In her waning years, Elizabeth Thorn wrote for the Gettysburg Compiler an account of her experiences at the Battle of Gettysburg. Her husband, Peter, had joined the 138th Pennsylvania, leaving her pregnant and with three children at home. Her only male family member was her aged father. The Thorns were the caretakers of the Evergreen Cemetery and lived in the gatehouse.

Jubal Early‘s Confederates first came through on June 26. Gunshots were heard in the distance, men in butternut appeared in the cemetery, and soon, they were at Elizabeth’s door.

She wrote, “The one who come up the Pike said, ‘Yes, the . . . shot at me, but he did not hit me, and I shot at him and blowed him down like nothing, and here I got his horse and he lays down the Pike.’” Elizabeth fed the man and his comrades buttermilk and bread (at their insistence).

The man killed was George Washington Sandoe, generally considered the first casualty of the Battle of Gettysburg, though his death occurred a full week before the vast majority of the fighting in and around the town.

This was the beginning of harrowing days ahead for Elizabeth. As the wife of the caretaker of Evergreen Cemetery in Gettysburg, she found herself performing unimaginable labor in the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg—burying the dead while six months pregnant. Her efforts went largely unrecognized for more than a century, but today she is honored as one of the town’s civilian heroes.

Life Before the Battle

Elizabeth Masser Thorn was born in Germany in 1832 and immigrated to the United States, settling in Gettysburg. She married Peter Thorn, also a German immigrant, and together they lived in the Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse, where Peter served as caretaker. Their responsibilities included maintaining the cemetery and digging graves for local burials. At the time of the battle, the couple had three children and were well-respected members of the community.

In 1862, Peter enlisted in the 138th Pennsylvania Infantry, leaving Elizabeth to manage the cemetery on her own while caring for her children and elderly parents. Though challenging, she continued her duties as best she could.

The Battle of Gettysburg

As the Confederate army moved into Pennsylvania in June 1863, Gettysburg residents feared what was to come. The cemetery sat on Cemetery Hill, a key defensive position for the Union Army. When battle erupted on July 1, the cemetery became a part of the Union line, and soldiers took up positions in and around the gatehouse. Elizabeth recorded that Generals Oliver Otis Howard, Daniel E. Sickles, and Henry Slocum held a late-night meeting at their home on July 1. Howard ordered them to the cellar and then, at 4 am, he ordered the family to vacate the area.

After the battle ended on July 3, Elizabeth returned to find Evergreen Cemetery in ruins—trenches had been dug through burial plots, tombstones were shattered, and bodies of the dead lay scattered across the ground.

The heat on July 3 touched 87 with high humidity that certainly made the real-feel temperature in the upper 90s. The next day saw a deluge of rain that wrought misery among the wounded. Summer heat returned shortly thereafter.

What followed next is certainly heroic, and it was memorialized in 2002 with the placement of a sculpture in the cemetery to honor both Thorn and all women who were affected by war. But the context on why Elizabeth did what she did is critical—in many ways, she had no choice. Cemetery Hill was covered in dead and wounded men and horses. Elizabeth’s home was literally on the hill and in this cemetery. Some of the dead had been there since July 1 or July 2. They had bloated, then been rained on, which bloated them further. With the return of the heat, putrefaction—the bloating and blackening of bodies—accelerated. The stench was unbearable; the threat to health was immediate and real. Wells were fouled by rotting limbs and dead bodies. The malodorous air sickened people across the town. Across the area, more than 6000 were dead, and the town had only 2000 residents.

In the heat, the family almost certainly could not close their home’s windows, and yet, leaving them open exposed the children to the rot and decay.

Despite being six months pregnant, Elizabeth, along with a few older men (including her father) and boys, took on the grueling task of burying more than 100 soldiers in the July heat. Without proper tools or help, she dug graves by hand, working long hours despite her pregnancy.

In an interview later in life, she recalled the experience with solemnity, saying:
“Many a grave I made where I knew not the name, but I could say, ‘Some mother’s son lies here.’”

The work was exhausting and had lasting effects on her health. She later said, “I have never been well since that time.” The baby she carried at that time was Rosa Meade Thorn (no doubt named, in part, for General George Meade whom she may have encountered during the battle).

Life After the War

Peter Thorn returned home in 1865, suffering from the physical toll of war. The couple continued living in Gettysburg, appearing in census records from 1870, 1880, and 1900. Peter resumed his role as cemetery caretaker, which he held until 1875, and Elizabeth continued raising their family.

The long-term effects of her wartime labor seemed to have impacted not only her health but also that of her unborn child. Rose Meade Thorn, born on November 1, 1863, was described as frail and sickly throughout her life. She died at the age of 14, and Elizabeth always believed that her own physical strain during pregnancy contributed to Rose’s poor health.

Despite their hardships, the Thorns remained in Gettysburg for the rest of their lives.

Final Days in Harrisburg

In her later years, Elizabeth’s health continued to decline. In early 1907, Peter passed away. Elizabeth moved to Harrisburg to live with her daughter, Lillian. It is possible that she sought medical treatment there, as the city had better healthcare facilities than Gettysburg.

She passed away on October 17, 1907, at the age of 75. Though she died far from the battlefield where she had performed her most grueling labor, her legacy remained tied to Gettysburg. She was buried beside her husband, Peter, in Evergreen Cemetery—the very ground she had worked so tirelessly to maintain.

Legacy and Recognition

For many years, Elizabeth Thorn’s contributions remained largely unrecognized. However, in 2002, Gettysburg honored her with a bronze statue, “The Gettysburg Women’s Memorial,” near the Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse. The statue depicts her standing with a shovel in hand, visibly pregnant, paying tribute to the civilian sacrifices of war—particularly those of women.

Her story is a reminder that war does not only affect soldiers. The burdens of conflict also fall upon those who must rebuild, mourn, and carry on in its wake. Elizabeth Thorn’s strength and perseverance ensure that she will never be forgotten in Gettysburg’s history.