Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

A STANDARD HISTORY 

OF 

^ 

Georgia and Georgians 

By 

LUCIAN LAMAR KNIGHT 

ILLUSTRATED 

VOLUME I 

THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 

CHICAGO : : NEW YORK 

1917 

6933 41

COPYRIGHT 1917 

BY 

THE LEWIS PUBLISHING Co.

PREFACE 

Georgia's history has heretofore existed, at least for the reading 

public, only in detached fragments, or in meager chronological outlines. 

This statement is not intended to convey any disiparagement. The his 

tories written by McCall, Stevens, and Jones, are works of surpassing 

value and, for the periods covered, are exhaustive of detail. But these 

histories deal only with the State's Colonial and Revolutionary epochs. 

Isaac "W. Avery has made a luminous contribution to the history of the 

Civil war, dealing, however, principally with political events connected 

with the picturesque personality of Georgia's war governor. Lawton B. 

Evans has written a splendid epitome of the state's political history, 

while U. B. Phillips, of the University of Michigan, and R. P. Brooks, of 

the University of Georgia, have each treated the subject with great 

ability from economic and sociological points of view. Gen. Clement A. 

Evans, and Prof. Joseph T. Derry, have each discussed the subject in 

its military aspects. The necessity for a work, therefore, weaving 

together in one continuous narrative the complete history of Georgia has 

long been felt. It was the purpose of Col. Charles C. Jones, Jr., the 

state's greatest historian, to bring his masterful work down to the pres 

ent time, but ere his stupendous task was half finished, death sheathed 

liis shining pen forever. 

The present work is not designed to complete the unfinished task of 

Colonel J'ones. That glorious Georgian will always occupy a niche in 

the Temple of Fame peculiarly his own. This work is intended only as 

a sincere and earnest contribution to the state's political annals, to bridge 

the gaps which have heretofore existed, and to connect the more or less 

familiar story of Georgia's remote historic past with the narrative of 

recent happenings. It is to be regretted that important records no longer 

exist on M'hich to base an accurate account of the period immediately 

subsequent to the Revolution. This is due to the fact that when Georgia 

was overrun by the British, some of her most precious documents suffered 

destruction. The loss is an irreparable one, since the period in question 

was a period of beginnings, marked by organic changes. Original sources 

of information are also lacking for other periods; all of which emphasizes 

how important it is for the state to create a Department of Archives, 

in which to safeguard its immortal things. The necessity for provid 

ing quarters in which to house current volumes often relegates the 

old records to dark nooks and corners, where the agencies of decay make . 

sad havoc of priceless values. New England's dearest care for genera 

tions has been her sacred memorials. Georgia's history is not one whit 

less glorious.

PREFACE. 

In the nature of things, there are many defects and omissions in this 

work which the author herewith presents to the public, but the narrative 

of events, so far as it proceeds, is based upon documentary evidence pre 

served in the state's existing records. These include the Executive Min 

utes, kept in the governor's office, House and Senate Journals, Acts of 

the General Assembly, Letter Books, etc., in addition to which the news 

paper files of Savannah, Augusta, Milledgeville, Macon, and Atlanta 

have i>een carefully searched. The author wishes to record his especial 

indebtedness to the following writers on Georgia topics: Prof. U. B. 

Phillips, of the University of Michigan; Prof. R. P. Brooks, of the Uni 

versity of Georgia; Prof. L. B. Evans, superintendent of the Augusta 

public schools; Prof. J. R. McCain, of Agnes Scott College; Prof. Joseph 

T. Derry, of the Department of Commerce and Labor of the State of 

.Georgia; Mr. Charles Edgeworth Jones, of Augusta, and others, from all 

of whom substantial cooperation and help . have been received in the 

preparation of these pages, and to each of whom the author makes grate 

ful acknowledgment in the very forefront of this work. 

State Capitol, 

Atlanta, Ga., 

Nov. 1,1916.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

VOLUME I 

PAGE 

Section 1. The Colonial Period or Georgia under the English 

Crown, 1732-1775....................................... 1 

Section 2. The Revolutionary Period or Georgia in the Struggle 

for Independence. 1775-1783............................. 259 

Section 3. The Early Commonwealth Period or the Beginnings 

of a Great State, 1783-1802.............................. 343 

Section 4. The Period of Expansion or Georgia in the Process 

of Growth, 1802-1857.................................... 447 

VOLUME II 

Section 4. (Continued.) The Period of Expansion or Georgia in 

the Process of Growth, 1802-1857. ........................ 611 

Section 5. The Period of Division or Georgia in the Assertion 

of State Rights, 1857-1872.............................. 705 

Section 6. The Period of Rehabilitation or Georgia's Rise from 

the Ashes of War, 1872-1916............................. 853 

Appendix. Georgia Miscellanies............................. 1219 

VOLUME III 

Part 1. Georgia in the Realm of Anecdote, Wit, Humor, Epi 

sode and Incident...................................... 1271 

Part 2. Georgia in the Forum of Eloquence.................. 1481 

Part 3. Georgia in the Republic of Letters. .................. 1745 

Part 4. Georgia Songs..................................... 1767 

Part 5. Georgia, the Empire State of Today................. 1777 

iii

Abbott, Joel, 2128 

Abercrombie, Charles, 405 

Aberdeen, 97 

Academy of Richmond County, 2865 

Academies chartered, 458 

Adair, James, 34 

Adams, David 2536 

Adams, H. M. Seymour, 1880 

Adams, John S., 2678 

Adams, Samuel B., 1196, 3149 

Adams, William A., 2933 

Adamson Eight Hour Law, -1213 

Adamson, Ralph W., 2416 

Adamson, William C., 1213 

Adieu to Wesleyan, 1710 

Against Imperialism, 1739 

Against the tariff of 1833, 1732 

Agan-unitsi's search for the Uktena, 619 

Agnes Scott College, 3240 

Agricultural productions, annual, 1801 

Agricultural products 1806, 1824 

Agricultural Society of Georgia, 458 

Akerman, Amos T., 1972 

Akin, John W., 1411 

Akin, Warren, 2233 

Albany, 1803 

Albany Power & Manufacturing Com 

pany, 1835 

Albert, D. C., 3122 

Alexander, Columbus E., 2307 

Alexander, Edward P., 1748, 2264 

Alexander, Samuel, 2798 

Alfalfa, 1811 

Alford, Julius C., 580, 2493 

Allman, John I., 2519 

Allred, William C., 2218 

Almand, Alexander J., 2973 

Almand, John H., 3195 

"Almost Home:" Senator Hill's death, 

1465 

Alston, Robert C., 2964 

Altamaha, 108 

Altitudes, 1823 

Amelia Island, 115 

American Board of Commissioners for 

Foreign Missions, 558 

American Cicero, The, 1470 

Americus, 1803 

Anderson, Adam, 53 

Anderson, Clifford, 2382 

Anderson, Clifford L., 1942 

Anderson, Custis N;, 2384 

Anderson, George T., 1996 

Anderson, George W., 2463 

Anderson, Harry C., 2329 

Anderson, Henry C., 2565 

Anderson, James L., 2036 

Anderson, J. Randolph, 1598 

Anderson, Jefferson R., 2316 

Anderson, Robert H., 2002 

Andersonville Prison, 1539 

Andrew, Benjamin, 301 

Andrew, James O., 660, 662, 673, 2003 

Andrews, Eliza F., 373, 1748 

Andrews, Garnett, 1765 . 

Andrews' raid, 762 

Andrews, Walter P., 2501 

Anesthesia discoverer, 665 

Ansley Park, 653 

Anthony, Milton, 560, 2014 

Appendix, 1221 

Appling county, 1247 

Appling, Daniel, 468, 2014 

Arch*, John, 601 

Area, 1807, 1823 

Ark of the Convenant Lodged with the 

American Nation, 1725 

Arkwright, Preston S., 1946 

Armed cruiser Nashville, 767 

Arnold, Edward Z., 2601 

INDEX 

Arnold, Oliver H., Jr., 3276 

Arp's, Bill, rustic humor, 1416 

Artesian wells, 1834 

Artillery commands, 758, 759 

Ashburn, G. W., killing of, 837, 1432 

Ashford, William T., 2028 

Ashley, Claude L., 1994 

Ashley, John M., 2774 

Ashmore, Otis, 2323 

Askew, James F., 2502 

Associate Justices of the Supreme Court 

of Georgia, 1242 

Athens, 417, 1803 

Athens Railway & Electric Co., 1835 

Atkinson, Henry M., 2819 

Atkinson, Spencer R., 659 

Atkinson, William Y., 957 

Atlanta City 1783, 1802; incorporated, 

653; substituted for Marthasville, 654; 

reoccupied (Civil war), 786; mass 

meeting of 1868, 836; merchants, 1801 

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, 1799 

Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank (No. 6), 

1146 

Atlanta Rolling Mill and the Citizens 

Bank, 890 

Augusta 1781, 1803; captured, 294, 304; 

flrst mayor, 524 

Augusta Canal, 1789, 1835 

Augusta Cotton Factory, 1784 

Austell, Alfred, 3040 

Austell, Franchina C., 3042 

Austin, William H., 1998 

Author of Memorial Day, 823 

Avary, Robert L., 3233 

Avery, Isaac W., 1765, 2030 

Avery, John G., 125 

Ayers, Jeremiah S., 2785 

Baber, Ambrose, 516 

Bacon, Augustus O., 401, 870, 882, 911, 

1741, 3141; death of, 1136 

Bacon county, 317, 1136, 1247 

Bacon, L. Howard, 2537 

Bacon, Samuel, 175 

Bagwell, George N., 2401 

Bailey, David J., 1958 

Bailey, William A., 2426 

Baird, James B., 2420 

Baker, Benjamin, 175 

Baker county, 317, 532, 1247 

Baker, James O., 2319 

Baker, John, 272, 499 

Baker, Thomas H.. 2177 

Baker, William B., 1940 

Baldwin, Abraham, 335, 350, 355, 359, 

360, 450, 3210 

Baldwin county. 450, 1247 

Bale, John W., 2689 

Baltimore Convention, 728 

Bancroft, George, 15 

Bank clearings, 1783 

Bank of Augusta, 457 

Bank of the State of Georgia, 810 

Banks, 1798 

Banks county, 1247 

Banks, Richard, 1964 

Banks, W. W., 2943 

Baptist church, 428 

Barker, Homer L., 3052 

Barksdale, R. O., 3136 

Barlow, Francis C., 1614 

Barnard, John, 173 

Barnett, Edward H., 2147 

Barnett, J. M., 3026 

Barnett, Nathan C., 963 

Barnett, Samuel, 2554 

Barnett, Stephen T., 2148 

Barnett, William, 1972 

Barnsley Gardens: Lost Arcadia, 1286

VI INDEX 

Barrett, Charles S., 3027 

Barrett, Charlton, 2433 

Barron, Joseph R., 2187 

Barrow county, 1136, 1248 

Barrow, Craig, 2818 

Barrow, David C., 1137, 1967 

Bartlett, Charles L., 3028 

Barton, L. E., 2439 

Bartow county, 765, 1248 

Bartow, Francis S., 765, 1733, 1965 

Bass, W. C, 1985 

Battey Family Tree, 2929 

Battey, Whatley, 2929 

Battle of Atlanta, 781 

Battle of Chattanooga, 769 

Battle of Chickamaug-a, 771 

Battle of Jack's Creek, 341 

Battle of Kettle Creek, 288 

Battle of New Orleans, 469 

Battle of Ring-gold, 771 

Baynes, Eugene M., 3318 

Beall, James, 2423 

Beaton, Scott T., 3066 

Beaver, Sandy, 2624 

Beavers, James L., 2022 

Beck, Marcus W.. 3034 

Beckwith, John W., 970 

Bedford, Arthur, 53 

Bees, 1817 

Belitha Tything, 84 

Belitha, William, 53 

Bell, Addison K., 2731 

Bell, Charles G., 3322 

Bell, George L., 2131 

Bell. Hiram P., 1735, 2020; repartee of, 

1405 

Bell, Madison, 3131 

Bell, Payton 13., 2995 

Bell, Walter J., 2669 

Bellingra-th, Albert F., 1948 

Bellville factory, 1784 

Beman, Carlisle P., 458, 1409, 2021 

Beman. Nathan, 458 

Ben Hill county, 1056 

Bennett, John W., 2707 

Bennett, Jesse C., 2269 

Bennett, W. H., 2920 

Benning, Henry L., 698, 718, 736, 2030 

Benson. Katherine B., 645 

Bernard, Guy T.. 3110 

Bernard. Hugh R., 3108 

Berrie, William H., 2851 

Berrien county, 703, 1248 

Berrien Family, 3267 

Berrien, John M., 272, 534, 550, 568, 571, 

572, 664, 681, 703, 3261; The American 

Cicero, 1470; "Stand Back, It Is Not 

Lawful to Enter Here," 1560 

Berry, Claudius F., 2580 

Berry, Edward J., 2718 

Berry, Martha, 1032, 1034 

Berry School, 1032, 1034 

Bethany, 92 

Bethesda, 126; first organized American 

charity, 126 

"Bill Arp," 1416, 1761 

Bibb county, 526, 1248 

Bibb, William W., 473. 3262 

Bigham, Eugenia, 1748 

Big-ham, Madge A., 1748 

Bigham, Robert W., 1748 

Big Warrior, 477, 530, 536 

Bimetallic Convention, 991 

Bimetallism, 999 

Birdsong-, Henry H., 2136 

Birkbeck, Alexander W., 2406 

Birth of Atla.nta, 1783 

Bishop, Henry R., 1296 

Bissell, Alexander, 372 

Black, Alfred H., 2134 

Black, Edward J., 2048 

Black, George R., 2048 

Black, J. C. C, 1723; on the Life and 

Character of Ben.iamin H. Hill, 1585 

Blackman, Wave W., 2600 

Blacks of the Georgia Assembly, 841, 

844 

Blackshear, Archibald. 3275 

Blackshear, David, 2363 

Blaine, James G., 916 

Blake, Henry H., 2304 

Blakely, Benjamin R., 2374 

Blandford, Mark, 1419 

Blandford, Mark H., 2313 

Blankenbaker, L. H., 318 

Bleckley county, 1248 

Bleckley, Logan E., 945, 951, 979, 1072, 

1748, 3238; as a wit, 1399; "Letter to 

Posterity,"' 1400; Alphabet, 1404 

Blessing, Joseph, 259 

Bloody Marsh, 159; where Spain lost a 

continent, 158 

Bloomfleld, Patrick J., 2976 

Blount, James H., 3034 

Blount, John A., 3100 

Blue Ridge Circuit, 696 

Bochard, Benjamin, 3119 

Bogg-s, William R., 2145 

Boifeuillet, John T., 1735 

Boland, Frank K., 2443 

Bonaventure, 252 

Bonaventure (view), 253 

Bond, Claude, 2418 

Bonner, Thomas B., 2153 

Borders, E. Darden, 3091 

Borgrlum, Gutzon, 1201 

Bosomworth, Thomas, 170, 177 

Bottlers and brewers, 1792 

Boudinot, Elias, 104. 574, 601, 606, 1293 

Bouhan, John J., 2229 

Bourne, Vernon C., 2810 

Bowen, Eliza, 288 

Bowen, Oliver, 270, 276, 3210 

Bowen's Grave Slab, Commodore Oliver 

(view), 276 

Boyd, Charles, 3236 

Boyd, William H., 3149 

Boyer, Mirabeau H., 3175 

Boykin, Buford F., 2748 

Boynton, James S., 911, 1932 

Boys' Corn Clubs, 1808 

Bradfleld, Joseph H., 2061 

Bradley, James W., 2094 

Branch gold mint, Dahloneg-a, 562, 564 

Brandon, Green H., 2075 

Brandon, Morris, 1961 

Branham, Joel, 1386, 2919 

Brannen, Dentley W., 3058 

Branson, Eugene C., 3045 

Brantley, John Q., 1913 

Bvantley, William G., Sr., 2277 

Brantley, William G, Jr., 2280 

Brawner, James N., 2014 

Breckinridg-e, John C., 791 

Brenau College, 2424 

Brewer, Joseph C., 2750 

Brewster, Patrick H:, 2557 

Brewton, Henry J., 3207 

Brewton, William H., 2807 

Briggs, Isaac, 352, 367 

Brinson, William C., 2698 

Brittain, Marion L, 2155 

Broach, James F., 2040 

Brodie, John, 92 

Brooks county, 1248 

Brooks, R. P., 5, 677 

Brotherton, Frank M., 1923 

Brotherton, Melvina P., 2035 

Brotherton, Harold P., 2721 

Brotherton, William H., 2034 

Brown, Caroline Lewis Gordon, 1074 

Brown, David, 601 

Brown, Edward T., 2971 

Brown, George, 2597 

Brown, James E., 2505 

Brown, Joseph E., 691, 708, 712, 715, 730, 

738, 745, 750, 765, 772, 789, 801, 819, 

827, 838, 850, 864, 904, 912, 933, 959, 

1463, 1654; death of, 989; Eulogy on 

Alexander H. Stephens, 1556 

Brown, Joseph E. (portrait), 711 

Brown, Joseph M., 7, 411, 639, 1071, 1077, 

1088, 1090, 1098, 1105, 1110, 1118, 1119, 

1123, 1150, 1450, 1749, 1876 

Brown, L. C., 2276 

Brown, Mrs. L. L., 595 

Brown, Nathan, 353 

Brown, Paul F., 2043 

Brown, Thomas, 293 

Brown, Thomas N., 2930 

"Brown? Who is Joe." 1347 

Brown, William M., 749 

Browne, William H., 1765 

Browne, William M., 2272 

Brownson, Nathan, 238, 306, 335, 358, 398 

Broyles, Arnold, 2159 

Broyles, Nash R., 1154, 1850 

Bruce, Henry, 158 

Brumby, Thomas M., 1023, 1024, 1449; 

raises the American flag at Manila, 

1449 

Brunner, William F., 2234 

Brunswick, 9S3, 1781, 1802, 1803 

Brunswick Canal Company, 1782 

Bryan county, 401, 1248 

Bryan, Goode, 2280 

Bryan, Jonathan, 270, 301, 306, 401 

Bryan, Joseph, 453, 2492 

Bryan, Mary E., 1749 

Bryan, Shepard, 2139 

Bryan, William F,, 2588

Bryan, William J., 974, 1094, 1290; how 

he secured his nomination in 1896, 

1290; cross of gold, 1291 

Bryson, R. M., 3240 

Bulletins of the Geological Survey of 

Georgia, 1836 

Bulloch, Archibald, 251, 261, 268, 270, 

281,' 306, 328, 335, 2827 

Bulloch county, 1248 

Bulloch Hall, 1053, 1058 

Bulloch homestead, birthplace of Roose 

velt's mother, 1034 

Bulloch, Mary; Roosevelt's mother, 1032 

Bulloch, William B., 2364 

Bullock bonds frauds, 860 

Bullock, James D., 749, 1032 

Bullock legislative scandals, 845 

Bullock legislature, 839. 848 

Bullock, Rufus B.. 8S9, 844, 860 

Bundy, Richard, 53, 57 

Bunkley, Jesse, 1449 

Bunkley trial, famous, 1448 

Bunn, Harvey C., 2894 

Burial Place of Governor Geor.ge M. 

Troup (view), 702 

Burial Place of Tomo-Chi-Chi (view), 

140 

Burke, Aedanus, 328 

Burke county, 1249 

Burkhalter, J. K., 3008 

Burnet, Duncan, 3034 

Burnett, Julian M., 2816 

Burns memorial cottage, 1115 

Burns Memorial Cottage (view), 1114 

Burnside, Thomas E., 518, 519 

Burnt village, 623 

Burroughs, Remer H., 2695 

Burroughs, William B., 8265 

Bnrruss, John C., 2197 

Burton, John, 53 

Burtz, Albert H., 2679 

Busbee, J. M., 2940 

Busby, Hugh R., 2409 

Busby, James C., 2408 

Bussey, Arthur S., 3255 

Butler, David E., 2069 

Butler, George P., 2865 

Butler, John C., 593 

Butt, Archibald W., 1119, 3137; a hero 

of the Titanic, 1456 

Butt, John C., 3086 

Butt Memorial Bridge, Augusta, 1457 

Butt, Noah B., 3086 

Butt, William, 2687 

Butts county, 532, 1249 

Butts, Eustace C., 3138 

Butts, Samuel, 467, 470, 2375 

Cabaniss, Elbridge G., 2265 

Cabot, John, 7 

Cadet battalion, 776 

Caldwell, Arthur B., 3187 

Caldwell, J. H., 3181 

Calhoun, Abner W., 2674 

Calhoun, Andrew B., 2673 

Calhoun, Andrew B., 3264 

Calhoun county, 698, 1249 

Calhoun, James M., 2290 

Calhoun, John C., 562, 568 

Calhoun, Louise P., 2676 

Calhoun, Lowndes, 2290 

Calhoun, Patrick, 1358 

Calhoun Town, 531 

Calhoun, William L., 2290 

Callaway, Eugene C., 1966 

Callaway, Francis E., 2809 

Callaway, Frank E., 2902 

Callaway, James, 1794 

Calloway, Robert L., 2647 

Calvert, William, 65, 81 

Camden county, 1249 

Cameron, Joseph K., 2656 

Cameron. Maurice A., 3183 

Camp, Joseph B., 2415 

Camp, Lindley W., 2526 

Camp Northern, 975. 1008 

Campbell, Archibald, 286 

Campbell county, 1249 

Campbell, Puncan G., 531, 535, 549, 555, 

2059 

Campbell, John A., 749 

Campbell, John B., 3002 

Campbell, T. M., 2857 

Candler, Alien D., 924, 1011, 1028, 1137, 

1749, 3238; death of, 1101; fight for a 

blanket, 1408 

Candler, Asa G., 1143, 3151 

Candler, Charles M., 1853 

Candler, C. Murphey, 1070 

C 

INDEX VII 

Candler county, 1136, 1249 

Candler, John S., 1843 

Candler-Overstreet Bill, 1070 

Candler, Warren A.. 644, 1013, 1750, 3231 

Candler, William, 2059 

Cane syrup, 1811 

Cann. George T., 3303 

Canning Club Girls, 1821 

Cannon, Richard, 80 

Canton Volunteers, 689 

Capers, Francis W., 2069 

Capers, William, 662 

Carithers, James Y., 2604 

Carnegie Mansion (view), 489 

Games, Thomas P., 360, 508; anecdote 

of, 1386 

Carpenter, George, 53, 57 

Carpenter Tything, 83 

Carpet-baggers, 812 

Carroll county, 548, 1249 

Carson, Marcus F., 2004 

Carswell, Henry J., 2648 

Carswell, John D., 2845 

Carswell, Reuben W., 2073 

Carter, J. F., 2366 

Carter, Walter C., 1852 

Cartledge, Samuel, 427 

Cass county, 567 

Cass, Lewis, 567 

Castell, Robert, 47 

Catholic Church, 428 

Catogan, George, 173 

Catoosa county, 698, 1249 

Causey, Thomas "W., 2237 

Causton, Thomas, 80. 100, 134 

Cavalry regiments, 759 

Celtic Cross, Marking the Site of Old 

Fort Augusta (view), 112 

Central of Georgia Power Company, 

1790 

Central of Georgia Railway Company, 

1067 

Central Railroad and Canal Company 

of Georgia, 649 

Central Railroad Company. 1782 

Chambers, James F. A., 2862 

Chandler, Richard, 57 

Chapman, John T., 3274 

Chapman, "William A., 2238 

Chappel, Absalom H., 71, 342, 402, 1765, 

2072 

Chappell, J. Harris, 295, 958 

Charlton county, 698, 1249 

Charlton, Margaret, 324 

Charlton, Robert M., 309. 1915 

Charlton, Walter G., 3055; Oglethorpe, 

1598 

Charter of the Colony, 1221 

Charters, W. A., 3215 

Chatham Academy, 129, 329 

Chatham Artillery, 336 

Chatham county, 1250 

Chattahoochee circuit, 549 

Chattahoochee county, 698, 1250 

Chattanooga, Battle of, 769 

Chattanooga railroad terminal, 1101 

Chattooga county, 656. 1250 

Chehaw village, 485, 486 

Chenault home, Washington, 794 

Cheney, James H., 3293 

Cherokee alphabet, 596, 599 

Cherokee county, 567, 1250 

Cherokee Georgia, 554, 564 

Cherokee Indian missionaries convicted, 

559 

Cherokee judicial circuit, 567 

Cherokee lands divided into counties, 

488; divided into new counties, 567; 

surveyed, 567 

Cherokee Phoenix, 600, 601 

Cherokee, removal of 1838, 603 

Cherokee Rose, 614 

Cherokees, 32, 35. 39. 240. 337, 530, 554, 

574, 575, 576, 581, 584, 603 

Chiaha, 24 

Chickamauga and Chattanooga Military 

Park, 995 

Chickamauga National Park, 995 

Chief Justices of Georgia, 1242; 

Georgia's early. 328 

Child labor act, 1058 

Chisholm, Thomas, 301 

Chivers, Thomas H., 1750 

Choctaws, 39 

Christ church, parish of, 234 

Christ church, Savannah, 76, 420 

Christie, Thomas, 65, 81 

Christmas. Robert, 353 

Church, Alonzo, 2659 

Churches, 420 

Circuit judges, 1789-98, 410

Vlll INDEX 

Civil Rig-hts Act declared unconstitu 

tional, 932 

Civil war 2'eg-iments, 755, 756, 757 

Claims of the university, 1741 

Clark-Crawford duels, 505 

Clark, General, 540 

Clark, John, 505, 507, 522, 533 

Clark, John W., 2274 

Clark, Richard H., 2083 

Clark, Walter A., 679 

Clarke county, 415, 1250 

Clarke, Elijah, 271, 290, 292, 293, 327, 

338, 341, 379, 383, 404, 415 

Clarke, E. Y., 1765 

Clarke, John, 341 

Clarke, John T., 2322 

Clarke, Richard H., 31 

Clarke, William H., 119 

Claxton, Edward B., 3222 

Clay, Alexander S., 3248 

Clay county, 698, 1250 

Clay, Joseph, 269, 275, 335 

Clayton, Augustin S., 556, 3009 

Clayton county, 698, 1250 

Clayton, Philip, 749 

Clayton, Robert M., 2551 

Clements, J., 338 

Clements, Judson C., 3045 

Cleveland, Grover, 948, 952 

Cleveland, Henry, 1765 

Cleveland, Lloyd, 1997 

Cleveland, Thomas J., 2541 

Clinch county, 694, 1250 

Clinch, Duncan L., 694, 3018 

Cloud, Hawes, 3155 

Clymer, George, 340 

Coastal Plain Region, 1810 

Cobb, Andrew J., 2385 

Cobb county, 567, 1250 

Cobb, Herschel P., 2792 

Cobb, Howell, 404, 733, 837, 1872 

Cobb, Howell (elder), 2501 

Cobb, Howell (portrait), 696 

Cobb, John, 402 

Cobb, John A., 3252 

Cobb, Thomas K. R., 731, 1765, 2083; 

in advocacy of secession, 1482; Bush 

Arbor Speech, 1523 

Cobb, Thomas R. R. (portrait), 732 

Cobb, Thomas W.. 526, 550, 567, 2381 

Coburn, William S., 3046 

Cochran, Arthur E., 703, 2915 

Cochrane, James, 133 

Code Duello, 496, 505, 513, 620 

Cody, William B.. 2124 

Coffee county, 698, 1250 

Coffee, John, 2096 

Coker, Newton J., 2215 

Colding, Robert L., 2842 

Coleman, Elnathan W., 2213 

Coleman, John, 301 

Coleraine, 340, 475 

Coleraine treaty, 356, 475 

Coles, Joseph, 80 

Colley, Frank H., 2796 

Colonial Commerce, 1780 

Collins, Byron, R., 3320 

Colonial defense against Spaniards, 132 

Colonial Slave Laws, 226 

Colonial slavery, 742 

Colony of Georgia, 45, 73 

Colquitt, Alfred H., 691, 881, 889, 891. 

892, 901, 910, 983, 2667; the hero of 

Olustee, 1424 

Colquitt, Alfred H. (portrait), 881 

Colquitt county, 703, 1251 

Colquitt, O. B., 595 

Colquitt, Walter T., 549, 663, 703, 983, 

2665; "Paint Another Star on the 

Flag for Texas," 1561 

Colquitt, Walter T., Jr., 2666 

Columbia county, 360, 1251 

Columbus, 1803 

Columbus Guards, 688 

Columbus Memorial Association, 822, 

823 

Columbus Power Co., 1835 

Commissioner of Pensions, 1077 

Compromise of 1820, 525 

Compromise of 1850, 693, 695 

Compulsory education bill, 1203 

Cone, Francis H., 1353, 2758 

Cone, Peter, 722 

Cone, W. H., 2347 

Confederate iron clads, 766, 767 

Confederate powder works, 765 

Confederate Provisional Congress, 746 

Confederate reunion, 1015 

Confederate Soldiers' Home, 1029, 1030 

Confederate soldiers' indigent pension, 

Confederate state senators, 1240 

Confederate treasure raided, 795 

Confederate Woman, The, 1742 

Confederate Women's Monument, 110. 

