Take a Paranormal Journey Through the Civil War in Leesburg, Virginia

Edward D. Baker Gravestone (VA) [1]

Seek out the supernatural remnants of the Civil War on a stroll through Historic Downtown Leesburg on the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway, which runs through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. The town of Leesburg in Virginia seems to be a favorite with the War’s long dead, even 150 years later.  You might find yourself joined at lunch by a strange young man dressed in Confederate gray, only to have him suddenly vanish before your eyes.  Head over to the Lynch House and perhaps you’ll feel the chilling presence of the Lady in White, the Civil War widow of the original owner in 1861. She isn’t the only paranormal resident at the Lynch House. Be wary of talking about the Civil War there, for her male colleague, a malicious poltergeist, may chuckle in your ear and make the lights flicker. He's also reportedly fond of hiding the homeowner's keys; they have a tendency to go missing when he's around. One of the most well-known of Leesburg's ghosts is Colonel Erasmus Burt. Shot in the hip at the Battle of Ball's Bluff, he was taken back to Leesburg, where he died in Harrison Hall (now known as the Glenfiddich House).  No one knows for sure if his is the blood that still stains the living room floor, but the owners believe that his ghostly impression still lingers in the bed where he died. Many visitors have heard his footsteps shuffling across the second floor. Sometimes they hear the “clink” of his West Point ring as if he is walking up the stairs and dragging his hand against the banister.

Shadows Fall over the Ball's Bluff Battlefield National Cemetery (VA) [2]

If you encounter them, the ghosts of Leesburg provide an ethereal glimpse into the Civil War past. For a more substantial and somber look, take a ten-minute drive northeast of Leesburg to the Ball’s Bluff Battlefield, site of a fierce battle on October 21, 1861.  Given the order “Forward charge and push the damn Yankees into the Potomac or into hell!”, Confederate troops trapped the Union army on the edge of a bluff, 90 feet above the Potomac River. Many of the exhausted Union soldiers ultimately fell to their deaths. Their lifeless bodies washed up for days and even weeks afterward along the river, even as far as forty miles away in Washington, D.C. Today, you can join a free guided tour or take a self-guided tour through the melancholy grounds of the battlefield. After your tour, pause for a moment and pay your respects to the unknown soldiers buried in the circle of graves at the stone-lined National Cemetery. At less than 50 feet square, it is the nation’s third smallest national cemetery.

The Potomac River at Ball's Bluff (VA) [3]

While many of the haunted homes in Leesburg are privately owned, the Loudoun Museum arranges indoor tours every October for a fee. Private companies throughout Leesburg also offer ghost tours from May to October. Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park is open year-round dawn to dusk, and volunteers lead guided tours from April through October. For a particularly enthralling experience, join reenactors each October as they commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff. You might find yourself questioning whether the battle cries you hear come from the present...or the past!