You who visit us regularly are aware of the fact that we had talked with some of the spirits of the soldiers who fought in the Stones River Battlefield in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We also told you we would have photos to prove that those spirits were there. Well thank heavens we finally had time to get those photos developed and here is our documentation concerning those spirits again for those of you who were not fortunate enough to see it.

The spirits we encountered at the Slaughter Pen were those of the Michigan regiment, and namely three of them. They approached us as we entered the naturally rocky fortress which caused the wheels to dislodge from the cannons and wagons and horses to separate. Many men were cornered and killed. Some of these were never recovered for burial. This is easy to see as there were so many casualities and not enough means to transport them to burial places.

The first spirit we encountered was "Ike" who I will always fondly remember, because he said I was his kind of gal! When we returned home we investigated and found that there was a man by that name (thanks to his advise that he was from Jackson Co.). The man's name was Elijah K. Bigelow and he was 34 years old,which seemed right when compared to the man's voice. He showed me where the soldiers ran through to the slaughter pen diagonally through an adjacent field into the tree cluttered Slaughter Pen. That is where we encountered the second spirit.

The second spirit seemed to be about 25 years old. His name was John Hill. He said something about Jasper. I thought he was reading my mind and knew that we lived in a town near Jasper. But then I thought how silly of me. There are towns all the country that have that name. When we investigated we found out he was indeed from Jasper Co. Michigan. He was 22 years old, so I was about right with my calculation based on his voice.

The third spirit was that of Benjamin Johnson. He said he was also from Jackson Co. Michigan and was approximately 25 feet from where we encountered the first ghost on the path. All he told us was his name and where he was from. Then it seemed he joined the others who followed us and watched us work.

The fiqures can get lost if the names and a personal connection to the men who fought here is not established. Some of you may have ancestors who fought and died here. This is their story. It was winter, the soldiers were tired, thinning, dirty, shoes falling off their feet, fearful, and weary of the war when they arrived here. The ages of the men here ranged from generally about 16 years old to about 34 years old. Many of them had not even begun a wholesome life as an adult yet (especially those from the south, because the north had control of most of the rapidly expanding factory industries in America. The south was a bleak looking place in comparison. Also, when there was an opportunity to locate a new factory the northern cities were closer and naturally got more of the chance to be a prime location. This left the southern whigs meeting about the woes of the South, and citizens of the South in turmoil in general. So the south had carried into war a strong feeling about the reasons to need to fight, and their families had taught them it was the honorable thing to doto defend their beliefs in such a barbaric way. They volunteered by the droves and many of them were slaughtered while they were led by men like Bragston Bragg who, at Stones River, looked for a way to retreat while he was gaining a winning advantage. They had no hope in such an environment on the battlefield.

The Union soldiers had entered Murfreesboro, Tennessee under the leadership of William S. Rosencrans who was considered a bit immature and drank too much. Also because of his love for milk, he had taken all that was available both for adults and infants. He took control of the courthouse and ordered that all be shot who appeared to cause an obstacle to them in any manner, be it man, woman, or child. Such were the conditions of the battle. It is needless to say that there are residual hauntings in Murfreesboro, and especially in the slaughter pen area. Farm land and necessary water supplies lay on enemy territory.