What's your favorite part of the Gettysburg battlefield?

[RebAl]

I like going onto Little Round Top at sunset and think what if.

[mrtacitus]

Other than eating at Pickett's Buffet and talking to Robin, I have a strong affinity to strolling behind McPherson's Woods in the Marsh Creek area where many of NC 26th perished. I seem to get a strong feeling of sadness there and no other part of the BF. Another attachment I have is at Devil's Den adjacent to the Wheatfield where many NY 124th volunteers met their doom.

[8thvacav]

Neil, I have always been drawen to Devils Den. That s the first place I go when I'm at Gettysburg. Now I have a pretty open mind on ghost and spirits beening still here. I do know I feel strange on the Rocks of Devils Den. I tried something this time out there. Just for the heck of it, my wife and daughter and I went out driving the battle field at 9:0 pm at night. We stoped at Devils Den and turned the lights out. We got out and stood behind the car looking at the big pile of rocks. We saw nothing strange but did feel a little funny. I took a bunch of pictures. Three of them are on Hauntings of the Great Rebellion. This is a first for me.

[unionblue]

RebAl,

I have gone to Little Round Top and say to myself, "Thank God!" It could have been much different than the way it turned out.

Has anyone been to the OTHER side of the line and viewed that portion of the battlefield? Pretty desperate times there and the feeling you can get is pretty awesome.

8thvacav, I have driven in the park with a friend of mine at night and he was always attracted to the area of the park where men drank from a small spring. Said he had an incident there when 'something' passed in front of his headlights that looked like an empty blue greatcoat with a kepi of blue, but no body in the coat and no head wearing the cap. Strange enough for you? And this man is no crazy and I trust him completely. I know he saw something, something he could not explain and that bothered him greatly.

Unionblue

[hoosier]

Unionblue, I presume you're talking about Culp's Hill?

I've certainly been there. You're absolutely correct that there was some terrific fighting on that hill.

I know there are stories about people who have seen some unexplainable sights, but I've never encountered anything of that nature.

I did want to relate a story I heard from Licensed Battlefield Guide Charlie Fennell.

Charlie said he had given a special tour to a group of businessmen from Atlanta. He took them to Culp's Hill and described the action that had taken place at various points around that hill.

At one point, he was discussing some especially fierce fighting that took place at the foot of the hill. He noted that the tallest man in the Union Army, who stood about seven feet tall, was there as a member of an Indiana regiment and survived the engagement unscathed.

Charlie said he teased his guests about that a little bit with the comment, "No wonder you Southerners lost the war if you couldn't shoot straight enough to hit a target that big."

Charlie said that, around Christmastime about six years later, he got something in the mail from one of those Atlanta businessmen. He opened the envelope, expecting to find a Christmas card.

There was no card. No "Merry Christmas," no "Happy Holidays." Just a piece of paper with five words written on it.

"We weren't AIMING at him."

[hoosier]

I had made a post on this thread years ago about my own favorite spot on the battlefield, but that post appears to have gotten lost in the transition to the new format of the message boards. So, if everyone will indulge me, I'd like to repeat it.

My own favorite spot is a little way south of the Copse of Trees. There's a rail fence extending out toward the Emmitsburg road. Half hidden in the weeds is a little marker noting that "green troops from Vermont" attacked the right flank of Pickett's Charge from a line beginning at that point.

I stand there and I know that I am seeing the terrain that my great-grandfather saw in 1863 when he was one of those green troops from Vermont.

[tomh]

For those of you who have not visited the park recently you are in for some surprises. The tree clearing has progressed and Devil's Den/Houck's Ridge has been cleared of all trees except for one (to the rear of Smith's Battery). From the parking lot it is like a time machine, the Den now looks like the Tipton photos from the period.

From the Sedgwick monument (just north of LRT) you can see all the way to the Wheatfield and the Rose Farm. From Smith's Battery you can see into the triangular field.

Standing atop Houck's ridge, I have never realized just how exposed you are to LRT and BRT.

Still to be cleared, the trees bordering the Triangular field and those to the east of Plum Run.

TomH

[cwrose]

Thanks for the update, Tomh! I was there a year ago and was amazed with how much they had cleared at that point. I can't wait to get back this year and see how the place is looking. Thanks again!

[8thvacav]

Tomh, I noticed the clearing when I was there. Are they going to clear big round top to where it was in 1863? Man what a view you could get up there. I fell off that big rock on the west side at the top of Big Round Top. Knocked the devil out of me and lost my camera lens cover when I fell.

[8thvacav]

Here is where they were clearing when I was there about 3 or 4 weeks ago. It's on the same ridge as Little Round Top North of it.