Paranormal Activity Investigators

Location Information

Date: 17 July 2020     Type: Museum

Location Title: Lone Jack Civil War Battlefield Museum & Cemetery

City/State: Lone Jack, MO

Investigation Times: 07:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Status: Analysis

 

Weather Information

Sunrise: 06:07 AM   Sunset: 08:44 PM

High Temperature: 93 °F   Low Temperature: 74 °F

Sky Condition: Mostly Cloudy   Wind: SSE at 14 mph

Humidity: 87%   Precipitation: 0%

Lunar Phase: Waning Crescent   % disk visible: 12%

Solar X-Rays: Normal  Geomagnetic Field: Quiet

Pressure: 29.01 mmHg  

 

Investigators Present

Julie Klos Burch

Jennifer Sprague

Neshela Nicole Duke
Lindsey Nicole Kadri

Guest - Sarah Schroeder

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Investigators Notes

Julie Klos Burch, Lead Investigator: There were 5 investigators present: Jennifer, Julie, Neshela, Lindsey, and Sarah.  Equipment used on this investigation:  Trail cameras, phone cameras, motion sensor objects, REMpod, trigger object, EMF detectors, and audio recording devices.
After the site host Dan Hadley gave a brief overview of the battle, we split into teams.

TEAM 1 (JENNIFER AND SARAH):  
Cave Hotel:  We set up two motion sensors in the bedroom, a motion-activated toy, and two trigger objects on the floor with my trail cam focusing and filming on all the objects. I tested the level of the floor with a leveler and found it to be even in the area where the motion toys were placed. An EMF sweep of the room and the adjoining room showed no noticeable major electrical hot spots of concern other than a few outlets. We did an EVP session and I am currently reviewing audio and film footage and will post any findings soon. We did not have any noticeable experiences in the Cave Hotel.

Museum:  We then moved to the Lone Jack Museum. We set up a motion sensor in the back corner where audible noises were heard by the previous group. Sarah also set up an audio recorder in the corner as well. Emf electrical hotspots were noted. It was during this time that Sarah and I were in the middle of the room and I was getting ready to go use the bathroom when an alarm went off. This alarm went off sporadically for about half an hour. Dan, our tour guide, reset the museum alarm, it was during this time we figured out it was my motion sensor, but the odd thing was that it was set to a “chime” tone, not my “alarm” tone. It was also facing a corner wall so it should not have picked up any movement. It could be a possible battery issue with my motion sensor,  but the batteries were fairly new. I am currently in the process of checking into the product I used to see if I can find any other reason it could have been faulty. We set up an EVP session using a “pink noise” generator. We let that run for a few minutes before we started an EVP session. Sarah focused her FLIR camera in the corner where the motion sensor was set up and I set two motion objects in front of my trail cam to film footage. It was during this time Sarah and I both heard faint music playing and we both are currently reviewing audio to see if anything was picked up or any EVPs were caught.

Cemetery:  We did a short EVP session in the cemetery and did not notice anything or experience anything there. We are currently both reviewing audio and film.

TEAM 2 (NESHELA, LINDSEY, AND JULIE)
Museum:  We did more than a half-hour of EVP work here.  Julie read a roll call of some of the more memorable Battle of Lone Jack soldier experiences she researched.  (We had some success with EVPs there before.) I set up the REMpod, a trigger device, and motion sensor objects, but none were activated. We got several instances of answering knocks and one sigh type noise. "Neshela:  At one point Julie asked if anyone was there & if so could they make a sound. We all heard a knock on the north side of the building that I did get a recording of. I believe Julie and Lindsay both got a similar recording."
Cemetery:  We did over a half-hour of EVP work here and got possible responses.
Cave Hotel:  We did over an hour of EVP work here. We heard quite a few sounds including a whimpering sound. We are reviewing/debunking possible EVP evidence from all three locations.

JOINT TEAM INVESTIGATION (JENNIFER, SARAH, JULIE, LINDSEY):
Cave Hotel:  We did a few EVP sessions, played trigger music, and did have a motion sensor object go off, but we aren't sure of the cause. Jennifer put the object in a jar to rule out any possible vibrations under the floor and the object stopped going off. 
Overall, it was an interesting investigation! Big shout out to Dan, who is always nice and courteous with our group and it was great to have Neshela Nicole Duke and Lindsey Nicole Kadri with us! It was also great to have fellow investigator, Sarah Griswold, join us.

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Location History

The Lone Jack Civil War Battlefield, Museum & Soldier's Cemetery is the only Civil War Museum in Jackson County, Missouri, and one of the few battlefields where the soldiers who perished during the battle are still buried on the battlefield and it has not been designated as a National Cemetery.
The Lone Jack Civil War Museum is a unique round native stone building built in 1963. It houses a variety of displays including artifacts from the Battle of Lone Jack, items of local history, and photos of the men who fought at Lone Jack.

