Chickamauga Military Park, TN - Old Green Eyes!

[civilwartalk]

Old Green Eyes is the name of the demon who hides in the bushes of the park. The humanoid creature has glowing green-orange eyes with fang-like teeth. It wears a cape, which is partially hidden by it's waist length hair. The ghoul was first seen prowling among the corpses after Civil War battles. Since then, the phantom has been reported by both park rangers and visitors, and in the 1970's it caused two seperate automobile accidents when it was spotted alongside a road. Old Green Eyes is most often encountered on Snodgrass Hill, site of a bloody Civil War battle. In September 1863, over 35,000 men died in three days of fighting.

The ghost of a lady in white is also seen roaming the grounds. She is said to be searching for her sweetheart, who died in the carnage.

[southernspitfire]

I was recently on Snodgrass Hill. If you're familiar with the area, it was the area where there's several Indiana and Ohio monuments-before the large Tennessee infantry monument.

It was odd. I had the strong-and strange-feeling that someone, or something, was watching me.

I don't spook real easily. I walked to Bloody Pond by myself late one January afternoon, and didn't feel the unease I recently experienced on Snodgrass Hill.

I hear Snodgrass Hill is the most restless place in the Park. I believe it.

Kindest regards,
dml

[blue_zouave]

I didn't see Ol' Green Eyes but I definitely found cold spots on the Chickamauga field, in places that were more off the beaten path. (I'm getting *****ly neck just remembering.)

One place that wasn't haunted was the Gordon Lee Mansion, Rosecrans's headquarters and later a field hospital, which was at one time a bed and breakfast and now belongs to the city of Chickamauga. I spent the night alone there one night and ranged all over the house. I found no manifestations. The next morning I told the host that the place wasn't haunted as far as I could tell, and he said that a professional psychic had told him the same thing. He'd even had an invitation from Riki Lake to go on her show and tell about the haunted house, and he refused, because it wasn't haunted!

Zou

[Will Posey]

A few years ago,I spent a night in the cabin next to the Gordon Lee Mansion. I can't say whether there were ghosts around; they may not have wanted to manifest at that time or to me.

I've spent considerable time at the battlefield...never saw Green Eyes.

Will

[southernspitfire]

I hear that Room 311 in Chattanooga's Read House-now the Sheraton-is supposedly haunted.

I visit Chickamauga almost every week. If I ever see anything, it'll be reported here first!

Kindest regards,
dml

[Baggage Handler #2]

I'm not superstitious, and don't particularly believe in ghosts.

But...

We visited Chickamauga last Spring, and took a walk to look for a particular monument near the extreme west end of the hill. We found the marker and before I read it, I took a look around. It was a day off the equinox and right at 2PM by the sun, so my thinking was that the light would have been similar.

From an essay I wrote on the visit:

... Before we read the marker, I stop and look around. I want to commit this view to memory. I expect no emotion and feel none, until I turn to the monument. I am surprised by a sudden sensation of a hole in the atmosphere. An empty shadow of a darker thing than I care to know, it exists for less than half a second and abruptly slams shut. I am a little shaken as I read these words:

"...gained this position by assault at 2 PM and held against all attacks..."

...

So, yeah, I'm not superstitious, but I'm not about to make fun of someone who's experienced something I haven't.

[southernspitfire]

Well. That caused cold chills. Were you on Snodgrass Hill?

Oddly enough, I was at the exact same place this past Sunday, and didn't experience the feeling I had the week before.

There's an interesting book called 'Ghosts of the Southern Tennessee Valley' that's got a few spooky stories about Chickamauga.

I'm going to be volunteering at Chickamauga starting in January, and will post anything odd or unexplained that I happen to hear about.

Kindest regards,
dml

[richard]

Did you happen to feel anything at the Vinard Field? I am told that the rivine just past the LaFayette Rd to the west, at times has been known to have had action there.

Richard.

[southernspitfire]

I haven't had the chance to spend a lot of time at Viniard Field, but I'll make a report if something strange happens when I visit.

I also hear people have seen strange things near Wilder's Tower.

Highest regards,
dml

[Baggage Handler #2]

Well. That caused cold chills. Were you on Snodgrass Hill?

...

Yeah, on the extreme west end of it (113 OVI). It wasn't spooky for me, at least not in that sense. It was unexpected, though. To better describe it, it was as though a small hole opened up just to my east revealing a noiseless but very great violence, then slammed shut before I could know too much.

It's just as likely that it was a product of my own mind as anything, but it did not detract from the visit in any way.

