Haunted America: The Ghosts of Georgia's Chickamauga Battlefield

Violent deaths are hotbeds for paranormal activity with battlefields ranking high on the list when it comes to activity that involves chilling ghostly phenomena. The Chickamauga battlefield located in northern Georgia is not only one of the most haunted locations in the state; it was once one of the most deadly places to frequent due to it being a horrific blood bath of casualties, and a last major Confederate victory of the American Civil War. Given the name the " River of Death" by the Cherokee Indians, the area was thought to have once been swarmed by the smallpox virus that almost literally wiped out the entire northern Georgiatribe during the early 1800's.

According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, the Walker County Chickamauga Battlefield is historically significant for its importance to the Cherokee Nation and for the bloody Battle of Chickamauga that nearly changed the course of the Civil War. Terrifying noises from heavy artillery once hovered over the area, but is now quietly tucked away from danger near the foot of Lookout Mountain, located roughly ten miles below the Georgiaand Tennesseestate line, and it has since become a popular tourist attraction for both civil war history buffs and ghost hunters alike.

Ghosts, apparitions, and paranormal activity have become a normal way of life at the battlefield, and those afraid of strange activity may want to visit the area during the safety of the daylight. Nightfall at the battlefield is anything but serene as ghosts can typically be spotted throughout the battlefield on just about any evening. Nights when a full moon is available, apparitions become more profound to the human eye and much more easily caught on video. Gunshots have been caught on audio equipment as have blood curdling screams of anguish. Investigators have examined the battlefield during these episodes, but the only proof found is that the place is purely and simply haunted to the core.

Notable instances of ghostly activity have included the flickering of lights just after dusk in what appears to possibly be the light from far away lanterns from the many women scanning the battlefield for their injured or deceased husbands who have been left to fend for themselves. Cries have help have been heard faintly through the chilly winds of time, and lost souls have been seen walking through the battlefield only to disappear as quickly as they were initially spotted. Heavy cold spots are easily detected during the warmer months by thousands of visitors at the battle scene, and severe anguish is easily picked up through higher human senses that are privy to the pain of battle wounds that these men endured during one of the bloodiest battles in history.

Many a weary traveler has taken note of the heavy fog that mysteriously looms over the perimeter of the battlefield, and surprisingly disappears once you have exited the site where many a brave soldier lost their life for an important cause. After entering the Chickamauga battlefield and locating Snodgrass Hill you just may be greeted by an entity with razor sharp fang style teeth and a mostly hairy body with penetrating green eyes that chill you to the bone upon one glance. The freaky abnormal creature has been dubbed "old green eyes" by those that have seen him up close, but the legends have varied stories on his true identity. Old green eyes has been labeled just about everything from a half man half beast to the twin brother of one of the soldiers killed in action.

The lady in white has been witnessed by paranormal investigators and ghost hunters during the autumn months donning a wedding gown. She is thought to be searching for her husband who was more than likely a soldier lost in battle, due to the desperate look plastered on her face that is shockingly noticeable when she passes you by. She is first noticed as a bright illumination, but quickly changes into a full-bodied entity upon closer inspection. She brings no harm, but many claim that you can almost feel her despair as she looms in closer to you when searching for her beloved.

While most battlefields are presumed to be haunted just from the very nature of their very existence, some are more occupied by spirits then others. The Chickamauga battlefield witnessed the deaths of 34, 624 young men, many who were left rotting on Georgia soil for weeks on end. Of these deaths, 16,170 were Union soldiers and 18,454 were Confederate soldiers. Many of these men were later buried where they were gunned down to their death in unmarked graves which only managed to add future fuel to the fire of eternal hauntings from those that desperately needed a proper burial and recognition for their services. Instead they roam the last place that they walked on Earth as a living being, possibly looking for some small bit of peace so that a final transition into the here after can be finally made.

Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center Location: 3370 LaFayette Road, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia30742

Phone: (706) 866-9241

Web Sites:

http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Chickamauga_Battlefield

http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm

Sources:

http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/chickamauganmp.html

http://johnnorrisbrown.com/paranormal-tn/ga/chickamauga.htm

http://www.suite101.com/content/haunted-chickamauga-battlefield-a179544

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/CitiesCounties/Cities&id=h-2534

http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm