The Gettysburg Files

                                                         THE BATTLEFIELD

On July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, one of the bloodiest battles in the history of man was fought in the fields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Over that three-day period, over 53,000 Americans were killed or wounded. To put that in perspective, that is 5,000 less American deaths than occurred during the entire Vietnam War. The carnage was evil beyond belief. The loss of life, the pain and the suffering is incomprehensible. Is there any wonder that the area is haunted? I do not know how it could not be. So many people died so suddenly, and in most cases, so young, there would have to be ghosts wandering around.

While this is probably true of any battlefield, it appears that Gettysburg has more sightings and unusual phenomena take place than any other. I think there are several reasons for this. For one, so many died in such a short time. Another reason I feel is that it happened on our own turf, so to speak and thus, millions visit the site every year. Lastly, with so many reenactments, considerable attention is paid to those who died there. Indeed, in a sense, the ghosts of the dead see their deaths played out over and over again. Recognition attracts spirits. Every ghost hunter and especially caseworkers know that. 

We have a tendency when looking back at something from the long ago past to romanticize it. We watch Civil War movies and get caught up in what we are seeing as we watch our favorite actors play their roles. In doing so, we almost dehumanize it. For us, it is entertainment. We watch the movie or show, and then turn it off when it is over and go about our lives. However, to those who were involved, that was their life and in so many cases, it was their death. We watch the battle in an air-conditioned theater or from the comfort of our couches. Those soldiers our actors are representing were in the heat of the battle, literally. They fought on the sweltering battlefield. They watched their friends and in some cases, relatives die. They worried about their own lives. There was nothing romantic about it. It was war: carnage, death, limbs lost.

Yet there was more than just death. For the living, there was pain, suffering and fear. There was the oppressive July heat. Water and food was in short supply. Medical attention was positively barbaric in comparison to today’s technology. Field hospitals could not handle the casualties. The wounded were often forced to lie in the hot sun, waiting for attention that may not come in time. The medical staff was over whelmed. Amputations were common and done in mere minutes. In many cases, there was little or no anesthetic available. Can you imagine the scene, the horrors it held?  

Still, you cannot forget the dead. Imagine if you can, or want to, what it must have been like to have so much death in such a small area. Bodies fell and were left to rot until after the battle was over. The bodies of soldiers, men’s and in some cases, women’s, (a few dressed up as men so they could fight for their beliefs) the bodies of horses and dogs. Can you imagine what it was like to see that, to step over that, to smell that? The stench alone must have been beyond belief. Then you would have to wonder whether you would be joining them in death, wondering if you would be rotting there soon. Can you imagine the sight of the field hospitals with bodies piled together like cordwood, limbs tossed out windows and landing in a heap? That was Gettysburg in early July, 1863.    

There are many stories of sightings and encounters with the battlefield dead. Truthfully, there are too many stories to discount. Soldiers have been seen, talked to and photographed. Some appeared but did not photograph. That in itself is telling. If you stand in that battlefield, you can feel the dead. If you close your eyes and just listen, you can picture the horrors that took place there. In many ways, the dead still live. The night is alive there. Believe me, you really can feel them. Go there some time and see for yourself, feel for yourself.

We walked around the battlefield on each of our days there. Amy and I often split up, although never straying too far away from each other. There were many times when I was sure someone was near me, someone I could not see. It was a sense of being watched, the sense of a presence nearby. In many cases that presence was very much nearby. I am talking inches. Whenever that happened, I took a step back and took a photograph. Whenever I did that, I got pictures of orbs. It was truly amazing. I took hundreds of pictures there. On some, I got nice orbs. Most of the time, I got nothing. Yet whenever I got a feeling, I got an orb. The area is indeed alive.

Paranormal experiences have been reported throughout the area. However, some areas are more often noted than others. The triangular field is noted for draining batteries on cameras, camcorders and assorted meters. There appears to be no scientific reason for this. We went into the triangular field on our first night in Gettysburg. Amy got some nice orb shots there. How we found it and survived the descent in the dark was amazing. Especially with my history of klutziness! In high school one time, my gym teacher once accused me of tripping over the painted foul line. He was probably right. Yet with camcorder in hand, I made it down there in the complete dark. I maneuvered around a fence, stepped in a puddle of water and tripped on several rocks. However, I did not go down. Amazing. Once Amy got her shots, I knew the trip was worth it. I should say that I had proof that it was worth it. I knew it all along. You know what? It would not have mattered if I hadn’t gotten the proof.

Devil’s Den is another hot spot. We sat on the boulders for a long time, listening to the night. I remembered the pictures of the bodies sprawled on the rocks. I remember hearing about the blood that soaked them. It was most gruesome. I picked up nothing on the camcorder but both Amy and I got some orb shots. The energy in Devil’s Den is amazing. I swear that the hair on the back of your neck stands up if you sit there quietly for a time. We also went to the noted Wheat Field one night. That field played a major role in the battle of Gettysburg. However, our stay there was short lived because as I got out of the car and took a couple of steps, I sank ankle deep in mud. For a second, I wondered whether there was quick sand in Pennsylvania. In retrospect, it was the funniest thing. Unfortunately, it was quite cold that night so I did not fully appreciate the humor at the time. Well, I did laugh a little. By the way, Amy laughed a lot.

We stood on Little Round Top. The scenery is so beautiful, unless of course you have a musket aimed at you. We stood on Big Round Top. We walked the earth around the “high water mark for the Confederates.” It is the ground where General Pickett’s soldiers made their foolish and for most of them, their last charge. Ten thousand of them lay on that ground after the ill-advised and ill-fated charge. To see it now, to envision what happened there is amazing. Talk about energy.  

On our third day there, Amy would have an experience for the books. You will find that in the Farnsworth House article. It was an example of having an experience validated. Most of all, our trips to the battlefield were awesome experiences, more for the historical value than the ghostly one, even though we collected so much there. I said earlier that I went to Gettysburg because it was haunted. I left there more touched by the history than anything else and that is saying a lot when you realize how much we got on the paranormal level. Yes we got some great pictures and had some wild experiences but most of all we saw a piece of history, a sad and bloody and forgettable part of our history. Let me take that back; we must never forget what happened there, as disgraceful as it was and we must insure that nothing like it ever happens again. And we must never forget the dead.

In memory of Corporal Thomas W. Tuttle, Company K Regiment 19 Massachusetts Infantry. He died in Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. He was 20 years old.      

On to Jenny Wade Museum          Home          Back to Gettysburg         Photo Gallery