After the horrible scenes that happened in Gettysburg in 1863, is it any wonder why this is known as the most haunted place in America?
Thousands upon thousands of soldiers became casualties in or near the quiet Pennsylvania farm town called Gettysburg. The bloody battle ensued here on July 1st, 2nd and 3rd of 1863. It did not matter if they were fighting for the north or the south, their blood mingled in the streets or fields where they fell.
Some died where they were wounded, some were carried to homes and makeshift hospitals where they later died, and other just lay suffering until death gave them relief.
It is no wonder why Gettysburg is often called the most haunted place in America. They came, and then they died without ever finding the peace they need to move on.
Many places in town have been reported to have ghost sightings, and the majority of them have had multiple sightings by numerous people over the years since the battle. Rarely will anyone deny the possibility that there is definitely some sort of presence here.
During the fierce battle, many of the dead were brought into town and the stench of death, in addition to that of the animal dead from the streets and surrounding area was overpowering. The townsfolk used lilac water to cover up the smell of death and decay, and to this day it is said that the lilac smell is often noticeable at ghost sightings.
One of the most well known locations of ghost sightings has been the area of Devil's Den. There are many theories of how this mass of huge boulders got its name, but after the battle, it really didn't matter because the moniker fit so well to describe what happened there.
The fierce fighting that occurred at Devil's Den on the second day of the battle claimed many lives. In the aftermath of the carnage, it is said that a war correspondent/photographer moved some bodies in order to snap a good photograph. The souls of those men moved for this reason are rumored to have never found peace, even to this day.
On a visit to Spangler's Spring, you may encounter a "woman in white." It is not known who she is, but folks have continually seen this specter over the years since the 1880s. It is not reported to be connected with the Civil War battle in Gettysburg, but the legend is that she met her sweetheart at this spring and after one last meeting, apparently for him to tell her that their relationship was not going to work out, she took her own life and died in his arms. The woman in white still wanders the area, most likely with a broken heart that has lasted over a hundred years.
One bit of phenomenon that seems to have countless reports is malfunctioning cameras of tourists. Often these sites are the places in Gettysburg that saw some of the fiercest fighting during those three summer days of 1863. Sometimes cameras refuse to work at all, sometimes the entire picture isn't there. There have been reports of things appearing on the developed picture that were not witnessed by the eye of the photographer while taking the picture. One place this has often occurred is called the Triangular Field. Another locality that does not seem to appreciate photographers is Devil's Den, which is understandable considering the circumstances with the war photographer mentioned previously.
Often a photographer snapping a photograph of someone standing in the Triangular Field will see a very clear day and the field with grass in the background. When receiving the developed picture, however, the background behind his subject will recurrently only be black.
The Jennie Wade House and Museum is thought by many to house a ghost of its own. Twenty year old Jennie was the only civilian to lose life in Gettysburg during the battle. She had been baking bread when felled by a sharpshooter's bullet. Her father had spent time in jail, and then after release was institutionalized and died in the "poor house." His spirit is said to now wander through the rooms of his daughter Georgia's house, where Jennie died while helping her sister.
In 1863, what is currently the Old Time Photos photography studio, General John Reynolds was carried by some of his troops after he became the first Union General wounded in the battle of Gettysburg. At the time, it was the George George house, and businesses and families occupying the building since 1863 have reported strange happenings. The blood of Reynolds is said to have soaked the floor boards, but is more than the blood left there of him today?
It would be impossible to list all the houses, churches, and other buildings in the town of Gettysburg that have stories connected to ghosts. The site of what is now the Soldier's National Museum was the old orphanage in town. Cries of the long departed children have been heard echoing within the walls. The story is that the children were treated very badly at the orphanage, and their sobs remain through the ages as a reminder of their mistreatment.
Although various buildings have been listed here, a great number of the spirit appearances have been on the battlefield itself. There are mutiple areas where the conflicts arose during the battle, and obviously where lost spirits still wander. Pickett's Charge, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and Little Round Top are just a few.
There are currently places in Gettysburg that offer "ghost tours." Period costumed guides take guests walking through the streets by lantern light. Often folks do their own ghost hunting, however, and realize that if restless spirits actually exist, they will most likely be found on the battlefield itself.
One such site of stories over the years is what is known as the "high water mark." This is where the part of history known as Pickett's Charge occurred on the third and last day of the battle of Gettysburg. It was the turning point of the Civil War, although the fighting went on for nearly two more years.
General George Pickett, following orders from Robert E. Lee, sent 13,000 Confederate troops across an open field and directly into the fire of the Union troops. They kept walking across the field, totally exposed to the bombardment of the Union, and they kept falling. For those who believe that spirits are sometimes left behind, and especially after violent death, where else but at a locality of such massacre would spirits still be calling out?
So many of the soldiers who died here were very young men. We need to really call them boys because a great number of them never had a chance to reach their 21st birthday. Do their spirits cry out for peace and closure for some reason, or do they simply want us to remember what happened on these hallowed grounds?
One of the heroes of the Civil War in general and Gettysburg in particular was Union Major General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He survived the war going on to later become the Governor of Maine. In 1889, he spoke words that may describe the spirit sightings best... "In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls."
