A laundress, newly moved to Charleston following the Civil War, found herself awakened at the stroke of twelve each night by the rumble of heavy wheels passing in the street. But she lived on a dead end street, and had no explanation for the noise. Her husband would not allow her to look out the window when she heard the sounds, telling her to leave well enough alone. Finally, she asked the woman who washed at the tub next to hers. The woman said: "What you are hearing is the Army of the Dead. They are Confederate soldiers who died in hospital without knowing that the war was over. Each night, they rise from their graves and go to reinforce Lee in Virginia to strengthen the weakened Southern forces."
The next night, the laundress slipped out of bed to watch the Army of the Dead pass. She stood spell-bound by the window as a gray fog rolled passed. Within the fog, she could see the shapes of horses, and could hear gruff human voices and the rumble of canons being dragged through the street, followed by the sound of marching feet. Foot soldiers, horsemen, ambulances, wagons and canons passed before her eyes, all shrouded in gray. After what seemed like hours, she heard a far off bugle blast, and then silence.
When the laundress came out of her daze, she found one of her arms was paralyzed. She has never done a full days washing since.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."
Pvt Craig Young ./.
Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum
While we have the time, let us do good
3rd Maine, Dirigo Base Ball Club, & 3rd Maine Tobogganeers
Two sisters were motoring through Cape Cod late one stormy night in the early 1900's when their car broke down in an unpopulated area. Seeing an old, neglected house nearby, they went to the door and tugged on the bell-pull. When no one answered, they looked through a nearby window whose shutter was banging in the bitter wind. The window was broken. Through the window, they could see a library. The dust lay heavy over everything.
The women decided to take shelter for the night and find someone to tow the car the next day. They brought blankets in from the car, their feet leaving tracks in the thick dust of the floor as they settled in for the night.
Sometime later, they were both suddenly awakened. A bedraggled sailor, dripping wet, was standing next to the fireplace as if he were looking to dry himself before a non-existent fire. The sailor was glowing in the dark. The braver of the sisters finally called out a strangled: "Who is there?"
The sailor muttered something they could not make out and disappeared. Deciding it was a dream, the sisters lay back down to sleep. But the next morning, they found a patch of wet salt water by the fireplace, and a piece of seaweed. And there were no footprints in the dust by the fireplace save their own.
The sisters hurried out to their car. Soon, they were given a tow to the nearest village by a passing motorist. There they asked about the abandoned house. They were told the house had been empty for years. The people who owned it had a son who was driven from home by his father and had drowned at sea. The family had moved away because they claimed strange things kept happening at night.
A few months later, one of the sisters told her tale at a dinner party. A museum curator seated near her volunteered to test the seaweed for her. The curator sent her a message several days later. The message simply said that the seaweed she had found in the abandoned house was a rare type of seaweed only found on dead bodies.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."
Pvt Craig Young ./.
Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum
While we have the time, let us do good
3rd Maine, Dirigo Base Ball Club, & 3rd Maine Tobogganeers
Gettysburg has, over the years, had many occasions with superstition playing a major roll in the irrational, or perhaps unexplainable, beliefs associated with the battlefield. One such conviction had its origins beginning decades ago.
Tony, when a young boy, would gather up his neighborhood friends and all would hike across the battlefield, ultimately ending at Devil's Den. Tony and his companions all lived in the area, having the opportunity to regularly play on the battlefield. One day Tony came across something, nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary mind you, just an every day coin, but this small object would forever change his beliefs in mysticism.
It so happened that on that particular day, Tony was atop Devil's Den on a large boulder. It was about the highest point in the Den, situated above Smith's Battery in front of the 99th Pennsylvania monument. While playing ''Yanks and Rebs," Tony selected that boulder for its advantageous height, allowing him an excellent view of the area. It was then, as he stood on the boulder, that he glanced down at his feet and something caught his eye. Laying in a depression of the boulder, partially covered by a small stone, he found a coin, A Lincoln head penny. No sooner did he spot the penny, when his friend Peter joined him atop the boulder. Tony showed him his new discovery and Peter began discussing the possible different types of candy they could purchase with the find. As Peter moved the tiny stone and picked up the penny, he jokingly told Tony, "Look, Lincoln is facing in the direction he gave his Gettysburg Address."
Happy with the find, the two boys decided to leave the battlefield and spend the penny, after whetting their appetite with visions of sweet candy. Peter tucked the penny in his pocket and they started to leave when, after just moments, he lost his footing on one of the rocks, falling onto the hard surface breaking his arm. Fortunately, help was not far away and the poor boy was soon at the doctor's office mending his wound.
