The Battle of Antietam was considered one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War and is commemorated as a memorial called the Antietam National Battlefield. It is alleged that since that bloody day they’ve been haunted by the ghosts of fallen soldiers. There are many places considered haunted, but only Bloody Alley.
On the quiet grounds of Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland lies a chilling tale etched within the blood-soaked soil of history – the haunting specter of Bloody Lane.
Antietam National Battlefield is situated within the fields of the Appalachian foothills and is a protected area under the National Park Service along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg and commemorates the Battle of Antietam throughout the Civil War.
Today, Antietam National Battlefield is a terrific place to hike in nature and learn in regards to the Civil War. It can be said to be probably the most haunted places in Western Maryland, with countless ghosts said to reside there.
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, was a pivotal moment within the Civil War. It is the bloodiest day in American history, with greater than 22,000 deaths. The clash between Union and Confederate forces along Antietam Creek resulted in intense fighting in fields, forests and hills, leaving a landscape scarred by the horrors of war.
Despite the staggering lack of life, the battle at Antietam National Battlefield resulted in a tactical stalemate with neither side achieving a decisive victory. However, it gave President Abraham Lincoln the chance to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, changing the course of the war to deal with the abolition of slavery.
But after the battle, there was a three-mile line of bodies waiting to be buried, and a flooded road called Bloody Lane stands as a grim reminder of the lack of life.
Today you may still walk along the trail now known only as Bloody Street, where 5,500 people died in lower than 4 hours, and this place, like the world around Antietam National Battlefield, is haunted by the soldiers who died that day.
Haunted Bloody Alley
Witnesses told incredible stories of ghostly shots piercing the silence of the air and the smell of gunpowder lingering within the air, as if echoes of battle lingered within the afterlife at Antietam National Battlefield.
Screams and distant chants echo through time, an otherworldly chorus commemorating the sacrifice made by those that fought on that fateful day. Most people claim to have heard something that feels like singing or a Christmas carol.
Coincidentally, the world by the statement tower overlooking Bloody Lane was the 69th New York Brigade, nicknamed the Irish Brigade, who gave a battle cry in Gaelic that sounded very much like the Deck The Halls Christmas song, although they were actually chanting Faugh-a-Balaughsignifying clear the best way.
Some even reported apparitions wearing Confederate uniforms, first considering they were just one other re-enactment of them, after which witnessing their sudden disappearance, forsaking a haunting void.
Night on Bloody Street
There can be a ghost story that happened to a gaggle of re-enactors who decided to establish camp on Bloody Lane. They planned to spend the night in the precise spot where they found the photo showing the pile of bodies from the battle.
During the night, one after the other, the re-enactors left the location, claiming that something was incorrect. They felt a wierd feeling of hysteria.
One of them just laughed, wanting to spend the entire night alone since all his friends had already given up. Everyone was gathered across the cars, discussing what had happened, once they heard a terrible scream coming from the sphere.
This was the last friend, terrified and in shock after spending time alone and experiencing something unexplainable. According to him, he was lying down in the sphere when he began hearing strange noises. It was like whispers or moans reaching his ears and the rustling of grass. He didn't give it some thought at first, but then he saw a human arm emerge from the blood-soaked earth, press against his chest and hold him there until he screamed and fought his way back to his friends.
Burnside Bridge of Unmarked Graves
The hauntings extend beyond Bloody Lane to other locations on the Antietam National Battlefield. Burnside Bridge, often called Rohrback Bridge before the war, is one other poignant site on these hallowed grounds.
This was the place where General Ambrose Burnside pushed the Confederates back and where many fallen soldiers were quickly buried in unmarked graves across the bridge. Although today a lot of them are reburied, amongst others, at Antietam National Cemetery.
The area around Antietam National Battlefield is alleged to harbor mysterious blue orbs of sunshine that dance within the air, summoning the spirits of those that found their final rest beneath its arches. Ghostly drumbeats echo through the ages, a ghostly rhythm that alludes to the invisible soldiers who once marched to the beat of war.
Pry House Field Hospital
On the battlefield you will even find the Pry House and the Piper House, that are said to be haunted throughout the war.
The Pry House is an old brick farmhouse, now converted right into a field museum. It was used mainly for storage until it almost burned down in 1976. As the fireplace raged, firefighters claimed to have seen a lady in considered one of the second-story windows after your entire floor collapsed.
Most of the ghost stories from The Pry House come from the renovation of the old constructing, but the identical woman also appeared here.
Also here you’ll hear the sound of anyone's footsteps on the steps and also you will even see the ghost of a lady wearing a protracted old-fashioned dress coming down the steps.
The woman is believed to be Fannie Richardson, the wife of considered one of the generals, who was killed in the identical second-floor room where she was spotted. She got here a great distance from Michigan to look after him, but his life couldn’t be saved.
Piper House Farm
The Piper House sits in the course of the Antietam National Battlefield and was the headquarters of Confederate General Longstreet, and the barn out back was used as a hospital. There were also fights contained in the house, and once they ended, that they had to pull out three dead soldiers under the piano.
When farmer Henry Piper returned to the farm, he found it standing, yes, but bloody and crammed with dead people. He submitted an application for compensation, but as a result of the shortage of a loyalty certificate, he didn’t receive compensation.
It can be said that strange things are happening on this house, with people complaining of seeing strange figures and hearing mysterious sounds.
Episcopal Church of St. Paul
Moving from the actual battlefield of Antietam to the small town of Sharpsburg, you’ll find St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Paul, which served as a Confederate hospital after the battle, in addition to nearby houses.
However, it isn’t a peaceful place, as there are reports of the screams of the dying and injured. It can be said that there are twinkling lights within the church tower that nobody can explain.
There can be a house west of Mount Airy, the town where lots of the injured were taken. According to local legend, the floorboards in the home are still stained with blood, which can’t be removed even after sanding.
Haunted Antietam National Battlefield
Antietam National Battlefield was the location of considered one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, but in addition probably the most haunted? It seems that through the years, ghost stories from various places that played a job within the battle accumulate.
And so long as history is preserved and retold, perhaps ghost stories can be, too.
Bibliography:
A haunted house on the Antietam Battlefield?
The Haunted Ghosts of Gettysburg: Antietam | Mark Nesbitt
Burnside Bridge (US National Park Service)
Pry House Field Hospital Museum – Antietam National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)
Piper Farm – Antietam National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service)
Image Source: Pixabay.com
