Hump Day Horror

 

Last night I learned about Ebenezer Creek, north of Savannah, Georgia.

It looks to be a lovely place to canoe, but it may be haunted as well.

It was December 1864 during the Civil War.  General William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea" campaign was in full effect, and General Jefferson C. Davis was advancing towards Savannah.  They had gained a following of freed slaves, what some considered "a growing encumbrance."

A pontoon bridge had been assembled for crossing Ebenezer Creek, and as his men made it over, General Davis ordered the ropes cut.

Over 600 freed men panicked in the waters, many drowned, and others were reached by Confederate soldiers who shot and trampled them.  Some of Davis' men did try to help and some trees were felled which allowed for some of the freedmen to create a crude raft.  Those who survived, however, were returned to slavery.

There was public outcry at the time, and in January 1865 President Lincoln approved 400,000 acres of coastal property redistributed to former slaves in 40 acre tracts.

It wasn't until 2010 that a historical marker was placed to recognize the massacre.