After a few weeks, Tony and his friends returned to the battlefield, This time, their parents who learned of the mishap, sternly warned the boys to be careful on the rocks. Tony's favorite spot was atop the boulder at Devil's Den, so he made his way to it and continued to play. To his complete surprise, he found another penny in the same depression, covered by a small stone, again, Lincoln facing the same direction! Thinking his pals were playing a joke on him, he called them over and pointed out the penny asking who placed it there. The boys were bewildered and none claimed to have put it there. Besides, these particular children did not have money to be throwing around, especially considering a penny could buy something in those times. Still not believing his friends, Tony said "Oh well, guess I got me a penny then." With that, he picked up the coin and the boys continued with their play. Then something unexpected happened that made young Tony think perhaps his friends did not put the penny there. As they were playing, Tony was pretending he was a General, charging at a full speed run. Usually surefooted, he tripped, falling face first onto one of the flat rocks. His nose began to bleed and his eye swelled shut. Tony in tears and pain made his way home, somehow thinking that penny had something to do with it, after all, Peter previously took the penny and got hurt.
The boys stayed away from Devil's Den for quite some time. After several months, for the most part, forgetting the two injuries suffered by them, they ventured back onto the battlefield and ultimately to Devil's Den. Tony, with Peter and another friend Jim, stepped on top of their favorite boulder. To their astonishment there it was, just like the others, and covered by a small stone. A penny with Lincoln facing the same direction! This time though, Tony and Peter having previous ominous circumstances linked to the penny, refused to pick it up. However, Jim telling them how silly they were acting, did not hesitate to take the penny, even as Tony pleaded with him not to do it. As they continued with their play, Tony kept insisting Jim return the penny to the spot he found it. Then it happened, Jim, almost identical to Tony's mishap, lost his footing and tumbled down, breaking his index finger. In excruciating pain, Jim beseeched Tony's forgiveness for not believing him, as he now, too, became a victim of the mysterious appearing pennies.
Time went on and as the boys grew older, they did on occasion venture back to Devil's Den. At times reporting that they indeed did see the mysterious penny in the same spot, however, refusing ever to take it, for they now knew the consequences. As they aged and reflected back on their most unfortunate experiences, they firmly believed that, while unsure of how the penny was placed there, it was meant to ward off the evil spirits from Devil's Den. Not only was it considered bad luck to remove the penny, but as they could attest to, chances of something bad happening to them were quite high.
It should noted, that over the years, those boys and unrelated parties, have come across a penny on that boulder and, after picking it up, received various degrees of misfortune. We have also heard that from time to time, pennies have been left there for good luck. Although we have not come across the penny ourselves, others in the recent years have. We can only say that if we do have the opportunity to see the penny, it will definitely remain where it is. If you see it. Do what you may, but remember the dire consequences that could be awaiting you if you choose to take it.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."
Pvt Craig Young ./.
Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum
While we have the time, let us do good
3rd Maine, Dirigo Base Ball Club, & 3rd Maine Tobogganeers
One cold winter night, early in the New Year, a certain Dutchman left the tavern in Tarrytown and started walking to his home in the hollow nearby. His path led next to the old Sleepy Hollow cemetery where a headless Hessian soldier was buried. At midnight, the Dutchman came within site of the graveyard. The weather had warmed up during the week, and the snow was almost gone from the road. It was a dark night with no moon, and the only light came from his lantern.
The Dutchman was nervous about passing the graveyard, remembering the rumors of a galloping ghost that he had heard at the tavern. He stumbled along, humming to himself to keep up his courage. Suddenly, his eye was caught by a light rising from the ground in the cemetery. He stopped, his heart pounding in fear. Before his startled eyes, a white mist burst forth from an unmarked grave and formed into a large horse carrying a headless rider.
The Dutchman let out a terrible scream as the horse leapt toward him at a full gallop. He took to his heels, running as fast as he could, making for the bridge since he knew that ghosts and evil spirits did not care to cross running water. He stumbled suddenly and fell, rolling off the road into a melting patch of snow. The headless rider thundered past him, and the man got a second look at the headless ghost. It was wearing a Hessian commander's uniform.
The Dutchman waited a good hour after the ghost disappeared before crawling out of the bushes and making his way home. After fortifying himself with schnapps, the Dutchman told his wife about the ghost. By noon of the next day, the story was all over Tarrytown. The good Dutch folk were divided in their opinions. Some thought that the ghost must be roaming the roads at night in search of its head. Others claimed that the Hessian soldier rose from the grave to lead the Hessian soldiers in a charge up nearby Chatterton Hill, not knowing that the hill had already been taken by the British.
Whatever the reason, the Headless Horseman continues to roam the roads near Tarrytown on dark nights from that day to this.
Author's Note: This is a retelling of the folktale which was used by Washington Irving to create his masterpiece, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."
Pvt Craig Young ./.
Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum
While we have the time, let us do good
3rd Maine, Dirigo Base Ball Club, & 3rd Maine Tobogganeers
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Army of the Dead
Army of the Dead
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
A laundress, newly moved to Charleston following the Civil War, found herself awakened at the stroke of twelve each night by the rumble of heavy wheels passing in the street. But she lived on a dead end street, and had no explanation for the noise. Her husband would not allow her to look out the window when she heard the sounds, telling her to leave well enough alone. Finally, she asked the woman who washed at the tub next to hers. The woman said: "What you are hearing is the Army of the Dead. They are Confederate soldiers who died in hospital without knowing that the war was over. Each night, they rise from their graves and go to reinforce Lee in Virginia to strengthen the weakened Southern forces."
The next night, the laundress slipped out of bed to watch the Army of the Dead pass. She stood spell-bound by the window as a gray fog rolled passed. Within the fog, she could see the shapes of horses, and could hear gruff human voices and the rumble of canons being dragged through the street, followed by the sound of marching feet. Foot soldiers, horsemen, ambulances, wagons and canons passed before her eyes, all shrouded in gray. After what seemed like hours, she heard a far off bugle blast, and then silence.
When the laundress came out of her daze, she found one of her arms was paralyzed. She has never done a full days washing since.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."
The Telltale Seaweed
The Telltale Seaweed
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
Two sisters were motoring through Cape Cod late one stormy night in the early 1900's when their car broke down in an unpopulated area. Seeing an old, neglected house nearby, they went to the door and tugged on the bell-pull. When no one answered, they looked through a nearby window whose shutter was banging in the bitter wind. The window was broken. Through the window, they could see a library. The dust lay heavy over everything.
The women decided to take shelter for the night and find someone to tow the car the next day. They brought blankets in from the car, their feet leaving tracks in the thick dust of the floor as they settled in for the night.
Sometime later, they were both suddenly awakened. A bedraggled sailor, dripping wet, was standing next to the fireplace as if he were looking to dry himself before a non-existent fire. The sailor was glowing in the dark. The braver of the sisters finally called out a strangled: "Who is there?"
The sailor muttered something they could not make out and disappeared. Deciding it was a dream, the sisters lay back down to sleep. But the next morning, they found a patch of wet salt water by the fireplace, and a piece of seaweed. And there were no footprints in the dust by the fireplace save their own.
The sisters hurried out to their car. Soon, they were given a tow to the nearest village by a passing motorist. There they asked about the abandoned house. They were told the house had been empty for years. The people who owned it had a son who was driven from home by his father and had drowned at sea. The family had moved away because they claimed strange things kept happening at night.
A few months later, one of the sisters told her tale at a dinner party. A museum curator seated near her volunteered to test the seaweed for her. The curator sent her a message several days later. The message simply said that the seaweed she had found in the abandoned house was a rare type of seaweed only found on dead bodies.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."
UNLUCKY PENNY
UNLUCKY PENNY
Tom Gladwell
Gettysburg has, over the years, had many occasions with superstition playing a major roll in the irrational, or perhaps unexplainable, beliefs associated with the battlefield. One such conviction had its origins beginning decades ago.
Tony, when a young boy, would gather up his neighborhood friends and all would hike across the battlefield, ultimately ending at Devil's Den. Tony and his companions all lived in the area, having the opportunity to regularly play on the battlefield. One day Tony came across something, nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary mind you, just an every day coin, but this small object would forever change his beliefs in mysticism.
It so happened that on that particular day, Tony was atop Devil's Den on a large boulder. It was about the highest point in the Den, situated above Smith's Battery in front of the 99th Pennsylvania monument. While playing ''Yanks and Rebs," Tony selected that boulder for its advantageous height, allowing him an excellent view of the area. It was then, as he stood on the boulder, that he glanced down at his feet and something caught his eye. Laying in a depression of the boulder, partially covered by a small stone, he found a coin, A Lincoln head penny. No sooner did he spot the penny, when his friend Peter joined him atop the boulder. Tony showed him his new discovery and Peter began discussing the possible different types of candy they could purchase with the find. As Peter moved the tiny stone and picked up the penny, he jokingly told Tony, "Look, Lincoln is facing in the direction he gave his Gettysburg Address."
Happy with the find, the two boys decided to leave the battlefield and spend the penny, after whetting their appetite with visions of sweet candy. Peter tucked the penny in his pocket and they started to leave when, after just moments, he lost his footing on one of the rocks, falling onto the hard surface breaking his arm. Fortunately, help was not far away and the poor boy was soon at the doctor's office mending his wound.
