Gettysburg Battlefield Investigation 2020
Gettysburg Battlefield Investigation 2020 
This was the largest engagement
during the entire Civil War. General Robert E. Lee was exhausted of fighting
battles on Northern soil so he decided to move his Army of Northern Virginia
north and draw General Meade’s Army northward as well. If Lee could destroy
the Army of the Potomac and positioned himself between the remnants of Meade’s
Army and Washington DC, he believed that he could sue for peace and created two
separate countries within one. Lee had just concluded a huge win at Chancellors
and then began his invasion of the North.
Lee led his estimated 77,000 men
northward, followed quickly by MG Meade’s estimated troop strength of around
104,000 men. The troops met at the crossroads town of Gettysburg for no good
reason. Lee’s Calvary officer MG Jeb Stuart was nowhere to be found as he was
disrupting the rear of the Union Army and, according to General Longstreet, “was
getting his name in the papers.” Calvary is the eyes of any army and
without those eyes, the army is blind. Lee had no idea where the Union Army was
or how man troops were on the field.
Meade, on the other hand, had
the Calvary Brigade of BG John Buford who was the first to arrive just west of
the McPherson Barn. Buford noticed Infantry marching blind without any Calvary.
He said that “was strange, very
strange.”
Around 8am on the morning of
July 1, 1863 Buford’s dismounted Calvary confronted advancing Infantry
southeast along the Chambersburg Pike under the command of MG Harry Heth. Buford
had between 2700-2950 total men in his command compared to Heth’s 27,000 men.
Buford was able to hold that ground for six hours due in fact that Heth’s Army
had to advance down narrow roads. His Army was quite literally stacked up and he
found it hard to advance quickly.
MG Buford used the nearby
Lutheran Theological Seminary’s copula as an observation post.
Eventually Union troops, the 1st
and 11th Corps known as the Black Hats under command of MG John
Reynolds arrived to assist. More Confederate forces arrived under LTG A.P. Hill
and LTG Richard Ewell until approximately 30,000 Confederates pushed the 20,000
Union troops back through town and they eventually formed a line along Cemetery
Hill and Culp’s Hill south of town owned in 1863 by Henry Culp.
One of the sad stories of the
war involved the Culp family, owners of the hill. Two of Henry Culp's nephews
were brothers: John Wesley Culp; and William Culp. Wesley joined the Confederate
States Army (the 2nd Virginia Infantry) and William the Union
Army (the 87th Pennsylvania Infantry). Wesley's
regiment fought at Culp's Hill, and he was killed in the fighting on his family
property on July 3. Ironically, he allegedly was carrying a message from another
soldier, a boyhood friend and Gettysburg native John Skelly, just deceased, to "Ginnie" Wade, the only civilian
killed during the battle. His brother William was not present at Gettysburg and
survived the war, but William Culp seemed to have regarded his brother as a
traitor, and never spoke of him again.
Around 1pm elements of MG Robert
E. Rhodes attacked and threatened the forces at McPherson and Oak Ridges. At
Barlow Knoll LG Jubal Early’s Confederates smashed into Union defenders here
around 3pm and the Union line collapsed.
Before the war Union Generals
Winfield Scott Hancock and John Reynolds were friends along with Confederate
General Lewis Armistead. Sadly, they would fight against each other here at
Gettysburg.
MG John Reynolds was attempting
to dislodge Confederate snipers around 10:15am from what would eventually be
called “Reynold’s Woods”. Reynolds was supervising the placement of the
2nd Wisconsin, he yelled at them, "Forward
men forward for God's sake and drive those fellows out of those woods."
At that moment he fell from his horse with a wound in the back of the upper
neck, or lower head, and died almost instantly. Command passed to his senior
division commander, MG Abner Doubleday. MG John Reynolds was the highest ranking
Union officer to killed during the entire Civil War.
The men of BG Alfred Iverson’s
North Carolina Brigade were preparing to outflank the Union First Corps at Oak
Hill at around 2:30pm. This spot was the northernmost point of Seminary Ridge.
They were formed into their line of battle and advanced towards a line of trees
about 300 yards away. The brigade was made up of the 5th, 12th,
20th and 23rd North Carolina Infantries. To their left
front was a low stone wall but they paid no mind to it and sent no pickets to
probe that area. The believed they were about to crash through the woods and
roll up the flank of the Yankees on the other side.
The general committed the
unpardonable sin for a general of not going forward with his troops. With the
words, “Give them hell!”, he sent
his men ahead while he himself stayed in the rear, where he was unable to
correct what soon proved to be a fatally flawed alignment. No skirmishers were
sent forward to survey the land ahead. Thus “unwarned,
unled as a brigade, went forward Iverson’s deserted band to its doom”,
wrote the scribe of the North Carolina regiments.
With the retreat of O’Neal’s
Brigade, Iverson’s left flank was exposed to Federal fire. Iverson’s men
veered toward a stone wall and Union BG Henry Baxter’s entire brigade rose up
from behind it and ambushed the surprised Confederates.
Suddenly, a vast sheet of flame
erupted from the stone wall. Some Federal soldiers, who were crouched down
behind the wall, could not believe their good fortune at having an entire
Confederate brigade served up to them on a platter, so they burst over the top
of the wall and let loose a withering volley at the unsuspecting rebels at
point-blank range. Hundreds of North Carolinians fell in straight lines just as
they marched. In the initial volley, about 500 men of Iverson’s men fell. It
was perhaps the most intense one-sided minute of slaughter in the war. The
Federals poured volley after volley into Iverson’s Brigade. Iverson’s
advances were slowed and then stopped. Seeing an opportunity, the Federals
counterattacked taking over 400 prisoners. Many who didn’t fall in the first
volleys waved white handkerchiefs and were quickly taken prisoner.
The brigade was at the time
spoken of as having behaved badly, owing to a mistake of General Iverson who
reported to General Rodes, in the midst of the fight, that one of his regiments
had raised the white flag and gone over in a body to the enemy. The only
foundation for this report was that two of his regiments were almost entirely
surrounded in consequence of the giving way of the Alabama Brigade and the
concentration of the enemy at that point, and were all either killed or captured
almost to a man.
The gallant resistance, however,
which they made may be shown by a statement coming from General Rodes himself
that, riding along behind where their line had been, he thought he observed a
regiment lying down, as it to escape the Yankee fire. Ongoing up, however, to
force them into the fight, he found they were corpses. A captain rallied some of
the remaining men of the brigade and led them until the Federals had been chased
through the town of Gettysburg. At that point General Iverson attached his
remnants to General Ramseur’s command. For the rest of the battle, Iverson was
without authority, and his men were not again engaged.
