Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The Battle of Gettysburg was the largest ever fought on the North American continent. Fought between July 1 – 3, 1863, it produced the greatest number of casualties of any battle of the war, and was the high water mark of the Confederacy. The South was decisively defeated and for the rest of the war the Army of Northern Virginia fought in a defensive posture. Combined casualties of the battle were around 50,000, with about 8,000 of these dead. Many more died later of their wounds. There were two civilian casualties, a young woman named Ginnie Wade, who was killed by a stray bullet, and 69 year old War of 1812 veteran who fought as a volunteer with the Union and was wounded. He survived.
Most of the dead were buried on Cemetery Hill, where some of the Union troops had made their stand during the battle. Others were buried in local church cemeteries, near the field hospitals where they died, and in other locales. Many went unburied for an extended period, their bodies undiscovered in wooded areas or remote spots on the battlefield. When the Gettysburg National Cemetery was created most of the Union dead were reinterred there, and it was to there that Lincoln journeyed in November 1863 to deliver his Gettysburg Address. By then there were already stories of paranormal activities in the town of Gettysburg and in locations across the battlefield.
Even during the battle itself there were reports of ghostly apparitions. One such tale was that of the Phantom on Horseback. The story was that as the 20th Maine Regiment, led by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, who would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day, was guided up the slopes of Little Round Top by the apparition of a man, uniformed in the blue and buff of the Revolutionary War. The Phantom was mounted on a white horse, had a glowing aura surrounding him, and appeared to be George Washington. That George Washington was a Virginian and a slave-owner didn’t seem to be a consideration.
Following the battle there were reports of spectral figures roaming the battlefield. At Devil’s Den, barefoot figures have been reported as appearing before visitors to inform them that what they seek is “over there” while pointing in the direction of Plum Run Creek. Other visitors have reported encountering an older, disheveled figure asking them if they have any spare rounds. The nearby Daniel Lady farm was used by the Confederates as a field hospital and is reported to be haunted by the ghosts of the many who died in agony there.
The Sachs Covered Bridge is claimed to be haunted by the ghosts of several soldiers, and reports of paranormal activity at night include sightings of glowing orbs and wraithlike figures. The house where 20 year old Ginnie Wade, sometimes called Jennie, was killed by a stray bullet is said to be prowled by her restless spirit. Ghosts have been widely reported in and around the Doubleday Inn, where a group of Confederates from North Carolina were killed. There have been many reports of hearing ghostly conversations in the distinctive drawl of that state, as well as of apparitions.
Needless to say, Gettysburg’s reputation as a hotbed of spectral appearances, paranormal occurrences, and widespread unexplained appearances and disappearances has created an industry in tours of haunted places around the town and battlefield, some of which are focused on events which had nothing to do with the battle (such as the orphanage, the proprietress of which allegedly haunts the basement). Like other towns, Gettysburg is often claimed to be the most haunted place in American and its link with the battle gives its claims a level of credence other sites are unable to attain. Whether one believes in ghosts or not, what happened there over three days in 1863 leaves the battlefield a haunting place.