Admit it. This is what you really want to read about. With about 6100 graves of Union soldiers, there must be regular visions of a man in uniform standing by a headstone and Halloween is like a national holiday in the cemetery.
At least weekly, someone comes into the park’s visitor center wanting to find out whether ghosts were ever seen in the cemetery or on the battlefield. The park also receives regular requests from people wanting to do a paranormal investigation at night in the cemetery.
The park denies all permit requests to do searches after sunset and paranormal investigations are prohibited at any time in the national cemetery. (Per 36 CFR § 12.11 Recreational activities: Engaging in a recreational activity is prohibited in national cemeteries.) This obviously means they have something to hide, right? The property must be crawling with poltergeists, zombies and apparitions just waiting to scare the bejeebies out of any unfortunate soul walking by in the dark. This must be another government cover-up
At least weekly, someone comes into the park’s visitor center wanting to find out whether ghosts were ever seen in the cemetery or on the battlefield. The park also receives regular requests from people wanting to do a paranormal investigation at night in the cemetery.
The park denies all permit requests to do searches after sunset and paranormal investigations are prohibited at any time in the national cemetery. (Per 36 CFR § 12.11 Recreational activities: Engaging in a recreational activity is prohibited in national cemeteries.) This obviously means they have something to hide, right? The property must be crawling with poltergeists, zombies and apparitions just waiting to scare the bejeebies out of any unfortunate soul walking by in the dark. This must be another government cover-up
Sorry to disappoint. There are no confirmed sightings of ghosts in the Stones River National Cemetery. But could the ghosts appear after all the employees go home at the end of the work day? If you notice when visiting the cemetery, there are three buildings on the west side of the cemetery. These buildings are used for temporary housing of employees, interns, or volunteers. They have been used for decades with a front-porch view of the cemetery. Not one sighting from any of the residents in all those years.
If you believe that ghosts only occupy where their earthly body died, then you should take this into account. Basically, everyone buried in Stones River National Battlefield died at a different location and only moved to their current “residence” several years later. The site of the cemetery during the battle was a well-fortified location by the Union army. Unless a Confederate artillery shell hit the mark on the ridge, it is likely that few, if any, soldiers met their Maker on this particular patch of the battlefield. And if so, surely, their haunted souls didn’t move with their bones from wherever they were originally buried on the battlefield.
If this is the case, then the ghosts must be all over the 4000 acres of the battle. Again, hate to disappoint. We are not aware of any hauntings on the national battlefield portion of the fight. Many years ago, there was one story floating through the halls of a local high school. A group of teenagers had decided to congregate in the rocks of the Slaughter Pen late in the day, acting like their age in a loud and ruckus manner. Suddenly, out of the darkness came this raging Union soldier with his musket ranting for them to get the hell out of there. They rapidly obliged. The story of the mad apparition spread throughout the town.
Sorry, but reality casts a long shadow on this ghostly story. At the same time these boys were having the party in the Slaughter Pen, a park ranger was just returning from an off-site living history event in his full Union attire. Upon hearing the disrespectful language and noises in the distance, his blood began to understandingly boil. He went running in the direction of the voices. Upon arriving at the site with the unloaded musket still in hand, he was about ready to read the riot act to the teenagers. The boys didn’t wait to hear it as they ran in all different directions to get away from the “ghost”. There are always two sides to a good story.
The Stones River National Battlefield and Cemetery is truly sacred ground with thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers shedding their blood and lives into the soil. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, we need to show proper respect. We don’t need to disturb their eternal rest with electronic gadgets or hiding in the moonlit shadows waiting for them to appear to do their nightly walk.
{Photo Credit: Sorry, not a real picture of a ghost. Picture was AI generated.]
If you believe that ghosts only occupy where their earthly body died, then you should take this into account. Basically, everyone buried in Stones River National Battlefield died at a different location and only moved to their current “residence” several years later. The site of the cemetery during the battle was a well-fortified location by the Union army. Unless a Confederate artillery shell hit the mark on the ridge, it is likely that few, if any, soldiers met their Maker on this particular patch of the battlefield. And if so, surely, their haunted souls didn’t move with their bones from wherever they were originally buried on the battlefield.
If this is the case, then the ghosts must be all over the 4000 acres of the battle. Again, hate to disappoint. We are not aware of any hauntings on the national battlefield portion of the fight. Many years ago, there was one story floating through the halls of a local high school. A group of teenagers had decided to congregate in the rocks of the Slaughter Pen late in the day, acting like their age in a loud and ruckus manner. Suddenly, out of the darkness came this raging Union soldier with his musket ranting for them to get the hell out of there. They rapidly obliged. The story of the mad apparition spread throughout the town.
Sorry, but reality casts a long shadow on this ghostly story. At the same time these boys were having the party in the Slaughter Pen, a park ranger was just returning from an off-site living history event in his full Union attire. Upon hearing the disrespectful language and noises in the distance, his blood began to understandingly boil. He went running in the direction of the voices. Upon arriving at the site with the unloaded musket still in hand, he was about ready to read the riot act to the teenagers. The boys didn’t wait to hear it as they ran in all different directions to get away from the “ghost”. There are always two sides to a good story.
The Stones River National Battlefield and Cemetery is truly sacred ground with thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers shedding their blood and lives into the soil. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, we need to show proper respect. We don’t need to disturb their eternal rest with electronic gadgets or hiding in the moonlit shadows waiting for them to appear to do their nightly walk.
{Photo Credit: Sorry, not a real picture of a ghost. Picture was AI generated.]