In the day after the battle,
they were buried in an unmarked mass grave, virtually in the same spots where
they fell. For years after, the farmer who owned the land, the Forney Farm,
claimed that his wheat grew the tallest in that part of the field.
When the first day of fighting
ended, the Confederate’s held the upper hand and the high ground along
Seminary Ridge. Lee decided to continue the offensive, putting his 70,000 man
army against MG George Gordon Meade’s army of 93,000 men. Lee was quoted as
saying the Meade was a new commander, a Pennsylvania man and that “he would be cautious.”
Culp’s Hill was different. Lee
had sent LTG Richard Ewell to “take that
hill, if practical.” Ewell used his discretion and decided not to take
that hill but to reconnoiter the hill instead. It was considered to be one the
biggest missed opportunities of the entire battle. When Gen. Isaac Ridgeway
Trimble conferred with Lee at the end of Day 1, he was flabbergasted at the
decision not to take that hill. Trimble told Ewell, “Gen. Ewell, give me one Division and I will take that hill. (There
was no reaction to this request) Gen
Ewell, give me one Brigade and I will
take that hill. (Ewell put his hands behind his back and just blinked) “General,
give me one Regiment and I will take that hill.” That hill commanded the
town and before nightfall the Union Army’s axes could be heard building
breastworks and digging trenches. A lot of Confederates would die in the coming
days in an attempt to take that hill, which they never did.
Day 2 began very late when LTG
Longstreet’s assaults began at Warfield Ridge. They were directed against
Union troops occupying the Devil’s Den, the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard and
against Meade’s undefended left at Little Round Top. MG John Bell Hood was
given command of the actual assault and would lose an arm in the attempt.
He resisted this effort and
reported back to Longstreet that “the
hill is strewn with rocks and if I attempt to charge up, I will be exposed to
enfilade fire,” he continued, “
the Federals don’t even have to shoot; all they have to do is roll rocks down
on us.”
Longstreet told Hood that he
argued with Lee about this and suggested a flanking attack which the commanding
general resisted. Hood said that they need to attack from the right, a flanking
maneuver. Longstreet reiterated for Hood to launch the attack and Hood said that
he will do this under protest.
The Alabama Brigade of Hood’s
Division was under the command of BG Evander Mciver Law. He dispatched his 4th,
15th and 47th Alabama along with the 4th and 5th
Texas Brigade to the Little Round Top. Col. William C. Oates of the 15th
Alabama was put in charge. Hood’s Division was to attack from the east side of
the road while Gen. Lafayette McLaw was to attack from the west side of the
road. Instead of driving up the steep hill, part of Hood’s men detoured up the
Big Round Top, down it and attempted to attack the Little Round Top from the
south.
Quick actions by BG Gouverneur
K. Warren, Meade’s chief engineer, alerted Union officers to the Confederate
threat and brought Union forces to defend the position. Col. Strong Vincent
lined up his brigade; 16th Michigan, 44th New York, 83rd
Pennsylvania and the 20th Maine commanded by college professor, Col.
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. The 20th Maine was a shell of its former
self and only had 385 men. Vincent instructed Chamberlain to hold this position
“at all costs.” Vincent instilled that, “you
are the extreme left of the Union Army. The line runs from here all the way back
to Cemetery Hill, but it ends here. You cannot withdraw under any condition. If
you go, this line will be flanked. If you go, the enemy will sweep up the
hillside and take this entire army from the rear. You must defend this place to
the last. Now let’s see how professors fight.”
Soon after issuing this order
and returning to his troop, Col. Strong Vincent was killed. The 16th Michigan
Infantry was starting to yield to enemy pressure. Mounting a large boulder,
Vincent brandished a riding crop given to him by his wife and shouted to his men
"Don't give an inch!" A
bullet struck him through the thigh and the groin and he fell. Vincent was
carried from the hill to a nearby farm, where he lay dying for the next five
days, unable to be transported home due to the severity of his injury.
LT Charles Edward Hazlett's
Battery (3rd Division, V Corps), consisting of six three inch, 10
pounder Parrott rifles, was rushed to the top of Little
Round Top by BG Gouverneur K. Warren. Maneuvering the guns
by hand up the steep and rocky slope of the hill was a difficult achievement.
The artillerymen were exposed to constant Confederate sniper
fire and could not work the guns effectively. More significantly, they could not
depress the cannons' barrels sufficiently enough to defend against incoming
infantry attacks. While standing near the battery during the intense fighting,
BG Stephen H. Weed was mortally wounded and asked
to see Hazlett. Reportedly, Hazlett came to his aid and was shot in the head by
a sharpshooter hiding in Devil's Den as he knelt down to hear what Weed
was saying. Command of the battery passed to 2nd Lt Benjamin F. Rittenhouse.
Charging Confederate troops from
the Triangular Field did take a few pieces of artillery and the Devil’s Den.
Between here and the Little Round Top was an open flat section later named
“The Slaughter Pen” due to all those killed by the Federals from Little
Round Top. Closer to the ridge another aptly named area where many a good man
lost his life is, “The Valley of Death.” A nearby creek that runs from
Devil’s Den to the Valle of Death is Plum Run. On the day of the battle is one
of the locations where soldiers could secure some water. Unfortunately there
were so many wounded and dying soldiers that it was said that the river ran red
with blood for a time. It was nicknamed “Bloody Run.”
The second day’s battle of Gettysburg was the largest and
costliest of the three days. The second day’s fighting (at Devil’s Den,
Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Ridge, Trostle
Farm, Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill) involved at least 100,000 soldiers of
whom roughly 20,000 were killed, wounded, captured or missing. The second day in
itself ranks as the 10th bloodiest battle of the Civil War.
While the right wing of Kershaw's brigade attacked into the Wheatfield, its left
wing wheeled left to attack the Pennsylvania troops in the brigade of BG Charles
K. Graham, the right flank of Birney's line, where 30 guns from the III Corps
and the Artillery Reserve attempted to hold the sector. The South Carolinians
were subjected to infantry volleys from the Peach Orchard and canister from all
along the line. Suddenly someone unknown shouted a false command, and the
attacking regiments turned to their right, toward the Wheatfield, which
presented their left flank to the batteries. Kershaw later wrote, "Hundreds
of the bravest and best men of Carolina fell, victims of this fatal
blunder."
