Ghost Soldiers of Gettysburg Read online

  Here’s one explanation of what happened: On July 2, 1863, soldiers die on Little Round Top. Their deaths are traumatic in every sense of the word. When their physical bodies expire, their energy fields survive and transform, dispersing in a random way into the environment. Because of the emotional and sudden nature of the transformation, the last conscious thought gets stuck, thus remaining in the moment it was created just before bodily death. More than fourteen decades later, we arrive at Little Round Top and start walking around. One of these fragments of consciousness recognizes—on a purely instinctive and reactionary level—a man (Sean) walking down the slope of the hill. This particular energy field springs into action as if the battle is still raging, brushing past Sean as either a comrade in arms or mortal enemy. Sean sees the shadowy figure of a man and feels him brush by his shoulder, but then the event stops. Sean calls out, and I start walking down the hill toward him. Other energy fields present on the hill also react, following me down as if participating in Chamberlain’s counterattack. I hear the rustling of leaves and twigs around me as I head down the hill. When I reach Sean, the ruckus around us stops. The paranormal event ends, and we leave the area having had our first paranormal experience at Gettysburg.

  So what happened? Is it plausible that fragmented thought forms—which once existed in whole form as living, breathing human beings—still wander about the battlefield, reacting to their surroundings in a purely random and chaotic manner? This is only a theory, but a theory based in some part on accepted scientific laws. By simply continuing along a line of logic, you can easily come to the conclusion that, at the very least, consciousness survives death. What happens to us when we die can be debated, but the fact that we continue on in some form appears obvious to those who experience such events.

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  Day Three

  July 3, 1863

  Day Three of the Battle of Gettysburg would decide what direction the war would take. Either Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee would defeat the newly appointed Commanding General of the Army of the Potomac, George Meade, or the North would withstand the South’s final push and most likely secure the Union.

  An eerie silence hung over the field; the dead scattered across the landscape. The silence was broken by the occasional shot from various Union sharpshooters on Cemetery Hill or Ziegler’s Grove or from the Confederate sharpshooters in the town of Gettysburg and Bliss Farm. The constant moans of the wounded not yet removed from the battlefield were an underlying sound that the combatants had become numb to over the last two days of horrific fighting.

  Lee had decided, against the advice of top commander Gen. James Longstreet, to attack the Union position where Gen. Ambrose Wright’s brigade had penetrated and split the Union defenses on Cemetery Hill by the now famous Copse of Trees that became the guiding mark for Gen. George Pickett’s Virginians, whose 6,000-strong division was fresh and had not seen any action yet. To Pickett’s left would be Gen. James Pettigrew’s division and Gen. Isaac Trimble’s two brigades, and anchoring his right flank was Col. David Lang and Gen. Cadmus Wilcox’s brigades. In all 15,000 Confederate soldiers would make the fabled charge. The other part of Lee’s plan was to have his cavalry commander, Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, attack the rear of the Union line. Lee hoped that the combined effect would be like an anvil and hammer, crushing the Yankee defenders.

  General Meade, having called a war council late in the night on July 2, had come to the conclusion that Lee would strike where he had penetrated his line on that day and so he made ready for a full frontal assault, knowing that the Rebels would have to go through “artillery hell” before even reaching his troops hunkered down behind the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge. On the backside of Cemetery Ridge he placed his reserves, with specific units behind them with the orders to shoot anyone who broke rank. The action started at three p.m. with a Confederate signal gun firing a single shot. The Confederate batteries along the line opened up, concentrating on the Bloody Angle and the Copse of Trees, trying to weaken the Union defensive line. The Union artillery answered, and for an hour and a half, more than 100 cannons blasted away at each other. The sound was so loud that people could hear the muffled noise in Washington, D. C.

  Pickett started his advance at four, and by six p.m. the remnants of the once-invincible Confederate army streamed back to Seminary Ridge. The day would be costly for Lee, as the Union defenders sustained fewer casualties than the Confederates. Pickett alone had close to 2,600 of his men surrender on the field, and close to the wall lay more than 500 dead Confederate soldiers, most from Gen. Lewis Armistead’s brigade. Armistead had crossed the wall at the Bloody Angle and led 200 Virginians up the slope of Cemetery Ridge. He was mortally wounded as he raised his hat on his sword near Cushing’s Battery A, and 80 of the 200 men who followed him over the wall died there with him. On July 4, 1863, Lee would start his retreat South with what was left of his army later that evening.

  The Battle of Gettysburg was over, and one of the greatest battles ever fought was now etched in history.

  East Cavalry Hill

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Phantom Cavalry Retreat

  — By Patrick Burke —

  On July 3, 1863, the third and final day of fighting in Gettysburg, Gen. James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart’s Confederate cavalry attempted to drive a dagger into the backs of the unsuspecting Union soldiers. Most people think of Pickett’s Charge when they talk about the third day’s action, but what’s not so well known is the fact that Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee had devised a more complex strategy to win the battle and capture most of the Army of the Potomac in the process.

