Ghosts of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest in the history of the American Civil War. The battle recorded over 8000 casualties, with many more wounded. However, many people have reported and told stories of seeing the soldiers of Gettysburg, or, in other words, seeing their ghosts. Most of the stories include the men battling each other on the field, as they did during the actual battle. Many believe that the ghosts are true, others don’t. Ghosts hunters Dave and Sharon Oester decided to see these ghosts for themselves, and described their discoveries in their book, The Ghosts of Gettysburg. As shown below, there have been many sightings, too many, in fact, to write about. However, one can visit the battlefield, and decide for themselves if they believe in these ghosts. From camera malfunctions on the battlefield to a tap on the shoulder, these ghosts will always remind us of what they did, and will never be forgotten.

Sightings of the Ghosts

There have been many sightings of ghosts. Sometimes, people have heard ghosts, and witnessed paranormal events in Gettysburg. One of them was outside General Robert E Lee’s headquarters, which is available to see now in Pennsylvania.[1] Ghost hunters Dave and Sharon Oester brought a group of nurses to the Gettysburg battlefield, and what was witnessed next was both “terrifying and incredible”, as both of the authors put it.[2] Outside Lee’s headquarters, there are cannons that the group stood outside of. The hunters and the nurses took pictures of the cannons, where the fighting during the battle occurred.[3] Eventually, one of the nurses said that they smelled blood, which was odd because there haven’t been fighting or blood-spilling events since the battle of Gettysburg.[4] All of the nurses could smell blood, but no one else could.[5] This was because they could smell old blood, which no one other than nurses could smell.[6] If this event is true, then the only explanation that could explain what happened was that the blood of the old soldiers appeared on the battlefield, and for this to happen, their “ghosts” would have to be around somewhere. There are many other reports of similar events like this, but, to be sure, one would have to visit Gettysburg themselves, and decide, whether they believe in ghosts or not.

In the Reynolds woods, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a normal couple was on a stroll through the woods.[7] They then decided to visit the battlefield, where they thought they saw reenactors reenacting the battle, waving a Confederate flag waving in the wind, however, when she investigated, there was no flag and there were no actors.2[8] The woman was recording her experience the entire time and decided to look at the recording to see what happened. When she watched the recording, she could hear soldiers giving military commands.2[9] This terrifying recording is only one example of the terrifying ghost stories and encounters that have been recorded around Gettysburg, and proves that something, paranormal or not, is happening there. Even if these ghosts are not real, they are constant reminder that the battle and the soldiers are not to be forgotten, and if sightings of ghosts continue, they will never be forgotten.[10]

Conclusion

There are a great number of places around Gettysburg that are supposedly haunted. There are many reports of ghosts in places like the Gettysburg hotel, the Gettysburg mansion, Culp’s field, many hospitals, and the Virginia monument, and the ghost stories that are told from those places range from cameras not working to feeling taps on the shoulder to objects being misplaced.2[11] It is not known exactly when the first sighting of a ghost or paranormal activity in Gettysburg was, but their have been many reports documented, and even if some might not be real, they tell us that something eerie is happening in Gettysburg, whether it be ghosts or simply mysterious followers of the battle. Real or not, they will forever be in our heads, and will always be remembered for what they did in Gettysburg.2[12]

References

Citations
  1. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  2. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  3. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  4. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  5. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  6. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  7. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  8. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  9. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  10. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  11. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.
  12. Oester, Dave; Oester, Sharon (May 2007). Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground. iUniverse. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-595-44684-1.

Sources

Further Reading, “The Ghosts of Gettysburg”

Ghost Hunters Dave and Sharon record that most of the Gettysburg Ghosts range from nurses in the war to soldiers fighting. In their book, “The Ghosts of Gettysburg”, Dave and Sharon Oester explore multiple sites of the war and record multiple heart stopping encounters with what they say is paranormal activity. For one who wants to read about their experiences and learn more about these ghosts, they should read the Oester’s book. For one who wants to experience the strange activity themselves, Gettysburg is a great place to go and explore.

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