Near this spot on the afternoon of July 1, 1863, Lt. Col. George F. McFarland, 151th Pennsylvania Volunteers, fell severely wounded as a deadly Confederate crossfire swept Seminary Ridge. Struck in both legs, he fell instantly. A private hoisted McFarland up and carried him in the north end of the Seminary building as rebel forces approached from the west. "I lay on the floor in my blood", recalled McFarland. Late on July 3, he was placed on a makeshift operating table and his right leg was amputated just below the knee.
Following the Confederate retreat, his wife and two young children traveled to Gettysburg to be by his side. The Seminary hospital provides shelter and comfort for the wounded from both sides until September 16 when McFarland was the last patient to leave. His story is depicted in the museum 3rd floor exhibit. Although his injuries crippled him for life, McFarland later served as the first superintendent of the Pennsylvania Soldiers' Orphan Schools system in McAlisterville, Pennsylvania.
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