Civil War Ghosts

This collection of fictional sightings creates the potential for a few nightmares a la Stephen King. -School Library Journal

A Union Lieutenant keeps his promise to return to his sweetheart in Brooklyn and waltz to ＂The Blue Danube,＂ even in death. In rural Virginia, a group of privileged pranksters suffer for dismissing the legend of the ghost who guards a Confederate shot tower. In a small town in South Carolina, a washer woman goes mad when she hears an army of the dead march through the streets night after night, at the stroke of midnight.

After a war where passions were so intense, where so many died before they could finish the business of living, is it any wonder that stories of ghosts persist 130 years later? Some of these stories were written at the time of the Civil War, and some decades later. They vary from the interior horror of Ambrose Bierce’s ＂Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge＂ to the deceptively nostalgic tone of Mary Elizabeth Councilman’s ＂Shot-Tower Ghost.＂ Some center on Union soldiers, others on Confederates.

But what unifies these stories is the horror of the losses we sustained, a horror that cannot be measured in numbers or dollars but can only be conveyed in the language of our nation’s imagination. These eerie stories teach readers about resourcefulness, courage and responsibility.

J.J. Reneaux Bio: Singer-songwriter, humorist, and author J.J. Reneaux combined her music, folklore, superstition, customs and true-life stories in her books and live performances. Cajun, Creole, Spanish, Irish, and Native American voices speak throughout her songs and stories, reflecting her own multicultural heritage and creating a colorful tapestry of life in the Deep South. Sassy and poignant, her performances were rooted in tradition yet remained surprisingly fresh. A natural comedienne, Reneaux lampooned modern culture with music, wit and honest-to-God true stories in contemporary performances for adults. Reneaux’s lively school concerts and family shows delighted audiences of all ages with her multicultural mix of Southern folktales and music, as well as her original stories and songs. Known for her soulful singing and her gift for telling stories in original songs, Reneaux stories capture the rich rhythms and sounds of her native South. Her songwriting has reminded critics of artists like David Wilcox and Mary Chapin Carpenter, while her bluesy voice has inspired comparisons with Grammy Award winner Bonnie Raitt