Ghosts of the Civil War

by Rich Newman

  So why do I mention this story? Because some believe the spirits of these three men now haunt the Mount Hope Cemetery. And they are doing it in a rather bizarre way. Located close to downtown Dahlonega and the University of North Georgia, this particular graveyard has quite the unique haunting. Locals say if you’re around after dark you just might spot the strange sight of three spectral men sitting around a table playing poker. The spirits are dressed in Civil War-era attire, ignoring those who are watching.

  Of course, there are those who believe the spirits are unrelated to the Northern spies incident—and since there are troops from both sides of the Civil War buried in Mount Hope, it’s entirely possible they may have been one of those killed. It’s even been proposed that the spirits are those of veterans who died natural causes long after the conflict (William Pierce Price, a local man who served in the Confederacy and later became a politician, is also buried there).

  Either way, it is worth the visit for the chance to see such a unique sight. Other stories about ghosts in this graveyard include mists that wander against the direction of the wind, shadowy shapes slinking among the tombstones, and the spirit of a young woman who is known for touching those who are mourning.

  Resaca Confederate Cemetery

  Resaca, Georgia

  After withdrawing from Rocky Face Ridge, General Joseph E. Johnston moved his Confederate force to protect the Western & Atlantic Railroad located in the small town of Resaca. This was a strategic point for the railroad (and their supply line) because of a train trestle that crossed the Oostanaula River. General Johnston was not the only one who wanted this position, though.

  When Major General William T. Sherman learned of the Rebel position at Resaca, he decided to send his men along to test their strength. And so on May 13, 1864, the two sides clashed in a bloody affair that quickly drew to a stalemate of sorts. After two days of fighting, the Southern force found themselves separated from their cannons but still managing to hold down their position. At this point a bit of trickery was employed by Brigadier General John Geary.

  Once darkness had fallen, and the two sides had retired to their respective camps, General Geary had a group of his men sneak into the battlefield and drag the cannons over to the Federal line with ropes. Once this was accomplished, the Union commander on the other side of the battlefield, Brigadier General Thomas Sweeny, managed to sneak his soldiers across the river to flank the Confederate force. Needless to say, when General Johnston woke the next day to these two events, he ordered a hasty retreat.

  Casualties from the engagement numbered just over 5,500—and the Northern troops were forced to rebuild the bridge over the river before pursuing the retreating rebels. The Southern commander decided that burning the bridge was his best option as they fled the scene.

  As for the cemetery, it was founded by the Green family, who returned to their plantation after the war to find that the Confederate dead had been treated horribly. With donations from locals, and some land donated by Colonel John Green, the Resaca Confederate Cemetery was founded on October 25, 1866. It was actually the Green daughters who oversaw collecting the bodies and reburying them properly.

  Though it is located a short distance away from the Resaca Battlefield Historic Site, the cemetery is well worth the visit for a little ghost watching. Not long after the graveyard was established, people started talking about the lonely spirit of a soldier who wandered there.

  Tales concerning the spook continue today. Several paranormal groups have investigated the site and gotten evidence of the haunting there (at least one group has claimed to have photographed the spectral soldier, too).

  Georgia was the fifth state to secede from the Union (this happened in January of 1861) and one of the loudest voices when the Confederate States of America was formed in March of that year (in Savannah no less).

  Laurel Grove Cemetery

  Savannah, Georgia

  Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia.

  But throughout the American Civil War, the city of Savannah suffered woes and problems from almost the first day of fighting.

  Eager to arm the Rebel soldiers of the state, the governor of Georgia at the time, Joseph Brown, ordered a massive shipment of arms to be delivered from New York. These weapons were refused shipment for obvious reasons, so the governor seized every vessel from New York that was currently sitting in the port of Savannah. This would prove a major mistake. Because of the seizure, the Union Navy immediately deployed a fleet of gunships to Savannah. A short time later, Fort Pulaski was conquered and the city of Savannah had Northern enemies perched on their doorstep for the entirety of the war.

  Of course things got considerably worse when, on December 21, 1864, Major General William T. Sherman marched his Federal force into the city. Unlike the havoc the infamous general inflicted upon Atlanta, the city of Savannah was spared destruction, though the inhabitants of the city endured a lot of hardship, thanks to disease, a shortage of food, and the harsh conditions of living in an occupied territory.

  Not long after General Sherman entered Savannah, a prison camp was established. Confederates who perished at this location—as well as those who died in various conflicts in the area—were buried in a handful of local cemeteries that were established during the day. Laurel Grove Cemetery was one of these.

  If you take a trip to Laurel Grove, you may find yourself feeling like you’ve stepped back in time. There’s no better way to understand just how segregated the South was for many decades than to see the layout of this particular cemetery. There are two separate entrances, two separate areas for burials and two distinct enemies of the Civil War buried within. Laurel Grove North was reserved for white people, so here is where locals and Confederate soldiers are buried. Laurel Grove South was where free people of color and slaves were buried. Interestingly, both have their own ghost, too …

  The northern half of the graveyard is the hangout for the spirit of a Confederate soldier. Glimpses of the pale apparition, often accompanied by the sounds of footsteps and sounds of a disembodied voice, occur on occasion for startled visitors there. And in the southern part of the cemetery, there seems to be the spirit of a young lady that haunts the area.

