Ferries At War-Civil War

The ferry played a important part in the Civil War, for without them the war may have lasted a lot longer. I know some will say how’s that they had Steamboats, yes that’s true but they were always being shot at or running onto sand bars, then you say what about the rail road, well here again it’s true however the tracks were always being blown up, and it may have taken two or three days to rebuild the tracks, you can’t move a army very fast that way. Well they had bridges didn’t they, well of course but these too were being blown up, and what army has time to rebuild them. No it was the ferries the one, two or four man operation, that no one paid much or no notice to, no they were part of the many unsung hero’s of the war.

Note. This information will com from many battle reports and when they talked about farms, houses, ferries on so on, they hardly ever give a first name just the last. I will help the best I can by given you the State, County, a town or anything else I can so you will know this is your ancestor.

Important Note. When I first started this page I had in mind the kind of ferries that was a flat bottom boat that was carried a cross the river by men pulling ropes or by horse or mule, but I soon found this wasn’t the case. To them anything that could get a man across a river was a Ferry other then a bridge, this could be a Steamboat, a flat bottom boat, or a floating pontoon bridge. So I guess the key word here is ( Ferry. ) Many of you who are looking for a ancestor who had a ferry but you don’t know what kind should keep this in mind.

THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN.

MASON AND TURNER'S FERRY, East Bank, July 4, 1864

[General J. E. JOHNSTON:]
GENERAL: The following are the ferries and crossings between this point and Gorman's Ferry, twelve miles southwest:

Green's (private) Ferry: A mile and a half southwest of this point. Hills on the west side command the ferry; ferry not fortified or guarded, and ferry-boat still there.

Green and Howell's Ferry: Three miles southwest of this point. Ferry fortified on east side; redan with one piece of artillery, and rifle-pits for 100 or 150 men. Two companies (seventy-five men) guard the ferry. Boat on the east side river.

Howell's (old) Ferry (now disused): One mile southwest of Green and Howell's, fordable in dry weather. Ferry not fortified or guarded. No ferry-boat at this point now.

Wilson and Baker's Ferry: Three miles southwest of Green and Howell's; fortified on east side for 100 men.

Sandtown: Two miles southwest from Wilson and Baker's; fortified on east side by rifle-pits for 100 or 150 men. Ferry-boat on east side of river.

Adaholt's: Two miles southwest from Sandtown Ferry; fortified on east bank of river, with rifle-pits for 100 or 150 men.

Gorman's: Two miles southwest of Sandtown; fortified on east side, and guarded by one company.
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1. Brown's Ferry, places they talk about were : bridges at Chattanooga and Moccasin Point, the State Tennessee.

2. Armstrong Ferry road, a distance of 4 1/2 miles from Knoxville.

3. Boyd's Ferry, about 5 miles from town of Knoxville.

4. Ramsey's Ferry is about 4 miles from Knoxville.

THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN.

1. Powers' Ferry

2. Roswell ferry

3. Phillips Ferry

4. Pace's Ferry

Note. Places they were talking about were, Rottenwood Creek and Soap Creek and the bridge over the Chattahoochee.

ROCKVILLE EXPEDITION.

1.Conrad's Ferry

2. Edwards Ferry

Note. From my understanding these two ferries were up around Seneca Mills and Dawsonville.

THE GETTYSBURG CAMPAIGN.

1. Edwards Ferry.

Note. Here they talked about, the mouth of the Monocacy, Dranesville

Vicksburg.

1. Baldwin's Ferry Road

2. Hall's

Note. From Baldwin's Ferry road to Hall's Ferry is at least 8 miles; to the junction of the Warrenton and Baldwin's Ferry roads to Hall's Ferry road to Warrenton, some 2 miles nearer the ferry. They also talked about the Big Black River, and the town of Bovina.

HEADQUARTERS,
Fort Yuma, November 21, 1861.

1. Mr. Yager, had a ferry at Pilot Knob, ten miles down the river. The boats used at that point have by my orders been brought to the post, and are under my control. Mr. Yager's main ferry is still one mile below the post.

2. The main crossing of the Colorado has been heretofore done at Gonzales' Ferry, about thirty miles below this post.

3. Cooke's Old Ferry, six miles below Aldogdones.

4. Paddock's Old Ferry.

Savannah Ga.

