On July 1, 1863, as the Union army fell back through Gettysburg, Colonel Charles Wheelock of the 97th New York sought refuge in the home and school of Carrie Sheads—only to be overtaken by Confederate soldiers. “The rebel commander demanded his sword, but the colonel refused to give it up, as it was a gift from friends.”

At that moment, as more prisoners entered, the Confederate officer’s attention drifted, and—in a flash—“Miss Sheads unbuckled his sword and slipped it into the folds of her dress, unnoticed.” She kept it hidden until Wheelock returned five days later to reclaim it.

During and after the battle, Carrie and her students cared for 70 wounded soldiers. Four of her brothers served in the Union Army and all died as a result of their service.