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The Mysterious Case of Angels In the Civil War

The Time a High School Sophomore Figured Out a Supernatural Event That Took Place in the Trenches.

By Shelby YarchinPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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The Battle of Shilo | April 6, 1862

One of the bloodiest battles in American history rocked the world in the year 1862 when Union soldiers camped out along the Tennessee River were ambushed by 40,000 Confederate soldiers, resulting in more than 2,300 deaths in total. Making it the darkest battle in the American Civil war until Gettysburg took its place.

The battle of Shiloh is hailed for many things. For the way, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston was wounded horrifically on the first day of battle. The way Union soldiers pushed back with not only might but with sheer force and diligence. And the way supernatural forces were at play when wounded men suddenly started glowing blue.

After the bloody two day battle, the muddy field nestled by Hornets Nest Road and the church of Shiloh itself was littered with death and carnage. Due to the swampy conditions, wounded men lay bleeding for upwards of hours while the few medics did their best to stitch up bullet wounds. Once night fell, they started to notice something strange- beacons of light leading directly to those who had fallen.

There was an odd bluish-green color that clouded around lesions and lead medics to the aid of those they could barely see in the swampy stretch of land. None one could explain the odd burst of color, but it aided the men that it chose to shelter. Medics soon realized that not only were they found quicker, but in the following weeks, they healed faster and had a lesser-known chance of infection.

Back in 1862, not much was known about modern medicine but it is often falsely believed that surgery, especially on war grounds, was done while the soldier was awake and without any pain reliever. But medics adapted to the conditions and struggled to make the surgeries as painless as possible. It is true however that the civil war took place before germ theory was established which means the instruments used for amputations and any other procedure weren’t ever sterilized correctly.

In fact, during the civil war, a lot of medical advancements took place according to the Baylor University Medical center- such as the establishment of General hospitals and the first plastic surgeries ever performed.

Despite this, Medical professionals could never explain why their men suddenly started lighting up like a Christmas tree right after a bloody and senseless battle. Their only logical explanation was angels. With the battle taking place right next to a church, it was a natural assumption during the times to assume it was the hand of God that healed these affected soldiers with such speed.

It wasn’t until the year 2001, 139 years after the battle of Shiloh took place when an answer was finally given to the public, and shockingly, it wasn’t angels like the legend had proclaimed for years.

A 17-year-old named Bill Martin decided to investigate Angel's glow with friend Johnathan Curtis for their high school science fair. Martin’s mother was a microbiologist and gave the two free reign of a lab so they could put their theories to the test.

It was quickly discovered that the reason for the glowing soldiers of Shiloh creek was attributed to a bioluminescent bacteria that was present in the swampy surrounding area’s of the church back in 1862. Bacteria present in small little threadworms called nematodes.

A Microscopic view of threadworms

This type of worm in question has a seriously strange way of luring victims in for food. They secrete sticky urine that glows and attracts insects. The fluid melts the insects they attract and makes them easier to consume. The strings happen to shimmer and glow with the same exact color that the soldiers at Shiloh creek had against their wounds.

Due to the unnaturally cold conditions of that April night, the threadworms were present and attracted to the bleeding men under the mercy of the swampy conditions. It was a perfectly aligned event of nature that healed them quickly.

The worms died off when the men finally made it to a general hospital due to the heat of indoor conditions, making them less of a problem for the soldiers and more of an aid. For 139 years there was no explanation for the way the men glowed or how exactly they healed quicker than those who didn’t.

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About the Creator

Shelby Yarchin

All Things weird, spooky, and otherworldly.

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