u/Sufficient_Ocelot107

The kid in me heals every time I do something with my children that I wish I could have done with my parents.

They weren’t lying when they said you’ll miss the puppy floppy ears 😭 This is Jane. She’s 1.5 years old. She’s my best friend and so photogenic.

We went to Perryville Battlefield Historic Site. It’s a preserved and unaltered battlefield from the Civil War. We were the only ones there. It was truly a beautiful place filled with such a sad and heavy presence. We weren’t even there for any hopes to find or hear anything. Just wanted to read more about the history and see it.

While we were walking up the hill that they fought on, I heard something in the near distance and stopped walking. I looked around and thought it was someone working in their yard, but there was no one nearby. No houses. I whispered to my husband to stop moving and listen. I didn’t tell him what I heard. I was honestly in disbelief. Then he whispered something that confirmed what I heard: “Is that drumming and marching?” I immediately felt goosebumps. We heard drumming in rhythm and it sounded like people moving through tall grass. I’ve never heard anything like that before.

As we made our way up the hill (yeah we still went anyway, we love history and wanted to read the sign), I stood and looked up by a bench and cannon on the top of a hill. Then I heard something that I can’t quite explain. It sounded like someone was approaching us and playing a recording of a woman singing/calling out in a sing-songy tune. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but it was getting closer. I was honestly expecting someone to come up over that hill, but no one did. I froze. I felt my heart in my stomach. My husband heard it too and could tell I was freaked out. Then it stopped. We left after that.

I looked up the history and stories behind this place. It was up to the families of the fallen soldiers to come and try to identify the bodies, which had been out for a while and piled up. The mothers would call and sing old songs, trying to find or comfort them. What a beautiful and everlasting love from a mother, even after life, she never stops. Grateful for the chance to walk the fields of Perryville. Standing where so much history unfolded is a humbling reminder of the sacrifices made long before our time. Still think about this experience sometimes.

PS all my photos were live. After we heard the voice, all my Live Photos somehow turned off. My husband had Live Photos on too. There’s one picture where you can tell I can hear something. The audio for that one Live Photo doesn’t work.