Ghosts of the Siege

by Steven Abernathy

  “I can do that, Billy,” I said as my eyes moistened. “I shall miss you, my friend.” As I stood staring at the grave and feeling a nearly overwhelming sense of loss, my friend answered, “And I shall miss you as well, bro.”

  The slang moniker made me laugh. If nothing else, Billy was taking some good ole’ American jargon back to the spirit world. I would have to tell Jimmy.

  Task complete, I jumped back over the fence and stood staring at the monument for a long time. Just as I was turning to leave, faint clouds of mist seemed to form just inside the fence. Almost indiscernible at first, the tenuous mist thickened and, after several seconds, began to take the form of a man. Seconds, or possibly minutes, later, I could clearly see the image of an eighteenth century cavalry officer. The colors of his uniform were pale and insubstantial, as if the figure was a ghost, but the apparition was magnificently dressed in a blue jacket trimmed in the front with red and gold, with large golden epaulettes on his shoulders. It was, I had no doubt, the spirit of General Casimir Pulaski.

  He made no effort to speak or gesture, and I stood agape before the figure at length, until a second apparition began to appear beside Pulaski. It was Billy. He was looking up at the general with a broad smile on his ghostly face. The Pulaski spirit finally moved slightly, turning his face to look at Billy and assuming a smile of his own. After a moment, both ghosts turned to look at me. Each raised a hand in salute, then a wave. They slowly faded into mist, then were gone completely.

  Chapter 22

  That’s my story. I told you at the onset you wouldn’t believe it. I don’t blame you. I haven’t even told my wife yet, and may never. But let me assure you that it happened. This is Savannah, after all, and there are many ghost stories. Some are made up just for tourists, some are pure hokum, but some are true.

  Remember as you walk around the city, particularly on those dark, humid nights in mid-summer, that ghosts may be watching you from the dark corner just ahead, or from the second-story window of that old riverfront building. If you suddenly find yourself in the embrace of a cold chill, even though the temperature around you is Savannah hot, you probably have been caressed by a ghost. Consider yourself lucky. Some people never encounter a ghost, and are understandably skeptical of those of us who claim to have encountered an apparition from the spirit world. Don’t be ashamed if you have your own personal ghost story to tell. Yeah, some people will think you are crazy, but what do they know?

  By the way, if you happen to be driving around Savannah and see me digging anywhere along MLK near the river, or along one of the old brick railroad trestles, or anywhere near the roundhouse, visitor’s center, or Battlefield Park, be sure to honk and wave. I may be on a call to fix one of the city’s plumbing problems. Some of those pipes are really old, you know. On the other hand, I may be searching for the rest of Billy Buckland’s bones. He told me once that if I ever found them I would immediately know they were his.

  Another possibility is that I am searching for that coin Billy told me about while we were in the museum. Imagine, a Roman coin held in the palm of Jesus! Billy said he had it during the battle, kept in a brown leather bag suspended on a leather cord around his neck. Based on the amount of destruction his body endured in the cannonade, I figure the pouch was thrown from his body and ended up buried in the dirt around Spring Hill Redoubt. Much of the soil from that area was moved in the 1800s and used to construct substructure for all the railroad that ran in and out of the roundhouse. Maybe the coin has already been found, possibly centuries ago. Maybe it is lost forever. But maybe…just maybe…it’s still buried in the dirt somewhere near the location of the Siege of Savannah.

  I plan to keep looking.

  Author’s Notes

  Ghosts of the Siege is a historical novel, and as such has at its heart a great deal of verifiable fact with a fictional story woven around the pillars of history. If I did my job well, you may never know exactly where the lines are blurred between fact and fiction, but as a former public school teacher I always feel better when the reader can take away factual knowledge of the subject along with the entertainment value of the novel. With that in mind, and with what is probably just the tiniest bit of arrogance regarding my line-blurring abilities, I am including a list of some of the historical facts that form some of the background for the novel.

