In 1861, hostilities between the north and the south had begun before the Emancipation Proclamation happened two years later. Jabez joined the Confederate army. He was 34 years old at the time with several kids at home and a few more that would come while he was back and forth between home and fighting.
GEORGIA First Cavalry Battalion : This battalion consisted of four companies. The men were from the counties of Effingham, Screven, Liberty, Bulloch, Lamar, and McIntosh.
The Georgia 1st Cavalry Battalion was organized with four companies about September 27, 1861. It was consolidated with the 2nd Cavalry Battalion and designated as the 5th Cavalry Regiment on January 20, 1863 per S. O. # 20, Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
The First Battalion was organized from the First Squadron, Georgia Cavalry and other independent companies some dating from the Revolutionary war era.? The battalion was assigned to the Department of Georgia under the command of Brigadier General H. W. MERCER. The Department of Georgia was a division of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and East Florida, under Major General P. G. T. BEAUREGARD. The Battalion was commanded by Lt. Colonel Charles SPALDING. The 1st Battalion served as coastal guards, covering the area from lower South Carolina to the Altamaha River in Georgia, until early 1863.
In 1861 actual hosti1ities began, & early in the summer the Lamar Rangers had been mustered into service, & stationed at Sunbury. All volunteer companies seeing the necessity for active preparation, the Troop went into an encampment at Hester's Bluff, near Sunbury in the month of August [1861] for the purpose of drilling, & doing picket duty on the coast under the following officers, Capt Abial Winn, 1st Lieut H. L. Walthour, 2nd Lieut W. A. Fleming, 2nd Lieut Jr. G. F. Handly. In September the number of days for which the Lamar Rangers had enlisted having expired, the Troop were ordered to relieve them, & about the first of October [1861], they were mustered into the regular service for six months with pay, by Lieut Berry C.S.A.
The companies then doing duty on the coast of Liberty & McIntosh Counties were the Liberty Independent Troop, & Liberty Guards on the Liberty Coast, & the McIntosh Light Dragoons, & the Lamar Rangers, who had re-mustered under Capt Wm. Brailsford, on the McIntosh Coast.
The scheme of forming a Regiment having failed, the four companies formed a Battalion, & Lt. Col Charles Spalding took command. The Troop remained at Sunbury until the fall of Port Royal, when they were ordered to move to Riceboro, & to do their picket duty from that point, where their services could be available on short notice. ... On 20 Jan 1863, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Georgia Cavalry were organized into the 5th Georgia Cavalry, under the command of Colonel Robert H. ANDERSON. The 5th Georgia Cavalry was assigned to Major General ?Fighting Joe? WHEELER'S Cavalry Corps in June of 1864 and fought almost constantly from that time until the end of the war.
There was evidently a second unit known as the 1st Cavalry Battalion formed on 07 JAN 1865.
GEORGIA 5th Cavalry Regiment: This regiment was formed by the consolidation of the 1st and 2nd Georgia Cavalry Battalions on 20 JAN 1863. The men were from McIntosh County - 2 troops; Liberty County-2 troops; Chatham County - 2 troops; Bulloch, Lamar, Effingham, and Screven. It was surrendered at Hillsboro, Orange County, North Carolina on 26 APR 1865.
I thought this was really cool. It's a letter written by one of the soldiers in the 5th Cavalry Regiment to his sister! How neat is that? I'll include it below:
Near Chattahoochee
Company G
Fulton Co.
July 15th, 1864
Dear Sister -
- - - - - - - -Pickets don't fire at each other now. We go down to the edge of the river on our side and the Yankees come down on their side and talk to each other. The men on picket opposite are from Ohio, and seem very tired of the war. They say that their term of enlistment will be out in three months and most of them say that when it is out they are going home. Gen. Johnson has issued an order that there shall be no more communication between with them, and I think it is well that he has done so because they were getting too intimate. Some men don't know what should be concealed. The Yankees are very much in want of tobacco, and our Government gives it to us, and we used to trade tobacco with them for knives and canteens. There is a rock near the middle of the river to which they would swim and trade. After a while they got so well acquainted that some of our men would swim clear across and land among the Yankess. The Yankees were not so bold for a long time, but a few days ago they got to coming across also. That has been broken up now and if any trading is carried on, it is done contrary to orders.- - - - I took some tobacco down with me the other day but I found out when I got there communication had been stopped. As I was sitting on the banks, one of the Yankees from the other side called to me to know if I had any tobacco. I told him I had. He said that he had a good knife to trade for it. I told him that trading was prohibited. He said "Your officers won't see you, come over, I want a chew of tobacco very bad." I asked some of them who they were going to vote for President. One of them said "Old Abe" but most of them said they were for McLellan.
We have a fine rain last night that was much needed. I had my oil cloth pitched for a tent but it leaks very badly. I got rather wet but the rain was very hard and lasted only a short time, and I got dry and went back to bed and slept very well. One of the Yankee Lieutenants promised to mail some letters for one of our officers and I wrote to Aunt Martha expecting to send it at the same time but Gen. Johnson stopped the prodeeding so I did not send it. There is a force of Yankees on this side of the river and have been there for some time. Why Gen. Johnson don't drive them back I don't know he must have some object in view.
Write to me soon..
Yours truly,
(s)O.D. Chester
I wish I could find something specific on Jabez during the war, but I can't. This is about as specific as things are getting. I'm feeling very sad for Private Jabez Ryals. Everything he must have gone through during the Civil War and all they have is his name.
He did not die in the Civil War though. He lived to the ripe old age of 77 before he passed away.
