DECEMBER'S GHOST OF FREDERICKSBURG

We moved into the Fredericksburg area after McClellan had been ordered to turn his command over to Ambrose Burnside on November 7, 1862. The army was huge and it was spread out all over the place along the Rappahannock River. The weather was windy and cold. There were no leaves left on the grand stately trees.

We would have to cross the Rappahannock to attack those Confederates of Lee’s. The Rappahannock's water was very cold. Some mornings you could see a little ice along its edges. They were sending pontoons to construct a bridge across this river so we could move our army across the Rappahannock. We waited and we waited. We were sitting there knowing Dooms Day was coming.

They did arrive and the bridge was put in place. I was one of the first to go over to hide and try to knock their sharpshooters from their perch before one could hit me. I was good at what I did and my Henry found its mark many times. I could see from where I was how many of my comrades had fallen. I could also see most of theirs.

There were chargers after charges made. They were not timed well because those Confederate boys were ready every time.

I didn’t know how much grueling time had passed but the sun had moved its direction. I felt something hard hit my head and I saw a body falling from my pine tree. There was no one in that tree but me. I wandered around the battlefield trying to hit some of our foe. My faithful Henry failed to work.

There were others blue and gray just wandering like me. I saw them but they didn’t seem to see me.

We watched while the battle closed. Burnside and the shattered army withdrew. So many, many were like me. The wagons took the wounded away. Would there be more like us? They buried the lifeless bodies lying on the bloody battlefield.

Later the winter snow came and covered the battlefield. It was such a peaceful scene. The scares of war were covered by the falling snow.

We are still wandering looking for what I don’t know.

A GHOSTLY PAST

My parents provided me with a great childhood that I didn’t realize when I was just a kid. I never gave my parents any trouble when I was a teenager but when I was a kid I was a free spirit. I was punished when I didn’t obey the rules. Many of their rules were places I wasn’t supposed to go. One of these was an old spooky graveyard a couple of blocks from our home. They were concerned that we might get hurt and not that we were fascinated with wispy ghosts. My Dad shared a lot of ghost stories that he had come across. I remember he was interested in a house in Paris, Kentucky where an apparition appeared most any time. I am sure that he knew the story about this house but he never shared it.
My Mom read with such expression and dialects were her specialties. I loved to hear her read “Little Orphant Annie” by James Whitcomb Riley. (and the wind goes wooooo) I still have her book, "The Complete Works Of James Whitcomb Riley.” Another favorite was from Robert Lewis Stevens’ “The Children’s Garden Of Verses” called “My Shadow.” (And I see him jump before me when I jumped into my bed) We always loved for her to tell ghost stories with us because her expressions could make us squirm.

Have a great scary day!

BASKETS OF GHOSTS

Hello! I am wearing a new hat and it is Baskets Of Ghosts. You may know me as Weaver Of Tales or just plain Ruth Thompson. Hats, hats we are always changing hats. Of course I started off with my kid’s hat. School came along and I wore my student's hat. There were others like the bride’s hat, mother’s hat, teacher’s hat, and Granny’s hat. Some of these I still wear but I have added the senior’s hat and the author’s hat. How many hats have you worn?

I believe that I am a very fortunate person. My family and my Kentucky heritage have always been very important to me. Teaching was the direction I took in the work place that I enjoyed for twenty-seven years.

My husband, Jerry and I chose the west coast of Florida to retire, but beautiful Lake Cumberland in Kentucky keeps calling us back a couple of months each year. I began writing when I retired. First I wrote mysteries and then I switched to historical novels. My first book published is “The Bluegrass Dream” it is about the first settlers in the Bluegrass of Kentucky. “Natchez Above The River” is the second one published and is the first book of my Civil War novels. The next book I publish will be my second Civil War novel entitled “Four Long Years.” Ruth Thompson

GHOST PLACES

Listen with care while I whisper in your ear about Ghooost! I will be the first to tell you that I have never seen a ghost but I don’t disbelieve. When I was a kid my little sister and I sometimes thought there were ghosts in our attic and the basement. I also have an older sister and she may have given us the idea. I have never been ghost hunting but it is on my to do list. In the summer when we were kids we told lots of ghost stories after dark out on the front porch. Of course we enjoyed trying to scare the younger ones by making ghost like noises.

Sometimes to change my writing routine I will write short stories but most of all ghost stories. Some of my ghost stories are for children, some are for adults, and many are about Civil War ghosts. One of my favorite ones is about a Confederate soldier, Tod Carter who was killed in the Battle of Franklin in his own yard. He and other apparitions have been seen in the Carter home in Franklin, Tennessee. You can read about it in “Ghost Of The Blue And Gray” by Ruth Thompson next year.

Jerry and I when we visit a new city we like to tour the city in an open carriage. The first time we were in Charleston we took a tour. Our driver pointed out all the places in Charleston where ghosts lurked. There are pirate ghosts, Civil War ghosts, slave ghosts, and evil people ghosts in Charleston. Believe me Charleston has every kind of ghosts that exist. The young man told us some fantastic ghosts stories. It was the best city tour we ever had. Don’t miss it when you go to Charleston. Baskets Of Ghosts

DO GHOSTS MAKE THEIR SELVES KNOWN?

We all have gifts even though we may not be aware of them. Artists and athletes gifts are obvious. There are so many more gifts than these. Think of a person who is always kind regardless of the situation. That is a gift. The list is long and the one I want to focus on is the gift of openness of a person to feel and see spirits. It is my understanding that all children have this, but only a few let it develop. I guess I missed the boat.

There are many who may smell the fragrance of their mother and know that her spirit is near. Others may feel a chill when a spirit is close. I have even had this type of experience. I find it so amazing that someone can be so open to the idea of spirits that they can visually see them. We live in a very complicated world. This stated I think that those who have not crossed over to the here-after/heaven are bound to the spirit world by something they have not completed on earth.

There are spirits out there trying to make their selves known. I am trying to be aware of the sounds, smells, a light touch, a whisper, and a slight pull on a strain of hair, a chill, or being engulfed in warmth/love. If I should ever encounter a ghost I do hope it is loveable, kind, and fun to be around. Baskets Of Ghosts