April 14, 2008

Bide One's Time

American Negro Civil War Ghosts
By Lee Prosser

In answer to reader inquiries, yes, there are stories of hauntings by American Negro Civil War ghosts. I am using the word definition, Negro, in the sociological and anthropological context. As to any political commentary on the American Civil War, I have none and am not making one. The Union won the war, and the South lost it. There were two ways of life at stake. President Lincoln freed the slaves, so to speak, in a determined effort to destroy the economy of the South. There is no apology to be made for either the Union or the Confederacy, for they did what each thought was their proper destiny in the mid-1800s, right or wrong. That the question of slavery would eventually be resolved with freedom was coming, but not soon enough. An examination of the American Civil War on the Net revealed to me that this war was never truly resolved, or finished, but still goes on in the most subtle of ways in the hearts and minds of American men and women. The reader is asked to investigate and find his or her own inquiry answers, as I did in my research.

For those of you interested in the political aspects of the American Civil War, there are numerous sites Online or through other research means of inquiry. If you are interested in an honest approach to what the Confederacy actually represented and attempted to achieve, I suggest you read the critically-acclaimed and well-researched nonfiction book by respected American historian Gary W. Gallagher, the title of which is The Confederate War, published in 1997. I happened on the book two weeks ago and read it. The book is documented, and full of surprises! I do not have room to list all the many fine books available covering the American Civil War. Whether your interest is the Union or the Confederacy, or both, there are books available to read and reflect upon! The Confederate War is the first nonfiction book I have ever read about the American Civil War. Otherwise, it has only been through movies and popular fiction that I know of the topic. I do know that the American Civil War was not a romantic time, but a harsh and deadly time of high stakes and the future of a country. It was a time of economic and war uncertainty for both the Union and the South.

Now, that is said and done, let's talk about the era and its Negro ghosts of that era. Yes, there is definitely such hauntings. As to a major paranormal investigation of such hauntings, there has not been a major book published devoted to the subject. That is a shame. There are many, many, many hauntings waiting to be unearthed, and examined. The era of the American Civl War saw both the Union and the Confederacy enlisting soldiers from all sides of the cultural plane, and that would also include, among others, the French, the English, the Scots, the Welsh, the Germans, the Spanish, and other countries.

The easiest way to start such a paranormal investigation into this topic is simply to begin with examining folk tales, urban legends, and reputed hauntings of the era. They are out there. It is an overlooked field.

I hope this answers some of the questions I have received of a paranormal nature about this topic of the American Negro Civil War ghosts, and encourage those writing about hauntings to see what is available in their personal locations, which could shed further light on the subject. I will write about other groupings in my column at a later time.

I am currently writing a book in which I discuss French ghosts, Negro ghosts, American Civil War ghosts, among other hauntings. Hauntings are timeless, and the ghost is timeless, and whatever the color of the ghost's skin, its sex, or ethnic group, a ghost was once a genuine living human being who perished and is still around for some specific reason, unless of course it is a residual haunting.

I wish you luck in your search! It will lead you to different areas of interest, and documentation. Thank you for reading my column!

Lee Prosser is Ghostvillage.com's book reviewer and a regular contributor. "Bide One's Time" is Prosser's twice-monthly column on his supernatural musings.