  Locals say the female spirit was first encountered by people passing the cemetery aboard the trolley. As the passenger cars passed by, various people heard a woman crying. This phenomenon became well known—and people would even ride in trolley car number 28 (supposedly the best spot to hear the sounds) to purposely hear the ghost. Not long after that, people even started seeing the entity. They would notice a woman wearing a white dress (some say a wedding dress) standing next to some headstones with a look a despair.

  Cave Hill National Cemetery

  Louisville, Kentucky

  At the onset of the American Civil War, the states of Missouri and Kentucky were in flux. With staunch supporters of the United States government, as well as sympathizers of the newly formed Confederacy, tensions and tempers ran high. For those on the outside looking in, both of these states were ripe for the taking—if the war on the western front was going to be won, getting those states was crucial.

  On December 17, 1861, Union troops under the command of Brigadier General Don Carlos Buell continued their push into the state of Kentucky in order to force Confederate soldiers under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnston from the state. When they learned that a small group of rebels were just south of Woodsville (and a key railroad bridge that was under repair), they decided to engage them. The battle was short but tough with an outcome that decidedly favored the Union Army.

  Now known as the Battle of Rowlett’s Station, casualties numbered just over 100 for both sides. The Confederate-based Terry’s Texas Rangers who fought in the skirmish lost their commander, Colonel Benjamin Franklin Terry, and were forced to retreat with the rest of the Rebels. And the Federal force retained control of the Louisville and Na
shville Railroad. Burials for the dead from this battle were scattered about the area until a national cemetery was formed after the war within the much older (circa 1848) Cave Hill Cemetery.

  Today, if you visit the cemetery, you can quickly find the area with the Civil War-era burials. Known as “Section O” (or the National Cemetery), it’s quite easy to spot with the flag flying over the graves and the famous Bloedner Monument (the oldest Civil War monument in the country) standing there. But if you want to spot the spooks that hang out in this part of the graveyard, you will have to wait until night.

  The spirits at this location prefer to appear as a phenomenon known as “spook lights” or “ghost lights.” This means that they appear as glowing balls of light that seem to move around of their own volition—oftentimes passing right through solid objects, moving around objects in their way, and sometimes even acting in an intelligent manner. Since this is a type of activity that’s best seen in the dark, you will want to get permission to be there at night or find a place close to the cemetery where you can watch from afar.

  If you do get permission to do a bit of ghost hunting, just know that cold spots, strange disembodied voices that sound like whispers, and shadowy shapes are also reported throughout the place.

  Fort DeRussy Cemetery

  Marksville, Louisiana

  Between March and May 1864, the Union Army began what it called the Red River Campaign. The goal was to move up the Red River to capture the city of Shreveport. This was the territory of General E. Kirby Smith and the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy, so this task would not be easy. Especially since the formidable Fort DeRussy stood in the lower valley, keeping a constant watch for enemy attack.

  On March 14, a force of approximately 10,000 men, led by Generals A.J. Smith and Joseph Mower, slowly made their way there. En route, however, they encountered a small Rebel force that quickly dispersed at their arrival. Fearing the Confederates could return, General Mower moved on alone with his men to take on the fort. After a short exchange of fire, however, the battle came to a screeching halt when the Federal troops managed to scale the exterior of the stronghold, forcing an immediate surrender by the small force of 350 within the walls.

  With Fort DeRussy conquered, the road to Shreveport was wide open—or at least the Red River would be open for gunships to advance to the city of Alexandria. Casualties for the affair were rather low (less than sixty total), but that’s never stopped a Civil War site from being haunted! Fort DeRussy itself has been plagued with sightings of dark figures and sounds of ghostly cannon fire, but it’s the nearby Fort DeRussy Cemetery that’s the major draw for ghost hunters in the area.

  Several groups have, quite publicly, made the cemetery a regular haunt (pun intended). With reports of odd EMF (electromagnetic field) spikes, intense cold spots, and regular sightings of apparitions, who could hardly blame them? The most commonly reported phenomena in the graveyard are the appearance of a soldier seen standing among the tombstones and flashing balls of light that seem to rise from graves and float about the area (known in some circles as “ghost lights”). But there’s also a tale—most likely an urban legend—that involves the cemetery, too.

  It’s said that a small family—a father, a mother, and child—are all buried together within the cemetery. According to the tale, the man killed his wife and child, then committed suicide. One or more of them are now said to haunt this location. The spirit of the child is heard crying during the night, and at least one person has witnessed the ghost of the woman standing over the graves.

  If this isn’t enough, the spirits of soldiers are said to inhabit the forest surrounding the cemetery (and fort), and another local legend says a witch was hung and killed in the area—then, possibly, buried in the cemetery. The graveyard dates back to 1862, so that’s a lot of time for some good ghost stories to make their way to the present.

