Hidden, Haunted, Hotspots of Gettysburg
I was recently invited to speak at the Gettysburg Battlefield Bash, organized by Pam and Steve Barry to raise funds and
awareness for the Wounded Warriors Project.
This was their third year for the Bash and it was, by far, the biggest and
best. Next year, head to Gettysburg for the event—it is well worth it.
I needed a 30 minute speech for the Battlefield Bash. My wife Carol suggested I talk on the “Hidden, Haunted, Hotspots of Gettysburg.” I compiled a list of the obscure sites I knew were paranormally active. I researched the history, found or took photos, pulled together (or collected in the field) electronic voice phenomena (EVP) associated with the site.
I wanted to share these obscure but
active haunted places with more people. Again, Carol came up with the solution.
Welcome to my Hidden, Haunted, Hotspots of Gettysburg blog series!
A lot of people come into our “Ghosts of Gettysburg Tour Headquarters” and ask, “Where’s the Battlefield?” Of course they mean, “Where’s the National Park?” because the answer to their original question is “You’re standing on it.”
It’s true. If you’re in the town of
Gettysburg, you’re on the battlefield. On the afternoon of July 1, 1863, the
Confederates drove the Union Army from its positions west, north and east of
the town, through the very streets of Gettysburg, to the high ground south of
the town. The enemy was just a block away firing at them almost the whole time,
thus making the town of Gettysburg a part of the battlefield.
Which brings us to one of the hidden, haunted, hotspots in Gettysburg: Coster Avenue.
It marks the scene of a brief but
important rear-guard action in the northeastern part of the town that had a
profound effect on the Union Army being able to establish the solid lines south
of town, which eventually brought them victory—The Battle for Kuhn’s Brickyard.
As they crossed the railroad, one
regiment was detached from the brigade and sent to the railroad station,
visible down the track to the left, to remain in reserve. That left Colonel
Coster with 977 men.
They marched over Steven’s Run, a
little stream that still drains water through Gettysburg, and past Mr. Kuhn’s
house, still standing at 221 N. Stratton Street. Just past the brickmaker’s home,
they filed to the right into his brickyard along a post and rail fence.
On the afternoon of July 1, just after
the 977 men of Coster’s Brigade had established itself behind that flimsy
protection of a post and rail fence, they were attacked by two Confederate
Brigades—about 2,100 men—flushed with victory over Union forces just to the
north.
A volley from Coster’s Brigade and
artillery fire from an artillery battery placed near the college, just a block
to the west, slowed the Confederates—but only briefly. Seasoned troops, they
reorganized and dashed into Mr. Kuhn’s brickyard.
A brief but bloody battle ensued. A
Union participant from the 154th New York said that his regiment got
off between six and nine shots before they were flanked, over-run, and had to
withdraw. Knowing that a good infantryman could get off a shot per minute in
combat and, at best, maybe three shots a minute under “ideal conditions”—the
stand of Coster’s men was over in about ten minutes.
Union losses were catastrophic for such
a short fight. The 154th New York regiment lost 77 percent
casualties in the brief battle, but Coster’s brigade delayed the Confederates
long enough to allow their comrades to escape and establish a defensive
position on Cemetery Hill.
An un-identified sergeant was found
dead near the railroad clutching the tintype of his three children. Obviously,
his last thoughts on this earth were of them. Amos Humiston was later
identified after publishing the photo of his children in period publications.
He now lies buried in the National Cemetery. Money donated by people moved by
the story was used to establish an orphanage in Gettysburg for the children left
fatherless by the Civil War.
In the 1980s, a mural by Mark H. Dunkelman and Johan Bjurman depicting Kuhn’s Brickyard Battle was painted on the side of the warehouse that stands on the former embattled brickyard.
[image error] Mural depicting Kuhn’s Brickyard Battle
Though studded with monuments, Kuhn’s Brickyard Battlefield
is not closed after 10pm like many of the other battle sites. But keep
in mind that paranormal investigations are just as effective in the daylight as
at night.
To get there: If you
want to visit and perhaps do a paranormal investigation, find Stratton Street
which runs north and south from East Middle Street to Lincoln Avenue and parallels
east of Baltimore and Carlisle Streets. Drive north on Stratton from East
Middle and you will cross York Street at the light, then the railroad tracks.
You’re moving in the footsteps of Coster’s Union Brigade as they headed out to
meet the advancing Confederates as their comrades ran in the opposite
direction, away from the advancing enemy. Turn right at Stevens Street. Coster
Avenue is the grassy area on the other side of Hazel Alley. Turn around to park
on the north side of Stevens Street.
If you plan to investigate there, be respectful of the
neighbors who live close to this small but important piece of the “hallowed
ground” of Gettysburg.
Some tips for investigating Coster Avenue/Kuhn’s Brickyard
Battlefield:
I visited Coster Avenue/Kuhn’s
Brickyard Battlefield for investigations during the day and picked up several
bits of EVP. I addressed Sergeant Amos Humiston of New York and got an initial,
loud response. However, when I asked if he thought about his children I
received no communication. Unfortunately, there were some very noisy birds
chirping in the background. Even so, the EVP I received over-rode the pesky
birdsongs.
Some paranormal investigators like to
address specific regiments or individuals when attempting to gather EVP or take
spirit photographs. Names of individuals wounded or killed in the fight are
often engraved upon the regimental or brigade monuments on the battlefield
site. Some of the units participating in the Battle for Kuhn’s Brickyard were
the 154th New York (Humiston’s regiment), 134th New York,
27th and 73rd Pennsylvania Regiments.
Confederate units participating in the
fight were Hays and Hoke’s (Avery’s) Brigades.
Hays’s Brigade was composed entirely of
Louisiana regiments: the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th,
and 9th, and were known as the Louisiana Tiger Brigade. They were
commanded by Brigadier General Harry T. Hays, a lawyer from New Orleans.
Hoke’s Brigade was temporarily being
commanded by Colonel Isaac Avery, Hoke having been wounded at Chancellorsville
in May, 1863. The promotion to brigade command would prove fatal for Avery. He
was mortally wounded in the attack on East Cemetery Hill the day after the
Battle of Kuhn’s Brickyard. Shot in the neck, mute and partially paralyzed,
before he died he wrote with the help of a comrade, “Major, tell my father I
died with my face to the enemy.” It was written in his own blood.
Hoke’s (or Avery’s Brigade at
Gettysburg) contained the 6th, 21st, and 57th
North Carolina Regiments, if you would care to contact any of the soldiers in
those outfits via EVP. If there is too much background noise, ask for the
highest ranking officer to come forward and address you—it often works to quiet
the rest of the soldiers!
