Today, Gettysburg is known as the bloodiest and one of the deadliest battles during the Civil War. The fight started on July 1, 1863, and lasted for three days. It is also known as not only of the turning points of the Civil War but also of American history. After the smoke cleared and the battle was over, the Union side has won the victory. However, this victory did not come without the substantial loss of more than 50,000 Confederate and Union soldiers dead or dying. It is also recorded that around 5,000 horses perished in this battle.
While the Union soldiers and the majority of Confederate soldiers received proper burial, it did not stop the unsettled spirits from returning. For over a century, people who have visited and lived near the battle site and in the town of Gettysburg have reported ghostly stories. People have witnessed everything from seeing apparitions to hearing and smelling cannon fire. The battle site has been the subject of many paranormal investigations, including Travel Channel’s own Ghost Adventures. While some Gettysburg tourists don’t think of what they see, hear, or smell, other visitors, are incredibly touched by these events and carry it with them for a long time, if not the rest of their lives.
Cashtown Inn
Cashtown Inn is the location where the first soldier was killed during the Gettysburg Campaign of the Civil War. Today, the owners of this location believe the Cashtown Inn is haunted, and possibly by this soldier. In fact, the owners, Jack Paladino and his wife, have proof of a ghostly visitor which is often at the Cashtown Inn. They not only have photographs which show skeletons but also have witnessed lights turning on and off. On top of this, Paladino says that their guests have reportedly heard strange noises and seen doors locking and unlocking themselves.
Baladerry Inn
During day two of the Gettysburg battle, the Baladerry Inn served as the Union Field Hospital. The owner, Suzanne Lonky, has collected tons of records to prove the Inn is haunted by the ghost of the soldiers who lost their lives. Some of the information Lonky has collected is from her guests, who have not only spoken about their encounters but also snapped photographs. To further prove the existence of ghosts, a psychic went to the location. They psychic believed that much of the inn’s paranormal activity is from Confederate soldiers who were buried under a tennis court near the inn.
An abandoned Gettysburg Ghost train. Flickr.
Ghost Train
There are many ghostly tours visitors can take around Gettysburg. However, there is only one tour which will take you across the whole battlefield, and that is the ghost train tour. The ghost train tour is a 90-minute tour where visitors cannot only hear ghost stories, but many have reported their own. The tour guides and many tourists have mentioned seeing spirits wandering around the tracks and on the train. They have also noted a strong smell of cigar smoke on the train when no one is allowed to smoke.