Getttysburg, PA
On a balmy afternoon in June of 1863, Federal General John
Buford
peered through his binoculars across a field just west of the town of
Gettysburg.
He was perplexed as he gazed at a column of Confederate soldiers
marching
along Chambersburg Pike. He knew this body of men was too large for a
raiding
party; what he didn’t know was that they were an advance element of
Confederate
General Heth’s division. What he didn’t know was that he was to be the
general to instigate the pivotal battle of the American Civil War. What
he didn’t know was that three days later, fifty three thousand men
would
soak the fields red with the blood of the dead and dying.
It is with little wonder that an abundance of ghost sightings
are
reported time and again from visitors who frequent the town and
battlefield
year after year. It is as well with little wonder that Gettysburg has
obtained
the reputation of being the most haunted place in America. Even the
skeptics
who refuse to believe even in the possibility of ghosts, won’t refute
the
possibility of this haunted locale. Could that be due to the magnitude
of the historical event? Could it be the reverence of this hallowed
ground
by students of history and John Q. Public? Could it even be that the
ardent
skeptic will unknowingly open themselves up to the possibility with the
mind numbing knowledge of the macabre event which took place 136 years
ago.
On July 1, 1863, what began as a skirmish soon escalated into
a
heated battle with the arrival of Federal General John Reynolds’
infantry.
The Confederates pressed, and soon found the Union troops retreating
chaotically
towards the little town. The streets were thick with soldiers as the
Federals
retreated toward a designated rallying point just beyond town at
Cemetery
Hill and Culps Hill. Confederate sharpshooters took up positions
through
out as their prey was easy and plentiful. Some took position in the
Farnsworth
House, a small home situated along Baltimore Pike. Their perch was
magnificent
due to the locale on the main road through town. They mercilessly fired
upon retreating soldiers, often hitting their mark. The streets were
strewn
with dead.
Today, the Farnsworth house functions as a Bed &
Breakfast.
Bullet holes can still be seen on the southside wall. It is here that
many
guests report seeing an apparition at the end of the bed during the
night,
while other guests have reported doors opening and closing through
their
own volition. One woman incredulously has reported her infant being
lifted
by unseen hands and gently placed back down.
A local radio station wished to broadcast via remote one
Halloween
in particular. They contacted a local author/historian who in turn
contacted
a renowned psychic. As airtime approached at 6:00 am, the crew needed
to
tap into the phone lines for the broadcast. The crew needed to run
cables
to another sight since all phone lines were down at the Farnsworth. No
lights, no dial tone, nothing. As the psychic toured the house to gain
impressions, she got the distinct feeling that someone was trying to
convey
concern that traitors were about, and they didn’t want their position
given
away. It was realized later that the radio crew was wearing all blue.
Blue
shirts, and blue jeans. They also referred to their contact at the
radio
station as “ The Captain”. Could those Confederate lost souls have
misconstrued
the presence of these individuals as Federal soldiers?
The time had come for the crew to depart to a different area
of
town while continuing their broadcast. As they were leaving, every
light
on the phone began flashing desperately, and then reducing to one
intercom
light. As the psychic picked up the receiver, she heard no one and hung
up. The light began flashing with desperation again, while the psychic
picked up the receiver. This time she spoke aloud to an unseen visitor.
She instructed this poor individual to move on, that he didn’t need to
be a soldier anymore. As they left, the light continued to blink.
Perhaps
this soul was unable to let go.
The group continued down the street to the Jennie Wade House.
It
was here that the only civilian casualty was to meet her fate. As
twenty-year
old Jennie baked bread for Union troops, a bullet ripped through the
door,
striking her down in an instant. Given the danger outside, the family
and
soldiers removed a wall and carried the body to the basement. Jennie
was
to lie in state for the duration of the battle while her family grieved
and took refuge in the cellar. A beautiful young woman who lost her
life
before she could find out the fate of her beloved fiancé;
sergeant
Johnston (Jack) Skelly, killed in a battle near Winchester. The unlucky
individual who had the unfortunate task to inform her was a childhood
friend,
Wesley Culp, who had joined a Virginia militia and therefore went to
war
with the Confederacy. Wesley found Jack wounded and dying as a prisoner
of war and swore he would deliver the horrible message. He never had
the
opportunity. Early on July 3 1863, Wesley himself would meet his
demise;
struck down upon the hill bearing his family name; Culps Hill.
