Civil War Reenactors Tend To Experience Paranormal Activity More Than Others

Many ghost hunters and paranormal investigators know that the group who tend to have the most paranormal experiences are people who reenact battles, especially when those reenactments take place at the actual historical battlefields. In the U.S., the group who tend to have a disproportional number of paranormal encounters compared to the general population are the Civil war reenactors. There are no reliable surveys and scientific research seems to be non-existent, however, the antidotal evidence is pretty strong. Are the source of these Civil War ghostly tales the product of campfire tales told by reenactors as the camp over night at old battlefields? Or, is there some mysterious relationship between the reenactors, battlefields and spirits? And, what are some examples of these ghost stories?

Some Common Paranormal Reports From Civil War Reenactors

Some of the most common reports from Civil War reenactors involve sight, sounds, smells and cold spots on the battlefield, even on warm sunny days. Many reenactors report the smell of gun powder even before battle reenactments begin. Other tell of cold spots near particular building. Ghost canons and/or the sound of battle in the distance at early morning or in the evening when the re-enactments have conclude have been reported not just by reenactors by also by the occasional tourist visiting Civil War battlefield.

Some reenactors have reported to have faintly heard moaning or screams at areas where the Union or Confederacy had set up makeshift battlefield hospitals – sometimes these reenactors didn’t even know there had been battlefield hospitals at these locations. During the Civil War field hospitals were places of horror. Antibiotics had yet to be discovered. A bullet wound to the arm or leg was typically treated by removing the wounded arm or leg. There was little in the way of anesthetics. After major battles often there would be piles of arms, hands and legs behind these field hospitals. It’s no wonder the sounds of horror continue to echo down the centuries.

Another report is of meeting or seeing unusual soldiers in and around reenactments. Both Union and Confederate soldiers have been reported and typically the story involves brief interaction with these mysterious soldiers and then finding they suddenly disappear as mysteriously as they appeared. And, it is not just soldiers. There have been reports of seeing or meeting women wearing Civil War period clothing who seem to be wandering the battlefields. Some speculate they are looking for fallen husbands, sons, fathers who died or went missing after major battles.

Some of the more spooky tales of possible paranormal encounters reported by reenactors are the sounds of horses in the distance, or the sound of a cavalry galloping by late at night (and no horses or cavalry having been arranged for the reenactment). It was reported that the ground actually vibrated with the pounding hove’s of horses running. One of the stranger reports involves reenactors hearing bugles in the distance. Bugles were used to tell soldiers what to do, what formations to take, when to charge and when to retreat. However, no buglers were part of the reenactment.

One might dismiss the reenactors as a group having more vivid imaginations than others. But, these same paranormal type of events are reported by grounds keepers for historically preserved battlefields and by staff at museums located at the numerous famous battlefields such as Gettysburg or Vicksburg. Also, some museum staffs and grounds keepers say that when reenactors show up to recreate famous battles that paranormal activity increases. More people claim strange stories or report strange encounters during those periods when reenactments take place.

Does The Clothing Worn By Civil War Reenactors Make Them Approachable?

Some paranormal investigators theorize that because most Civil War reenactors are wearing authentic period clothing during recreation of battles that perhaps the spirits who haunt these battlefield feel compelled to come forward. Who knows, maybe ghost feel more comfortable joining the ranks of the Confederate or Union lines.

Apparitions are a common report, that is spirit who appear up close or at a distance who are wearing period clothing. These apparitions rarely talk with anyone, seem to act as they are on some kind of mission, and appear at odd times in odd places. They appear and disappear quickly. Some psychics and mediums say these spirits are trapped in the trauma of the events of the Civil War and are having a difficult time ‘moving on’. All the Civil War reenactments serve to agitate these souls and that is why more sighting occur with reenactments.

Some Civil War Reenactors Have Interesting Ghost Stories – Others Scoff at the Idea of Ghosts

If you happen to meet a Civil War reenactor don’t assume they have some ghostly tale to tell. By a slim majority, most reenactors do not believe in ghosts or paranormal activity. Yet, among that group you are likely to find a disproportional number of them who have experienced something strange while doing reenactments, or traveling to and from such events, or when camping on battlefields in preparation for reenactment festivities.

Perhaps one day paranormal investigators will team up with some of the large Civil War reenactments and do some research, including formal surveys. Maybe by compiling reports with some scientific data will reveal even more unusual ‘coincidences’ between battlefield reenactments and the paranormal.

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