The Battle of Shiloh took place during the Civil War in 1862. As soldiers tended to their wounds, they realized that the wounds were faintly glowing with a blue color. No one knew the reason, but, as those with the glowing wounds seemed to survive more than those without the glow, it was named “Angel’s Glow”. The cause of this glow remained a mystery for over a century, until a 17-year-old took a trip to the battlefield in 2001. Having heard the stories surrounding Angel’s Glow, Bill Martin was curious as to what causes the blue glow. His mother was a microbiologist studying bacteria in soil that let off a faint blue color, and he began to wonder if this could be what caused the Angel’s Glow.
Bill, along with his friend Jonathan, researched the P. luminescens bacterium, which can only survive in cooler temperatures. They concluded that soldiers had been on the cold, possibly wet ground for days, which could have easily lowered their body temperature. Their theory became that the bacteria saved the men’s lives by eliminating more harmful bacteria and cleaning out the wounds. While no one can say with 100% certainty that this is the cause of Angel’s Glow, it is the only theory that scientists and researchers agree makes sense for the situation.