The Ghosts of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1-3, 1863, was the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. Over 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or went missing in three days of fighting. Today, the battlefield is considered one of the most haunted locations in America, with countless reports of ghostly soldiers still fighting the war.

The Battle

The Union victory at Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, but it came at tremendous cost. The battlefield was littered with bodies. The wounded lay in fields for days. Every building in town became a hospital.

The trauma of such concentrated death has left what many believe to be a permanent psychic imprint on the landscape.

The Apparitions

Visitors report seeing ghostly soldiers marching across fields, firing phantom weapons, and tending to wounded comrades. The apparitions wear both Union blue and Confederate grey.

Devil’s Den, a rocky area where intense fighting occurred, is particularly active. Visitors report seeing soldiers among the rocks and hearing gunfire. Photographs taken there frequently show anomalies.

Little Round Top, scene of a desperate Union defense, is associated with sightings of spectral soldiers. The smell of gunpowder is sometimes reported where no source exists.

Gettysburg College

Buildings in town that served as hospitals are also haunted. Pennsylvania Hall at Gettysburg College, used as a Confederate hospital, is reportedly one of the most haunted buildings in America. Students report seeing apparitions and hearing groans.

Assessment

Gettysburg combines documented historical tragedy on a massive scale with modern paranormal reports. Whether residual energy from the battle replays eternally, or the spirits of fallen soldiers truly linger, Gettysburg remains America’s most haunted battlefield.