Gettysburg Battlefield Investigation 2021

(see other investigations)

This was the largest Civil War engagement between the North and the South. General Robert E. Lee gambled on his invading the North and positioning himself between Washington DC so that Lincoln would have to sue for peace. Around 160,000 troops were engaged here with around 51,000 causalities.

The places the GRS explored included: The Andrew Woods House (home to the Ghosts of Gettysburg Tours), First Shot Marker at Chambersburg & Knoxlyn Roads, John Burns statue, Confederate General Harry Heth’s wounding stump location, McPherson Ridge, Reynolds' Woods, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Railroad Cut, Eternal Peace Memorial, former Forney Farm location, Barlow Knoll, old Almshouse Cemetery, Iverson’s Pits, Lee’s HQ’s, Seminary Interpretive Markers, Spangler’s Farm, Culp’s Hill, Sach’s Bridge, North Carolina Memorial, Virginia Memorial, Arkansas Marker near the Philip Snyder Farm, Warfield Ridge near the Bushman Farm (near site of MG John Bell Hood’s wounding), 20^th Maine marker, Colonel Strong Vincent’s death marker, Little Round Top (Hazlett & Weed’s death markers), Plum Run, Devil’s Den, Houck’s Ridge, Triangular Field, The Wheatfield, Rose Farm Woods, Split Rock, Peach Orchard, Abraham Trostle Farm, George Weikert Farm, Pennsylvania Memorial, Hummelbaugh Farm (site of Confederate General William Barksdale death), Mead’s HQ’s, Steven’s Knoll, East Cemetery Hill, The Angle, Pickett’s Charge, High Water Mark, Kuhn House (embedded cannonball), Stevens Hall, Pennsylvania Hall, Farnsworth House, Jenny Wade House, Evergreen Cemetery, National Cemetery, Gettysburg Hotel, Daniel Lady Farm and Old Orphanage.

Nighttime investigations included: Reynold’s Woods, Spangler’s Springs & Culp’s Hill, East Cemetery Hill and Little Round Top.

Address: 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325

Phone: (717) 334-1124

Owner: National Park Service

Website: www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm

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 83^rd Pennsylvania would have fought.

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!

In 2001, Tom and Delia Underwood were shooting video in the Triangular Field with their Sony Nightshot Camcorder when they picked up something extremely unusual. Focusing their camera on a wooded tree line and a small stone wall, they first captured a linear burst of little lights all in a row. These could not have been fireflies because they probably wouldn’t all go on at the same time and surely not in a straight line. It appeared to be an infantry unit that fired of their muskets at the same time.

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 8-12, 2021 and the team included: Barbara Meagher, Randy Liebeck, Ron Lovatt and Dale Kaczmarek with help from and Dean Thompson, Melissa Johnson, and Tim Schmuldt from Ghost Head Soup along with author, Sylvia Shults.

Equipment setup: Sony Nightshot camcorders were set up at each location investigated including the path behind the Reynold’s marker, East Cemetery Hill, Spangler Springs, Culp’s Hill and Little Round Top. Digital recorders were used and other devices such as Ovilus III, GS-2 Laser Grid, REM Epod, Tri-Field Natural EM Meter, K-ii Meters, Phasma Box, SB-11 Ghost Box.

Experiments performed: Phasma Box sessions were recorded at Reynold’s Woods, East Cemetery Hill and Culp’s Hill. An Ovilus III session was conducted at Spangler Springs and an SB-11 Ghost Box was used at the crest of Little Round Top. Thompson played a harmonica at Spangler Springs as trigger music.

Personal experiences:

Randy Liebeck: Utilized thermal imaging and digital infrared photography at all areas we visited. Scanned local electromagnetic environment for any unexpected readings at all areas we visited.

Equipment Used: FLIR-One thermal imaging camera. Panasonic Lumix G6 digital camera (modified for IR only). Alpha Labs Tri-Field Meter (AC calibrated). Alpha Labs Natural EM Tri-Field Meter (DC calibrated).

Nothing anomalous observed or otherwise sensed. No anomalies captured on my imaging equipment. No anomalies detected with the Tri-Field Meters.

Ron Lovatt: We spent three days in Gettysburg PA investigating the battlefield. Members of GRS and GHS teamed together to investigate. This is the evidence collected.

The first night started with an EVP session at Reynolds Woods where we used the Phasma Box and REM Epod’s and Melmeter along with a camera set up in the woods. This is what we got from the EVP session.

