Haunted Battlegrounds in Tennesse

Battlefields are an important part of Tennessee history because this state was right in the middle of Northern and Southern troops during the Civil War. It shouldn't be surprising then that several of these battlefields are haunted.

The Chickamauga Battlefield is located near Chattanooga, Tennessee. I've been there myself during the daylight of course, though I have to say that I didn't experience anything myself. However, there are a number of people who have seen, heard or felt something unusual at the battlefield.

During the Civil War a battle on this site ended with thousands of Confederate troops taken prisoner and a victory for the Federals. So many men died on the battlefield that their spouses and families had to go through the bodies by lantern to identify their missing loved ones. Today people report seeing odd lights and hearing women crying in the area.

The same battlefield saw scores of men die during the Spanish-American War and there are a number of deaths reported there ranging from murder to suicide. Today the battlefield is partly used as a park, but that hasn't stopped the ghost stories. There are sounds of people crying, horses running loose and what sounds like many men crying in pain. There are also stories of someone in the woods watching visitors and a headless horseback rider. The Chickamauga Battlefield also has a Lady in White who is looking for her husband.

One of the more famous stories told involves the ghost known as Old Green Eyes. This ghost is a Confederate soldier who died on the battlefield. The man lost his head during the battle and now walks the area, trying to find his head. Oddly enough, no one has ever thought to connect this spirit with the headless horseback rider reported. Supposedly you can see two glowing green eyes in the woods and hearing someone crying in pain.

There is also another story told about Old Green Eyes that involves a huge beast that lives near the battlefield. The creature has some human characteristics, though it also has large fangs and a deformed face. Supposedly this creature has been seen for years, since at least the mid-1800s.

The Chickamauga Battlefield also has a stone tower on the property. This tower is supposedly haunted by the ghost of a screaming woman. The Wilder Tower was built during the late 1800s/early 1900s, but there are no known stories of anyone dying there. A number of people have heard the screams late at night.

If you plan to visit the Chickamauga Battlefield, keep one eye out for the ghosts of the park because you never know what you might find.

In Murfreesboro, Tennessee you'll find the haunted Stone River Battlefield. During the Civil War the battle at this spot was almost too close to call. It lasted for several weeks and by the time it was done, thousands of men lay dead on both sides. The Confederates won, but it was barely a victory and had either side given up, less deaths would have occurred.

One area of the battlefield is known as the Slaughter Pen and people note that the place has a different feel and that it seems more quiet there than anywhere else. In addition people say that even the animals won't come near the place.

There is also a story of a ghostly soldier that often comes around when Civil War re-enactors are in town. The man simply walks around with other people, as if checking things out and then disappears before their very eyes.

Maybe these ghostly soldiers aren't able to move onto the afterlife, or maybe they just prefer to stay where they took their last breaths.