As the radio crew and psychic approached the house, she
immediately
sensed uneasiness. Many visitors before have felt the same while some
refused
to enter the cellar. Still, others would leave hurriedly while video
cameras
that worked without flaw prior to the basement, will record
nothingness.
As the psychic relayed the presence of at least three souls, a feeling
of torment prevailed. The group began to ascend the stairs and when she
halted along with the house manager, the chain separating the visitor
area
and the spot where Jennie laid began to swing. The movement was odd,
for
it swung as if it were a solid wire. For a full minute, the chain swung
like this as other members of the group quickly descended the stairs.
The
chain stopped swinging abruptly, deliberately.
The morning of July 2 1863 awoke with the battle lines drawn.
The
Federal lines extended from Spangler’s Spring and Culps Hill southward
to a hill known as Little Round Top, resembling that of a fish hook.
The
Confederate lines paralleled the Union lines about a mile away.
Confederate
General Robert E. Lee ordered simultaneous attacks on both the left and
right flanks. Confederate Texans under General John Bell Hood assaulted
with wave after wave through the Triangular Field, across the Devils
Den
and up the rocky height of the Little Round Top. It was here that Union
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain of the 20th Maine Regiment made his
lionhearted stance. With fewer than thirty percent of his original
regiment,
and dry of ammunition, he ordered a bayonet charge against the
Confederates,
taking them utterly by surprise, thus preserving the Union left flank.
The Triangular Field , situated one hundred yards southwest of
the
Devils Den is notorious for supernatural activity. It is common for
recording
equipment to either malfunction or cease to work at all. Visitors have
reported the sounds of gunshots and drum rolls emanating from the
wooded
area of the field. Others have reported the apparitions of
sharpshooters
among the tree line, taking careful aim at an enemy absent for over a
century.
The local author/historian mentioned earlier, escorted a television
camera
crew out to the field for a special on Gettysburg ghosts. A prior
equipment
check showed everything was in working order. At the moment they
entered
the field, all equipment malfunctioned. As they exited the field, the
cameras
began working again. They entered and exited the field numerous times,
only to have this bizarre pattern continue. As they filmed the field
just
outside of it’s perimeter, they were disappointed to learn that no film
recorded of the field itself came out.
The Devils Den is a large patch of rocks where many
Confederate
sharpshooters took refuge in order to exact their death toll upon Union
officers atop the hills of Little and Big Round Tops. In 1970, a
tourist
approached a park ranger and inquired about stories of Gettysburg being
haunted. The Park Service cannot answer such questions but the ranger
asked
‘why?’ The woman stated as she was taking photographs of the Devils
Den,
a man suddenly appeared beside her and said, “What you’re looking for
is
over there.” Pointing northeast toward the Plum Run, she turned
to
look and the man vanished. The ranger asked for a description, and she
felt he looked ragged and like that of a hippie. Barefooted with torn
butternut
shirt and trousers, wearing a big floppy hat. This was often the attire
of Confederate Texans. A few weeks later, the same ranger was
approached
by yet another visitor with the same question. The man said he was
taking
pictures and a man mentioned to look elsewhere and disappeared. His
description
was identical to the woman’s.
The Little Round Top is an unimpressive hill overlooking the
Devils
Den and the wheatfield. As the extreme left flank of the Federal lines,
it has had its share of carnage. During the filming of the movie
Gettysburg,
many re-enactors would find themselves with some down time. Although
the
movie was not filmed on the battlefield, it was not uncommon for these
extras to walk upon the battlefield in their period uniforms. One small
group of men found themselves atop the Round Top, admiring the view as
the sun began to set. A rustling of the leaves behind them alerted them
to the presence of a stranger. From the brush emerged a rather haggard
looking old man, dressed as a Union private. The man was filthy and
smelled
of sulfur, a key ingredient of the black powder used in 1863. He walked
up to the men and as he handed them a few musket rounds, he said “Rough
one today, eh boys?” He turned and walked away. As the re-enactors
looked
upon the musket rounds, they looked up to see the man had vanished.