Meanwhile, the two brigades on McLaws's left—Barksdale's in front
and Wofford's behind—charged directly into the Peach Orchard, the point of the
salient in Sickles's line. Gen. Barksdale led the charge on horseback, long hair
flowing in the wind, sword waving in the air. BG Andrew A. Humphreys's division
had only about 1,000 men to cover the 500 yards from the Peach Orchard northward
along the Emmetsburg Road to the lane leading to the Abraham Trostle farm. Some
were still facing south, from where they had been firing on Kershaw's brigade,
so they were hit in their vulnerable flank. Barksdale's 1,600 Mississippians
wheeled left against the flank of Humphreys's division, collapsing their line,
regiment by regiment. Graham's brigade retreated back toward Cemetery Ridge;
Graham had two horses shot out from under him. He was hit by a shell fragment
and by a bullet in his upper body. He was eventually captured by the 21st
Mississippi. Wofford's men dealt with the defenders of the orchard.
The Union line extended from
Devil’s Den to the Peach Orchard and then angled northwest on Emmitsburg
Road., mostly MG Dan Sickles Brigade. When he moved, he left a gaping hole in
the Union line and his 10,000 men could never have held all the ground that they
were spread upon. This blunder effectively ended Sickles military career. He
marched more than a mile to try to secure a slightly higher tactical advantage
at the Peach Orchard.
At the height of the battle with
Longstreet, Sickles right leg was hit by a cannonball. The leg was barely
attached and he was removed to the shade of the Trostle Farmhouse where a
tourniquet was applied. The location today a marker commemorates that event.
Union cannon bombarded Southern forces crossing the Rose Farm toward the
Wheatland until about 6:30pm when Confederate attacks silenced them.
About 7pm Confederates attacked
the right flank of the Union Army and occupied the lower slopes of Culp’s
Hill. The next morning the Confederates were driven off after seven hours of
fighting. Spangler’s Spring is a natural spring on the south base of Culp’s
Hill. It was occupied by each side during the battle, and for a time was in
between the lines. Legends developed that local truces were called during the
night of July 2nd where both sides allowed the other to pass safely
to the spring to fill their canteens. But there are also documented instances of
fighting around the spring during this time. Sometimes, in the dark, forces from
both sides would come out here to fill their canteens and begin talking with one
another, not knowing that they were the enemy. After saying which regiment that
they were from, the others beat a hasty retreat back to their friendly lines.
Day 1 was allegedly a
Confederate victory, but Day 2 was considered a draw. By the day’s end both of
the Union flanks had been attacked and, according to Gen. Lee, weakened. He said
that Meade had positions on his flanks and that the middle must be the weak
point. His decision was to start a massive two hour artillery bombardment at the
Union center that was heard as far away as Philadelphia. 28-year-old Col. Edward
Porter Alexander was in charge of the barrage. The Union responded with cannons
as well. Due to the nature of the weather and no wind, the smoke from the
cannons just sat in between the armies making it almost impossible for artillery
commanders to see where the shells were landing. Most of the Confederate shells
fell harmlessly over the heads and behind the Union lines; some exploded
prematurely and some, not at all. The Confederates also had to move their
caissons further behind the cannons, so it took longer to resupply the cannons.
MG Jeb Stuart’s Calvary was to
swing around the flank of the Union army and pressure them from the rear at the
same time MG Ewell would attack Culp’s Hill and Longstreet would attack the
other side. This, in effect, would necessitate Hancock to reinforce his flanks,
leaving the center vulnerable. These attacks along with a massive frontal
assault were supposed to be coordinated. They weren’t. Stuart’s Calvary was
driven from the field by a much smaller Calvary unit commanded by BG George
Armstrong Custer and the feint at Culp’s Hill didn’t happen as planned
therefore the effect of drawing reinforcements from the center to guard the
flanks did not occur.
Across an open field in the
Spangler’s Woods assembled over 12,500 Confederates to march towards a copse
of trees on Cemetery Ridge. The following troops would advance from the right.
LTG James Longstreet’s 1st Corp consisted of MG George Pickett’s
Division that included BG James Kemper’s 1st, 3rd, 7th,
11th and 34th Virginia Regiments. James Kemper was the
37th Governor of Virginia. He was the youngest brigade commander and only
non-professional military officer in the division. He would be wounded in the
abdomen and thigh and temporarily captured by the Union troops before being
rescued; BG Richard Garnet’s 8th, 18th, 28th
and 56th Virginia Regiments; he would be killed in the charge; BG
Lewis Armistead’s 9th, 14th, 38th, 53rd
and 57th Virginia Regiments. He would be mortally wounded near the
High Water Mark and The Angle and would die three days later in a Union
hospital; LT J. Irving Lang’s Co. H. 53rd Virginia and BG Cadmus
Wilcox’s 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and
14th Alabama regiments was used to support the right flank of
Pickett’s Charge.
LTG A.P. Hill’s 3rd
Corps would advance from the left and would include: units from MG Harry
Heth’s and MG Dorsey Pender’s Divisions of MG Isaac Trimble and MG J.
Johnston Pettigrew’s Brigades which included: BG Joseph R. Davis’s 2nd,
11th and 42nd Mississippi’s Regiments and the 55th North
Carolina Regiments; BG Alfred M. Scales Brigade of 13th, 16th,
22nd, 34th and 38th North Carolina Regiments.
Davis would be wounded in the charge; BG James H. Lanes’ Brigade of the 7th,
18th, 28th, 33rd and 37th North
Carolina Regiment; BG James Jay Archer’s Brigade of 5th and 13th
Alabama Regiments and 1st, 7th and 14th
Tennessee Regiments. He would be wounded and captured by the Federals during the
charge; Col. Birkett D. Fry’s 8th and 13th Alabama
Regiment, 1st, 7th and 14th Tennessee
Regiments. He would be wounded and captured during the charge; Col. James K.
Marshall’s Brigade of the 11th, 26th, 47th
and 52nd North Carolina Regiments and Col. John M. Brockenbrough’s
Brigade of the 22nd, 40th, 47th and 55th
Virginia Regiments.
Other notables included: PVT
Robert Tyler Jones. His grandfather was President of the United States. Col.
William Aylett great-grandfather was the Virginian, Patrick Henry who once said
to King George III, Give me liberty or
give me death.”
A.P. Hill’s total men in the
charge were around 6,000; George Pickett’s total men in the charge were around
5,500 and there were 1600 men from Anderson.
MG Armistead addressed his
division right before the charge, “Virginians.