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During the summer of 1862 many Confederate and Missouri State Guard recruiters were dispatched north from Arkansas into Missouri to replenish the depleted ranks of the Trans-Mississippi Confederacy. In Western/West-Central Missouri these included then Captain Jo Shelby, Colonel Vard Cockrell, Colonel John T. Coffee, Upton Hays, John Charles Tracy, John T. Hughes, and DeWitt C. Hunter. Most of these commands were working independently and there was no clear sense of seniority yet established. On August 11 the Federal commander General John Schofield was stunned to learn that Independence, Missouri had fallen to a combined force of Colonel John T. Hughes, William Quantrill, Gideon W. Thompson, and Upton Hays. Schofield ordered General James Totten to concentrate his forces to deal with the threat.

On August 15, 1862, Union Major Emory S. Foster, under orders from Totten, led a 740-man combined force from Lexington to Lone Jack. Other forces were dispatched from Kansas under General James G. Blunt (2,500 men) and Missouri under General Fitz Henry Warren (600 men), but they would not arrive in time for the engagement. Upon reaching the Lone Jack area, Foster received intelligence that 1,600 rebels under Col. Coffee and Lt. Col. Tracy were camped near town and prepared to attack them. The estimate of the rebel command was revised down to only 800 and at about 11:00 p.m., Foster and his men attacked the Confederate camp and dispersed the enemy. The firing of his cannon during this brief skirmish proved to be Foster's undoing, for it alerted Colonel Vard Cockrell and other rebel commands in the area of Foster's position and intent to fight. Foster's men returned to town to rest along the main street, having spent several days in the saddle. Colonel Cockrell conferred with Upton Hays, Lt. Col. Sidney D. Jackman, and DeWitt C. Hunter and determined to give battle the next morning with the intent of overwhelming the much smaller Union force.

Cockrell's plan was to clandestinely deploy Hunter, Jackman, and Tracy's forces in a field to the west of town well before sunrise on August 16 and await the opening of the fight. Hays was to initiate the battle with a mounted attack from the north as daylight approached, whereupon the others would launch a surprise flank attack. Hays did not attack as early as planned, instead reconnoitering the other commands before advancing. As daylight appeared Foster's pickets became aware of Hays' advance. This gave Foster's men a brief opportunity to deploy, spoiling the element of surprise.

With sunrise exposing them while awaiting Hays' tardy advance, Jackman, Hunter, and Tracy attacked but were held in check. Hays then performed a dismounted attack from the north. Together his force and Tracy's crumpled the Union right flank, forcing the 7th Missouri Cavalry (commanded by Captain Milton H. Brawner) back onto the artillery. The cannoneers now began a desperate fight. Union Captain Long's 2nd Battalion Missouri State Militia Cavalry concealed behind a hedgerow of Osage orange trees poured a crossfire on the Confederates, temporarily repulsing them.

On the other side of the field, Hunter's force was stalled by three companies of Captain Plumb's 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry. A mounted force (possibly Coffee's) approached on Hunter's flank and he mistook them for Federals. The mounted men attacked but were surprised and repulsed by fire from Capt. Slocum's company of the 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry behind another Osage orange hedge. Hunter, now short of ammunition, abandoned the field for the ammunition train, exposing Jackman's flank. Jackman was also short of ammunition and retired as well.

Tracy's and Hays' commands renewed their attack to the north, eventually displacing the Indiana artillerists. With no remaining Confederate threat to the south, Captain Plumb now counterattacked to the north, reclaiming the artillery. Jackman and Hunter's resupplied men then returned to the field. Hays attempted to counterattack but a counter-charge by Plumb forced him to retreat. Much of the fighting then devolved into a war of attrition between Confederates on the western side of the street, Union men on the right with their artillery in the middle. The artillerists were soon routed and the guns changed hands several times. Foster recaptured the guns a final time, being severely wounded himself in the process.

After five hours of fighting and the loss – by wounding – of Foster, rebel Col. Coffee and his 800 men reappeared north of town causing Foster's successor, Capt. Milton H. Brawner, to order a retreat. The men left the field in good order and returned to Lexington. The cannon were hastily spiked or disabled and hidden before the Federals departed. The Confederates secured a victory, but the approach of Union forces including Blunt and Fitz Henry Warren forced the Rebels to withdraw on August 17. General Fitz Warren occupied the town that day.

Foster was later criticized for attacking the first day while being outnumbered and for not awaiting reinforcement. However, Fitz Warren's command did not arrive until two days later, and Blunt's three days after Foster arrived. The Federals fought more vigorously because many believed Quantrill's raiders were present and would be brutal to prisoners.

Federal Capt. Brawner reported Union losses as 43 killed, 154 wounded, and 75 missing/captured, a casualty rate of 34 percent, and this was almost certainly too low. Rebel Colonel Hunter reported burying 119 Federals and 47 Rebels, but the true losses are unknown. Excluded from Hunter's total was an unknown number of dead Confederates claimed by their friends and families for burial elsewhere. A recent roll call list of Federals killed at the action as compiled in service records by Wayne Schnetzer reveals 65 killed and at least 29 who later died from wounds received at Lone Jack. The list of known Confederate participation and deaths is less complete, but at least 55 names are listed as killed, with at least 4 others later succumbing to their wounds.

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Previous Investigations at this Location

Lone Jack Civil War Battlefield Museum and Soldiers Cemetery - Visit 1