The Ghostly Cannons of Fort Craig
June 20th, 2008 by John WolfeThis visitor’s spooky story was provided by my uncle. You may recall me speaking about some of his encounters with ghosts in a previous entry. I’m not sure if he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, or if he’s just strange like me! Personally, I’m leaning toward the latter explanation. 
Either way, he’s had his fair share of run-ins with things deemed supernatural:
“After a long week of work, my dad, his brother and I were all looking forward to getting away for a few days. We loaded up our gear and headed south down interstate 25; destined for the location of some of New Mexico’s fiercest battles during its involvement with the Civil War: Fort Craig.
We weren’t on a relic finding mission, although we had been known to uncover the odd piece of shrapnel every now and again. No, this trip was to practice our wild calls and do a little hunting, if the opportunity presented itself. The location of the old fort is deep in the desert southwest near scraggly volcanic outcroppings and mesas- a perfect location for bringing in coyotes.
As we drove through the last signs of civilization, that familiar lonesome feeling returned. Sand and scrub brush, as far as the eye could see, hinted at the element the confederate soldiers faced while marching northward. It’s impossible to not be reminded of this state’s history as you stare out at the unforgiving landscape unfolding through your windshield. The farther you journey into its back country, the more New Mexico has the uncanny ability for activating the past within you. No wonder ghosts have an affinity for lingering here.
Another quick reminder of civilization appeared on the horizon, momentarily distracting me from my trance like fixation on the scenery. We knew we were getting close as we passed through the city of Socorro and then watched it disappear in the rear view mirror. After leaving the interstate and traveling dirt and gravel packed side roads, we reached our location to make camp, just a short distance from the ruins of the fort.Rather than bedding down for the night we decided to take advantage of the brisk air by getting some calling in. The three of us hiked out of camp about a mile, stopping sporadically to entice a few coyotes along the way. It was actually quite comforting when someone would break the silence now and again with their call. Being in the middle of nowhere, knowing you were standing on ground where so many men had died, with darkness surrounding you, was a little unnerving.
No sooner had I heard the familiar sound of my dad’s call, when our attention was drawn to the north end of Valverde Mesa. Three successive booms echoed out into the night. These were not the familiar cracking sounds of a rifle but rather an explosive reaction that seemed to be powered by black powder. I have used a muzzle loader before, and these sounds had a much stronger but similar resonance.
The three of us, shining flashlights in one another’s faces, stared dumbstruck. We knew we were the only people out there and we also knew those sounds didn’t resemble anything we had ever heard in the realm of hunting rifles. My uncle suggested dynamite, but I reminded him of the time- 12:35 A.M. And that’s when it hit me! We had taken our trip on February 20th. It was now the morning of February 21st, the anniversary of the Battle of Valverde. The direction in which we heard the sounds was the primary location where the battle had occurred.
I have thought long and hard about that night. I can almost say, without a doubt, no one else was there. This was in 1977 or ‘78, long before civil war re-enactments were popular. Fort Craig is in such a desolate location, not many people would be interested in attending a re-enactment anyway, not to mention at 12:35 in the morning. I would have to say the sounds certainly appeared to be a ghostly form of cannon fire stemming from the original battle in some way.”
An interesting side not to my uncle’s story: A few years ago a ghost hunting group known as the Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association (SGHA) visited the old fort at night time. While they were there, many members noted smelling “fresh” black powder in the air as well as hearing gun shots near the southeastern edge of the fort. Sounds of gun fire were also detected across the river at a location well known for skirmish activity during the war.
If you have a ghostly experience you would like to share on this site, please contact me.
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