GREENCASTLE – Frances Marion Harris, better known to family and friends as “Dolly,” was born in a small house at 37 N. Carlisle St. on Nov. 2, 1845. She was the daughter of James and Elizabeth Harris who owned a cabinet making shop in town. Much of her young life has been lost to time and quite possibly so would her life in general had it not been for one fantastic act of defiance and bravery that would cement her name in history.
As the United States of America became embroiled in a heated Civil War, the town of Greencastle and Antrim Township would not be spared the atrocities of war. Men, women and children would watch as Confederate troops marched across the Mason Dixon line and would suffer the collateral damage of the invasion into the north.
On June 15, 1863, as Gen. George E. Pickett led his troops through Greencastle on their way to fight in the most significant battle of the war, the Battle of Gettysburg, many of the citizens watched as they passed through — some in awe, some in disgust, but none brave enough to stand up against them, except one.
As the wagons and horses of the Confederate Army moved down the street, a single solitary figure stood in the road, draped in the red, white and blue of the American flag with a look of disgust on her proud face. It was Dolly Harris, and she was determined to let the general and his men know of her discontent with their actions while in her hometown and her feelings of them as traitors to the nation. She shouted in anger her feelings of rage and her pride in the Union despite being in the presence of the enemy.
To his credit, Gen. Pickett in a display of respect and appreciation for her patriotism, raised his hat in salute to her and assured that no retaliation by his men would befall her. Instead, his men serenaded her by singing the Southern anthem, “Dixie” as they passed by. One of Pickett’s men would describe the scene several years after the war had ended.
“The bravest woman I ever saw was a Pennsylvania girl who defied Pickett’s whole division as we marched through the little town called Greencastle,” said Col. William Aylett. “She had the United States flag as an apron which she defiantly waved up and down as our columns passed by her and dared us to take it from her.”
Several other accounts from soldiers and civilians shared the story of Dolly Harris, the brave young girl, only 17 at the time, standing up to enemy soldiers. Her story became one of the most talked about and sought after when the war had ended. It appeared in the Harrisburg Telegram (1887), the Valley Echo (1891), McClure’s Magazine (1893) and later in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan and the Confederate Veteran.
As for Dolly herself, she would marry Civil War veteran, John R. Lesher (1833-1910), and they would have three children. Two boys, Harry (1871-1938), George (1879-1967), and a daughter named Myrtle (1884-1947). Despite her heroic celebrity, Dolly and her family lived fairly normal lives. In 1898, they moved from Greencastle to Chambersburg where Dolly would be a valued member of the community.
On February 17, 1906, at the age of 60, Dolly Harris died of a heart attack while working at an ice cream parlor on Memorial Square. Two days later, she was laid to rest in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Chambersburg with full military honors. Her simple act of patriotism made her the only woman in Franklin County to be buried with such a ceremony.
The legend of Dolly Harris lives on today in Greencastle through the Alison-Antrim Museum which features one of the famous paintings by artist Ron Lesser that hangs above the fireplace in the dining room. There are also other artifacts in the Dolly Harris collection on display throughout the museum. Dolly was not only a brave and patriotic hero of the Civil War, but one of the most beloved legends in the history of the Antrim-Greencastle community.
The Alison-Antrim Museum is located at 365 S. Ridge Ave., and they are open to the public from Tuesday-Friday, from noon-4 p.m. and on Saturday 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tours can be set up by appointment. Readers may visit the museum website at Allison-Antrim Museum – Museum, History, Historical Society
