Welcome to July!
While everyone is celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary, I’m remembering the Battle of Gettysburg that took place July 1-3, 1863.
Several years ago, my husband and I went there on vacation. Our
unusual paranormal experiences inspired me to write my horror novella, Dead Til
Dawn. Here’s the summary, link, excerpt, and more about that eerie battlefield
visit.
DEAD ‘TIL DAWN
Disturbing the dead doesn’t prove you’re brave – it proves
you’re stupid.
After touring Gettysburg battlefield, Jessica, Tim, and Steve
decide to sneak out to the Devil’s Den for some late-night fun. Jessica’s
friend Kathy objects, and warns them about trespassing where they’re not
wanted.
Undaunted by ghost stories and fueled by his own arrogance,
Tim races toward the Devil’s Den. When the group drives through mysterious
battlefield fog, they find themselves surrounded by Civil War soldiers looking
for a little fun of their own.
Kathy leaves the others to fend for themselves and flees to
Little Round Top. Although she’s rescued by a kindhearted Union solider named
Charlie, she refuses to believe that what she’s experiencing is real. As the
nighttime battle rages on, Charlie introduces Kathy to other weary soldiers,
and she quickly realizes she’s trapped in the land of the dead until dawn.
***
So how did this story come about? Well, if you know me, you
know I love writing psychological/creepy/spooky horror stories. And I also love
traveling to historic places–especially if they’re haunted.
This novella was inspired by actual events that happened to
me in Gettysburg, PA. My husband and I had a very unusual experience with
battlefield fog and I wanted to use it in a story. Here’s the short version:
It was around 11:30 pm and we wanted to explore. Since you
can’t go onto the battlefield at night, we decided to drive around it. As soon
as we got outside of town we came upon a wall of fog. You could literally see
the line where it started. (I incorporated this into the story.)
I thought that was strange–but what the heck–we’d drive
through it and come out the other side. Wrong. The thick, swirling fog
completely engulfed the car. We couldn’t see more than two feet in front of us,
and saw nothing but fog on all sides.
We figured the fog would dissipate or… something. Nope. The
further we drove, the thicker it got. From time to time I swore I saw shadows
in the fog, but I figured it was my imagination.
Robert was getting a little nervous because it was pretty
obvious this wasn’t normal. He was worried about another car coming down the
street (there weren’t any, who else would drive around in creepy fog?) and
hitting us. I told him I was more worried about what we would do if a Civil War
soldier on a horse ran out in front of us.
After about half an hour we decided to turn around. As we headed back to town, I was on the side of the car nearest Little Round Top. The fog was on the ground in the field next to us, but it wasn’t high up on the ridge. I looked toward the top of the ridge and saw several flashes of red and orange light. At first I thought it was heat lightning (but it was April), then I remembered all the reenactment photos I’d seen in the museums. Whenever a cannon went off, they always showed a burst of red or orange light. (Again, I used this in the novella.)
I watched the bursts of light go back and forth for a while. I rolled down my window and heard a muffled “boom” noise. Robert asked me if I’d heard thunder. When we got back to the hotel, I told him what I’d seen and heard. (He said he was happy that I had waited to tell him until we were off the road.)
A few years later, we were in Colonial Williamsburg on a ghost tour and I told my fog story to the woman running the tour. Her face actually paled and her mouth dropped open. “You went out in battlefield fog?” (She was clearly shaken up and horrified.)
I said, “Yes, so? What’s the big deal? What exactly is it? What happens if you go out in it?” (I had my own theories, of course, but I wanted to hear what she had to say.)
I never got an answer. All she said before she took off was,
“Don’t ever do that again.”
Flash forward another few years. Robert and I went back to Gettysburg with friends who wanted to see the fog for themselves. We waited until late and went to the edge of town. There wasn’t a wisp of fog anywhere.
I guess Robert and I witnessed something special that night.
I’m not sure what would have happened or what/who we might have seen if we’d
stayed longer (technically we were “safe” in the car… I think), but common
sense prevailed. We’ll go back another time and see what happens – because you
never know….
Here’s an excerpt from Dead’ Til Dawn, featuring the
infamous battlefield fog.
***
Steve leaned forward in the back seat and tapped Tim on the
shoulder. “You think we can get to the Devil’s Den now? Won’t they have
security guards?”
“Who’d guard a battlefield at night? Ghosts?” Tim chuckled.
“The ghost stories we heard today were cool,” Steve replied.
“I wanted to take that ghost tour at the orphanage. They let you investigate
and try to contact dead soldiers. Maybe tomorrow–”
“I told you, that was a rip off,” Tim interrupted. “Who
cares who died out here, anyway? It was over a hundred and fifty years ago. I
don’t know why you keep wasting your time and money on that paranormal crap.
There’s no such thing as ghosts. People in town made up those stories to rake
in tourist money and sell costumes to idiot reenactors. If playing dress-up… Whoa!”
Tim stopped the car. A wall of white mist covered the road
ten feet ahead of them.
“Is that fog?” Jessica asked, brushing her long red hair
over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” Steve answered. “But why is it there and not
anywhere else?”
Kathy peered out the side window. The two-lane road was
crystal clear on both sides of the car, but the line of fog blocked their path.
It’s waiting for us to advance. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Let’s go
back.”
Tim stomped on the gas and plowed into the fog.
“Check it out. We’re surrounded,” Steve exclaimed.
Fog engulfed the car, blocking out the fields, trees, and
fences along the road. Every so often Kathy thought she saw a glimpse of
movement in the misty darkness, but it was hard to tell with Tim speeding like
a maniac.
Steve pointed behind them. “Look back there. The town’s
gone, swallowed up,” he said.
Kathy gazed out the rear window. Steve was right. Behind
them, Gettysburg lay sleeping, wrapped in a blanket of milky whiteness.
***
Wanna find out what happens when they get out of the car?
Read reviews and order your copy of Dead ‘Til Dawn here:
https://www.kelliwilkins.com/dead-til-dawn
Looking for great summer reads? Visit my site to learn about
all my titles: www.KelliWilkins.com
Happy Summer!
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 24 romance novels, and 9
mystery/thriller/horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and
she likes to scare readers with her horror, mystery, and thriller fiction.
Her latest book, The Route 9 Stalker, was published in
January 2026. This mystery/thriller is set in Central NJ and follows Detective
Jim Rourke on a disturbing new case. Meet him for the first time in The Route 9
Killer.
Kelli's 24th romance, For Love’s Sake, an epic
historical/fantasy romantic adventure, was published in January 2025.
Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website/blog
www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list, social media links, and more.