[southernspitfire]

Huh. Sounds as though I was in that general vicinity.

My experience wasn't spooky in a traditional sense-I didn't scream like a girl-but more of a feeling I wasn't alone.

Sorry to speak in such cliches, but I don't ever have encounters like this, and seem to be at a loss to describe what happened when I did. I'm not sure I'd want to have another one. The skeptic in me would be inclined to dismiss the incident. On the other hand, being a Southern woman, I might enjoy seeing the ghost of a dashing cavalryman. It'd certainly give me something to talk about!

Highest regards,
dml

[southernspitfire]

I was on Glenn Kelly Road at Chickamauga NMP in January of this year. I noticed a large white object at the crest of the hill as one approaches the South Carolina monument. The shape evolved into a large white ball, then disappeared. I have no idea what it was. I was going to go check, but was not wearing appropriate shoes for walking a battlefield.

I discovered later that, supposedly, a woman dressed in a white gown roams the Battlefield in search of her dead sweetheart.

I'm not about to claim I saw a ghost, but it was.....strange.

Highest regards,
dml

[cwreenactorman]

That old green eyes story sounds very strange. Quite scary, it would give me chills if I encountered it.

[lwhite64]

Not to be a kill joy here, but the story of Green Eyes was unknown in this area until the 1950s, the reason being that Park Historian, Ed Tinney, was upset that the battlefield didnt have a traditional ghost story, so since he had heard a good one while doing occupation duty in the Black Forest after WWII, he decided to tweak it a bit for the Chickamauga Battlefield. Whats interesting is to see how the story has morphed over the years from the original version told by Ed to what you hear today. The original version was a monster, a creature wearing a top hat with long hair and a cape that roamed the battlefield. Now, depending on what version you hear, its either a Union or Confederate soldier or the Tiger from the 125th Ohio monument roaming the field.

Lee

[SonnyLynnVick75]

While it may see, unrealistic for green eyes to haunt the park there ia very realistic haunting. There is a bridge on the outskirts of the park called alexander bridge. in 2002 a man, 63 years of age, commited suicide on this bridge due to a whirlwind of problems in his life. i thought this was just a mere suicide and nothing to think of but i thought i would check it out. I sat by the bridge late one night and suddenly i heard an arguement ensue but only one voice then ............... a loud gunshot and nothing more. it sent the coldest shiver i have ever felt up my spine. also there was a young man who was disembodied and dumped in the park who is said to walk the back roads trying to tell people why he was killed.

[Podad]

Link to an interesting article about unexplained sightings on the battlefield.

http://www.catt.com/article.php?story=20031031151742448

[Copper, 83rd PA INF]

Not to be a kill joy here, but the story of Green Eyes was unknown in this area until the 1950s, the reason being that Park Historian, Ed Tinney, was upset that the battlefield didnt have a traditional ghost story, so since he had heard a good one while doing occupation duty in the Black Forest after WWII, he decided to tweak it a bit for the Chickamauga Battlefield.

Lee

I think this is the case alot of times. I mean, let's face it, the paranormal and the unexplained sells....

Like the people that own the house where the Lizzy Borden murders happened...they turned it into a bed and breakfast.

But I've seen enough to know that there are ALOT of unexplained things out there that are worth exploring (I saw some crazy stuff at Gettysburg, Lord knows), and I would love to make it to Chickamauga just to see what I can find on my own...

[SonnyLynnVick75]

if you go to chickamauga to hunt for ghosts there are a few places that are said to see the most activity.

1) alexander bridge road.
2) wilder tower.
3) snod grass hill
4) viniard field
5) look for the mortuary monuments
6) glen kelley road
these are all great spots to look for hauntings from green eyes, to suicides from 2002 theyre all very spine tingling

[K Hale]

Last week at the library, I randomly came across this novel on the shelves. The subject of this thread reminded me of it, so I thought some of you might enjoy it. Looked too scary for me...

[larry_cockerham]

I was on Glenn Kelly Road at Chickamauga NMP in January of this year. I noticed a large white object at the crest of the hill as one approaches the South Carolina monument. The shape evolved into a large white ball, then disappeared. I have no idea what it was. I was going to go check, but was not wearing appropriate shoes for walking a battlefield.

I discovered later that, supposedly, a woman dressed in a white gown roams the Battlefield in search of her dead sweetheart.

I'm not about to claim I saw a ghost, but it was.....strange.

Highest regards,
dml

Sometimes old codgers on this forum have similar sightings after too long a period on the log in the after hours. Ole causes most of it.