Congregationalism, 424 

Congressional districts, 550; first, 359 

Congressmen, Georgia's first, 355- 

Conkling, Roscoe, 1336 

Connally, Elijah L., 1999 

Connerat. William S., 2304 

Connor, William H., 2841 

Connor, W. O., 2575 

Constitutional Convention of 1798, 406 

Constitutional Union Convention, 728 

Constitution of 1777, 300 

Continental Congress, delegates to, 1233 

Convict lease system, 866, 1001, 1004, 

1084, 1085 

Conway, William B., 2448 

Conyers, Christopher B., 2824 

Coogler, Sidney, J., 2199 

Cook, Grover C., 2419 

Cook, Hamlin C., 2663 

Cook, Philip, 2059 

Cook, William S., 3048 

Cook, Zadock, 2509 

Cooley, Pemberton, 3184 

Cooper, Anthony A., 217 

Cooper, Basil, 270 

Cooper, Harriet C., 158 

Cooper Iron Works, 1785 

Cooper, Lawrence J., 3007 

Cooper, Mark A., 1785, 2097 

Copeland, Carl B., 2295 

Copeland, James J., 2092 

Copp, Jonathan, 119 

Coram, Thomas, 53 

Corn Club Boys, 1821 

Cornett, Walter G., 2240 

Cornog, William W., 2523 

Corn production, 1808 

Corry, Mary, 985 

Cotton, 1810 

Cotton and Cotton Seed, 1634, 1806 

Cotton acreage, 1807 

Cotton Exports, 1780 

Cotton Gin. 1780; where invented, 335; 

history, 372 

Cotton groods, 1787 

Cotton mills, 1783 

Cotton prices, 1808 

Cotton production, 1808 

Cotton Seed fertilizer, 1794 

Cotton Seed oil mills, 1791, 1794 

Cotton Seed products, 1787 

Cotton States and International Expo 

sition, 992 

Cotton trade (1830), 560 

Couper, James H., 1921 

Couper, John, 295 

Counties increased to 145, 1048 

County Statistics, 1247 

Cowart, Alton B., 2623 

Coweta county, 548, 1251 

Coweta Town, 139, 143 

Cox, Albert H., 1729. 2349 

Cox, William S., 3312 

Cox, Willis S., 3028 

Cradle of Emory College (view), 642 

Cradle of Liberty in Georgia, 277 

Cradle of Methodism (Savannah), 123 

Crawford-Burnside duel, 518 

Crawford, Claud B., 2740 

Cra-wford county, 626, 532, 1251 

Crawford, Elmer J., 2558 

Crawford, George W., 518, 691, 736, 1929 

Crawford Guards, 688 

Crawford, Joel, 571, 2120 

Crawford, Martin J., 2109 

Crawford, Nathaniel M., 2110 

Crawford. Thomas H., 2321 

Crawford, William H., 501, 505, 506, 522, 

533, 534, 541, 1300, 2121; how he 

missed the Presidency, 1301 

Crawley, Jerome, 2735 

Crawley, J. Lee, 2734 

Creek Indian lands divided into coun 

ties, 548 

Creek Indian 9Utbreak (1813), 464, 467 

Creek lands divided into new counties, 

526 

Creeks, 35, 39, 239, 337, 461, 476, 541, 576 

Crews, Charles C., 2281 

Crisler, Benjamin F., 2212 

Crisp, Charles F., 870, 924, 969, 999, 

3141; death of, 1000; Why He Was 

Not an Actor, 1475. 

Crisp,. Charles R., 1479, 3054 

Crisp county, 1050; 1251 

Crockett, M. J., 3000

Cromer, James D., 2054 

Crossley, Carl F.,.2562 

Crovatt, A. J., 2806 

Crum, D. A. R., 2941 

Crumle.y, William M., 1930 

Culberson, Hubert L., 2158 

Culver, Charles S., 2956 

Cumberland Island, 115, 1805 

Cuming, Alexander, 13 

Gumming', Alfred, 2129 

Gumming William, 515 

Cunningham, Henry C., 3134 

Currie, Malcolm L., 2241 

Curry, Jabez L. M., 404; and King- 

Alphonso,- 1411 

Curtis, George A., 2454 

Cuthbert, Alfred, 238, 572, 1882 

Cuthbert, John A., 238, 2135 

Cutifachiqui, 21 

Cutrig-ht Manufacturing" Company, 1784 

D 

Dabney, Austin, 307, 1441 

Dade county, 656, 1251 

Dag-g, John L,. 2313 

Dahloneg-a, 561, 562, 563 

Dairy Industry, 1816 

Daley, Alexander F., 2982 

Daley, Walter R., 1904 

Dang-erfleld, Clinton, 1774 

Daniel, Anna W., 2466 

Daniel, George T., 2482 

Daniel,' John B., 2055 

Daniel, Kobert T.. 1744, 2463 

Dargan, Milton, 1962 

Darien, 107, 401, 1781, 1802 

Dart, Francis W., 2875 

Davant, Richard J., 2370 

Davenport, Daniel F., 3088 

Daves, Vergil C., 2965 

Davidson, Ja.mes, 3139 

Davidson, William T., 3200 

Davies, Myrick, 306 

Davis captured, 787, 796 

Davis, Dorsey T., 2849 

Davis, Duke, 2511 

Davis, Early, 3142 

Davis, Edward C., 2469 

Davis, James R., 2672 

Davis, Jefferson, 941, 952, 959, 1712, 

1717; arrest, 1274 

Davis, Jenkin. 353 

Davis, John B., 2245 

Davis, John C., 2986 

Dawson, A. H. H., 1323 

Dawson, Alexander, 2927 

Dawson county, 716, 1251 

Dawson, William C., 658, 669, 2375 

Day, W. T., 2219 

de Ayllon, Vasquez, 8 

Dean, H. H., 2531 

Dean, Linton A., 3262 

Dearborn, Henry, 452 

DeBrahm, William, 179 

Decatur county, 532, 1251 

Deese, J. T., 3167 

Dekalb county, 526, 1251 

Dekle, Grover C., 3019 

De Lamar, James, 3135 

Delegates to the Charleston Conven 

tion, 722 

Delegates to Constitutional Conven 

tion of 1738, 407 

Delegates to Louisville Convention, 403 

de Leon, Ponce, 7, 14, 15 

Demere, Raymond, 285 

Dempsey, Charles, 116 

Dempsey, J. Coleman, 2758 

Department of Commerce and Labor, 

1111 . . . 

Department of Game and Fish, 1111 

DeRenne, George W. J., 71 

Derry, Joseph F., 773 

Derry, Joseph T., 745, 761, 766, 1747, 

1750, 1773, 2135 

De Soto, Hernando, 7, 14; lands at 

Tampa Bay, 17; march, 19, 23; and the 

Indian widow, 627 

Dessau's, Washington, Dramatic Adieu, 

1413 

Developed Water Powers of Georgia, 

1835 

Dickey, James E., 3054 

Dig-by, Edward, 53, 57 

Digby Tything-, 83 

Disfranchisement Bill, 1075 

District Agricultural Schools, 1057, 

1071 

Dixon, James A., 3018 

INDEX 

Dobbs, E. O., 2276 

Dodge Millions, Story of the, 1431 

Dodge county, 1252 

Dodge, William E., 1431 

Dodson, R. C., 3011 

Dodson, William A., 3298 

Doles, George P., 2271 

Donaldson, Henry R., 2015 

Donalson, John E., 2389 

Donelson, Fort, 761 

Dooly county, 1252 

Dooly, John,.272, 404 

Dooly, John M., 404, 2381 

Dooly, Old Judge, of Lincoln, 1302; an 

ecdotes of, 1304; pen-picture of, 1309 

Dooly, Thom'as, 272 

Dorchester colonists, 175 

Dorsey, Hugh M., 1122, 1208, 1211, 1214 

Dorsey, Joseph H., 2297 

Dorsev, Rufus T., 2045 

Dorsey, Sarah M., 2047 

Dorsey, William F., 2377 

Douglas county, 1252 

Douglass, David, 173 

Dougherty county, 698, 1252 

Dougherty, Charles. 573, 657, 2146 

Doughty, William H., 3137 

Downey, James H., 2474 

Downing, Columbia, 2883 

Doyle, Alexander, 974 

Dozier, Thomas H., 3265 

Drake, Roswell H., 2158 

Drane, William A., 3082 

Drayton, Stephen, 270 

DuBose, Dudley M., 2332 

Duel, last fought in the South, 1358 

Dumas, William T., 1771 

Dungeness: Carnegie Mansion (views), 

489 

Dunlap, Samuel C., 2478 

Dunn, Marshall W., 2287 

Dunn, William E., 2043 

Dunson, J. E., 2302 

Dunson, Otis A., 2390 

Dupree, Elijah F., 2127 

Dupree, Perry K., 2688 

Durham, Alexander F., 2768 

Durham, Lindsay, 2158 

Dykes, William F., 2020 

Eagle and Phoenix Mills, 1785, 1835 

Earliest political subdivisions, 1232 

Earl of Shaftsbury, 57 

Early A.tlanta Factories, 1785 

Early Augusta factories, 1784 

Early commercial ports, 1781 

Early county, 532. 1252 

Early, Eleazer, 471 

Early gold-mining in Georgia, 563 

Early, Joel, -471 

Early Macon factories, 1785 

Early, Peter, 466, 471, 2166 . 

Early silk culture, 1779 

Eatonton, 647 

Eatonton Railroad Convention, 647 

Ebenezer, 94, 96, 98 

Ebenezer Creek, 97 

Ebenezer in the Revolution, 309 

Echols county, 1252 

Echols, Robert M., 2421 

Edwards, Charles G., 2366 

Edwards, Grover C., 2584 

Edwards, Marion C:, 3279 

Efflngham county, 1252 

Elbert, 288 

Elbert county. 360. 361, 1252 

Elbert, Samuel, 269, 270. 332, 3216 

Electric Light Plants, 1792 

Elholm, A. C. G., 308 

Ellington, Edward, 119 

Elliott, Eulogy of Bishop, 1720 

Elliott, John, 238. 353. 487. 534, 2166 

Elliott, Stephen, 77, 660, 1944 

Ellis, Henry. 230. 232, 234, 235 239 

Ellis, Robert C., 3214 . 

Ellis, Samuel F.. 3102 

Ellis, William D.. 2897 

Ellison. John G., 2994 

Emancipated blacks, 810 

Emanuel county, 1252 

Emanuel. David, 272 

Emory College. 641; Presidents, 643 

Emory, John, 641 

Emorv University, 1145 

"Empire State of the South." 1782 

Enchanted Island, 626 

Enchanted Mountain, 621 

English, Isaac B., 2173 . 

E

Episcopacy, 420, 660 

Erskine, John, 2305 

Erwin, Mary Ann Cobb, 1264 

Erwin, Howell C., 2567 

Erwin, W. S., 2482 

Eskridge, Frank L., 3138 . 

Espy, Oscar J., 2113 

Evans, Beverly D., 3061 

Evans, Clement A., 1137, 1750, 2323 

Evans county, 1136, 1253 

Evans, James H., 2845 

Evans, Lawton B., 12, 393,.433, 676, 1751, 

2174 

Eve, Hinton J., 2379 

Eve, William P., 2949 

Everhart, Edgar, 1893 

Everett, James A.» 646 

Everett, Robert W., 3090 

Ewen, William, 173, 269, 270, 306 

Exchange of Civil War Prisoners, 1544, 

1549 

Exley, Howard T., 2272 

Eyles, Francis, 53, 57 

Eyles Tything, 84 

Ezell, Evan B., 3299 

Ezzard, Webster P., 2256 

F 

Fain, William L., 2149 

Pain, William P., 2130 

Fair, Zora: A Heroine of the Civil 

War, 1426 

Paircloth, William, 3143 

Fall of Atlanta, 782 

Pamous duelling: ground, 503 

Fannin Avengers, 688 

Fannin county, 698 

Fannin, James W., 588 

Fanning, Samuel D., 2760 

Farm capitalization, 1801 

Farmer, John L., 2326 

Farmer, Louis R., 3059 

Farmers' Alliance, 966, 968, 969 

Farmers' Co-operative Demonstration 

"Work, 1821 

Farmers' Institutes, 959 

Farms, individual, 1818 

Fatalities among- Federal and Confed 

erate Prisoners, 1542 

Paver, L. D., 3138 

Fayette county, 1253 

Pelder, Thomas B., 2503 

Felder, Thomas S., 1069 

Pelder-Williams Disfranchisement Bill, 

1069 

Felton, Rebecca Ann Latimer, 1751, 

2101 

Felton, William H., 959, 1405, 2098 

Pelton, William Hamilton, 2183 

Fertilizers, 1787, 1791 

Few, Benjamin, 272, 360 

Few, Ignatius A., 272, 643, 2190 

Few, James, 360 

Pew, William, 301 

Field, John W., 3106 

Fielder, Herbert, 1765 

Fifteenth Amendment ratified, 848 

Finch, W. R., 2867 

"Fing-al" (steamship), 752, 767 

First American "woman's college, 644 

First Confederate armed cruiser, 764 

First Constitutional Convention of 

Georgia, 300 

First General Assembly at Milledgeville, 

454 

First Georgia cotton mill, 1783 

First Georgia railroads, 1782 

First Georgia Regulars, 753 

First Independent Battalion of Georgia, 

747 

First lighthouse, 92. 

First long railroad in the world, 1782 

First Manassas, 748 

First Monument to Confederate Women 

(view), 1104 

First North American Indian periodical, 

600 

First Regiment of Georgia Volunteers, 

747 

First state house at Louisville, 399 

First State Railroad Commission, 899 

First superior court judges, 900 

Fish, 1805 ' 

Fish, William H., 1841 

Fite, Augustus W., 2829 

Plash, Harry L., 1751 

Fleming, Albert, 2655 

Fleming, Thomas F., 3219 

Fleming, William, 393 

INDEX 

Fleming, William H., 2762; Slavery and 

the Race Problem in the South, 1657 

Flinn, Richard O., 1987 

Florence, Adial S., 2876 

Florence, William S., 2880 

Florida discovered by de Leon, 16 

Florida purchase, 48 * 

Flour and grist mills, 1792 

Floyd county, 567, 1253 

Floyd, Prank F., 2350 

Floyd, John, 464, 467, 514, 567 

Polks, Frank C., 2737 

Ford, Arthur, 301 

Pord, Edward B., 119 

Ford, L. L., 3024 

Poreign commerce, 1801 

Forest timbers, 1823 

Former Home of Dr. Crawford W. Long 

in Athens, (view) 666 

Formwalt, Moses W., 6B3 

Forney, Daniel M., 523 

Forsyth county, 567, 1253 

Porsyth, John, 423, 487, 516, 567, 572, 

684, 1732, 1951; diplomat, 1468 

Port Augusta, 112, 116, 307 

Fort Cornwallis, 305 

Fort Prederiea, 113, 160 

Fort Hawkins, 464, 467, 469, 478 

Fort Jackson, 477, 785 

Port Mims, 464 

Fort Morris, 1439; last to' lower the 

Colonial flag, 297 

Fort Mountain, 14 

Fort Pulaski, 736, 747, 751, 762 ' 

Fort St. Simon, 115 

Fort William, 115 

Foster, Albert, 2191 

Foster, Nathaniel G., 2199 

Poster, Sheppard W., 2009 

Foster, Thomas F., 2199 

-Pouche, Jonas, 436 

Fountain, William H., 3156 

Fourteen! h Federal amendment adopt 

ed, 818 

Fowler, C. Lewis, 2301 , 

Francis, William, 173 

Frank, Leo M., case, 1121, 1165, 1171, 

1180; lynched, 1188; mob endangers 

Governor Slaton, 1165, 1169 

Franklin, Alonzo L., 2366 

Franklin, Benjamin, 417 

Franklin College, 417, 452, 493 

Franklin county, 1253 

Praser, J. L., 3186 . 

Fraser, Joseph B., 2756 

Frazer, Charles, 412 

Frazer, James, 174 

Frederica, 93, 114, 115, 147, 165 

Frederica co'unty, 164 

Frederick, Thomas, 67 

Frederick Tything, 82 

Free coinage of silver, 996 

Preedman's Bureau, 814 

Freedom upon the high seas, 460 

Freeman, David B., 2186 

Freeman, James M., 2522 

Freeman, John, 341 

Freeman, Robert W., 2642 

Freeman's Code of Laws, 816 

Free silver, 1026 

Freight rates, 1804 

French, Daniel Chester, 1598 

Prink, Samuel, 119 

Frizzelle, B. M., 2354 

"From Greenland's Icy Mountains," 

1445 

From the Fiery Furnace to the Sena 

torial Toga, 1463 

Fruit Industries, 1814- 

Fruits, 1806 

Fullbright, Henry J., 2966 

Fuller, William A., 2787 

Fullilove, H. M., 2571 

Fulton county, 698, 1253 

Pulton, John, 301 

Punkhouser, William L., 2067 

Fuqua, Henry C., 1794 

Purse, James, 2328 

Fussel, J. G., 3215 

G 

Gaines, E. P., 481 

Gaines, Prank H., 3240 

Gainesville Railway & Power Co., 1835 

Gale, Alvin D., 3129 

Gallatin, Albert, 18 

Galphin, George, 242 

Galphinton, 241 

Gait, William, 2727-

Gamble, John B., 2538 

Gamble, Roger L., 2208 

Game, 1805 

Gammon, Langdon B., 2109 

Gammon, William M., 2107 

Garden truck, 1812 

Gardner, William M., 2306, 

Garfleld assassinated, 916 

Garland, Francis X., 694 

Garlington, Samuel P., 2Y43 

Garmaney, Robert S., 2118 

Garrett, George A., 2201 

Gartrell, Lucius J., 1325, 2341 

Gas plants, 1792 

"Gate City, The": When this sobriquet 

was first used, 1429 

Geiger, Judson B., 2902 

George, Walter F., 3095 

"Georgia" (song), 1775 

Georgia, 345, 1242; Youngest English 

colony, 4; original domain, 26; char 

ter, 53; charter expires, 177; first se 

cession convention, 261, 274; .commis 

sions the first warship; 275; Reign of 

Terror, 292; as fixed by Paris 

treaty, 325; capitals, 399; gold dis 

coveries, 556, 561; laws codified, 718; 

slaveholders and slaves (1860), 744; 

commands at Chattanooga, 768; 

soldier dead (1863), 772; opposes 

Fourteenth Federal Amendment, 818; 

ratifies Fourteenth Amendment, 829, 

836; again under military rule, 844; 

redemption from carpet-bag rule, 

855; finances, 995, 1028; first prison 

board, 1004; in the Spanish-Amer 

ican war, 1006, 1007; free school 

system, 1112; industries as affected 

by the European war, 1162; first 

woman editor, 1264; welcomes La 

fayette, 1732; in the Republic of 

Letters, 1747; commerce and manu 

factures, 1779; harbors, 1787; manu 

factures (1915), 1790; public roads, 

1796; fourth in agriculture, 1806 

Georgia Baptist Association, 458 

Georgia Board of Entomology, 1820 

Georgia cavalry, 759 

Georgia Chamber of Commerce, 1788 

Georgia Code of 1882, 914 

Georgia Code of 1895, 981 

Georgia Colonels, how originated, 1418 

Georgia Company, 390 

Georgia Cracker, 432 

Georgia Experiment Station, 949, 1821 

Georgia Female College, 645 

Georgia-Florida boundary settled, 247 

Georgia Fruit Exchange, 1813 

Georgia Gazette, 328, 353, 357 

Georgia Historical Society, 657 

Georgia Infantry (Civil War), 752 

Georgia (Henry R. Jackson), 1711 

"Georgia Land," 1768 

Georgia Legion, 754 

Georgia Light Infantry, 688 

Georgia Manufacturing Company, 1784 

Georgia Medical College, 560 

"Georgia Mine," 1768 

Georgia-Mississippi Company, X90 

Georgia's Modern Prometheus, 1376 

Georgia's Monument at Chickamauga, 

1722 

Georgia's New Capitol Building, 1735 

Georgia Norman and Industrial Col 

lege, 957 

Georgia of Today, 1737 

Georgia Pacific Railway, 552 

Georgia Power Company, 1790 

Georgia Railroad, 1782 

Georgia Railroad Company, 648 

Georgia Railway and Power Co., 1790, 

1835 

"Georgia School Song," 1772 

Georgia School of Technology, 934, 939 

Georgia Secession Convention, 736, 747 

Georgia State Board of Education, 864 

Georgia State flag, 1242 

Georgia State Gazette, 349 

Georgia State Monument at Chicka 

mauga Park, 1021 

Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of 

America, 161 

Georgia Songs, 1767 

Georgia Training School for Girls, 1135 

Georgia Tories, 292 

Georgia trustees, (personnel of) 204 

Georgians in Statuary Hall, Washing 

ton, D. C., 899 

Georgia's sesqui-centennial, 925 

Georgia's signers of the Declaration of 

Independence, 274, 279 

INDEX XI 

General Amnesty Bill, 1534 

Gentry, William T., 3011 

Gettysburg, 1614; Gordon's description, 

1614; responsibility for loss of, 1689 

Gewinner, John 1C, 1969 

Gibbons, Thomas, 502 

Gibbons, William, 269, 270, 275, 335 

Gibbs, Willis B., 3147 

Gibson, Isaac A., 2233 

Giffen, Newton, 1281 

Gilbert, Thomas, 648 

Gilbert, William L., 2024 

Gilmer county, 567, 1253 

Gilmer, George R., 551, 565, 567, 569, 

580, 656, 1310, 1383, 1765, 2216 

Gilleland's, John, Double-Barrel Can 

non, 1446 

Giles, Enoch J., 2859 

Girardeau, John B., 270 

Girardey, Victor J. B., 2341 

Glascock county, 716, 1254 

Glascock, Thomas, 272, 2216 

Glascock, William, 272 

Glen, John, 269, 328 

Glenn, G. R., 1383 

Glenn, George G., 2084 

Glenn, Robert M. W., 2117 

Glover, John A., 2251 

Glynn county, 1254 

Gober, George F., 3213 

Goetchius, Henry R., 1714 

Going Snake, 607 

Gold Discoveries, 556, 561 

Gold, Harriet: Romance of New Echota. 

1293 

Goliad Massacre, 591, 592 

Golucke, Alvin'G., 3005 

Golucke, R. W., 2815 

Gomez, Stephen, 8 

Good Night, Great Chief, 1743 

Good roads movement, 1795 

Goodyear, Charles P., 2837 

Gordon, A. J., 3130 

Gordon county, 694, 1254 

Gordon Equestrian Statue (view), 1043 

Gordon, George A., 2772 

Gordon, John B., 667, 786, 872, 944, 945 

966, 969, 1072, 1737, 1751, 1850; The 

Hero of Appomatox, 1422; The Last 

Days of the Confederacy, 1611 

Gordon, John B. (protrait), 943 

Gordon Monument in Savannah (view), 

650 

Gordon monument unveiled, 1073 

Gordon, William W., 651, 694, 2233 

Gorman, John Berry, 1752' 

German, John Berry, Jr., 1752 

Gorman, Ossian D., 1751 

Goshen, 92 

Goss, Isham H., 3288 

Governors, 1240 

Gower, Orien T., 2947 

Gould, William T., 2224 

Goulding, B. L., 1445 

Goulding, Francis R., 679, 1445, 1752 

Grady county, 1050, 1254 

Grady, Henry W., 933, 941, 946, 947, 

948, 1356, 1361, 1362, 1608, 1719, 1720, 

1725, 1730, 1752, 1853; death of, 960; 

Wit and Humor, 1365; "The New 

South," 1579; New England speech, 

1579; introduction of Jefferson Davis 

1717; The South's Peerless Orator 

(Patterson), 1720; Commencement 

Address at Athens, 1729 

Grady, Henry W., (protrait) 961 

Grady monument unveiled, 974 

Grady Monument, Atlanta (view), 1367 

Grady's, Henry W., Boyhood Home 

(view), 1364 

Graham, John M., 2303 

Graham, Patrick, 222 

Grain crops, 1806 

Grant, Isaac, 2749 

Grant, James, 246 

Grant, John T., 29?0 

Grant, Lemuel P., 1995 

Grant, Thomas, 426 

Grant, U. S., 936 

Grant, William D., 2981 

Grantland, Seaton, 2596 

Graves, C. W., 2922 

Graves, John T., 1095, 1725, 1753, 2870; 

Eulogy of Henry W. Gradv, 1608; 

The Daughter of Dixie the Preserver 

of the Faith, 1723 

"Gray, Edmund, 227 

Gray, James R., 1925 

Grayson, William L., 2339

Great seal of the state, 1139 

Great Thoughts Immortal, 1735 

Gredig-, W. G., 2670 

Gregory, T. H., 3124 

Green, Elisha B., 2210 

Green, Garnett A., 2790 

Green, Mrs. T. M., 290 

Green, Walter G., 2804 

Greene, Alfred B., 2636 \ 

Greene county, 334, 532, 1254 

Greene, Edgar G., 2944 

Greene estate 335 

Greene, Marion B., 2637 

Greene, Nathanael, 319, 332, 333, 336, 

3166; remains, discovered, 1030; re 

mains, re-interred, 1039 

Greensboro, 416, 637 

Griffeth, Francis E., 2559 

Griffeth Implement Co., 2559 . 

Griffin, Charles H., 2431 

Griffin, Claude, 2508 

Griffin, David E., 2924 

Griffin, William C., 2101 

Griffin, William 3., 2185 

Griffis, William D., 2904 

Griggs, James M,. 2955; Dixie Needs no 

"Welcome Home, 1695 

Griner, Oliver C., 3194 

Gross, Pierce E., 2729 

Growth of State, industries 1850-1910. 

1786 

Grubbs, Clifford, 3003 

Gunpowder for Bunker Hill, 275 

Gunn, James, 355, 405, 3166 

Gunn, Robert R., 2788 

Gwinnett, Button, 178, 271, 274, 282, 306, 

335, 497, 3167 

Gwinnett county, 317, 1254 

Gwinnett-Mclntosh duel, 497 

Gwyn, Charles R., 2132 

H 

Habersham county, 1254 

Habersham, James, 127, 128, 129, 172, 

222, 269, 3174 

Habersham, John, 326, 335, 338, 3174 

Habersham, Joseph, 269, 270, 273, 276, 

276, 355, 3174 

Habersham, Richard W., 663, 2355 

Hales, Stephen, 57, 216 

Hall, Boiling, 2455 

Hall county, 317, 1254 

Hall, Hewlett A., 2224 

Hall, Henry M., 2402 

Hall, James G., 1920 

Hall, Dyman, 178, 238, 252, 270, 274, 327, 

335, 3158 

Hamby, Walter B., 1954 

Hamilton, Charles, 2191 

Hamilton, Harper, 2459 

Hammond, Denis F., 703 

Hammond, Lev! P., 2181 

Hammond, Nathaniel J., 1419, 1732, 1865 

Hammond, Samuel, 3180 

Hammond, William R., 19Y3 

Hancock county, 401, 532, 1254 

Hancock, John, 401 

Hancock, Joseph M., 2999 

Hancock, William J.. 3258 

Hand, Judson L,., 3180 

Handley, George, 353, 358 

Hanna, Mark, Home of 1288 

Hanson, John P., 2948 

Haralson county, 703, 1255 

Haralson, Hugh A., 703, 1224, 2241 

Hardee, Charles S., 2310 

Hardee, William J., 2757 

Hardeman, Robert N., 2578 

Harden, B. J., 1765 

Harden, Edward, 585 

Harden, Mary, 585 

Hardman, Lamartine G., 3180 

Hardwiek, 401 

Hardwick, Thomas W., 1167, 3061 

Hardy, C. S., 2709 

Harman, Henry E., 1753, 2062 

Harris, Alexander N., 1173 

Harris, Charles, 2241 

Harris, Corra W., 361, 438, 1753 

Harris county, 551, 1255 

Harris, Francis, 172, 173, 222 

Harris, Francis H., 270, 2355 

Harris, Joel Chandler, 679, 811, 1141, 

1421, 1753, 3142 

Harris, Joseph T., 3097 

Harris, Nathaniel E., 934, 1154, 1172, 

1173, 1175, 1177, 1190, 1197, 1207, 

3072; Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, 

1655 

Harris, Raymond V., 2316 

INDEX 

Harris, Robert H., 2019 

Harris, William J., 3279 

Harris, Young L. G., 2290 

Harrison, Benjamin, 973 

Harrison convention of 1840, 658 

Harrison, George P., 2299 

Harrison, George P. Jr., 2299 

Harrison, Isabelle, 324 

Hart, Benjamin, 295 

Hart county, 698, 1255 

Hart Ebenezer J., 3085

Hobbs, Arthur G., 1868 

Hobby, William M., 2586 

Hodges, L. W., 3033 

Hodges, Richard, 79 

Hodges, William C., 2895 

Holcombe, Henry, 3186 . 

Holden, Horace M., 2681 

Holland, Robert M., 1881 

Holland, Roger, 53, 57 

Holland Tything, 84 

Holley, M. C. Butler, 2296 

Holliday, J. Carl, 2564 

Holmes, Oliver W., 667 

Holt, Hines, 2406 

Holton, Quitman, 2780 

Holzendorf, William, 301 

"Home, Sweet Home," 1294 

Hooper, John W., 567 

Hopewell treaty, 554 

Hopkey, Sophia C., 124, 1444 

Hopkins Code, 1100 

Hopkins, John H., 3308 

Hop-o-eth-le-yo-ho-lo, 539 

Horton, James R., 2926 

Horton, Ozey E., 2953 

Horton, William, 164. 169 

House, Lucius A., 2071 

Houston county, 1255 

Houston, David F., 1146 

Houston, Patrick, 173 

Houston. William, 335 

pouscoun, John, 251, 268, 270, 306, 328, 

335, 361, 3186 

Howard, Charles W., 1445 

Howard, Mary, 1445 

Howard, William M., 3083 

Howard, William S., 3072 

Howe, William, 157 

Howell, Caleb, 353 

Howell, Clark, 1755, 1897; Our Reunited 

Country, 1697 

Howell, Evan P., 1421, 2414 

Howley, Richard. 238, 306, 328, 335, 3192 

Hoyt, Wade C., 2175 

Hubner, Charles W., 1755, 3083 

Hucks, 216 

Hucks, Robert, 63, 57 

Hucks Tything-, 84 

Huff, William A;, 3217 

Huggins, Harvey T., 2400 

Hugg-ins, Mary E., 2401 

Hughes, Dudley M., 2414 

Hughes, Joseph, 65, 81 

Hughlett, Aretas M., 3259, 

Hull, Hope, 2422 

Hull, James M., 2811 

Humane slave holders, 673 

Humphries, Joseph W., 1755 

Hunter, Francis B., 2348 

Huntington, Countess of, 128 

Hunnicutt, Calvin W., 1969 

Hunnicutt, George F., 2813 

Hunnicutt, Joseph E., 1971 

Hurt, John W., 2608 

Hussey, Simeon I., 2360 

Hutcheson, John B., 3115 

Hutchins, W. J., 2848 

Hutton, John A., 2985 

Illustrations, Og-lethorpe monument, 48; 

Ruins of Fort Wymberley on the Isle 

of Hope, 70; Celtic Cross, Marking 

the Site of Old Fort Augusta, 112; 

Old St. Pauls', 118; Wesley Oak, 122; 

Burial place of Tomo Chi-Chi, 140; 

Ruins of Fort Frederica, 160; Old 

Midway Church, 176; Bonaventure, 

253; Commodore Oliver Bowen's 

Grave Slab, 276; Historic Shrines in 

Midway Church Yard, 315; Monu- 1 

ment to Gen. Nathanael Greene in 

Savannah, 320; The Pulaski Monu 

ment in Savannah, 322; The Jasper 

Monument, Savannah, 323; Ruins of 

an Old Barn near Washington Where 

one of the Earliest Cotton Gins was 

installed, 375; Burning the Yazoo 

Act, 393; James Jackson, 394; Joseph 

Rucker, 438; Home of Joseph Rucker, 

440; The Old Capitol at Milledgeville, 

455; Dungreness, Carnegie Mansion, 

489; Mount Pleasant, Old Home of 

Gov. Talbot, 495; Remnant of Gov. 

