The Creekmore Brothers in the Civil War

Submitted by Paul L. Kines
Submitted for the Creekmore Cousins newsletter by Dewey Smith

The brothers of Samuel Andrew Jackson Creekmore that served (including Samuel Andrew Jackson Creekmore) in the Jeff Davis Legion, Co. C, Mississippi Cavalry were Thomas, David and Robert Creekmore.

Thomas Creekmore first enlisted in Co. K, 43rd MS Inf. Regt. on 3 May 1862 in Kemper Co., MS and received a medical discharge on 20 July 1862 due to being disabled on 27 Sept 1963. After recovering from his disability, he enlisted in Co. C, Jeff Davis Legion, MS Cav. at Scooba, MS and went to join his three brothers, Samuel Andrew Jackson, William David and Robert McCleveland Creekmore in VA under the command of the already famous Major General J.E.B. Stuart of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of N VA, that was under the command of General Robert E. Lee. From his service record, Thomas spent 5 months from the time he reported to his unit in VA on 18 Nov 1863 until 16 April 1864 at the Horse Infirmary Camp, obviously taking care of horses! From April, 1864 until 19 Jan 1865, the Jeff Davis Legion and Thomas J. Creekmore, Pvt., were engaged in many famous and bloody battles. On 5 May and 6 May 1864, the Wilderness Battle and on 8 through 21 May 1864, the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.

On 11 May 1864, at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, three of the Creekmore brothers , Thomas, David, and Robert were captured by Union Troops. Samuel Andrew Jackson Creekmore had been captured by Union Troops only 4 days earlier at Shady Grove, VA. They were involved in a cavalry battle with their unit and others under the command of Major General J.E.B. Stuart. The Union Cavalry was commanded by Brig. General George A. Custer and they were being defeated by the Confederates when J.E.B. Stuart was shot and the next day he died (Battle of Yellow Tavern VA). Several weeks later on 4 Jun 1864, Robert McCleveland Creekmore was captured by Union troops of the 9th Army Corps and sent to the infamous P.O.W. Camp at Elmira, N.Y. There were now only two of the four Creekmore brothers from Kemper Co., MS in Co. C, Jeff Davis Legion, MS Cav.From June, 1864 until 19 Jan 1865, when Young's Division was ordered to South Carolina, the Jeff Davis Legion saw much action, including the Battle of Cold Harbor and the Battle at Trevilian Station. Other smaller battles such as St. Mary's Church, Sappony Church and McDowell's Farm, all in VA . On 19 Jan 1865 Young's Division, which included the Jeff Davis Legion, MS Cav., was ordered to South Carolina to help defend against the Union Army of Major General Wm. T. Sherman. The Confederate Cavalry of General Young was then involved in battles near Columbia, SC on 15 Feb 1865; West's Corner's, SC on 25 Feb 1865; near Fayetteville, NC on 10 Mar 1865 and at the the South River, NC on 15 Mar 1865, where the Jeff Davis Legion apposed the river crossing.

On the 20th of March 1865 the Confederate Cavalry, including the Jeff Davis Legion and the two remaining Creekmore brothers, Thomas and Robert, attacked the Union Cavalry of Union Brig. General Judson Kilpatrick and forced them to flee close to Bentonville, NC. Two days earlier, General Wade Hampton's Confederate Cavalry, which only had 3,000 men, stopped and turned back a Union force of 20,000 men under General Slocum.

The final battle in North Carolina at Bentonville took place on 19 Mar 1865 and on 26 Apr 1865 the 44 men of Co. C, Jeff Davis Legion MS Cav. surrendered to Union forces under the command of Major General William T. Sherman.

Thomas J. and William David Creekmore returned to Kemper Co., MS after the surrender in North Carolina. Samuel Andrew Jackson Creekmore was released as prisoner of war at Ft. Delaware, Delaware on 11 Jun 1865 and returned to Kemper Co., MS on 3 July 1865.
Robert M. Creekmore was released from the P.O.W. camp at Elmira, NY and returned to Kemper Co., MS.

The fifth of the Creekmore brothers from Kemper Co., MS, all sons of Robert and Elizabeth Germany Creekmore, was James Monroe Creekmore. He was the youngest to serve and remained in the state of MS as a member of Co. F, 3rd Regiment MS Cavalry Reserves and was surrendered with his unit on 4 May1865. He also returned home to Kemper Co., MS.
All five brothers had survived the worst conflict this country had ever known and had served well. All went on to become husbands, and fathers, and outstanding men of their communities.

Civil War Information on Robert Creekmore's sons
S.A.J. Creekmore enlisted 4/25/1861 Co C, Southern Guards, Scooba Kemper Co, Ms, 8/17/1861. The unit was changed to the Jeff Davis Legion, captured 5/7/1864, oath 5/11/1865. 

5/16/1862 President Jefferson Davis gave his approval to a military draft in the Confederate States, between the age of 18 and 35 years. Thomas Jasper enlisted 5/3/1862 in 43 Co K MS Inf, discharge disability 9/19/1862. Enlisted Jeff Davis Legion 9/27/63 Scooba MS, as a replacement, surrendered Greensboro, NC, 5/65.

Robert McCleveland Creekmore enlisted in Jeff Davis Legion Co C 3/15/1862 captured 6/4/1864 ,Totopotomoy, VA, POW, Elmira, NY, released 6/11/1865.
William David Creekmore enlisted Jeff Davis Legion Co C
5/15/1862, surrendered 5/1865.

James Monroe Creekmore for some reason did not enter the military at first. He was 18 when the draft started. Did he stay home to take care of mother? They had no slaves or money to buy his way out, but on 9/2/1864 he enlisted in 2 State Troops MS Inf (30 days) then he was in 3 MS Cav Reserves Co F, paroled at Columbus MS 5/16/1865. 

The Jeff Davis Legion and other military units under the command of Gen J.E.B. Stuart engaged Gen. Custer 4 or 5 times, 7/3/1864 the Confederates captures during the recent campaign,"14 guns,1,800 prisoners,400 buggies and wagons belonging to citizens, 35 ambulances, 40 wagons, an $2,500.00 worth of silver, a number of pieces of silver plate, found in Custer's Headquarters wagon, stolen from the citizens.