The following responses are: what, Andrew, hello, absolutely, dunkin, look at, howdy Dale, no, let me see, I'm not familiar, no, and a lot of laughter can be heard during the session.

The second location was at East Cemetery Hill AKA the parking lot next to the Jenny Wade House. It is next to the battlefield but we were not trespassing because we set up our equipment just off the field. We did an EVP session using a Phasma Box and also set up Laser grids and Melmeters. We did not get many answers from the EVP session but we did get:

Good to meet you and I can't (when asked to step over the small stone wall)

The second night started at Spangler Springs. We did an EVP session using the Ovilus III. We also used a REM Epod. We got a lot of responses but no real answers to our questions directly. We got the following words from the session: girl, bottle, teacher, country, video, enough, outside, rabbit, bike, lick, apple, run, high weight, grass, meet, cannon, tick, smooth, #11, do run, me, gasp, walk, palace, catch, paint, iron, fuzzy, Edison, shove, most, design, sure, animal, hunting, total, are, river, #1, plan, triangle, win, grind, jog, buy, knee, hike, file, haunting, lift, cover, luck, branches. I got no direct responses to any questions. I do want to say that right before we were to go to Spangler springs we got caught in a quick but bad rain/wind storm.

After Spangler Springs we went to Culp’s Hill for a few minutes then ended our night at Cemetery Ridge. We did an EVP session but I did not participate. I will say that as we were wrapping up the night I did see a shadow walking down the road that was confirmed by one of my teammates who said he also saw it. Right after that I saw two more black/gray shadows walking in the woods near the same road I did see the other shadow.

The third night started at Little Round Top. We did an EVP session with a Ghost Box, but did not get any responses to questions asked. Our fellow teammates from GHS did an Estes Method using earphones and an Ovilus they did get a few responses they got a few numbers 20 and 4 score plus the words shouted and Howard. During our investigation on Little Round Top someone was flying a drone around the area. After that we headed to the Wheatfield to investigate but because of the lateness of the time and the battlefields change of rules for the amount of time the battlefield is open (now closing 30 minutes after dusk) we were asked to leave the park so we never got to investigate.

I believe the battlefield is completely haunted. From our investigation and experiences plus all the stories and evidence that we saw doing research before the investigation and while speaking to local people in Gettysburg who shared their experiences and pictures. I look forward to going back some day and investigating the battlefield again.

Barbara 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. The monuments and memorials were beautiful and haunting n themselves. I did hold several EVP sessions on the battle field but upon review did not pick up any EVPs. I did pick up the words pain and maximum on my I-Ovilus when asked about the battles. Investigator Randy Liebeck took a FLIR photo of Sylvia Shults and I standing on the hilltop and instead of two people there are three in the photo. We also investigated Sachs Bridge; I held an EVP session but did not get any EVPs. Several photos were taken with no paranormal images captured.

Tim Schmuldt: Gettysburg was a fantastic trip, and I did not want to leave. Ghost Head Soup stayed in an old Bed & Breakfast dating to at least the early 1900s, probably longer. We were nestled right next to the birthplace of Jennie Wade. This is not to be confused with the Jennie Wade House. During the day we had many tours of the battlefield, but three days is not enough to see everything.

During the first night we went to Reynolds Woods. This was my favorite location of the three nights. There is an energy there that you can feel, and I would love to spend more time there. After Reynolds Woods, Ghost Head Soup ventured over to General Lee's cabin. This was an interesting place. Melissa kept seeing things behind the cabin. Dean kept getting interesting hits on the Ovilus. I felt drawn behind the cabin near the tree line. It felt like the three of us kept getting pulled in different directions so we did not come together, but once I realized this, we all came together at the front of the house. Not too long after this my camera battery died.

Night two was at Spangler Springs and then later near Steven’s Knoll. At the very end of the night near Steven’s Knoll, we were seeing a lot of movement down Slocum Avenue that leads to Culp’s Hill. At one point I was pointing a camera down the street, and I looked down at the viewfinder and saw flashes of lights. It was not visible to the human eye. One would argue that it was people and/or cars, but there was no sound coming from there, and there is only one way out towards us, and we never saw anybody. Unfortunately, there was no proof that it was anything paranormal, but it was a personal experience seeing all the movement. Watching the camera live, it looked like I had caught a figure, but upon further review it was just pixilation.

