Customer Reviews

Ghosts and Haunts of the Civil War: Authentic Accounts of the Strange and Unexplained

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let me say first of all that I recommend this book very highly. It's a great book for a variety of reasons. It falls short on two glaring counts, so I didn't give it a 5 star rating. Don't let that dissuade you from buying it.

There are certain people who will like this book and some who won't. It wasn't really a "scary" book with spooky ghost stories. It's more of a curiousity book. The stories are fascinating to say the least. I enjoyed them all. They left me hungry for more which is where the book fell short, sort of. More on that later.

Compared to other books on Civil War ghosts, I like this one better because it has more meat in it. I saw some stories in here that I have seen written elsewhere, but I found this book to be more thorough and contain more information about the stories.

The only thing I really didn't like about the book is that it has no source documentation. I mean none. No bibliography, not even footnotes. For instance Chapter 4 is about John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. I found his dream to be very interesting. The only problem is, the author doesn't give a source for the dream. He paraphrases it very well, but at the end, I'm left starving for more information about this fascinating dream. No footnotes, no bibliography, no sources cited. As a history buff, I'm always seeking more information. There's no trail. Well, after diligent search, I found the original dream in an old book. I can thank the author for at least introducing me to the story. A footnote or bibliography would have saved a lot of time. Additionally, the book title claims "authentic accounts." The problem is that with no source documentation, it is hard to determine what is authentic and what is not. Regardless, the stories were fascinating, and I had a hard time putting the book down. When I did, I wanted to seek more information on the stories, but alas, no sources cited.

I'm giving this book four stars because I liked it. I subtracted one star for no bibliography and no footnotes. A bibliography alone broken down by chapter would have been sufficient to raise it to five stars. However, in fairness to the author, he probably didn't write the book for scholars. He wrote the book for regular people who don't bother with footnotes and bibliographies. I think at least some credit for sources other than the Acknowledgments on page ix would have been good. The appendices in the back regarding Civil War Ghost Tours and Haunted Hotels were helpful. Overall, I did like this book, and I'm glad I bought it.

The fact that this book claims to contain "authentic" accounts of cival war ghost stories is what attracted me to read it before choosing any other titles on the subject. I was disappointed that the author does very little in the way of explaining how he came to the conclusion that these accounts are indeed authentic. However, whether authentic or not, the book makes for good reading. I couldn't put it down! And for anyone interested, the book contains an appendix in the back with listings of places offering Cival War Ghost tours as well as Haunted Hotels, complete with addresses and phone numbers.

The title of this book promises "ghosts and haunts" and while there are ghosts to be found in this book there are far too many stories that do not involve a ghost, spook, specter, phantom or even a woolly booger. Premonitions and visions may indeed fall into the category of paranormal events and these stories may be very interesting but they do not involve ghosts and that is what the title of this book promises. A little truth in advertising please.

There are several ghost stories in this book and some of them are quite good. For example, the chapter dealing with the ghost of General Cleburne is very good and contains everything a good ghost story should have. A little background history, a little ghost history and recent eyewitness accounts are what make for a credible and full bodied ghost story and this chapter contains them all. Unfortunately, most of the chapters that do deal with ghosts have very few eyewitness accounts and are mostly just old legends and campfire tales. This book is also just full of terms like "they say" as in "They say on certain nights when the moon, blah, blah, blah." There are few things that get under my skin more than a ghost story that ends with a "they say." I want to know who says and when they said it and it seems to me that with a little leg work the author could answer those questions for me. Just to add insult to injury there are several historical errors in this book, which could have been avoided if the author had just had an editor with some knowledge of Civil War history.

It is often said that every dark cloud has a silver lining and that is surely the case with this book. Like the previously mentioned chapter about General Cleburne there are some very good chapters in this book. The writing is clear and very readable and I must confess that for the most part I enjoyed this book. Mr. Coleman has written two other ghost books since this one and each one was better than it's predecessor so I must view this book as sort of a learning experience for someone who has grown into a fine author in this genre. I would also add that the appendices in the back that list addresses and phone numbers for a number of Civil War ghost tours and haunted hotels are probably worth the price of the book all by themselves. Web sites for the tours and hotels aren't listed but maybe that can be added in a future edition. There are lots of Civil War ghost books out there and this one may not be the best of the lot but it certainly isn't the worst either.

This book is a beautifully written blend of history and the supernatural. Being a history buff I was impressed by Mr. Coleman's diverse knowlege of the subject. This book explores the mysterious aspects of Civil War history that to this day have yet to be explained. I read the book cover to cover in one weekend. I just couldn't put it down. Mr.Coleman's unique style introduces the evidence, presents possible explanations, and ultimately allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. This book is one incredible find.

