Ghosts of the Civil War: Exploring the Paranormal History of America's Deadliest War

by Rich Newman

The Civil War left behind unforgettable stories of brave soldiers, heartbroken families, violent battles...and a paranormal legacy that continues to fascinate and scare us more than 150 years after the war ended.

Paranormal investigator Rich Newman presents over 160 different locations with reported supernatural activity related to the Civil War. Explore major battlefields, smaller skirmishes, forts, cemeteries, homes, and historic buildings teeming with ghosts. Discover the rich history of these Civil War locations and why so many souls linger long after death. Featuring terrifying, heartbreaking, and captivating ghost stories, this book helps you uncover the supernatural secrets of America's deadliest war.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, History, Civil War, American History, Ghosts

338 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2017

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for me! I'm ready, let's go! So many cool HAUNTED places to visit.

620,000 souls died in the American Civil War making it the deadliest of wars. It's no wonder there are so many ghosts about.

Rich Newman takes the reader on an informative and historically guided tour across the United States visiting more than 160 sites with paranormal activity.....and what a wonderfully diversified mix!

We visit many well-known battlefields, forts, cemeteries and parks....as well as notable people of the time; then move on to antebellum homes and buildings used as hospitals and prison camps where disease and malnutrition plus lack of medicine and medical expertise at the time exacerbated the death toll.

Each occurence is complimented with their own HAUNTED story....some dark (one ghost you don't EVER want to see)....some sad, and many similar in their other worldly activities....there are even some great old photographs.

GHOSTS OF THE CIVIL WAR is written in an easy-to-read style providing great tidbits on tours and ghost hunts with a helpful appendix by state at its conclusion.

I have visited and taken several tours and evening ghost-walks of the sites noted herein and can attest some are indeed creepy, but all were fun!....Some of my favorites being in Gettysburg, PA, Charleston, SC and The Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN.....AND NOW, of course, I have a list to check out here in Missouri!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pack up the car with the ghost hunting equipment baby we are headed on a road trip!
I absolutely loved this book, it was so comprehensive. This book gave clear and understandable information. I thought it would just give a brief description of a few places, but not the case. This book was so thorough , it gave a thorough but yet understandable description of many of the going ons with the civil war. For someone such as myself that is excited to read Civil War history and loves reading true paranormal this is the perfect marriage of the two. There are many haunts locally including Gettysburg,PA so I am on my way. For easy reference it also has the reference area in the back of the book listed by state and the name of the town and area or building of the haunt so you will definitely want to bring this book with you when you go out ghost hunting along with your equipment.
Pub Date 08 Oct 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

[MaryannC Victorian Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of sad but very interesting part of history concerning the Civil War, not hard to believe with all the tragedy and senseless deaths that these famous sites would indeed be haunted. Great to dive into with Halloween around the corner.

Thanks to author Rich Newman via Netgalley for this very interesting read about the paranormal that is absolutely fascinating.

[Christine Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well organized and informative look at the world of Civil War ghosts. Broken down into categories based on the type of property (cemetery, fort, battlefield, etc) and then location, the author gives a brief explanation of the type of haunting and what a ghost hunter could hope to find. Recommended for haunted history buffs and Civil War afficionados.

Thanks to Rich Newman, NetGalley, and Llewellyn for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite the guide through the places that claim to be haunted as a result or in locations where the Civil War was fought. It's very detailed and not only tells you the story behind the ghost, the paranormal activity experienced, and the location and sometimes when to best see them. It will be a fun and helpful way for those who love to do this in their spare time as ghost hunters or just those individuals who like the thrill of seeing a ghosts or having their own experience.

It is also a great read for those of us too chicken to make the trip or commitment to see these in person. It's quite the historical reference for the battles, as well.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book received from NetGalley.

I loved this book of "real" ghost stories that take place in various places that are linked to the American Civil War. The book is divided in sections that focus on the same type of area, battlefields, forts, antebellum places etc. While there were many stories I had already heard, there were just as many that I have never heard before. It's a good book to get for travel if you're interested in ghost hunting, it tells you exactly where each ghost is supposed to walk. It's one I'm going to be buying since I love things like this.

