Gettysburg is a mecca for ghost hunters. A small town in Pennsylvania, it is also the scene of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Researchers of paranormal activity, along with ordinary tourists, come here from all states.
Indeed, during the three days of fighting, thousands of soldiers died here, some died quickly, some suffered for a long time, and some were not even buried. The wounded groaned in pain, bleeding and waiting to be amputated without anesthesia.
It was this picture that two women suddenly saw before them as they descended into the basement of Pennsylvania Hall at Gettysburg College. And it happened in our time. From the story of these women it follows that they, having stayed late at work, called the lift, which instead of the ground floor brought them to the basement. The doors opened and they saw a surgeon wielding a scalpel and beckoning them towards him. There were dozens of soldiers around, and the floor was covered with blood. The thing is that during the battle, there was a hospital there. And somehow, in some unfathomable way, time has warped, allowing us to see this horrifying action.
While filming Gettysburg in 1993, actors in Northern uniforms climbed Little Round Top, the hill where real Northern soldiers held the defenses 130 years ago. It was nearing dusk when they heard a rustling behind them, and an old man in a dirty blue private's uniform held out a handful of bullets to them and added: ‘Tough day today, ain't it lads?’. Then he left and was never seen again. There are reports that an expert examination allegedly proved the authenticity of the bullets.
Another site of paranormal activity, the so-called ‘Devil's Den,’ was also the site of a fierce battle. The lair was a pile of rocks where soldiers of the 2nd and 17th Georgia Regiments, along with General Hood's Texans, fought off federal troops for 22 hours. To this day, gunshots can still be heard here, and the equipment fails.
Recording the voices of the dead as part of the so-called ‘electronic voice phenomenon’ is considered a very popular pastime. Enthusiasts are constantly trying to capture something on camera with a camera or Dictaphone.
The electronic voice phenomenon is also evident at the Farnsworth House Inn, built in 1810. This building sheltered Confederates who were firing on Northern positions on Cemetery Hill. Legend has it that a bullet fired by a Southerner accidentally hit a girl named Jennie Wade. Ever since then, their unsettled souls have inhabited the hotel. Jenny's voice keeps asking ‘Why?’ and the soldier begs for forgiveness.
The Hummelbaugh House should also be visited by any self-respecting ghost hunter. Brigadier General Barksdale was wounded during the attack on Seminary Ridge, and his bloody body was carried to this house. The wounded man was left in the street. The last person to see him alive was an officer of the 148th Pennsylvania Regiment. According to the Pennsylvanian, Barksdale was violently thirsty in the hours before his death. A local boy tried to give the general a drink from a spoon, but the delirious general did not notice the boy, but continued to loudly beg for water. These pleas can be heard with enviable regularity to this day, both inside and outside the house.
Barksdale's wife, upon learning of her husband's death, travelled to Gettysburg to exhume the body and rebury it in Mississippi. She took the general's favourite hunting dog with her on the journey. When the old dog found himself at his master's grave near the Hummelbaugh home, he literally clung to the ground and began to howl terribly. He could never be dragged away from the grave, no matter what efforts were made. It is believed in Gettysburg that the spirit of the animal still haunts Hummelbaugh's house. Every year, on the night of 2 July (the anniversary of Barksdale's death), a terrifying dog howl echoes around the town.
As we can see, the Gettysburg map is littered with various interesting objects. We can mention Rose's Farm (a field hospital and temporary cemetery), the Steam Locomotive Depot, ‘Iverson's Dead End’ (where Iverson's brigade came under heavy fire from Federal troops because of the uncoordinated Southern attack, and about 800 Confederate soldiers were killed almost at one moment).
Many businesses in Gettysburg now offer tours with a ghost tour twist. Some believe in ghosts and find them, others consider it fairy tales. But one way or another, the spirits fulfil their entertainment function and bring in a considerable income to the city treasury. In the end, everyone is happy.
