Though Beauregard has many victories to his name, one loss will always stand out. Shiloh.
On that April day in 1862 Beaureguarde took over for the fallen Confederate General Johnson. When Beauregard took command, it seemed that things began to turn sour for the Confederates. Having begun by surprising the North and driving back, the Confederates were then surprised and outnumbered by Buel’s army. Beauregard was forced to retreat, and the Union claimed victory. It has been estimated that about 23,746 people died that day.
After the war was over, General Beauregard returned to his hometown, New Orleans. The general settled into civilian life, becoming the chief engineer for a railroad. He bought a home in the French Quarter at 1113 Chartres Street. The General only lived there for a year, but his ghost is still around. His shade is clad in Confederate gray and he whispers one word over and over again. “Shiloh…Shiloh…”
Some say they have seen ghosts of soldiers, and even images of the battlefield. The soldiers are wounded, missing limbs, and crying out in agony. Others have hears screams and the sounds of weaponry.
General Beauregard died in 1893, and there were no reports of hauntings before that. In 1909 the Giacona family owned the home. They sold it in the 1920s, to an owner who wanted to convert the place to a macaroni factory. Local residents fought to preserve the place and it is now a National Historic Landmark.
It was shortly after this that strange sounds started being reported coming from the property. They were the sounds of battle, muskets, cannons, rifles, and men screaming and shouting. Some claim to have seen the shades of wounded men and horses.
Some staff members at the museum deny that there is a haunting. If the spirits are there, they are making sure that the battle of Shiloh is not forgotten.
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