Carnton Plantation
Ghost Stories

True Tales of the Unexplained from
Tennessee's Most Haunted Civil War House!

Includes a History of Carnton & the Battle of Franklin,
Photos of Carnton ghosts, the Mansion, grounds &
Confederate Cemetery, Maps, Illustrations,
Ghostly Glossary, a Civil War & Southern Culture
Website Directory, Discussions on the War for Southern Independence, Bibliography, Index, McGavock & Winder
Family Trees, & More!

by
Lochlainn Seabrook
Copyright © 2005 Lochlainn Seabrook

Cover - click to enlarge

BOOK REVIEW
I've been on a number of Carnton tours over the years, and have always been disappointed that the guides wouldn't answer our questions about ghosts.  In fact, they told us that they aren't supposed to discuss this topic!

This seems quite strange considering that at least 50 percent of all people polled believe in ghosts, and probably at least that many visit Carnton for just that very reason.  We do.

Over the years my curiosity about the ghosts of Tennessee's most haunted Civil War house has not diminished, but only grown stronger.  And this is why I love Lochlainn Seabrook's new book, Carnton Plantation Ghost Stories.

Not only has it answered many of my questions, but it also finally reveals a number of well-guarded secrets about Carnton's ghostly side that apparently we're not supposed to know about.  (Note: Seabrook also goes into some depth about the Confederate side of Carnton, another taboo subject that Carnton's tour guides aren't allowed to discuss.)

Seabrook, a published author of numerous books and magazine articles, brings great stories and great story-telling to this particular work, making it just plain fun to browse through.  But his enthusiasm for the topic, his love of detail, and his wealth of personal knowledge make it educational and interesting as well.  In fact, Carnton Plantation Ghost Stories has taught me far more about this spooky Confederate homestead than any Carnton tour I've ever been on!

With its 100-year history of infant mortality, violence, murder, war, horrid surgeries and amputations, political intrigue, hundreds of ghastly deaths, and a long streak of truly bad luck, it's little wonder that Carnton Plantation is haunted, or that thousands travel each year to visit its hallowed grounds in the hope of spotting a discarnate spirit themselves.

What's even more amazing is that no one has thought to collect and chronicle the accounts of Carnton's many ghost stories, and put them in a book for us legions of ghost lovers and ghost hunters.

Seabrook, a popular former Carnton tour guide, has rectified this situation by providing us with the first book ever written about the plantation's supernatural aspects.  And he's succeeded most admirably.  The tale about Carnton's Ghost Horses is truly terrifying, and I still have goose bumps from reading about the Headless Torso and the Murdered Slave!

But this is more than just a great scary read to while away the hours on a summer afternoon.  In addition to its many spooky tales, Carnton Plantation Ghost Stories, now one of Tennessee's best-selling self-published books, is also loaded with fascinating facts that touch on a wide variety of topics.  These range from the Civil War, plantation life, and Victorian culture, to 19th-Century medicine, architecture, and Nashville politics, genealogy, and slavery.

We even learn about Carnton's history, beginning in 1811, and the tragic decisions and events that led up to the 2nd Battle of Franklin, a conflict that Seabrook rightly refers to as "one of the most senseless, bloodiest, and disastrous chapters in American history."

I found myself just as entranced by Seabrook's footnotes as I was by the main text.  And all of this is written from the South's point of view, a refreshing perspective that enriches an already intriguing subject: a Southern plantation full of Civil War ghosts!

Adding to the interest of the book, Seabrook, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, is related to the founders and owners of Carnton, the McGavock and the Winder families, and he's thoughtfully included a family tree for each clan.

Seabrook has other unique qualifications for writing this book: not only is he of Southern heritage (his entire family is from KY, WV, NC, and VA), he's also close cousins with several individuals who fought in the 2nd Battle of Franklin.  These include:

Gen. John Bell Hood, commander of Confederate forces at Franklin II.

Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, Tennessean and "Wizard of the Saddle, the only man on either side to rise from the rank of private to Lt. Gen.

Col. Edmund Winchester Rucker, the noted cavalryman who led Rucker's Brigade (under the famous Confederate chieftain and Southern hero, Nathan Bedford Forrest).

Lt. Gen. Stephen Dill Lee, who led Lee's Corps throughout the entire Tennessee Campaign (Seabrook and Lee are, in turn, both related to the South's most honored officer, Gen. Robert E. Lee).

Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor, the son of President Zachary Taylor, and the brother of Sarah Knox Taylor, the first wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Additionally, Seabrook is kin to Capt. Nathan Boone, who led "Forrest's Escort," and Col. John Singleton Mosby, the "Gray Ghost," who led "Mosby's Partisan Rangers," terrifying Union troops where ever they appeared.  Mosby and his men were renowned for their daring, lightening-quick raids behind enemy lines, and their ability to elude capture by blending in with local farmers.  The Virginia area where Mosby spent most of his time was called "Mosby's Confederacy."  At the end of Lincoln's War, rather than surrender, Mosby disbanded his men.

On a more personal note, Seabrook's 3rd great-grandfather, Pvt. Elias Jent, fought for the Confederacy in Kentucky, where he and his wife (Rachel Cornett) were unlawfully hanged from a tree by Union soldiers while out for a walk (Elias was on furlough at the time).

With his ancestry firmly rooted on the Confederate side of Lincoln's War, it's little wonder that Seabrook writes Carnton Plantation Ghost Stories with such passion and attention to detail.

Also included in this wonderful book are over 100 outstanding photos and illustrations of Carton Mansion and some of its ghostly guests (!), the grounds, and the cemetery, a map of the property, a diagram of the interior of the Mansion, a "Ghostly Glossary," discussions on the War for Southern Independence, a Civil War and Southern Culture Website Directory, and more.

In honor of his cousins' home, Carnton Plantation, and its Confederate history, Seabrook has even included suggestions for those who want to help preserve America's rapidly disappearing Southern heritage.

Above all, let's not forget the terrific "you-are-there" ghost stories themselves, many with detailed historical background information that gives scope and understanding to each tale.  Written for all ages, Seabrook designed these stories to be read aloud, as if you were sitting around a late night campfire.

Entertaining yet informative, diverting yet gripping, Carnton Plantation Ghost Stories is a book that everyone from ghost-hunters to Civil War buffs will want on their shelf.

I always have two or three copies of this best-seller on hand.  Once someone picks it up they won't let go of it! - Percy Campbell

BOOK DESCRIPTION
♦ Author: Lochlainn Seabrook
♦ Introduction: Lochlainn Seabrook
♦ Publication type: nonfiction book
♦ ISBN: 0976870762
♦ Copyright: 2005
♦ Status: best-selling self-published book
♦ Pages: 167
♦ Illustrated: yes
♦ Printing: double-sided
♦ Cover: paperback (soft)
♦ Binding: tape (professionally glued with linen-cloth spine)
♦ Publisher: self-published, Sea Raven Press
♦ Size: 8.5" x 11"
♦ Categories & Keywords: nonfiction, Carnton Plantation, ghosts, ghost stories, Carnton ghosts, Civil War ghosts, Civil War, Battle of Franklin, McGavock family, Winder family, genealogy, paranormal, goblins, supernatural, parapsychology, cemetery, Confederacy, Southern Cause, Rebels, European-American history, African-American history, War for Southern Independence, War Against Northern Aggression, Victorian culture, plantation life, Franklin TN, Tennessee, Antebellum Trail.

♦ Price within USA: $19.95 (plus $2.95 for shipping/handling)
♦ Price outside USA: $24.95 (plus $2.95 for shipping/handling)
♦ Stores: for wholesale price, please contact us

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