A ghostly night at Stones River Battlefield

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A ghostly night at Stones River Battlefield
December 4, 2008
Tim Star
Sidelines Online

t is a cold Monday night. The trees are bare and a light fog settles over the ground where the Battle of Stones River took place nearly 150 years ago.

Ryan Burk, sophomore recording industry major, and I bundle up in warm clothes while carrying a couple of Sony voice recorders and a flashlight.

Tonight, we are not here to enjoy the sites. We're here to catch a ghost.

Ryan has already had a few years of experience in paranormal investigation from working with groups like Tennessee Ghost Hunters.

The anniversary of the beginning of the battle, which began on Dec. 31, 1862, is at the end of next month. The battle ended on Jan. 2, 1863.

"This is the peak time of [paranormal] activity on the battlefield," Ryan says.

The air is still when we arrive at the battlefield, and we spend about 30 minutes quietly listening. Nothing. We decide to engage in some conversation with one another.

We try a few things to provoke spirits, such as asking questions and talking about major generals of the Civil War, but still nothing happens. After 90 minutes, we decide it is time to go.

But the night is still young. When we return to Monohan Hall, I am greeted by a group of three other college students. They know what we were doing and are eager to see a ghost.

The three convince me to return to the battlefield with them around 2 a.m. Ryan says that from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. is the time that Ryan says is the best time for ghost hunting.

"A lot of it has to do with the gravitational pull of the moon," Ryan says. "It takes a lot of energy to pull the oceans' tides. That is energy that spirits can use to manifest themselves."

I leave Monohan Hall with the other three students almost immediately. Ryan is forced to stay behind because he has early classes the next day.

Upon arriving at the same scene, I notice the fog has grown thicker. This time, the battlefield is not so quiet. Within 15 minutes of our arrival, we see unexplainable flashes and experience cold spots.


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A ghostly night at Stones River Battlefield
Tim Star
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Features

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Shortly afterward, my voice recorder's battery indicator drops from full to one bar. The mood among us begins to lighten. Each of us wants to have some kind of experience.

Soon, we begin to see a number of possible shadow figures and hear strange screeching noises and faint footsteps.

We try to replicate the flashes we previously seen by moving objects in front of the flashlight. Nothing we try reproduces them.

Much of the area surrounding the battlefield contains roads, factories and neighborhoods. This makes us doubtful that we will experience anything paranormal.

After another 90 minutes on the battlefield, we return to campus.

While listening to my recordings of the night, I hear a loud scratchy voice commenting on a crude joke one of us said. What the voice says is incoherent.

Still, the question remains - Is Stones River Battlefield haunted?

"Most of the proof for paranormal activity can only be experienced," Ryan explains. "[This] means all we have to go by is recorded evidence, which can easily be disproved."

The key to ghost hunting is research, Ryan says.

"Know the history. Know what happened," he says. "This can strengthen any evidence you find."

For some, Stones River National Battlefield may be an incredible site for ghost hunting. According to the National Park Service Web site, there were nearly 24,000 casualties during the battle, making the Battle of Stones River the second bloodiest battle in the Civil War.

Unfortunately, some of the more interesting sites of the battlefield belong to the state park, which closes before nightfall. The actual battlefield itself, though, spans far beyond the state park's boundaries into neighborhoods, roads and local businesses.

The Stones River National Battlefield State Park is located on Old Nashville Highway near the Thompson Lane overpass. For more information on the Stones River National Battlefield State Park, visit nps.gov/stri.