Williamsburg Ghost Tour

21. Greek Revival

Williamsburg, VA

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The Greek Revival was one of the many public buildings which was quickly converted into a makeshift hospital for the men who fell in the nearby fight. The church served as a refuge for the most critically wounded Confederates. Townspeople became first-hand witnesses to the horrors of war as they came to help the injured. A local woman wrote, "Inside the church, the smell of decaying flesh made it difficult to breathe. In the corner of the room was a pile of human arms and legs. A trail of blood ran out the door and into the muddy street." Shortly after the battle, Northern doctors arrived to lend aid. Although townspeople were terrified that the Federal surgeons would deliberately kill the wounded Southerners, most Northern doctors did their best to save the injured from both sides. At least, all but one. He was called "The Head Devil." No given name has ever been found for this sadistic man. He drank all day and truly enjoyed brutalizing his patients. Victims suffered mutilation under his care. Nevertheless, he was the surgeon in charge of the Greek Revival Baptist Church hospital. Under his authority, amputations were performed needlessly. Piercing screams were heard throughout town as doctors sawed off limbs. The severed arms and legs were hastily buried on the property surrounding the building. The death rate at this hospital was unusually high, even for battle conditions. Some soldiers died simply from neglect. Only eighteen out of every sixty Confederates would survive their stay at this church hospital. Over two hundred of the dead were buried in a mass grave beside the Magazine. It is believed their bodies remain there to this very day. People have reported sightings of wounded and crippled soldiers roaming the darkened empty lot where the Greek Revival once stood. Faint sounds, reminiscent of those heard in a Civil War hospital, can sometimes be heard. One family that lodged at Market Square Tavern remarked, "We saw a young man digging in the ground directly under our window. We couldn't imagine what he was looking for at that time of night. As we watched, we realized he was dressed in a Confederate uniform. We naturally assumed he was an actor who worked on the grounds some time earlier that day. It wasn't long before we noticed he had only one arm. He was desperately pawing at the ground with his only hand." Source: Penguin Press, Jackie Eileen Behrend The Hauntings of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hauntings-Williamsburg-Yorktown-Jamestown/dp/0895872102