For your lands, for your homes, for your sweethearts, for your wives, for
Virginia.”
As soon as the Confederates
emerged from the Spangler’s Wood tree line, they were subject to long-range
Union Artillery, solid-shot, percussion rounds. They would eventually be slowed
by a fence by the Emmetsburg Road and the formation, what’s left of it will
begin to come apart. Once they cross that road, they will be under short-range
artillery, canister fire, thousands of bits of shrapnel wiping holes in the
line. Those that would make it to the wall would not be many left. Those who
would make the fence and road beyond would suffer over 50% causalities.
As more and more Confederates
were being mowed down by artillery and infantry rifles and now a flanking
maneuver from the right, Armistead ordered the double-quick and removed his hat
and stabbed it with his sword as a rallying cry to continue to the stone wall.
Late in the afternoon, some 7,000 Union soldiers posting around the Copse of
Trees, the Angle and the Brian Barn repulsed the bulk of 12,000 Confederates.
Gen. Garnett said, Give them the cold
steel.” After breaking through the stone wall, Armistead ordered the
captured cannons to be turned on the enemy. Just about then bullets ripped
through Gen. Armistead.
Gen. Hancock rode his horse back
and forth along the line, encouraging his troops to be vigilant. One of his
aides came up and implored him to get off his horse saying, “General
please get down, we cannot spare you” of which he replied, “There
are times when a Corps Commander life does not count.” He ordered, “Bring
your men forward and we’ll flank these bastards. My God, we’ll flank
them.” Just after Hancock gave those orders, he suffered a severe wound
caused by a bullet striking the pommel of his saddle, entering his inner right
thigh and groin area along with wood fragments and a large bent nail that
severed an artery. Only the quick application of a tourniquet prevented him from
bleeding to death.
After he was shot he said, “Damn
you! I will not be moved until this engagement is decided. Get me a tourniquet
before I bleed to death!”
Armistead was shot three times just after crossing
the wall. Union Captain Henry H. Bingham
received Armistead's personal effects and carried the news to Union Major
General Winfield Hancock, Armistead's friend from before the war.
Armistead’s uncle defended Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
Armistead's wounds were not believed to be mortal;
he had been shot in the fleshy part of the arm and below the knee, and according
to the surgeon who tended him, none of the wounds caused bone, artery, or nerve
damage. He was then taken to a Union field hospital at the George Spangler Farm
where he died two days later. Dr. Daniel Brinton, the chief surgeon at the Union
hospital there, had expected Armistead to survive because he characterized the
two bullet wounds as not of a "serious character." He wrote that the
death "was not from his wounds directly, but from secondary bacterium,
fever and prostration.”
It is believed that one of the
first to offer assistance to Gen. Armistead was LTC Thomas Devee Chamberlain,
younger brother of Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He tried to identify the
fallen general and was told that his friend MG Winfield Scott Hancock had been
shot. This was hard for him to swallow since also finding out about his other
friend MG John Reynolds. He was quoted as saying, “I would like to speak to Gen. Hancock. Do you know where General
Hancock may be found? Can you tell General Hancock that General Armistead sends
his regrets. Will you tell him how very sorry I am?”
After repulsing the charge a
number of Union soldiers stood on the small stone wall and shouted, "Fredericksburg!
Fredericksburg?” which referred to the battle of Fredericksburg when the
Confederate Army held the high-ground behind the stone wall and the Union Army
conducted one fruitless charge after another resulting in massive deaths.
As the wounded and defeated
poured across the field back to friendly lines, General Lee and Longstreet went
out to great those demoralized troops. General Lee took responsibility for the
failure saying that it was his fault and that they would fight again.
Later Lee would come across a
shell-shocked General Pickett and say, “General
Pickett. You must look to your division.” General Pickett replied, “General
Lee, I have no division!”
The Farnsworth House is named
for BG Elon James Farnsworth who commanded Brigade 1, Division 3 of the Calvary
Corps from June 28, 1863 to July 3, 1863, when he was mortally wounded and died;
he was 25 years old.
After the collapse of
Pickett’s Charge and the defeat of MG Jeb Stuart’s Confederate Calvary on
the third day of battle, BG Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, commanding the 3rd
Division, ordered Farnsworth to make a charge with his brigade against
Confederate positions south of the Devil’s Den area of the battlefield, below
Little Round Top. Farnsworth initially balked, arguing there was no hope of
success, and only agreed to it when Kilpatrick allegedly accused him of
cowardice. Farnsworth made the charge, against elements of MG Hood’s Division,
under BG Evander M. Law (Hood having been wounded the previous day and lost an
arm). Farnsworth rode with the second battalion of the 1st Vermont
Calvary, alongside Major William Wells.
The charge was repulsed with
heavy losses and Farnsworth himself was shot five times in the chest. An account
by Confederate Colonel William C. Oates claimed that Farnsworth was surrounded
by Confederate soldiers and committed suicide to avoid capture but this has been
disputed by other witnesses and discounted by most historians. Kilpatrick
received much criticism for ordering the charge, but no official action was
taken against him.
The next day, July 4, 1863,
“Independence Day” both armies sat back and licked their wounds, tempting
each other to attack which they did not. Later in a pouring rain, Lee retreated
back across Sach’s Bridge and other roads to the safety of the Potomac River,
Virginia and home.
Total causalities killed,
wounded, captured and missing for the three day battle were 23,000 for the Union
and 27,000 for the Confederate Army.
Sach’s Bridge was built in
1854 at a cost of $1,544 and was used by both Union and Confederate troops. The
majority of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia retreated over the bridge after
the Union victory at Gettysburg.
