Relic hunter’s companion feels something pass over him in a Civil War ditch
A caller who says they hunt Civil War battlefields with a metal detector describes taking a New York man named [name withheld] to a ditch where the caller says the 173rd New York was wiped out. Lying in the ditch on a hot day, [name withheld] reportedly jumped up saying something had passed over him and insisted on leaving. The caller teased him about his kinfolk being killed there. The story ends with [name withheld] running to the car after a hunter’s horn sounded, saying something had been in the ditch with him.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1999.mp3”, starting at 44:10). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller, who gives no name, says they had hunted a battlefield ditch with a metal detector for about five years. They say the 173rd New York had fought hand-to-hand there until they were wiped out. They say a New York man named [name withheld], who said his kinfolk were from the area, asked to come along, and that they did not tell [name withheld] where they were going. The caller reports that [name withheld] found a brass spur beside the ditch. On a hot day, the caller says, the two lay down in the ditch. The caller adds that they themselves never get “feelings like that,” but [name withheld] does, and that [name withheld] did not know his kinfolk had been killed where they were lying. The caller says [name withheld] suddenly jumped straight up [quote withheld] [name withheld] said something had just passed over him and that he had to get out. The caller says they laughed and told [name withheld] that having all his kinfolk killed where he was lying was no reason to be upset. The caller kept teasing him about a caisson, a cannon, and bugles. The caller says that a mile from the car [name withheld] said, [quote withheld] When a coon hunter blew a fox horn, [name withheld] ran through the woods to the car. According to the caller, [name withheld] sat on the hood, frightened, said something had been in the ditch with him, and complained that the car had been locked. The host repeated the details back and treated the story as an example of southern humor.
Reported events, in order
- -1:-1:-1
The caller offers to tell one more story before this part of the broadcast ends.
- 0:09
The caller says the 173rd New York used a ditch to fight hand-to-hand until they were wiped out.
- 0:17
The caller says they hunted that ditch with a metal detector for about five years.
- 0:26
[name withheld], from the north, asks to go with them, saying his kinfolk were from there.
- 0:37
The caller says they did not tell [name withheld] where they were.
- 0:40
[name withheld] finds a brass spur right next to the ditch.
- 0:49
On a hot day, the two of them lie down in the ditch.
- 0:52
The caller says they never get feelings like that, but [name withheld] does.
- 0:57
The caller says [name withheld] did not know his kinfolk had been killed in the ditch they were lying in.
- 1:04
[name withheld] jumps straight up out of the ditch as if something had stuck him.
- 1:11
[name withheld] says something just passed over him and that he has to get out.
- 1:25
The caller jokes that all [name withheld]’s kinfolk were killed where he was lying.
- 1:30
[name withheld] sits down in the old road. The caller teases him about a caisson, cannon, and bugles.
- 2:10
A mile from the car, [name withheld] says something is there with him and he has to go.
- 2:21
A coon hunter blows a fox horn, and [name withheld] runs through the woods to the car.
- 2:33
[name withheld] sits on the hood, frightened, and says something was in the ditch with him.
- 2:42
[name withheld] says the car had been locked.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 1:04
The caller says [name withheld] jumped straight up out of the ditch as if something had stuck him with a hot poker.
- hearsay· 1:11
[name withheld] is reported to have said something had just passed over him.
- hearsay· 2:15
[name withheld] is reported to have said something was there with him and that he had to go.
- hearsay· 2:35
[name withheld] is reported to have said something was in the ditch with him and that he knew it.
- observation· 0:40
The caller says [name withheld] found a brass spur next to the ditch.
- observation· 0:52
The caller says they themselves never get feelings of that kind, but [name withheld] does.
- interpretation· 1:25
The caller, while teasing [name withheld], links the sensation to the kinfolk killed in that spot.
- host statement· 2:54
The host repeats that [name withheld]’s whole family was killed in the ditch.
- host statement· 2:58
The host repeats that [name withheld] felt something pass directly over him.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The caller was physically present and gives concrete detail (regiment, ditch, brass spur, hot day, distance to the car). But the strange sensation itself is reported from a second man who does not speak on air, no place or date is given, and the caller’s own teasing offers an obvious explanation for the reaction.
Evidence for and against
- The caller was present at the site and describes [name withheld]’s reaction directly.
- A specific detail that could be checked in principle: the 173rd New York and a ditch where they were wiped out.
