Civil War ghost encounters?

Greetings from the Volunteer State; I'm fairly new to CivilWarTalk and have been browsing the forums and found this one. Are there ghosts that wander the battlefields ? I'm not sure about the perceived image of ghosts, but there is something out there. In all the years and all the battlefields I have visited, I only had one unexplained experience (call it paranormal, I suppose). It was on the battlefield of Spotsylvania Court House on a May day in the early 80s in the late afternoon. I had been at it all day, touring Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and the Wilderness. Spotsyvania was my last stop of the day. I remember that I was the only person on the battlefield at that time; a storm was brewing, which I guess accounted for the lack of other visitors. Anyway, I was standing at the Bloody Angle, looking out at the ground the Union troops advanced over, trying to imagine what it must have been like. My thoughts were interrupted when somebody behind me said, "You do not belong here !". I spun around to see who it was and ......... it wasn't anybody, nobody was there! I could see the parking area; my car was the only one there and there wasn't a soul around (at not least, not one that I could see). What did I do ? I calmly thought, "OK, sounds like good advice", walked to my car and left.

So what was it ? An overactive imagination, perhaps ? Or was it a message being given ? I have no idea; I only know I heard the voice distinctly, there was no mistaking f the message being given. I have visited other battlefields since that day in May, and never had a similar experience. But at Spotsylvania, something told me I was not welcome.......
 
Greetings from the Volunteer State; I'm fairly new to CivilWarTalk and have been browsing the forums and found this one. Are there ghosts that wander the battlefields ? I'm not sure about the perceived image of ghosts, but there is something out there. In all the years and all the battlefields I have visited, I only had one unexplained experience (call it paranormal, I suppose). It was on the battlefield of Spotsylvania Court House on a May day in the early 80s in the late afternoon. I had been at it all day, touring Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and the Wilderness. Spotsyvania was my last stop of the day. I remember that I was the only person on the battlefield at that time; a storm was brewing, which I guess accounted for the lack of other visitors. Anyway, I was standing at the Bloody Angle, looking out at the ground the Union troops advanced over, trying to imagine what it must have been like. My thoughts were interrupted when somebody behind me said, "You do not belong here !". I spun around to see who it was and ......... it wasn't anybody, nobody was there! I could see the parking area; my car was the only one there and there wasn't a soul around (at not least, not one that I could see). What did I do ? I calmly thought, "OK, sounds like good advice", walked to my car and left.

So what was it ? An overactive imagination, perhaps ? Or was it a message being given ? I have no idea; I only know I heard the voice distinctly, there was no mistaking f the message being given. I have visited other battlefields since that day in May, and never had a similar experience. But at Spotsylvania, something told me I was not welcome.......



Okay, a bit of a reveal for me.

You know those TV shows that tell scary stories of people seeing people, and getting chased, and hearing clear voices? I don't believe in that, at least not all of it.

As a Christian, the only thing I personally know to be on this earth are angels and demons, and ghost hunters do attest to the fact that demons do exist. Angels and demons can talk, and I have a story about that.


One day, back in 1990 something, my grandmother was going through a rough time. Her husband had both legs amputated, the house burned down, and she recently had a heart attack. She was depressed, and she started to wander down the road just to get out. She got to a point in the road where it was a straight for as far as the eye could see, with plowed farm fields on either side. She leaned against a fence bordering one of those fields, and began to cry about the current situation. Out of nowhere, she heard a voice say, "It's okay, Jean. The Lord will provide". She looked up, and there was an old man who was standing on the road, smiling. He started to walk down the road, and then she blinked and he was gone. Vanished. Poof. I believe that was an angel. Obviously.


What you heard may have been a darker energy, maybe not demonic, but obviously not friendly, lol! I'm not a ghost hunter, nor do I believe in ghosts really much, so I don't know.

The "ghosts" I believe in are nothing more than residual energy. That is, the don't go out to purposely scare you, they don't walk around talking, etc. It is merely left over energy from the body of the person who died there, like orbs, cold spots, etc. When near a good power source, they may take the form of a mist or shadow or something, but don't quote me on it, 'cause I'm not a Zac Bagan or anything.