Located
at: 1195 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
17325 Telephone: 717-334-1124 Website:
www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
On certain, usually hazy
evenings, a figure of a woman glowing in a distinctive bright light can be seen
roaming the fields near Spangler Springs. Legend has it that she was a jilted
lover who committed suicide here. While staying in the most
haunted room at the Farnsworth House in 1995 with the Sightings Crew, Kaczmarek
continually heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. It happened
several times until he stood guard inside of the room; hand on the doorknob when
the clear sound of footsteps happened again. He swung open the door and saw that
no one was on the steps and the noises stopped immediately! During the battle Confederate
Infantry sharpshooters found the garret (the attic) and had a clear shot of
Union troops. When they were eventually captured, one of them was playing a
juice harp; a popular instrument of the time. Guests say that they still hear
that instrument being played today. Caretaker, Patti O’Day claims
to have seen a fleeting glimpse of a young boy maybe 16-17-years-old that
quickly vanished! At Sach’s Bridge there are
legends that three Confederate soldiers were hung from the rafters of the bridge
and were found the day after the battle was over. Soldiers in uniform and a
young boy in period clothing are rumored to haunt the bridge and appear at
night. Several visitors have also reportedly seen ghosts or phantom-like objects
in their photographs from the bridge and others smelled pipe smoke, which may
attribute to the ghost of General Lee. Strange noises like horses and
wagons crossing the bridge are reported as well as shadowy dark figures. On June 19, 1996, a flash flood
knocked the bridge from one of its abutments. It was restored and over 75% of
its original structure was used. It was reconstructed in 1996 and rededicated on
July 21, 1997. At Iverson’s Pits, for years
after the battle Forney reported that his black hired hands absolutely refused
to be out in the fields when dusk fell because they were convinced it was
haunted. Prior to the 1970s when the interest in battlefield hauntings sparked
the ghost tours craze, Iverson’s Pits was the only location on the battlefield
that was reputed to be haunted dating back to the time right after the battle. Over the year, witnesses have
reported seeing spectral figures stalking the area, while unexplained lights
have also been visible. Visitors to this area have reported seeing the ghost of
two soldiers walking through the nearby cornfields, and heard the sound of
gunshots. Many others have had their cameras or camera equipment mysteriously
break or drain battery life during their visit. Pennsylvania Hall was founded in
1832 and was practically taken over by soldiers during the war. It also became a
signal corps station and a hospital unit for Confederate soldiers; some of those
may still be hanging around. According to two campus
employees, they were leaving Pennsylvania Hall one night, got into the elevator
and pressed the button to go to the lobby. The elevator mysteriously skipped
over their floor and brought them down to the basement where they witnessed a
horrific scene. They said the elevator doors
opened and the storage room was turned into a blood-covered operating room,
filled with injured and dying soldiers. They frantically pressed for the
elevator to return upstairs. Before the doors closed, one of the ghostly
orderlies looked directly at both of them; almost pleading them for their help
and assistance. At night, several students have
reported seeing a man with a rifle on the building’s cupola but when campus
security investigated, the doors to the cupola were bolted shut and no one was
there. The Gettysburg Hotel was built
in 1797 and is home to at least one resident ghost who appears before hotel
staff and guest quite frequently. Rachel, a Civil War nurse who lived in the
building at the time of the battle is said to move between guest rooms and
hallways in the hotel. Guests have reported that clothes have gone mysteriously
missing and drawers left open, to which some believe Rachel is rummaging through
in search of medical supplies. The Daniel Lady Farm located at
888 Hanover Street began construction around 1820. Starting out with only the
large hearth room, it soon expanded in stages to grow into the large abode that
it is today. Completed in 1830, from which the point Daniel Lady and his wife
raised their seven children. By the time the war broke out in
1863, Daniel and his family were forced to evacuate their homestead in order to
make way for Confederate forces. This piece of land is just another on the long
list of civilian properties taken over by military forces during wartime. Used
as a hospital and headquarters, this location is somewhat unique in that it
treated both Confederate and Union soldiers. On Friday, June 26, 1863, the
Lady family was approached by Confederate forces and told they would have to
abandon their home in order that Lee’s army could occupy the residency. Lee stopped at the Daniel Lady
Farm on the first day of the battle to gauge the area for their usage. It is
from this farmland that General Ewell would devise his plans of attack. The Lady Farm played a very
important role during the fighting that took place in the battle. Lasting only a
few days, the farm treated more deaths and injuries than perhaps any other
make-shift hospital in all of Gettysburg. It’s truly incredible how much
of the farm’s history has been preserved over the years. Bloodstains from all
of the injuries sustained in the war cover various areas of the farm. Serving as
a hospital, the Lady Farm saw from amputations to suturing to death. These
deaths were directly attributed to the many ghostly sightings recorded over the
years. Confederate soldiers and
Generals are said to haunt the very land on which they died. Historical records
tell that when the Lady family returned to their homestead following the end of
the war, they found the body of a dead Confederate soldier still lying in their
upstairs bedroom. Because of this, the upstairs area of the home is believed to
see the most paranormal activity. When forensic teams scoured the
land in recent years, cadaver dogs were able to locate unmarked graves of
soldiers who were buried after the battle. Apparitions of long-dead troops can
sometimes be seen wandering the farmland, as if still on patrol. Visitors to the Devil’s Den
and Triangular Field area have taken some incredible photographs of what appears
to be soldiers in full uniform standing around. One of the most famous
encounters is the phantom regiment. People see what looks like a regiment of
Confederate soldiers marching, maneuvering around before disappearing! Then what appeared next was
incredible! Within the trees, a number of fuzzy patches that looked like
soldiers walking, running and moving about. Some of these figures appeared to be
near ground level while others seemed to be floating or above ground. This went
on for several minutes before subsiding. On
April 23, 2006, Kaczmarek and his research assistant, Jim Graczyk, were
investigating the stone wall of the Triangular Field completely along; in other
words, there was no one else with us nor above on the road near the Devils’
Den. Suddenly they both begin to
smell the distinct odor of cherry pipe tobacco that his us square in the face
which we found unusual because we were the only living persons around. Then the
both heard the distinct sounds of a cantering horse which again is impossible.
Not even park rangers take their animals out at night. They both looked in the
direction of the sounds that abruptly stopped. There on the ridge land,
beautifully silhouetted by the nearby lights from the town of Gettysburg was a
dark figure taking very deliberate steps up this extremely rocky incline. They
were too far away to make our distinct features however the image was not using
a flashlight! Later they were able to come
back and to their amazement, the area the figure was walking was impossible for
human beings to traverse. The area was somewhat fenced off and it was infested
with thorns and sticker bushes that surely would make travel difficult, if not
impossible! During the 1995 nighttime
investigation with the Sightings Crew, Kaczmarek explored deep into the valley
of the Triangular Field using a Negative Ion Detector and several times picked
up abnormally high static field readings which is virtually impossible. There is
nothing there to attract static fields or negative ions. Some, especially those more
sensitive and psychic have picked up intense feelings of pain in the back of
their necks while visiting Reynold’s Woods where MG John Reynolds was shot and
killed. Throughout the battlefield there
have been reports of musket fire, canon sounds, screams and yells and many
shadowy and even full-bodied apparitions.
