Slyder Farm team:  left to right - Anne Palagruto, Casey Wech, Tina McGoldrick, John Nilsen, Audra Isanski, Jean Young, Jonathan Williams, Trish Stryjewski, Jim DeWyer, Hildred Robinette

A place that is not really that obscure, yet is seldom visited even by those of us who return to Gettysburg often is the Slyder farm. It lies in the attack path of Law's brigade against Devil's Den and the Round Tops. When the crowds are heavy on the field, a walk down to the Slyder farm will get you away from them and give you a nice contemplative and peaceful piece of the Battlefield to relax upon. Some nice sharpshooters monuments are down there too - not many people see them either.

One of the last, and most futile, engagements at Gettysburg occurred here at the end of the third day. Union cavalry commanded by Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick had moved into this area to harass the rear and right of the Confederate line. To the north, the Confederates in Pickett's Charge had been badly beaten, but the southern position here remained strong.

Kilpatrick	Farnsworth
Click to enlarge

About 5:00 p.m., Kilpatrick ordered Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth to lead a cavalry charge against a line of Confederate infantry in the fields and woods surrounding the Slyder Farm. Farnsworth protested, believing it would be suicidal for cavalry to attack foot soldiers over ground obstructed by fenced, boulders, ditches, and timber.

Kilpatrick, who boasted cavalry could "fight anywhere except at sea," would not reconsider. Farnsworth obeyed and rode off with some 300 troopers. Encountering deadly fire on all sides, horsemen were shot from their saddles like ducks in a shooting gallery. General Farnsworth fell on the rugged hillside with five mortal wounds, and, it is said, with his saber raised.

Evidence:

This was a very active area of the field. We tried an experiment here. Since John N. was a Civil War Reenactor with both Confederate and Union regiments, we had him issue orders to the confederate soldiers that were on the third day in the area we were working, the field and the woods by the farm. 

As the orders were given several investigators said they could sense that the soldiers were beginning to move, lining up in the field. After the first few orders were given, all of the investigators, who were lined up facing the field, felt a sever drop in temperature starting in front of them and spreading towards them and behind them as if the soldiers walked right through the line. Note there was no wind present at the time.

We were lucky enough to be running out audio at this time and recorded two evp's.

In the first EVP, you hear an investigator say "flash", then if you listen closely you will hear a voice saying "Hello".  After that you will hear John continuing to give the orders and an investigator saying "I'm freezing".

Click to listen to MP3's

Slyder Farm 1 EVP

Slyder Farm 1 EVP (cleaned)

Here is another EVP from about this same time. We decided to whistle a song that would be familiar to the Confederate soldiers that way they would not think we were there to harm them. You will hear an investigator say "..... the wrong side"  then you will hear the Evp voice say "Oh My God".  After that the evp repeats a few times.

Slyder Farm 2 EVP

Slyder Farm 2 EVP (Cleaned)

More EVPs from Slyder will be posted shortly

Photos

We are posting the photos that were taken during this event, however there is always the possibility that there is pollen or bugs present. For this reason we usually try to post photos that are associated with other evidence rather than random photos. We are also posting reference shots when available.

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