Why are they tied to that one spot? I don't know. I do know there's a scientific law that says energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but I'm not the sciency type. Personally, I won't believe in "ghosts" until I see one for myself. That's why one day, I'm just going to hang out at Devils Den and Iversons pits at night. :smile:
 
I’m in the skeptical camp, as many here know. I’ve been with folks and have seen the same event as they. Ironically, I came away from those same shared events thinking I’d seen something which had a natural explanation. They, however, did not. But it has not changed those friendships. They just consider those things supernatural or paranormal whereas I don’t necessarily.

But something has happened to me before. Just one thing. And it is the only thing I experienced that I could not explain and still cannot explain. Unfortunately, it was not Civil War related but was an experience my wife, friends and I had with a ouija board. It was an experience no one I’ve talked to, and who also played one, ever had. It was twenty some-odd years ago and none of us have ever come up with a proper explanation after all these years. And we still talk about it every so often.

So, even though I’m a skeptic, I too have experienced something unexplainable. And I’m glad I did, for it makes me much more accepting of others’ experiences here. The skeptic though I am, I truly enjoy the stories told here! Thanks for posting them!
 
Greetings from the Volunteer State; I'm fairly new to CivilWarTalk and have been browsing the forums and found this one. Are there ghosts that wander the battlefields ? I'm not sure about the perceived image of ghosts, but there is something out there. In all the years and all the battlefields I have visited, I only had one unexplained experience (call it paranormal, I suppose). It was on the battlefield of Spotsylvania Court House on a May day in the early 80s in the late afternoon. I had been at it all day, touring Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and the Wilderness. Spotsyvania was my last stop of the day. I remember that I was the only person on the battlefield at that time; a storm was brewing, which I guess accounted for the lack of other visitors. Anyway, I was standing at the Bloody Angle, looking out at the ground the Union troops advanced over, trying to imagine what it must have been like. My thoughts were interrupted when somebody behind me said, "You do not belong here !". I spun around to see who it was and ......... it wasn't anybody, nobody was there! I could see the parking area; my car was the only one there and there wasn't a soul around (at not least, not one that I could see). What did I do ? I calmly thought, "OK, sounds like good advice", walked to my car and left.

So what was it ? An overactive imagination, perhaps ? Or was it a message being given ? I have no idea; I only know I heard the voice distinctly, there was no mistaking f the message being given. I have visited other battlefields since that day in May, and never had a similar experience. But at Spotsylvania, something told me I was not welcome.......
Interesting story and welcome from "The City Between the Lakes" :smile: so yes Howdy Neighbor
 
Interesting story and welcome from "The City Between the Lakes" :smile: so yes Howdy Neighbor
I'm a sceptic as well. in my younger days I was dared to walk through a country cemetery at midnight, so I did, at one point a rabbit bolted from behind a headstone about 5 ft away, It wasnt a paranormal rabbit, but still scared the bejesus out of me for 5-10 seconds...….
 
Some things can be explained others cant be … even in in high science ability we discover new things... Aliens - ya or na ? I just know lot out there un seen to us...the ocean I is not fully mapped hidden amazon tribes shooting arrows at helicopters … how is it others are impossible.. I think some people sense and feel things that others cant just me
 
I mentioned the results of my friend's ghost hunt at my great grandfather's old farm house on another thread , but thought I would update it here as well . I was surprised with her thoroughness and her methods . When I showed them the place and told about the various encounters they took pictures inside and out to see if anything changed during the investigation . I was surprised at the results . There were a couple of things that I couldn't explain . My friend tried to debunk each of these . The curtain in the front room had been opened about 8 inches from the time I showed them the house and their return in the evening . My friend explained that possibly a small animal or bird had gotten in the window and had moved it , but the curtain wasn't messed up . It had been slid back on the rod . There were other odd things that happened , but to me the most important thing was that they heard and caught the footsteps . When I saw her a few days later she told me they had caught some foot steps , but she seemed a bit disappointed in what they had caught . There was something very specific about the steps that I had heard about 40 years earlier that I had never told anyone . This specific thing is exactly what she caught . In discussing this and a few other things she concluded that there is a "residual" haunt there . Noises happen over and over again , but you can't interact with them . I feel vindicated in hearing the steps years ago , but I am inclined to believe that this is some kind of physical phenomenon that we don't understand instead of a ghostly or spiritual one . She also caught a strange noise that she wants me to listen to , but I haven't had a chance yet .
 
