The battle of Chickamauga
September 18-20, 1863
Principal Commanders: Maj.
Gen. William S. Rosecrans and Maj. Gen. George
H. Thomas [US]; Gen. Braxton Bragg and Lt.
Gen. James Longstreet [CS]
Forces Engaged: The Army of
the Cumberland [US]; Army of Tennessee [CS]
Estimated Casualties: 34,624
total (US 16,170; CS 18,454)
Once again some more photos from Chickamauga.
This is another from the 2004 trip.
here is the story:
Can you find the face in this photo? There
might be more then one ghost here.
I was just coming back from the Sheridan
Monument near the Widow glens house after
the last group of ghost pictures were taken
(See:
Chickamauga ghost horse photos here),
and decided to take the Dyer Road and see
the Brotherton Field.
Brotherton Cabin at the intersection of
the La Fayette Road (U.S. 27) and the Dyer
Road. The cabin stands near the crest of
a low ridge that runs north to south. Despite
the elevation afforded by the ridge, Union
troops on both days of battle at Chickamauga
had trouble defending it.
As I approached the open field I immediately
got the feeling that a panic was occurring
and heard whispers in my ears to "Get
away, get away" " Move Out".
I became alarmed at this and started to
get a little jumpy. Constantly looking over
my shoulder to reassure myself I was not
being followed or watched. No one around
except me.
I knew this was not all absurd at the
time because of the fact it was the site
of the breakthrough of Longstreets corps.
There would have been a lot of confusion
in that area. Very Haunted! Next, I traveled
along the field to the Brotherton cabin.
Walking up to the site was odd and I knew
the cabin itself had been moved from it's
original location to here some years ago.
Close up of the ghost of
Brotherton Cabin
Close up of face
Still a good place to be. I could feel the
spirits around the place as I looked thru
the barred doorway, there was electricity
in the air, you know the smell, like after
a heavy thunderstorm.
This made my senses reel. I started to take
shots of the outside and inside although
somewhat limited on the inside shots due
to the Security bars of the door. This picture
was the result. I have found several faces
in it and have enlarged some of them for
you. There are I feel many spirits residing
in this small cabin, and may be there to
shelter themselves from the fierce battle
that has taken place on this hallowed ground,
and is still taking place to this very day.
All one has to do is sit quietly on this
field and listen and you will be able to
her the voices of past generations telling
the story over and over again. To me it
never gets old.
Brotherton
cabin 1955 http://www.nps.gov/archive/chch/adhi/adhit.htm
Brotherton Farm
Confederate exploitation of a gap between
the Union southern flank and center almost
meant disaster near the Viniard House. It
also lead to the Union center being pushed
back here to the Brotherton Farm. By late
afternoon, the Union line ran south along
Brotherton Road, then pivoted at the Brotherton
cabin and extended along the ridge roughly
paralleling the Lafayette Road.
Union reinforcements sealed off the breakthrough
at the Brotherton Farm, ending the first
day's fighting. The Confederates had gained
some ground, but the fighting was inconclusive
despite the very real potential of a decisive
victory. Had they had reserves to commit
late in the day, the Confederates could
have gained a great victory. Bragg decided
to continue the attack on the 20th.
Chickamauga Ghosts
More American soldiers died in training
on the Chickamauga Battlefield during the
Spanish American War than died during that
four month long war.
Chickamauga is derived from an ancient
Cherokee word meaning "River of Death".
And death was all around this heavily wooded
area occasionally spotted with uncultivated,
vine-strewn, thicket- matted stretches of
ground sometimes disturbed by outcroppings
of limestone rock. In other words, land
that no farmer would have bothered with
since it would have required a massive amount
of work and toil to bring up to minimal
farming standards. The real prize that the
Union army hoped to gain from this battle
was capture of Chattanooga which was the
rail center and major city of the Middle
South.
Another Ghost photo of Chickamauga
The Brotherton House. Ghosts at the Cabin
sent to us by Glen Daigle.
Ghost of
the Chickamauga Battlefield
The legend of Old Green Eyes, the ghost
who is said to haunt the battlefield in
various forms ranging from a Confederate
soldier to a green-eyed panther, has been
a part of Chickamauga Battlefield lore since
the last shot was fired at the bloody battle
that claimed 34,000 casualties Sept. 19-20,
1863. Green Eyes is rumored to be a man
who lost his head to a cannonball, frantically
searching the battlefield at night for his
dislocated body.
The tales of Green Eyes and other phantom
sightings stem from the soldiers, who lived
through the War Between the States. Another
legend is quoted as saying that Old Green
Eyes roamed the area long before the Civil
War and was even seen moving among the dead
at Snodgrass Hill during a lull in the fighting.
Probably the most stubborn phase of the
campaign was at Snodgrass Hill which is
some of the roughest and hilliest terrain
in the entire park area.
Many people visiting the park near dusk
have seen two big glowing eyes approaching
them and have heard an agonizing groaning
sound which sent shivers up and down their
spine.
Charlie Fisher, a forest ranger, says that
in the early 1970's two different people
both wrecked their automobiles against the
same tree. They both sworn to have seen
Old Green Eyes.
A man named Ed Tinney did see Old Green
Eyes on several occasions. He saw the ghost
one foggy night while walking along one
of the trails which wind through the park.
He said the shape was human-like but wasn't
human. When he first saw it, it was less
than twenty feet away and passed right by
him! He described the hair on the "thing"
as long, like a woman's hair, with eyes
almost greenish-orange in color. It's teeth
were long and pointed like fangs and was
wearing a cape which seemed to be flapping
in the wind, even though there was no wind!
