- Imagine there is a battle brewing outside of your house.

Enemy troops have descended upon your community.

Soldiers are dodging gunfire in the streets.

Your windows are shattered by whistling bullets.

The fate of your country may hang in the balance.

What do you do?

These were the circumstances that befell 2,400 residents as combat engulfed Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1863.

(upbeat music) In his second major invasion of the North, Confederate General Robert E. Lee sought to destroy the United States army on its home turf and perhaps bring a conclusion to the American Civil War.

The invaders launched a wave of fear before them, confiscating livestock, emptying barns and enslaving free African Americans.

Elements of the two vast armies commenced the clash following a chance encounter on the western outskirts of Gettysburg on the morning of July 1st, 1863.

By sundown 50,000 soldiers had arrived on the field.

One out of every three of them became a casualty that day.

But not everyone who fought wore a uniform.

Watching the unfolding drama with far more than a passing interest was Gettysburg resident John Burns.

A cantankerous fellow, approximately 70 years old, Burns was considered a colorful and obstinate old timer who rarely withheld his strong opinions.

He was judgmental of his neighbors and loved a fiery debate.

Born in New Jersey, circa 1793, Burns had served in the war of 1812 and thereafter moved to the Gettysburg area around 1820.

Burns was well known for his talkative, testy, tall tale tendencies.

As he aged, his impatience made him a prime target for youthful pranksters.

One can almost envision him wielding a rifle in Clint Eastwood fashion, grumbling at children to get off his lawn.

Despite his age, Burns unsuccessfully attempted to enlist in the United States Army at the outbreak of the Civil War.

He instead settled for the temporary role of a wagon teamster with a union regiment.

Although he claimed to be a combat veteran of the war of 1812, Burns did not participate in a battle until one unexpectedly arrived at his front door, and it was to be the largest in the history of the Western hemisphere.

(guns banging) On July 1st, Burns was riled up.

Just days earlier, Confederates had entered his town and confiscated many of its goods.

Now they were back.

In the words of one Burns interviewer, this was more than the old fellow could stand.

His patriotism got the better of his age and infirmity.

Retrieving an antiquated musket from his house, Burns decided to venture toward the sound of the guns.

Burns fell in with the elite Midwestern troops of the famed Iron Brigade in the nearby Herbst Woods.

This small grove would witness some of the most devastating confrontations of the entire battle.

Accounts vary as to what happened next.

Certain tales claim that Burns killed or wounded several enemy combatants.

All the while, Burns himself was wounded in the ankle and perhaps elsewhere.

One rendition of the story claims Burns asked a union soldier to have his wife come retrieve him.

Her cold reply was, "I told him not to go out there."

Burns wounded and unable to flee, spent the night on the debris ridden battlefield.

The cries of the wounded echoed through the dark woods and pastures.

In the morning, he crawled to the adjacent Chambersburg road to seek help.

There, he was discovered by Confederate Soldiers.

Worried about being executed as a civilian bushwhacker, Burns smartly presented himself as an innocent farmer who became trapped between the armies.

Taking pity on the old man, the hoodwinked rebels relocated him to a nearby farmhouse, from where he was later evacuated to his own home and properly tended to.

The Battle of Gettysburg was a momentous victory for the United States and is often referred to as the turning point of the American Civil War.

Accordingly, American sought heroes of the battle to publicize and commemorate for national inspiration.

John Burns was all too happy to assume that role.

Reporters and a photographer named Timothy O'Sullivan pilgrimaged to Burns' home to capture the story.

O'Sullivan took several images of the gruff hobbled fighter next to his crutches and a flintlock musket.

Visitors can now see that musket in the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.

The photos were later converted into engravings that appeared on the front page of "Harper's Weekly", the most read newspaper in America.

Burns reveled in the limelight, posing for countless photos and giving interviews to anyone who would listen.

This major publicity blitz captured the attention of none other than Abraham Lincoln.

When the president journeyed to the town that November to dedicate the soldier's national cemetery with his Gettysburg address, he insisted upon meeting the so-called hero of Gettysburg.

Later, Burns refused letting his old age slow him down, although some question his mental sharpness over the years.

By 1871, he lived the life of a transient and was found in a state of destitution in New York City.

Returned to Gettysburg, the stubborn veterans soon after contracted pneumonia and refused medication.

He was sure his physical strength would overcome the ailment.

Sadly, it was not to be.

John Burns, hero of Gettysburg passed away on February 4th, 1872.

The old warrior was later immortalized in poetry, in veteran memoirs, on canvas, in silent films, and in sculpture that adorns the Gettysburg Battlefield to this day.

One can visit his final resting place in Gettysburg's Evergreen Cemetery.

His headstone is inscribed with the word patriot.

Though many aspects of Burns' life are contested, his epitaph is surely not among them.

To learn more about the colorful experiences of this iconic Pennsylvanian, check out the book "John Burns, the hero of Gettysburg" by Battlefield Guide, Timothy Smith.

We look forward to seeing you next time on "Past PA".

Until then, stay curious.

(upbeat music)