Col. William B. Creasman

Since our program this month is on the life of Col. William B. Creasman of the 29th North Carolina Troops, we thought we would continue our look at the life of the Toe River Valley’s high ranking Confederate soldiers. As you might remember, Lt. Col. Samuel Silver of the 58th NCT was our first soldier we examined.

William Burton CREASMAN was born in 1825 in North Carolina, probably in that part of Buncombe County which today is Yancey County. Creasman married 6 April 1848 Joyce Caroline WHEELER, daughter of John WHEELER and Rhoda RAY. They would have eleven children. In 1857, William Creasman was one of the men who helped retrieve Dr. Elisha Mitchell’s body off the mountain after he had fallen to his death. In June and July 1861, Creasman recruited what became known as Company B, 29th North Carolina Troops. He was elected captain on July 3, 1861. Creasman was promoted to major on June 26, 1862; lieutenant colonel, March 16, 1863; and on September 8, 1863, to colonel of the 29th North Carolina Troops. It is believed that Creasman spent a fair deal of time on courts-martial duty in Asheville in 1864. He resigned on or about December 29, 1864, for unknown reasons. Prior to the war, he was a farmer and cabinet maker. After the war, he moved to Buncombe County, where he died on July 9, 1869. His last child, Alice Burton Creasman, was not born until November of that year. Creasman is buried in the Bethel Baptist Church in Buncombe County.

One of Creasman’s great, great, grandsons will be speaking at our meeting on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, at our regular meeting. Everyone is invited to attend.