Hey!There's a couple uf fellas asked me if this story was just me pullin their leg...nope its all true.
I AIN'T 'FRAID OF NO GHOSTS...yeah right.

On the 19th of July a new Memorial was dedicated at the Honey Springs Battle park in Indian Territory. A friend and I were invited to participate. Now this part of the Park is new...it is extremely remote and only a newly constructed park road with a locked gate goes to it. We got the bright idea to sleep on the old Battle Line deep, deep in the woods. Tom Morphew and I got there after dark (9:30). As we unloaded our stuff the Park Superintendent, Ralph Jones drove up and told us about some "happenings" that had recently occurred right where we were headed for. The Superintendent told me they have had "Ghost finders" out there 2 times and have recorded happenings each time.Including "orbs" appearing on photos and 20 degree colder air in spots on that trail. In a separate incident a wife of an employee while waiting for her husband in the park became aware of a relly bad smelling order of pipe tobacco. She assumed it was a reenactor going to speak with her husband who was in there working on the trail ...but her husband saw no one .

The temperature that day had been 105 degrees and it had cooled off very little. The Superintendent left and we fired up the ol' candle lantern and headed into the dense, totally black woods to find a camping spot. We found a flat spot and "threw down" on the battle line of the CSA about 15 foot from where a battery was hit by enemy fire and the crew killed. It was close to the old Texas road. The fighting was heavy all along a East-West line across the old road. There had been about 5,200 Texas and Indian troops involved on the South's side. And to our backs, about an eighth mile is the Elk River. Severe hand-to-hand fighting occurred all along its steep banks. Many Confederates died trying to hold the bridge, Several soldiers drowned in its murky waters when they fell in wounded or just trying to cross. The location of the graves of the Confederate dead are unknown but are somewhere on the battlefield.

It was dark in the woods and miles away from any house or light and scary as heck. We determined to scout out our position a little to the East up the trail....I got up in there and got spooked. I'm not usually scared...I always kinda considered the spirits to be friends of mine (CS)...but I got up in the woods (with just a candle lantern) and I felt an extremely ominous presence...cold chills and all. It was darker than the inside of a black cat! The air was still and heavy. I just locked up... and refused to go any further on that trail! My feets would not go that direction! Tom was behind me when we were retreating back down the trail...if he had sniffed or just coughed I would've soiled my pants and bravely ran the 6 miles to Interstate 40.

Well we settled down in camp and built a fire (even hotter) and played the banjo and talked for a few hours...then hit the sack.

I was startled from sleep to very wide awake about 3:00 in the morning with what sounded like an officer shouting... commands in an Indian language!!! Then an old screech owl started hollering...Ya know the Indians think spirits and owls go together.

Morning finally came and I still had my head...literally. We did the ceremony and fired the cannon etc. and another Dedication passed. But...this will be one I remember for a long time!

Preston Ware