CONTACT: Jay Purdy, Legislative Information Office, 717-787-7895

HARRISBURG, Oct. 31 - When the 11th P.V.I. Preservation Foundation called on Sallie to again "go fetch," she once more proved that a bull terrier can be a "golden retriever."

Sallie was the legendary regimental mascot of the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the unit suffered heavy losses on the first day of the battle, the loyal Sallie stood watch over the dead until Union forces retook the field from the Confederates several days later. The figure of Sallie is portrayed on the 11th P.V.I. monument at Gettysburg.

Sallie was killed at the Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia, in 1865 and buried with military honors as the regiment remained under fire.

In 1998, the sale of replicas of Sallie raised enough money to restore the regiment's Gettysburg monument.

This year, a new version of the Sallie statue replica was sold to benefit the 11th P.V.I. Preservation Foundation's projects, including funds for an endowment trust for the monument to the 145th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry in the Gettysburg National Military Park. The monument is in the portion of the park known as "The Wheatfield," scene of heavy fighting on the second day of the three-day engagement.

In a 10 a.m. ceremony on Nov. 18 at the monument, the foundation will present a check for $3,000 for the endowment to state Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny. Readshaw is spearheading the Pennsylvania Gettysburg Monuments Project to restore and preserve the 146 monuments to individual Pennsylvanians and regiments at Gettysburg.

The campaign already has raised sufficient funds for repair and cleaning of the monuments. The goal now is to raise $325,000 to ensure that all future maintenance work is funded so the legacy of the monuments can be preserved for many generations to come.