The Battle Of Gettysburg fought on July 1st-3rd, 1863 is the most famous battle of the Civil War. Virtually every Civil War buff knows some facts about the battle from the charge of the 20th Maine to Pickett's doomed assault. But what most people don't know are the first soldiers to fall in what became America's bloodiest battle. This thread will detail some of that info.

First Union Soldier To Die On Pennsylvania Soil

On June 22nd, 1863 a cavalry detachment of the 1st New York approached the small town of Greencastle, PA. Outside of the town they ran into pickets of the 14th Virginia Cavalry who were laying down in a wheatfield. When the Union cavalry came into view they opened fire into them. During the brief exchange of gunfire Corporal William Rihl was shot and killed. His comrades retreated leaving his body as it fell on the battlefield. The Confederates buried him in a shallow grave before moving on.

William Rihl's remains still lay at the exact spot where he was killed outside of Greencastle and are marked by a large monument to the first Union casualty to fall in Pennsylvania.

First To Be Killed At Gettysburg

A few days after the death of Corporal Rihl, a detachment of Union cavalry of the 21st Pennsylvania approached Gettysburg from the south on the Baltimore pike. It was here that they ran into Confederate pickets from the 35th Virginia cavalry. After exchanging shots with each other the 21st lost a man due to enemy fire. This soldier became the first Union soldier to fall on the fields of Gettysburg prior to the battle.

His name was George Washington Sandoe. Private Sandoe had served with the 21st Pennsylvania for only about a week when he was killed in action.

His comrades after the war returned to Gettysburg and erected a monument on the spot where their Private Sandoe had fallen. This monument viewed below is seldom visited by tourists to the Gettysburg battlefield most driving right by it on their way to the new visitor center. It is only known to those who have studied the battle closely and know of Private Sandoe's sacrifice in the opening salvos of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

First To Fall During The Battle

On July 1st, 1863 General John Buford deployed his soldiers on three ridges outside of Gettysburg in order to delay the advance of Confederates coming down the road from Chambersburg. One of these units that was deployed was the 12th Illinois Cavalry. After fighting all morning the 12th having expended all of their ammunition and water supplies running low sent Private Gabriel Durham with eight canteens to refill them for the exhausted soldiers roasting under the July sun.

Private Durham while crossing a field to get to the nearby stream was struck by a fragment of an artillery round that penetrated his hip causing him to fall. Gabriel was retrieved off the field by his comrades where the company surgeon stopped the bleeding but judged the wound to be fatal.

Gabriel was transferred to the Lutheran Seminary where he lingered for three weeks before dying in the arms of his father, Pleasent Durham who had traveled to Pennsylvania to comfort his dying son. Gabriel's body was transferred back to Illinois where it could rest in the soil of his home state.