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Ghostly Soldiers in Frederick County, Maryland

© Catherine Mezensky

The people of Frederick County, Maryland are still reminded of the horror that came with the Civil War. Men who were wounded in the battle of South Mountain in September of 1864 were taken to the nearby town of Burkittsville, where their wounds were attended to in the typical fashion of the day. The townspeople were employed to help bury the dead on the battlefield. Everyone lived with soldiers from both sides marching through, or even commandeering their homes for hospitals or headquarters.

It seems that Civil War ghost stories are everywhere in this county.

On September 10th, 1864, the Confederate troops marched westward across Frederick County, only to turn back in defeat four days later. One battle in the South Mountain area involved Confederate men attempting to drag a cannon up a hill in a pre-dawn raid. Unfortunately, the other side surprised them before they reached the top. Though the southerners retreated, this event cost their side many lives.

This area is now known as “Spook Hill” and there is a road running through it. Legend has it that if someone stops their car and puts it in neutral, he or she will feel the car being pushed back up the hill. Apparently, these are the spirits of the men who tried to push a cannon up that same hill in 1864.

Phantom campfires have been reported all over Frederick County. In open fields, or on tops of hills, people have seen these fires at odd times. Some have approached, only to have the light vanish as they got nearer. Others have reported seeing ghostly soldiers warming themselves or going about their business.

One local landmark was a large stone urn that had been placed at the base of a bridge. It made a fine hiding place for whiskey, as the soldier stationed to guard the bridge soon found out. Long after the war was over, visitors to the area reported the sound of drunken singing coming from around the jar.

There were families in Frederick County sympathetic to both sides. One day a young Confederate soldier showed up on the doorstep of a home. The family, being southern sympathizers, took him in. Unfortunately for them, Union troops showed up and made camp right in the front yard, using the house for headquarters!

There was little the family could do for the young man. They hid him in the cellar, but were unable to care for him with the enemy right over his head. Weeks later, when the family was able to get to the basement, they found that the Confederate soldier had died.

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