The Haunting of Fort Negley

Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Location
central NC
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Entrance to Fort Negley Park (Wikimedia Commons)

Fort Negley is a historic structure found in Nashville, Tennessee, that was built by Union troops during the Civil War. It's found roughly two miles from the heart of downtown. There are some ghost stories associated with it that just might give you goosebumps. Many whisper that the fort is haunted by the ghosts of soldiers who long ago lost their lives.

Fort Negley is perhaps best known as the largest inland fort built during the war. The fort was built in a French-style, by stone, and took roughly 4 months to complete. During those four months, between 600 to 800 laborers are thought to have lost their lives.

The Battle of Nashville was fought a mile away, but Fort Negley was never itself attacked. Still, around 13,000 bodies were buried near the fort. The soldiers were later reburied in the National Nashville Cemetery in Madison, but many believe there are some forgotten bodies left in the ground.

Reenactors at Fort Negley report hearing the noise of battle or seeing people in uniform whom they don’t recognize. The reenactors at Fort Negley who are having these experiences are members of the 13th United States Colored Troops Living History Association. Their goal is to portray a group largely overlooked in the popular understanding of the Civil War. These reenactors are trying to reinvigorate the memories of the men they’re portraying, so many of whom we know so little about.

As Krista Castillo, the Fort Negley museum coordinator so eloquently said, “…consider how powerful this is — to pick a person who would otherwise be lost to history and to figuratively say to that person, “For the time I wear this uniform, my face will stand in for your face. My voice will be your voice.” Then, in response, you are shown a glimpse of the past you are honoring, or you hear the true noises of what you’re pretending.”

Perhaps the reported hauntings are an acknowledgment that a deep connection has been made and reaffirmed between the living and the dead — the reenactors portraying the dead in order to honor them and the dead responding. Perhaps the dead are acknowledging the honor has been received.

I'd love to hear from some of our members who reenact.
 
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