Gettysburg Ghostly Encounters: Who Is Real and Who Isn't?

[Graveyard Hound]

There are other sites, not as expansive but just as loaded with the paranormal, Fredricksburg, Sharpsburg, especially, Vicksburg, just name a battlefield, here or in Europr and odds are that there are paranormal activities taking place. Part of my twice a year trips to England, Scotland, and Wales is to go to just such places.

 

[DEATH OMEN]

First, let me say that ass a reenactor, one who plays a part in reenacting historical evveents, usually battles that are added uup to make up wars, you are catching yourself wondering, "what if I had been here before, in another life, especially if your ancestors were, in fact, there but over 100 plus years before you as mine were, all 14 cousins, well "kin folk" or "'blood relatives". Ii did reenactments as far north as PA, as far west, as TN,, south in LA, GA,SC and NC but there is something about being in a small crossroads towwn, oor it was when I started going up there but it isn'r now, not by a long shot. Touriists or lack of can make or break a town, throw in a battlefieldd where 3 days in July are seen by many historians as the three days that turned the corse of the Civil War in favoor of the Union, that were the eventual winners. I'll mention that going there , doing reenactments of everything from a common soldier to a second in command of a general from North Carolina. As a common soldiier, the most expensive part of my "uniform", which I had none of, was my rifle, which was a replica. The original is here in my home. Ammunication is not allowed nor ram rods on the battlefield nor in any reenactment for obvious reasons. My uniforms was expensive, including all that went with it, I was llucky enough to have a friend loan me a horse, saddle, etc but he was repaid quite well for the 3 day loan. As for running into "things that don''t belong there", aka "ghosts", well to put it bluntly, I've seen various types, those that don't seem to notice me, ones that have passed right tthrough me,those doing a task, apparently doing at their death and doomed to continue throughout time. there there are ones who seem to be flesh and blood, solid as a rock, ones who can carry on a chat from their point in time, 1863. I've met only a few, thankfully with witnnesses who were baffeled as much as me to see this traveler through time, space,life, and death. One that comes to mind was a few years ago when about thirty of us, examples of gray and blue uniforms spread out having lunch, as none of us were scheduled for anything unless we chose to take part in some battle somwhere in the park, when a group of Confederate soldiers approached us, never heard them comming, one came forward and ask if we had some water we might spare, as they were thirsty, to which we all passed our canteens around, aand started conversations with this "group". They all seemed to have no expression, noted none I saw were sweating and it was hot mid-day in the July sun. They were dressed in various degrees of uniforms, one having said I must be from North Carolina, as the governor always wanted his men dressed better than any other troops in the Confederate Army. They didn't seem to notice our friends dressed in "Union Blue" were still eating nearby and wondering what was happening. One later commented a photo he took came out looking like the pictures taken during the battle, the real ones, just made us look like we were part of the photo but blended in with the rest of the troop. After standing there, as none moved except to drink from a canteen, I was informed "they" would be movving on, asked to give my regards to General Hill, from North Carolina, and walked off about 100 yards then simply vanished. No puff of smoke, no distortion in a visual field, they just tuned some corner in time and went back to where they came from. That got the others laying around to group together and ask, "where did they go"? or "did you see them vanish"?. Some espressed a thought that we were being pllayed for folss aand the "troops" had not realy vanish but hid somewhere. Nice thought but there was no where to hide. If they came back, it wasn't by any of us. When I got my hands on a pc, I looked up thhe unit, as to their fate that July day or the next. What found was that no one seemed to know, on either side. The Union command denied taking a group of about 30 men and there were no citations in any records that could be found at about 10 colleges that had records from that time except noting that a particular unit did not report for duty and was assumed to be acting in desertation. If they deserted, it was into thin air, and I have about 30 other men, supposedly still of sound body and mind, that saw a unit of Confereate soldiers go on to parts unknown. Friends that were there still can't explain it, aa few won't talk about it, aand I've had other reenactors show me photos of a unit that was taken, as thee unit, just seemed strange. There was a "haze" around the group in some of the photos but some faces were clear enough to see clearly the same "men", and I used that term loosley, I had spoken with years earlier.

That's the fun of goin' to any Civil War battlefield, ya really never can be sure if seein' a "person" in a Civil War uniform is a reenactor or a "ghost", maybe the ghost of a reenactor?