There’s the
Devil to Pay
Devil’s Den is a maze of boulders and rocks that represents one of the most famous landmarks at Gettysburg. On the second day of the battle, this area saw fierce hand-to-hand fighting. Although historians and visitors alike focus mainly on the action in and around the Den, there’s a modest elevation located at its northern end known as Houck’s Ridge that saw the heaviest fighting of the day. The Confederate juggernaut had to fight through the Triangular Field, over the wall at the top of the field and then up this ridge just in order to first get to the hazardous, jagged-edged ground of Devil’s Den.
Capt. James E. Smith’s Fourth Battery, New York Light Artillery, consisting of three twenty-pound parrot guns, stationed on the back side of Devil’s Den and positioned toward the Triangular Field to aid the 124th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, known as the Orange Blossom Boys. The 124th New York was to hold the extreme left flank of the Union defenses on Houck’s Ridge. Coming at them were the Fourth and Fifth Texas Brigades of Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood’s division with three regiments of Gen. Henry L. Benning’s Georgia Brigade in support directly behind them. To make things worse for the Orange Blossom Boys, these particular Confederate soldiers had marched all day and were itching for a fight.
The fighting between the 124th New York and the Texans went back and forth over the top wall three times. The first charge by the New Yorkers ended with the death of their beloved commander, Col. Augustus Van Horne Ellis, who was shot in the forehead and fell dead off his horse. Ironically, on the march to Gettysburg, Ellis prophesied that he would not survive the battle. Maj. James Cromwell rallied the men of the 124th and bravely rode through a storm of bullets in order to retrieve the body of his colonel. According to eyewitness testimony, Cromwell was so gallant that some of the Texans shouted, “Don’t shoot at him … don’t kill him,” but to no avail. He and his gray horse were both shot and killed at the bottom of the field.
The New Yorkers charged a third and final time to retrieve both of their officers’ bodies, which they did. However, the Texans gained the wall, and as the Georgians moved up beside them, the Texans jumped up and fired a volley at Smith’s Battery, causing horses and men to tumble to the ground. As the Georgians jumped over the wall, Smith was able to save only one of his artillery guns from being captured by the enemy. Eventually, the 124th New York was overrun by fresh Confederate troops, who secured Devil’s Den and the southern part of Houck’s Ridge. These assaults by Hood’s brigades left hundreds of men on both sides killed and more than 1,500 seriously wounded.
Over the years, we’ve interviewed many eyewitnesses while investigating this area of the battlefield. Once, while filming near Smith’s Battery, two women shared a fascinating story with us. Apparently, their husbands were Union reenactors, and they had come to Gettysburg as part of a living-history event during the anniversary of the battle. One evening, the two men (dressed in full reenactment gear) were having a casual conversation while leaning on one of the boulders between Smith’s Battery and the 124th New York monuments. As they discussed the day’s events, they heard a group of people walking off to their right. When they turned to look, four Union soldiers came into view, their muskets casually slung over their shoulders. They looked tired, drawn, and dusty, and they crossed the road toward the wall at the top of the Triangular Field, which is adjacent to Devil’s Den. One of the soldiers looked over, gave them an approving nod with his head, and continued on.
One of the husbands commented that something about those men was odd. He couldn’t explain why, but he thought they were out of place. The four soldiers certainly looked the part, but it seemed almost too real. He tapped his buddy and said, “Let’s go talk to those guys, they really fit the part.”
Only a few seconds had passed since they saw the four “reenactors,” allowing them plenty of time to catch up to them, but when they reached the wall of Triangular Field, they couldn’t find the uniformed men anywhere. In fact, only one other person was there—a man standing at the wall looking into the field. They asked him if he had seen any other re-enactors walk by. He replied that he had been standing there for about ten minutes, and they were the first people he had seen since he arrived.
They searched the area in vain and left scratching their heads. What had they just witnessed? The four soldiers looked as solid as the rocks they were leaning on. The eerily authentic condition of their uniforms was certainly impressive, but they were almost too authentic. The tired looks, the dust-covered uniforms, the drawn, almost-sad faces. Did they witness a scene from the past—four Union soldiers walking across Houck’s Ridge after the battle had ended? Or maybe it was before the second day’s brutality began.
The brief interaction that occurred suggests a genuine spirit encounter. The four soldiers knew the two reenactors were there, and one of them apparently acknowledged that with a nod. This encounter could have been the result of a rip in the fabric of time, a rare moment when the veil between past, present, and future is lifted, leaving those who witness the anomaly with a very strange experience to recount to others. And maybe they were four spirits, bonded in death as they were in life, casualties of one of history’s most violent clashes.
Strangely enough, profound stories like this one abound within the reenactor community. Maybe the ghost soldiers see men dressed like them and are drawn to the familiar surroundings they knew while alive. Most reenactors feel a strong connection to the battles and soldiers they honor. Many are descendants whose great-great-great-grandfathers or uncles died in these battles. Others retain vivid and accurate memories as if they were actually participants in these battles, which suggest evidence of possible reincarnation. Whatever the case, reenactors represent ideal witnesses to all types of paranormal activity associated with historic events. In the case of Gettysburg, they are inexplicably drawn to the energy, and many times they offer unique insight regarding the mysterious nature of this most hallowed ground.