Considering it features more dead Americans than any other military conflict, the idea of Civil War ghosts isn’t too far fetched. Strange, unexplainable things happen all the time. Paranormal activity, such as sightings of a Civil War ghost on an old battleground or historical site, is an understandable, if not still odd, event to occur. From notable figures, to troops on the battlefield, and even a few surprises, learn more about some of the most notorious American Civil War ghosts that may or may not still be roaming the Earth.

Gettysburg National Military Park

The Battle of Gettysburg was the largest battle in North America, and there have been many reports of Civil War ghosts as a result.

Several locations have reported everything from children, to troops fighting, to hospital patients still roaming the area.

It’s such a popular destination for American Civil War ghost hunters that there are many companies providing tours based on the paranormal for visitors:

• Are troops still fighting? Some visitors have reported seeing the ghosts of Union and Confederate troops carrying on their duties along the battleground.
• Herr Tavern, once a Confederate hospital, is believed to be haunted due to the grim events during the battle, including brutal amputations, with multiple rooms said to be haunted.
• The Soldiers' Orphanage cellar is said to be so haunted that psychics, you know, the people experts in the world of the supernatural, fear entering it.

National Homestead at Gettysburg

If there is a location in Gettysburg that deserves extra paranormal attention, it's the Soldiers' Orphanage, also known as the National Homestead at Gettysburg.

The facility was created by Dr. John F. Bourns for fundraising tied to the identification of the Battle of Gettysburg casualty's children.

Ulysses S. Grant was photographed with orphans at the facility in 1867, and funding was provided by a Pennsylvania bill in 1870.

However, these good intentions would come to a sad end after the positive early history of the facility was corrupted by headmistress Rosa J. Carmichael.

Her legacy is one of cruel discipline, including the use of a dungeon and the mistreatment of orphans who had nowhere else to go.

Visited by the crew operating Ghost Adventures as well as Travel Channel’s Most Terrifying Places, many believe the Civil War ghosts on site here are connected to the children who never found peace in our world or the afterlife.

Beauregard-Keyes House

In arguably the most haunted city in the United States, you’ll find the Beauregard-Keyes House. It's filled with Civil War ghosts of all varieties, including notable figures and troops a long way from home.

It's a historic French Quarter residence currently operating as the BK Historic House and Gardens, full of history, and once home to infamous Civil War figure Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard.

If you’re planning a trip, this is a great place to add to your itinerary, as the museum focuses on the lives of past residents, including French Creole inhabitants, enslaved people, Italian immigrant families, tenants, and noted author Frances Parkinson Keyes.

Originally, the grounds were home to Ursuline nuns, who ended up selling parcels of land in 1825 for development.

The house was built the following year by James Lambert and designer François Correjolles.

Eventually, in 1865, Dominique Lanata bought the property and rented it for many decades, with the first tenants being the Beauregards.

Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard would eventually move to a home on Royal Street; however, the Civil War ghost stories involving him and his men involve the Chartres Street residence he rented all those years ago.

One very unique feature of the Beauregard-Keyes House is that not only may you find the ghost of P.G.T. Beauregard roaming the grounds, but there are several other spirits believed to be there as well.

Despite the Battle of Shiloh taking place more than 400 miles away from the home, this was a huge defeat for Beauregard. It has been reported that Civil War battlefield ghosts from that conflict are also found still fighting to this day.

The White House

It should come as no surprise that ghosts of the Civil War include two of its most infamous figures, President Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth.

However, while you may expect both Ford’s Theatre, the location of Lincoln’s assassination, and the Petersen House, where Lincoln would pass away, to be haunted, so too is the White House.

Furthermore, while First Lady Grace Coolidge was the first to see the ghost of Honest Abe, several other notable figures, including Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Eleanor Roosevelt have also reported sightings.

In fact, President Harry Truman went as far as renovating the White House after his daughter, Margaret Truman reported tapping coming from Lincoln’s ghost.

The last sighting of Lincoln’s ghost was in the early 1980s by White House foreman Tony Savoy, who claimed to see Lincoln sitting in a chair.

Several other ghost sightings of President Lincoln have been reported by various people over the years involving his home in New York, his rave in Illinois, and even a phantom train taking the route of his funeral procession.

Perhaps the President is still working on everything he never had time to finish due to his untimely death. Alternatively, it could all be some other phenomenon explainable through logical means.

Still, there are a lot of reports and locations, leading many to believe the paranormal activity is in fact real.

In addition to Lincoln’s ghost, his son Willie, who died during his presidency, has also been reported roaming the White House, as seen by a maid during the administration of Ulysses S. Grant.

It’s worth noting that reports of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln are known to have had seances in an attempt to contact her son after his death inside the White House.

Antietam National Battlefield

The Battle of Antietam turned Sharpsburg, Maryland into hell. There were around 23,000 troops that would end up dead, missing, or suffering from wounds as a result of the conflict.

On September 17, 1862, the carnage that would take place between Union and Confederate forces would earn it the nickname “the Bloodiest Day in American History.”

A significant battle, the Confederacy would stop invading the North as a result of the Union victory and President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation would become a reality.

However, with so many dead souls, it’s no wonder so many American Civil War ghost stories involve the area.

The Civil War ghosts of Sharpsburg are from both sides and have been reported to fire artillery on the battlefield at one enough, still up in arms against one another in the afterlife.

Fort St. Philip

Offering a lot of history, Fort St. Philip is less about potential ghosts but is heavy on the occult and spooky side of things.

A more than fitting description for an old line of defense calling Buras, Louisiana, home, a small town located south of New Orleans—yes, there are places south of the Big Easy.

The fort's origins date back to 1792 when the Spanish built Fort San Felipe, which was later acquired by the U.S. after the Louisiana Purchase.

There have been many uses of the fort, including during the War of 1812, right after the US upgraded the site, and when the American Civil War broke out, Confederate forces took over in 1861.

Despite defending New Orleans, the fort would fall in the deadly Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, in which the Union emerged victorious, further cutting off port access for Confederate forces.

While this is one possible reason for potential hauntings, years later, from 1978 to 1989, the fort was home to a cult led by Louis Hubert Casebolt, known as the Velaashby. Casebolt killed himself on the grounds.

Sadly, the damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is significant and while the fort remains, it’s much different.

Exotic animals like water buffalo and elk, which escaped during the storms, can sometimes be spotted near the fort.

If you can reach it, as it’s not exactly accessible, you may see Civil War ghosts, exotic wildlife, or any number of otherworldly things that continue to roam the haunted grounds.

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