HICKOX, Benjamin, was born in 1837, and died on October 30, 1920. His wife was Elizabeth Crews. Source: MSR National Archives.
Benjamin enlisted Mar 1,1862 in a company nicknamed the "Wayne Rangers" CAPT T. S. Hopkins, which later became a unit of the 4th Regiment Georgia Volunteer Cavalry. He was promoted to 3rd Corporal Dec 1863, transferred to Clinch's Artillery Company, and his last muster record shows present Sept 1864. Records show that he was "AWOL (absent without leave) on Oct 29, 1864, but was promoted to Sergeant in December, 1864.
Benjamin was captured Dec 13, 1864 at Ft. McAllister GA., and transferred to Hilton Head Feb 1, 1865. He was released at Point Lookout MD June 28, 1865.
Notes #1:. The notation of his being AWOL in late Oct 1864 followed by his promotion to SGT in Dec is an indication that this instance of AWOL was not considered a serious offense. This is reflective of the fact that many Confederate soldiers took periodic "French Leave", or Leave without authority, to attend to pressing personal business at home (Remember that most of them were yeoman farmers without slaves to carry on the laborious tasks of farming) and then returned to their units to continue their service in the cause to which they adhered at such risk to live and limb. The HICKOX family certainly fell into this category of Southerner.
Note #2: Since, according to muster records, both Benjamin and Jonathan were present with this unit during all of 1863, and up to Jonathans AWOL on Sep 16, 1864, it is probable that both were involved in all the listed actions of the unit (including, if accurate, the July 1863 attempt by the Federals to take Fort Wagner, of "Glory" fame) except, of course, the siege of Savannah and the Fort McAllister battle during which it appears that Jonathan was not present. At present, we have no information on the degree of Jonathan's participation in the war subsequent to Sep 16, 1864. Perhaps he returned from his AWOL status and served on and the records are just incomplete, or he may have been wounded, sick, or captured. Even more likely, having suffered the loss of two brothers, one not yet twenty and the other his identical twin and with whom it is expected he had been very close, and perhaps under pressure from a young wife and family at home and a farm in sore need of attention, it is also possible that he had come to see the futility and the awful cost of the struggle, and, not having been paid for six months, just went home as did so many other thousands who had fought the good fight, but were ready to accept the inevitable in late 1864 and early 1865. At any rate, he left his brother Benjamin still in the fight for Savannah and his brother Perry in Northern Virginia carrying on the struggle there until both were captured and, ironically, reunited at the Federal Prison camp at Point Lookout, MD. Thankfully, we do know that he and both his brothers Benjamin and Perry survived the war and he lived to the then ripe old age of seventy plus.