The Battle of Ebenezer Church was fought on April 1, 1865, in Chilton County, Alabama during the American Civil War. It was part of the Union campaign through Alabama and Georgia, known as Wilson's Raid, in the final full month of the Civil War.
Battle
Forrest had at least 1,500 and as many as 5,000 troops, but some were ill-trained Alabama State Troops. Wilson had at least 9,000 troopers of his original 13,480-man force available. Forrest had been unable to concentrate scattered Confederate forces to face Wilson's larger force, which was armed with 7-shot Spencer repeating carbines. After a brief but initially heavy engagement, the Alabama State Troops' line broke and Wilson's men drove the Confederates back toward the defenses of Selma, Alabama. Selma had an arsenal and industry that Wilson attacked and destroyed after his men again defeated the Confederate troopers at the Battle of Selma the following day. After the battle at Ebenezer Church, the Union troops burned the railroad depot at Plantersville and a cotton warehouse.Herbert, Keith S. Battle of Ebenezer Church in Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
Confederate casualties were not reported but Wilson's force captured 300 of Forrest's men and 3 artillery pieces. Wilson's command had 12 killed and 40 wounded. Forrest received a slight saber wound, which he later said would have been fatal if the Union officer, Captain James D. Taylor, had been able to strike him with the point rather than the blade. Forrest killed Taylor, the last of 33 men he killed during the war, with a pistol shot. His personal heroics in the battle came at the expense of neglecting the defense of Selma.
See also List of American Civil War battles List of battles 1801–1900 Troop engagements of the American Civil War, 1865
References Citations
Sources
External links Ebenezer Church at the Historical Marker Database