Troup's Old Home Place, "Valdosta," 

528; Varner House, 538; The Owens 

Home in Savannah, 543; John Ross, 

575; Mirabeau B. Lamar, 589; Se- 

quoya, 597; the Cherokee alphabet, 

INDEX xui 

599; Nachoochee, 610; Cradle of 

Emory College, 642; Gordon Monu 

ment in Savannah, 650; Former Home 

of Dr. Crawford W. Long in Athens, 

666; Joseph Henry Lumpkin, 685; 

Howell Cobb, 696; The Mitchell 

House, 701; Burial Place of Gov. 

George M. Troup, 702; Joseph E. 

Brown, 711; Judge Linton Stephens, 

721; Thomas R. R. Cobb, 732; Alex 

ander H. Stephens, 747; Gen. James 

Longstreet, 770; Tablet to Gen. 

Leonidas Polk, 778; The old Heard 

House, 792; Where President Dayis 

was arrested, 797; Benjamin H. Hill, 

821; Alfred H. Colquitt, 881; John B. 

Gordon. 943; Henry W. Grady, 961; 

L. Q. C. Lamar, 982; Tablet on the 

Greene Monument, 1031; Log Cabin 

Berry School, 1033; Gordon Eques 

trian Statue, 1043; First Monument 

to Confederate Women, 1104; Burns 

Memorial Cottage, 1114; Uncle Remus 

Memorial Home, 1138; Myrtle Hill 

Cemetery, 1140; Oglethorpe Univer 

sity, 1144; Old Home of Robert 

Toombs, 1313; Liberty Hall, 1327; 

Boyhood Home of Henry Grady, 1364; 

Grady Monument, 1367; George F. 

Pierce, 1392; Immortality, 1726; Im 

mortality of Love, 1728 

Improved farm lands, 1800 

Independent Presbyterian Church, 231 

Independent Presbyterian Church, Sa 

vannah, 421 

Indian baseball, 34 

Indian characteristics, 36 

Indian legends, 611 

Indians, 36 

Industrial capital, 1793 

Industrial products, 1793 

Industries, growth of state, 1850-1910, 

1786 

In Florida by the sea, 1738 

Ingram, Porter, 2423 

Inman, Frank M., 1967 

Inman, Samuel M., 1846 

Inman, Walker P., 3192 

International Cotton Exposition of 

1881, 914 

Irvin, I. Tucker Jr., 2767 

Irving, Theodore, 18 

Irwin county, 532, 1255 

Irwin, David, 718, 2442 

Irwin, Isaiah T., 722 

Irwin, James R., 2998 

Irwin, -Jared, 338, 393 

Isbell, Jesse E. D., 2516 

Iseman, Everette, 2834 

Island of Bimini, 16 

Iverson, Alfred, 2442 

Iverson, Alfred Sr., 2676 

Jack, James, 2466 

Jackson, Andrew, 465, 468, 469, 477, 482, 

486, 488 

Jackson, Charles T., 669 

Jackson county, 404, 1255 

Jackson, Henry, 1300 

Jackson, Henry R., 925, 1711, 1720, 1755, 

1772, 2850 

Jackson, James, 339, 355, 359, 3002 

Jackson. James, 273, 395, 405, 414, 452, 

499, 522, 3193 

Jackson, James (portrait), 394 

Jackson, James U., 3094 

Jackson, John K., 2432 

Jackson, Joseph W., 2676 

Jackson, Oliver N., 2521 

Jackson, Robert G., 3054 

Jackson, Robert R., 2049 

Jackson, William H., 1446 

Jackson's Georgia trail, 483 

Jackson Oak: A property owner, 1446 

Jacobs, Thornwell, 1145, 2529 

James, James F., 2247 

James, Thomas T., 3032 

Jamestown Exposition. 1058 

Janes, Thomas P., 1876 

.Tardine, John P., 2784 

Jarriel, John G., 3196 

Jasper county, 551, 1255 

Jasper Monument, Savannah, (view) 

323 

Jasper Greens, 688 

Jasper Spring-, 324 

Jasper, William, 323 

Jeff Davis county, 1050, 1255 

Jeffieries, Harriet G., 299

XIV 

Jeffries, Thomas H., 1924 

Jefferson, 404 

Jefferson county, 404, 1256 

Jekyll Island, 93 

Jekyll, Joseph, 93 

Jekyll Tything, 82 

Jelks, N. A., 3178 

Jenkins, Charles J., 693, 698, 697, 806, 

810, 819, 830, 857, 858, 859, 884, 930, 

1455, 1894 

Jencks, Ebenezer, 1782 

Jenkins county, 1050, 1256 

Jenkins, W. Frank, 3077 

Jenkins, William F., 3076 

Jester, William R., 2610 

Jews in the Revolution, 311 

Johns, George A., 2169 

Johnson, Alfred P., 2216 

Johnson, Benjamin F., 2286 

Johnson county, 1256 

Johnson, Edwin F., 2053 

Johnson, George E., 2962 

Johnson, Gustav H., 2312 

Johnson, Harry, 2174 

Johnson, Herschel V., 698, 820, 880, 883, 

1454, 2716 

Johnson, James, 804, 807 

Johnson, James A., 3094 

Johnson, Julius C., 2854 

Johnson, Preston B., 3249 

Johnson Square, 79 

Johnson, William M., 2472 

Johnson's presidential policy, 799, 808, 

817, 822 

Johnston, G. S., 2993 

Johnston, Joseph E., 971 

Johnston, Joshua P., 2123 

'Johnston, Richard M., 638, 1756, 1765, 

2859 

Johnston, William P., 1276 

Johnstone, Launcelot, 1795 

Johnston's Army of the West, 1713 

Jones, Charles C., 6, 31, 1756 

Jones, Charles C. Jr., 95, 309, 1570, 2858 

Jones, Charles E., 284, 303 

Jones, Clayton, 3198 

Jones county, 454, 1256 

Jones, Dathan, 2471 

Jones, David R., 2994 

Jones, Edward A., 2684 > 

.Tones, Enoch C., 2793 

Jones, Frank B., 2826 

Jones, Garland M., 3286 

Jones, Harrison, 1913 

Jones, Henry S., 2699 

Jones, James, 405, 445, 2682 

Jones, James G., 2937 

Jones, John, 238, 301, 499, 680, 2574 

Jones, John A., 1964 

Jones, John H., 2167 

Jones, Noble W., 69, 71, 80, 172, 174, 222, 

251, 264, 265, 268, 269, 270, 275, 801, 

328, 335, 3199 

Jones, Richard H., 2483 

Jones, Robert H., 2029 

Jones, Sam: Georgia's Prince of Evan 

gelists, 1420 

Jones, Samuel P., 2977 

Jones, Seaborn, 355, 359, 405, 2625 

Jones, Sidney J., 3030 

Jones, Thomas, 134 

Jones, W. O., 2168 

Jones, William F., 2544 

Jones, Winfleld P., 2017 

Jordan, George G., 3093 

Jordan, John R., 2912 

Joseph Brown Whitehead Memorial 

Hospital, 935 

Joseph-Town, 91 

Julian, George W., 2891 

K 

Kalbfleisch, Edwin G., 2789 

Kansas-Nebraska Bill, 699 

Keiley, Benjamin J., 428 

Kell, Hendley V., 2002 

Kell, John M., 1.756, 2895 

Keiley, Charles H., 2839 

Keiley, Giles F., 2270 

Keiley, John I., 2270 

Kelly, James F., 3219 

Kenan, Augustus H., 2915 

Kendal, Robert, 57 

Kendrick, William S., 1S55 

Kenesaw Rangers, 688 

Kent, John L., 2753 

Kern, Frank P., 2074 

Kieffer, Albert B., 3282 

Kieffer, Theobald, 173 

Killet, Alexander, 222 

INDEX 

Kimball House, Atlanta, 931 

Kinoaid, William J., 2089 

King-, Andrew R., 2497 

King-, Clyde L., 3316 

King, Hilary R., 2202 

King-, John, 338, 355, 405 

King, John P., 572, 580, 653, 2851 

King, J. Cheston, 2489 

King, Thomas B., «55, 663, 2682 

Kiokee Baptist Church, 428 

Kollock, Henry, 231 

Knight, Arthur M., 2706 

Knight, Charles D., 2032 

Knig-ht, Lucian L., 568, 1121, 1757, 3324; 

"Lee's Old War Horse," 1679 

Krauss, Daniel W., 3020 

Kriegshaber, Victor H.. 3043 

Kuhl, A. A., 2685 

Ku Klux Klan, 832 

Kurtz, Wilber G., 1427 

L'Apostre, Henry 57, 214 

La Coste, Marie, 1765 

Ladies Memorial Association, Colum 

bus, 824 

La Fayette's visit to Georgia 542 

Lamar, Albert R.. 736 

Lamar's Digest, 981 

Lamar Family, 981 

Lamar, Henry G., 2500 

Lamar, Joseph R., 361, 438, 1048, 1094, 

1399, 3200; death of, 1200 

Lamar, Lucius M., 933 

Lamar, L. Q. C., 402, 933, 982, 3137; 

his picturesque personality, 1330; fa 

mous reply to Hoar, 1334; tilt with 

Conkling-, 1336; last hours, 1339; 

, eulogy on Charles Sumner, 1563 

-x Lamar, Mirabeau B., 404, 588, 589; 

names, how originated, 1338; recol 

lections of, 1340 

Lamback, George 5\, 2268 

Lambdin, William W., 1159, 2621 

Land of Memories, 1714 

Landrum, Leonidas M., 2160 

Landrum, William W., 3093 

Lane, C. C., 3031 

Lane, Paul P., 3017 

Lane, R, Y., 2655 

Langworthy, Edward, 335 

Lanham, Henderson L., 2170 

Lankford, George W., 2864 

Lankford, W. C., 2692 

Lanier, Fred T., 2721 

Lanier, Sidney, 917, 1707, 1757, 2794 

Largest Sea Island Cotton Market in 

the World, 1803 

Laroche, 216 

Laroche, John, 53, 57 

LaRoche Tything-, 84 

Larsen, William W., 3015 

Lasseter, Wade H., 3035 

Last Confederate cabinet meeting-, 787, 

791 

Last duel fought in the South, 520 

Last order of the Confederate Govern 

ment, 793 

Latimer, William C., 1939 

Laudonnier, 10 

Laurens county, 454, 1256 

Laurens, John, 455 

Law, William E., 238 

Lawson, Frank, 2722 » 

Lawson, Hugh, 398 

Lawson, H. F., 3174 

Lawson, W. W., 1154 

Lawton, Alexander R., 71, 321, 749, 912, 

933, 935, 2432; death of, 1003 

Layton, Thomas S., 2755 

Le Conte, Joseph, 1396, 1765 

Le Conte, John, 1765 

Le Conte, William, 269 

Le Conte Pear: Its origin, 1397 

Le Contes, John, 1396 

Lederer, Johannes, 12 

Lee and Davis, 1711 

Lee, Charles, 272 

Lee county, 548, 1256 

Lee, David J., 1916 

Lee, Fitzhugh, 1006, 1007 

Lee, Gordon, 3093 

Lee, Harry, 272, 488 

Lee, James W., 124, 425, 1444 

Lee, Jesse B., 3296 

Lee, "Lierht-Horse Harry," 490. 851 

"Lee's Old War Horse" (Knig-ht), 1679 

Lee. Robert E., 851 

Legislative history during- the Revolu 

tion, 301

Lester, George N., 2881 

Lester, Richard M., 2325 

Lewis, David W., 2895 

Lewis, Elijah B., 2978 

Lewis, Henry T., 1013; nominating- 

William J. Bryan for President, 1631 

Lewis, James B., 2753 

Lewis, J. Hamilton, 2969 

Lewis, K. R., 3120 

Lewis, Miles W., 3140 

Lexington, 401 

Liberty county, 317, 1256 

Liberty Hall (view), 1327 

Liberty Independent Troop 336 

Liddell, Joseph A., 3253 

Light and Power Plants. 1803 

"Light-Horse Harry" Lee, 861 

Limerick, Lord Viscount, 57 

Lincoln's assassination, 788 

Lincoln county, 404, 1256 

Lindsey, John W., 1857 

Lingo, William B., 3306 

Lipscomb, A. A., 1765 

Little, Archibald A., 2258 

Little, George, 875 

"Little Giffen of Tennessee," 1279 

Little, Henry H., 3161 

Little, John D., 1952 

Little Prince, 477 

Little, William, 227, 230 

Little, W. A., 2751 

Live-stock Industry, 1815 

Lively, Mark M., 2349 

Livingston, Leonidas F., 2935 

Lochrane, Osborne A., 2780; "Stand by 

Your State, Young Georgians," 1568 

Log Cabin of Berry School (view), 1033 

Lokey, George W., 2257 

Lombe, Thomas, 58 

Lone Star flag born in Georgia, 592 

Long-, Crawford W., 404, 665, 66S, 670, 

671, 899, 2584 

Long, Nicholas, 2474 

Long, Stephen H., 651 

Longley, Francis M., 2514 

Long-street, Augustus B., 643, 1386, 1757 

2653 

Longstreet, James, 770, 931, 942, 1679 

1684, 1758, 1887; experiments with the 

steamboat, 367: his school-days at 

West Point, 1389, 1390 

Longstreet, William, 367, 371, 1781; 

pioneer steamboat, 1781 

Lott, Joel J., 3125 

Louisville, 451 

Louisville. Chattanooga and St. Louis 

Railroad, 1200 

Louisville constitutional convention. 

403 

Love, Peter E., 2474 

Lover's Leap, 614 

Lovett, William R., 2602 

Lowe., Charles W., 3310 

Lowell of the South (Augusta), 1790 

Lowndes county, 532, 1256 

Lowrey, George, 531, 555, 607 

Lowrey, Mrs. John S., 484, 485 

Loyless, Donald A., 2300 

Loyless, Thomas W., 1190, 2724 

Lumber Industry, 1791 

Lumpkin county, 567, 1256 

Lumpkin, Edwin K., 3285 

Lumpkin, Henry. 535. 537, 684 

Lumpkin, John 'H., 3009 

Lumpkin, Joseph H., 640, 685, 714, 718 

834, 1145. 2669 

Lumpkin, Hon. Joseph H., 1048, 1729 

1739, 1947; death of, 1211: "Watchman 

What of the Night," 1701 

Lumpkin, Martha, 653, 654 

Lumpkin, Samuel, 969 

Lumpkin, 2669 Wilson, 566, 567, 571 ' 652 664 

Lusitania tragedy, 1162 

Lutheran Church, 424 

Lyle, W. C., 2783 

Macaulay. Hugh A., 2923 

MacDonell, Alexander H., 2563 

Macon, 478, 644, 1803 , 

Macon Circuit, 696 

Macon Cotton Factory, 1785 

Ma,con county, 1257 

Macon Guards, 688 

Macon, Nathaniel, 478 

Mackintosh, John, 173 

Maclntyre, Archibald T., 3157 

Maclntyre. Daniel I., 3153 

Mackay, Hugh, 107, 113, 115, 134 

M 

INDEX xv 

MacPherson, John, 534 

Maddox, James W., 2434 

Maddox, John W., 2445 

Maddox, Robert F., 1862 

Maddox, Robert Foster, 1863 

Maddox, Samuel P., 3256 

Madison county, 1257 

Magridge, Francis, 80 

Mahaffey, J. A. B., 2590 

Maleom, James E., 2591 

Man "who married the Thunderer's 

sister, 629 

Mangum, Calvin W.. 2161 

Mangum, William W., 3296 

Mann, James T., 3208 

Mann, William E., 2249 

Mannheim, Israel, 3177 

Manning, Lawrence, 3250 

Marbury, Horatio, 395, 501 

Marietta, 652, 1450 

Marietta's Little Brass Cannon, 1451 

Marion county, 551, 1257 

Market Bureau, 1819 

Marsh Edwin W., 2903 

Marshall, Daniel, 426, 427, 428; arrest 

while planting the Baptist standard 

in Georgia, 1453 

Marshall, John, 397 

Marshall, Stewart A., 2188 

Marshall, Thomas O., 3176 

Marthasville, 654, 1783 

Martin, John, 270, 302, 306, 2480 

Martin, John H., 616 

Martin, William C., 2194 

Martyn, Benjamin, 6.2, 57 

"Maryland, My Maryland," 1283 

Mason, Albert B., 2714 

Massengale, A. E., 2979 

Massengale, St. Elmo, 2614 

Massey, Robert J., 1758 

Mathews, George, 353, 356, 400 

Mathews, Governor, Eccentric Char 

acter, 1310 

Mathews, William J., 2224 

Mathews, William L., 2695 

Matthews, George, 327 

Matthews, Julius E. F., 2890 

Mattock, Joseph, 256 

Maxwell, Audley, 173, 174 

Maxwell, James, 353 

Mayo, William M., 2114 

McAdoo, William G., 1146 

McAllister, Matthew H., 683 

McArthur, T. J., 3118 

McBrayer, John B., 2855 

McCain, James R., 4, 47, 56, 181, 204 

McCall, Hugh, 289, "309, 1758, 3216 

McCallie, S. W., 561, 1825 

McCanless, Eugene A., 2455 

McClure, Charles W., 1955 

McCulloh, James H., 18 

McCurry, A. G., 2747 

McCurry, Julian B., 2747 

McDaniel, Charles A., 2904 

McDaniel, Henry D., 933, 939, 2038, 

happiest speech, 1407 

McDaniel, Sanders, 2036 

McDonald, Charles J., 657, 659, 683, 693, 

695, 718, 1450, 2552; an episode of his 

career, 1452 

McDonald, Edward M., 2270 

McDonald, Walter R., 2814 

McDowell, Emmett S. Sr., 1997 

McDuffie, George, 515 

McDuffle county, 1257 

McEachern. John N., 2138 

McElroy, Stephen L.. 3191 

McGee, Harry H., 2308 

McGehee, Charles C., 2535 

McGehee, Christopher C. 2534 

McGill, Arch K., 2343 

McGillivray, Alexander, 340 

McGinty, J. Roy, 2683 

McGirth, Daniel, 294 

McGregor, L. D., 3112 

Mclntosh county, 401, 1257 

Mclntosh, Henry M., 3187 

Mclntosh, James S., 2552 

Mclntosh, John. 174. 272, 286, 295, 421, 

469; at Fort Morris, 1439 

Mclntosh, John M., 106 

Mclntosh. Lachlan, 270, 282, 284, 326, 

497, 1780 

Mclntosh, Maria J., 238 

Mclntosh Reserve, 526 

Mclntosh, Rory, 295 

Mclntosh trail. 526 

Mclntosh, William, 467, 476, 523 535, 

537 

McKenzie, George M., 1977 

McKenzie, Marshall C., 2500

XVI INDEX 

McKenzie, William M., 2499 

McKinley assassinated, 1031 

McKinley, William, 1018 

McKinney, Charles D., 2723 

McLaughlin, A. C., 7 

McLaughlin, Benjamin F., 2648 

McLaws, LaFayette, 2796 

McLendon, S. G., 1071 

McLeod, Hugh, 593, 1278 

McLeod, John, 106 

McMahan, Patrick, 3150 

McOsear, Peter, 2498 

McRae, Max L., 3172 

McWhorter, Hamilton, 1975 

MoWhorter, Hamilton, 2537 

Mead, Cowles, 2481 

Meador, Albert D., 2282 

Meadow Garden, 299 

Meadow, W. D., 3264 

Means, Alexander, 2568 

Meat and Dairy Cattle, 1817 

Medical Academy of Georgia, 560 

Medical College of Augusta, 1113 

Meek, A. B., 18 

Meeks, Benjamin F., 1950 

Meigs, Josiah, 417, 2536 

Meldrim, Peter W., 1742, .2337 

Mell, Patrick H., 2867; examples of his 

wit, 1413 

Melons, 1824 

Melvin, George, 308 

Members of Congress, 1235 

Memorial Day's first southern observ 

ance, 822 

Mercer, Hugh W.,.2836 

Mercer, Jesse, 401, 423, 458, 495, 636, 637; 

anecdote of, 1385 

Mercer University, 636, 638; first corps 

of instructors, 637; various presi 

dents, 638 

Merck, Benjamin H., 2266 

Meriwether county, 551, 1257 

Meriwether, David, 405, 523, 2544 

Meriwether, James, 531, 555, 2481 

Meriwether, James A., 2544 

Merritt, R. L., 2766 

Mershon, James A., 2849 

Methodism, 660 

Methodist Church, 426 

Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 662 

Mexican border troops, 1210 

Mexican war, 688 

Meyerhardt, Max, 2189 

Michel, Henry M., 3071 

Middlebrooks, Grover, 1908 

Middle Georgia Military and Agricul 

tural College, 918 

Midway, 179, 314 

Midway Church, 178 

Midway Church Tard Historic Shrines 

in (view), 315 

Midway settlement, 421 

Militia drill, 442 f 

Military Organization, Georgia's Old 

est, 336 

Military rule in Georgia, 826 

Mille'dge. John, 173, 269, 275, 405, 450, 

509j 3200 

Milledgeville, 450, 452 

Milledgeville convention (1865), 802 

Milledgeville convention of 1850, 693 

Milledgeville Manufacturing Company, 

MiJlen, John, 2575 

Miller county, 1257 

Miller, Elbert C., 2283 

Miller, Frank H., 2777 

Miller, Hal C., 2533 

Miller, Homer V. M., 2915; repartee of, 

Miller, Robert D., 2770 

Miller, Stephen F., 1309, 1765 

Miller, William K., 2777 

Millican, .Walter J., 2320 

Mills, Charles G.. 2001 

Mills, John O., 2430 

Mills, Wallace F., 3140 

Milner, J. H., 3171 

Milner, Robert W., 2860 

Milner, Thomas H., 3212 

Milton county, 716, 1257 

Milton, John, 353. 2599 

Milton, Robert. 2678 

Minis, Samuel W., 2593 

Minchew, Benjamin H.. 2712 

Mineral resources. 1825 

Mineral waters, 1834 

Mitchel. O. M.. 1427 

Mitchell county, 716, 1257 

Mitchell, David B., 472. 480, 513, 2600 

Mitchell, Ephraim E., 2520 

Mitchell House, The (view), 701 

Mitchell, Isaac W., 517 

Mitchell Thunderbolts, 1447 

Mitchell, William A., 3184 

Mobley, Louis W., 3119 

Monette, John M., 18 

Monroe, James, 494 

Monroe county, 532, 1258 

Monroe Railroad, 649, 651 

Monroe Railroad Company, 1782 

Montgomery, Charles D., 1974 

Montgomery county, 402, 1258 

Montgomery, Robert, 13, 41, 44 

Montgomery, William W., 2920 

Monument to Gen. Nathanael Greene in 

Savannah (view), 320 

Monument to the railway pioneer, 694 

Moon, Edward T., 2524 

Moon, Joseph M., 2106 

Moon, Pleasant L., 2129 

Mooney, Alfonso J., 2725 

Moonev, James, 18, 22 

Moor, Robert, 53, 57 

Moore, Francis, 91, 109, 115 

Moore, George B., 2739 

Moore, Henry, 125 

Moore, Idora Plowman, 1758 

Moore, John H., 2613 

Moore, John J., 3008 

Moore, Hon. John J., 2651 

Moore, Richard W., 2765 

Moore, S. L., 2787 

Moore, Thomas C., 2738 

Moore Tything, 83 

Moravian Church, 424 

Morell, Peter, 173 

Morgan county, 454, 1258 

Morgan, Daniel, 454 

Morgan, Thomas H., 1944 

Morris, Fred, 2399 

Morris, Sylvanus, 3265 

Morris, William B., 2546 

Morrison, Henry C., 1013 

Morton, Heber J., 2798 

Morton, J. Sterling, 1290 

Moses, Raphael J., 837, 2920 

Mound builders, 30 

Mount Pleasant, Old Home of Gov. 

Talbot (view), 495 

Mount Zion Academy, 968 

Mountain Dragoons, 763 

Mulberry Grove, 335 

Mulkey, Quincy O., 2571 

Mullryne, John, 252, 253 

Munnerlyn, Charles J., 2843 

Murphey, Charles E., 1884 

Murphy, Eugene E., 3165 

Murphy, Waller S., 2653 

Murray county, 567, 1258 

Murray, Thomas W., 405, 567, 2610 

Murrciw, J. B., 3193 

Muscogee county, 548, 1258 

Myers, William H., 2306 

Myrtle Hill Cemetery (view), 1140 

Myrtle Hill, Mrs. Woodrow Wilson's 

burial place, 1141 

Nacoochee, 611 

Nacoochee (view), 610 

Nail, Worley, 2661 

Nalley, Lawton, 2146 

Napier, George M., 2451 

Napoleon bows before Crawford, 1300 

Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis 

Railroad, 959 

National Banks, 1798, 1799 

National Democratic Convention, 

Charleston, 725 

National Democratic Convention of 

1880, 907; of 1884, 932; of 1896, 997 

National Guard of Georgia, 1137, 1800 

National Union Convention, 817 

Naval Stores, 1780 

Neel, James M., 2104 

Neel, "William J., 2956 

Neeley, R. C., 2892 

Neill primary election bill. 1205 

Nelson, Cleland K., 970, 3107 

New Ebenezer, 96, 97 

Newell, John O., 3230 

Newman, William T. 3100 

New Echota. 555, 574 

New Federal government, 354 

New Invernes, 107 

New state capitol, 900, 914, 930, 935, 

954 

New South, 1653 

Newspaper, Georgia's first, 328; Geor 

gia's oldest surviving, 335 

I

New Tax equalization, 1800 

Newton county, 1258 

Nichelson, David B. Jr., 3190 

Nicolson. William P., 2006 

Nightingale, Mary K., 376 

Nightingale, Phineas, 492 

Nisbet, Bugenius A., 639, 684, 686, 698, 

1145, 2801 

Nix, H. Abit, 2561 

Nix, Oscar A., 2255 

Nix, Sydney J., 2632 

Noble, George H., 3320 

Norcross, Jonathan, 652 

Norman, John B., 2928 

Norman, R. C., 3145 

Norris, William, 177 

North Georgia Agricultural College, 

873 

North Georgia Mineral Railroad, 1139 

North, Henry H., 2589 

Norteen, William J., 401 

Northcutt, Ralph W., 2461 

Northeastern Railroad, 985, 993 

Northeastern Georgia Railroad, 890 

Northen, William J., 967, 976, 980, 1117, 

1759; at Mount Zion Academy, 1409 

Norton, George M., 2313 

Norton, Lemuel B., 2887 

Nullification, 568 

O 

Oat production, 1809 

Oconee county, 877, 1258 

Oconee War, 337, 380 

Ogden, Dunbar H., 1901 

Oglethorpe, 5, 1600, 1604, 1605, 1606 

Oglethorpe colony sails, 65 

Oglethorpe county, 401, 532, 1258 

Oglethorpe, Edward, 899 

Oglethorpe, James Edward. 48, 49, 53, 

57, 72, 74, 78, 88, 100, 101, 103, 109, 

111, 113, 131, 133, 135, 136, 144, 155, 

161, 162, 164, 181, 203, 401, 1105, 3149 

Oglethorpe Light Infantry of Savan 

nah, 754 

Oglethorpe monument, 1104, 1598 

Oglethorpe monument (view), 48 

Oglethorpe Monument Association, 1598 

Oglethorpe's Epitaph, 162 

Oglethorpe's Regiment, 135 

Oglethorpe University, 639, 1145; Pres 

idents, 640 

Oglethorpe TJniversityC view), 1144 

Ogletree, William V., 2357 

O'Hara, Theodore, 1759 

Old Ebenezer, 96 

Old Field Schools, 443 

Old Heard House (view), 792 

Old Midway, 178 

Old Midway Church (view), 176 

"Old Pete" (James Longstreet), 1390 

Old St. Paul's, Augusta (view), 118 

Old state capitol at Milledgeville 

(view), 455 

Old Southern home, 1629 

Old-time slave, 1626 

Old Town, 241 

Oliver, Francis M., 2342 

Oliver, William C., 2945 

Olliff, B. R., 3220 

O'Neal, Reuben S., 3084 

O'Neil, Ferdinand, 338 

O'Neil. James, 338 

O'Neill, John B., 516 

O'Neill, Peggy, dissolved a President's 

cabinet, 1471 

Ordinance of secession, 740 

Orme, Aquilla J., 1871 

Orme, Ellen W., 1871 

Orme, Francis H., 1759, 1870 

Orme. Frank, 2136 

Orr, Gustavus J., 863 

Orr, S. P., 672 

Orton. Christopher, 177 

Osborne, Henry 328, 353 

Osborne, William W., 2617 

Osgood. John. 175 

Osmand and Gray's American Iron 

Foundry, 1784 

Oueekachumpa, 88 

Overby, B. H., 703 

Overstreet, E. K., 1060 

Owen, Alien F., 2491 

Owen, John W., 2517 

Owens, George W., 2509 

Owens Home in Savannah (view), 543 

Owens, Thomas B., 2413 

Owens, William, 1927 

Oxford, 641 

INDEX xvn 

Pace, Stephen, 3182 

Packing Plants, 1817 

Padgett, F. W., 2353 

Paine, Robert, 662 

Paine, Walter, 2204 

Palochocolas, 97 

Panuca, 24 

Paradise, Frederick V., 2739 

Pardo, Juan, 12 

Parish system abolished, 285 

Park, Frank, 3100 

Park, James B., 2978 

Parkei-, 222 

Parker, Henry, 134, 172, 180, 3216 

Parker, Ira O., 3060 

Parker, Mrs. T. C., 478 

Parker, Thomas A., 2705 

Parkinson, William H,, 3290 

Parks, Benjamin, 562 

Parks, M. M., 958 

Parsons, William N., 3179 

Passmore, L. !>.. 2936 

Pate, J. H., 3309 

Pate, R. A., 3181 

Patofa, 20 

Patriots Outlawed, 312 

Patterson, Billy, 1447 

Patterson, Henry L., 3164 

Patterson, Hyatt M., 3281 

Patterson, R. W., 1722 

Patterson, Thomas E., 1109, 2218 

Patton, James E., 2111 

Patton, Joseph B., 2172 

Paul or Nero, 1726 

Paulding county, 567, 698, 1258. 