You don't have to be schizotypal to enjoy this book. It's divided up into a series of stories based on factual events that transpired during the war. The paranormal phenomena are presented objectively (not an in your face, you should believe in ghosts sort of take). I enjoyed the historical content as much or more than the tales of specters in blue and grey. The most moving thing about these stories is the sheer horror surrounding the war. Coleman recounts infamous acts of barbasism between fellow countrymen. Cold-blooded murder, thievery, arsen, etc. were the acts that fueled the development of many of the ghost stories of the civil war. I think the war sticks with the psychic thread of American society. Never before or since have so many Americans perished in a conflict. It was a treacherous time for the states, and I believe that our empathy for those living at the time is in part responsible for the ghost stories and sightings that pervade our culture. It's a way of identifying with the countless individuals who suffered secondary to the barbaric acts committed by both sides.

The stories in this book are not about believing in ghosts persay, they represent the human condition. They are an imprint that stains American culture-what's left of the blood lost by so many. I don't necessarily believe in the supernatural, but I very much enjoyed the intensely emotional stories about individuals or small groups of people who suffered during america's darkest hour.

The books contains appendices with lists of tourist attractions known for their haunts. Also, a list of hotels harboring haunts of the war is given. I plan to carry this book in the car on road trips as to not miss the opportunity to visit a hotel, battlefield, house or tavern tainted with the spiritual remains of the war.

Although this book was a fun and entertaining read, the stories were just too brief and not very spooky. The book does deal with some interesting stories, such as the Phantom Drummer of Shiloh and the Phantom Horseman of Little Round Top. There are also a number of stories dealing with premonitions, most notibly that which Lincoln had shortly before his assassination. Would have enjoyed a much deeper analysis of these stories, including more reference to contemporary accounts. Still, it's not a bad book and if you are interested in getting a copy, there are many out there on eBay and the like.

Reading between the lines of this collection of tall tales the discerning reader realizes two strong correlations for a haunting in this slender volume. The first prerequisite is a nearby Civil War battle and the second is that the haunted building has become either a bed and breakfast or a museum in the modern era. Amazing. There's a nice list of ghosts tours and haunted hotels at the end of the 2003 hardback edition.

This is all very entertaining and great good fun and I'd have no problem with it if two things were changed. The word AUTHENTIC needs to be dropped from the subtitle and the subject coding above the ISBN needs to be changed from "History" to "Entertainment".

One clue that this is not history is that the author does not bother to cite any sources or to list a bibliography. Where he does cite a source in the text he displays carelessness, for example he calls Ward Lamon "Lincoln's law partner" in one place. Ward Hill Lamon was indeed an Illinois lawyer who rode the circuit with Lincoln and their names are linked to a number of cases where they worked together. But Lincoln had only three law partnerships, with John T. Stuart, Stephen T. Logan and William H. Herndon.

Ward Lamon was a devoted friend who used his friendship with Lincoln to inflate his own sense of importance. His name is associated with two biographies of Lincoln, in which things were said and then contradicted. He's a suspect source in other words. The citations in GHOSTS AND HAUNTS OF THE CIVIL WAR should make it clear that the author just grabs at a good story without any close look at it.

Despite that, this is a slender volume and despite the slenderness of the volume, the author is hard pressed for spooky stories and throws in all manner of lame paranormal stuff like presentiments of danger by spouses, etc. I'm not saying these didn't happen, I'm saying they aren't ghosts. These type of inclusions are exactly like fake plastic peanuts--don't be telling me this is what I have paid for! There's a big difference between product and packaging material!

The section on Lincoln is a laundry list of stories that are mostly available on the internet. Although the author devotes a whole section on Lincoln hauntings, there's nothing here about the famous White House photograph that shows his figure standing in the middle of a restoration zone. One of Lincoln's children died in the White House and there's no accounts of his child ghost. The author does note that Lincoln is said to haunt the White House, a civil war fortress, his house in Springfield and his tomb. Possibly author Coleman dismisses the photograph on the grounds that Lincoln's ghost must be spread pretty thin for photo ops. Or possibly reproducing the photograph would have put the book over budget.

An old word springs to mind here: catchpenny. This book is sort of fun but does not deliver enough boo for the buck.

The author must have visited most or all of the places listed in the back of the book, and found other sources of information to fill it out. I liked it so much I ordered a second copy.

Considering the dreams and visions by Abraham Lincoln of his own tragic death, who, had he lived, would have been the best leader of the post-Civil War restoration of the American union, gives pause as to whether or not we humans do or do not have free will.

Chris Coleman was may classmate and a fellow History Nerd. If anyone can tell a story, it's him.


If he wanted to, he could do a complete history of the Civil War that would sparkle. Unfortunately, too many have done it already. So sit back and enjoy the ghost stories.

Where would we be without a great ghost story? For anyone who loves the Civil War and a good ghost story, I can't think of a better book to sit down and read. From various battlefields to war ravaged towns stories over the years have come to fold and placed in this unique book. There are individual stories that allow you skip, go back or jump from chapter to chapter. The stories about haunts in Gettysburg and Vicksburg were exciting to read. I found this book entertaining to read and was intrigued by the stories!