True Bits: The Dog

(Spoiler alert! You might not want to keep reading if you haven’t finished the book–each “true bit” gives the background on something real that inspired part of the novel: some big, some small)

This True Bit is a tiny one…

When Rosetta and the boys are hiding in cemetery at Rappahannock Station, Rosetta hears a dog barking down with the Pennsylvania soldiers. It was not rare for dogs to accompany soldiers into the Civil War, and here were at least two Pennsylvania regiments known to have dogs who traveled with them. If you want to get teary, here’s a video about one them named Sallie.

Photos of the dogs are uncommon, but here are 12 images, including the other Pennsylvania dog, Jack.