Image by Sabine Dengler from http://Pixabay.com

The event which created the lore and legend of the Devil’s Den is undoubtedly the fighting which took place here on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. However, stories surrounded the place long before the battle was ever fought.

According to early accounts from the area, the tangled, outcropping of rocks was a Native American hunting ground for centuries and some say that a huge battle was once fought here, called the "Battle of the Crows" during which many perished. A Gettysburg writer named Emmanuel Bushman wrote in an 1880 article of the "many unnatural and supernatural sights and sounds" that were reported in the area of the Round Tops and what he called the Indian Fields. He wrote that the early settlers had told stories of ghosts that had been seen there and that Indian "war-whoops" could still be heard on certain nights. In addition, he reported that strange Indian ceremonies also took place here.

By Original uploader was Hlj (Hal Jespersen) at en.wikipedia - Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Panoramic photographs: LC-USZ62-40269, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5582904

In 1884, Bushman also wrote, with the idea that an ancient tribe had once lived near the site of Devil’s Den, that he believed the scattering of boulders to have once been part of a tall pyramid. He stated the crevices in the rocks bore evidence of this and that the pyramid had undoubtedly been destroyed by some forceful blast. While this is (extremely) doubtful, it does give the reader an idea of the lore that surrounded the area, even before the battle.

Also according to local legend, the name "Devil’s Den" was actually in use before the battle took place. Most everyone, in their letters home and in the explorations of the battlefield after the fighting, referred to the rocks as a "desolate and ghostly place" or mentioned the "ominous" character of the rocks. Many others felt that the rocky outcropping actually marked the entrance to a cavern and while no cave exists here, those who visit the location can understand the mistake. The rocks are piled so high that the crevices between them seem to plunge down into total darkness.

But how the area got its name remains a mystery. Many believe that the strange atmosphere of the area itself may have contributed to the designation. Another legend persists that the Devil’s Den was always known for being infested with snakes. The legends say that one gigantic snake in particular eluded the local hunters for many years and they were never able to capture or kill him. He was allegedly nicknamed "the Devil" and thus, the area of rocks was called his "den".

No matter how the area got its name, it was apparently already considered a strange and "haunted" spot before the battle, at least according to Emmanuel Bushman. In the years which would follow, the Devil’s Den would gain an even more fearsome reputation.

On the morning of the second day of battle, General Lee was of the opinion that by simultaneously attacking the Union flanks, he could drive the enemy from the field. His plan was to send Longstreet’s corps against the Round Tops, with his main thrust of attack being made by divisions under John Bell Hood and Lafayette McLaws against the Federal left flank. Lee ordered Longstreet to move his men southward, without being detected, and form lines against the Union flank.

Unfortunately, the southern troops had no guide to the battlefield and huge delays were caused by marching and countermarching. These delays then led to exhaustion and frustration on the part of the troops. By the time they were in position, some of the officers raised doubts about being able to mount much of an attack before dark.

To make matters worse, they also soon discovered that their battle lines did not envelop the Union flank, thanks to the fact that General Sickles had decided that he didn’t like the area where he had originally been posted. The Union lines now stretched into the Peach Orchard and appeared to extend all of the way to Big Round Top. This relocation had placed Sickles in front of the rest of the army, opening up his flanks to attack. The Peach Orchard had become the center of Sickles’ line with his second division, under Brigadier General Andrew A. Humphreys, curving back to fill the space between the Peach Orchard and the Devil’s Den. He had all but abandoned Little Round Top.

The position of the Devil’s Den was commanded by Brigadier General John Henry Hobart Ward and it was located at the far end of the Union line.

The fight for the Devil’s Den soon began and as the battle progressed, the terrifying terrain and the sharp piles of boulders created a maze for the troops on both sides. The lines were broken, first into regiments, and then it was man against man. The boulders provided dozens of hiding places and ambush spots and men ran from boulder to boulder, ducking and shooting as they ran, never knowing if enemy or friend lay around the next corner.

