The Battlefield That Never Went Silent: A Johnston County Ghost Story (Part 2 of 4)

This is the second in a four-part series of Johnston County ghost stories leading up to Halloween.

Editor’s Note: This story is presented as local folklore and as a Halloween ghost tale. The events, supernatural claims, identities and circumstances described in the story have been passed down, repeated or reported over the years and have not been independently verified as factual. Some details may have changed through retelling. References to real people, places or historical events should not be interpreted as confirmation that the supernatural events or other unverified portions of the tale actually occurred.

BENTONVILLE – More than 160 years after the Battle of Bentonville, stories still circulate about strange sights and sounds on the historic battlefield.

Some visitors have reported hearing voices, footsteps and what sounded like distant gunfire when no reenactment or weapons demonstration was taking place.

Others have told of seeing shadowy figures near the battlefield and Harper House that seemed to disappear almost as quickly as they appeared.

Whether the stories are real or simply part of the folklore surrounding one of North Carolina’s bloodiest Civil War battlefields, they have helped keep alive the legend that some of Bentonville’s soldiers may have never completely left.

The Battle

The Battle of Bentonville was fought March 19-21, 1865, during the final weeks of the Civil War.

It was the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina.

Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston attempted to stop Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s army as it moved through eastern North Carolina.

For three days, fighting spread across farms, fields and woods in the Bentonville community.

More than 4,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or reported missing.

Near the center of the fighting was the home of John and Amy Harper.

The Harper House

Union forces took over the Harper home and used it as a field hospital.

More than 500 wounded soldiers were treated there, including Confederate troops.

The Harper family remained in the home while surgeons and attendants cared for the wounded.

Some of the men survived their injuries.

Others died.

When the armies moved on, wounded Confederate soldiers were left behind at the house, some remaining there for weeks.

The Harper House still stands today as part of Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site.

It is also at the center of some of the ghost stories told about the battlefield.

Unexplained Sounds

One of the most common stories involves sounds heard across the battlefield when no one else appears to be nearby.

People have described hearing footsteps around the Harper House, voices in the distance and what sounded like soldiers shouting.

Others have reported hearing gunfire or cannon fire coming from the battlefield.

There are also stories of figures being seen near the historic house and across portions of the battlefield.

In some accounts, the figures are visible only briefly before disappearing.

Of course, Bentonville is a rural area where sounds can travel long distances, especially at night.

Wildlife, traffic, wind and old buildings can also produce noises that may be difficult to identify.

But those explanations have not stopped the stories.

The Battlefield After Dark

During daylight hours, Bentonville Battlefield is a historic site where visitors can walk trails, see preserved earthworks, tour the Harper House and learn about the fighting that took place there in March 1865.

After dark, it is a much different place.

The crowds are gone.

The fields are empty.

The woods surrounding the battlefield become quiet.

That is when, according to the old stories, some people have heard things they could not explain.

The Battle That Never Completely Ended

There is no way to know what people have actually heard or seen at Bentonville over the years.

Some stories may have simple explanations.

Others may have grown with each retelling.

But there is no question about what happened on the ground there in March 1865.

Thousands of soldiers fought across the Bentonville countryside, and hundreds never made it home.

More than a century and a half later, the battlefield is peaceful.

Most of the time.

But according to the old stories, every now and then the silence is broken.

A voice. A footstep. The distant sound of gunfire.

And for a few seconds, Bentonville sounds like a battlefield again.

Part 3, the legend of Mill Creek, will be published Thursday.

Part 1: The Stranger At The Railroad Crossing