Duane Beckett
American battlefields already carry heavy history, but many add ghost stories, strange sightings, and legends that started almost as soon as the smoke cleared. These places take on a different kind of interest. It’s history with a paranormal chill.
Gettysburg’s vanishing soldiers
Gettysburg was fought on July 1-3, 1863, in Pennsylvania between Union and Confederate forces. The National Park Service states that more than 165,000 soldiers fought there, with more than 51,000 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
The American Battlefield Trust lists George G. Meade for the Union and Robert E. Lee for the Confederacy. The ghost stories are nearly as famous as the battle. Evendo reports claims of phantom soldiers, gunfire sounds, equipment issues, and strange activity around Devil’s Den and Triangular Field. Ranker also reports that ghost sightings near Devil’s Den were reported not long after the battle.
Ol’ Green Eyes at Chickamauga
The American Battlefield Trust says Chickamauga was fought September 18-20, 1863, in Georgia, with Union Gen. William Rosecrans facing Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. It ended as a Confederate victory, but with more than 34,000 total casualties. That makes it one of the Civil War’s deadliest fights.
The battlefield’s best-known legend is Ol’ Green Eyes, a glowing-eyed figure said to move through the woods. Evendo reports that some versions call it a headless Confederate soldier, while others describe something older. The Chattanooga Pulse reported that Mark Fults believed the figure may predate the battle and even the Cherokee.
Unsettled Shiloh
Shiloh was fought April 6-7, 1862, in Tennessee. According to the National Park Service, the two days of fighting led to around 23,000 casualties, making it the bloodiest Civil War battle up to that point. The American Battlefield Trust names Ulysses S. Grant as the Union commander and Albert Sidney Johnston, later followed by P.G.T. Beauregard, on the Confederate side.
Evendo reports battlefield legends tied to drums, yells, phantom gunfire, and a ghostly drummer. In the coverage, a visitor says they experienced the feeling of an icy hand on their shoulder at dusk, only to turn and find nobody there.
Cold Harbor and the sudden fog
Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864, in Hanover County, Virginia. The American Battlefield Trust states that Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army repulsed Ulysses S. Grant’s Union troops in a brutal two-week action that caused more than 17,000 casualties.
The haunting claims are grim. Ranker reported stories of soldiers buried in shallow pits, followed by accounts of shadowy figures, voices, and phantom gunfire. Evendo adds that people report dense fog that appears and disappears suddenly.
Richmond Ghosts adds another legend of a young girl in a white dress and bonnet seen near tombstones and battlefield areas.
The Alamo’s fiery defenders
The Alamo’s official history says Santa Anna’s army arrived in San Antonio on February 23, 1836. The final battle began at dawn on March 6, lasted about 90 minutes, and ended with all defenders dead, including Davy Crockett.
War History Online reported that days after the battle, Mexican soldiers sent to destroy the Alamo fled after seeing six spectral “Diablos” guarding the fort with flaming sabers.
The same source adds continuing reports of screams, explosions, faint trumpet notes of “El Deguello,” and a ghostly courier-like figure around the grounds.