  As part of Lee’s attack plan, Gen. Isaac Trimble’s North Carolinians would strike the left flank and part of the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge while Gen. George Pickett’s Virginians struck the center of the line. The extreme left and right flanks of the Confederate forces would demonstrate along their respective fronts to keep all of the Union forces focused away from the main thrust of the approaching rebels. Stuart was ordered to take his cavalry and strike the rear of the Union defenses, thereby disrupting their line of communications while Pickett and Trimble hammered them from the front.

  Confederate Cavalry General J. E. B. Stuart, who attacked the extreme left of the Union line on the third and final day of the battle. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

  The plan was brilliant and aggressive, and it might have worked if it wasn’t for an observant Union Gen. David Gregg, who heard cannon fire and caught sight of a company of Confederate cavalry. He rode close enough to see that it was a lead element of a much larger force. Indeed, Stuart’s cavalry was heading toward the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, which was set as a screen for the artillery reserve. Gregg quickly rode toward his commander’s headquarters to alert him of the situation and get more cavalry support. While doing so, he came across two regiments of Union Gen. George Armstrong Custer’s Michigan Brigade, which had recently been issued Spencer repeating rifles. These repeating rifles represented a significant tactical advantage during the Civil War, as they could fire twenty rounds per minute. Standard muzzle-loaders, on the other hand, could only fire two to three rounds per minute.

  Custer was headed to the far left of the Union line as a screening force when Gregg approached and apprised him of the situation. At first Custer said he couldn’t waver from his orders, but Gregg assured Custer he would take full responsibility for the action if he would only divert his brigade to aid the Third Pennsylvania. Custer finally agreed and arrived on the field just in time to join the gallant charge.

  As Confederate Gen. Fitzhugh Lee (nephew of Robert E. Lee) led the Confederate charge, the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry smacked into the center flank of the rebel cavalry, and Custer drove his cavalry directly at the front of the column of Confederate troopers. “Come on, you Wolverines!” Custer shouted. Seven hundred men fought at point-blank range with Spencer carbine rifles, pistols, and
sabers. The Confederates were eventually overwhelmed and forced to retreat.

  I decided to visit this part of the battlefield for the first time in July 2006 with American Battlefield Ghost Hunter’s Society team members Mike Hartness and John Burke. As the night progressed, a strange feeling came over John and me near the Michigan and Pennsylvania monuments. The energy was high and a sense of foreboding hung in the air. As we got closer to the Confederate positions, the energy began to feel muddy, more depressed than the normal “bring it on” energy I usually feel when confronted with Confederate spirits.

  We stood by a road that splits the woods where Fitzhugh Lee initiated his charge and where the Confederate cannons were placed. The atmosphere was heavy, and we spoke in hushed tones—the rebel ghost soldiers obviously having a direct effect on us. As we walked along the road with the woods to our left (in a direction that would take us away from Custer’s Michigan Brigade), we heard the sounds of walking and movement in the woods. We immediately stopped and listened closely as the commotion continued. It sounded like men and horses walking.

  Mike walked over to the edge of the woods as John and I looked on. The sound grew fainter and finally stopped abruptly. When Mike came back, I asked him if he saw anything. He said no, but heard the sounds very clearly—men and horses moving away from the battlefield. Had we just experienced a residual haunting, hearing the imprinted energies of the actions that took place after Stuart’s failed cavalry charge? Were the depressed feelings John and I felt those of the Confederates as they streamed back in defeat?

  If you ever have the chance to go to the East Cavalry Field, you should do so. And when you’re hanging out at the Michigan monument, ask the Union soldiers what they thought of Custer and if he was a hard commander. You might be surprised by the reply you get!

  Union Cavalry General George Armstrong Custer, who survived the Civil War but met his violent end at the Battle of Little Big Horn thirteen years later. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

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  Pickett’s Charge

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Pickett’s Charge

  — By Patrick Burke —

  There are a number of times when we would just go and sit at the Bloody Angle, look across to Seminary Ridge and wonder what it must have been like. On our last visit, we planted ourselves on the wall and sat quietly listening for about fifteen minutes. I looked at Jack and said, “It’s a strange feeling … I can feel the ghost soldiers all around us, but it’s like they are waiting for something.”

  Jack nodded his head. “The calm before the storm.”

  I nodded in agreement, and then jumped at the sound of a single cannon firing.

  “Holy shit!” Jack shouted. He asked if I heard the cannon firing.

  I replied that not only did I hear it, but that just before I heard the sound, I saw a starburst of white energy erupt from the ground just off to our left.

  Did we just experience the first cannon shot that opened the artillery barrage on Day Three of the fighting? Jack wanted me to ask a specific question based on what had just happened to us when I came out with the Double-Blind Ghost Box team, and I told him no problem.

  Confederate General George Pickett led the main attack against the center of the Union line on the third and final day of battle. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

  During our Double-Blind Ghost Box investigation of Wright’s brigade on Day Two of the battle (see chapter 11: A Study in Paranormal Archaeology), we had a moment when the ghost soldiers switched on us from Day Two action to Day Three action.

