Bodies at Gettysburg: Myth or Reality?

As of my last knowledge update in August 2023, the discovery of human remains at Gettysburg is rare but has occurred occasionally, particularly during construction or excavation projects in the area. Gettysburg, the site of a significant Civil War battle in 1863, had thousands of soldiers buried in hastily dug graves, and some remains have indeed been found as new developments take place.

Interceptions and Proper Burials

Typically, when remains are discovered, they are treated with respect and often reinterred in appropriate cemeteries. The National Park Service and other historical organizations closely monitor such finds given the site's historical significance. For the most current information, you may want to check recent news sources or updates from the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Description of Battlefield Intersections

While they are generally not often found, it is true that there are still bodies buried throughout the Gettysburg area. An estimated 2000 Confederate bodies were never recovered. That number is lesser for Union troops because, while Confederates were, often mass-buried in trenches, people took the time to try to identify and properly bury Union soldiers who were fighting on their own territory in the midst of a friendly population.

Sadly, a lot of the missing will never be found. Modern construction has permanently entombed some of them. While any excavation of government property must be done under the supervision of an archaeologist, there is no such requirement for digging on private property. Therefore, it’s safe to say that bodies were lost for good with the large hotels, restaurants, and shopping centers built in the area over the years.

Verification of Burials

No, most of the bodies were buried in the adjoining cemetery. No one is allowed to dig on the battlefield, which remains protected and intact. However, many believe there are likely still bodies buried on the grounds of certain areas. Historians agree that it’s possible—and even likely—that there are still bodies in Gettysburg, even if specific locations are unknown and not contested areas.

Now, you’re not likely to happen across a body in Gettysburg while driving around the park with your trusty audio tour guide but that doesn’t mean they’re all confined to the Gettysburg National Cemetery. A visitor in 1996 stumbled across the remains of an unidentified soldier while touring the Railway Cut about a mile outside the town of Gettysburg! This soldier was given a full military burial and laid to rest in the Gettysburg National Cemetery along with his comrades or enemies.

Devil's Den and the Battlefield

There are many reasons why there are still long-lost bodies in Gettysburg, but much of it boils down to the chaos of battle. While Union and Confederate battalions did their best to gather their dead at the end of each day of fighting, it was hardly a priority. With so many corpses scattered, the decomposition process began, and recovering the dead took on a grotesque tone.

One soldier described the scene: “Some with faces bloated and blackened beyond recognition lay with glassy eyes staring up at the blazing summer sun; others with faces downward and clenched hands filled with grass or earth, which told of the agony of the last moments… Here a headless trunk, there a severed limb in all the grotesque positions that unbearable pain and intense suffering contort the human form they lay.”

Even the recovered bodies seldom received a proper burial because there was no time. Many were dumped into shallow mass graves. These random burial places were meant to be temporary, but it was extremely challenging to keep track of all those unmarked graves. When teams came in after the battle and started combing the field for bodies, which they then transported to the Gettysburg National Cemetery, they couldn’t have found every single grave.

Conclusion

When you visit Gettysburg and find yourself transported back in time with the help of a self-guided tour, remember that you may very well be walking over the long-forgotten bones of a Civil War soldier. Whether these bodies are reburied or remain entombed by modern structures, the history of Gettysburg is marked by the people who fought and fell there.