The American Civil War was a time of great national tragedy and emotion. Families were torn apart as brothers chose opposite sides in the conflict... sometimes even winding up fighting each other- and killing each other. The high emotional state associated with a battlefield makes it ripe for the imprints of dying soldiers to be made on the environment, and for them to return time and again to replay their final moments.But not all of the ghosts created by this war are due to battlefield death. No, at least one was caused lost love, and a curse of a dying woman upon one of the famous Confederacy Generals. The woman was named Anne Mitchell, and the General was John Bell Hood.
Hood was born to Dr. John W. Hood, who ran a small farm, and a medical school for doctors. John Bell Hood attended West Point, meeting Anne Mitchell while on leave, and visiting the town of Mount Sterling, Kentucky- where both of them lived. The two came to love each other, and often took walks in the garden at the Hood home.
Legends say that a rival appeared, wanting to woo Anne. Today, this stranger is only known as "Mr. Anderson". Despite Anne no liking "Anderson", her family did due to his wealth, and his promise to build their daughter a home next door to them. Under pressure from her parents, Anne agreed to marry "Anderson"- provided she be allowed to write Hood one last letter. In the letter, Anne reportedly promised him her undying love, and that "whether in this world, or the next," the only garden path she'd walk would be with him.
When Hood read the letter, he immediately set out to see her. He arranged to meet her a few nights after his arrival, promising to elope with her. Unfortunately, a slave in the Mitchell household raised an alarm when they noticed that Anne had vanished. Her father and brother caught up to her, and locked Anne in her room- determined she stay there under she was safely married to "Anderson". During this time Anne would gaze out the bedroom window towards the Hood house, and the garden path she promised only to walk with John Bell Hood.
After she was married to "Anderson", Anne refused to move out of her bedroom, and into the same house as her new husband. She was moody and depressed- a victim of a cruetly betrayal of her heart by her family. She never forgave them for forcing her and Hood apart. She soon learned she was pregnant, and banned "Anderson" from her room altogether, before ceasing to speak.
She finally spoke after her son, Corwin was born. But they weren't words of joy or happiness at the birth of her son. Rather, they were a curse upon all those that took part in forcing her to marry a man she did not love- and keeping her from her true love.
Hours after laying this curse, dark clouds gathered, and a storm started brewing. Legend indicates that the storm was odd in the fact that it was localized just over the Mitchell property. A corner of the house was hit by lightning, collapsing that part of the house. Three people died, including Ann Mitchell. The other two people that were killed was one of her brothers- who helped to prevent her from eloping with Hood, and the slave that raised the alarm.
The story of Anne's curse spread, and locals watched as the curse continued to affect the family. Anne's son, Corwin suffered a fatal heart attack when he witnessed one of his own sons assaulted his other son. The youngest son died from the wounds caused by his brothers, assault. The older son was stoned to death by a mob after killing a man in a knife fight, and beating a young farm hand to death.
The family developed a history of violent, and sometimes strange deaths as the years went by. In 1940, a great-grandson of Anne's walked into a pond, and shot himself.
The Hood house also seemed to have been affected by Anne's curse. One owner committed suicide, and after a failed love affair, another attempted to take his life.
It seems that even John Bell Hood- the man she loved, fell under the curse. Hood rose through the ranks under Lieutenant General Robert E. Lee. He lost the use of one arm at Gettysburg, and lost a leg at the battle of Chickamauga. Despite this, he rose to the rank of full General, and became the commander of the Western Army for the Confederacy. This was when the curse seemed to start taking effect.
While defending Atlanta against General Sherman, Hood was forced to retreat after several intense battles. In 1864, his army was destroyed at Nashville. From then one, he was a disgraced General, with no command.
Life after the war did not go smoothly either. Settling in New Orleans, and marrying a local woman, Hood's cotton brokering business went bankrupt- costing him everything. Him and his wife were then taken by the yellow fever epidemic in 1870. Their ten children were now orphans, and dispersed across half the country.
And "Mr. Anderson"? Well, according to legend, he joined a regiment in Texas, that came under General Hood's command. Beyond that... nobody knows what fate the curse of Anne Mitchell had in store for him...
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