  It happened near the forward position of Brown’s Battery, when one minute we were talking to the ghost soldiers of Wright’s brigade and the next minute Mary, who was standing near Dan and wasn’t listening on the ghost box, said, “Layered history.” Shawn, who had constantly been the Listener, stated that the ghost box was changing. He took off his headphones and I did the same. Shawn and Mary agreed that the vibration in the area was changing, a feeling that both Chris and I felt as well. I handed Mary the headset and asked her and Shawn to follow the direction the ghost box was taking them. Something was telling me that this was one of those rare times in an investigation when something completely unexpected was about to happen.

  As with any haunting at a historical setting, you sometimes get what Jack and I call a “layered haunting” or “layered history.” This happens when you have ghosts from different time periods trying to communicate at the same time. On battlefields, it can also happen when you’re trying to communicate with the ghost soldiers from a specific time or date in a battle, but you may get ghost soldiers from a different action, different time, or different date. This is especially likely if the ground you’re covering saw more than one engagement from different units on different days. This was exactly the case in this instance; I wanted to check on Wright’s position coming up to Brown’s guns on the second day’s action, but the ghost soldiers wanted to jump into the third day’s action.

  Mary and Shawn were the listeners in the ghost box investigations as I asked for the location of the Third Georgia. I wanted to see if our pausing to make a change from me listening to Mary listening would stop the layering. Shawn started in immediately with a stream of replies, “Six thousand men got shot.” Mary said the name “George” and I immediately asked if they were from Virginia. Dan quickly followed my question with his own, “Are you from Virginia?” Karen and Chris were still with us, and Karen, who isn’t known for her sensitive abilities, said, “Yes. She got yes.” Shawn continued, “I am an observer—Turned away—Confederates remain—Look forward!” Confederate Gen. George Pickett didn’t advance with his division and instead stayed behind and watched the entire conflict from Seminary Ridge … as an observer.

  I asked if the fighting at the wall was bad. This was the question that Jack had asked me to pose if we found that the ghost soldiers from Pickett’s Division were active. “Desperate—Got ’em!” Dan asked how many men died and Mary and Shawn replied “607” and “The angle!—Gotta get outta here!—We’re losing!—They shot him!” At this point I knew we had stepped into the firsthand recounting of Pickett’s Division’s fatal charge on the third day’s fighting. Mary and Shawn both heard the name “Brume” and then Mary said “Eddie.”

  Was the final string of words that Shawn and Mary uttered the last words of the Confederate soldiers as they burst over the wall with Gen. Lewis Armistead? Imagine the hell these men must have been going through. Seeing the fleeing Union soldiers at the wall, the rebels must have felt a quick jubilation, perhaps thinking they broke the line. Suddenly they realize they’re surrounded on three sides by Union infantry who are just pouring lead into them. Did we capture the last words of those brave men who jumped the wall? Let’s recap what was said and how it relates to the actual battle:

  “The angle!”—The Bloody Angle was where Armistead crossed the wall with about 200 Confederate soldiers.

  “Gotta get outta here!”—Realizing that they had no support, they frantically looked for a way out.

  “We’re losing!”—The heart-wrenching realization that they weren’t invincible and then the final straw …

  “They shot him!”—Armistead’s men see him go down at Cushing’s Battery and realize it’s over.

  In all our years of doing paranormal investigations and all of the solid evidence we’ve accumulated, nothing can compare to the moment when you realize you may have heard and captured the final words of men in desperate combat. Although this session wasn’t in reference to why we were there, it was obvious that the ghost soldiers wanted their story heard and shared. We always feel a bit awed when we’re honored by those who gave their last full measure when they share a moment in history with us. From the actual participants of the battle … incredible.

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  Town of Gettysburg

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Within
These Walls

  — By Jack Roth —

  Throughout this book, we’ve shared eyewitness testimony associated with Gettysburg hauntings. Many of these witnesses were visiting the battlefield at the time of their unexplained experiences. But what about those who currently work in the buildings that were inhabited in 1863? Some of the most compelling eyewitness testimony associated with paranormal activity in Gettysburg comes from the people who live and work in town. Many of the buildings that were witness to the battle still stand and are being used in various capacities. Quaint restaurants, bed and breakfasts, museums, and retail stores line the streets of Gettysburg, and the individuals who work in these buildings have many tales to tell.

  What if you had repeated and daily contact with the vibratory energies associated with paranormal phenomena? Most people who come to Gettysburg are tourists and are there for only a few days, and yet every year, thousands of them experience paranormal activity. Imagine if you were in Gettysburg every day. How many ghostly encounters would you have? The real question becomes whether or not people can become more in tune with the specific frequencies associated with both residual and spirit energies due to a resonant familiarity that develops over time?

  In scientific terms, resonance is an object or force getting in tune with another object or force. In her book, The Resonance Key, Marie Jones talks about how more scientists, as well as paranormal researchers, are looking at resonance as one possible explanatory hypothesis of the Theory of Everything. She states that “this comprehensive model may bridge the gaps between science and the supernatural, the normal and the paranormal, and go one step further to explain every facet of reality in between.” This theory, she says, may indeed center on the vibratory nature of matter as it relates to both the natural and unnatural worlds, as well as on harmonics and sound, and furthermore, there are specific links between resonance and nearly every manner of mysterious phenomena reported.