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that told you about places around the country that are haunted by the Civil War and it's bloody aftermath. Not only does it include the major historic battlefields like Gettysburg, but it includes the smaller skirmish sites, cemeteries and historic buildings. It is a great guide book to keep handy while traveling for those history buffs and paranormal hunters.

I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts of the Civil War by Rich Newman I am ready to pack my suitcase and head out for all the spots in this book. I have actually visited several of the places in this book but now I want to go back and recheck them all with this book as my field guide. I have been to Gettysburg more then once and have experienced things and even have some photos of things. I have been to Chickamauga, I even lived in Kennesaw , and have been to many more of the battle fields. I am a huge Civil War Buff, I also love Ghosts and Ghost stories. A lot of the stories in this book I have heard before but some I have not. To me this book was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning - if you think that this book is going to provide stories of Civil War history and/or ghost stories about the haunted spots at Civil War battlefields, forts, etc., you will be disappointed in this book. If you believe this blurb from the description: "Discover the rich history of these Civil War locations and why so many souls linger long after death. Featuring terrifying, heartbreaking, and captivating ghost stories..." you will be disappointed in this book.

This is a guidebook, and not a great one at that. Newman will note where paranormal activity has been seen or heard at Civil War-era locations and then tell you where at the site that you can potentially experience that for yourself. In some cases, the sites (mostly forts) did not see action in the Civil War (Fort Stevens in Oregon, for example) but were built around that time. His descriptions of the paranormal activity beg for more detail and color:

"There's the usual residual haunted happenings at the battleground (sounds of gun shots, shouts, etc.), but that's the least of the paranormal activity in the area. The spirit of a Union soldier is reported to roam Mary Baldwin college, a ghost that's dubbed the 'Yellow Peril' haunts the Virginia Military Institute, and Confederate apparitions have been seen at the Lafayette Inn and the Selma House. If that's not enough, the area known as The Wharf, as well as the Staunton Train Deport, are said to be crawling with spirits. The most notable of these being the ghost of Myrtle Ruth Knox, who was killed in a train accident that demolished the depot in 1890."

I've already said too much about this book, but let's unpack that paragraph for a moment. No description of the type of hauntings by the Union soldier at the college. And even as a guidebook, where do these activities take place? When is the best time to see them? Am I supposed to roam around the college for 48 hours hoping to run into this ghost?

Why is the ghost dubbed the "Yellow Peril?" What's the backstory? Again, where at VMI can he be seen? When? Used as a guidebook, you're going to be wasting hours just hanging out hoping for paranormal activity.

Finally, in a book titled "Ghosts of the Civil War" you're including a ghost (again with no backstory or details about where and when she might appear) that died 25 years after the end of the war. I'd prefer you fill in more detail as noted above than include ghosts and locations having nothing to do with the war.

This is a lot of criticism for a book I didn't like. I am a (very) amateur student of the Civil War and I absolutely believe in ghosts. I wanted this book to be A LOT better than it was, which is why my disappointment is so acute and expressed here.

[Dee Eisel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best adjective I could find to describe this book is "workaday." It knows what it is: a list of places ghost aficionados can possibly find their quarry, all associated with the Civil War. There are chapters on battlefields and skirmishes, on minor events and on places that are loosely related to the War itself.

The author's tone is businesslike when he lists the location and the access rules, if any. He does enjoy recounting very brief versions of the legends behind the hauntings. He has done his research and that's great, but the stories don't include names of people witnessing the events and are pretty routine.

One of the things I didn't like about the book was that the listings are not organized by location. There is an appendix that does that, but then you have to go look each one up by its page. It was tiresome to try to link locations together because of that.

I recommend this to anyone wanting to travel around to haunting sites, but be ready to go back and forth in the book if you're planning a road trip. I also recommend it to people interested in some off-the-beaten-path Civil War sites, because he does do a good job of listing some of the less crowded places.

Three of five stars.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the spirit of the season, I read Rich Newman's "Ghosts of the Civil War". Newman does a great job of exploring the grounds of haunted battlefields and houses of some of the civil war's greatest battles.