1. Ball's Ferry

2. Jackson's Ferry

Note. These two ferries were around Milledgeville.

The Atlanta Campaign.

1. Calhoun Ferry

2. Lay's Ferry

Note. They were talking about places like, Oostenaula River and Snake Creek.

Red River Campaign.

No. 58.-Brigadier General Thomas J. Churchill, C. S. Army, commanding division, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 59.-Brigadier General James C. Tappan, C. S. Army, commanding brigade, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 60.-Lieutenant Colonel W. R. Hardy, Twenty-fourth Arkansas Infantry, commanding Nineteenth (Dawson's) and Twenty-fourth Arkansas Infantry, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 61.-Lieutenant Colonel Thomas D. Thomson, Thirty-third Arkansas Infantry, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 62.-Colonel R. G. Shaver, Thirty-eight Arkansas Infantry, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 63.-Colonel Lucien C. Gause, Thirty-second Arkansas Infantry, Commanding brigade, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 64.-Lieutenant Colonel H. G. P. Williams, Nineteenth (Dockery's) Arkansas Infantry, Dockery's brigade, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 65.-Brigadier General Mosby M. Parsons, C. S. Army, commanding division, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 66.-Brigadier General John B. Clark, jr., commanding First Brigade, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 67.-Lieutenant John O. Lockhart, Ruffner's Missouri Battery, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 68.-Colonel Simon P. Burns, Eleventh Missouri Infantry, commanding Second Brigade, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Numbers 69.-Captain A. A. Lesueur, Missouri Battery, of engagement at Jenkins' Ferry.

Note. Looks like there was a lot of fighting around Jenkins ferry If you see a report you would like to have let me and I will see that you get one and that goes for any report on this page. My address can be found in my profile.

West Virginia.

1. Miller's Ferry

2. Montgomery's Ferry

3. Bowyer's Ferry

4. Townsend's Ferry

Note. In this report they were talking about places like, Fayette road, Great Falls Creek, Cotton Hill and Gauley Bridge.

The Atlanta Campaign.

1. Lay's Ferry
2. Gideon's Ferry

Note. They talked about, Snake Creek Gap and Resaca.

Chickamauga.

1. Pinhook Ferry, near the mouth of Piney Creek.

2. Blythe's Ferry

3. Butler's ferry

4. Fletcher's Flat-boat ferry

5. Lamb's Ferry

Note. They talked about, Richland Creek, and being around Washington.

Vicksburg.

1. Birdsong Ferry

2. Bush Ferry

3. Kibby's Ferry or Cox ferry

4. Baldwin's Ferry

Note. They were talking about, Raymond, Bolton, and Brownsville and Oak Ridge.

Chickamauga.

1. Brown's Ferry

2. Ferry ferry

3. Rankin's ferry

Note. Talk was about the Duck and Elk Rivers.

Columbia.

1. Screven's Ferry, on Savannah River

2. Sister's Ferry

Note. They talked a lot about going in and around Robertsville.

Red River Campaign.

1. Pope's Ferry

2. Fulton ferry

3. Dooley's Ferry

4. Jenkins' Ferry

5. Monett's

Note. Talk was of the towns of Fulton and Lewisville, and Red River to Arkansas.

Knoxville and Lookout Mountain.

1. Rankin's Ferry

2. Kelley's Ferry

3. Gardenhire's Ferry

Note. Here there talking about steamers.

Chickamauga.

1. Blythe's Ferry

2. Harrison's Ferry

3. Nelson's Ferry

4. Thatcher's Ferry?

Note. They were talking of places like, Georgetown, Chickamauga River and the Dallas and Chattanooga road.

Morgan’s.

1. Clay's Ferry

Note. There was a lot of Clay’s ferry, and the towns of Franklin and Boonesborough and Frankfort.

Last Note. There are 300 hundred reports where the Ferries are talked about I will not go through them all, as I looked over the reports I saw most of the rest are of the same Campaigns and Expeditions, so there will be a lot of information on the ferries I have already put down. If you see a ferry you would like to know more about, you can E. Mail me and I will help you all I can, my address can be found in my profile.