Someone Else's Yesterday: The Confederate General and Connecticut Yankee: A Past Life Revealed [Paperback]

"New possibilities for validating the reincarnation hypothesis and for conducting further research. This book is a milestone."

"Anyone who doubts life after death, or reincarnation, should read this book. I highly recommend it."

"Learn how one of America's greatest battlefield heroes has returned to life as a warrior for peace."

"Jeff Keene's story is a must for buffs of the supernatural and Civil War historians alike."

Someone Else's Yesterday is an amazing journey through the eyes of two people: one a Georgian, the other a Connecticut Yankee. Similarities between the two go far beyond coincidence. They think alike, look alike, and even share facial scars. Their lives are so intertwined that they appear to be one. Half of this equation, Jeffrey J. Keene, is a present-day Assistant Fire Chief in affluent Westport, Connecticut. The other half, John B. Gordon, Confederate General, Army of Northern Virginia, died January 9, 1904. These elements came together at a Halloween party in 1992, leading to a 10-year odyssey including the battlefields of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia as well as the library of the University of Georgia and the Library of Congress. Gathering information from official records, wartime reports and even love letters, Jeff Keene uncovered many parallels between his own life and that of General Gordon. Even the trip to the emergency room on his thirtieth birthday with facial pain had mimicked the wound General Gordon received at the battle of Antietam when he was thirty years of age. Jeff Keene shares his insights into the workings of reincarnation along with his personal encounter with the nightmare of September 11th. Experience a city in mourning during the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, from a touching eulogy delivered by Mayor Giuliani to the smoldering ruins at Ground Zero. Share the struggles of the past and the hopes for tomorrow as Keene weaves a tapestry of mystery and history, of love and the horrors of war. Jeffrey Keene has no choice but to believe in reincarnation--he lived this remarkable story and every word is true.

It was a peaceful quiet day at the Bloody Lane, one of those beautiful days in May you would like to catch in a jar and save for winter. I walked down the fieldstone stairs into the old farm road. I had no idea of the series of events being put into action. Soon, in a few short steps, the line between past and present would become very blurred.

My wife Anna and I were on a vacation to hunt for antiques. Our travels took us through New Jersey, Pennsylvania and then into Maryland. While in Maryland, we stopped in Sharpsburg, where the battle of Antietam had been fought during the Civil War. I was not a student of the Civil War. For that matter, I had never even read a Civil War book. I had watched a couple of shows from the Ken Burns Civil War series on the local Public Broadcast System and, while we were in the area, felt compelled to visit this battlefield. Our first stop was at the section of the battlefield known as The Cornfield.

Anna and I walked around a bit, then drove a short distance to a parking lot near what is called the Sunken Road. Anna stayed in the car, having soon tired of looking at monuments and markers, thus ending her historical career. Walking over to the Sunken Road alone, I found myself the only visitor to this portion of the battlefield. Built into a stone wall was a piece of metal grillwork with a large button next to it with the word "Push." Much like Alice in Wonderland, my curiosity got the better of me and within a few seconds I was listening to a tape recording of what had transpired there during the battle. After listening to the tape, I walked down onto the road itself. I had only gone a few yards when something very strange happened, something the likes of which I hope will never happen again. A wave of grief, sadness and anger washed over me. Without warning, I was suddenly being consumed by sensations. Burning tears ran down my cheeks. It became difficult to breathe. I!
gasped for air, as I stood transfixed in the old roadbed. To this day I could not tell you how much time transpired, but as these feelings, this emotional overload passed, I found myself exhausted as if I had run a marathon. Crawling up the steep embankment to get out of the road, I turned and looked back. I was a bit shaken to say the least and wondered at what had just taken place. It was difficult getting back to the car because I felt so weak. I had regained most of my normal composure on the way back and said nothing to Anna about what had just happened. What could I say? How could I explain it to her? I did not have any answers, just questions. I would one day receive my answers, but not until more than a year later and then from a most unusual source.