History & local legend
John Burns, the Gettysburg civilian who fought alongside Union soldiers in July 1863, later described a frightening return to the battlefield. Historian Samuel P. Bates recorded their conversation in Martial Deeds of Pennsylvania, published in 1875.
Burns said he had been walking alone through the woods where he fought. It was summer, with the trees in leaf. A large Confederate soldier appeared before him, wearing gray and a slouch hat and carrying a gun. Burns recognized the figure as a man he had seen on the same ground during the battle, standing in the same position.
The soldier beckoned. Burns did not answer; he turned and left as quickly as he could. He told Bates that he had been willing to face Confederates when they were alive, but wanted no part of fighting them after death. He said he never returned to that field.
Sources
- Samuel P. Bates, Martial Deeds of Pennsylvania (1875), pp. 996–97, Burns’s recollection in conversation with the author
- Stone Sentinels, John Burns monument and location beside the woods
- Gettysburg Battlefield Tours, Burns and the Iron Brigade in the woods of McPherson Farm
- Library of Congress, Brady studio portrait of Burns recovering in 1863
- Samuel P. Bates, Martial Deeds of Pennsylvania (1875), text transcription, pp. 996–97