  *

  The Siege of Savannah is a tragic event in the city’s history that took place in the fall of 1779. The siege of the city took place over several days in September and October of that year as Colonial and French troops, along with five hundred Haitian volunteers who had joined with the French, surrounded Savannah, which was held by British forces. It culminated in a poorly coordinated attack by American, French and Haitian troops on October 9, 1779. While the actual early morning attack on the British defenses lasted just under one hour, it proved to be one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War, with casualties of over eight hundred killed or wounded. The dates, times, and locations of troop movements and the attack itself are as accurate as possible. Thanks to voluminous research and archeological digs conducted by the Coastal Heritage Society and the LAMAR Institute, much is known about specific locations of the battle and fortifications as they relate to the modern day city of Savannah. With the help of their research along with my own, I have endeavored to provide the reader with an ‘overlay’ of the modern city as it relates to the 1779 battle.

  *

  Commanders of the various sides in the battle, along with some of their subordinates, have also been presented in as accurate a portrayal as possible. Personal reports and correspondence from the various generals and, in some cases, their biographers, shed light on them as human beings rather than just names on a page. Among other facts, General Benjamin Lincoln, commander of the Continental Army and militia forces was known to be a precise planner and tactician, but was thought by many to be too mild-mannered and forgiving in nature to be commander of an army. General and Admiral Comte d’Estaing, commander of the French and Haitian forces, was thought by practically all who knew him to be a haughty, self-absorbed commander who, while possessing a great knowledge of tactics and warfare, was known to plan his military engagements more with his personal advancement and aristocratic position in mind than desires of victory in battle. General Augustine Prevost, commander of the British forces that held Savannah, was an able and canny leader who used every device he could imagine to hold his position against what he perceived as overwhelming odds. While his men generally thought well of him as a commander, they usually referred to the general by the unflattering sobriquet ‘Old Bullet Head.’ Prevost had been wounded in battle over thirty years before the Savannah battle. A bullet struck him in the head and left a very noticeable dent in his forehead just below the hair line. Regardless of his nickname, Old Bullet Head had proved to be an able British officer for many years, and prevailed in the Siege of Savannah.

  *

  The city of Savannah has a rich history extending back to its founding by General James Oglethorpe in 1733. Oglethorpe and one hundred twenty passengers landed on the British ship “Anne” below a high bluff on the Savannah River to found the colony of Georgia. Savannah would be the colony’s first city. The general became a lifelong friend of Tomohichi, who was chief of the Yamacraw Indians who inhabited the area, and who granted permission for the newcomers to establish a city on the bluff. Some of the notable historic places mentioned in the book that can be seen on a tour of modern Savannah are:

  · The Pirate’s House: Located at #20 E. Broad Street in Savannah on a portion of the land that was known in colonial times as the Trustees Garden, The Pirate’s House has been a city landmark for generations. The Trustees Garden was an experimental garden begun by James Oglethorpe and the first settlers in 1733. A portion of what is now the Pirate’s House Restaurant was built on the site in 1734 and for many years served as a tavern for travelers and sailors. It is haunted, of course, as are many of the downtown buildings in Savannah. I have d
ined in the Pirate’s House Restaurant many times, and while I have never been served my dinner by one who I would characterize as a ghost, I can assure you there are often flickers of movement and dancing shadows in the darker corners of the building that cannot be accounted for by lighting or the motions of people as they traverse the dining area. That they are ghosts I have no doubt, but most do not seem to be sinister. One story I love about the Pirates House is of an old sea captain, probably a pirate, who died in one of the upstairs rooms in the 1700s. His name is not known, but he is thought to be the pirate characterized by Robert Louis Stevenson in his timeless novel Treasure Island as the evil Captain Flint. I won’t go so far as to say there is danger and evil upstairs in the Pirate’s House, but for some reason management will not allow you to climb the stairs and find out for yourself. It is a great family restaurant, though, with wonderful food and service.

