My dad was big on traveling during family vacations That year he took us to Gettysburg. I was at that age where I wanted to be swimming in the hotel pool than tramping through fields of rocks where some guys I'd never known from Adam died a gazillion years ago.
Maybe if I'd known what Gettysburg held in store for me I would've been more enthused about the whole thing.
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It was cool and drizzling the morning we arrived at Gettsyburg. I was tired from swimming late the night beforeso told my dad to go ahead, I wanted to rest for a minute and I'd catch up with them. I settled down at the base of a boulder in Devil's Den and closed my eyes. Suddenly I sensed I wasn't alone any more. I opened my eyes and looked around. To my right sat the full manifestation of a Confederate ghost.
"Howdy Ma'am," he said, tipping his hat to me.
"I'm not a Ma'am, I'm a kid" I replied while studying him intently from head to toe.
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He looked like he hadn't bathed in a week, his boots were worn, scuffed and muddy, the front of his jacket had a dark crimson stain covering the front of it.
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He threw his head back and laughed. "That's what I love about y'all Patty. Y'all always tell it just like it is."
I think you're dead. Like a ghost or somethin'" I informed him. Just in case that fact had escaped his attention. "And you look like shit" I added.
He threw back his head again and laughed, slapping his knee as he did. "Y'all best watch your mouth though or your stepmama will wash your mouth out with soap again."
(How did he know my stepmother washed my mouth out with soap when I cussed?)
"How do you know my name?" I asked.
"I just do," he replied.
"Well aren't ya gonna tell me yours?"
"Name's Adam," he said.
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I liked Adam. We talked awhile about the war, how he'd had to leave his wife and farm behind, how much he missed his mama's peach pie. He talked funny, like my cousins from "Missoura".
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Then his face grew serious. "Y'all have a secret, Patty. A secret y'all don't tell anyone..."
How did he know about my secret?!! It wasn't something I was comfortable talking about. I stared at the ground and fiddled with my shoelaces. But Adam said nothing, waiting for me to reply. Somehow I felt safe talking to him about my psychic abilities I'd learned to hide from everyone.
"The kids all make fun of me,: I nearly whispered. "Call me witch and devil and stuff..."
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"Y'all never mind what those kids say," Adam instructed. "What y'all have is a gift. Some day y'all will use that gift to help many people - even those kids that make fun of y'all now."
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With that, Adam said it was time for him to go and he disappeared into thin air. I ran ahead to rejoin my family. I'd already decided to keep Adam's visit to myself. Besides, who would believe me even if I did tell?
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My dad was now taking us to some Civil War museum. I felt myself being drawn to a glass display case containing Civil War photos - and one photo in particular. It was of a Confederate soldier who'd been found in Devil's Den, having died of a gunshot wound to the chest. The tag below the photo read "Anonymous Confederate Soldier found in Devil's Den." A crimson stain covered the front of his jacket.
It upset me that they'd called him "Anonymous". His name was Adam! I thought to myself.
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A funny thing happened after my encounter with Adam at Gettysburg. For the rest of my life, I was psychically very connected to anything having to do with the Civil War.
Many years later a woman whose son performed Civil War re-enactments came to me with a photo she'd taken of her son in one of these re-enactments. Although not present when she'd taken the photo, when she had it developed the full manifestation of a Union soldier ghost was standing directly behind him. She wanted me to tell her what I could about this soldier ghost.
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I gave her his name, that he'd been infantry, the city and state he'd come from, etc. A couple of days later she came back to me to tell me she and her sister had found the actual records of that Civil War soldier using the information I'd given her. All of the information had been 100% accurate.
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Another time a gal reported to me she had the ghost of a Civil War soldier visiting her. Although she'd gotten his name wrong I found him - photo and all - and much to her shock, told her what he'd said to her during her visits.
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I don't know how I did any of this, I can't explain it. The Civil War would become a recurring theme in future events involving the ET's.
