Cole's Cavalry of Maryland Volunteers. Later that year, Carrie heard Lincoln deliver his famous address, and after the war she served as a missionary in India.

It was interesting to read in the history of the house that David planted a great variety of fruit trees. It is noted that at the 75th Anniversary of the battle, a former southern officer stopped by the house and fondly recalled taking a crock of the finest apple butter from the cellar shelf.

Varina Brown's, A Colonel at Gettysburg and Spotsylvania, comprises the recollections of Col. J. N. Brown of the 14th South Carolina. He wrote: "Our line passed by a farm house surrounded by a fine orchard and owned by a gentleman named McMillan, who canned his fruit, and abandoned all on the morning of the 1st. Our weary soldiers enjoyed these fruits. A well of water quenched their thirst." ... Brown went on to record that as of June 15, 1882, McMillan, the old gentleman, and his [second?] wife were still alive. He still lamented the loss of his store. The well was still in use.

The house was ransacked and most of the debris was used in the construction of lunettes for artillery pieces placed on both sides of the house. A Rifle and Parrott belonging to Capt. Joseph D. Moore's battery were positioned very close to the house on the south side, and two Rifles of Capt. Charles R. Grandy were a little further on. On the north side, perhaps at a little distance, were two Rifles of Capt. John W. Lewis' battery, along with two Rifles and a Parrott from Capt. Victor Maurin's battery, all part of Lt. Col. John J. Garnett's artillery battalion.

The house was perforated with artillery projectiles, and a round ball (.69 caliber?) was embedded in a door frame, presumably fired by a Federal skirmisher from out in the field to the east.

It appears Carrie did get one item back intact after the battle. On July 4 [5?], a Confederate passing the village of Seven Stars on the Chambersburg Pike handed a book to Mrs. John Shank as she stood by the roadway. On the flyleaf was written the name of the owner, "Carrie McMillan." On the other flyleaf the Confederate had written, "S. R. Doolittle, Company A, Georgia Volunteers, Sumter's Artillery Battalion, Anderson's Division, A. P. Hill's Corps." Opposite that was written, "S. R. Doolittle, a Georgian by birth, Alabamian by adoption, and a Pennsylvanian by a **** misfortune." Doolittle's Company A, under Capt. Hugh M. Ross, was posted about 1,700 feet south of the McMillan house, so presumably he had wandered over to the house during a quiet moment to obtain a souvenir.
 
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Great post, Tom.

Reminds me of my college days back in the 1970s. As a young student at Washington & Lee University, the main library had a large glass case in the main lobby where some antique books were displayed. One of the books had an inscription that explained that the book had been looted from the college library in 1864 when Gen. Hunter raided the area (it was the same raid on Lexington in which the Virginia Military Institute was torched) but had been returned after the war by an embarassed and guilty union soldier.
 
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