  · Spring Hill Redoubt was ground zero for the attack by Continental and French forces on October 9, 1779. Most of the approximately 800 casualties occurred within a quarter of a mile of this structure, which was defended by the British. In 2005 Coastal Heritage Society archeologists unearthed a portion of the original Spring Hill Redoubt. The City of Savannah purchased that portion of the battlefield, which is next door to the Savannah Visitors Center at the corner of Louisville Road and MLK, Jr. Blvd. A replica of the redoubt has been erected on the property. Dubbed Battlefield Park, the area is a solemn reminder of those who gave their lives that Americans might be free. No visit to Savannah is complete without standing on that hallowed ground and tipping your hat to those brave warriors.

  · The exact site of the Carolina Redoubt is not yet known, and due to growth of the city and ongoing construction of modern Savannah, the location is very likely lost below the streets and buildings west of Martin Luther King Boulevard. After studying several maps of the battle and the British fortifications surrounding downtown Savannah, then overlaying those 18th Century maps with current projections of the city, I am convinced the redoubt occupied the site now occupied by the SCAD Museum of Art and a portion of Turner Boulevard adjacent to the museum. I suggest on your next visit to Savannah you spend a few hours in the SCAD Museum of Art and consider, while you are there, the relics of a tragic day in American history that may lie beneath your feet.

  · All of Savannah’s squares and the monuments within the squares mentioned in the story really exist. The squares are small parks envisioned by the city’s founder, James Oglethorpe, as places of rest and relaxation within the hustle and bustle of city life. Six squares were laid out while Oglethorpe lived in Savannah. There are currently twenty-two squares. New visitors to the city are often confused to find that, while James Oglethorpe has a square named for him, the Oglethorpe monument is actually a bronze statue in Chippewa Square. Likewise, General Nathanael Greene has a square named in his honor, but his monument and gravesite are in Johnson Square. Count Casimir Pulaski has a beautiful granite monument in Monterey Square even though Pulaski Square is only a few blocks away with no monument at all. Tomochichi, chief of the Yamacraw, who befriended Oglethorpe and gave invaluable assistance to the early settlers of Savannah, has no square of his own, but does have a monument in Wright Square. My advice – don’t let geographic confusion interfere with your trip. Enjoy the squares. It’s a great city!

  *

  General Casimir Pulaski has become one of those “larger than life” figures who played a role in the Siege of Savannah. While the Polish born officer was one of the heroes of the American Revolution and is hailed as the founder of the American cavalry, his role in the Siege of Savannah, as well as the specifics of his death and burial, are obscured by mystery. Eyewitness accounts vary in regard to Pulaski’s position on the battlefield and descriptions of how he was wounded, but the accounts generally agree that the Count was wounded in the thigh by grapeshot during a charge on the British defenses. General Pulaski probably died from his wounds while aboard the American ship “Wasp” only a few days after the battle. According to The New Georgia Encyclopedia, various reports have him buried at sea near Tybee Island, Georgia, or taken from the ship and buried in South Carolina, or buried on Greenwich Plantation near Thunderbolt, a small town southeast of Savannah. The city of Savannah erected a monument to honor Pulaski and had the remains removed from the Thunderbolt plantation and buried beneath the monument in 1854. Recent DNA testing on the bones has proved inconclusive as to the identity of the remains, but I suspect if you happen by the monument late on a foggy October night, the general’s ghost will emerge and confirm his identity to you, removing all doubt that he rests beneath the obelisk.

  *

  Ghosts of the Siege is a fictional story woven within a very strong fabric of reality. The siege and the battle were tragic and factual. The modern-day city of Savannah is one of my favorite places in the world – a city rich with history, filled with ghosts, and overflowing with well-deserved community pride. I don’t mean to make it sound simple, but this book almost wrote itself as a “fill-in-the-blanks” fiction constructed within a city in which reality and fantasy are intertwined so tightly they are often inseparable. I receive no kickbacks from the tourist bureau, but I encourage you to take a Savannah vacation nonetheless. Enjoy the history. Enjoy the food and the people. Take a ghost tour. If you don’t see a ghost in historic Savannah, you probably didn’t look hard enough.