The GRS investigated Gettysburg Battlefield August 7-9,
2020 and the team included: Chuck Williams, Barbara Meagher, Randy
Liebeck, Kelly Griffey, Mike Rosario and Dale Kaczmarek with
help from Jason Snider, Jason Dickerson, Courtney Mendenhall, Allyson Turner and
Amanda Johnson from Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunter's Society and Dean
Thompson, Melissa Johnson, Tim Schmuldt and Amanda Pilgreen from Ghost Head Soup
along with author, Sylvia Shults.
Equipment setup: Only hand-held equipment was used at Devil’s Den
and the Triangular Field however Kaczmarek used two authentic Civil War bullets
that were placed on the stone wall; at Iverson’s Pits the GS-2 Laser Grid was
set up along the stone wall facing a large upright monument, a REM Epod was
placed near that marker and a Melmeter was set up on the stone wall. A 4K Sony
Nightshot camcorder was used to watch the laser grid. Melissa Johnson used the
GRS’s Thermal Tablet. Liebeck used some full spectrum camcorders as did
Williams. Members of Ghost Head Soup set up their HQ’s near the steel tower
and used various cameras and camcorders. Experiments performed: EVP, Ovilus X, Phasma Box sessions were
conducted at the Triangular Field’s stone wall, on top of Devil’s Den,
Iverson’s Pits, The Angle and Pickett’s Charge along the stone wall. Personal experiences: Kelly Griffey: In Gettysburg on August 8th and 9th
I was partnered (in training with) Dale & had my small POV camera and my
Olympus and Zoom H2 voice recorders. In
all of the pictures at Gettysburg, I did find 3 pictures at sunset where we had
set up for our evening investigation that appear to have a person captured
standing nearby a cannon and a marker next to the parking lot.
I do not recall anybody in that area, and I have included the shots
before and after to set the scene (sequence of 12).
I cannot tell if it is a person carrying a black bag/purse/satchel and I
can’t make out what the person is wearing on their head.
Not necessarily a ghost picture, but it is a picture I cannot explain. I am assuming that because my
POV camera ran out of battery at Pennhurst, the date somehow reset to
01/01/2019. I can’t be certain
what day this is because after Pennhurst my POV camera dates were incorrect.
(The auto tour marker points to Barlow Knoll Loop, so I was hoping Dale
would know this spot). I also recorded several EVPs and
am still trying to figure out what the noises are that I captured.
For me this is a study in listening to EVPs and I have over 30 clips from
Gettysburg from which I can practice and learn.
Of my EVPs that I recorded, I
was with Dale for almost all. I was
with another group on Saturday and I also did a handful of EVP sessions alone
but always in the same location as Dale & our group. On Saturday, 08/08/2020 I was in
the field with another group by a monument at Iverson’s Pits where the sounds
of gunshots were captured with both my Zoom H2 and Olympus recorders.
Unfortunately we then saw fireworks in the distance and one of the other
team members did state she had heard the fireworks (I too saw and heard the
fireworks in the distance). I do
believe we captured the sounds of phantom gunshots because the gunshot sounds
were different, they were clear and loud and more distinct than the more muffled
and distant sound of the burst of fireworks.
But because of the contamination I cannot vouch for that EVP session. Other EVPs I may have recorded
were in Dale’s sessions and from a solo session I recorded by General Mead’s
monument. In most of the EVPs with
Dale, where I hear what seems to be a vocalization, I cannot quite hear a
response. I did learn to copy and
paste and mark sections in Audacity, but I wouldn’t claim an EVP until I get
more practice. All in all I am grateful for the
chance to learn from Dale & other group members.
I’m eager to return to Gettysburg, even as soon as next year.
I hope to plan better and if we have an outline of exactly which
battlefield place we will investigate and for how long, I feel I can better plan
out my investigation techniques. I’ll
also keep a running log of where I am and when, and who is there and what we are
doing. I think that those are the
things I can do to better my techniques and increase my ability to recall events
and cite my evidence. Randy Liebeck: Equipment:
Investigator Activity: Friday Aug 7: Triangular Field, Devil’s Den.
Digital IR still photography and FLIR thermal still and video photography. 8:21 PM: Triangular Field upper boundary, viewed
the slow formation of two forms, roughly humanoid shape with apparent head and
shoulder formations at the top, behind investigator Kelly Griffey. I advised
Griffey and she stepped aside. I then observed, through the thermal imager,
several other similar forms (approximately 5) materialize, seeming to rise up
from the ground. Some of these were initially a few feet away from the other
figures (as photographed in Thermal Image #1, taken at 8:21PM), but slowly
seemed to move together into a tight cluster. At this time I switched the
thermal imager to video mode. Thermal Video Clip #1 (8:24PM) captures the
“figures” after they had moved together into a close “huddle.” The FLIR
imager apparently had difficulty maintaining a focus on the anomalies, which
fade in and out during the video clip. The false-color template generated by the
device to illustrate differences in temperature gradients also shifted a few
times, indicating either rapidly changing temperature differences between the
ground, grass, and “figures,” or the unit demonstrating difficulty
calibrating to the immediate environment. At all times, the “figures”
maintained a darker color than the foreground and background, suggesting they
were colder in temperature than the rest of the imaged area. Discussion: I am not a trained thermal imaging
technician and am not experienced enough with the technology and its application
in different field environments to present a credible analysis of the thermal
footage. Until expert analysis can be conducted, my initial assumption is that
the dark/cold human-shaped figures are actually non-paranormal imaging artifacts
(non-paranormal) generated by the functioning of the FLIR thermal imager. I may
modify this opinion if additional analysis justifies it. 9:05 to 9:15 PM: While in Devil’s Den
amongst the higher-elevation rocks I heard intermittent distant booming sounds. Discussion: First thought was slamming car doors,
which we were also occasionally hearing, but after listening to further
occurrences determined it was distant explosive discharges which sounded similar
to cannon fire. I cannot rule out the possibility that the sounds were from
fireworks being set off at some unknown location. Saturday Aug 8: Battlefield Tour, with IR Digital
still photography at each stop. Iverson’s Pits from 7pm to 10pm. IR digital
photography and FLIR thermal still & video photography. 9:40 to 10 PM: Observation Tower area at
Iverson’s Pits. I observed sporadic bright white LED type quick flashes
throughout the depressed field across the road (other side of observation tower)
from Iverson’s Pits. Discussion: First thought was fireflies, except for
the bright white color (I’m used to yellow/green fireflies) and some of the
flashes (including one witnessed by Mikey after I brought them to his attention)
being of a brighter intensity than my experience with fireflies. Also curious as
to why fireflies would have been only in that field, and not in Iverson’s Pits
field, our location off the roadway, or anywhere else. No fireflies were
observed at any other location at any time in Gettysburg during our visit. Sunday Aug 9: Military Cemetery and Evergreen
Cemetery, with IR digital photography. Visit to Daniel Lady Farm, with IR
digital photography. 7 pm to 10pm at Pickett’s Charge. Set up at low stone
wall (the side near the “Angle”) with IR digital still photography and
thermal still and video photography. After dark, observed occasional very small points
of red light appearing in field, just past stone wall and was unable to capture
on my IR or thermal imaging devices. Discussion: After continued close observation,
determined that these were reflections off small flying insects that were
passing in front of IR beams being cast by other investigators’ equipment. Barb Meagher: The Gettysburg National Military Park and
battlegrounds were toured and investigated. Several EVP sessions were conducted
but no EVPs were heard on review of the recordings. We had great historical
accounts of the battle of Gettysburg from Dale K. The monuments and memorials
were beautiful and haunting in themselves. I did hold several EVP sessions on
the battlefield but upon review did not pick up any EVPs. Several photos were taken of the
site including FLIR photos, but nothing paranormal was caught. Mike Rosario: We started our initial investigation by going to
numerous battleground sites, including Pickett’s Charge, Iverson’s Pits,
Little/Big Round Tops, 20th Maine Marker, General Reynold’s Marker, The
Devil’s Den, Bloody Run, and the Triangular Field. I believe Picket’s
Charge was our last nighttime investigation there on Gettysburg Battlefield.
