Pvt. Ezra Jones - 3rd Arkansas Cavalry, Company B

parkerswede

Cadet
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Mar 15, 2020
Hi All: You guy seem to be really knowledgeable, so here goes. My third great grandfather was Private Ezra Jones. He served with the Union Army in the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry, Company. He was born in 1814 in Tennessee and died (according to Civil War rolls) on 9 November 1863. Some records say 10 November. He is buried at the Little Rock National Cemetery in Section, No 1219. I would appreciate any information anyone may be able to lead me to. I am an experienced Ancestry user and have quite a bit of information about him, but not about his death. Thanks. DJ in Texas.
 
Hi All: You guy seem to be really knowledgeable, so here goes. My third great grandfather was Private Ezra Jones. He served with the Union Army in the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry, Company. He was born in 1814 in Tennessee and died (according to Civil War rolls) on 9 November 1863. Some records say 10 November. He is buried at the Little Rock National Cemetery in Section, No 1219. I would appreciate any information anyone may be able to lead me to. I am an experienced Ancestry user and have quite a bit of information about him, but not about his death. Thanks. DJ in Texas.


Welcome to CWT! I had East Tennessee relatives that migrated to NW Arkansas years before the war and fought for the Union in the 1st Arkansas Infantry. Your 3rd gr,grandfather certainly wasn't a young man! I imagine the rigors of army life just wore him down. Disease killed more men than battle-wounds in the Civil War, even much younger men.

Here's some after-action reports from the OR and a photo of the Colonel that wrote them.

P2389745.gif


Report of Col. Abraham H. Ryan, Third Arkansas
Cavalry (Union), of skirmish at Cypress Creek.

LEWISBURG, May 14, 1864.
MAJ.: Maj. Clarkson, Third Arkansas Cavalry, return with his
command during the night, bringing in the body of Lieut. Butter
whom the rebels had robbed and stripped to his underclothes. Maj.
Clarkson met the enemy in Petty Country, 5 miles from the river; a
skirmish ensued, the major driving the enemy over and beyond Cypress
Creek, destroying their camp, pursuing them a mile farther; the enemy
broke and ran. It being night, pursuit was discontinued. Receiving orders,
the command returned without the loss of a man. Enemy's loss not
known. The major not known. The major reports the men as behaving
remarkably well. I would respectfully ask if the general thinks it
advisable that the Third Battalion of the regiment be sent here?
Yesterday the post was nearly stripped to furnish men to scout over the
river, and I candidly believe the best interest of the service demand that
they be taken from the influences that surround them in Little Rock.

A. H. RYAN,
Col., Cmdg.

Maj. WILLIAMS E. GREEN,
Assistant Adjutant-Gen., Little Rock, Ark.

Source: Official Records
CHAP. XLVI.] ATTACK ON MOUTH PLEASANT LANDING, LA. PAGE 933-61
[Series I. Vol. 34. Part I, Reports. Serial No. 61.]

***********************************************************************************

Reports of Col. Abraham H. Ryan, Third Arkansas Cavalry (Union).

LEWISBURG, ARK., July 13, 1864--9 p.m.
CAPT.: Capt. Gill has returned from scout through Perry and Yell
Counties; had two fights with Conly's bushwhacking regiment. Run
them, killing 5 and wounding 10, bringing in 2 prisoners and 8
horses. The men retreated on island below Dardanelle, where Conly is
trying to raise an old flat-boat lying there. There is no other force of the
enemy in that section. I have sent scout this evening beyond Perryville,
then up the Fourche; also one to Norristown, Dover, &c. Is that
infantry regiment coming? River rising.

Respectfully,

A. H. RYAN,
Col., Cmdg. Post.

Capt. C. H. DYER,
Assistant Adjutant-Gen.

-----------

LEWISBURG, July [14], 1864.
CAPT.: Lieut. Williams in from scout to Norristown. All quiet
on this side of the river. Great complaints made against Ninth Kansas
Cavalry; they robbed men and women, friend and foe, indiscriminately.
Capt. Gill had a fight on Sunday with Capt. Adams' company on
river above Petit Jean, killing two and wounding several of the enemy.
He is now after a force reported eight miles back of Dardanelle. Capt.
Adams' wife is now in Little Rock arranging to sell and get away
cotton. She [has] sold and shipped seven bales already.

Respectfully,

A. H. RYAN,
Col., &c.

Capt. C. H. DYER,
Assistant Adjutant-Gen.

---------------------------------------------

Report of Maj. Thaddeus S. Clarkson, Third Arkansas Cavalry (Union).

LEWISBURG, July 7, 1864--10 a.m.
CAPT.: I sent out Capt. Hamilton, with fifty-five men, on
Saturday, the 2d, to go into Searcy County and break up a company of
men organizing to join Shelby; he returned last night, having killed 7
rebels, wounded 4, and captured 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, and 53 men,
who had organized and were to start on Tuesday last for Shelby. He
captured also 12 horses and mules, 15 stand of arms, and 1 stand of
colors. Capt. Hamilton reports from on organized [sic] a regiment
north of Batesville, to join Shelby, who, he still thinks, is down on
White River. One of the men killed by Capt. Hamilton was a deserter
from this regiment, who had joined the rebels. I will send the prisoners
down by first boat.

T. S. CLARKSON,
Maj., Cmdg. Post.

Capt. C. H. DYER,
Assistant Adjutant-Gen.


Source: Official Records
PAGE 13-83 LOUISIANA AND THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI. [CHAP. LIII.
[Series I. Vol. 41. Part I, Reports. Serial No. 83.]

**********************
 
Follow-up post as I saw someone had responded.

His records says he was in Company B of 3rd Arkansas Cavalry (US). You are lucky in that NARA has scanned the Union records of units from Southern states. They haven't scanned all the Northern units.
It says he mustered in on 29 October 1863. He enrolled at Lewisburg, Ark on 23 Sept. It seems the unit was initially called the 3rd Arkansas Mounted Volunteers but I don't see where his company changed.
It seems amazing that he died less than 1 month later.
 
It does look there may be two people coming up here. What other info do you have about your great-grandfather that would help us look?
 
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