Paulding, John, 567 

Paulk, Reason, 3257 

Paulk, W. J., 2933 

Paulk, Wright T., 2917 

Payne, John Howard, 581, 582, 587, 1294 

Payne Monument, Washing-ton, D. C., 

1299 

Peace jubilee, 1018 

Peach Carnival, 991 

Peaches, 1813 

"Peachtree": Its Derivation, 1430 

Peacock, Herbert A., 3036. 

Peacock, William, 301 

Peanuts, 1810 

Pearce, Haywood J., 2426 

Pecans. 1815 

Peck, William H., 1759 

Peebles. Isaac S., Jr., 2376 

Peel, W. L., 1883 

Penal code revised, 472 

Pendleton, Charles R., 3148 

Penfleld, 637 

Penfield, Josiah, 636, 637 

People's party, 966, 1013 

Perdue, Lewis A., 2435 

Percival, Lord Viscount, 53, 57, 213 

Persons, G. Ogden, 1085 

Persons Bill, 1085 

Peters. Richard, 654, 1783, 2332 

Petersburg-, 361 

Phagan, Mary, .murder, 1121 

Phinizy, Bowdre, 2718 

Phinizy, Ferdinand, 2817 

Phillips' Georgia Legion, 754 

Phillips, Isaac J., 2549 

Phillips, William L., 2786 

Phillips, William R., 1802, 2802 

Phillips, William Reese, 2137 

Physical characteristics, 25 

Pickens, Andrew, 272, 340, 350 

Piekens county, 698, 1259 

Pickett, Albert J., 18, 473 

Pickett's charge at Gettysburg- (Har 

ris), Ifi55 

Pierce, Benjamin E., 2829 

Pierce county, 716, 1259 

Pierce. George F., 401, 643, 645, 933, 

1392, 1557. 1710, 1760, 2560 

Pierce, George Y., 3075 

Pierce, Lovick; the Nestor of Southern 

Methodism, 1394, 2560 

Pierce, Wallace B.. 2829 

Pierce, William, 335 

Piedmont Exposition, Atlanta, 948 

Piedmont Park, 948 

Piedmont Plateau. 26 

Pig- Club Boys, 1821 

Pine Barren frauds, 451 

Pine forests, 1791 

Pike county, 526, 532, 1259 

Pioneer cotton factory, 458 

Pitts, Robert O., 2404 

Plane, Helen M., 1202 

Plunkett, James T., 2355

XV111 INDEX 

Polk county, 696, 1259 

Polk, James K., 696 

Pomeroy, Edgar E., 3238 

Pool, Norman T., 2671 

Pope, John, 820 

Pope, William H., 3100 

Population, 437, 459, 675, 694, 786, 910, 

1802, 1803, 1807 

Pottle, J. R,, 3023 

Poultry, 1817 

Pound, Jere M., 2547 

Powell, James, 338, 353 

Powell, John H., 2052 

Powell, T. O., 2836 

Powell, Watts, 3070 

Powell, William M., 2650 

Pratt, Nathaniel A., 1888 

Pratt, Rev. Nathaniel A., 1888 

Preacher, G. Lloyd, 3045 

Prehistoric relics, 27 

Presbyterianism, 421 

Presidential campaign of 1908, 1094 

Preston, Joseph W. Sr., 3110 

Prevost, Augustine, 286 

Priber, Christian, 168 

Price, J. O., 1154, 1798, 1818 

Price, W. P., 520 

Prince, Oliver H., 442, 550, 1434, 2568 

Princeton Manufacturing Company, 

1784 

Printup, John C., 3301 

Prison commission, 1005 

Proctor, John P., 2572 

Prohibition, 1067, 1075, 1093, 1179, 1198, 

1199, 1206 

Province of Georgia, 164, 171 

Provisional Congressmen of the Con 

federacy, 1239 

Pruitt, John C,, 2476 

Pulaski county, 321, 456, 1259 

Pulaski monument in Savannah (view), 

322 

Pure Drug Department, 1819 

Pure Food Act, 1058 

Pure Pood Department, 1819 

Purser, John F., 2225 

Purvis, John H., 2335 

Putnam county, 454, 1259 

Putnam Factory, 1784 

Putnam, Israel, 454 

Quarterman, William H., 2073 

Queen Elancydyne, 633 

ueensboro, 242 

auillian, Garnett W., 2144 

Quillian, "William F., 2140 

Quillian, Willard E., 3273 

Quincey, Hendricks J., 3191 

Quincey, John W., 2744 

Quincy, Samuel, 77, 110, 177 

Quitman county, 1259 

R 

Rabb, Frank G., 3010 

Rabun-Jackson controversy, 486 

Rabun county, 1259 

Rabun, William, 401, 458, 480, 2708 

Race riots, 1016 

Race problem in the South (Fleming-), 

1657 

Rag-land, Eugene, 2833 

Railroads, 647, 1804 

Railroad bonds scandal, 846 

Railroad commission, 1070, 1075, 1079, 

1100, 1123 

Railroad Commission Act, 1074 

Railroad development (1880-90), 971 

Railroad strikes, 1912 

Rainey, Boice T., 3293 

Rainey, B. L., 1154 

Rainey, Thomas B., 3292 

Rainfall, 1810 

Raleigh, Walter, . 8 

Rambo, Lawrence, 3028 

Ramsey, David, 309 

Randall, James Ryder, 580, 1283, 1760 

Randolph county, 454, 551, 1259 

Randolph, Hollis N., 2004 

Randolph, John, 455 

Rasbury, J. Alfred, 2802 

Rauers, John J., 2330 

Ravot, Abraham, 338 

Rawling-s, Benjamin T., 3146 

Ray, Lavender R., 1958 

Ray, Claude C., 2574 

Ray, Lucian L., 2574 

Ready to Illustrate Georgia on the Bat 

tlefield, 1733 

Reagan, John H., 791 

Reconstruction measures, 820, 822, 844, 

848 

Reddick, Jack C., 2989 

"Red Old Hills of Georgia," 1771 

Redwine, Lyman A., 3117 

.Redfearn, D. H., 3207 

. Reece, John H., 2411 

Reed, Harry D., 2737 

Reed, T. W., 667 

Reese, Frederick F., 970, 2626 

Reese, Millard, 2886 

Reese, W. S., 3120 

Reeves, Henry, 2800 

Registration Act, 1076 

Reid, Harry M., 2437 

Reid, John S., 2745 

Reid, Robert R., 2591 

Reid, Samuel W., 2910 

Reidlesperg-er, Christian, 173 

Resaca, 776 

Responsibilities of the American 

Scholar, 1729 

Reunion of the Blue and the Gray, 

996 

Revolutionary bounties, 331 

Reynolds, 227, 235 

Reynolds, John, 222 

Ribault, Jean, 9 

Rice, Frank P., 1933 

Rice production, 1809 

Richardson, Everard H., 2390 

Richmond Academy, 329 

Richmond Blues, 688 

Richmond county, 1259 

Richmond factory, 1784 

Richter, George H., 2232 

Ridge, John, 574, 606 

Ridge, Major, 531, 555, 574, 606 

Riley, Robert B., 2427 

Ridley, Alonzo C. Jr., 1892 

Riley, James L., 1929 

Rimes, Eugene B., 2779 

Ringgold, Battle of, 771 

Ripley, Thomas J., 1914 - 

Rivers, Clovis D., 2122 

Roach, Jefferson R., 2835 

Roan, L. S., 1121 

Roberts, Daniel, 285 

Roberts, Erastus W., 2206 

Roberts, James H., 3168 

Robertson, James A., 2487 

Robertson, Joseph R., 2761 

Robinson, Frank M., 3205 

Robinson, James D., 1917 

Robinson, Luke, 2236 

Robinson, Pickering, 172, 222 

Robinson, William "W., 2832 

Rockdale county, 1259 

Rock Island Paper Mill, 1785 

Roddenbery, S. A., 2927 

Roebuck, W. L., 3122 

Rogers, Charles A., 3099 

Rogers, James F., 2889 

Rogers, Loula Kendall, 1760 

Rogers, Zachary B., 2585 

Rollins, John C., 2078 

Romance of New Echota, 1293 

Romare, Paul, 3072 

Rome, 1803 

Roosevelt's Georgia ancestors, 1032 

Roosevelt, Theodore, 178, 1032, 1053, 

1110, 1128 

Ross, G. Duke, 2070 

Ross, John, 531, 555, 574, 602, 606 

Ross, John (portrait), 575 

Rosser, Luther Z., 3114 

Rountree, Charles D., 2691 

Rowell, William S., 2173 

Rowland, C. A., 424, 680 

Rucker, Joseph, 438, 441 

Rucker, Joseph (portrait), 438 

Rucker, Joseph, Home of (view), 440 

Ruckersville, 437 

Rudolph, Henry L., 2266 

Rudolph, James M., 3283 

Ruins of an old barn near Washing 

ton where one of the earliest cot 

ton gins was installed (view). 375 

Ruins of Fort Frederica (view), 160 

Ruins' of Fort Wymberley on the Isle 

of Hope (view), 70 

Rural schools, 1112 

Russell; Eug-ene B., 2288 

Russell, Richard B., 3301 

Russell, William, 173, 222 

Rutherford, Lizzie, S22, 823 

Rutherford, Mildred Lewis, 1760 

Ryan, Abraham, 1761 

Byon, Jesse G., 3197

Saffold, Franklin H., 3080 

Sage, Ira Y., 3157 

St. Andrew, Parish of, 234 

St. Augustine, 11, 145 

St. Christopher, Island of, 94 

St. David, Parish of, 234 

St. George's Parish, 234, 255 

St. James, Parish of, 234 

St. John, Isaac M., 749 

St. 'John, Parish of, 234 

St. Julian, James, 100 

St. Mary, Parish of, 234 

St. Marys, 1781, 1802 

St. Matthew, Parish of, 234 

St. Patrick, Parish of, 234 

St. Patrick's Church, Augusta, 3150 

St. Paul, Parish of, 234 

St. Paul's Church, Augusta, 117 

St. Philip, Parish of, 234 

St. Simons Island fortified, 113 

St. Thomas, Parish of, 234 

Saline, Right Honorable, 128 

Sallette, Robert, Adventures of, 1435 

Salmon, Jabus Z., 2470 

Salzburgers, 94, 97. 103, 309, 632 

Sand Bar Ferry, 603 

Sanders, Billingron M., 637 

Sanders, B. McCarter, 2610 

Sandwich, Mathew H., 2670 

Sanford, Daniel B., 2948 

Sanford, J. W. A., 559 

Sanford, Shelton P., 639, 2618 

Satterfleld, Joseph M., 2641 

Savannah, 75, 87, 91, 93, 111, 525, 1780, 

1781, 1801, 1802; derivation of word, 

71; siege of, 303; evacuated (Civil 

war), 785; captured, 1438 

Savannah county, 164 

Savannah, Ogeechee and Altamaha 

Canal, 1781, 1782 

Savannah's Revolutionary monuments, 

319 

Savannah Steamship Company, 494 

Sawyer, Benjamin F., 2638 

Saxon, Bdmond F., 2618 

Scarboro, Frank, 2899 

Scarborough, William, 1782 

Schermerhorn Treaty, 574 

Schley county, 716, 1260 

Schley, William, 573, 2689 

School for the industrial education of 

colored youth, 970 

Scomp, H. A., 596 

Scott College (Agnes), 3240 

Scott, Francis, 80, 100 

Scott, Henry F., 1895 

Scott, Hugh M., 1968 

Scott, John B., 391 

Scott, William J., 1761 

Scott, Winfield, 576 

Screven county, 317, 1260 

Screven, James, 178, 271, 315, 316, 499, 

3210 

Screven, James P., 2618 

Screven, T. F., 316 

Seagrove, James, 353 

Seal of Georgia, 1455 

Searcy, William E. H., 1989 

Seay, John J., 2192 

Seckinger, Rowland B., 2582 

Second Clevelarra administration, 983 

See of Savannah, 694 

Semmes, Paul J., 2810 

Senators, Georgia's first United States, 

135 

Senatus Academicus, 417 

Seney, George I., 646, 918 

Sequoya, 555, 596, 600 

Sequoya (portrait), 597 

Sequoyan Cherokee, 600 

Sessions, Moultrie M., 2103 

Sessoms, John G., 2717 

Seward, W. H., 807 

Sewing machine inventor, 679 

Seymour, James, 119 

Shamblin, Arthur C., 2183 

Shattuck, James P., 2115 

Shaw, Walter B., 2893 

Sheftall, Mordecai, 311, 321 

Shellhorse, Evan O., 2195 

Shellman Heights, 1273 

Sherman, Romance of March, 1273 

Sherwood, Adiel, 636, 638, 1430, 2625 

Shipp, Bernard, 18 

Shope, Theron S., 2077 

Short, William B., 2905 

Shorter, Alfred, 918, 2697 

Shorter College, 918 

Sibley, Jennie H., 3226 

INDEX xix 

Sibley, Samuel H., 3224 

Sikes, W. L., 2997 

Silk industry, 172 

Silver Bluff (Cutifachiqui), 22 

Simmons, Daniel W., 2630 

Simmons, John D., 2051 

Simmons, Thomas J., 2968 

Simmons, T. J., 1728 

Simms, James P., 2843 

Simpson, James Y., 669 

Sims, J. Marion, 669 

Sims, Walter A., 1922 

Sinclair, Carrie Bell, 1761 

Sisk, James T., 2660 

Skelton, J. Rod, 2548 

Skelton, James H., 2409 

Slack, Henry R., 2511 

Slaton, John M., 1096, 1110, 1117, 1118, 

1125, 1128, 1129, 1132, 1147, 1159, 1163, 

1168, 1176, 3114 

Slaveholding and non-slaveholding 

families, 675 

Slavery as an economic system, 677 

Sloper Tything, 84 

Sloper, William, 53, 57 

Smelt, Dennis, 2518 

Smith, Alwyn M., 2497 

Smith, Bridges, 2676 

Smith, Burton, 2627 

Smith, Charles H. ("Bill Arp"), 1416, 

1761, 2987 

Smith, Charles W., 2163 

Smith, Ernest M., 2595 

Smith, Frances Gordon, 1074 

Smith, George C., 423 

Smith, George G., 641, 1761 

Smith, Gov. James M., 868, 871, 877, 883, 

939, 951, 2867 

Smith, Hoke, 99, 1061, 1064, 1066, 1074, 

1077, 1084, 1086, 1097, 1109, 1111, 1115, 

1116, 1146, 1153, 1155, 1156, 3202 

Smith, Hugh, 119 

Smith, James F., 2866 

Smith, James H., 2000 

Smith, James M., 2927 

Smith, J. Hartridge, 2309 

Smith, John, 270 

Smith, Marion, 1927 

Smith, Marvin R., 2952 

Smith, Peter Francisco: The Old-Time 

Slave, 1626 

Smith, P. R., 403 

Smith, R. D., 2915 

Smith, Rufus W., 2495 

Smith, Samuel, 53, 215 

Smith, Shelby, 2196 

Smith, Sheldon P., 2358 

Smith, William D., 2888 

Smith, William P. C., 2361 

Smyrna Church, 422 

Snelling, Charles M., 2632 

Social conditions, 430 

Solomons, Purla S., 321 

"Song of the Georgian," 1773 

Scrrel, G. Moxley, 2889 

Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph 

Co., 1803 

Southern Cherokees, 555 

Southern Commercial Congress, 1110 

Southern, Cross of Honor, 1264 

Southern Industries, 1634 

South and the Race Problem, 1718 

South Georgia Agricultural, Industrial 

and Normal College, 1056 

South in the Spanish American War 

(Griggs), 1695 

Spalding county, 696, 1260 

Spalding, Thomas, 696, 2634 

Spangenberg, Gottlieb, 424 

Spanish-American war, 1006, 1007 

Spanish invasion of Georgia, 148, 156 

Spanish settlements harassed, 144 

Sparks, Charles W., 2364 

Sparks, William H., 1765 

Speer, Emory, 158, 3114; The New Amer 

ica, 1632; On the Life and Character 

of Joseph E. Brown, 1654 

Speer, William J., 1154 

Spencer, J. W., 968 

Springer, John, 422 

Stacy, James, 179, 299, 421, 680 

Stacy, John, 179 

Stacy, John W., 179 

Stallings, William L.., 3078 

Stallworth, B. M., 2619 

Stamp Act, 263 

Stamp act affects Georgia, 249 

Standard Publishing Co., 2289 

Stanley, Harris M., 1779, 3313 

Stanley, Robert H., 3056 

Stanley, Vivian L,., 3314

XVI 

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XX INDEX 

Stanton, Frank L., 1412, 1762, 1768 

Stanton, George, 2769 

Stauton, Valentine L., 2885 

Stapleton, Raymonde, 2817 

Stark, Buell, 2243 

Startles, Ebenezer, 698 

Stars and Stripes (Hill) ,'1715 

State aid to railroads (act repealed), 

874, 889 

State arsenal seized, 746 

State Banks, 1798 

State Board of Health, 1040, 1822 

State College of Agriculture, 1071, 1820 

State College of Agriculture and Me 

chanic Arts, 1056 

State Constitution of 1868, 829, 835, 836 

State Democratic conventions (1883), 

929; (1884), 932; (1888), 952; 1890, 

967; (1892), 975; (1896), 997; (1900), 

1026; (1904), 1045; (1906), 1063; 

(1908), 1091; (1910), 1108; (1912), 1127, 

1129; (1914), 1155; (1916), 1208, 

1213 

State department of agriculture, 874 

State entomologist, 1005 

State Exhibit at Omaha Exposition, 

1014 

State B'arm, 1086 

State Finances, 1798 

State geologist, 875, 958 

State Guards and Reserves, 775 

State Guards and Reserves (Civil war), 

760 

Sts.te Highway Commission, 1204 

State House scandal, 845 

State militia, 1041 

State militia bill, 1030 

State militia laws, 1052 

State militia system, 1070 

State Normal School at Athens, 971 

State Rights Party, 571 

State School Book Commission, 1040 

State seal, 412 

State senatorial districts, 696 

State system of free schools, 850, 863 

State tax rate, 1799 

Steamship Savannah in foreign trade, 

1782 

Steed, Walter E., 2941 

Stephens, 156 

Stephens, Abel, 130 

Stephens, Alexander H., 749, 868, 873, 

919, 925, 92S, 985, 1322, 1715, 1762, 

1903; anecdotes of, 1323; arrest of, 

1326; death of, 928; dramatic debut 

of, 1321; in opposition to secession, 

1496; last days of, 1459 

Stephens, Alexander H. (portrait), 747 

Stephen's Anti-secession Speech, 1496 

Stephens county, 1050, 1260 

Stephens, Linton, 401, 2995 

Stephens, Linton (portrait), 721 

Stephens, Luther P., 3123 

Stephens, Robert G., 1900 

Stephens, Thomas, 166, 167 

Stephens, William, 164, 165, 172, 1762 

Stephens, William B., 2332 

Stephenson, Alexander H., Eulogy on. 

1556 

Stevens, William, 328, 334 

Stevens, William B., 10, 18, 67, 157, 1762 

Stevenson, Adlai E., 996 

Stevenson, M. F., 563, 1294 

Stewart county, 317, 560, 1034, 1260 

Stewart, Daniel, 178, 316, 560 

Stewart, Joseph S., 2935 

Stewart-Screven Monument, 314 

Stewart, Walter K., 3254 

Stiles, William A., 1765 

Stiles, William H., 2634 

Stith, William, 328 

Stocks, Thomas, 2642 

Stone, Alonzo C., 2207 

Stone, John J., 3235 

Stone Mountain memorial, 1201 

Stone quarries, 1791 

Story, John J., 2999 

Stothart, James A., 2806 

Stovall, Mareellus A., 3001 

Stovall, Pleasant A., 76, 3121 

Strange, Henry B., 2285 

Strickland, John J., 2726 

Strickler, Cyrus W., 2444 

Stuart, Henry L., 667 

Stubbs, Edgar A., 2715 

Stubbs, Manning J., 2612 

Stubbs, Roy D., 2868 

Sugar Cane Production, 1811 

Sullivan, Florence, 353 

Summer, Charles, 1563 

Summerall, James I., 2988 

Summers, Joseph, 173 

Sumter county, 560, 1260 

Sumter County Volunteers, 688 

Sumter, Thomas, 560 

Supreme Court judges, 1006 

Sutton, I. Homer, 2479 

Sweat, J. L,., 2662 

Sweetwater Branch, 616 

Swilling, Samuel B., 2856 

Symes, George, 79 

T 

Tablet on the Greene Monument (view). 

1031 

Tablet to Gen. Leonidas Polk (view), 

778 

Taft, William H., 1094, 1095, 1110 

Tailfer, Patrick, 138 

Tait, Charles, 2643 

Talbot county, 551, 1260 

Talbot, John, 327, 422, 431 

Talbot, Matthew, 495, 521, 549 

Taliaferro, Benjamin, 355, 405, 502, 1382, 

2653 

Taliaferro county, 532, 1261 

Talmage, Samuel K., 2659 

Tallassee Strip, 242 

Tankersley, James S., 2388 

Tankersley, N. L., 2389 

Tariff debate, 569 

Tassel, George, 558 

Tate, Farish C., 3121 

Tate, Howard, 2680 

Tattnall county, 415, 1261 

Tattnall, Josiah, 252, 254, 405, 415, 3229 

Tax equalization act, 1133 

Taylor county, 698, 1261 

Taylor, Lloyd B., 2838 

Taylor, Samuel E., 1896 

Taylor, William, 660 

Taylor, Zachary, 698 

Teal, Charles B., 2869 

Telephone Exchanges, 1803 

Telephone Stations, 1803 

Telfair county, 454, 1261 

Telfair, Edward, 269, 270, 275, 335, 455, 

3229 

Telfair, Thomas, 2519 

Telfair's administration, 362 

Temperature, 1809, 1823 

Tennessee Company, 390 

Terminus, 651, 1783 

Terrell county, 703, 1261 

Terrell, James R., 2719 

Terrell, John H., 3294 

Terrell, Joseph M., 1046, 1049, 1055, 1059, 

1410, 1858 

Terrell, Henry W., I860 

Terrell, W. W., 401 

Terrell, William, 703, 2689 

Terrell, William H., 1202, 2629 

"There's Millions in it!", 1294 

Thomas, Bryan M., 1984 

Thomas, Charles L. C., 2900 

Thomas, Charles S., 3230 

Thomas county, 532, 1261 

Thomas, Edward L., 2750 

Thomas, George C., 2298 

Thomas, Jett, 452, 2696 

Thomas, Ransom J., 2778 

Thomas, W. H., 604 

Thompson, James M., 1762 

Thompson, John A., 2622 

Thompson, William C., 3144 

Thompson, William T., 1762, 3277 

Thompson, Wylie, 2526 

Thomson J. Edgar, 1783 

Thomson. 

Thomson 

Thornton 

Thornton 

Thornton 

Thornton 

William D., 2211 

William S., 2210 

Albert E., 3038 

Charles J., 2376 

Leila A., 3039 

McAlpin, 2540 

Thorpe, Benjamin F., 638 

Thou Art a Scholar, Speak to It, Ho 

ratio, 1731 

Thrasher, John, 652 

Thunderbolt, 91, 92 

Thurman, Albert S., 3103 

Ticknor, Francis O., 1763 

Ticknor, Frank O., 1279 

Tift county, 1050, 1261 

Tift, Henry H.. 2907 

Tift, Maurice W., 3210 

Tift, Nelson, 2909 

Tilson, William J., 2556 

Timrod, Henry, 1762 

.Tipton; W. C., 2936 

Tison, William W., 2951 

Titanic tragedy, 1118

Toalli, 20 

Tobacco, 38, 1811 

Tomo-chi-chi, 72, 84, 87, 89, 90, 101, 102, 

115, 134, 141 

Tondee, Peter, 278 

Tondee's Tavern, 277 

Toombs county, 1051, 1261 

Toombs, Gabriel, 377 

Toombs, Robert, 749, 790, 820, 837, 866, 

887, 937, 938, 1313, 1314, 1319, 1328, 

1512, 1570, 1660, 1763, 1908; The Im 

passioned Mirabeau, 1312 

Toombs, Uncle Billy refuses his free 

dom, 1318 

Tower, Thomas, 53, 57, 215 

Tower Tything-, 83 

Towns county, 703, 1261 

Towns, George W., 579, 703, 2716 

Townsend, "William T., 2273 

Tragedy of the swamp, 631 

Trammell, Leander N., 2771 

Trammell, Paul B., 1154, 1918 

Trans-Oconee Republic, 379 

Transportation facilities, 1804 

Travis, Robert J., 2231 

Traynham, William L., 2259 

Trespassing on the Cherokee lands, 557 

Treutlen, John A., 301, 306, 310 

Trials and Sorrows Necessary to Hu 

man Life, 1729 

Tribble, Joseph M., 2974 

Tribble, Samuel J., 3121 

Tribute to Julian Hartridge, 3733 

Trippe, Robert P., 2764 

Trotter, B. R., 2803 

Troup county, 548, 1261 

Troup, George M.. 486, 527, 529, 533, 539, 

550. 555. 571, 697, 702, 703, 1377, 1379, 

1380, 1733 

Troup, R. L., 1380 

Troup's, Gov., Old Home Place, "Val- 

dosta" (view), 528 

Troutman, Joanna E., 592, 593, 594, 595 

Truax, Florence T., 1905 

Truax, Herbert B., 1905 

Tuck, Reuben M., 2205 

Tucker, Henry H., 1763, 2988 

Tuggle, William T.,'2492 

Turner county, 1051, 1262 

Turner, Henry G., 3248 

Turner, Henry M., 840 

Turner, J. E., 3096 

Turner, Robert C., 2532 

Turner, William D., 3148 

Twelfth Regiment of Georgia Volun 

teers, 749 

Twiggs county, 1262 

Twiggs, Daniel B., 2728 

Twiggs, David B., 271 

Twiggs, Hansford D. D., 271, 1727, 2940 

Twiggs, John, 271, 338, 3237 

Twitty, Frank E., 2844 

Tybee, 277 

Tybee Island, 114 

Tybee Island lighthouse, 277 

Tye, John L., 2027 

Tyler, Bert A., 2081 * 

Tyler, George R., 2611 

Tyrconnel, Lord Viscount, 57 

Tyrconnel Tything, 82 

Tyson, Charles M., 2801 

Tyson, John S., 2801 

U 

Uncle Remus memorial, 1141 

Uncle Remus Memorial Home (view), 

1138 

Uncle Remus: The Story of His Rise to 

Fame, 1421 

Uncle Tom's Cabin, 679 

Underwood, F. L., 2335 

Underwood, John W. H., 1292, 3256; an 

ecdotes of, 1372 

Underwood, William H., Anecdotes of, 

1369 

Uniform test-books, 1040 

Union county,.567, 1262 

Union Passenger depot, Atlanta, 1029 

United Confederate Veterans, 956 

United States Senators, 1234 

University of Georgia, 416, 419, 1056 

University of Georgia Library, 3035 

Upper Mississippi Company, 390 

Upson county, 532, 1262 

Upson. Stephen, 2722 

Ustutli, 618 

Valdosta, 1803 

Van Alien, Peter, 512 

INDEX xxi 

Vance, James I., 1145 

Vandiver, John M., 2476 

Van Bpps, Howard, 1728 

Vann, David, 104 

Van Osten, Thomas D., 2352 

Varner House, 541; (view), 538 

Vaughan, Charles J., 2152 

Vaughn, Rowland B., 2990 

Veach, Henry M., 2095 

Venable, James M., 668 

Venable, Samuel H., 1202 

Venable, William H., 1202 

Vernon, James, 53, 57, 211 

Vernon Tything, 84 

Verrazano, 8 

Villa Rica, 552 

Vinson, Carl, 1157, 3128 

Vinson, George A., 1992 

Virginia campaign (Civil war). 775 

Vogelsang, Ernst H., 2381 

W 

Wachendorff, Charles J., 3065 

Wachendorff, Edward A., 3065 

Wade, Peyton L.. 2024 

Waddell, J. D., 1765 

Waddell, Moses, 493, 2708 

Wadley. William M.. 2750 

Wahl. Frederick, 2294 

Waldhauer, Jacob C., 2728 

Waldrep, James P., 2569 

Walker, Clifford, 1154, 2957 

Walker county, 567, 1262 

Walker, Freeman, 487, 524, 567, 2722 

Walker, John D., 3311 

Walker, John R., 3129 

Walker, John S., 2954 

"Walker, N. F., 477 

Walker, Robert B., 2012 

Walker, William H. T., 2764 

Walton county, 1262 

Walton. George, 261, 269, 270, 274, 282, 

302, 306, 328, 335, 353, 405, 452 

Walton, Home of Governor, 299 

Walton, John, 251, 301, 328 

War for Texan independence, 588 

War Governor, Anecdotes of, 1350 

War Hill, 288 

War of 1812, 460 

Ward. John E., 238, 2736 

Ward. John H., 2942 

Wardlaw, Joseph C.. 2164 

"Ware cornty, 532. 1262 

Ware, Nicholas, 526 

Waring, Antonio J., 2842 

Waring, T. Pinckney, 2782 

Warlick, W. C., 2387 

Warner, Hiram, 572, 684, 698, 2881 

Warners' Narrow Escape, 1425 

"Warren county, 402, 532, 1262 

Warren, J. C., 669 

Warren, Joseph, 402 

Warren, Lott, 2526 

Warthen, George D., 2730 

Washington, 318 

Washington county, 1262 

Washington Light Artillery of Augus 

ta, 763 

Washington's reception (1791), 362 

"Water powers, 1789. 1835 

Watkins Digest, 501 

Watkins, Edgar, 1978 

Watkins, Robert, 500, 501 

Watson,' Charles, 173 

Watson, Douglas, 523 

Watson, Thomas E.. 1190, 1728, 1731, 

1763, 3061; The Old Southern Home, 

1628; Strong Drink, 1727 

Waycross, 1803 

Wayne, Anthony. 272, 334, 359, 3249 

Wayne county, 1262 

Wayne, Henry C., 2771 

Wayne, James M., 580, 2743 

Weatherby, Joseph G., 3127 

Weaver, James D., 2822 

Weaver. James L., 2217 

Webb. Henry D., 3162 

Webster county, 703, 1263 

Weed, Henry D.. 2336 

Weed, Jacob, 353 

"Welch, Carl B., 2969 

Wellborn, A. R., 638 

Wells, George, 306 

"Wells, Horace, 669 

Wendell, Henry T., 2759 

Wereat, John, 306, 328, 352, 353 

Wesley, Charles. 110, 120, 121, 123 

AVesley, John, 110, 120, 121, 123, 133; 

