Ghosts of Antietam (Haunted America)

Haunting stories of the bloodiest single day in American history.In 1862, the Antietam battlefield ran red with blood. Spanning the fields, ridges, lanes, and bridge crossings of Sharpsburg, Maryland―from the East Woods and West Woods to Bloody Lane, Burnside Bridge, and the Antietam National Cemetery―more than 160 years of eyewitness accounts, folklore, and unexplained encounters have emerged from that deadly day. 22,727 soldiers were recorded as killed, wounded, or missing, and there are many whose spirits reportedly still linger. One is reportedly a spectral drummer boy, often identified as Pvt. Charlie King of the 49th Pennsylvania Volunteers who was just 13 years old when he died. General Mansfield is rumored to eternally travel up Smoketown Road, recreating his final ride before he succumbed to a mortal wound. A ghostly woman in black haunts the Bloody Lane, and shadowy figures can sometimes be seen around Burnside Bridge and the old Piper farm. Author Mark P. Brugh explores the powerful intersection of history, memory, and the supernatural across one of America’s most storied landscapes. Read more