Before the Confederates could even reach the Devil’s Den, they had to cross an area known today as the Triangular Field. Waves of Confederate troops from Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia crossed the field, clashing with the Union soldiers who hailed from places like New York, Maine and Pennsylvania. As the southerners came, they were cut down by the cannons posted atop the ridge ahead, and yet still they came, pushing hard against the Union lines.

As the Texas troops mounted the slopes toward the Federal position, they were attacked by the 124th New York, who soon withdrew from the ferocity of the Confederate charge. As the Union men fell back, Alabama troops swept into the Triangular Field and charged into the boulders beyond it. Deadly fire was poured down upon them and yet they managed to get through, but not without giving the area a gruesomely appropriate nickname, the "Slaughter Pen".

The Confederate men overwhelmed the enemy position and took control of the ridge.. but they would not hold it for long. The Federal forces counter-charged and the Maine and Pennsylvania troops pushed the Confederates back. The rocks of the Devil’s Den had become a slaughterhouse. Bodies were strewn across the boulders and they had tumbled down into the wedges between them.

The Federals were attacked again, this time by troops from Georgia, who had been given the grim task of advancing across the Triangular Field against the Union position. As they reached the Slaughter Pen, they were charged by the 40th New York, who were soon driven back and forced to retreat as the Federals pulled back their lines. One last surge of men from Texas and Georgia finished the skirmish and the Confederates claimed the Devil’s Den as their own.

The Texans swarmed over the ridge and once again reached the Union’s abandoned guns. They turned them to point the muzzles toward the fleeing enemy, but there was no ammunition to be found. The Federal troops continued to fire upon their deserted position and many of the Texans continued to fall. George Branard, a color bearer, planted the flag of Texas on the highest rock above the Devil’s Den, only to be hit by a Union shell.

After the withdrawal of the Federals, the Georgians reported the overwhelming sound of the Rebel Yell from the Devil’s Den and they pushed hard against the Union troops still to the front of them. The Federals were moved back and began to suffer from heavy fire from the Devil’s Den. Finally, it was more than they could take and they began to retreat.

After hours of bloody fighting the Confederates finally controlled the area. The fight for the Devil’s Den may have been the most confusing and intense skirmish on the battlefield that day. The heat of the afternoon and the collapse of the battle lines, thanks to the difficult terrain, had caused the entire chain of events to happen so fast that many of the men were almost stunned to find the battle was over.

Stranger yet were the reports from the men who were ordered to stand guard in the tangle of boulders that night. Many of them later spoke of the macabre and unnerving surroundings... sharing the space in the looming boulders with the bodies of the dead.

Days later, the Federals would return to the Devil’s Den, this time triumphant as the battle had come to an end with a Confederate defeat. As men approached, they were stunned by the scene which greeted them. The hills and boulders were covered in blood and carnage and the dead lay scattered about in every direction. One of the first soldiers to enter the area recalled that some of the dead men "had torn and twisted leaves and grass in their agonies and their mouths filled with soil... they had literally bitten the dust."

That afternoon, the rain began to fall in a heavy downpour that lasted for several hours. The dead men, who were already bloated beyond recognition, were now drenched and beginning to decay. No one knows just how long the Confederate dead remained unburied around the Devil’s Den but it could have been days or even a few weeks. And many of the bodies were said to not have been buried at all, but merely tossed into the deep crevices between the rocks.

The sheer number of supernatural incidents said to have taken place here do lend some credence to the belief that the Devil’s Den may be haunted. If Emmanuel Bushman was correct, then the forbidding jumble of rocks was already long haunted before the battle was even fought. If this was the case, then what sort of impact did the hundreds who suffered and died here have on the place?
A ghostly impact? I’ll cite the evidence... you be the judge.