Quits Savannah: His Love Affair, 1444 

"Wesley Oak (view), 122

XX11 INDEX 

Wesleyan Female College, 644, 645; 

Presidents, 645 

West, Anecdote of Senator William S., 

1458 

West, H. S., 2293 

West, John T., 2697 

Western and Atlantic Railroad, 654, 820, 

864, 959, 984, 1029, 1098, 1124, 1164, 

1204, 1206, 1782 

Western lands ceded to Federal gov 

ernment, 396 

Westmoreland, George, 1885 

Westmoreland, Thomas P., 2960 

Westmoreland, Willis F., 2780 

What the South Asks, 1719 

Wheat production, 1809 

Wheeler, Alonzo C., 2473 

Wheeler county, 1120, 1263 

Wheeler, Joseph, 786, 1006, 1008, 1015, 

1120 

Where President Davis was Arrested 

(view), 797 

Where Two Governors Have Lived: An 

Historic Home, 1450 

Whitaker, James R., 2065 

White Company, J. G., 1790 

White county, 716, 1263 

White, George, 1765, 2736 

White, Henry A., 9 

White, John, 57, 308 

White, John: Hero of the Great Ogeechee, 

1443 

White, John E., 1410, 3271 

Whitefield county, 696, 1263 

Whitefleld, Georg-e, 125, 127, 129, 130, 

133, 177, 696 

Whitehead Memorial Hospital, 935 

Whitley, Daniel W. M., 3158 

Whitney, Eli, 372, 411, 707, 1780 

WhUeside, George W., 2664 

"Who is Joe Brown," 1347 

"Who Struck Billy Patterson," 1447 

Wilcox county, 716, 1263 

Wilcox, Mark, 3019 

Wilde, Richard H., 524, 526, 580, 1764, 

2584 

Wilder, Mrs. J. J., 160, 1105 

Wiley, W. E., 2762 

Wilkes county; 532, 1263 

Wilkes Manufacturing Company, 458 

Wilkes, Sam W., 2220 

Wilkinson, 450 

Wilkinson county, 450, 1263 

Wilkinson, James, 460 

Wilkinson, Mell R., 3049 

Willet, J. E., 639 

Williams, Cranston, 3022 

Williams, Eb. T., 514 

Williams, Emmett M., 2208 

Williams, F. E., 2939 

Williams, G. W., 1069 

Williams, J. J., 3089 

Williams, James C., 3115 

Williams, John S., 1146 . 

Williams, Mrs. Charles J., 822 

Williamson, J. R., 1358 

Williamson, Micajah, 2591 

Williamson, William W., 2344 

Willingham Prohibition Bill, 1025 

Willis, Francis, 359, 502 

Wills, Thomas J., 2775 

Wilming-ton Tything-, 82 

Wilson, Adelaide, 124 

Wilson Administration, 1216 

Wilson, Augusta Jane (nee Evans), 1764 

Wilson, Claudius C., 2810 

Wilson, Eugene H., 2441 

Wilson, Harry M., 2710 

Wilson, John S., 1764 

Wilson, Mrs. Woodrow, 178 

Wilson, President Woodrow, 1103, 1110, 

1120, 1162; averts g-reat railroad 

strike, 1213; endorsed by 1916 Dem9- 

cratic State convention, 1215; Inci 

dent in His Career as a Lawyer, 1292 

Wilson, Walter S., 2882 

Wilson's cavalry raid (Civil war), 787 

Winn, James C., 592 

Winn, William T., 1931 

Winship, Charles R., 2262 

Winship, Elizabeth T., 1868 

Winship, George, 1866 

Wirt, William, 557 

Wirz Trial, 1536 

Wise, James W., 2593 

Wofford, William T., 2817 

Wolff, Bernard, 1982 

Wolz, J., 1103 

Woman's Bill, 691 

Wood, Harland J., 2088 

Wood, Henry M., 1875 

Wood, Jesse M., 1874 

Wood, Joseph, 335 

Wood, Mirabeau L,., 2970 

Wood, Orlando S., 3098 

Wood, Wiley A., 2693 

Woodward, Lucius L., 2938 

Woodward, Park, 2457 

Woody, William W., 2686 

Woofter, Thomas J., 3129 

Woolfork murders, 950 

Woolfork, Richard F., 950 

Word, Frank, 2509 

Word, Robert M., 2509 

Worley, Joseph W., 2661 

Wormsloe, 69 

Worrell, Claude, 2992 

Worth county, 698, 1263 

Wright, A. R., 2178 

Wrig-ht, Maj. Gen. Ambrose R., 270, 

1897 

Wrig-ht, Ambrose R., 2733 

Wrig-ht, Arrest of Governor, 1437 

Wrig-ht, James, 241, 245 

Wrig-ht, Moses, 1743, 2181 

Wright, Robert, 157 

Wrig-ht, Seaborn, 1726 

Wrig-ht, William A., 1154 

Wrig-ht, William C., 2506 

Wrig-htsboro, 256 

Wynne, Bobbie, 3170 

Wynne, W. M., 3169 . 

Yahoola Creek, 618 

Yahula, 617 

Yancey, Hamilton, 2643 

Yancey, William L., 402, 707, 1764 

Yates, W. S., 959 

Yazoo Act, Burning the (view), 393 

Yazoo land frauds, 390, 395, 398 

Yeates, W. S., 563 

Yoakum, Henderson, 590 

Young, Annie R., 2468 

Young-, Floyd M., 2467 

Young', George W., 2347 

Young, Hugh, 484 

Young, Otis, 2378 

Young, P. M. B., 933 

Young, Thomas, 80 

Zellars, Thomas M., 2741 

Ziegler, Solomon W., 2658 

Zipperer, Thomas E., 2581 

Zouberbuhler, Bartholemw, 77, 178 

Zubly, John J., 231, 270, 280, 335

SECTION I 

THE COLONIAL PERIOD OR GEORGIA UNDER THE ENGLISH 

GROWN, 1732-1775 

Vol. I—1

Georgia and Georgians 

CHAPTER I 

GEORGIA ORIGINALLY A PART OP FLORIDA—AFTERWARDS INCLUDED IN 

SOUTH CAROLINA—OUTSTANDING FACTS OF GEORGIA'S HISTORY— 

NAMED FOR GEORGE II OF ENGLAND—GEORGIA THE OFFSPRING OF 

PHILANTHROPY—THE YOUNGEST OF THE ENGLISH COLONIES—THE 

LAST TO LOWER THE FLAG OF ENGLAND—REASONS FOR THIS CON 

SERVATISM—WHITEFIELD'S ORPHAN HOME THE OLDEST ORGANIZED 

CHARITY IN AMERICA—SLAVERY FORBIDDEN—RUM OUTLAWED— 

REASONS FOR ESTABLISHING A NEW COLONY—To SATISFY A PRACTICAL 

AGE, ECONOMIC ARGUMENTS MADE TO RE-ENFORCE HUMANITARIAN 

ENDS—SOUTH CAROLINA'S NEED OF PROTECTION—ENGLAND'S TRADE 

EXPANSION—POPULAR INTEREST IN THE COLONY OF GEORGIA UN 

PRECEDENTED—OGLETHORPE THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS ENGLISHMAN TO 

CROSS THE SEA DURING THE PERIOD OF AMERICAN COLONIZATION— 

THE TRUSTEES—GEORGIA NOT A COLONY OF JAIL-BIRDS—CHOICE IM 

MIGRANTS—PREHISTORIC TRADITIONS—COLUMBUS ALMOST IN SIGHT 

OF GEORGIA WHEN HE DISCOVERED THE NEW WORLD—LANDS ON ONE 

OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS—ORIGIN OF THE NAME "AMERICA"—GOV 

ERNOR BROWN'S ARGUMENT—How ENGLAND'S RIGHT TO COLONIZE 

THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE WAS ACQUIRED—EARLY EXPLORATIONS— 

THE HUGUENOT COLONIES—FRENCH NAMES GIVEN TO GEORGIA RIVERS 

—EARLIEST DESCRIPTION OF OUR SEA-COAST BY RIBAULT—ST. AU 

GUSTINE FOUNDED—SPANISH MINING OPERATIONS IN THE CHEROKEE 

MOUNTAINS—THE PROPRIETORS OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE FIRST OWN 

ERS OF GEORGIA SOIL—SPAIN AND ENGLAND BOTH CLAIM OUR VIRGIN 

LANDS—SIR ALEXANDER CUMING'S MISSION. 

Originally the fair domain embraced in what we know today as 

Georgia formed a part of the Spaniard's Land of Flowers. It was by 

the name of Florida that all this region of country, for more than 

a hundred years, was first known to Europeans. In 1663 Georgia 

was included in the extensive tract granted by Charles II of England 

to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. It was not until 1732—more than 

fifty years later—that a separate charter, for Georgia gave legal con 

ception to the youngest of the English colonies. Meanwhile the sublime 

cantos of Milton's "Paradise Lost" had appeared in print for the first 

time; while John Bunyan, in Bedford prison, had dreamed his immortal 

allegory of the Pilgrim. The War of the Spanish Succession had been 

fought. The Duke of Marlborough had become the foremost soldier of 

3

4 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 

the age; and during this period of transition British allegiance had 

shifted from the Highland Stuarts to the German House of Brunswick. 

It was from George II, of England, a Hanoverian, that the infant 

colony received its baptismal name. When the proposition to establish 

Georgia was first launched, the zeal for colonization had commenced to 

languish. As a money-making investment, the planting of future em 

pires in America, had failed to satisfy the British love of acquisition, at 

least in its craving for immediate dividends; and these colonies had come 

to be regarded in the light of liabilities rather than as assets. -But the 

motive of philanthropy had hitherto been lacking in the colonial enter 

prises of England. It was now proposed to found in America an asylum 

for indigent but honest debtors; and since to the prospect of gain was 

added this new incentive, appealing to the better nature of Britons, the 

king was disposed to look with favor upon Oglethorpe's project. More 

over, the proposed experiment, while helping to solve a most difficult 

sociological problem, was likely to yield the crown large revenues, in the 

production of raw silk.* 

Thus Georgia came into .existence as the youngest of the English 

colonies in North America. She was also the last, as we shall see later, 

to lower the colonial flag. This reluctance to espouse the patriotic cause, 

when such an espousal meant separation from the mother country, exposed 

Georgia to the criticism of her sister colonies. But she persisted in her 

loyalty to the Crown of England; and when she did at last sever the tie 

of allegiance it was only in response to the call of blood from the com 

mons of Lexington. 

There were manifold reasons for this hesitation on the part of 

Georgia. She occupied an exposed position on the extreme southern 

frontier. She needed the protection of the mother country against sav 

age Indians on the one hand and against hostile Spaniards on the other; 

and she stood in greater need of this protection than did any other 

province of England. Her territory, though vast in extent, was sparsely 

settled. Immigrants had been slow in swelling her population, after the 

initial coast settlements were planted; and she had not accumulated 

wealth like the other colonies, due in the main to certain ill-advised re 

strictions as to slavery, land-tenure and rum, imposed upon her by the 

trustees. On the other hand, she had never been unduly oppressed by 

the mother country; her royal governors had all been men of high char 

acter and of benevolent dispositions; her grievances had all been kindly 

considered, if not invariably adjusted; and her relations with England 

had been uniformly of an agreeable nature. Moreover, not a few of the 

trustees, her earliest sponsors, were still in life, including the great Ogle- 

thorpe himself. Nor could she forget that it was from the father of 

the reigning sovereign that not only her charter but also her name had 

been derived; and this fact in itself bound her with peculiar tenderness 

to the House of Brunswick. It constituted a sort of filial tie and caused 

her to look with a pride akin to reverence upon the crown and scepter 

of the Georges. 

Though the youngest of the colonial group, Georgia, at the fountain- 

head of her history, planted an institution which 'Survives today as the 

* James E'oss MeCain, '' The Executive in Proprietary Georgia,'' p. 10.

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 5 

oldest organized charity in the United States. This institution, nurtured 

by the great Whitefield, still bears the Biblical name which its founder 

bestowed upon it in 1736—Bethesda. Like the ancient pool after which it 

was called, this great institution has been veritably a fount of healing; 

and, for nearly two centuries, its noble benefactions have testified to the 

humane spirit in which the colony originated. Most of the1 English prov 

inces were the products of an undiluted commercialism; but the main 

spring of Georgia's existence was philanthropy. Conceived in the spirit 

of reform, she was the first of all the colonies to put a ban upon African 

slavery and to outlaw rum; and for a period of sixteen years—1733 to 

1749—not a drop of rum and not a shackle of servitude was tolerated 

within her borders. 

Georgia, therefore, occupies a unique place among all the English 

colonies because of the philanthropic impulse which underlay her estab 

lishment and for the additional reason that it was the1 first time in the 

world's history that a colony had ever been formed to relieve pauper 

ism.* But philanthropy alone, in an age of commercial enterprise, 

did not offer an inducement sufficiently attractive within itself to enlist 

practical men of means. Consequently, when a charter was obtained 

from the king, as we shall see later, it set forth three distinct grounds 

for establishing a new colony in America: (1) the relief of poor sub 

jects who, through misfortune or want of employment, were reduced to 

great necessity; (2) the increase of England's trade, navigation and 

wealth; (3) the establishment of a barrier for the defense of Soiith Caro 

lina against the ravages of the Indians. Without stopping to discuss 

the relative strength of these arguments or to ascertain which fur 

nished the predominating motive for popular assistance it is enough to 

say, at this point, that Georgia's settlement enlisted greater support 

and aroused deeper interest than did the settlement of any other colony 

planted by England in America.! 

Oglethorpe, the revered founder of Georgia, whether we view him as 

a. humanitarian or as a soldier, was one of the towering landmarks of 

his time, and, beyond any shadow of doubt, was the most illustrious 

Englishman to cross the sea during the whole period of American coloni 

zation. The men who served Georgia as trustees were men of eminence, 

of piety, and of learning; not a few of them were members of the 

noble orders, including dukes, viscounts, and earls; some were members 

of Parliament; some were ministers of the gospel; some were authors of 

note; but all of them were men of unblemished character, whose names 

throughout England were synonyms for integrity, for devotion to high 

ideals, for world-wide sympathy with the unfortunate, and for an abid 

ing interest in the gentle humanities. 

Though it was to furnish an asylum for indigent debtors that Georgia 

was founded, it was not the shiftless, the idle, or the dishonest insolvent 

who was to enjoy its privileges but debtors who, in a special sense, were 

deemed worthy of its peculiar privileges; who were carefully selected 

by the trustees; and to whom no taint of wrong-doing attached. 

Georgia was also to be a haven of refuge for oppressed humanity 

* E. P. Brooks, in '' History of Georgia,'' p. 30. 

t '' The Executive in Proprietary Georgia,'' James Boss MeCain, pp. 7-15.


in all lands: for the gentle Salzburgers, for the pious Moravians, 

for the thrifty Jews. In no sense of the word, therefore, was Georgia 

a colony of jail-birds but a colony of choice spirits gathered from every 

part of Europe, a colony whose population was, so to speak, 'sifted 

through a fine sieve and safeguarded in every way from the contami 

nating influence of vicious elements. Indeed, there was no other colony 

to whose choice of members the selective process was more rigorously 

applied. These debtor colonists, to quote an eminent authority, were 

'' not the depraved who were suffering confinement as a punishment for 

crime; not felons who awaited the approach of darker days when graver 

sentences were to be endured; not the dishonest, who hoped by submis 

sion to temporary imprisonment to weary out creditors and emerge with 

fraudulently acquired gains still concealed; but the honestly unfortu 

nate. '' * Better protected, therefore, from contaminating contact with 

vicious characters, better circumstanced than any other colony for the 

upbuilding of a commonwealth committed to high, unselfish and noble 

ends, was the colony founded by Oglethorpe. 

These great outstanding facts of Georgia's history will be more fully 

discussed in succeeding chapters. Here, they are detached from the 

strictly logical connection in which they belong and are placed conspicu 

ously in the foreground of this work for the mere sake of emphasis. 

Fundamental to much of what will follow, we enumerate them here, so 

that when other facts, relatively much less important, are elsewhere 

stressed, these will not be dwarfed in comparison but will be kept vividly 

in mind by the reader. 

The authentic history of Georgia begins with Oglethorpe's humane' 

enterprise to found an asylum in the new world for oppressed debtors. 

But traditions point to European visitors who came at least two cen 

turies earlier. Some of these only skirted the shores of Georgia, while 

others penetrated far into the wilderness. Before we begin to deal with 

established facts, let us linger for a brief season in this border land of 

legend and see what matters of curious interest are disclosed in its dim 

twilights. Granting how prone the mind is to invest distant times and 

remote localities with fanciful creations, there may nevertheless be a 

world of truth in the unwritten lore which has come down to us from 

prehistoric days. At least, there is much to enchain the interest, to 

regale the imagination and to beguile the tedium of dull hours. Back 

of the musty chronicles of England, lies a realm of myth, peopled by the 

valiant knights of King Arthur; and behind the historic records of 

Greece we find the heroes of Homer. Some of the legends which have 

drifted down to us from prehistoric times in Georgia will compare in 

fascinating 'elements of romance with any of these: so let us not shrink, 

therefore, from an age of fable, even though the historian's task be 

ours; but entering boldly into this arcadian realm let us seek to ascer 

tain what light it can throw upon the true history to which it forms an 

introduction. 

When Columbus discovered - the Bahama Islands in 1492 he was 

*"History of Georgia," Chas. C. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, p. 85.

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS . 7 

almost in sight of the shores of Georgia. His voyage of discovery, as 

every school-boy well knows, had been taken for the purpose of finding 

a more direct route to India by sailing in a westerly direction around 

the globe; and, under the delusion that he had reached his goal, he called 

the natives of this new world '' Indians.'' * But the renowned Genoese 

navigator did not bestow his name upon the great hemisphere which he 

had been the' first to discover. Amerigo Vespucci (latinized into Ameri- 

cus Vespucius), a Florentine merchant and traveler, who followed in 

his wake, was destined to deprive him of this honor, if we can rely upon 

an accepted tradition. Vespucci, on returning home, wrote a letter in 

which he described in glowing colors and with much extravagance of 

detail this new world beyond the Atlantic; and, having put it into litera 

ture, people came to know it as the land of Amerigo: hence the name 

America.! Ex-Governor Joseph M. Brown, an archeologist of established 

reputation, disputes the authenticity of this account. In the first place, 

he directs attention to the manifest impropriety of calling a hemisphere 

after a man's first name; and, in the second place, he states that the 

word America existed among the aboriginal tribes of this continent in 

more than a dozen modified forms.J 

England's right to colonize the mainland of North America was based 

upon discoveries made by the Cabots. The first of these, John Cabot, 

seems to have landed at Cape Breton, on the coast of Labrador, in 1497. 

Cabot was a native of Venice (Giovanni Caboto), then living at Bristol, 

England. To find a northwest passage to Asia he was given a com 

mission by Henry VII and it was on this voyage of discovery that he 

reached the shores of Labrador. Claiming the new found territory for 

the king of England, he erected thereon the royal cross of St. George. 

But like a true Venetian he entwined with it the emblem of his birth 

place, the banner of St. Mark. On his second voyage he met with tragic 

disaster and what became of him is one of the unsolved problems of 

history. There is no evidence to show that his son, Sebastian Cabot, 

accompanied him on either of these expeditions, though at a later period 

he, too, reached the headlands of Labrador. It is not likely that he 

explored the mainland of North America for a distance further south 

than Cape Hatteras. Nor were any permanent settlements made by 

England in the1 new world until more than a century had elapsed. 

The explorations made by the renowned Spaniards, Juan Ponce de 

Leon and Hernando de Soto, the former in 1513 and the latter in 1539, 

are sufficiently important to constitute a separate chapter and for the 

present we omit any further mention of these adventurous knights of 

Spain. 

Seven years after Ponce de Leon had given to the whole southeastern 

part of North America the name of Florida, a wealthy Spaniard, Lucas 

*'' History of the United States,'' George Bancroft, Vol. 1, p. 1. 

t In 1507 a young German professor living at St. Die, in the Vosges mountains, 

published a little volume on geography and with it some letters of Vespucius and 

suggested that inasmuch as a fourth of the earth had been discovered by Americus 

it be called America—'' History ' of the American Nation," A. 0. McLaughlin, 

pp. 20-21. 

t '' Astyanax, a Romance of Ilion, Atlantis, and Amarac,a,'' Joseph. M. Brown, 

Int. VI-VIII.


Vasquez de Ayllon, dispatched from tlie Island of San Domingo, in 1520, 

an expedition which landed upon the coast of what is now South Caro 

lina, at a point not far from the present site of Port Royal. Given a 

friendly reception by the Indians, Spanish treachery took advantage 

of the credulous savages, a number of whom were enticed on ship 

board only to find themselves prisoners. It was the purpose of these 

cruel captors to sell the Indians into slavery; but when the expedition 

returned home De Ayllon promptly released the prisoners and admin 

istered to the captain a well merited rebuke. Four years later two other 

vessels were dispatched to the newly discovered mainland under com 

mand of Pedro de Quexos, who, regaining the confidence of the natives, 

explored the coast for a number of miles and probably touched the shores 

of Georgia, It is more than likely that, entering the Savannah, he pro 

ceeded for some distance up this stream. To confirm such a belief there 

are any number of traditions pointing to a European explorer before the 

time of DeSoto. As the result of these expeditions, De Ayllon fancied 

himself the discoverer of a new continent, wholly distinct from Ponce de 

Leon's, which was still supposed to be the great island of Bimini. 

In 1524, Yerrazano, an Italian navigator, under a commission from 

Francis I, of France, seems to have reached the coast of North Carolina, 

near Cape Fear, but he effected no permanent settlement for his royal 

patron. 

It was .a prevalent belief among the early Spanish navigators that 

Florida was a great island, a supposition based not unnaturally upon 

the curved shape of the peninsula. Nor was this mistaken impression 

removed until Stephen Gomez, on an expedition sent out by the king p 

of Spain, probably in 1524 or 1525, discovered proofs to the contrary. f 

Touching Labrador, Gomez turned southward. He explored the whole 

Atlantic coast, then rounded the peninsula which he found to be not 

an island but a part of the same mainland which Ponce de Leon had 

discovered in 1513, calling it Florida, as we shall learn with further 

particulars in a subsequent chapter. In 1529, from reports made by 

Gomez, a map of Florida was constructed under orders from the king 

of Spain. Its author was a Spaniard named Ribero. Though a crude 

affair, this map is a most precious relic since it records the earliest 

attempt to trace on paper the indented outlines of Georgia's coast. 

It is not at all unlikely that Narvaez, who, in 1527, rambled blindly 

some eight hundred miles through the wilderness of Florida may have 

penetrated into what is now the territory of Georgia; but he left behind 

him no traces of such a visit. In a work of intense interest to archaeolo 

gists an account of this expedition has been preserved by Gabeca de 

Vaca, one of his companions.* 

From an old tradition preserved by the Yamaeraw Indians, Sir 

Walter Raleigh, the renowned explorer and favorite of Queen Eliza 

beth, made a visit to Georgia on one of his western voyages and talked 

with the Indians. There is no documentary proof to confirm this belief 

but taken in connection with a statement recorded elsewhere that Ogle- 

thorpe, in ascending the Savannah River, took with him Sir "Walter 

Raleigh's journal, the tradition does not wholly lack eorroboration. It 

* "Belacion of Alvar ISTunez Cabeca de Vaea."


was Oglethorpe's impression that Raleigh had visited this region and 

had landed at Yamacraw. Its latitude was well within the range of his 

explorations; and there were landmarks tallying with descriptive ac 

counts given by him in this book. Some half mile distant from Yama 

craw there was an old grave-mound which the Indians pointed out to 

Oglethorpe telling him that the king who talked with Raleigh on this 

visit was there buried. But Colonel Jones, our best authority on the 

antiquities of Georgia, is somewhat skeptical as to the truth of this tradi 

tion. Says he: "It is a pleasant memory and has been repeated for a 

century and a half, but its truth we seriously question.'' * 

However, there are substantial proofs of a visit made to Georgia as 

early as 1562 by a colony of French Huguenots under the celebrated 

Jean Eibault. To find an asylum in America for these victims of re 

ligious persecution, Admiral Coligny, then a leader of the Protestant 

forces in France, sent an expedition to the new world, putting Ribault 

in command. He seems to have explored the entire shore line from 

the mouth of the St. John's River to the present site of Port Royal, on 

the coast of South Carolina. At the latter place he made a settlement 

and built a rude earthwork which he called Fort Charles (Arx Caro- 

lana), in honor of his sovereign, Charles IX, of France. This fort, how 

ever, was soon abandoned. On returning to France, to bring back a 

larger colony of Huguenots, Ribault here left twenty-six men. "But," 

to quote Dr. Henry A. "White, "they did not plant corn. They found 

pleasure in walking about in the great forests of cedar, magnolia and 

oak. They enjoyed the fragrance of the jessamin and the rose growing 

upon the banks of the Broad River. They bought corn and deer meat 

from the Indians and spent much time in looking for silver and pearls. 

At last the Huguenot settlers became anxious about Ribault. Day after 

day they looked out over the sea for his ship but he did not return to 

them. When the supply of corn was nearly gone, the men in the fort 

determined to build a small boat and sail back to France. Grass and 

the inner bark of trees were twisted together to make ropes for the new 

vessel. Bed-clothes and old shirts were made into sails. Then they 

turned the prow of the boat to the east and a fair wind bore them far 

out on the Atlantic. Before they reached the middle of the ocean the 

wind ceased to fill the sails and the little vessel was left floating idly 

upon the sea. The supply of food and water failed. The boat began to 

leak, and a storm broke upon them. Some died of hunger. An English 

ship by chance came that way, picked up those who were still alive, and 

carried them to England. All these events took place in the year 1562. 

Later a second company of Huguenots built another Fort Charles on the 

St. John's River in Florida. Then, in 1565 Captain Ribault brought a 

third group of colonists to this fort on the St. John's. The Spaniards, 

however, killed all of the Huguenot settlers and then built the Town of 

St. Augustine on the Florida coast, to show that they claimed this entire 

region, "f 

In 1563, Captain Ribault published an account of his explo- 

* '' History of Georgia,' ' Chas. C. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, p. 35. 

t "The Making of South Carolina, 7 ' Henry A. White, pp. 2-3.


rations in Florida.* Bishop Stevens doubtless consulted this work in 

writing his excellent history of Georgia, for he therein gives an account 

of the expedition telling how the names of French rivers were bestowed 

upon the streams of this state, giving them the earliest names by which 

they were known beyond the Atlantic. Says he: t " The expedition 

sailed from Havre de Grace on February 18, 1562, and in two months 

reached Florida, at a place which they named Cape Francois. Thence 

coasting north, they soon entered the -mouth of the St. John's which, 

because discovered on the first day of May, they called the River of 

May. Here, on a sandy knoll, they erected a pillar of stone, on which 

was engraved the arms of France. Coasting still northward, they dis 

covered the St. Mary's, which Ribault named the Seine, because it was 

' like unto the River of Seine in France.' Leaving St. Mary's, they soon 

cast anchor off the mouth of the Satilla, termed by them the Somme; and 

manning two boats they rowed up the river to examine its banks and 

to hold converse with the Indian king. They next discovered the Alta- 

maha, which they called the Loire ; further north, they came to Newport 

River, emptying into Sapelo Sound, which they termed Charente; next, 

St. Catharine's Inlet, which they called the Garonne; then Ossabaw 

Sound, receiving the waters of the Ogeechee River, to which they 

assigned the name of Gironde; and still further on they entered the 

broad mouth of the Savannah, styled by them the River Grande; thus 

bestowing upon the noble streams of Georgia the names of the beautiful 

rivers of France. Each of these waters was well explored and glowingly 

described.'' 