Our subconscious minds have a way of making us question as to if we saw or heard something out of the ordinary. We may be sure as sin that we in fact did which is fine. Did we actually or was it just our imagination? Think of all the stories, movies, books and now video games you have seen or read. You may not recall exactly, but pieces stick with you. Who knows, maybe there is some paranormal that occurs.
 
View attachment 331775
Little Round Top 1863
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


I'm going to be straight up with y'all: I don't believe in ghosts. I never have, and I doubt that I ever will. However, my parents and a family friend would like to say otherwise.

I'll start off with the family friends account.

He lives on the Wilderness battlefield edge, and every night, especially early summer nights, he will smell tobacco, coffee and campfire smoke. In the daytime, he will smell gunpowder, especially during the battles anniversary. My dad had permission to metal detect his yard, but because of his work shift, he asn't able to in the daytime. So one night, my dad is in his front yard swinging his detector, while his friend was on the porch watching. My dag dug up a fired bullet, and as he did, he got cold chills, and felt like he was being watched, opposite the front porch area. He never went back at night again.

This next one confuses me, and I'm still stubborn about my unbelief.

When my mom and dad got married, they visited Gettysburg a lot. They loved walking the battlefield early in the morning. Once, they arrived at the crack of dawn. It was a crystal clear, quiet summer morning. They were walking beside Devils Den. Then all of a sudden, a thick mist rolled in, and they heard very clearly, reveille being played on the drums, and a soft bugle call in the distance. They walked towards the sound, as it kept playing, and the sound never got louder, or quieter. They followed the sounds of the drums for about five minutes, before they stopped, faded away, and the mists rolled back. They searched that area for hours, looking for a prankster drum player, and even went to the office, finding nothing.


Like I said, I don't believe in ghosts. I say there is a good explanation for everything, but what do you make of it? Have you ever had an encounter?

IMHO, the existence of ghosts is dubious. Ghost stories are entertaining to me, and it is quite fun to imagine the sight or sounds of a soldier, civilian or officer from that battle or regiment wandering the fields of which they fought, lived and/or died but there has yet to have been concrete evidence of the majority of these stories. They've been dismissed persistently as hallucinations, illusions, etc. I suppose I'm one of those people that needs to see it in order to believe it. However, it is fun to speculate.
 
IMHO, the existence of ghosts is dubious. Ghost stories are entertaining to me, and it is quite fun to imagine the sight or sounds of a soldier, civilian or officer from that battle or regiment wandering the fields of which they fought, lived and/or died but there has yet to have been concrete evidence of the majority of these stories. They've been dismissed persistently as hallucinations, illusions, etc. I suppose I'm one of those people that needs to see it in order to believe it. However, it is fun to speculate.


I'm exactly like you. I refuse to believe much of anything unless I see it for myself.
 
LOL! I have been to lots of battlefields under lots of weather conditions and never have seen a thing. In Gettysburg one day watching all these ghost tours up and down the streets I decided to ask some folks that live and work there about these ghost stories and have they ever seen anything? they all laughed. It has become a huge money maker in Gettysburg over the years. Hey, if it works, why not. The closest I came to eerie was driving through the Gettysburg battlefield at night in a driving rain and thunder storm. With every flash of lightning for a few seconds the Artillery and monuments would light up like a scary Halloween movie then disappear! It was fun, but no Casper the ghost!
 
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You're asking a question that has been proven by science, and invented by man.
My point was that there are a lot of things that we can't see but still we know they are there, like electricity and microwaves. I have never seen a ghost, but I have experienced them at physical, aural, sensory levels that have convinced me that they exist.
 
Okay, a bit of a reveal for me.

You know those TV shows that tell scary stories of people seeing people, and getting chased, and hearing clear voices? I don't believe in that, at least not all of it.

As a Christian, the only thing I personally know to be on this earth are angels and demons, and ghost hunters do attest to the fact that demons do exist. Angels and demons can talk, and I have a story about that.


