Civil War Ghosts

5. Point of Woods

Gettysburg, PA

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Pickett's Charge was the turning point and climax of the Battle of Gettysburg. General Pickett's men stood by the woods awaiting the order to charge toward Union lines. This charge would quite possibly be their final attempt at turning the tide of the Battle, and perhaps the War. After two days of some of the most intense and fierce fighting of the Civil War, the two forces met in this small field, less than a mile across, staring each other down and knowing that fierce fighting would soon erupt and claim many lives. Standing in formation and looking across the field of wheat swaying slightly in an ominous breeze, imagine how the soldiers felt as the specter of death drew near. As General Pickett gave the signal, his regiments let out their wild rebel yells and charged toward the Union lines into heavy rifle and cannon fire. Soldiers charged ahead as their comrades were torn to pieces by shrapnel or viciously gunned down beside them. Cannons filled with canisters of bits of tin and metal blasted rebel soldiers who charged just yards in front of the cannons, blasting them limb from limb and ripping hot shreds of metal into their flesh. In under an hour, over 6,000 men lay dead on the field. After the engagement, the field was soaked in blood and soldiers laid crying and screaming for water and their mothers, or just writhing silently in pain, knowing that nothing could save them and that the sky above would be the last earthly sight they would ever see. The site became a place of mass burials, where hundreds of unidentified soldiers would be placed in the same shallow graves. Later, many of the bodies were exhumed and returned to their hometowns or National Military cemeteries, but not all of the bodies were recovered. It is not surprising to hear of ghost stories here, given the large number of casualties in a small area over a short amount of time, the fighting that left so many young men dead, and the mass unmarked graves of unknown soldiers. Many tourists and locals report sightings of phosphorescent glowing regiments of soldiers marching along the fields or hearing strange low and agonizing moans. The area is known to set off EMF or EVP receivers. The soldiers that fought and died here experienced the horrific sights, sounds, and smells of war in the last moments of their lives. They may still wander these fields, perhaps seeking revenge or solace for the many lives cut short here.