When
they brought the rounds into town, they were authenticated as original
rounds 130 years old! Many visitors have reported the smell of
gunpowder,
and have heard gunshots and screams from the Little Round Top over the
years.
Friday, July 3 1863 was a new day already polluted with the
stench
of death and war. For two days, 175,000 men have engaged in the
bloodiest
battle before or since on the American continent. The morning was
somewhat
uneventful, with the exception of some fighting at Culps Hill; which
had
ended by late morning. At 1:00 p.m., 140 Confederate cannon opened fire
on the Union center. For two hours, the largest cannonade ever
witnessed
pounded the Federal lines. So fierce was the shelling, that one could
not
see across the mile of open field to ascertain whether or not their
targets
have been hit. So loud was the shelling that the attack was heard in
Washington
DC; some 80 miles away. This was the preamble for one of the most
infamous
military events. This was the preamble for what was to become known as
Pickett’s Charge. After the second hour of the cannonade was up, some
12,000
Confederate infantrymen emerged from the woods. Formed in battle line,
they began the deadly march across the mile of open field. How the
Union
soldiers must have gazed wide eyed as 12,000 fixed bayonets glistened
in
the summer sun, all preparing to converge on a single stretch of stone
wall known as The Angle. Long range cannon fire sent explosive shells
into
the rebel ranks. As they neared, the artillerymen changed to canister
shot;
a typed of buckshot fired from a cannon. Closer still the rebels
marched;
closing holes in the line left by soldiers killed en masse. A
deafening
musketry opened from the Yankee lines behind cover of the stone wall.
Still,
the Confederates came. As the survivors reached the stone wall, brutal
hand to hand combat ensued, but alas, the rebels, tired and outnumbered
quickly lost momentum.
The entire charge lasted less than an hour. In that time,
10,000
Confederates lay dead and dying. With the failure of the charge, the
battle
ended. Robert E. Lee retreated back into Virginia. Thus ended Lee’s
second
invasion of the north. Thus ended the Confederacy’s hope for
independence.
Although the war would continue for two more years, the Army of
Northern
Virginia would never fully recover from this loss.
The Angle is a beautifully maintained area of landscape. One
can
still look out across the field from where Pickett’s Charge originated.
A park ranger while on routine patrol one night noticed a man on
horseback.
As the rider neared, the ranger wondered who would be on the
battlefield
so late; on horseback. Upon closer inspection, the ranger noticed the
attire
of the rider. It was that of a Civil War officer although the
allegiance
could not be ascertained. The unknown horseman approached to within 10
feet of the car and promptly disappeared. Other visitors have reported
the sound of galloping horses in the immediate area of The Angle,
although
none were present. Sounds of the cannonade have permeated through time
as people report hearing the thunderous roar of battle. One visitor
even
reported seeing Robert E. Lee himself, sitting atop his horse,
Traveller,
on the opposite side of the field. A resident of Gettysburg, and
amateur
ghosthunter mentions that during a stroll across the field on a warm
summer
night, cold spots were common. Going from balmy humidity to sudden
cold,
so cold he could see his breath, the fellow continued the path of
Pickett’s
infantrymen.
Although there are literally hundreds of ghostly tales
concerning
Gettysburg, one must wonder how many more stories are out there.
Surely,
not everyone who has experienced such phenomenon has reported it. Even
to walk the field, especially at night or early morning, when the
crowds
have gone; one can feel the energy, the aura of this most hallowed
ground.
A truly humbling experience as one contemplates the enormity of this
event.
Do the dead look at us with equaled wonderment? Are they forever
trapped
in a pocket of time, a nightmare from which they cannot awake? The
ghosts
are there, you can feel them. You can feel the event if you allow
yourself,
as this ground has been consecrated by the blood of tens of thousands.
by Phil_Keller@mail.sel.sony.com (Phil Keller)
Special thanks to Mark Nesbitt, whose books Ghosts of
Gettysburg
Volumes I-IV served as an invaluable resource
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