LOCATION:

The town of Gettysburg is located in southern Pennsylvania where highway 15 and 30 meet. Gettysburg is 13.7 miles north of the Maryland border, 24.96 miles east of Chambersburg and 38.32 miles south of Harrisburg, the Capitol of Pennsylvania.

The town has realized the importance of its part in the Battle of Gettysburg, and have restored the historical downtown, offering tours which explain what life was like during this time period.

HISTORY & DESCRIPTION:

The Civil War battle of Gettysburg was a 3 day fight; July 1st to July 3rd, 1863, over a distance of 40 miles in the countryside and farmland near and around the town of Gettysburg.

General Robert E. Lee was on his way to bring the war to the north, aiming for Harrisburg, taking the pressure off Virginia, in areas where his soldiers could live off the land, perhaps forcing a settlement, letting the south become its own country.

One of the crafts located in Gettysburg was the tanning of leather and making of shoes. General Robert E. Lee, who needed boots for his troops was well aware of this, so he headed for Gettysburg, took over the town, and purchased or just took boots for his troops.

Another source said that the first stop for Lee was a small village, called Cashtown, a village located between Chambersburg and Gettysburg. After learning through a spy that the Union Troops, led by General George Meade were onto his plan to attack the north at Harrisburg, Lee sent a reconnaissance team to Gettysburg, while preparing to meet the Union troops in battle, when they were spotted. This confederate reconnaissance team inadvertently bumped into the Union reconnaissance team also sent to Gettysburg, which began the battle in the city of Gettysburg itself. The confederate forces after fierce street fighting, pushed the battle outside of town, during the first day of battle, July 1st.

These confederate troops, pursued the Union Army which resulted in a bloody confrontation on the farmland and country side located just outside Gettysburg, and were involved in a battle which lasted 3 days. This fight turned out to be incredibly bloody and costly in human lives; 50,000 men, (almost as many killed in the 7 year war in Viet Nam). It was the turning point in the Civil War, giving the advantage to the Union forces.

The people in Gettysburg were in for a terrifying, horrifying adventure that only war can bring, as they were experiencing events first hand near the front lines of a battle so close to town. Some houses and buildings became makeshift care stations and operating rooms for the wounded. Many frightened people hid in their basements, afraid to venture out, trying to remain safe from the enemy and the dangerous aspect of war; Gunfire, enemy soldiers of unknown character, combat. There are also many stories of bravery and honor of courageous citizens who risked their lives to help the Union army, which sometimes didn't turn out at all well for them.

Wars break things and kill people. The worst part was yet to come after the battle was finished. The townspeople became first responders, as well as secondary victims. They did their best to help the thousands of men through their pain and care of their bloody wounds, dealing with all the dead bodies decomposing in the hot summer sun, while facing problems of a personal challenge; the loss of food, crops and destruction of buildings. For months, they nursed men back to health, while trying to put the pieces of what was their way of life back together.

Many houses and buildings in Gettysburg were part of the battle and were used by both sides of the conflict. Psychic energy attached to such traumatic events lingers on. Many also are homes to entities involved in such actions, who either don't know they died, weren't ready to die and wish to stick around or are stuck reliving what happened to them.

MANIFESTATIONS:

1) Phantom Smells - Many bodies were left to decompose and rot on the streets of Gettysburg. In order to walk outside at all, people in town had to use peppermint / vanilla scented -soaked hankies/ handkerchieves up to their noses to keep from gagging from the awful stench of death.

a) At times, the living can still smell the scent of peppermint and vanilla.

Still Haunted?

Definitely yes.

There is no denying the existence of restless souls in this area with so much death and mayhem.

Ghost Tours are offered to visitors.gettysburgbattlefieldtours.com

Haunted Places by Dennis William Hauk

Sources include: gettysburg.com * graveaddiction.com * theshadowlands.net