But Ribault's colony of Huguenots was doomed to extinction. Two 

years later, Laudonnier, on visiting Fort Charles, found the settlement 

deserted. But testifying with a mute eloquence to the character of the 

early French settlers he found wreathed with garlands a stone pillar 

inscribed with the arms of France. At the foot of this shrine were offer 

ings made by the natives, bespeaking the veneration in which they held 

this pathetic memorial of the Huguenots. Laudonnier.did not attempt 

to rebuild Fort Charles, deterred no doubt by the hapless fate of his 

fellow countrymen. But skirting the Georgia coast he landed at, the 

mouth of the St. John's River, then called the River May, where he 

erected a fort which he called Fort Caroline. In token of the jurisdic 

tion of France, he there planted a stone column bearing the royal arms. 

With seven vessels, in 1565, Ribault returned to America and took 

command of the colony at Fort Caroline. But the appearance of a 

Spanish squadron, dispatched with orders to kill all the Protestants in 

the settlement, caused him to put to sea with great loss. To explain this 

unexpected check to the enterprising Huguenots, Spain, having learned 

of these French settlements on the coast, had commissioned Menendez, 

with a large force, to settle Florida. He executed the commission by a 

relentless and thorough massacre of the inhabitants and every vestige 

of the French settlement was obliterated. Captain Ribault was himself 

among the slain. Leaving there a Spanish garrison, Menendez moved 

farther on down the coast, where he constructed a fort; and here, on 

* "True and Last Discoverie of Florida made by John Ribault, in the year 1562." 

t "History of Georgia," Wm. Bacon Stevens, Vol. I, pp. 30-38.


September 8, 1565, were laid the foundations of the oldest city on the 

Continent of North America—St. Augustine. 

Without making any attempt to hold the country, a party of French 

recaptured Fort Caroline, murdered its Spanish occupants and with 

drew, leaving Spain in undisputed possession of Florida; and for more 

than a century there were no further hostilities between these two rival 

powers. 

Five years subsequent to the hapless fate of Ribault's colony of 

Huguenots, Admiral Coligny himself fell in the celebrated massacre of 

St. Bartholomew. 

Before we leave this subject, let us glance for a moment at Captain 

Ribault's description of the Georgia coast. It is couched in glowing 

terms, quaintly archaic; and, with respect to spelling is delightfully 

reminiscent of Chaucer's old English. He calls the shore line between 

St. John's River and Port Royal "'a fayre coast, stretching of a great 

length and covered with an infinite number of fayre trees." He 

describes the waters as '' boyling and roaring through the multitude of all 

kinds of fish,'' and the inhabitants .as '' all naked and of a goodly stature, 

mightie and as well shapen and proportioned of body as any people in 

the world; very gentle, courteous and of a good nature." As for the 

country itself, he characterized it as "the fayrest, fruitfulest and pleas- 

antest of all the world, abounding in honey, venison, wilde foule, forests, 

woods of all sorts, palm trees, cypresse and cedars, bays, ye highest and 

greatest, with also the fayrest vines in all the world, with grapes accord 

ing, which, without natural art and without man's helpe or trimming, 

will grow to toppes of okes and other trees that be of a wonderfull great 

ness and height." At sight of Georgia's "fayre medowes" he experi 

enced a pleasure not to be expressed with the tongue. These meadows 

were full of "hernes, Curlues, Bitters, Mallards, Egrepths, Wood-cocks 

and all other kinds of small birds; with Harts, Hindes, Btickes, Wilde 

Swine, and all other kinds of wilde beasts, as we perceived well both by 

their footing there and also afterwards in other places by their crie and 

roaring in the night.'' * 

St. Augustine became the seat of Spanish government in America. 

Nor was it long before mining expeditions were sent by the governors of 

Florida into the Cherokee country of Georgia to dig gold. The fabulous 

tales narrated by the returned soldiers of DeSoto 's expedition concerning 

treasures to be found in the rich province of Coca or Coosa, consisting 

not only of precious metals, like gold and silver, but also of rare pearls, 

had so inflamed the imagination of the Spaniards that as soon as Florida 

was settled the initial enterprise of its governors was directed toward the 

Hills of Gold, in which these treasures were supposed to be embedded. 

One of the earliest expeditions of which we have an account—ante 

dating the foundation of St. Augustine—was organized in 1559 by Luis 

de Velasco who dispatched 300 Spanish soldiers under Tristam de Luna 

to open communication with the Province of Coosa by way of Pensacola 

Bay. These soldiers equipped with mining tools, proceeded up the Chat- 

tahoochee River into North Georgia, where implements of Spanish manu- 

*"History of Georgia," Charles C. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, p. 35.


facture have been found in comparatively recent times, telling of these 

primitive mining operations. 

Juan Pardo or Paedo was next sent out by Aviles, the' first Spanish 

governor of Florida, to establish a fort at the foot of the mountains 

northwest of St. Augustine, in the province of the chief Goaba. There 

is still to be found near the Town of Spring Place, in. Murray County, 

Georgia, the ruins of an old fort supposed to have been built by DeSoto. 

But there is little probability that the Spanish explorer lingered long 

enough in this locality to have built such a stronghold. Its origin, there 

fore, is no doubt to be referred to the early mining activities of the 

Spaniards at St. Augustine; nor is it at all unlikely that its builder was 

Juan Pardo. 

Coming down to a much later period, Johannes Lederer, a German 

traveler, who visited the southern colonies in 1669 and 1670 tells us that 

at this time the Spaniards were working gold and silver mines in the 

Appalachee Mountains and he adds this remark: '' Had I had with me 

half a score of resolute youths who would have stuck to me I would have 

pushed on to the Spanish mines." Consequently, it is not to the expedi 

tion of DeSoto that all the relics of, a Spanish character found in North 

Georgia are to be referred. To quote Colonel Jones: * "Thus we are 

enabled to account with at least some degree of probability for those 

traces of ancient mining observed and wondered at by the early settlers 

of upper Georgia—operations of no mean significance, conducted by 

skilled hands and with metallic tools which cannot properly be referred 

either to the red race or to the followers of DeSoto.'' 

But we must hasten on. England, as we have already seen, claimed 

the right to settle North America by virtue of discoveries made by the 

Cabots, especially Sebastian, who had visited this continent, extending 

his explorations for several hundred miles along the coast. All of the 

territory included between the twenty-eighth arid the fifty-sixth degrees 

of north latitude was regarded by England as her rightful possession. 

Consequently, in 1663, we find Charles II, of England, conveying to 

eight noblemen called Lords Proprietors all the land lying on the Atlan 

tic coast between the twenty-ninth and the thirty-sixth degrees of north 

latitude, including a large part of the territory claimed by the crown. 

In 1629 Charles I had made a similar grant to his attorney general, Sir 

Robert Heath, but the patent for some reason had lapsed. Within the 

domain granted to the Lords Proprietors for a colony to be called by the 

name of Carolina was included the territory } of the present State of 

Georgia. These noblemen of England who first owned the soil of our 

state were: Anthony Ashley, Lord Cooper; Sir John Colleton, the Earl 

of Clarendon, Sir William Berkeley, John, Lord Berkeley, the Duke of 

Albermarle, the Earl of Craven, and Sir George Carteret. 

According to international law, it was necessary for a power to 

establish permanent settlements on its newly discovered lauds in order 

to perfect its titles thereto. To quote Mr. Evans: t "The permanent 

English settlements at Charleston and along the Carolina coast estab 

lished England's claim to Carolina, while the permanent Spanish settle- 

* '' History of Georgia,'' Chas. C. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, p. 70. 

t "History of Georgia," Lawton B. Evans, p. 10.


ments at St. Augustine established Spain's title to Florida; but no agree 

ment could be reached as to a dividing line between Florida and Caro 

lina. . The northern boundary line of Florida was not fixed until 1763, 

100 years after the grant'to the Lords Proprietors, when Spain ceded 

all Florida to England.'' 

. In a subsequent chapter, we will tell how an effort was made by Sir 

Robert Montgomery, in 1717, to establish within the Province of Caro 

lina on what is now the Territory of Georgia, a separate jurisdiction to 

be called the Margravate of Azilia; but the ambitious scheme of this 

English nobleman, failing to enlist popular support, was finally 

abandoned. 

Meanwhile great dissatisfaction had resulted from the government of 

Carolina by the Lords Proprietors, seven of whom deeded back to the 

crown all rights and titles held by them to these lands. Lord Carteret 

alone retained his interests. When a charter was granted to the trus 

tees of Georgia only an undivided moiety of seven-eights was conveyed 

to them in the lands lying between the Savannah and the Altamaha 

rivers. But Lord Carteret subsequently deeded to them his interest; 

and thus was Georgia's title perfected. 

To quell the Indians who had been incited by French and Spanish 

traders to make inroads upon the Carolina settlements, Governor Moore 

invaded the territory of the Indians west of the Savannah River and 

compelled the Province of Appalachee to submit to English rule. At a 

later period the Yemassees, driven out of Carolina by Governor Craven, 

allied themselves with the Florida Seminoles among whom they found 

homes. In 1729 a treaty of peace between England, France, and Spain 

was signed at Seville, the object of which was to adjust rival interests in 

the new world; but its effect was only to produce a temporary lull. 

Meanwhile, the Seminoles on the south and the Cherokees on the west 

still menaced the Carolina frontier; while French and Spanish traders 

continued to dwell among them, enjoying the profits of an extensive 

barter. 

There were great advantages to be gained from cultivating more inti 

mate trade relations with the Indian tribes. Consequently, England, in 

1730, dispatched Sir Alexander Cuming, a Scotchman, on a secret mis 

sion to accomplish this object. Successful beyond his most sanguine 

expectations, especially in his visit to the Cherokees, he negotiated a 

treaty with these Indians, who agreed to submit themselves to the 

sovereignty of King George. Several of the chiefs accompanied him to 

England where they were received with great popular enthusiasm. It 

was the first visit of an American Indian to the mother country; but 

these savages were no less objects of interest to the English people than 

were the sights of London to these children of the forest. Portraits were 

painted of the Indians, attired in English garments, standing amid the 

tall trees of the park in London.* « 

Dating from this visit of Sir Alexander Cuming, England's trade 

relations not only with the Cherokees but also with the Creeks became 

extensive and there followed an influx of Scotch traders, some of whom 

intermarried with chiefs, producing the noted leaders of mixed blood 

'History of Georgia," Charles 0. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, p. 78.

14 GEOBGIA AND GEORGIANS 

who largely shaped the future history of these tribes. But, having 

brought the narrative down to this point, we will now revert somewhat 

more in detail to the explorations of the two renowned Spaniards, Juan 

Ponce de Leon and Hernando de Soto. 

PORT MOUNTAIN — Six miles and a half to the northeast of Spring Place looms a 

peak of the Cohutta Mountains, near the summit of which can still be seen the ruins 

of an old fort, the origin of which is shrouded in a thick veil of traditions. This 

ancient landmark of a region famed for its great natural beauty is known as Fort 

Mountain, so called from the remnants of this old fort, some of the legends connected 

with which reach back over a stretch of four centuries to the romantic days of De Soto. 

But no one who thoughtfully examines what is left of the old fort can accept readily 

the account which credits its erection to De Soto. There were originally not less 

than twelve walls in this defensive stronghold. Its erection required time; and, 

according to the Spanish narratives, less than two weeks were spent in this region, 

after which the gold seekers proceeded to what is now the City of Rome. Two 

stopping-places of De Soto have been identified as towns included within the original 

limits of Murray County, viz., Gauxule and Conasauga ; but since in both of these 

towns he was. accorded friendly receptions there existed no occasion for hostile 

maneuvers, such as the building of a fort would lead us to infer. The rules of 

historical criticism forbid an assumption that the ruins on Fort Mountain date back 

to De Soto, but a former occupancy of this region by Europeans is strongly intimated, 

if not unmistakably proven, by these remains. We are indebted to Prof. S. W. 

McCallie, State Geologist, for a table of measurements, showing how each of the 

twelve walls of the old fort ran. This table is given below, as follows: 

SE. 40 feet to pit; 160 to gate at spring. 

N. 60 " 

E. 70 

N. 20 

S. 80° E. 60 

(2 towers) 

NE. 100 

S. 80° E. 70 

E. 20 

N. 120 

NE. 90 

N. 10° E. 

NE. 

30 

80 

Says Professor McCallie: "The old fort is located just a short distance from 

the highest point of the mountain. Some 250 yards from the main gateway to the 

fort is a spring. The walls are nowhere more than two feet high, but have a base 

of more than twelve feet. The masonry about the gateway is somewhat massive. 

All the stones in the wall can be removed by two men, except for a few boulders in 

a section over which the wall passes. There are many loose fragments on top of the 

mountain, from which the fort was no doubt constructed." 

L. L. Knight, in "Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," Vol. II, 

pp. 896-7.

CHAPTER II 

TJONCE DE LEON'S QUEST FOE THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH—SOMETHING OF 

His LIFE IN SPAIN—ACCOMPANIES COLUMBUS ON His SECOND VOY 

AGE TO AMERICA—BECOMES GOVERNOR OF PORTO Rico—HEARS OF AN 

ISLAND CALLED BIMINI CONTAINING A FOUNTAIN OF MAGICAL WATERS 

—SETS OUT TO DISCOVER THIS ISLAND FOR THE KING OF SPAIN— 

REACHES FLORIDA ON EASTER SUNDAY, 1513—THINKS HE HAS DIS 

COVERED BIMINI—FROM THE CURVATURE OF THE SHORE ADJUDGES THE 

LAND TO BE AN ISLAND—HONORS AWAIT HIM IN SPAIN—His RETURN 

TO FLORIDA AND His TRAGIC DEATH—FAILS TO FIND His ILLUSIVE 

FOUNTAIN BUT MAKES His NAME IMMORTAL—HERNANDO DE SOTO'S 

SEARCH FOR GOLD—LANDS AT TAMPA IN 1539—AN ACCOUNT OF THE 

EXPEDITION—ADVENTUROUS YOUNG KNIGHTS ENLIST—PRIESTS AND 

HISTORIANS—WHAT LED TO THE UNDERTAKING—FABULOUS TALES 

OF UNTOLD WEALTH.IN GOLD, SILVER AND PEARLS—THESE FIRE THE 

SPANISH IMAGINATION—MEMORIALS OF DE SOTO'S MARCH THROUGH 

GEORGIA—CRUELTY OF THE SPANIARDS—WORKS EXTANT RELATING 

TO THE EXPEDITION—RECENT DISCOVERIES—VARIANT THEORIES 

ADVANCED BY ANTIQUARIANS—WAS DE SOTO'S LAST STOPPING PLACE 

IN GEORGIA ON THE SITE OF ROME OR COLUMBUS?—ITINERARY OF 

HERNANDO DE SOTO. 

One of the companions of Columbus on his second voyage to the new 

world was a Spanish nobleman, Juan Ponce de Leon. With the name 

of this renowned cavalier'is associated a legend of fascinating interest 

which tells us how in his last years, when eager to mend his fortunes and 

to renew iis strength, he sought to discover in the wilds of Florida a 

fabled Fountain of Youth. It is not unlikely that in his wanderings he 

penetrated northward into the Territory of Georgia; and for this reason 

the story of his hapless quest possesses for us an interest beyond its 

charm as a mere legend. 

Having won his golden spurs in the military service of Spain, chiefly 

in the wars of Granada, we find him seized with a burning desire to try 

his fortunes in the new world beyond the west. To quote the historian 

Bancroft: * " America was the region of romance, where the heated 

imagination could indulge in the boldest delusions; where the simple 

natives ignorantly wore the most precious ornaments; and where, beside 

the clear runnels of water, the sands sparkled with gold. * * * Is it 

strange that these adventurers were often superstitious? Or that some 

times they indulged the hope that even the laws of nature themselves 

would yield to men so fortunate and so brave ?'' Tales such as the re- 

* '' History of the United States,'' George Bancroft, Vol. I, p. 22. 

15


.turned voyager brought back to Spain were well calculated to fire an 

ardent youth, of imaginative temperament, nurtured upon traditions 

of romance and reared amid the tropical perfumes of the warm 

Mediterranean. 

Consequently when Columbus for the second time'turned the prow 

of his vessel toward the new world we are not surprised to find Ponce 

de Leon accompanying him on this expedition. His object was to 

achieve wealth, fame, distinction, in a land of great opportunities; and 

then, flushed with success, to return to Spain. It was not until disap 

pointment overtook him and grim realities, one by one, came to dispel 

his cherished illusions that he awoke to find himself an old man, with 

his life's ambition unattained, with his feverish thirst unsatisfied, with 

his elusive goal unreached. Then he bethought himself of the Fountain 

of Youth; but—alas, the pathetic irony of it all—only to be lured to 

his fate in a Land of Flowers. 

But let us not leap too hastily over intermediate events. On arriving 

in the "West Indies he at once became a leader; and as a reward for gal 

lant soldiership was given the eastern province of Hispaniola for his 

command. Here, from the hill-tops, he could see the green fringes of 

Porto Rico and fascinated by the prospect he became eager to rule it; 

so, following a visit to the island, which only stimulated his cupidity, 

he sought and obtained in 1509 the governorship of Porto Rico; but, 

according to Bancroft, he used his power to oppress the natives and to 

augment his personal fortunes. When finally removed, after a clash 

• with kinsmen of Columbus, he possessed a regal estate; converting 

which into a squadron of three vessels he continued his explorations. 

But he bore a stained escutcheon; and, what troubled him most, he was 

no longer young. 

Having learned from natives of the West Indies of a great island 

lying to the north called Bimini, he made the 1 discovery of this island 

the object of his new enterprise; and, accordingly, on March 3, 1513, 

he set sail from Porto Rico. Ponce de Leon's commission from the 

king of Spain gave him the right to settle this island and to annex it 

to the crown of Spain. Nor was his eagerness to behold this green 

country diminished by the report that somewhere in its verdant 

stretches bubbled a fountain whose waters possessed a marvelous power: 

the power of rejunevating the old and of giving renewed strength to 

the feeble. Ponce de Leon was now well beyond the meridian of his 

days and sensuous living had made him a wreck of the once puissant 

knight who had followed the path of the setting sun toward the west. 

But he was still filled with feverish dreams of conquest; and what might 

he not accomplish if he could only find this elusive' spring and experi 

ence the transforming spell of its wonderful waters. 

On March 27, 1513, Easter Sunday, called by the Spaniards Pascua 

Florida, land was sighted. Supposing it to be the storied island of 

Bimini, he'claimed the discoverer's privilege of changing its name and 

called it Florida, for the two-fold reason that it was first seen on Easter 

Sunday and because its blossoms, unwontedly brilliant at this season of 

the year, gave the name an added appropriateness. Delayed by violent 

storms in going ashore, he finally effected a landing some few miles 

to the north of the present City of St. Augustine; and claimed the


country in the name of the King of Spain. Ponce de Leon remained for 

several weeks investigating the coast. Pie also made extensive rambles 

through the' tide-water region; but he did not find the spring. Turning 

southward, he passed through the Florida Straits, thence up the west 

coast to Tampa Bay, after which he returned to Porto Rico, leaving a 

trusty follower to continue the search as far north as the Bay of Appala- 

chee; but he returned to Porto Rico, as he had gone forth from its 

docks: an old man. 

From the curvature of the coast, Ponce de Leon was convinced that 

he had discovered a'n island, which he believed to be the Island of Bimini. 

He little dreamed that his newly discovered land was the jutting 

peninsula of a vast continent; but there was a world of satisfaction in 

having discovered a great island, amid whose tropical evergreens was 

somewhere concealed a Fountain of Youth. Hailed as the' discoverer 

of the Island of Bimini, he returned to Spain. There he was given a 

most enthusiastic reception by court and people alike; and for his great 

service to his sovereign, in having annexed this great territory to the' 

Spanish dominions, he was rewarded with the- command of Florida. 

But it proved to be an empty honor. He was expected to colonize the 

new country, a task which he was reluctant to assume, on account of its 

burdensome responsibilities. More than ever he craved a draught of the 

magic elixir; but time's only answer was to increase his deepening 

wrinkles and to multiply his whitening locks. 

Ponce de Leon's return to America was delayed for some time, part 

of which was spent in needed preparations for the voyage and part in 

an expedition against the'Caribbee Indians. Finally, in 1521, after a 

long interval, he proceeded with two boats to select a site for his colony; 

but, attacked by savages, many of the Spaniards who accompanied him 

were killed. Ponce de Leon himself was among the wounded, pierced 

by an arrow in a vital part; and, soon after reaching Cuba, he closed his 

eyes in death, never once having pressed his lips to the fabled fountain 

whose elusive waters still taunted his dying vision. Feverish dreams 

of a murmuring spring still mocked him to the last. But, while its 

transparent crystals had eluded him, it was nevertheless his good fortune 

to have discovered the mainland of North America, to have added an 

imperial territory to the dominions of Spain, and to have linked his own 

name in a perennial immortality with the name of Florida—the Land 

of Flowers. 

On March 30, 1539,—nearly two centuries before Georgia received 

her charter from the crown of England—there landed at Tampa Bay, 

on the west coast of Florida, a band of Spaniards. It numbered 600 

strong and its commander-in-chief was the renowned adventurer, 

Hernando de Soto. 

These cavaliers of Spain were clad in handsome armor and provided 

with horses splendidly caparisoned, and resembled rather a cavalcade 

of knights en route to tournament than a band of adventurous argo 

nauts seeking for hidden treasure in an unsubdued wilderness. The 

avowed purpose of the expedition was to discover the fabulous wealth 

of the New World; and, after claiming the country in the name of 

Vol. 1—2


Charles V and planting the flag of Spain in the white sands of Florida, 

De Soto pointed his jeweled sword toward the North. 

So far as authentic records go, these were the first Europeans to set 

foot upon the soil of Georgia. From time' to time navigators had skirted 

the coast, entering perhaps for a short distance the mouths of rivers, 

but none had ventured to explore the interior, at least heyond the -range 

of tide water. • It was still an unknown land when De Soto stood upon 

its borders and peered into its vast solitudes in the spring of 1540. But 

before tracing the route which lay before these bold but deluded 

Spaniards, let us cross the water to the ancient Town of Seville and 

take a hasty survey of the events to which this strange spectacle on the 

shores of the New World was only the dramatic culmination.* 

Hernando De Soto, at the time of this expedition to America, was 

perhaps the foremost man of his age at the Court of Spain. As a lieu 

tenant-general under the renowned Pizarro, he bore a conspicuous part 

in the conquest of Peru and returned home enriched with the spoils of 

the Incas. But life at the Spanish Court grew tame to one whose breast 

was aglow with the spirit of adventure; and, envious of the greater fame 

of his old chieftain, he sought and obtained from the Spanish Crown 

permission to explore an indefinite region of the New World, then known 

by the name of Florida. It will doubtless be remembered that the ill- 

fated Ponce de Leon, in search of his fabled Fountain of Youth, some 

years before, had bestowed this name upon what he took to be an island 

of vast magnitude and of untold wealth. 

Dazzled by the prospect of enlarging the boundaries of his empire, 

* '' Original Sources.'' Four original manuscripts deal with the history of 

De Soto's expedition: 

(1) The brief report of Biedma, an officer of the expedition, _ presented to the 

King, in 1544, immediately after the return to Spain. 

(2)' Next, in point of time, but of first importance for detail and general appear 

ance of reliability, is the narrative of an. anonymous Portuguese cavalier of the 

expedition, commonly known as the Gentleman of Elvas, originally published in the 

Portuguese language, in 1557. 

(3) Third, in order, conies the Spanish narrative of Garcilaso, written but not 

published in 1587, a document which deals in gross exaggerations. 

(4) The last original account is an unfinished report in Spanish by Eanjel, 

secretary of the expedition, written soon after reaching Mexico, but not published, 

except in mutilated extracts, until 1851. 

Secondary authorities: 

(1) "Researches on America," by James H. MeCulloh. (1816). 

(2) "The Conquest of Florida," by Theodore Irving (1845). 

(3) "History of the Discovery and Settlement of the Mississippi Valley,," by 

John M. Monette, M. D. (1848). 

(4) "History of Georgia," by Bishop Win. B. Stevens, M. D., Vol. I (1847). 

(5) ."Synopsis of the Indian Tribes within the United States, East of the Kocky 

Mountains," by Albert Gallatin (1836)., 

(6) "History of Alabama, and incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi," by 

Albert J. Pickett (1851). 

(7) "History of Hernando De Soto and Florida," by Bernard Shipp (1881). 

(8) "History of Georgia," by Chas. 0. Jones, Jr., Vol. I (1883). 

(9) ".Eomantic Passages in Southwestern History," by A. B. Meek (1857), 

including "Pilgrimage of De Soto" (1839). 

(10) "Myths of the Cherokee," by James Mooney (1900), House Document, 

Vol. 118.


the king readily granted this coveted boon. It was agreed that certain 

royalties accruing from the treasures obtained on the expedition, whether 

taken from graves and temples or discovered in mines, were to revert 

to the crown; and, in order that he might the more readily command 

a convenient base of operations for the hazardous enterprise, De1 Soto 

was commissioned governor of the Island of Cuba. It was not a diffi 

cult task to obtain followers. The age was one of romance. Tales of 

fabulous wealth had fired the imagination of the Spaniard. De Soto 

himself was sanguine of success; and though the conquest of Peru had 

netted him 180,000 crowns of gold, he expected to find still vaster treas 

ures on this new voyage to the West. 

Six hundred men, picked with discrimination from the chivalry of 

Spain, were obtained for the expedition. Says Jones: * " This little 

army was composed of men accustomed to wars, skilled in'the use of 

weapons, and inured to hardships. Scarcely a gray head appeared 

amongst them." Twelve priests, eight clergymen of inferior rank, and 

four monks accompanied the army, showing that, in the feverish thirst 

for conquest, the conversion of the aborigines was not forgotten. More 

over, men of letters, to perpetuate the events of the march and to 

acquaint posterity with the details of an affair so momentous, were' 

found eager to accompany the adventurous knights. 

In due time De Soto embarked for Cuba. Here, busy Avith prepara 

tions for a protracted march over land, he remained until the spring of 

the year following. On Sunday, May 18, 1539, in a fleet of nine vessels, 

he sailed from Havana to Florida, arriving at Tampa Bay within twelve 

days thereafter, where he set up the royal standard of his sovereign. 

Thus began one of the most eventful marches in the history of time. 

But fate delights in strange ironies. Four years later, after wandering 

to the distant slopes of the Rocky Mountains, a remnant of this once 

buoyant band, haggard and exhausted, found themselves upon the 

borders of Mexico. But De Soto was hot among them. The bold leader 

of the enterprise, who expected to eclipse the fame of Pizarro, slept 

beneath the turbid waters of the Mississippi. 

Memorials of De Soto's march still abound. In the neighborhood 

of Tallahassee, where most of the historians locate the ancient town 

called by the Spaniards Anhayca, pieces of Spanish armor have been 

found, in addition to other European relics of a remote period. While 

the accounts furnished by the Spanish narrators are quite full it is 

difficult, in a study of ancient towns and villages, to make the descrip 

tions in each case conform to modern landmarks; but there are monu 

mental remains still extant which will serve as sign-boards to the 

antiquarian. 

On Wednesday, March 3, 1540, after wintering at Anhayca, the army 

began once more to move northward. Its objective point at this time 

was Yupaha, a province governed by a woman, whose chief city was 

reported to be one of great size. Among some Indians captured by a 

roving party of Spaniards was a lad who spoke knowingly of this queen 

and of certain chiefs who paid tribute to her in gold; and so vividly did 

* Jones: "History of Georgia," Vol. I, p.


he describe the process of taking the yellow metal from the earth, of 

melting it in crucibles, and of taking it therefrom refined and purified 

that the eyes of the Spaniards began to sparkle with triumph. At last, 

they were fringing the Land of Gold. 

Four days later, beyond a doubt, the Spaniards stood upon Georgia 

soil, having crossed the Ocklockonee River. Within forty-eight hours 

they came to an Indian village called Capachiqui. Here, at sight of the 

Europeans, there was at first great consternation among the natives, 

who took flight as the Spaniards approached; but when five of the 

Spaniards visited some Indian cabins, encompassed by a thicket, they 

were attacked from ambush. As a result, one was killed and three were 

badly wounded. Says Jones: '' Thus does the Gentleman of Elvas 

record the death of the' first Spaniard who fell upon what is now the 

soil of Georgia." 

Toalli, the next Indian village at which the Spaniards arrived, on the 

21st of March, is located by Jones at some point south of Ocmulgee 

River, perhaps in the present County of Irwin; and, after remaining here 

for three days, they made a short journey to Achese', a village located 

upon the above-named stream, in the neighborhood of Avhat is now the 

Town of Abbeville. According to Gallatin, Aches or Ochis was the Musco- 

gee name for the Ocmulgee River. Here, the inhabitants likewise fled 

before the Europeaiis; but the chief was found to be friendly and he 

informed De Soto that further on there reigned a powerful king whose 

country was called Ocute. To assist him in finding the place a guide 

was furnished. On the first of April, De Soto resumed his march, skirt 

ing the edge of a river whose shores were found to be thickly inhabited. 

Within four days, he arrived at Altamaco, the locality of which is un 

identified; but on the tenth day he reached Ocute, the principal town 

of which was probably somewhere in the neighborhood of the present 

City of Dublin. According to Colonel Jones, the banks of the Oconee 

River in this neighborhood give token that in former times the aboriginal 

population was somewhat dense. On approaching the town, he was met 

by 2,000 Indians, bearing as a present from the chief an abundance of 

wild game, including partridges and turkeys. 

