Most Haunted Places in America: Chickamauga Battlefield

Chickamauga is located in the northwest corner of Georgia; a relatively small town in Walker County. Now a rather peaceful community, aside from the thousands of claims of its haunting, Chickamauga Battlefield was once the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, second only to Gettysburg.

In 1863, The Union army trampled a path through the rolling hills of Tennessee, capturing Chattanooga and setting its sights on the bustling city of Atlanta, Georgia. As the Union army made its way south, led by General William Rosencrans, they were met by Confederate soldiers on September 18, 1863, at what is today known as Chickamauga Battlefield.

The Confederate forced were led by General James Longstreet and General Braxton Braggs, the latter often termed incompetent at best by many historians. However, though the battle had little impact on the war itself, after days of fierce combat, the Confederate army overcame the enemy forces. The Yankees were pushed back, and the confederate received a much needed boost to morale.

The aftereffects of this tragic event in US history continue to reverberate through the fields of Chickamauga, according to the thousands of individuals who claim to have seen ghosts, spirits, phenomenal activity and the notoriously famous “Old Green Eyes” of Chickamauga Battlefiled.

Old Green Eyes is perhaps the most well known of all reported paranormal activity at Chickamauga Battlefield. The word ghost may not even apply to Old Green Eyes, really, as that term normally applies to the lost souls of humans who have passed on, or at least identifiable creatures. Old Green Eyes, according to the stories, is neither.

The entity known as Old Green Eyes has been described by countless witnesses over the centuries as a hairy entity with fanglike teeth and flaming green eyes. Said to walk on two legs, and possibly wearing a cloak, many reports have placed Old Green Eyes on Snodgrass Hill. There have been literally thousands of reposts of this particular haunting on Chickamauga Battlefield, dating back as far as the catastrophic battle of 1863, though some say Old Green Eyes has actually been around for much longer.

Native American legend tells of a similar creature roaming the meadows of Chickamauga. Legend also has it that Old Green Eyes was actually spotted by numerous soldiers who participated in the disastrous battle.

Though the most well known, Old Green Eyes isn’t the only ghostly report at Chickamauga Battlefield. Many have reported sighting a bride-to-be, said to be engaged to one of the fallen soldiers, wandering the field in a wedding dress in search of her lost love. Another prominent story tells of a soldier who paces the roads at night. It is said that if the soldier spots you, he will stare intently at you until you leave the premises.

Paranormal activity at Chickamauga Battlefield also includes a host of strange noises heard among the countryside. Distant gunshots and the sound of marching feet are commonly reported.

Considering the devastating tragedy that occurred upon the hills of Chickamauga, Georgia, nearly thirty years before it was even incorporated as a town, if there truly are spirits haunting different locations around the world, Chickamauga Battlefield would be a prime candidate for paranormal activity.

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