He Took Rocks from Gettysburg Battlefield--And Believes He's Cursed

This article is about someone who took some rocks from Gettysburg Battlefield and believes he's been cursed. I personally don't believe in curses, but I wouldn't disturb a sacred spot by taking things from it, although I took one small rock from an area near (not on) Bosworth Battlefield where Richard III was killed in 1485. With further research, it turned out the battle was nowhere near there anyway. At Gettysburg there's an area called "Devil's Den" where a skirmish took place. I had the bright idea of going there at dusk, with rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning in the distance. I suddenly felt a strong sense of hostility, like I wasn't welcome, I was an intruder. I got out of there fast. I once heard someone say she thought Gettysburg Battlefield was 'an empty field.' Hardly.

The Mifflin Guard Infantry, volunteer Civil War reenactors, portray federal soldiers at the battle of Gettysburg on the 153rd anniversary of the Civil War, at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania on July 2. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)