The tragedy at Ebenezer Creek remains one of the most devastating and overlooked moments of the Civil War. As Union troops advanced toward Savannah during Sherman’s March to the Sea, hundreds of freedom seekers followed behind them, believing the army represented safety and a chance at a future beyond bondage. They walked for days beside the soldiers, carrying children, bundles, and the weight of generations.
When they reached the cold waters of Ebenezer Creek, Union General Jefferson C. Davis ordered his men to cross first on a pontoon bridge. Once the troops were safely over, the bridge was pulled up without warning, leaving the refugees stranded as Confederate forces closed in. Panic spread as families realized they were trapped with nowhere to run. People leapt into the water, clinging to anything that might float, pieces of wood, clothing, each other.
Many drowned trying to reach the other side. Others were captured. A moment that should have been a step toward freedom turned into a night of terror and loss. The massacre at Ebenezer Creek exposed a harsh truth of that era… even in a war fought over slavery, the safety of Black refugees was treated as negotiable. Their trust was betrayed, their lives dismissed, and their suffering pushed to the margins of history.
And before anyone shows up with the tired “move on, this is old news, get over the past” routine, let me help you out… how about you move on? I’m from Georgia and in all my years in this state I never once heard about this. I’m learning it right alongside everyone else. This is exactly why these stories matter. History doesn’t disappear just because it makes people uncomfortable.
We deserve to know what happened on the soil we stand on.
#LataraSpeaksTruth #BlackHistory #AmericanHistory #HiddenHistory #Under2000Characters