We were all together as one group: GRS. Jason Snider’s group went to
other locations during the nighttime investigations, one being Pickett’s
Charge. Equipment used: K-II Meter, a Sony
Night Shot Handy-Cam DCR-TRV13 NTSC 560 Digital-8 20X Optical Zoom Video
Camcorder, an Amzdeal Tri-pod, a Green Laser Grid (nighttime investigating), a
Philips Voice Recorder, iPhone8 Cellular Phone (for pictures and video),
and a Police Security Elite Blackout 615 Lumen Hands-free Heavy-Duty Head
Strap Flashlight. We began venturing all through many battlegrounds that
the Civil War was fought in the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
These stops are mentioned above. Our investigations wrapped up around
10:15pm at Pickett’s Charge, our last stop. After reviewing the video
footage and audio, I found no paranormal audio or visual evidence through the
course of the investigation, but it does still warrant another thorough
investigation in the near future, however. These were such wonderful
historical sites to see, especially since it was my very first time at these
locations! Sylvia Shults: This was
a location I was particularly keen to visit, as the last time I was in
Gettysburg, I'd missed seeing it. Seeing the High Water Mark, and trying to wrap
my head around the colossal human price paid in that battle, and knowing that
history could have been SO different if the North hadn't repulsed the South's
advance right there, was an intense experience for me. I wanted to give it the
most respect I could, so I dressed in Civil War-era clothing, played some
soldiers' songs on my phone, and offered the spirits of the weary fighting men
water, coffee, tobacco, and sagamite (a Confederate soldier's ration, sort of
like hardtack). I haven't yet had the opportunity to review the recordings I
made there; I hope I got some response. Dean Thompson
and Ghost Head Soup: As
we arrived in Gettysburg our first location will be the Triangular Field and the
Devil’s Den. “Great! Dale brought us to Hell,” I thought. Actually, we may
have just come from Hell. Earlier we were at the Pennhurst Asylum where we ran
an Ovilus III session. Each word had a high energy reading, which carried over
into Gettysburg. We have created a video to showcase what we are referring
to. You will notice that each word has a high energy bar reading. Did something
attach itself to the device? In the entire years of using this device this has
never happened to us before. Ovilus
III words: Candle (not shown), Troop, Diction, Do, Wish, Slur, Band, Paint,
Iron. We
did not capture anything on audio or video, but we were excited to be there with
Dale and everyone else who came out. We did gather some ticks along the way too
– so be careful if you ever decide to go out there.
Charles Williams: Day 1 Triangular Field: We all
met up for the 1st investigation, and headed back to a familiar
battleground spot, due to all the reported past evidence collected here, same
equipment as above. Personal Experiences: None.
Some wandered into the field and got ticks after I warned them what
happened to Greg on our last trip there. Day 2 Iverson’s Pits: Another
familiar spot and the earliest haunted. No
personal experiences. Day 3 Pickett’s Charge: No Personal experiences, quiet night.
Some loud mouths spoiled possible evidence.
Randy and I got into a conversation, so we are not angels ourselves, and
one team member was singing. Beautiful
sunset, calm evening though, beautiful stars.
Dale Kaczmarek: Always a great time at Gettysburg! Several of us
heard the faint sounds of what could have been gunshots while we were perched on
top of the large rocks at the Devil’s Den. This could have been the sound of
car doors slamming or even distant “real” gunfire or fireworks which were
evident that weekend. It could have also been part of an acoustic anomaly that
Snider’s group heard more of them and better sounding while our group higher
up in elevation didn’t hear that many and they were fainter. There were some weird visuals on
the display on the GS-2 Laser Grid. I’m not sure if that indicated that there
was actually someone there or perhaps a low battery issue. While conducting a
Phasma Box session, the actual button to turn off the application was apparently
depressed as the application ceased to function. Snider’s group said they
again heard what sounded like gunshots and someone apparently shouting out
commands. Some of this could have been contamination from some people talking a
bit too loud near the steel tower and where the cars were parked. There were some mild K-II hits
by the Stone Wall at Pickett’s Charge and elsewhere so it was a bit quieter
except for some of the EVP and Phasma Box sessions. Evidence collected: Barry Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an Ovilus X session at the wall in the Triangular Field in dictionary
mode a question was asked, “Is there anyone here that wishes to communicate
with us, can you tell us your first name?” The device said, “Barry.”
