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Stones River is Murfreesboro's haunted battlefield

The site of a bloody Civil War battle from December 31, 1862-January 2, 1863, the 350-acre Stones River National Battlefield park was established in 1927. With over 23,000 estimated casualties during this four-day battle, it’s no wonder there are many stories of ghosts and eerie happenings associated with this Murfreesboro site.

 

The Slaughter Pen 

This rocky, wooded area full of sinkholes was the site of a horrific loss of life and was, thus, dubbed the "Slaughter Pen." Many of the dead were not found and buried for days after the battle was over, and quite a few wounded died for lack of prompt medical attention. It is at this site that many visitors report an absolute stillness, no wind, no signs or sounds of animals, making it very easy to hear phantom footsteps behind them as they walk the paths, as well as a temperature 10-20 degrees cooler than the rest of the park.

 

Battlefield re-enactors at the Slaughter Pen tell of a mysterious soldier who often appears around the campfire.  Sometimes seen leaning against a tree, this soldier is a part of, and yet separate from, the men he joins.  He quietly keeps their company until he's spoken too, and then he slowly fades away.  

 

My younger son has great difficulty walking around the Slaughter Pen.  He feels an oppressiveness he can't explain, and he becomes very quiet.  Once, he pointed to a spot and asked me to take a photo, saying he just knew someone had died there.  I snapped the pic and was surprised to see something glinting in the sun, exactly where he was pointing, even though nothing shiny could be found in the grass.  Upon later inspection, I determined the glint to be a reflection, but I still find it odd that the reflection is not only exactly where he pointed, but is also in the shape of a gun barrel.

 

McFadden's Ford, Stop No. 6 on the Stones River driving tour, is the site of a park ranger’s run in with a ghostly soldier. Ranger Jeffrey Leathers was camping near here with fellow re-enactors in 1978 when he noticed his canteen was empty. Heading to the Administration Building to refill it, he came around a bend in the path only to see a man dressed in a period uniform, just as he was, standing behind some bushes. Thinking his friends were playing a joke, Ranger Leathers called out for the man to come out in the open. As the man approached him, he raised first one hand and then the other, as if to surrender. Fearing for his safety at this point, Ranger Leathers called out to the man that he had a gun and would shoot. Just as he uttered the last word and raised his rifle, the man fell to ground as if shot, disappearing into the darkness. Upon investigation of the site, no evidence of the man could be found – no footprints, not even a single broken twig.

 

Lieutenant Colonel Julius Garesche was a West Point classmate of General William Rosecrans, Union leader of the Cumberland Army.  A devout Catholic, Garesche had numerous premonitions of his death in battle, something he discussed with his brother, Father Frederick, on Sept. 14, 1861, who shared his own vision of Garesche's death.   The priest felt his brother would be killed during his first battle, which would occur within the next 18 months.  Convinced he was destined to die a martyr for the Union cause, Garesche applied for field duty with his old friend Roescrans, who appointed him Chief-of-Staff.

 

On Dec. 31, 1862 Garesche took Holy Communion in preparation for the day's activities, which soon became a battle as Confederate General William Hardee launched a surprise attack.  Fearing his friend Rosecrans was exposing himself to great danger by riding ahead and gathering his troops, Garesche dismounted from his horse in order to read from his prayer book.  Remounting, Lieutenant Colonel Julius Garesche galloped into battle, only to be met with a blast from a Union gunner, ripping his head from his body, leaving behind only a bit of jaw with a fragment of beard.  His white stallion continued on with the headless body for approximately 20 yards, before the corpse tumbled to the ground.

 

Garesche's headless body is interred at Mount Olive Cemetery in Washington, D.C., but his ghost has been spotted near the railway where he was decapitated by both railroad workers and re-enactors.

 

Many of the casualties during the bloody battle weren't human.  Soldiers wrote in their journals and letters home about the animals of Stones River, both their loss during the battle as well as their bizarre behavior before and during.  While waiting for the fighting to begin, men lying behind a crest were startled by a brace of wild turkeys, frantically running between the lines, too paralyzed with fear to take flight.  The birds sought refuge among the men.  Other soldiers fighting later in the cedar thickets noticed the strange behavior of both birds and rabbits.  The noise would cause the birds to take flight, but they wouldn't leave the area, choosing to stay near the men, circling above their heads.  Scores of rabbits stayed close as well, scurrying off the battlefield and attempting to hide under the legs and in the coats of men lying in line on the edge of the battle.  

 

What may be the most amazing event to occur during the Battle of Stones River happened one night after the fighting was over for the day.  It was the holiday season, and the soldiers' thoughts were all with family and home.  In an attempt to bolster morale, one military band struck up a song.  With the battle lines so close, both sides could hear the music and soon the time was passed with one band and soldiers singing "Dixie," only to have the other band retaliate with "Yankee Doodle."  Soon one band played "Home, Sweet, Home," and the other band joined in.  The soldiers sang the familiar words, and, for just a moment, the war was forgotten as the land was filled with the spirit of Christmas and the holidays.  Grown men wept, missing loved ones, and cheers and toasts were raised to all, regardless of Yank or Rebel, and a quiet night was passed.  Sadly, the bloody fighting began again at dawn.

 

Take a few moments soon to visit Stones River National Battlefield and honor the soldiers who fought there, as well as all of America's soldiers.  Without them, and their selfless actions, we wouldn't have the freedom to follow our favorite pursuits, whatever they may be.