  Suggested Reading

  If you enjoyed Ghosts of the Siege and want to learn more about the rich history of Savannah and the siege and battle that took place there in September and October of 1779, I recommend reading the following books and research reports:

  Storm over Savannah by Alexander A. Lawrence

  Muskets, Cannon Balls & Bombs edited and translated by Benjamin Kennedy

  Savannah Under Fire, 1779 by Rita Elliott, Daniel Elliott, Laura Seifert

  http://www.thelamarinstitute.org/images/PDFs/publication_173.pdf

  The Greatest Event that has Happened in the Whole War by Rita Elliott

  http://www.thelamarinstitute.org/images/PDFs/publication_175.pdf

  More novels by Steven Abernathy

  A Question of Character

  A playboy president, a power hungry first lady, and murder at the highest level of government!

  A Question of Character, co-authored by the father-son team of Steven and John Abernathy, asks the troubling question, “What if the President of the United States was a murderer?” D.C. Metro Police detective Colin Franks finds he must answer that question as his investigation into a body found in a D.C. park leads him toward the nation’s highest office. Federal investigators insist the death is a suicide, but Franks thinks otherwise. With the assistance of a conspiracy theorist and a Secret Service agent with a nagging conscience, the detective violates department orders and follows the trail of political intrigue and murder all the way to the White House. Along the way, he discovers corruption, dissension, an assassination plot, and a treasure trove of historic artifacts hidden since the Civil War. This fast paced and thrilling novel shows us that in the world of politics, it all comes down to A Question of Character.

  Nikita’s War

  The sequel to A Question of Character asks the question: What if the President of the United States was a Communist?

  In the 1950s, a very real Cold War era plot, created by entities within the Soviet Union to convert the United States to socialism, went virtually unnoticed by the American press. Nikita’s War presents a five decades belated version of that previously unreported story. Kurt Leichtman, a brilliant young associate of Premier Nikita Khrushchev, develops the plan and moves to the United States to oversee its implementation. He procures a teaching position at a major university and begins to cultivate a friendship with a young, female student who will eventually become President of the United States. Along with their infiltration of America’s schools and businesses, the Soviets choose one hundred children and young adults to groom for possible future election to political offices. Leic
htman becomes adviser to the first female American President, but her nefarious past is discovered, and after only a short time as chief executive, she is impeached and removed from office. Her Vice President is sworn in, and immediately begins programs that allow the government to take over America’s banking system, health care, media, and much of its industry.

  An unlikely group of patriots, consisting of a wheelchair-bound reporter, an aging D.C. cop, a retired FBI agent, and a brain damaged Vietnam hero, discover the President’s association with the plot to socialize America. Our heroes race the clock to find a way to stop the President and his henchmen before they can unleash the full extent of their plan to bring the United States of America into the Communist fold, as envisioned by Premier Khrushchev long ago.

  Nikita’s War is a fast paced story that will provide you with action, suspense, and political intrigue. For readers who have asked themselves, “How did our country get into this current mess, and what do those politicians in Washington think they are doing?” this story will provide one possible answer. It is important to remember one thing as you read: Nikita’s War is fiction…or is it?

  Noah

  An airplane crash begins a journey that includes a stroll through Noah’s Ark, a cure for cancer by futuristic nanotechnology, and a peek through the veil into Heaven.

  NOAH is an epoch story that relates personalities across five millennia, from the voyage of Noah and his family to our modern age of technological miracles. Businessman John Grey crashes his single engine aircraft into an Eastern European military compound, and is caught up in a journey that takes him to a monastery in the mountains of Ararat that was founded by Noah himself and continues to do God’s work to this very day.

  Teddy Moore is a nine-year-old patient at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. His treatment for brain cancer is not working, and doctors do not expect him to live. John Grey travels to St. Jude and administers a healing solution from the monastery that restores Teddy to health. As a young man, Teddy becomes a member of the monastic order and is given the task of becoming educated in the field of nanotechnology, the science of building virtually anything at the molecular level. The mineral stones that provided Teddy’s cancer cure as well as many other cures have been in constant use for 5000 years, and are wearing out. Teddy’s studies in nanotechnology allow him to discover a method to restore the cures through modern technology.