casualties at Ebeneezer Creek

[Richard Goodwin]

My GGGrandfather, Abner Curry, was the only official casualty in the union army on Dec 8, 1865 (the day of the Ebeneezer Creek incident), although he claimed, and there is an officers diary to confirm, the ball that went through his head killed the man beside him. (Abner lived 50 more years.)

This occurred prier to the removal of the bridge, and Abner claimed that he and the other solder had been foraging and were returning with two chickens each, when a Reb shot them from across the river.

I would appreciate any information anyone might have on who did the shooting, who the killed solder was, or how his wounds would have been treated and how he would have been transported from there.

Abner Curry was in the Illinois 92nd Mounted Infantry, Company E. It may be his companion was from Company A.

Also, Abner had enlisted in the Iowa 2nd Volunteer and served for a little over a month before being mustered out "by civil authority", prior to enlisting with the Illinois 92nd (still under 18 at time of second enlistment). What would "by civil authority" mean? (I can only find two others with that inscription, neither was under age.)

Thank You
Richard Goodwin

 

[Deleted User CS]

Welcome from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Good luck with your research.

 

[5fish]

This is a sad event... from wiki...

On December 8, 1864, the Union XIV Corps, under Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis, reached the western bank of Ebenezer Creek. While Davis' engineers began assembling a pontoon bridge for the crossing, Wheeler's cavalry approached close enough to conduct sporadic shelling of the Union lines.[3] By midnight the bridge was ready, and Davis's 14,000 men began their crossing. Over 600 freed slaves were anxious to cross with them, but Davis ordered his provost marshal to prevent this. The freedmen were told that they would be able to cross after a Confederate force in front had been dispersed. In reality, no such force existed. As the last Union soldiers reached the eastern bank on the morning of December 9, Davis's engineers abruptly cut the bridge loose and drew it up onto the shore.[4]

I have Abner Curry being discharged with his unit... June 21st, 1865

Curry Abner, e. Aug. 15, 1862, m.o. June 21, 1865. He was in company I...

http://genealogytrails.com/ill/carroll/carrollmil92.ht

Here I found this is part of the report Dated Dec. 20th 1864... It is mentioned that a sharpshooter wounded one man on the 9th so we must assume that one man was Abner Curry... I see nothing about chickens. They were there to cut the bridge loss and leave the freed slaves behind... The shooting happens most likely on the 9th...

My regiment
captured some 40 prisoners, among whom was a major and a lieutenant.
We lost in this action 3 men killed and 6 men. Until the 8th instant
nothing of moment occurred. On the 8th we had a skirmish with the
enemy without casualty. We remained in line of battle nearly all night.
On the morning of the 9th we crossed Ebenezer Creek, leaving one
battalion, under command of Capt. Becker, at the bridge to guard the
pioneers while they destroyed the bridge and blockaded the road. While
thus employed they were fired upon by the enemy's sharpshooters,
wounding one man. From the 10th to the 20th instant nothing worthy of
report occurred.

Here is the link: http://www.civilwardata.com/active/hdsquery.dll?RegimentHistory?419&U

Here I added this link because it gives a better roster list of the 92nd ....

https://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/reg_html/092_reg.html

 

[5fish]

He was part of Wilder's Lighting Brigade some say saved the day Chickaguma ...

https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-chickamauga-colonel-john-t-wilder-and-the-lightning-brigade.htm

Wilder's brigade had certainly proven itself in the Battle of Chickamauga. It had held back an entire Confederate division from crossing Chickamauga Creek on September 18, pushed back the elite Texas Brigade the following day and deflected part of James Longstreet's advancing attack on the 20th. At a cost of 125 casualties, the five regiments and their accompanying battery had been the plug in multiple holes and the catalyst of a couple of crucial counterattacks.

Snippet... Sept 19th 1863

Outnumbered nearly 2-to-1, Wilder's men kept the Southern attack in check, and the Rebels slipped into the West Viniard field ditch for cover. Robertson and Benning looked for a battery to help blast the Midwesterners, but none was found. Meanwhile, Lilly's battery rolled forward and enfiladed the Rebel-filled ditch with canister, causing it, said one gunner, to become 'full of killed and wounded.' The Confederate attack fell apart, and those who got away retreated back across the La Fayette Road. Many were captured. One Rebel prisoner queried his captors, 'What kind of guns have you got over here?…You jus' kept on shootin and shootin."