Night three was at Little Round Top. I did a headphone Ghost Box session and Dean asked questions that I could not hear. This is something that Ghost Head Soup has been doing since 2009. I received some interesting responses, but nothing that was definitively paranormal.

I collected several hours of video and audio during our trip, but it has not yet been 100% reviewed. As of right now, no concrete evidence was captured, but a few interesting experiences took place.

Dale Kaczmarek: This visit to Gettysburg, we decided to investigate some locations that I had never investigated before including; Reynold’s Woods, Spangler Springs, Culps Hill and Steven’s Knoll, East Cemetery Hill and part of Little Round Top. Because of the reduced nighttime hours recently imposed by the National Park Service, hours of operation were changed from 10pm to 30 minutes after sunset and the Park Rangers were very prompt in chasing visitors out after park closure times.

A Sony Nightshot camcorder was placed down the pathway behind the Reynold’s marker with a REM Epod on the ground. Unfortunately, nothing out of the ordinary was recorded except a lot of bugs and cricket and wind contamination sounds. Live Facebook sessions were conducted at all locations where we were able to connect to Facebook.

At East Cemetery Hill, we were able to investigate that swatch of land after hours due to the fact that we set up our gear and stayed in the parking lot next to the Jenny Wade House. This way we were not trespassing after dark. We used digital recorders, Nightshot camcorders and the GS-2 Laser Grid.

A daytime investigation was conducted at Spangler Springs using some digital recorders and Thompson’s Ovilus III. Thompson played a harmonica in an attempt at eliciting some responses. That was a popular instrument at the time of the battle. A REM Epod was also employed but was only set off once by a bug.

Later at Culp’s Hill and Steven’s Knoll we tried another session and ended up at Little Round Top for a SB-11 Ghost Box session. We attempted to conduct an after-hour session at The Wheatfield but were chased out by a Park Ranger.

Nothing was picked up on an video recorders this visit, however I did have Lovatt film me the entire time we were there as I narrated what happened at each location for a later new page on the GRS website. Watch for it!

Evidence collected:

Chickamauga Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session at Reynold’s Woods, the device blurted out, “Chickamauga” which is another battle site in middle Tennessee.

I bled so much Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session at Reynold’s Woods, a male voice comes through that says, “I bled so much.” This was the site of the death of MG John Reynolds who was shot in the back of the upper neck or lower head right after his final words, “Forward men forward for God’s sake and drive those fellows our of those woods.”

It’s good to meet you Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the parking lot overlooking East Cemetery Hill, the device starts with a male voice saying, “It’s”, followed by, “It’s good to meet you.”

Strange Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session at Culp’s Hill, a comment was made, “Here’s your chance to talk with us. You might find it kind of strange.” The device immediately responds with a deep male voice that says, “Strange.”

We placed our men Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session in the parking lot overlooking East Cemetery Hill, a voice comes through that clearly says, “We placed our men.”

You could see him Gettysburg.MP4 – while conducting a Phasma Box session at Steven’s Knoll by Culp’s Hill, a question was asked, “Is General Slocum here?” The device responds with, “You see him?”

Words spoken by the Ovilus III: Spangler Springs; marker, zoo, trees, dirt, girl, sent, store, country, kind, observe, haste, count, bottle, gauze, smooth, eleven, do run, me, gasp, walk, palace, catch, paint, iron, fuzzy, Edison, lust, shove, most, design, sure, animal, hunting, axe, river, plan, triangle, win, jog, buy, knee, file, hunting, list, cover, luck, branches, toll, one, grind and hike.

Words or phrases spoken by the Phasma Box: I bled so much, Chickamauga, possibility, we placed our men, can you believe it, it’s good to meet you, you see him and strange. (There were a lot of other “random” words that came through that either did not make any sense or were not answers to direct questions posed.

Conclusions: Even though I visited quite a lot of the battlefield including parts that I had never visited before, our EVP sessions did not seem as active as past investigations. One can never predict what kind, if any, responses one can collect at any given investigation. I still firmly believe that Gettysburg is extremely active and a location I’m not quite willing to give up on.

Another trip is tentatively planned for 2023 in which we will visit and investigate other new locations on the battlefield including the Railroad Cut, The Wheatfield, Abraham Trostle Farm, East Calvary Field, Devils’ Den area including Triangular Field, Plum Run, Valley of Death and the Slaughter Pens.

Due to the decreased hours of operations, we may have to investigate those more obscure locations during the daylight hours where a lot of visitors don’t travel to and be set up for a brief nighttime investigation of other more interesting locations.