The next thing he knew, it just disappeared
right in front of him.
One of the earliest ghost sightings shortly
after the Civil War ended is documented
in Susie Blaylock McDaniel's book "The
Official History of Catoosa County."
Jim Carlock, an early resident of the Post
Oak Community, writes in McDaniel's book
about returning home from a centennial celebration
on Market Street in Chattanooga in 1876,
a mere 13 years after the bloody battle.
Carlock writes: "Did you ever see a
ghost? They used to see them on the Chickamauga
Battlefields just after the war."
Carlock goes on to write that, while passing
through the battlefield (or near it, the
exact location is unclear), it was dark
and there were no houses nearby when he
and his friends spotted something 10 feet
high with a "big white head."
He said he and his companions were in a
wagon and a Mr. Shields was riding horseback.
Carlock said Shields road up and hit the
ghost and a baby cried out and the ghost
said, "Let me alone." He said
the entity appeared to be a ghostly apparition
of a Negro woman with a bundle of clothes
on her head.
But the Civil War is not the only source
of death that may have imprisoned lost spirits
at the battlefield. The hill behind Wilder
Tower saw the deaths of many soldiers, mainly
from ty-phoid fever, during their training
and encampment on the battlefield in preparation
for the Spanish-American War.
Another specter, in the form of a lady
in a white wedding dress, known as the "Lady
in White," is searching for her lover
has been encounteed many times. They say
she is a grand lady who came to the battlefield
in search of her lost love ro rake his body
home and bury him. To this day, she hasn't
given up hope of finding him. Love is a
very strong emotion and often is the reason
a ghost will make a series of return visits
to a particular locale. In fact, any vibrant
emotion can cause the appearance of ghosts.
One of the weirdest tales was related by
Jeffrey Leathers, a ranger from Stones River
who occasionally helps out rangers here
at Chickamauga. It concerns the Wilder Tower.
This stone structure is eighty-five feet
high and overlooks the entire area. It was
built in 1903 by the men who served under
Colonel John T. Wilder.
Apparently when the tower was being constructed,
many souvenirs of the war were sealed inside
the cornerstone to be opened at a later
time. In 1976, during the bicentennial activities,
officials opened up the cornerstone which
was undisturbed until now and found the
inside completely empty! There were no apparent
marks which might have indicated that it
had been broken into or tampered with in
any way.
Other stories of hauntings on the battlefield
include visitors' accounts of hearing gunshots,
hoof beats, or smelling the strong scent
of alcohol.
David Lester, Civil War enthusiast and
re-enactor, said about five years ago, he
and some of his fellow re-enactors were
camping out at the battlefield as part of
"Living History Days," an event
that gives park visitors a first-hand look
at how soldiers lived during the war.
Lester said several of his comrades wandered
to a neighboring camp to say hello to their
fellow soldiers. The men talked with the
neighboring campers for several hours before
re-turning to their own camp to sleep for
the night.
When day broke, the men went back to the
camp to wish them a good morning and see
how they were getting along, but they were
gone, Lester said. There was no sign of
their campfire from the night before, not
one trace of any human occupation at the
site — only undisturbed land.
Some excerpts from The Catoosa County News
(Friday, October 31 2003
Chickamauga is a must see for ghost hunters
that find themselves in the northwest Georgia/Chattanooga
area. It is a very scenic place during the
day, but becomes rather misty at times,
making it seem sinister and frightening
once darkness falls.
Chickamauga is located in the northwest
corner of Georgia, very near both the Alabama
and Tennessee borders, and is often reported
incorrectly as being in Tennessee. It can
be reached directly through Fort Oglethorpe,
Georgia via route 27, and is also near both
Interstates 24 and 75 from Chattanooga.
The Chickamauga & Chattanooga National
Military Park at Fort Oglethorpe, GA is
dedicated to both battles and is situated
between the two cities of Chattanooga, TN
and Chickamauga, GA.
CHICKAMAUGA BATTLEFIELD
OPERATING HOURS AND SEASONS
The Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center
and Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor
Center are open daily from 8:30 a.m. until
5:00 p.m. Both Visitor Centers are closed
on Christmas Day.
Chickamauga Battlefield features an 7 mile
self-guiding auto tour, monuments, historical
tablets, hiking trails and horse trails.
The visitor center contains exhibits and
the Fuller Gun Collection which contains
over 300 examples of military long arms.
The visitor center also presents a 26 minute
multi-media program, the Battle of Chickamauga,
that provides unique orientation to this
Civil War battle.
During some summer weekends, encampments
of regiments from various states provide
living history demonstrations. Also, during
the summer, living history demonstration
of a soldier's life are offered.
Lookout Mountain Battlefield contains monuments,
historical tablets, hiking trails, scenic
vistas, and the historic Cravens House.
The Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor
Center also houses the "Battle Above
the Clouds" painting by James Walker.
The historic Cravens House on Lookout Mountain
is open for tours during the summer. Contact
the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor
Center at 423-821-7786 for hours of operation.
ENTRANCE FEES
Cravens House
No Fees Charged
Point Park
Fees: $3.00 - Day
The user fee for Point Park is $3.00 per
person (16 years or older).
With the Golden Age pass (62 years or older),
the fee is $1.50. Children age 15 and under
are free.
ALSO SEE: THE TOP
TEN MOST HAUNTED BATTLEFIELD LIST
Though
the battles have long ago ended and the
sound of cannons and muskets is but a distant
memory, there are some souls who are still
waiting for the call to “Retreat”
– and for them, it may never come!
Make
plans to visit a Haunted Battlefield today!
<
VISIT HERE TO VIEW FULL LIST >