One day, back in 1990 something, my grandmother was going through a rough time. Her husband had both legs amputated, the house burned down, and she recently had a heart attack. She was depressed, and she started to wander down the road just to get out. She got to a point in the road where it was a straight for as far as the eye could see, with plowed farm fields on either side. She leaned against a fence bordering one of those fields, and began to cry about the current situation. Out of nowhere, she heard a voice say, "It's okay, Jean. The Lord will provide". She looked up, and there was an old man who was standing on the road, smiling. He started to walk down the road, and then she blinked and he was gone. Vanished. Poof. I believe that was an angel. Obviously.


What you heard may have been a darker energy, maybe not demonic, but obviously not friendly, lol! I'm not a ghost hunter, nor do I believe in ghosts really much, so I don't know.

The "ghosts" I believe in are nothing more than residual energy. That is, the don't go out to purposely scare you, they don't walk around talking, etc. It is merely left over energy from the body of the person who died there, like orbs, cold spots, etc. When near a good power source, they may take the form of a mist or shadow or something, but don't quote me on it, 'cause I'm not a Zac Bagan or anything.

Why are they tied to that one spot? I don't know. I do know there's a scientific law that says energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but I'm not the sciency type. Personally, I won't believe in "ghosts" until I see one for myself. That's why one day, I'm just going to hang out at Devils Den and Iversons pits at night. :smile:
ell I believe in God and the bible. he says there are angels and demons. soooo we are in a continual battleground having said that, my wife and i were driving slowly down a road that feeds in to the subdivision where ew used to live. the road we were on is known to be haunted. was used by cavlry raiders and scouts during the civil war. creek that runs alongside of the road. we were driving slow20 mph or so. i saw a mist on a clear night obtw, and in the midst of this mist was a form looked like a head with an officiers hat and high collar oficiers coat. looked like he was holding reins and was watering his horse at the creek. was driving pat this slowlty and as just geting past this sight, my wife says did you see that??? i haad already made up my mind to not say anything cause noone would believe me. but, since she said that right outta the blue, well i said yes i did, and we turned around as quick as we could, and lo and behold, there was noone there, no mist no fog no nothing. we both couldnt believe it. chalk that one up to whaaaaaaat was that? obtw this road is one of the most haunted places in our state. very old well worn sunken road. that even in the summer if its 90 out the atmosphere on this road is at 80 or less tall trees that branch over on both sides to make a canopy. very eeerie
 
I’m in the skeptical camp, as many here know. I’ve been with folks and have seen the same event as they. Ironically, I came away from those same shared events thinking I’d seen something which had a natural explanation. They, however, did not. But it has not changed those friendships. They just consider those things supernatural or paranormal whereas I don’t necessarily.

But something has happened to me before. Just one thing. And it is the only thing I experienced that I could not explain and still cannot explain. Unfortunately, it was not Civil War related but was an experience my wife, friends and I had with a ouija board. It was an experience no one I’ve talked to, and who also played one, ever had. It was twenty some-odd years ago and none of us have ever come up with a proper explanation after all these years. And we still talk about it every so often.

So, even though I’m a skeptic, I too have experienced something unexplainable. And I’m glad I did, for it makes me much more accepting of others’ experiences here. The skeptic though I am, I truly enjoy the stories told here! Thanks for posting them!
word to the wise, leave the quija board alone. period.
 
LOL! I have been to lots of battlefields under lots of weather conditions and never have seen a thing. In Gettysburg one day watching all these ghost tours up and down the streets I decided to ask some folks that live and work there about these ghost stories and have they ever seen anything? they all laughed. It has become a huge money maker in Gettysburg over the years. Hey, if it works, why not. The closest I came to eerie was driving through the Gettysburg battlefield at night in a driving rain and thunder storm. With every flash of lightning for a few seconds the Artillery and monuments would light up like a scary Halloween movie then disappear! It was fun, but no Casper the ghost!


Years ago, I went to Gettysburg with my sister for an October "girls' weekend." We took an evening ghost tour in the town. People kept driving past us and yelling "Boo!" out the window. It wasn't very scary.
 
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