The stories about the Devil’s Den being haunted began not long after the battle itself. Local legend had it that two hunters had wandered onto the battlefield one day and had gotten lost in the woods near the rocky ridge. They had completely lost their way when one of them looked up and saw the dim figure of a man standing atop the boulders. He gestured with one hand as if pointing the way and the hunter realized it was in that direction they needed to travel. He looked back to thank the man.... but the apparition had vanished.

Even those who are skeptical about the hauntings at Gettysburg, and who claim that the stories of ghosts here are a recent addition to the battlefield, admit that there have always been tales recalled about supernatural doings at the Devil’s Den. While admittedly, most of these stories are of a rather recent vintage, Emmanuel Bushman wrote of "many unnatural and supernatural sights and sounds" back in 1880 and local lore has always included odd happenings in the area.

One afternoon in the early 1970’s, a woman was said to have gone into the National Park Service information center to inquire about the possibility of ghosts on the battlefield. One can imagine just how many times this question must come up and, although the official position of the park is to neither confirm nor deny the ghostly tales, the ranger on duty was reported to have asked why the woman wanted to know.

The visitor quickly explained that she had been out on the battlefield that morning, photographing the scenery. She had stopped her car at the Devil’s Den and had gotten out to take some photos in the early morning light. The woman stated that she had walked into the field of smaller boulders, which are scattered in front of the Den itself and had paused to take a photo. Just as she raised the camera to her eye, she sensed the uncomfortable feeling of someone standing beside her. When she turned to look, she saw that a man had approached her.

She described this man as looking like a "hippie", with long, dirty hair, ragged clothing, a big floppy hat and noticeably, no shoes. The man looked at her and then simply said, "What you are looking for is over there," he said and pointed over behind her.

The woman turned her head to see just what the unkempt fellow was pointing at and when she turned around again, he had vanished. There was no trace of him anywhere.

A month or so later, the same ranger was on duty at the information desk when another photographer had come in and asked almost the same question. He too had been taking photos at the Devil’s Den, only this time, he had taken a photo about a month before in which the image of a man had appeared on the exposed frame... a man who had not been there when the photo was taken!

When asked what the man had looked like, he also described the man as looking like a "hippie" (remember, this was the early 1970’s) and also mentioned his long hair, old clothing and the fact that he was barefoot.

Could this have been the same man? And if so, who was he?

During the war, many of the Confederate soldiers, and especially those connected with the fighting at the Devil’s Den, were from Texas. At that time, this was America’s most remote frontier and most of these men did not receive packages from home containing shoes and clothing as many of the men from states in the immediate vicinity did. Because of this, the "wild" Texas boys were often unkempt and dirty, lacking shoes and new clothing.

Could this reported specter be one of the soldiers from Texas, still haunting the rocks of the Devil’s Den? Since those reports from the 1970’s, this same soldier (or at least one fitting his description) has been reported several times in and around the rocks of the Devil’s Den. According to some of the stories, a number of visitors have mistaken the man for a Civil War re-enactor and have even had their photographs taken with him. The accounts go on to say that when they return home and have their film rolls developed, the man is always missing from the photo.

In addition to this apparition at the Devil’s Den, there are also reports of a ghostly rider who has been seen and who in turn vanishes; the sounds of gunfire and men shouting which cannot be unexplained (not unlike Bushman’s phantom "Indian whoops" from long ago); and literally dozens of photographs which allege to be evidence of supernatural activity.

And speaking of photographs... another paranormal happening in the immediate area is the reported failure of cameras in the nearby Triangular Field. According to the stories, it has been said that video and still cameras do not work properly, if at all, while the photographer is standing in the field. How much truth there is to this allegation is unknown, as I have seen many photos (including my own) which have been taken there without incident. However, there are also dozens of anecdotal reports, from reliable people, who claimed unnatural failures of their equipment in the area.

Could this be the result of an energy still lingering behind?

Troy Taylor

https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/gettysburg/