Sometime after the conclusion of the Civil War, some people claimed that ghostly faces can be seen imprinted on two of Fort Sumter’s authentic battle flags which flew over the fort during the Civil War- The Union “Storm Flag” and the Confederate “Palmetto Guard Flag.”
Just to the right of the centermost star on the "Storm Flag" is a mark which appears to resemble a bearded face. It is said to be the visage of Union Private Daniel Hough, whose life was abruptly cut short when Fort Sumter's gun #47 accidentally exploded during Major Robert Anderson's 100-gun salute following the Battle of Fort Sumter in April, 1861. On the Confederate Palmetto Guard Flag, the face people claim to see is that of Confederate Private John Bird who actually carried the Palmetto Guard Flag into the fort following Maj. Anderson's surrender and hoisted it up on the fort's parapet facing Charleston.
It is not known exactly when these markings first appeared or when this Charleston folk-tale started.
Host Andrew Davis interviews Park Guide Shelby McAllister of the National Park Service at Fort Sumter National Monument about this mystery! Are these the ghostly faces of two Civil War veterans, or are they simply blemishes from old age and storage? You decide!
Curiosity Trek! tells the stories of historic people and events through the artifacts left behind. The series highlights more than just objects of significant historical value but also the strange and the bizarre! The people tied to these objects may be gone, but their stories live on through these artifacts.
