The War Chicken

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For months, at the height of the war, Lee had a pet hen named “Nillie” that laid an egg under his cot each day he never forgot to leave the tent flap open for her. Lee saw to it that the hen traveled with the army, even on so fateful a campaign as the invasion which ended at Gettysburg. When he began the retreat from that field, and the hen was nowhere to be found, the commanding general joined the search for his pet, and was not content until she was discovered and safely perched in his headquarters wagon.

“The story of Nellie is based on a historical account of Robert E. Lee’s pet chicken.  The little hen was rescued by a general and was seen in his camp following him wherever he went. A slave and cook William Mac Lee became very popular after the war telling the story about Nellie which afforded him to build his own church . To learn more CLICK HERE