- Concrete physical detail: a brass spur found beside the ditch, a hot day, a mile back to the car.
- The caller separates their own lack of sensation from [name withheld]’s.
- The core sensation is hearsay from [name withheld], who is not on air.
- No battlefield, town, date, or landowner is named.
- The caller presents much of the episode as teasing ([quote withheld]).
- Suggestion fits closely: [name withheld] was told afterward where he had been lying.
- Garbled characters in the transcript make part of the teasing hard to read.
- The phrase [quote withheld] is odd and may be mistranscribed.
- 0:09
- 0:52
- 1:25
What the model inferred (not said on air): Component scoring: source proximity 10/25 (caller present but the sensation is [name withheld]’s); specificity 12/20; internal consistency 16/20; alternative explanations 4/20 (suggestion and the caller’s own priming fit easily); calibration 8/15.
Only the caller’s word and a claimed second witness who does not speak on air. The named regiment and the found spur could be checked in principle, but nothing was checked or produced.
Evidence for and against
- A named regiment (173rd New York) and a named second person ([name withheld]) are given.
- A physical object is claimed to have been found (a brass spur).
- No document, photograph, or recording is presented or examined.
- [name withheld] never speaks on air to confirm his own story.
- The brass spur is an ordinary relic find, and the caller does not link it to the sensation.
- No location or date is stated, so the claim could not be checked even in principle without more information.
- The transcript gives no sign that the host saw or verified anything.
- 0:40
- 2:35
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored in the 11–25 range for specifics that could be checked but were not, plus a claimed but silent witness. It is capped well below 50 because no outside check exists.
The picture of lying in a ditch where soldiers were reportedly killed and feeling something pass over you is eerie. But the comic tone throughout, the caller’s prank, and the host’s laughter keep it from being frightening.
Evidence for and against
- Lying down in a ditch where the 173rd New York was reportedly wiped out.
- [name withheld]’s report that something passed over him and that something was in the ditch with him.
- [name withheld] is described as too frightened to wait and as running a mile to the car.
- The caller repeatedly says they were joking and pulling [name withheld]’s leg.
- The host treats the whole story as humor.
- The scare is broken by a coon hunter’s horn and a joke about a caisson passing through.
- The transcript does not describe any figure, sound, or smell in the ditch itself, only a sensation.
- 1:11
- 2:35
What the model inferred (not said on air): Judged as a story for listeners; the comic tone is treated as lowering creepiness, not as evidence about the events.
A battlefield haunting and a sensed presence passing over a person are familiar motifs. But the relic-hunting setup, the descendant laid down in the exact ditch, and the caller’s running prank are distinctive details.
Evidence for and against
- Unusual setup: a metal-detector relic hunter taking a descendant to the spot rather than a haunting that belongs to a place.
- The caller’s steady teasing, including a joke about a caisson and bugles passing through the man.
- The scare ends with a coon hunter’s fox horn.
- Battlefield ghosts and a sensation passing over the body are stock ghost-story elements.
- A descendant feeling the presence of ancestors killed in that place is a familiar story.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is provisional at this pilot stage; the score is largely the first-pass estimate.
- 0:17
- 1:04
What the model inferred (not said on air): Provisional first-pass score of about 45; the part compared with the rest of the archive carries little weight with few stories.
Scoring confidence 0.60 · analysis confidence 0.72 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller’s firsthand story about [name withheld]’s reaction in the ditch; Secondhand report of [name withheld]’s statements ([name withheld] does not speak on air); Claimed relic find (brass spur), not examined or produced. The originality score blends the model's score (45) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- Expectation and suggestion: [name withheld] was lying in a spot the caller then told him was where his kinfolk were killed, and the caller’s teasing raised his alarm. · The caller says [name withheld] did not know where he was until afterward ([quote withheld]) and then told him [quote withheld]
- A physical cause such as an insect or small animal could account for a sudden sensation described as being stuck with a hot poker. · The caller describes [name withheld] rising [quote withheld] while lying on the ground on a hot day.
- An unexpected loud sound could account for [name withheld]’s flight to the car rather than anything in the ditch. · The caller says [quote withheld] just before [name withheld] ran.
What stands out
The caller was present but says they felt nothing themselves, so the strange experience belongs entirely to a second man. The caller also openly treats the episode as a chance to tease [name withheld], which makes this part of the broadcast read as a funny story rather than a personal haunting.
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