  Bethany Historic Cemetery

  Baldwyn, Mississippi

  On June 10, 1864, Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest moved his Cavalry Regiment of about 2,000 men into Mississippi where he engaged Northern troops under the command of Brigadier General Samuel Sturgis in an area known as Brices Cross Roads. The Union force was ordered by General Sherman to prevent General Forrest from disrupting supply lines in Tennessee as Sherman continued his march through the South.

  The battle lasted just over six hours, as General Forrest pummeled the Federal soldiers with canister artillery fire (which basically turns a cannon into a massive shotgun) and attacked both flanks of the Union Army. General Sturgis ordered a retreat and was pursued by the Confederate cavalry through six counties before they finally escaped the exhausted Rebels.

  Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site is considered one of the best preserved Civil War parks in the nation—and there’s ample opportunity to learn more about the Battle of Brices Cross Roads if you make a visit. Casualties from the battle numbered just over 3,000, but only 495 would belong to the South. Federal fallen were initially buried in “common graves,” but they were later moved to Memphis, while the Confederate dead were buried at nearby Bethany Cemetery. So who do you think haunts this cemetery?

  According to witnesses of the phenomena, the spirit of a Confederate soldier has been seen several times in the area around the graves. One person attempted to yell at the ghost, but was ignored. So perhaps the entity is of a residual nature—a scene locked in time, doomed to repeat over and over again for onlookers. At any rate, once you’ve finished your ghostly vigil at the cemetery (and, hopefully, made a visit to the nice museum), you may want to do a bit of hiking.

  There are two interpretive trails that will guide you along the battlefield and point out many of the strategic spots from the clash. You can tour both sides of the Confederate line of battle and see for yourself why the Union force was so overwhelmed. You might also have a bit of a paranormal experience if you’re lucky; typical residual activity is said to happen on a regular basis across the battle site. The sounds of gunfire, screams, and calls to battle are the most commonly reported activity.

  Friendship Cemetery

  Columbus, Mississippi

  The Battle of Shiloh was one of the first truly bloody battles of the American Civil War. It happened on April 6, 1862, at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, alongside the Tennessee River. There were over 23,000 casualties during two days of fighting at such spots as the Hornet’s Nest, the Peach Orchard, and Bloody Pond. The North would win the fight and the South would lose their commanding general, Albert Sidney Johnston.

  Once the battle was over, and Southern forces had retreated to the city of Corinth, Mississippi, there was the massive problem with dealing with the sheer amount of dead. Many are buried at the cemetery located within the Shiloh National Military Park, but due to the close proximity of the battle to several of the Southern states, many Confederate dead eventually made their way closer to home. Friendship Cemetery was one such place.

  Dating back to 1849, Friendship Cemetery was created by the Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization originated in 1819. Though most of the graveyard is filled with civilians who died in the area, there is a section that was set aside for soldiers buried during the Civil War. And this is the section that you will want to gravitate to if you want to do a bit of ghost watching.

  The spirit of a Confederate soldier has been seen walking among the graves, as well as moaning and crying at times. He’s been seen quite a few times by locals, but it’s unknown who, exactly, the soldier was. Once you’ve spent some time waiting for the ghost to appear, you may want to check out another oddity within the cemetery, too. If you take a quick look around you may notice there’s a large statue of a weeping angel standing over a grave. Head that way …

  The statue is watching over the burial spot of one Thomas Teasdale. Teasdale was a local minister who was quite popular with the people during the Civil War. He spent much of his ti
me devoted to charity with the locals, preaching to Confederate soldiers during the war, and even organizing an orphanage. When he passed away, the community purchased the statue to look over him. Urban legend says that if you hold the hand of the statue and begin speaking to the reverend, you will slowly notice that the hand feels like an actual human hand.

  It’s worth noting that Friendship Cemetery is famous for another reason, too. One year after the end of the Civil War, on the anniversary of General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, the people of Columbus went to the cemetery and placed flowers on the graves of the poor Southern men who died in action. They would continue to do this every year, calling the holiday “Decoration Day.” That holiday would eventually become what we now know as Memorial Day.

  Hill Park Cemetery

  Independence, Missouri

  Much like the next entry in this chapter, Pitcher Cemetery, this graveyard is mostly associated with a single person involved with the Civil War. This person is Frank James, brother of famous outlaw Jesse James. Frank is buried at this cemetery with his wife, Ann. It’s a tiny plot, surrounded by a small stone wall, and there’s really not much to see unless you’re going to look for the spooks that populate this spot.

  On October 23, 1864, a Union force commanded by Major General Samuel R. Curtis defeated a heavily outnumbered Confederate army led by Major General Sterling Price. The battle occurred in the small town of Westport and is now dubbed the “Gettysburg of the West,” since it involved over 30,000 men and left behind more than 3,000 casualties.

  The Union victory secured Missouri once and for all as a Northern allied state, which ended General Price’s conquest of the region. The actions at the Battle of Westport are also part of the ghostly activity that occurs at Hill Park Cemetery and the surrounding fields. Prior to the battle, the Confederate force marched right through this area—and locals claim that the phantom version of the same army can now be seen at night marching over the hill. But that’s not the only ghost story.