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"A side note of interest--e celebrate now as Meraves of their loved ones Many places lay clai the first true ‘Decoration Day,’ butwoan what became our national holiday before the end of the Civil War--or, as ere soression" Mariah grinned "No one get ht, huh? Remember, Tennessee was always a divided state and we’re all darned glad we’re one Union now!" Mariah stopped speaking, reaching for the water bottle attached to her saddle She looked at Olivia "Want to take it for ayou for the first step in the ‘ghost’ tour part of this We’ll tell ht noe’re in a little graveyard begun by locals who found their own boys, and other dead soldiers, left behind after the Battle of Nashville In some instances, those who lived in this area stumbled upon the dead and did their best to bury them in accordance hatever identification they found on the bodies--you know, soot them back to their states or buried theiments, Feds or Rebs Sometimes the dead they found were their own So the Civil War, the forest was different from the way it looks now There’d been a fared to a George C Turner George and one of his sons were killed in the battle, and when Mrs Evelyn Turner discovered the bodies--and those of others--she got the local preacher and a stone carver to create a little cemetery Actually, Evelyn Turner herself wound up in this little burial ground It’s said that on a h the trees, searching for iven a Christian burial She’s buried just down that path with her husband and her son--and our area’s ham So we’ll take a walk down the path, pay our respects and then go on to the campsite Once we’re there, we’ll set up our tents and start a fire, cook our dinner--and settle in for solanced back at Mariah, a question in her eyes

"You want to lead theh with Mason? Drew, Aaron and I can watch the horses," Mariah said

"Let’s go, then," Olivia urged She noticed that Brent looked frightened

"You don’t have to couys and watch the horses"

Brent shook his head "I--I want to go"

Dustin walked over and slipped an arm around his shoulders "I’ether"

Olivia se ahead"

She accepted a lantern froh the pine-and leaf-covered trail The others followed They entered a sraveyard Perhaps twenty stones rele, all shrouded with lichen The break in the trees allowed the last light of the day to seep through, but it cast an aura of so mysterious, perhaps sacred, over the stones

"Here!" Sean called "Here, right here! I found Evelyn Turner’s grave--and her son’s grave andhere’s the dad!"

The other boys rushed over Holding the lantern high, Olivia saw that Dustin--Brent close at his side--had coest stone and flowers strewn upon it

"General Rufus Cunningham," Dustin read aloud He went down on his knees to study the writing on the stone "‘Hero of the Battle of Nashville To save lives, he gave his own’"

Sean let out a creepy sound "He’s here! I can feel him Can you feel him? He’s here with us!"

"Where? Where?" Brent asked, alarht, Brent," Dustin said "If his spirit’s still around, he doesn’t mean us any harm He was an exceptional man anted the best for everyone"

"Don’t mock the dead!" Joey snapped at Sean

"Oh, come on, Joey," Sean said "Have so them; Malachi had told her once that it didn’t reallyaround his grave Malachi believed he still watched over the living But just as she opened her host horses couldn’t rowth of trees and brush that now surrounded the little burial ground

But the general was a to give Sean a stern pat on the back of his head

Sean juhter "Scared?" he demanded

"Who did that? Stop it--that wasn’t funny!" Sean yelled

"Neither is disrespect for the dead," Dustin said quietly

"I’," Sean muttered

"Everyone okay with that?" Olivia asked

"One minute Can I take just one minute?" Brent looked up at her