The book starts off with Newman going over the top deadliest civil war battles like Gettysburg and Shiloh, and then moving state by state pointing out places of interest and potential ghost sighting spots. There is also a lot of history in this book, which I adore since the Civil War is one of my favorite topics to learn about in American history. I've been to a number of Civil War battlefields, and I wish I had this book with me.

Although this book is a great read on its own, as Newman does a fantastic job of going over the battle or skirmish,it also would be great as a field guide if you like hunting for ghosts and exploring civil war battlefields. I recommend this book to anyone with any slight interest in the Civil War and the paranormal. Even if you aren't a believer, I think you will still enjoy the history and the "legends" that surround some iconic places across the US.

I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghosts of the Civil War is a handy guide book for those who are interested on visiting haunted places that are connected to the Civil War. The book gives histories of places, events and even architecture give background behind each incident.
The book is set up well to use as a reference. The book is broken down in battlefields, forts, structure, etc so you can see the areas that might hold your interest most. with in each section, each place or even is listed alphabetically by state. The book includes an index of states which is helpful but adding pages numbers would make this easier to navigate.
Using this as a reference for a tour would be a great se for this book. But to learn more about the ghost and the folklore, it's not so great. While this may be that most of the sighting are random soldiers and such, a few stories are included and when those are included, I enjoy it the most. In fact, it does include a well known ghost story from Alabama regarding the ghost in the court house widow. (Well, it was in 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffery anyway lol).
I received an ARC from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

[Penmouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghosts of the Civil War: Exploring the Paranormal History of America's Deadliest War by Rich Newman takes the reader on a tour of various Civil War haunts. Newman has organized his book so you can read about haunts based on locations such as cemetery, fort or battlefield. He also provides a brief insight into the history and tells about the type of haunting.

I was most interested in reading about the Battle of Shiloh as one of my distant relatives was killed in that battle. William Anderson "Billy" Patton was killed at Shiloh and taken home to Sweetwater Mansion by his slave, according to Southern history.

I don’t recall any mention of Patton or Sweetwater but I still found the book a good read.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The civil war, the saddest war, the war that cost so many lives. So many people died on the battle field fighting for what they believed in, even though the South were a bunch of.... anyway.

This books goes over 160 locations, showing the paranormal happenings there. It's very well put together and easy to read. It has some much info inside and yet it reads almost like novel. So easy to follow along. I loved that about this book.

If you love the paranormal this one is for you! There's really nothing else I can say besides, but this book!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting tour of haunted Civil War locations. It was well organized into categories based on the type of location (cemetery, battle, etc.). I liked that it covered some more unusual locations, rather than just the battle sites that most Civil War ghost books and shows cover.

My only minor complaint was that there was not a lot of detail about each site, since there were so many locations to cover. Other than that, it was an interesting read and it would be the perfect travel companion to bring along on a tour of Civil War locations.

*I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

[Videoclimber(AKA)MTsLilSis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be best as a ghost hunting guide. For myself the history behind each location was not well explained. The sites were spread out quite far. Some of the sites were not really described as haunted or the haunting was not thought to be Civil War related. I found the sorting of the locations hard to follow and the stories didn't capture my attention like other ghost books have.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author, for allowing me to read an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was more interesting than I initially thought it would be. I really like how the author chose to lay it out as I believe it better conveyed the necessary history to understand the paranormal activities at each Civil War location.

He included a good mixture of factual history to contextualize the sightings and who they might be. A quick, engaging read

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! So much information about hauntings based on the Civil War. Some of the stories I have heard before but there were so many I've never heard about. The author was very informative about the history of the sites and what to look for. I'm ready for some sightseeing.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, well written account of the Civil War. Reading this will make you want to go visit everyone of these sites. Lots of history, very informative. A good read.

[Melinda Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be good for people interested in the Civil War and nterested in hauntings too.. Loads of locations are covered, hospitals, forts, houses and battle fields. At the end there is an appendix of all the locations included.
This is a good reference book for Civil War hauntings. You could look for locations to visit and what to look out for when there.