Here he remained until April the 12th. When ready to depart, he 

obtained from the chief 400 burden-bearers to accompany him on the 

march; and, after passing through Cofaqui, he came to Patofa, the chief 

of which town received him with every mark of consideration. It is 

astonishing how kindly the Spaniards were treated by the natives when 

the rapacious character of the expedition is taken into account. They 

misused women; they employed men as beasts of burden; supplies of 

every kind were appropriated by them; and in quest of costly ornaments 

they even ransacked temples and burial places of the dead. 

On leaving Patofa, De Soto taxed the king for enough maize to last 

the expedition four days; but it so happened that soon after leaving the 

Indian village, he lost the trail which he was following. For several 

days, the Spaniards wandered blindly through the pine barrens, fording 

with difficulty two rivers, probably the sources of the Great Ogeechee; 

and swimming another, supposed by Jones to be Briar Creek, in what


is now the County of Burke. On the 28th day of April, the expedition 

arrived at Cutifachiqui, a town which Monette locates just north of 

Augusta .at a point where Broad River enters the Savannah. MeCulloh 

places it on the Ocmulgee River, near Macon; but, according to other 

authorities, including Piekett, Gallatin, Jones, Mooney and others, it 

occupied the site of Silver Bluff, on the Carolina side of the Savannah 

River, some twenty-five miles below Augusta. It was here that George 

Galphin, the celebrated Indian trader, afterwards lived during Colonial 

times. Mooney thinks it was probably an ancient capital of the Uchees. 

It was not without the greatest difficulty that the Spaniards reached 

Cutifachiqui. Four Indians were captured who refused to give them 

any information concerning adjacent villages; but one of them having 

been burned alive the information was at last forthcoming that Cuti 

fachiqui was only two days off and was ruled by a woman. Yupaha, 

therefore, seemed to be at hand. On learning of De Soto's approach, 

the queen sent canoes to assist him across the river; and when he came 

into her presence she threw over his head a string of pearls. Moreover, 

food in abundance was given to his famished men and horses. 

But De Soto ill-requited the queen's kindness. He began a systema 

tic search for pearls of which he learned that she possessed a goodly 

number; desecrated graves, taking therefrom many costly ornaments, 

including figures made from iridescent. shells; and even invaded the 

temple, leaving it poorer in sac.red relics. On hearing tha,t the queen's 

mother was a widow, he expressed a desire to meet her and tried persist 

ently to do so; but her ladyship eluded him at every turn. At last the 

queen herself became so incensed at the outrages perpetrated upon her 

subjects by the Spaniards that when De Soto announced his purpose to 

continue his journey she refused either to grant him supplies or to give 

him directions. 

Thereupon the Spanish governor put her under arrest; and, upon 

resuming his march, on the third day of May, he compelled her to accom 

pany him on foot, escorted by female attendants. While at Cutifachiqui, 

the Spaniards found hatchets and other implements made of copper, 

some of which appeared to be mixed with gold. On inquiry they were 

informed that the metal had come from an interior mountain province 

called Chisca, but the country was represented as thinly populated and 

the way as impassable for horses. Some time before, while advancing 

through Lower Georgia, they had heard of a rich and plentiful province 

called Coosa, toward the northwest; and now by the people of Ciitifa- 

chiqui they were informed that Chiaha, the nearest town of the Coosa 

province was twelve days inland. As both men and animals were already 

nearly exhausted, De Soto determined not to attempt the passage of the 

mountains then, but to push on at once toward Coosa and recuperate 

before undertaking further exploration. 

However, the first objective point of the Spaniards, after resuming 

the journey, was Gauxule, situated near the extreme northern limits of 

the queen's domain, in a mountainous region. Hardships multiplied, 

but in seven days the Province of Chelaque was reached. Both Mooney 

and Jones identify Chelaque as Cherokee, Georgia; and, according to 

the latter, De Soto was now probably within the confines of the present 

County of Franklin. The country was almost destitute of maize. It


was also extremely uneven; and not less than five days were spent in 

reaching Xualla, the next town at which the Spaniards stopped. Pickett 

locates this town in Habersham County, near what is now the Town of 

Clarksville; and there are Spanish antiquities in the neighborhood 

which seem to warrant this impression. Irving locates it on the site of a 

former Indian town at the head of the Chattahoochee River; while, ac 

cording to Jones, it was situated in Nacoochee Valley, near the foot of 

Mpunt Yonah. .There are also numerous relics in this vicinity, which 

point to the Spaniards. 

From this place, De Soto seems to have moved in a westerly direc 

tion ; but scarcely were his columns in motion before the queen succeeded 

in making her escape into the forest, and so effectually did she elude 

pursuit that efforts to recapture her proved fruitless. The journey from 

Xualla to Gauxule consumed five days. Mountains arose on every hand, 

with intervening valleys, rich in pasturage and irrigated by clear and 

rapid streams. Gaiixule, according to Jones, occupied the site of Coosa- 

wattee Old Town in the County of Murray. Two more days of travel 

brought the Spaniards, on the 22d day of May to Conasauga, which, 

according to Meek and Pickett, was a town on the Conasauga River, in 

Mxirray County, but which, according to Jones, was between the Cona- 

saxiga and the Coosawattee rivers, in Gordon County, on the site of New 

Echota. Thence dispatching an Indian messenger ahead to announce 

his arrival, De Soto, on June 5, 1540, reached Chiaha, which most of the 

authorities identify as the modern city of Rome, between the Oostanaula 

and the Etowah rivers. 

It may be of interest in this connection to state that an eminent in 

vestigator, James Mooney, dissents from the majority view on this sub 

ject and locates Chiaha on the site of the present Town of Columbus. 

While his opinion in the matter may strike the average reader as some 

what erratic, it cannot be lightly dismissed. Mr. Mooney is a recognized 

authority on American antiquities. He is connected with the Smith- 

sonian Institution in "Washington, District of Columbia, and is not only 

the latest scholar to investigate the route of De Soto but, what entitles 

his view to special weight is the fact that he has based his researches 

largely upon an original document which was not published, except in 

a mutilated form, until 1851, and which was not consulted by the other 

investigators, namely, an unfinished report in Spanish by one Ranjel, 

secretary to the expedition. 

There is no essential deviation between Jones and Mooney until the 

Spaniards leave Cutifachiqui, which both identify as Silver Bluff. Then 

the two commentators part company; and where Jones locates Xualla in 

Nacoochee Valley, Mooney locates it at the head of the Broad River in 

Western North Carolina, where a tribe of Indians then lived called the 

Suwali, better known later as Cheraws. Gauxule, a town which the 

Spaniards reached after traveling in a westerly direction, he locates in 

Nacoochee Valley. Thence proceeding down the Chattahoochee River, 

he identifies Conasauga as an old Indian town near the banks of this 

stream, in the neighborhood of Kennesaw Mountain, a name whose simi 

larity of sound may be something more than a mere coincidence; and 

finally he comes on down to Columbus, in the situation of which town he 

recognizes the Chiaha of the Spanish narratives.

0 

March 

March 

March 

March 

March 

March 

April 

April 

April 

April 

April 

April 

April 

April 

May 

May 

May 

May 

May 

June 

July 

March 

May 

May 

May 

May 

June 

July 

3, 

7, 

9, 

21, 

24, 

25, 

1, 

4, 

10, 

12, 

14, 

20, 

26, 

28, 

3, 

10, 

15, 

20, 

22, 

5, 

1, 

3, 

to 

10, 

15, 

20, 

22, 

5, 

1, 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 

1540. 


ITINERARY OF HERNANDO DE SOTO 

(1) According to Jones: 

Left Anhayca (Tallahassee, Florida). 

Crossed a deep river (Ockloekonee). 

Arrived at Capaehiqui. 

Came to Toalli, in Irwin County (near the Ocmulgee). 

Left Toalli. 

Arrived at Achese, in "Wilcox County (on the Ocmulgee) . 

Departed from Achese. 

Passed through the Town of Altamaca. 

Arrived at Ocute, in Laurens County (near the Oconee) . 

Left Ocute. Passed through a town whose lord was called Cof aqui, 

and came to the province of another lord, named Patofa. 

Departed from Patofa. 

Lost in a pine barren. Six days consumed in fording two rivers 

(sources of the Great Ogeechee). 

Set out for Aymay, a village reached at nightfall. 

Departed for Cutifachiqui (Silver Bluff, on the Savannah, 25 miles 

below Augusta). 

Left Cutif aehiqui. 

Left Cutifachiqui (Cherokee, Georgia, probably in Franklin 

County) . 

Arrived at Xualla (Nacoochee Valley, near Mount Yonah). 

Arrived at Gauxule (Coosawattee Old Town in Murray County). 

Arrived at Conasauga (New Echota, in Gordon County). 

Arrived at Chiaha (Eome, Georgia). 

Departed from Chiaha. 

(2) According to Mooney: 

In substantial agreement with Jones. 

Arrived at Xualla (town in Western North Carolina, belonging 

the Suwalli Indians, at the head of Broad Biver). 

Arrived at Gauxule (Nacoochee Valley). 

Arrived at Conasauga (town of this name, near Kennesaw 

Mountain) . 

Arrived at Chiaha (Columbus, Georgia). 

Departed from Chiaha. 

to

24 G-EOKGIA AND GEORGIANS 

Whether it be Rome or Columbus, De Soto remained at Chiaha for 

nearly a month. At the expiration of this time, he parted from the king 

with kind words, and left on July 1, 1540, for the far west, accompanied 

by a retinue of slaves as the king's gift. In a short while he was 

beyond the Territory of Georgia. To trace his wanderings through a 

trackless forest, exposed without protection to the torrid heat of sum 

mer and to the rigorous cold of winter, exhausted by hunger, enfeebled 

by disease, is not within the purview of this sketch. It suffices to say 

that the gold for which the Spaniards relinquished home and braved 

the solitudes of an unknown wilderness proved an illusive phantom. 

Most of them looked no more upon Spain. At last, on September 10, 

1543, a pathetic remnant reached Panuca, in Mexico, after suffering 

untold hardships; but not until they had lowered the body of De Soto 

secretly at night into the bosom of the Great Father of Waters, where 

at last bis splendid fabric of dreams literally crumbled into dust.

CHAPTER III 

GEORGIA'S ORIGINAL DOMAIN—PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COUN 

TRY SOON TO BE SETTLED—THE MOUNTAINS—THE PIEDMONT PLATEAU 

—THE COASTAL PLAIN—GEORGIA'S PRE-HISTORIC INHABITANTS—THE 

MOUND BUILDERS—WHO WERE THESE PRIMITIVE ARCHITECTS ?—PROB 

ABLY NOT INDIANS—CERTAINLY NOT THE RED MEN OP A LATER PERIOD 

—TUMULI ON THE BTOWAH NEAR CARTERSVILLE AND ROME—MOUNDS 

IN SOUTH GEORGIA—WHY AN INDIAN THEORY is REJECTED—IN 

DIANS NOT IDOLATORS—INDIANS Too MIGRATORY TO HAVE BUILT THESE 

COLOSSAL MONUMENTS—CURIOUS RELICS TAKEN PROM THE TUMULI— 

TESTIMONY OF A SKELETON—REMOTE INDIAN ANTIQUITIES—BASEBALL 

A GAME OF INDIAN ORIGIN—FOUR TRIBES OF NATIONS OCCUPYING 

GEORGIA'S SOIL AT THE TIME OF THE EUROPEANS' ADVENT—THE 

CREEKS, THE CHEROKEES, THE • CHICKASAWS AND THE CHOCTAWS— 

ONLY THE FIRST Two TRIBES FIGURE WITH ANY PROMINENCE IN THE 

HISTORY OF GEORGIA—INDIAN CHARACTERISTICS—VILLAGE LIFE—GOV 

ERNMENT—HABITS—CUSTOMS—OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES—MAR 

RIAGE RITES—RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 

Before resuming our narrative let us glance briefly at the physical 

characteristics of the country, which Oglethorpe's humane enterprise is 

soon to people with English subjects. The State of Georgia, as we know 

it today, occupies only a part of the original domain granted to the trus 

tees in 1732. Nevertheless, it contains 59,475 square miles, or 37,120,000 

acres, and is still in area the largest state east of the Mississippi River. 

Its greatest length is 320 miles, its greatest width, 254 miles; and it lies 

between the 30th and the 35th parallels of north latitude and between the 

81st .and the 86th degrees of west longitude.* 

Georgia's ocean front measures 126 miles in extent. Beginning here 

at sea level, the land rises toward the north in a series of gradations until 

it reaches the lofty mountain ranges of the Blue Ridge escarpment. 

Broadly speaking the state is divided into three sections, the Mountains, 

the Piedmont Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. 

1. The Mountains form a part of the great Appalachian system. 

These, locally known as the Blue Ridge, occupy the whole upper area of 

the state running in a southwesterly direction from Rabun Gap toward 

Cedartown. The highest peaks in these ranges are as follows: Sitting 

Bull, 5,046 feet; Enota, 4,796 feet, both in Towns; Bald, in Rabun, 4,718; 

Blood, in Union, 4,468; Tray, in Habersham, 4,435; Cohutta, in Fannin, 

4,155, and Yoiiah, in White, 3,168 feet. The Blue Ridge mountains form 

* To be more precise the boundaries of Georgia are as follows: Between 

30° 31' 39" and 35° of North Latitude and between 81° and 85° 53' 38". 

25


a water-shed dividing the streams which flow into the Tennessee from 

those which empty into the Savannah and the Chattahooche'e rivers; and 

also separating the waters which through these main streams empty, on 

the one hand, into the Gulf of Mexico and, on the other, into the Atlantic 

ocean. These mountains are rich in coal, iron, copper, granite, marble, 

gold and silver. The scenery of Upper Georgia is unrivalled in its pic 

turesque beauty, abounding in majestic water-falls such as Toccoa and 

Amicololah; in verdant valleys, like Nacoochee; and in magnificent gorges, 

like Tallulah, in which there were at one time five unrivalled cataracts.* 

2. The Piedmont Plateau, as its name implies, is an area of foot-hills. 

It corresponds roughly to what is sometimes called the middle belt, and is 

bounded on the south by a line running from Augusta to Columbus. The 

elevation of this section varies from 300 to 1,500 feet above sea level. 

Here were located some of the great plantations of the1 state in ante-bel 

lum days. In this part of Georgia, also, the rivers, escaping from nar 

row channels and rocky shoals, broaden into wide streams, on whose 

smooth expanse of water floats the majestic steam-boat. 

3. To the south of this Piedmont Plateau lies the great Coastal Plain, 

a region embracing 35,000 square miles, or considerably more than half 

of the state's entire domain. Georgia was first settled on the ocean front, 

a strip bounding the coastal plain on its eastern side; but it was not 

until comparatively recent years that the1 wire-grass region comprising 

its western area became the home of a thrifty population. Georgia's 

ocean front is in many places low, marshy, .and malarial, but is indented 

by splendid harbors, full protection to which is afforded by outlying 

islands, formerly the homes of a wealthy class of people known as sea- 

island planters. The state's principal sea-ports are Savannah, Bruns 

wick, Darien, and St. Mary's. But we cannot lengthen this discussion. 

The reader who is interested in Georgia's water-powers, industries, mate 

rial resources, etc., is referred to a section of this work devoted exclusively 

to topics of this character, f 

Georgia's original domain, as defined by her royal charter from King 

George II, of England, lay between the Savannah and the Altamaha rivers ' „ 

and extended from the headwaters of these streams, in a westerly direc 

tion, "to the South Seas," an expression construed to mean "indefinitely 

westward;'' but at a later period the state's western boundary was fixed 

at the Mississippi River. Reaching back for immemorial ages beyond the 

advent of the European this region of country was the wilderness home 

of Indian tribes. But, antedating the days of the red men, as we know 

them, at least, the Territory of Georgia was inhabited by a race of people 

who, for the want of an ethnological name defining their true relation to 

the human family have been called the Mound Builders. Great mounds 

or tumuli found today on the banks of the Etowah, near Cartersville, also 

in the vicinity of Rome, and in the lower part of the state, not far from 

* These cataracts were: L ;Eau D 'Or, Bridal Veil, Tempesta, Oceana, and 

Hurricane. They were destroyed by the erection some time ago of a dam in the 

waters of the stream just above Tallulah by the Georgia Bailway and Power Com 

pany, but the unrivalled gorge still remains and the approaches thereto will from 

year to year be made increasingly beautiful by splendid driveways leading to palatial 

country homes. 

t Section VII, ' ' The Period of the Present.''


the Town of Blakely, testify to the existence of this prehistoric race, giv 

ing us at the same time some of its peculiar habits and characteristics. 

Perhaps nowhere on the continent can there be found today memorials 

of a more colossal character or of a more profound interest to antiquar 

ians, telling of the former existence of this unknown race than we find in 

the famous monumental structures on the Etowah, some two miles distant 

from the present Town of Cartersville. These ancient relics of an un 

known race are located on what was formerly the property of Col. Lewis 

Tumlin. There are similar structures to be found in the Valley of the 

Mississippi and along the Ohio and the Scioto rivers, but none to com 

pare in magnitude with these splendid piles. Col. Charles C. Jones, Jr.,* 

who visited the locality some time in the '50s for the purpose of making 

scientific investigations, has put on record an exhaustive monograph, 

dealing with the subject from almost every point of view. Pie thus 

describes these immemorial mounds: 

'' Situated upon the right bank of the Etowah River, in the midst of a 

perfectly alluvial bottom, they tower above all surrounding objects, 

changeless amid the revolutions of centuries. They consist of a series of 

mounds, surrounded by a large and deep moat—the traces of which are 

quite distinct; and, when filled with the tide of the river it effectually 

isolated the entire space included within its boundaries. The Etowah 

River here turns to the south; and, after a gentle sweep again recovers 

its wonted course, thus forming a graceful bend. This moat originally 

communicated at either end with the river, a fact which is still apparent, 

although the current of the stream, in its flow of years, has filled to a 

very great extent, the mouths of the ditch, thus preventing the influx and 

reflux of the tide. Formerly the water must have coursed freely through 

it, thus isolating the entire space and constituting quite an obstacle in 

the path of an attacking foe. This ditch varies in depth and width; in 

some places possessing still a depth of twenty feet—in others, of not more 

than eight or ten; and differing in width from fifteen to forty feet. North 

and west of the mounds situated within this enclosure, and along the line 

of the moat, are two excavations, each having at present a conjectured 

area of about an acre, and a depth of some twenty-five or thirty feet. 

With these excavations the moat communicates directly, so that the same 

rising tide in the river, which flowed into the ditch, would also convert 

them into deep ponds or huge reservoirs. The reason why these excava 

tions were made is evident. The earth removed in constructing the moat 

was not sufficient to build even a moiety of the immense tumuli within the 

enclosure. Hence' the Mound Builders were compelled to resort to these 

enormous excavations, which still exist and will remain for ages yet to 

come. The space included within the limits of the moat is between forty 

and fifty acres. From the general appearance and nature of the works, 

we are induced to believe that these excavations were designed to answer 

another.purpose. They might have been, and probably were, intended 

as huge reservoirs, wherein a supply of water, sufficient to flood the 

entire moat, might have been detained and preserved ready for an emer 

gency. The streams of this region, springing as they do from hilly 

* '' Historical Btemains of Georgia,'' by Charles C. Jones, Jr., pp. 27-29, Savannah, 

1861.


sources and passing through valleys, are subject to great increase and 

diminution in volume. When, therefore, the water was low in the 

Etowah, it might have been difficult, if not impossible, to have' filled the 

moat." 

Speaking of the mysterious structures enclosed within this ditch, the 

same authority says: * 

"Within the enclosure there are seven mounds. Three of them are 

pre-eminent in size; one in particular far surpassing the others in its 

stupendous proportions, and in the degree of interest which attaches to 

it. This large central mound stands almost midway between the moat 

and the river—a little nearer the latter. Its position is commanding, and 

to the eye of the observer it seems a monument of the past ages. It be 

longs not to this generation. The hunter tribes had naught to do with 

its erection. The offspring of an ancient people, who have passed for 

ever beyond the confines of this beautiful valley, it stands a solemn 

monument, ever repeating the story of what they achieved, while they 

themselves and all else connected with them are sleeping beneath the 

shadow of a forgotten past. Composed of native earth, simple yet impres 

sive in form, it seems calculated for, an almost endless duration. Al 

though no historian has chronicled the names and deeds of those who 

aided in its erection—although no poet's song commemorates the virtues, 

the manners, the loves, the wars, the brave deeds of those who here 

dwelt—still this monument exists, speaking a language perchance more 

impressive than the most studied epitaph upon Parian marble. 

"This central tumulus is some eighty feet or more above the level 

of the valley. There is no geological formation entering in the smallest 

degree into its composition. To all appearances, it consists entirely of 

the earth taken from the moat and the excavations, together with the 

soil removed from around its base, having received no assistance whatever 

from any natural hill or elevation. In view of this circumstance, its 

stupendous proportions become the more surprising. It is somewhat 

quadrangular in form, if we disregard a small angle to the south; its apex 

diameter two hundred and twenty-five feet, measured east and west, 

and two hundred and twenty-two feet, measured north and south. It is 

nearly level on top. Originally this tumulus was crowned with the most 

luxurious vegetation, but the utilitarian arm of the husbandman has 

shorn it of this attraction. A solitary tree stands near the northern 

extremity. The native weeds and annual -grasses flourish, however, in 

such rich profusion that the steps of the observer are seriously impeded. 

The view of the surrounding country from the summit of this tumulus 

is highly attractive. Almost at its base flows the ever-changing tide of 

the Etowah River. Alternate fields and forests charm the eye. The 

rich alluvial bottoms, teeming with the products of intelligent husbandry 

•—the crests of the neighboring hills, adorned with pleasant cottages and 

covered with well-cultivated orchards—the consecrated spire, rising from 

the oak grove which, marks the suburbs of the neighboring village—all 

proclaim in glad accord the happy reign of peace and plenty. Tender 

* Ibid., pp. 107-119.


must have been the attachment with which the Mound-Builders regarded 

this beautiful valley." 

According to Colonel Jones, the following curious relics, among a 

number of others, have been found from time to time as the result of 

excavations made within the area enclosed by the moat. 1. A pipe, 

fashioned of a species of green stone, almost equal to Egyptian granite. 

It is 3% inches in height. It represents a human figure seated in Oriental 

fashion, the extended arms of which uphold an urn of classic pattern, 

which constitutes the bowl. The latter is two inches in diameter, with 

ornamental rim and unique handles. The countenance of the figure is 

clearly not Indian in a single feature. The head is thrown back, and the 

uplifted eyes seem to be resting upon some superior, unseen, yet adorable 

divinity. The chiseled hair upon the front is gathered upon the top in 

a fold, and thence flowing backward is confined behind in a knot. Ears 

prominent. 2. A pipe, likewise of stone, 4*4 inches in height, similar in 

design to the first, but ruder in its construction. 3. Clay pipes some 

perfectly plain, others with rude impressions upon the outside, and scal 

loped rims. Probably of Indian origin. Bowl at right angles with the 

stem some of baked, others of undried clay. 4. An idol. This interest 

ing relic, made of a coarse, dark sandstone, is twelve inches in height. 

It consists of a human figure in a sitting posture, the knees drawn up, 

almost upon a level with the chin, the hands resting upon the knees. 

Retreating chin and forehead full head of hair, gathered into a knot 

behind face upturned eyes angular. Not a single feature, not an idea 

connected with this image is Indian in its character. Everything about 

it suggests the belief that it must have been fashioned by the ancient 

Mound-Builders. It is an interesting fact, in this connection, that the 

Cherokees were never worshippers of idols: Both Adair and Bartram 

testify in positive terms to this effect. 5. A stone plate. This singular 

relic is circular in form, eleven inches and a half in diameter, one inch 

and a quarter in thickness. Between the scalloped edges and the central 

portion of the plate, there are two circular depressed rings. The mate 

rial is of a sea-green color. Weight nearly seven pounds. It was 

probably never employed for domestic or culinary purposes. We incline 

to the belief that it was a consecrated vessel, in which was exposed the 

food placed by the Mound-Builders before the idols which they wor 

shipped. 6. A shell ornament. Five' and a quarter inches in length; 

four and a half inches in width; ovoidal in form; various designs chased 

on both inner and outer sides; numerous apertures cut some circular, 

some elliptical. It was probably worn as an ornament, suspended from 

the neck. The impressions cut upon this shell appear to indicate the 

fancy and taste of the artist, rather than any positive attempt at repre 

sentation of any particular object or thing. The carved lines may be 

hieroglyphical, but who at this day can reveal the hidden meaning? 

We are inclined to refer this relic to the handiwork of the Mound- 

Builders. 7. Fragments of isinglass. In the construction of mirrors, 

this material was constantly used by the Mound-Builders. The most 

extraordinary specimen of this character was found at Circleville, in 

the Scioto Valley, twenty-six miles south of Columbus. It was three 

feet in length one foot .and a half in breadth and one inch and a half 

in thickness while on it a plate of iron had become an oxide. 8. Stone

30 G-EOBGIA AND GEOEGIANS 

pestles. 9. Numerous fragments of pottery. 10. Head and neck of 

bird, a specimen of clay—baked. 11. Various little images. These 

remains were found upon the surface of the tumuli and in the fields 

around them. We may, therefore, eagerly anticipate the revelations 

which will come to light when the Herculean task of exploring them has 

been successfully accomplished. 

Like the unsolved riddle of the Sphinx, there obtrudes upon the 

imagination this question, which time has not yet answered: Who were 

the mysterious Mound-Builders ? They must have been an extraordinary 

race of people to,, have reared such enduring fabrics. But the days 

when these primitive inhabitants roamed the continent lie far away 

in the remote background of the past, beyond even the shadowy range 

of tradition. The mantle of oblivion rests upon them. No historical 

records have been left behind; and only from the internal evidence of 

these tumuli can the least information be deduced. But Colonel Jones 

speculates interestingly upon the subject. Says he: * 

"It will be at once remarked by those who even to a limited.degree 

have bestowed any attention upon the antiquities of our State, that these 

remains are not at all Indian, in point of origin. They have nothing in 

common with those which 'were ascertained to have been constructed by 

the Indians who were here when the region was first peopled by the 

whites. We have also the positive testimony of the -Cherokees to the 

effect that they retained not even a tradition of the race by whom they 

were made. The authors of these tumuli were probably idol worshippers. 

Among the Cherokees this religious custom was never known to exist. 

The belief cherished by them with respect to a future state forbids the 

supposition that the idols found in the neighborhood of these tumuli 

were fashioned by them. Again, no migratory or nomadic race of people 

would have undertaken the erection of such vast earth works, involving 

immense labor and designed for almost endless duration. Men must 

have emerged from the hunter state-; they must have become more ad 

vanced in civilization; population must have become more dense before 

the erection of such temples—such fortifications—could have been under 

taken. There was not in the sixteenth century a single tribe of Indians, 

between the Atlantic and the Pacific, who had means of subsistence 

sufficient to enable them to apply to such purposes the unproductive 

labor necessary for the erection of such a work. Nor was there any in 

such a social state as to enable a chief to compel the labor of the nation 

to be thus applied. It is only under despotic forms of government that, 

pyramids will ever be erected in honor of princes—or such huge earth 

works be dedicated to religious purposes. It is evident that these monu 

ments were never constructed by the Indians who possessed this region 

when Georgia was first peopled by the whites. Without pausing to 

enumerate the proofs upon which the supposition rests, we may here 

state in general terms that all the probabilities point to Asia as the 

country whence came the earliest inhabitants of America. When or 

what place they located, cannot at this remove be definitely aseer- 

1 Ibid., pp. 37-41.


tained. While there are indications now and then of what may be 

termed an intrusive type of civilization, referred by some to occasional 

adventures and migrations, having an impulse from the east toward 

the Atlantic coast, we incline to the opinion which looks to Mexico as 

the parent of the immediate civilization which originated in this valley, 

and which resulted in these memorials to the industry, religious zeal and 

military skill of a people who, in the absence of some definite name, are 

denominated Mound-Builders. The remains which they have left behind 

them .are in many instances precisely similar to those which have been 

exhumed in the valleys and at the base of these ancient temples, seated 

upon the plains of Mexico. Another fact worthy of notice is this: these 

remains are generally located upon or near streams, having communi 

cation directly or indirectly with the Gulf." * 

Since the locality in question was visited by Colonel Jones, light 

from other sources has been thrown upon these mysterious tumuli. The 

following item is copied from one of the old scrap-books of Judge Rich 

ard H. Clarke. It reads: 

"Several years ago an Indian mound was opened near Cartersville, 

Ga., by a committee of scientists' from Smithsonian. After removing the 

dirt for some distance a layer of large flag-stones was found, which had 

evidently been dressed by hand, showing that the men who quarried the 

rock understood the business. These stones were removed, and in a 

vault beneath them was found the skeleton of a giant, measuring seven 

feet and two inches. His hair was coarse and jet black, and hung to the 

waist, the brow being ornamented with a copper crown. The skeleton 

was remarkably well preserved and was taken from the vault intact. 

Nearby were found the bodies of several children of various sizes. The 

remains of the latter were covered with beads made of bone of some 

kind. Upon removing these the bodies were found to be enclosed in a 

net-work of straw or reeds, and underneath these was a covering of 

the skin of some animal. In fact, the bodies had been prepared some 

what after the manner of mummies and will doubtless throw new light 

upon the history of the people who reared these mounds. On the stones 

which covered the vault were carved inscriptions, and if deciphered 

will probably lift the veil which has enshrouded the history of the race 

of giants which undoubtedly at one time inhabited the continent.'' 