After a few weeks, Tony and his friends returned to the battlefield, This time, their parents who learned of the mishap, sternly warned the boys to be careful on the rocks. Tony's favorite spot was atop the boulder at Devil's Den, so he made his way to it and continued to play. To his complete surprise, he found another penny in the same depression, covered by a small stone, again, Lincoln facing the same direction! Thinking his pals were playing a joke on him, he called them over and pointed out the penny asking who placed it there. The boys were bewildered and none claimed to have put it there. Besides, these particular children did not have money to be throwing around, especially considering a penny could buy something in those times. Still not believing his friends, Tony said "Oh well, guess I got me a penny then." With that, he picked up the coin and the boys continued with their play. Then something unexpected happened that made young Tony think perhaps his friends did not put the penny there. As they were playing, Tony was pretending he was a General, charging at a full speed run. Usually surefooted, he tripped, falling face first onto one of the flat rocks. His nose began to bleed and his eye swelled shut. Tony in tears and pain made his way home, somehow thinking that penny had something to do with it, after all, Peter previously took the penny and got hurt.
The boys stayed away from Devil's Den for quite some time. After several months, for the most part, forgetting the two injuries suffered by them, they ventured back onto the battlefield and ultimately to Devil's Den. Tony, with Peter and another friend Jim, stepped on top of their favorite boulder. To their astonishment there it was, just like the others, and covered by a small stone. A penny with Lincoln facing the same direction! This time though, Tony and Peter having previous ominous circumstances linked to the penny, refused to pick it up. However, Jim telling them how silly they were acting, did not hesitate to take the penny, even as Tony pleaded with him not to do it. As they continued with their play, Tony kept insisting Jim return the penny to the spot he found it. Then it happened, Jim, almost identical to Tony's mishap, lost his footing and tumbled down, breaking his index finger. In excruciating pain, Jim beseeched Tony's forgiveness for not believing him, as he now, too, became a victim of the mysterious appearing pennies.
Time went on and as the boys grew older, they did on occasion venture back to Devil's Den. At times reporting that they indeed did see the mysterious penny in the same spot, however, refusing ever to take it, for they now knew the consequences. As they aged and reflected back on their most unfortunate experiences, they firmly believed that, while unsure of how the penny was placed there, it was meant to ward off the evil spirits from Devil's Den. Not only was it considered bad luck to remove the penny, but as they could attest to, chances of something bad happening to them were quite high.
It should noted, that over the years, those boys and unrelated parties, have come across a penny on that boulder and, after picking it up, received various degrees of misfortune. We have also heard that from time to time, pennies have been left there for good luck. Although we have not come across the penny ourselves, others in the recent years have. We can only say that if we do have the opportunity to see the penny, it will definitely remain where it is. If you see it. Do what you may, but remember the dire consequences that could be awaiting you if you choose to take it.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."
The Headless Horseman
The Headless Horseman
retold by
S. E. Schlosser
One cold winter night, early in the New Year, a certain Dutchman left the tavern in Tarrytown and started walking to his home in the hollow nearby. His path led next to the old Sleepy Hollow cemetery where a headless Hessian soldier was buried. At midnight, the Dutchman came within site of the graveyard. The weather had warmed up during the week, and the snow was almost gone from the road. It was a dark night with no moon, and the only light came from his lantern.
The Dutchman was nervous about passing the graveyard, remembering the rumors of a galloping ghost that he had heard at the tavern. He stumbled along, humming to himself to keep up his courage. Suddenly, his eye was caught by a light rising from the ground in the cemetery. He stopped, his heart pounding in fear. Before his startled eyes, a white mist burst forth from an unmarked grave and formed into a large horse carrying a headless rider.
The Dutchman let out a terrible scream as the horse leapt toward him at a full gallop. He took to his heels, running as fast as he could, making for the bridge since he knew that ghosts and evil spirits did not care to cross running water. He stumbled suddenly and fell, rolling off the road into a melting patch of snow. The headless rider thundered past him, and the man got a second look at the headless ghost. It was wearing a Hessian commander's uniform.
The Dutchman waited a good hour after the ghost disappeared before crawling out of the bushes and making his way home. After fortifying himself with schnapps, the Dutchman told his wife about the ghost. By noon of the next day, the story was all over Tarrytown. The good Dutch folk were divided in their opinions. Some thought that the ghost must be roaming the roads at night in search of its head. Others claimed that the Hessian soldier rose from the grave to lead the Hessian soldiers in a charge up nearby Chatterton Hill, not knowing that the hill had already been taken by the British.
Whatever the reason, the Headless Horseman continues to roam the roads near Tarrytown on dark nights from that day to this.
Author's Note: This is a retelling of the folktale which was used by Washington Irving to create his masterpiece, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Pvt/Lt Craig Young
3rd Maine, company A
"I ain't as good as I once was. But I'm as good once as I ever was. I used to be Hell on wheels Back when I was younger man. Now my body says 'You can't do this boy' But my pride says 'Oh, yes you can."