The Slaughter Pen

Located between Devil's Den and Little Round Top, this area witnessed such intense fighting on July 2, 1863, that it earned its grim name from the carnage. Over 2,600 men were killed in the area, and bodies covered the ground wholly upon battle's conclusion. A small creek called Plum Run ran through the killing field.

The Slaughter Pen is one of the bloodiest portions of the Gettysburg battlefield, located at the foot of Little Round Top near Devil's Den. By the time fighting ended on July 2, 1863, over 2,600 men had been killed in and around this area. The killing was so complete that upon conclusion of the battle, the ground was found wholly covered with bodies of the dead—one couldn't see the grass underneath them.

The Slaughter Pen earned its grim name because this area was filled with Confederate soldiers who were ambushed while hiding among the massive boulders, unable to fight back. Most perished where they hid. The extremely rocky terrain stretches 150-200 yards at the base of Big Round Top, wedged between the steep hill and the chaos of Devil's Den to the north.

The area between Devil's Den and Little Round Top is known as the Valley of Death due to the extreme number of lives lost in such a relatively small space. Confederate troops charging toward Little Round Top had to cross this kill zone under withering fire from Union positions above.

Today, the Slaughter Pen and Valley of Death are among the most actively haunted locations on the battlefield. Visitors report Civil War ghost apparitions and disembodied voices calling out from the rocks. One remarkable account involves a group of visitors approached by a Union soldier they assumed was a reenactor. The man reeked of sulfur and appeared haggard and extremely dirty. He handed them several musket rounds, which they initially believed to be blank reproduction ammunition. It was later determined the man was not a reenactor—and that he had given them pristine, authentic Civil War-era musket rounds.

Electronic equipment frequently malfunctions in this area. Cameras refuse to function, batteries drain instantly, and recording devices capture sounds that weren't audible at the time. Visitors feel sudden overwhelming sadness and the sensation of being watched by unseen eyes. Within hours of the fighting's end in 1863, Confederate guards posted among the boulders at night later spoke of unnerving supernatural experiences during their vigil.