Phantom Cannon Fire and Doors Opening

Sunday, July 13, 2008, 9:50 p.m.

The following events were reported to me by my co-worker and fellow night auditor:

Courtney was standing behind the counter in the lobby working on some reports on the computer.  She heard the sound of the front door to the lobby opening and looked up to see who was coming in.  There was no one standing in the doorway of the wide-open door.

Note:  The door to the lobby is a solid, heavy door that has an apparatus at the top which automatically closes the door as soon as it opens.  I often watch as our guests struggle to open the door because it is that heavy.  Also, even in the dead of winter, with the winds coming through from the open battlefield, the front door is heavy enough not to open. 

In the next few seconds, Courtney heard what she described as one very loud cannon blast.  She ran to the front door and stepped out to see if it was raining or if there was any lightening or thunder.  The night was clear with brilliant stars in the sky.

On the afternoon of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, six artillery pieces from Battery "B" of the 4th U.S. Artillery (cannon), commanded by Lieut. James Stewart, were heavily engaged against Confederate infantry in the defense of their position on Seminary Ridge.  The hotel sits on Seminary Ridge and three of those artillery pieces sat where the west wing of our hotel sits today.

Just across the road (Rt. 30)  from the hotel, also sat Lieut. Benjamin W. Wilber's section of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery (cannon).   Just south of these guns were the six Napoleons (cannon) of Captain Greenlief T. Stevens' Fifth Maine Battery B, 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery.  Also, interspersed were four other cannon of Battery L, 1st New York Light Artillery, under the command of George Breck.

All in all, there were 21 cannon pieces lined up across the road from the hotel and on the hotel grounds.  Is it any wonder we hear phantom cannon fire?

Several minutes after this event, Courtney finished running her reports and returned to the inner office.  She looked over at the leather recliner which is located there and watched as an impression was being made in the recliner.  Courtney said it looked as if someone was sitting down on the recliner.  (I have witnessed this myself on numerous occasions.)  She then sat down at the desk and finished making notations on her reports.