Boston Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting an SBox session at Iverson’s
Pits, a voice kept repeating the same word over and over again. Thompson played
this response through a reverse app device. A question was asked, “Where are
you from?” The device said in reverse mode, “Boston.” On the extreme right
of the Union line was the 12th Massachusetts regiment. Charge Gettysburg.MP4 – while
investigating Iverson’s Pits, a voice in the background says, “Charge.” Chuck1 Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an EVP sessions at Iverson’s Pits, a weird-sounding voice says,
“Chuck” Chuck2 Gettysburg.mp4 – while
conducting an EVP session at Iverson’s Pits, a distant voice appears to say,
“Chuck.” Clicks Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an EVP session at Pickett’s Charge, a clicking sound was heard by
William’s camcorder but nobody was nearby it. Dale Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting a Phasma Box session at Iverson’s Pits, the device said what sounds
like, “Dale.” Fall back to the gate
Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting an EVP session near the stone wall of the
Triangular Field, a distant voice says, “Fall back to the gate.” Fall Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an EVP session at Pickett’s Charge, a distant voice says,
“Fall.” FLIR Iverson’s Pits
Gettysburg.MP4 – while using a FLIR device at Iverson’s Pits, Liebeck picked
what looks like four humanoid figures near the stone wall that are much colder
than the surrounding area. Gunshots or rapid fire Iverson's
Pits Gettysburg.MP4 - while conducting an EVP session at Iverson's Pits, the
sound of gunshots and rapid fire was heard and recorded.
Hand ‘em over Gettysburg.MP4
– while conducting an EVP session in the Triangular Field, a faint voice says,
“Hand ‘em over.” Here Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an Ovilus X session in phonetic mode near the stone wall at the
Triangular Field, a comment was made, “We’re just spectators here.”
The device says, “Here _________ at.” Hi Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an EVP session by The Angle at Pickett’s Charge, a female voice
said, “Hi.” I think it was stupid
Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session at The Angle of
Pickett’s Charge, a question was asked, “(Gen. Pickett) What did you think
of the charge?” The device responds with, “I think it was stupid.” I’m here Gettysburg.MP4 –
while conducting a Phasma Box session at Iverson’s Pits, the device said,
“I’m here.” Judy Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an EVP session at Pickett’s Charge, a faint female voice says what
sounds like the name, “Judy.” Lower your piece Gettysburg.MP4
– while conducting a Phasma Box session at The Angle at Pickett’s Charge, a
question was asked, “What should I do?” The device responds with, “Lower
your piece.” Pickett's Charge Gettysburg.MP4
- a short video using the SB-11 Ghost Box at Pickett's Charge and compiled by
Dean Thompson from Ghost Head Soup.
Possible shot Gettysburg.MP4 –
while conducting an EVP session on top of Devil’s Den, the sound of a possible
gunshot was heard and recorded. Scream Gettysburg.MP4 – while
conducting an EVP session at the Triangular Field, a distant scream was
recorded. Shots and people shouting
Iverson's Pits Gettysburg.MP4 - while conducting an EVP session at the small
marker in the field at Iverson's Pits, the sound of gunfire and people possibly
shouting commands were heard and recorded.
Singing Gettyburg.MP4 – Six shots sounds Gettysburg.MP4
- while conducting an EVP session at Pickett's Charge, six shots and sounds were
heard and recorded.
Somebody’s been shot if you
were shot Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session at
Iverson’s Pits, Kaczmarek was narrating a Live Facebook event and said,
“…at Iverson’s Pits” when the device said, “Somebody’s been shot.”
Kaczmarek continues, “Several hundred people shot” when the device
interjected, “If you were shot.” Split Gettysburg.MP4 – Shults
was talking by the observation tower at Iverson’s Pits and said something that
sounded like she used the word split when a louder voice said something that
sounded like, “Split.” The guide Gettysburg.MP4 –
while conducting an EVP sessions at Pickett’s Charge, some faint voices were
recorded in the background that sound like they’re saying, “The guide saw
two lost men, heavy rock slide, we came for this…” (I cannot be absolutely
sure that this wasn’t cross contamination from real people talking in the
background.) Triangular field evidence.MP4
– a short video compiled by Dean Thompson from Ghost Head Soup of their Ovilus
III evidence collected. Unidentified sound Iverson's Pits Gettysburg.MP4 - while
conducting an EVP session at Iverson's Pits, unidentified sounds that resemble
gunfire were recorded.
Watch out Gettysburg.MP4 –
while conducting an EVP session at Pickett’s Charge, a faint male voice is
heard to say, “Watch out.” We can vote no Gettysburg.MP4
– while conducting a Phasma Box session at Iverson’s Pits, the device
blurted out, “We can vote no.” Yeah I am more Gettysburg.MP4
– while conducting a Phasma Box session at The Angle at Pickett’s Charge, a
question was asked, “Are you guys hungry?” The device responded with,
“Yeah I am.” A follow-up question was asked, “What some beef jerky?” The
device said, “Beef jerky” followed by, “More.” Yeah yeah I did Gettysburg.MP4
– while conducting a Phasma Box session at The Angle at Pickett’s Charge, a
comment was made, “General Armistead, you almost broke this line.” The
device replied with, “Yeah, yeah I did.” Words spoken by the Ovilus X in dictionary mode: Triangular Field
– suit, Barry, warp, when, tail and Specular. (Specular means, relating to or
having properties of a mirror.); Pickett’s Charge at the center of line by
statue – cell, quarantine and war. Conclusions: Gettysburg never seems to disappoint me as paranormal
evidence is concerned. Other groups claimed that they didn’t receive much in
the way of evidence, but those who followed me to different locations, a bit
away from noise contamination, did get rewarded. There were specific locations
on the battlefields and very specific spots at those locations were the
possibility for retrieving paranormal evidence was the greatest in my opinion;
on top of Devil’s Den, stone wall at both Triangular Field and Iverson’s
Pits and down by the marker at Iverson’s Pits and The Angle at Pickett’s
Charge. Why? Because these specific areas had the most loss of life during the
battle of Gettysburg. There were some interesting
responses on the Phasma Box and Ovilus X that I believed were intelligent. Some
were instant and relevant replies. I was able to debunk some captures at
Iverson’s Pits as simple lens flare and background talking contamination. I
believe that the entire group should have been quieter while EVP sessions were
being conducted because in many cases their voices did travel and was picked up
on digital recorders. We saw a lot of the battlefield,
Gettysburg Hotel, Farnsworth House (which we were allowed access inside), Daniel
Lady Farm, Solomon’s Bridge, National and Evergreen Cemetery, saw where
Lincoln gave the famous Gettysburg Address,
the burial site of Jenny Wade (the only civilian killed at Gettysburg), the
Willis House where Lincoln stayed the night before giving his famous address and
investigated the Old Orphanage and the Jenny Wade House. There was so much more that we
could have investigated and visited but there was simply not enough time. Our
plan is to revisit this battlefield again in 2021 and hopefully covid-free!
Hauntings:
During the Sightings investigation in 1995, Kaczmarek was picking up EMF
readings and radiation fluctuations at the Little Round Top along the area where
the 83rd Pennsylvania would have fought.
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