This one is from the Triangular Field in Gettysburg. Triangular Field and Devil's Den are underrated in our history books. Devils' Den sits at the base of Little Round Top on the opposite end of the Valley of Death. The Texan sharpshooters were placed there to pick off the Union men who were occupying Little Round Top. Now it is said that one of the strangest phenomena surrounding the battle of July 2nd, 1863 was that the Texans found dead in the Den were not killed by gun shot. In 1863 it is easy how one could be spooked into believing that Satan himself was the cause of their death. However, the culprit was the deafening sound of cannon fire against the huge boulders that form the Den. It is believed that this immense sound that echoed in their ears, caused concussions that were deadly, so no visible wounds were found on the bodies. But I digress, it is Triangular field that I was interested in.

Triangular field is found at the bottom of Devil's Den. Many stories are told of camera equipment that fails to work properly due to a spirit that haunts the field. It is said that this spirit is of a Confederate soldier who died in the field on July 2nd, 1863. Upon taking photos of post-battle casualties, famed photographer Matthew Brady felt that moving this boy's body to Devil's Den would make for a better photo. The spirit obviously was displeased and henceforth it makes trouble for those who try to photograph the field.

Breaking one of my own rules, I had decided to venture out to the field to try my hand at photographing the field and to test this spirit. Upon arrival, I did have trouble with my camera's shutter not opening. The indicator light was telling me that there was something too close in range to distinguish clearly...only there was nothing but open field ahead of me. It was not this camera teasing ghost that had me intrigued, however. I was (as I always am) silently paying respect to the fallen men of both the CSA and USA. Just imagining how Hood's men pushed their way through the 124th New York, to take Devil's Den for the Texas sharpshooters so they may have a better position. I was startled suddenly by the sound of a rapidly approaching horse. The galloping was so near that I actually stumbled backwards in anticipation of getting knocked over by the stead. As I fell over my footing on the slope, I looked up and there was no horse in sight. Yet I continued to hear it galloping away into the wooded area adjacent to the Slaughter Pen on the opposite side of the Den. In following up on my history with the battle I learned that the commanding officer of the 124th New York was on horseback and fatally wounded in that conflict. (Very interesting side note...I am a New York girl so I laugh to myself when I think that I was almost trampled by the ghost of a native New Yorker LOL)

That wasn't the only encounter that day at the field. My mother was tired and did not want to trek down into the field with me, so she took comfort in perching herself on a boulder in Devil's Den. She was facing the field and watching me as I walked around. She could not get the sound of an Indian tribal dance out of her ears. She said they were chanting and beating a drum but it was definitely not of Civil War origin. I laughed at her saying, "You have the wrong conflict Mom, this is the battle of Gettysburg not Custer's last stand." Once again, I read up on my history after returning to the hotel that afternoon. Long before the battle of Gettysburg...long before the Alabamians and Texans and Georgians ever set foot on that ground, the area of Devil's Den was indeed occupied by Native American Indians. In fact in the area were our car was parked was an Indian burial ground. 


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Thanks Kristin for sharing yet another terrific true ghostly experience.  :)