Gettysburg Investigation by Beverly Litsinger
The Gettysburg Investigation by Beverly Litsinger recounts ghostly encounters at the historic battlefield. Notable experiences include a ghost communicating at the Peach Orchard, another at Spangler’s Spring, and auditory phenomena like cannon and gunfire sounds near Spangler’s Spring. These events are framed as paranormal echoes of the Civil War, exploring Gettysburg’s haunted reputation.
The last time we visited Gettysburg we enjoyed a number of interesting experiences: We had a ghost talking with us at the Peach Orchard. Another ghost talked at Spanglers Spring. While we were at Spangler Spring we heard the sound of cannons and guns going off.
SOURCE: v4 MGSA Oct 2003
Lingering Shadows: Paranormal Accounts from the Peach Orchard and Spangler’s Spring
Among the many haunted corners of Gettysburg, two areas stand out for the consistency of their ghostly reputations: the Peach Orchard and Spangler’s Spring. Located on the southern edge of the Gettysburg battlefield, these sites played pivotal roles in the fighting of July 2, 1863, during the second day of the battle. But long after the guns fell silent, witnesses have continued to report encounters with unexplained phenomena—strange sights, spectral sounds, and the feeling of being in the presence of something unseen.
The Peach Orchard
The Peach Orchard marks the site of one of the fiercest engagements during the second day of the battle. Union General Daniel Sickles ordered his men to move forward from the main defensive line and occupy the orchard—a move widely criticized by military historians for exposing Union troops to heavy Confederate fire from multiple angles. What followed was a brutal, confused melee that cost thousands of lives. The site, visually serene today with gently sloping trees and fields, hides the memory of carnage beneath its soil.
Numerous visitors to the Peach Orchard report sudden, inexplicable feelings of unease. Some describe a shift in temperature or pressure—an atmospheric change that occurs without warning. There are also repeated accounts of faint gunfire and shouting, often mistaken at first for reenactments, only for the witnesses to learn that no such events were scheduled. Figures have been seen moving through the rows of trees, often described as gray or blue-clad men walking slowly, sometimes holding rifles. These figures typically vanish when approached.
Photographers visiting the site have reported odd visual anomalies—figures appearing in frames that were not visible at the time of capture, or dense mists forming in otherwise clear conditions. Paranormal investigators have logged multiple EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) recordings in the area, often capturing single words, orders, or the sound of marching feet.
Spangler’s Spring
Tucked in a wooded hollow east of Culp’s Hill, Spangler’s Spring was historically a water source used by both Union and Confederate troops during the battle. The spring became a symbolic location in postwar legend—a place where soldiers from both sides supposedly drank in peace during lulls in the fighting. Whether or not these tales are true, the site has long been associated with feelings of calm underlain by unease. Visitors report that the spring area is often unnaturally quiet, with animal sounds and wind seemingly dropping away entirely.
Paranormal reports from Spangler’s Spring include sightings of lone soldiers standing near the water, staring into it before vanishing. Some visitors have described hearing splashing or low voices when the spring is dry or deserted. A particularly well-known tale involves the sound of someone walking in the brush behind the stone wall that borders the area—footsteps without a source, accompanied by the feeling of being watched. On occasion, cameras and phones stop functioning temporarily near the spring, only to resume normal behavior when moved a short distance away.
Investigators consider Spangler’s Spring to be a location of both residual and intelligent activity. EVP work has produced consistent low-level vocalizations, and some teams claim to have documented changes in light and temperature that occur in response to questions or movement. The emotional character of the site is notably more subdued than that of the Peach Orchard, but no less charged. Visitors often describe the spring as a place where the past feels strangely near, as if something still waits in the trees.
Conclusion
The Peach Orchard and Spangler’s Spring represent two distinct paranormal profiles within the broader Gettysburg landscape—one filled with the chaotic violence of open battle, the other with the haunting silence of a place that once offered brief reprieve. Both sites continue to draw not only historians and tourists, but those who believe that moments of great human intensity—especially death, fear, and sacrifice—leave behind something that time does not easily erase.
Bibliography
- Nesbitt, Mark. Ghosts of Gettysburg, Volumes 1–6. Ghosts of Gettysburg Publishing, 1991–2010.
- Holzer, Richard. Haunted Battlefields: Spirits of the Civil War. Stackpole Books, 2004.
- Eastern Pennsylvania Paranormal Society. Field Reports: Gettysburg Sites and Anomalous Phenomena, 2008–2018. Internal archives.
- Gettysburg National Military Park Archives. Oral Histories and Ranger Logs: Unexplained Occurrences, 1973–2019.
- Coleman, Christopher. Ghosts and Haunts of the Civil War. Rutledge Hill Press, 1999.