Gettysburg Casualties

GETTYSBURG — “What was that? Hear a groan or cry? Catch a whiff of pipe tobacco or peppermint or lavender in the wind? Experiences like these are not uncommon in Gettysburg, considered by some to be among the most haunted towns in America,” reports Diane Stoneback for the York Daily Record.

“Here, “nightlife” refers more often to paranormal experiences than to visiting nightclubs, restaurants, bars and music venues. And it can be experienced in many ways: taking one of the town’s many ghost tours, listening to haunting ghost stories, staying in a haunted hotel or bed and breakfast or simply by being in Gettysburg,” reports Stoneback.

“The three-day battle that began on July 1, 1863, and raged in the heart of town, as well as the surrounding countryside, left 51,000 casualties. About 7,000 soldiers died instantly,” reports Stoneback. “Thousands more were taken to makeshift hospitals set up in almost all of the town’s public buildings and many private homes. Given the immensity of the tragedy, it’s no wonder many people believe spirits still roam the town and battlefields.”

“Most of the soldiers were in their mid-20s or younger, didn’t expect to die, suffered horrible deaths from their injuries and wound up being buried where they fell until something more could be done,” says Nesbitt who started his ghost tours in 1994 and has seen his competitors multiply.

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