While the battle raged in the West Viniard field, the 92nd Illinois was fighting for all it was worth a short distance to the north in the Brotherton field. There, the regiment had done all in its power to stop the flight of a rattled Union brigade and slow down an onslaught of Tennessee and Texas troops. They had been only partially successful, and when they went to withdraw, the Illinoisans discovered that retreating infantrymen had made off with many of their horses.

Later that night, the 92nd rejoined their brigade on its left flank. For the second day in a row, Wilder's men had helped save the Army of the Cumberland from total disaster. On the third day of fighting, however, events out of their hands would lead to a full retreat of the entire army.

 

[5fish]

y regiment
captured some 40 prisoners, among whom was a major and a lieutenant.
We lost in this action 3 men killed and 6 men. Until the 8th instant
nothing of moment occurred. On the 8th we had a skirmish with the
enemy without casualty. We remained in line of battle nearly all night.
On the morning of the 9th we crossed Ebenezer Creek, leaving one
battalion, under command of Capt. Becker, at the bridge to guard the
pioneers while they destroyed the bridge and blockaded the road. While
thus employed they were fired upon by the enemy's sharpshooters,
wounding one man. From the 10th to the 20th instant nothing worthy of
report occurred.

A note Capt. Becker was the captain of the company I...

BECKER, Egbert Q E Captain Salem Sep 4, 1862, Mustered out June 21, 1865

https://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/reg_html/092_reg.html

 

[Taylin]

The injury looks to have occurred on the 9th as @5fish has found, here's Abner's profile on the official Illinois Secretary of State's website: https://www.ilsos.gov/isaveterans/civilMusterSearch.do?key=59051

I'll add that on a pension file Abner claims to have also been in Company B, 2nd Iowa Infantry

 

[Zella]

Glad you seem to be getting some info on him!

 

[Richard Goodwin]

The injury looks to have occurred on the 9th as @5fish has found, here's Abner's profile on the official Illinois Secretary of State's website: https://www.ilsos.gov/isaveterans/civilMusterSearch.do?key=59051

I'll add that on a pension file Abner claims to have also been in Company B, 2nd Iowa Infantry

Thank you, I have found the records that Ab was in Company B, 2nd Iowa Infantry. He was "Mustered Out by Civil Authority". Don't know that what that means.

 

[Richard Goodwin]

Thank you, I had known nothing of this.

He was part of Wilder's Lighting Brigade some say saved the day Chickaguma ...

https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-chickamauga-colonel-john-t-wilder-and-the-lightning-brigade.htm

Wilder's brigade had certainly proven itself in the Battle of Chickamauga. It had held back an entire Confederate division from crossing Chickamauga Creek on September 18, pushed back the elite Texas Brigade the following day and deflected part of James Longstreet's advancing attack on the 20th. At a cost of 125 casualties, the five regiments and their accompanying battery had been the plug in multiple holes and the catalyst of a couple of crucial counterattacks.

Snippet... Sept 19th 1863

Outnumbered nearly 2-to-1, Wilder's men kept the Southern attack in check, and the Rebels slipped into the West Viniard field ditch for cover. Robertson and Benning looked for a battery to help blast the Midwesterners, but none was found. Meanwhile, Lilly's battery rolled forward and enfiladed the Rebel-filled ditch with canister, causing it, said one gunner, to become 'full of killed and wounded.' The Confederate attack fell apart, and those who got away retreated back across the La Fayette Road. Many were captured. One Rebel prisoner queried his captors, 'What kind of guns have you got over here?…You jus' kept on shootin and shootin."

While the battle raged in the West Viniard field, the 92nd Illinois was fighting for all it was worth a short distance to the north in the Brotherton field. There, the regiment had done all in its power to stop the flight of a rattled Union brigade and slow down an onslaught of Tennessee and Texas troops. They had been only partially successful, and when they went to withdraw, the Illinoisans discovered that retreating infantrymen had made off with many of their horses.

Later that night, the 92nd rejoined their brigade on its left flank. For the second day in a row, Wilder's men had helped save the Army of the Cumberland from total disaster. On the third day of fighting, however, events out of their hands would lead to a full retreat of the entire army.

 

[5fish]

Thank you, I had known nothing of this.

There are books and much on the internet about Wilders Lighting Brigade... and their Spencer rifles... there are books out there related to the 92nd Illinois mounted infantry regiment as well...

http://howcanamandiebetter.com/the-lightning-brigade/