"Digger". . . the Irish miner at Vicksburg

7th Mississippi Infantry

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Location
Southwest Mississippi
I had never heard this tale, I thought some of you might enjoy this ghost story from the siege of Vicksburg.

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Here is the story of Digger. His real name was Tom Mallory, an Irish miner caught in Vicksburg by the advancing Union troops during the Civil War. Digger took advantage of Vicksburg's misfortune and started excavating caves.

A captain in the Louisiana militia employed Digger to construct a cave to shelter his wife and children. Digger, who hurried the job, picked an unsuitable site for the cave. Not long after, a mortar shell exploded over the cave, causing it to collapse in the children's chamber. He and others tried to dig the children out, but the cave kept collapsing. Finally, everyone knew it was too late. The children were never found. That was the last day Tom Mallory would rest for his life — and beyond.

The Confederates later hired Digger to design and supervise a countermine to intersect the tunnel being built by Union soldiers. Digger, alone in the countermine one day, extinguished his lamp since he felt his shovel punch through into the Union tunnel.

Looking closer at the opening, he saw a light shining. Digger was frozen in horror as he watched the dirty, decomposed body of a child crawl toward him. A second, smaller figure pushed through the opening and then stood grim, with eyes protruding from its sockets and white bones exposed from hands and arms. The crew found Digger in the dark whimpering, mumbling, "The children, the children."

The Confederate crew looked through the opening Digger had made just in time to see the lit fuse racing toward a stack of powder. They tried to get Digger out, but hugging his shovel, he was paralyzed. His shaky voice repeated, "No, no, the children."

The powder gallery exploded. Digger was never found. Sometimes his old miner’s lamp flickers in one of the hollows. Evidence of freshly dug holes proves his soul still wanders the park. He will never rest until he finds the children.


From the National Park Service's pamphlet "Park Myths."

http://www.newsouthernview.com/pages/nsv_shm_creaking_floorbrds.html
 
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I had never heard this tale, I thought some of you might enjoy this ghost story from the siege of Vicksburg.

View attachment 43221

Here is the story of Digger. His real name was Tom Mallory, an Irish miner caught in Vicksburg by the advancing Union troops during the Civil War. Digger took advantage of Vicksburg's misfortune and started excavating caves.

A captain in the Louisiana militia employed Digger to construct a cave to shelter his wife and children. Digger, who hurried the job, picked an unsuitable site for the cave. Not long after, a mortar shell exploded over the cave, causing it to collapse in the children's chamber. He and others tried to dig the children out, but the cave kept collapsing. Finally, everyone knew it was too late. The children were never found. That was the last day Tom Mallory would rest for his life — and beyond.

The Confederates later hired Digger to design and supervise a countermine to intersect the tunnel being built by Union soldiers. Digger, alone in the countermine one day, extinguished his lamp since he felt his shovel punch through into the Union tunnel.

Looking closer at the opening, he saw a light shining. Digger was frozen in horror as he watched the dirty, decomposed body of a child crawl toward him. A second, smaller figure pushed through the opening and then stood grim, with eyes protruding from its sockets and white bones exposed from hands and arms. The crew found Digger in the dark whimpering, mumbling, "The children, the children."

The Confederate crew looked through the opening Digger had made just in time to see the lit fuse racing toward a stack of powder. They tried to get Digger out, but hugging his shovel, he was paralyzed. His shaky voice repeated, "No, no, the children."

The powder gallery exploded. Digger was never found. Sometimes his old miner’s lamp flickers in one of the hollows. Evidence of freshly dug holes proves his soul still wanders the park. He will never rest until he finds the children.


From the National Park Service's pamphlet "Park Myths."

http://www.newsouthernview.com/pages/nsv_shm_creaking_floorbrds.html
Interesting tale. Thanks for uploading. Frankly though, I think Digger's guilty consience got the better of him and caused him to hallucinate the children.
 
OH no, I was thinking it would have a different ending! Now I'll be thinking about Digger and the children all day- drat the Irish and their hair-raising ability to do this to you. I agree, no one can spin tales or clutch at your heart like the Irish. Of course, we're a little scant on Texans on around here.
 
What a ghost story! Fabulous! I'm glad it got bumped back up, because I missed it completely the first time it came around.

The related story and link to the earlier thread about the caves of Vicksburg was a very interesting read, too. Thanks to all!
A very interesting ghost story

Thanks. I'm glad ya'll enjoyed the story.
 
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