Hauntings of the Great RebellionEver been to the Triangular Field at Gettysburg at night? Do you know any good Civil War era ghost stories, the kind you tell your friends around the campfire? Read and post about these ghostly experiences here.
I really wish I got the same feelings as you guys when I walk a battlefield. I plan my trips months in advance, and arm myself with as much info on each battle as possible. Yet when I walk a battlefield, apart from feelings of respect and awe...nothing. Possibly only one time. At Malvern Hill. With darkness starting to fall, I was walking back to my car on a trail through the woods. The trail passed mounds which are thought to be Confederate graves. I did get a slightly creepy feeling and may have quickened my stride. But I think that was only natural and not supernatural.
Y'all can share whatever eerie feelings you had. I had a few without etherial beings present at Perryville, Antietam, Shiloh, Franklin, Vicksburg, Manassas, Harpers Ferry, and another one or two. It is always awesome to stand where our finest and best stood. And fought. And died. Totally awesome!
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
The problem with British battlefields is that the battles happened so long ago that almost all fields have changed beyond recognition. The last battle on British soil was in 1746 at Culloden. At least that was the last land battle. There are plenty of World War II relics. Concrete pillboxes and tank stops are found all around the coast. But as we know, they were never used. I did find a camouflaged pillbox a few years ago which seems to have been forgotten. This is on a remote coastal road in Northumberland. On a rise beside the road is a ruined stone cottage. I had driven past this dozens of times, when one day it occured to me that although the building had a chimney and what appeared to be bricked up windows, this was too small to be a cottage. I stopped, and for the first time noticed gun slits in each wall. The doorway was open, so I went inside and found the building was actually made of brick with only a stone cladding. The gun slits covered every approach. I got to wondering, how many people actually know this relic exists. That was a strange feeling. Not supernatural, but a feeling of touching the past.
I work in Galveston, TX. There is a hotel there on the seawall called The San Luis. It is built on a WW2 coastal defense gun emplacement. It has tunnels that lead to who knows where and the hotel incorporated this emplacement into the design of the hotel. I had to meet with the developers during construction because they though it would be neat to turn the tunnels into a retail space with shops underground. I had to determine if we could provide telephone service down below and had to walk what seemed like every inch of tunnel with just flash lights and nothing but stale air with very little ventilation. All I could think about was some poor defenders just sitting in the dark for hours while the navy rained down 16" shells on them in preparation for D-day. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
mt: I am about three steps ahead of you on the way out.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
I have actually had the pleasure to see the sea wall in Galveston, very intersting. Apparently it really isn't enough to repel a really strong Katrina like hurricane. I don't understand why they build things that are good, but just not good enough to repel the 'ultimate' catastrophe.
I thought the History Channel did a decent job on the Galveston disaster....
I've been thinking about this thread, and this may be worth a mention. Years ago, I visited the Somme battlefield. I was touring by motorcycle with a couple of friends. We were young and in high spirits, so we were hardly in serious mood. Yet when walking the fields, none of us were able to speak. An un-natural silence hung over the fields. There was no bird song or wind. When one of us did try to speak, it was only in a whisper. Terms have yet to be coined to describe what the Somme means to British people. We all knew what had happened here, so maybe that was the reason. Or was it something else? That night we stayed in the town of Albert. Our mood had not lifted hours later. Even our usual 'trois beers sil vous plaits' and 'lets see if we can pull some French birds' was very muted.
We never did by the way, 'pull some French birds'.
We never did by the way, 'pull some French birds'.
Too bad.
I am just curious, since it seems that you have actually been on the fields of WWI. What exactly happened 'at the Swiss border'?
Saw one show where they excavated a British trench system and they went into detail about the fortifications, how boarding was used since the bottom of the trenches would get wet. By its very nature, it can't do the actual conditions justice, since the landscape is not war torn (it was a beautiful spring day)
The Somme, from what I understand, is something that will forever be part of the British experience. I have read references of Montgomery being told in WWII not to produce 'another Somme' (and he understands this and when he is accused of being cautious this is one of his defenses)
Although I have never been to the Swiss-French border, I would think that is mountainous country. Conventional trench systems would be near impossible, but the French and Germans would maintain strong outposts in the mountains.
By late 1917 Haig was being warned not to produce another Somme.
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