Concerning the memorials of a prehistoric race to be found in the 

neighborhood of Rome, Col. Chas. C. Jones, writing in 1861, observes: t 

"The organic traces of the Mound-Builders are frequent in this 

neighborhood. Just where the rivers meet, there once stood upon the 

point of land, whose base is washed by these streams, ari interesting 

mound, circular in shape, some twelve or fifteen feet in height and, at 

the base, not less than fifty feet in diameter. The earth and clay which 

* Charles C. Jones, Jr., in '' Monumental Bemains of Georgia,'' pp. 27-119. 

t "Monumental Eemains of Georgia," by Charles C. Jones, Jr., pp. 82-83, 

Savannah, 1861.


composed this tumulus have been almost entirely removed, the same 

having been employed in leveling the streets of Rome and in making a 

landing place for the ferry-boats. From this mound silver ornaments 

and beads of gold were taken. It was found to contain numerous skele 

tons, pots, vases, stone axes, arrowheads, spearheads, shell ornaments, 

pipes, copper beads, mortars, circular stones, carefully rounded and 

polished, besides other relics of a less interesting character. Along the 

banks of the two rivers are numerous traces of inhumation. This spot 

appears to have been consecrated to the purpose of burial. The swollen 

tides never wash the shore, without bringing to light new proofs of this 

fact. In the immediate neighborhood were several other mounds of 

smaller dimensions, all of which seem to have been devoted to the pur 

poses of sepulture. They are now nearly level with the plain. Upon 

the very spot occupied by at least two of them have been erected the 

dwellings and work-shops of another and a nobler race. The contents 

of these were all similar. They were composed of the blue clay and 

alluvial soil of the valley, interspersed with stones and mussel shells 

taken from the beds of the confluent streams." 

But the Cherokees possessed no information concerning these 

mounds. They knew nothing whatever of the race of people by whom 

they were built. Says Colonel Jones: * "When questioned by the whites 

who first located here, they replied by saying that they retained not even 

a tradition of those who constructed them." The story is shrouded in 

oblivion. With respect to the physical characteristics of the environ 

ment, Colonel Jones waxes eloquent. Says he: "Beautiful in all its 

features is this necropolis of a departed race. Standing upon the almost 

obliterated traces of the larger mound, whose base is washed by the con 

fluent waves of the Etowah and the Oostanaula, the eye, gladdened by 

the joyful meeting, watches the stranger wavelets, now friends, as in 

joyous companionship they leap along the current of the softly gliding 

Coosa. * * * The dark green foliage which crowns the left bank 

grows darker still as the shadow of the opposite hill—almost a mountain 

—settles upon the river; while the trees on the other side are joyously 

waving their beautiful branches in the soft sunlight which rests upon 

the valley beyond. On the right, hill succeeds hill in gentle undulation. 

Behind, stretches the valley of the Etowah, beautiful in its foliage, 

attractive in its graceful windings, as it bends over to guard in its 

accustomed channel, the stream which imparts its life and verdure. 

Upon the adjacent eminences, sits the village of Rome. The stately trees 

have fallen before the stroke of the woodsman. Broad bridges span the 

waters. The steamboat, freighted with the products of intelligent hus 

bandry, stem their currents. Through the echoing valley of the Etowah 

are heard the shrill whistle and the rapid march of the locomotive. On 

every side are seen the traces of a new, a superior, and an advancing 

civilization., How changed since the time when the Mound-Builders 

fixed here his home, and above the remains of his family and friends, 

heaped these memorials of his sorrow—these tributes to the memory of 

the departed. 

"Some eight miles above Rome, in a bend of the Oostanaula River, 

'• Ibid., p. 83.


known as Pope's Bend, is a mount, at present some five or six feet in 

height and, at ,the base, some eighty feet in diameter. It stands in the 

middle of a field, which is said to have been cleared and cultivated by 

the Indians. Circular in form, its central portion is considerably de 

pressed. In consequence of the exposure of this tumulus to the immedi 

ate action of wind .and tempest and due to its having been for years 

cultivated, its present proportions do not realize its original size. The 

walls of this mound must at first have been raised several feet above 

its central portion. In this respect, it seems quite unique. Now, how 

ever, the outer rim has an elevation of not more than two feet. It is 

composed entirely of the sand and soil of the valley. Upon its surface 

were found broken fragments of pottery, a stone axe, a pipe, a soap- 

stone ornament, broken clay utensils and numerous fragments of human 

bones. This was, without doubt, a burial mound. Just across the river, 

and upon a neck of land formed by the confluence of Armurchee Creek 

and the Oostanaula, is still another. The surface of the ground for sev 

eral acres here is covered with pieces of pottery, and a great variety of 

spears and arrow-heads. From this mound were taken a mortar of beau 

tiful proportions, pestles, stone axes, etc. We are inclined to refer these 

last tumuli to an Indian origin. Certain it is that many of the remains 

found in and about them are purely Indian in character. It will be 

observed, however, that the same locality sometimes, and in fact not un- 

frequently, indicates the existence of remains peculiar both to the Mound- 

Builders and to a later period. 

" * * * From the best authority it appears that the Cherokees of 

this region did not, as a general rule, erect mounds over the dead. The 

usual custom was to hide the body in some rocky fissure, covering it with 

bark, depositing with it the bow and arrow, pots, stone axes, and other 

articles, the property of the deceased, and then close securely the en 

trance. Often the hut of the deceased was burnt, and with it many 

articles used by the late owner. Sometimes they interred beneath the 

floor of the cabin, subsequently setting fire to the walls and roof, thus 

obliterating every trace of the inhumation. 

"Again, they buried by placing the body underneath a ledge of 

rocks, or upon the slope of a hill in some unfrequented spot, heaping 

above it a pile of stones. Subsequently they adopted the plan of digging 

a grave some three feet or more in depth, into which the corpse was 

lowered. Above it was heaped a small tumulus, some six or eight feet 

in length and two or three feet in height. Upon the range of hills run 

ning to the south of Rome are several graves of this latter description. 

They lie north and south and are generally located in the vicinity of 

large trees. On the right bank of the Etowah River, near Rome, at a 

point known as 'Old Bridge,' a heavy ledge of rocks, projecting from 

the side of the hill, overhung the river. It was necessary to remove this, 

in order to construct the track of the Rome Railway. When forced 

from its position by the blast, the fissures in the ledge were found to be 

filled with the skeletons of Indians. By many they were supposed to 

have been the dead killed in a battle fought but a short distance from 

this spot, and here secreted by those who survived. Upon the-hill oppo 

site Rome, known as ' Cemetery Hill,' many bodies, have' been discovered 

securely lodged in the inequalities of the hillsides, carefully covered 

Vol. 1—3 «


with utensils of the chase, of war, and of domestic use, buried with them. 

Scattered throughout these valleys, however, there are mounds of mod 

erate dimensions, circular or ovoidal in form, which are doubtless to be 

referred to an Indian origin. Judging from the internal evidence, we 

are inclined to regard them ,as the oldest organic remains of the Chero- 

kees. Elevated spaces, perfectly level at the top, are still to be seen. 

These were formerly used by the Cherokees for the purposes of sport,, 

dancing, ball playing, and quoit rolling. In one locality, not far from 

the village of Rome, was pointed out a track, some quarter of a mile or 

more in extent, which tradition designates as an Indian race-course. 

All traces of the dwellings have, of course, disappeared, with the excep 

tion of some of the more modern buildings—such as the ruins of the 

house formerly occupied by John Ross, the chief of the national, beau 

tifully situated upon a gentle elevation, on the edge of the Coosa Val 

ley, near the inception of the river; and the former residence of Major- 

Ridge, which still remains in good preservation [1861], upon the left 

bank of the Oostanaula River, some two miles from Rome. These, how 

ever, are modern in character and belong to the semi-civilized Indian, 

as modified in his tastes and habits by association with the white race.'' *• 

The aboriginal remains of these valleys may be divided into three 

classes: 1. Those which are to be referred to the Mound-Builders. 

2. Such .as are purely Indian in character. 3. Those which, although: 

the work of Indians, were modified by intercourse and contact with 

whites or Europeans. Authorities: Jones, Adair, Bartram. 

There is little room for doubt that the most typical as well as the 

most popular of American games, viz., baseball, originated among the 

North American Indians. As played by them the game was, of course, 

crude, and in some respects was not unlike the game of football. It is 

only by an evolutionary sort of process that the favorite sport of the 

modern college athlete can be traced to the primitive playgrounds of' 

the savage wilderness, but the essential principles of the game were 

undoubtedly derived from the aboriginal inhabitants of the continent. 

Throughout the whole of upper Georgia, there are traditions without 

number concerning important issues, such as boundary line disputes,, 

which were settled by the game; traces of the old fields can still be found, 

on which the famous contests occurred; .and in Cherokee County, not 

far from the Town of Canton, is a village which commemoratively bears 

the name of Ball Ground. To James Adair, the celebrated annalist of' 

the North American savage, are we indebted for the following descrip 

tion of this favorite pastime of the Indian: 

"The ball is made of a piece of scraped deer-skin, moistened and 

stuffed with deer's hair, and strongly sewed with deer sinews. The ball' 

sticks are about two feet long, the lower end somewhat resembling the 

palm of a hand. They are worked with deer-skin thongs. Between these 

* Charles 0. Jones, Jr., in '' Monumental Remains of Georgia,'' pp. 82-93,. 

Savannah, 1861.


they catch the ball and are enabled to throw it a great distance, when 

not prevented by the opposite party, whose effort it is to intercept its 

passage. The goal is some five hundred yards in extent. At each end of 

it, they fix into the ground two long, bending poles, which are three 

yards apart .at the bottom, but reach much farther outward at the top. 

The party who succeeds in throwing the ball over these, scores one; but 

if the ball goes, underneath, it is cast back and played for as usual. The 

gamesters were equal in number on both sides; and at the beginning of 

every course of the ball they throw it high in the center of the ground 

and in .a direct line between the two goals. When the crowd of players 

prevents the one who catches the ball from throwing it directly in front, 

he .commonly sends it in the right course by an artful, sharp twirl. They 

are so exceedingly expert in this manly exercise that, between the goals, 

the ball is mostly flying the different ways, by the force of the playing- 

sticks, without falling to the ground; for they are not allowed to catch 

it with the hand. In the heat and excitement of the game, the arms and 

legs of the players are sometimes broken. The celebration of this game 

is preceded by fastings and night-watches, by those who are about to 

engage in it. They turn out to the ball-ground, in a long row, painted 

white, and whooping as if Pluto's prisoners had all broken loose. The 

leader then begins a religious invocation, which is joined in by his com 

panions. Each party strives to gain the twentieth ball, which they 

esteem a favorite divine gift." From the foregoing description it will 

be observed that while the modern game of baseball differs materially 

from the primitive game played by the North American Indians, the 

equally popular game of football preserves many of the savage charac 

teristics of its original prototype. 

But the primitive inhabitants of the state at the time of Oglethorpe's 

arrival upon the bluffs at Savannah were Indians." These, broadly speak 

ing, were divided into four great tribes or nations: The Creeks, the 

Cherokees, the Chickasaws, and the Choctaws. It is only with the first 

two, however, the Creeks and the Cherokees, that Georgia's history is 

to any great extent concerned. The Chickasaws and the Choctaws re 

sided in the extreme western part of Georgia and did not, therefore, 

come in contact with the early settlements. 

The Cherokees were the prehistoric mountaineers, dwelling on either 

side of the lower Appalachians. At the outbreak of the Revolution,, 

these Indians occupied a domain embracing 40,000 square miles. The 

chief towns of the nation were in East Tennessee, but its territory em 

braced portions of all the adjacent states, including Georgia, North Caro 

lina, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia and Kentucky. On the eve of 

the final deportation, most of the Cherokee lands were in upper Georgia 

and East Tennessee, while the capital of the nation was at New Echota, 

in what is now Gordon County, Georgia. 

The Creeks, or Muscogees, comprised a great confederacy to which 

the Lower Creeks of Georgia, the Upper Creeks of Alabama, and the 

Seminoles of Florida, all belonged. The Yamacraws, with whom Ogle- 

thorpe treated on his arrival at Savannah, were a detached tribe of Creek 

Indians, at whose head was the great chief, Tomo-chi-chi, of whom there


will be much to narrate as this history proceeds. The Alibamons, a 

tribe from which the State of Alabama derived its name, the Uchees 

and the Natchez, also belonged to this confederation. The Hitchittees, 

or Flint Indians, though originally a distinct people, spoke the Mus- 

cogee dialect. 

It was because of the beautiful country in which these Indians lived, 

a region watered by gently flowing streams that, in familiar parlance, 

they came to be known as Creeks. But ethnologically they were Mus- 

cogees. At least, the predominating element of the Confederacy, con 

stituting eighty per cent of its warriors, belonged to this stock whose 

original habitat was in Northern Mexico; but the eastward migration 

occurred long before the coming of Oglethorpe to Georgia. 

Obviously, in a work of this character, whose main purpose is to 

trace political events and institutions, only a limited space can be de 

voted to prehistoric antiquities. We cannot, therefore, discuss the mani 

fold peculiarities which differentiated these aboriginees into various 

tribes. But the proprieties of such a work will not forbid a brief sum 

mary of general characteristics.* 

As a rule, the Indians lived in small communities or villages, located 

on running streams or in neighborhoods where spring water was abun 

dant. There were only a few centers sufficiently large to be called towns, 

in the modern sense, yet this term was often applied even to the smallest 

village. Tents or wigwams doubtless furnished them shelter at an early 

period; but contact with the whites led them to adopt many of the 

ways of civilization. We find them, therefore, living in frame structures, 

sometimes whitewashed both within and without, supplied with numer 

ous conveniences such as cooking utensils, gardening implements, and 

the like. Among the Cherokees, -at a late period, there were not a few 

* GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS op THE INDIANS—Tall, erect, copper-colored, with 

long, straight black hair, with prominent noses and cheek-bones, with regular features, 

arched brows, and eyes rather small but active and full of fire; usually grave in 

deportment, reserved in conversation, tenacious of natural rights, hospitable to 

strangers, kind to members of their own tribe, honest, haughty and cruel to an enemy, 

crafty, valiant, and often engaged in war; expert in hunting and fishing, fond of 

music and dancing, observant of festivals, nimble of foot; skilled in the use of the 

bow and arrow, the club, the axe, the harpoon, and the blow-gun; patient of fatigue 

and hunger, yet given to ease, arid frequent meals; addicted to smoking; acknowl 

edging the existence of a Supreme Being; adoring the sun as the symbol of life and 

heat; entertaining some notions of a life beyond the grave; plagued with visions, 

dreams, trances, and the influences of malign and lesser divinities; worshiping the 

Devil, and offering human sacrifices in propitiation of the Spirit of Evil; indulging 

to some extent in image worship, and perpetuating the memory of the distinguished 

dead by mounds and figures of wood and stone; excelling in the manufacture of 

fictile ware, boats of single trees, shawls, coverings, mantles beautifully woven and 

adorned with feathers, articles of dress made of the skins of buffalo, bear, and deer, 

carefully prepared, dyed and colored, fishing lines and nets of the inner bark of 

trees, mats and baskets of split cane, reeds and rushes, and laboriously constructed 

weirs for the capture of fishes; extensively engaged in the fabrication, use and 

interchange of various articles and implements of wood, bone, shell, copper, and 

stone, frequently monogamous—the contubernal relationship being dissoluble at the 

will of the male—the chiefs and principal men claiming as many wives as fancy 

and station dictated; ornament-loving, jealous of their possessions, given to agri 

culture, obedient to kings,—thus runs a general description of these primitive 

inhabitants. ("History of Georgia," Charles C. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, pp. 11-12.)

GEOEGIA AND GEORGIANS 37 

substantial brick houses of modern design; and some of these Indians 

were men of means, owning negro slaves and cultivating large tracts of 

land. In prehistoric times, however,- conditions of life were much the 

same: there were few inequalities. Each head of a family, in addition 

to his dwelling, if at all thrifty, had a corn house, a poultry house, and 

a hot house. The chief agricultural product raised by the Indians was 

corn, or, as they called it, maize. Hunting was a favorite occupation; 

but as the Indian became more and more civilized he became less depend 

ent upon the chase as a means of livelihood and pursued it more as a 

source of enjoyment. The Indian hot house was not like ours, designed 

for the protection of potted plants. It was a house built of heavy tim 

ber and plastered with mud, in which he found shelter during the win 

ter months. It contained no opening except a low door, which when 

closed made the interior practically an air tight compartment; and, 

though not to be recommended from the standpoint of sanitation, yielded 

some protection against the cold weather without. There was also a 

fireplace built into a crude chimney, and around the warm coals which 

were constantly replenished, the Indians gathered to smoke and to sleep. 

The Indian village usually centered around a public square, in which 

the courthouse was located, a design whose counterpart is still to be 

found in the courthouse square of our present day county seats. But 

the public square, in an Indian village, contained also a great house, 

used for public gatherings, feasts and dances. It consisted usually of 

four single-storied structures enclosing a court. The council house 

occupied a corner of this square, was conical in shape, and measured 

some twenty-five or thirty feet in diameter. Here tue Indian chief or 

mico held his council. Each town or village, though bound by a loose 

sort of tie to other communities, constituting the same great tribe or 

nation, was a separate jurisdiction within itself, more or less independent. 

Local self-government was a principle deeply embedded in the natural 

instinct of the Georgia Indians; and it frequently happened that, when 

a nation was at war, some of its component villages took no part in the 

fighting, and sent no warriors into the field. Whenever a nation pre 

pared for war, each village acted independently upon the proposition. 

There was no contral government either to advise or to enforce unanim 

ity of action—except at a comparatively late period; and only in the 

presence of a common danger was the nation likely to act as a unit in 

applying the war paint. Besides a mico, who was chosen by the war 

riors of the village from a certain family, to serve for life, each village 

had also a war chief, who took command of all military operations. Ow 

ing his position to renown in battle, he was more than likely, if over 

taken by reverses, to forfeit his honors to one of greater prowess. The 

council was composed of the town fathers. 

Diplomacy was an art unknown to the Indians. To quote a dis 

criminating writer, who has made this subject a special topic of study: * 

"The various tribes of Indians were seldom at peace with one another 

for long periods. Quarrels over hunting grounds appear to have been 

a fruitful cause of war. The Indian method of warfare was quite unlike 

that of civilized peoples. There was no formal declaration of war, no 

* E. P. Brooks in "History of Georgia," p. 21.


marching forth in battle array. Usually a small party of from twenty 

to forty would steal cautiously upon the enemy and attack them by night 

or lie in ambush for parties returning from the hunt. They often re 

sorted to tricks to conceal their presence or to disguise their numbers, 

such as wearing the hoofs of buffaloes, or marching in single file, each 

man stepping in the track made.by the warrior just ahead. When lying 

in ambush, they would communicate with one another by imitating the 

calls of wild birds or beasts. The slain in battle were always scalped 

and often dismembered. A warrior's standing in his tribe depended on 

the number of scalps he took. Captives were treated with the utmost 

cruelty, and burning at the stake was the usual form of torture; In 

this sport the women and children joined with great zest. The victim 

stoically bore the torment, prevented by pride from showing any sign 

of suffering." 

Even as early as DeSoto's visit, the Georgia Indians had become to 

some extent an agricultural people. They cultivated not only corn 

but beans and pumpkins, preserved plums by drying them and extracted 

oil from bear's fat. In addition to small gardens appurtenant to each 

house, there were larger fields devoted exclusively to corn. Much of 

the work was done by women; but as time went on there was less of 

an indisposition on the part of men to perform work of this kind, for 

merly considered degrading to a warrior. Until the whites came, steel 

and iron implements were unknown to the Indians, but they developed 

a rare degree of skill in making arrow-heads, spear-heads, stone pipes 

and hammers, mortars for grinding corn, and various other utensils. 

They were also adepts in making earthenware of different designs, in 

the dressing of skins, and in the art of dying. Trinkets for personal 

adornment were made from shells. Chairs, tables and baskets were made 

of bark; while spinning and weaving were widely practiced. To a great 

extent the industrial enterprise of the Indians was checked by the arrival 

of the whites, who supplied them with many of these things, thus remov 

ing the stimulus of necessity, the mother of invention. 

It was difficult to find an Indian who was not fond of tobacco. The 

plant was even regarded with superstitious reverence as a gift of the 

Great Spirit. Hence the manufacture of pipes was given a constant 

impetus. Thousands of the most beautiful specimens have been dug 

out of mounds and preserved in museums. These have been divided by 

antiquarians into three classes, calumets, individual pipes and idol pipes. 

The calumet was the celebrated pipe of peace. It was the common prop 

erty of a village or tribe, was large and heavy, and its bowl was some 

times the size of a tea-cup. It was smoked only on formal occasions, 

to conclude alliances or to attest treaties. The function was usually 

one of great impressiveness, since a whiff of the calumet was equivalent 

to an oath, pledging the smoker's honor. Individual pipes were of 

various sizes, most of them, however, small, made of stone or clay, with 

a reed inserted for a stem. The bowls to some of these were no larger 

than a thimble; others would hold an ounce of tobacco. Idol pipes were 

so called because they were made in the shape of some animal or to rep 

resent the human figure. It is not likely, however, that any of the 

Georgia Indians with whom our history deals ever smoked these pipes.


They are found only in the oldest tumuli and are doubtless to be referred 

to the Mound-Builders. The Southern Indians were not idolaters. 

Marriage was an institution which the Indian held in great respect, 

though it was accompanied by no religious rites. Matches were usually 

made by female relatives, who settled all the preliminaries; but the final 

word was, of course, invariably spoken by the head of the household. 

It was customary for a bridegroom to build a cabin, plant and gather 

a crop, go on a hunt and bring back a supply of wild game before re 

ceiving a maiden under his shelter. Since the nuptial vow was not 

sanctioned by a priest, either party to the compact could dissolve it at 

will; but in case of a separation the children accompanied the mother. 

The Creeks were polygamists; but the Cherokees adhered rigidly, if not 

religiously, to the Biblical doctrine of marriage, at least with respect 

to the number of wives. 

Both the Creeks and the Cherokees, at an early period, were given 

to a burial of the dead in mounds; but these were never such colossal 

structures as were built by the prehistoric race of Mound-Builders. As 

practiced by the Georgia Indians of a later period, these rites were much 

simpler. Says Mr. Brooks: "The Creeks buried their dead in a pit 

under the cabin of the deceased. The pit was about four feet square, 

and the body was placed in a sitting position. Gun, tomahawk and pipe 

were deposited with the corpse. Immediately on the death of a Cherokee, 

his body was washed, anointed and placed in front of his lodge. After 

a period of mourning, the body was carried three times around the hut, 

and then buried in a pit under the floor. The Choctaws placed the dead 

body on a scaffold eighteen or twenty feet above the ground. When 

only the skeleton remained, it was taken down and placed in a bone- 

house. After a considerable number of skeletons had accumulated, a 

funeral ceremony was performed and the bones interred together. Cre 

mation was practiced among some tribes. Most of the tribes seemed to 

have buried with the dead warrior his weapons and other highly prized 

possessions, and vessels containing food. This practice indicates the 

Indian's belief in a future existence. The food was intended to sustain 

him during the passage from this world to the next." * 

Festivals at certain times of the year were observed by the Indians 

with ceremonious pomp. The most important of these was the husk or 

harvest festival which was always introduced by a process of purifi 

cation. Streets were swept, houses and premises cleansed, after which 

a great bonfire was made of garbage, old clothes, cooking utensils, and 

whatever food happened to be on hand. Then followed a three days' 

fast, during which interval all fugitives from justice might return to 

be pardoned, unless these criminals were murderers. On the morning 

thereafter, the priest made a new fire by rubbing sticks together, new 

corn was brought from the fields, and the feast began, to continue amid 

general rejoicing. 

As we have already observed, the Creeks and the Cherokees were 

not worshippers of idols; nor were any of the Southern Indians. They 

worshiped the sun as a visible manifestation of the Great Spirit, dis 

pensing light and heat and sustaining life, but they did not bow down to 

* E. P. Brooks in '' History of Georgia,'' p. 26.


stocks and stones. They were firm believers in the immortality of the 

soul, in a future life with its rewards and punishments, in evil spirits 

which they were wont to appease by incantations; and in every village 

an important personage was the high priest who was a sort of mediator, 

holding communion with the realm of spirits. To hunt forever in a 

fadeless forest, abounding in all manner of game, to catch the radiant 

sparkle of crystal waters, to hear the soft murmur of whispering emer 

alds, to awake once more in a green country, with strength renewed, 

with health restored, this was the' Indian's dream of paradise; and, 

when gathered to his fathers, there was always placed at his side the 

ever faithful bow, with its quiver of arrows and sometimes, but not 

always, the spear and the tomahawk. 

Some writers find little to admire in the character of the Indian; 

while others impute to these dusky warriors of the forest many noble 

and splendid traits. No one can read the pages of Cooper, of Washing 

ton Irving, or of William Gilmore Simms, without feeling a thrill of 

admiration for these prehistoric natives of America. That the red man 

was enfeebled by contact with a white man's civilivation; that his blood 

was inflamed by the intoxicating fire-water which he received from 

traders in exchange for pelts; that his disposition to deceive, to employ 

the arts of cunning, and to commit murder, rapine and arson, was due 

in large measure to an unjust encroachment upon his lands, these are 

facts which cannot be denied; and what the Indian really was in his 

arcadian home before the advent of the European we have no way of 

ascertaining; but if the great Tomo-chi-chi, with whom Oglethorpe 

treated on the bluffs at Yamacraw was a fair type of the prehistoric 

Indian, in his palmy days, then was he a character worthy of all admira 

tion ; not only an ornament to his savage race, but a model for cultured 

Anglo-Saxons.

CHAPTER IV 

OGLETHOEPE'S HUMANE ENTERPRISE NOT THE FIRST EFFORT TO COLONIZE 

- GEORGIA—SIR EGBERT MONTGOMERY'S UTOPIAN SCHEME OP COLONI 

ZATION—LAUNCHED IN 1717—His GRANDILOQUENT DESCRIPTION OF 

OUR SOIL AND CLIMATE—COMPARES THE COUNTRY WITH PALESTINE 

—THE MARGRAVATE OF AZILIA—DETAILS OP His PROPOSED SETTLE 

MENT—To BE A COLOSSAL MILITARY STRONGHOLD TWENTY MILES 

SQUARE, CENTERING AROUND THE MARGRAVE 's HOUSE—THOUGH WELL 

ADVERTISED, THE SCHEME FAILED TO ELICIT SUPPORT AND PROVED 

ONLY A MAGNIFICENT AIR-CASTLE. 

. Oglethorpe's humane enterprise was not the' first effort to .colonize 

the Territory of Georgia. Fifteen years before the galley Anne started 

upon her long voyage to the new world, Sir Robert Montgomery con 

ceived the ambitious idea of planting a colony between the Savannah 

and the Altamaha rivers, to be called the Margravate of Azilia. It was 

the most unique scheme of empire building which the human intellect 

ever conceived. This region was pictured to the imagination of the 

prospective colonist as another Land of Promise, and there was no lack 

of zeal on the part of Sir Robert in exploiting the enterprise. But it 

came to naught. The story is one of fascinating interest. However, 

instead of telling it anew, we prefer to quote a few extracts from a well 

digested account: * 

'' In the summer of 1717, Sir Robert Montgomery secured from the 

Lords Proprietors of Carolina a grant of land lying between the Alta 

maha and the Savannah Rivers, with permission to make settlements on 

the south side of the latter stream. This territory was to be erected 

into a separate and independent province, was to be holden of Sir Robert, 

his heirs and assigns forever, and was to be called the Margravate of 

Azilia. A yearly quit-rent of a penny per acre for all lands occupied 

was to be paid; such payment, however, not to commence until three 

years after the arrival of the first ships transporting colonists. In addi 

tion, Sir Robert covenanted to render to the Lords Proprietors one- 

fourth of all the gold, silver, and royal minerals which might be found 

within the limits of the ceded lands. Courts of justice were to be organ 

ized and such laws enacted by the freemen of the Margravate as might 

conduce to the general good and in no wise conflict with the statutes and 

customs of England. The navigation of the rivers was to be free to all 

the inhabitants of the colonies of North and South Carolina. A duty 

was to be laid on skins, and the revenues thus derived were to be applied 

to the maintenance of the clergy. Sir Robert, in consideration' of this 

* '' History of Georgia,'' Charles J. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, pp. 70-82. 

41 

i


cession, agreed to transport at his own cost a certain number of fami 

lies and all necessaries for forming new settlements within the specified 

limits. It was mutually covenanted that if such settlements were not 

made within three years from the date of the grant it should become 

void. 

"In the 'Discourse concerning the Designed Establishment of a New 

Colony to the South of Carolina in the most Delightful Country of the 

Universe,' prepared by himself and printed in London in 1717, Sir 

Robert, in glowing terms, sought to unfold the attractions of his future 

Eden. 'It lies,' said he, 'in the same latitude as Palestine itself, that 

promised Canaan which was pointed out by God's own choice to bless 

the labors of a favorite people.' After commending in the highest terms 

its woods and meadows, its fruits and game, its soil and climate, its 

mines and odoriferous plants, its flower and agricultural capabilities, 

he proceeds to explain his plan of settlement. He did not propose to 

satisfy himself 'with building here and there .a fort, the fatal practice 

of America, but so to dispose the habitations and divisions of the land 

that not only out-houses, but whatever else we possess will be enclosed 

by military lines, impregnable against the savages, and which will make 

our whole plantation one continued fortress. At the arrival, therefore, 

of the first men carried over, proper officers shall mark and cause to be 

entrenched a square of land in just proportion to the number. On the 

outsides of this square, within the little bastions or redoubts of the en 

trenchments, they will raise light timber dwellings, cutting down the 

trees which everywhere encompass them. The officers are to be quartered 

with the men whom they command, and the governor-in-chief is to be 

placed exactly in the center. By these means the laboring people, being 

so disposed as to be always watchful of an enemy's approach, are them 

selves within the eyes of those set over them,' and altogether under the 

inspection of their principal. The redoubts may be near enough to 

defend each other with muskets, but field pieces and patareros will be 

planted upon each, kept charged with partridge shot and pieces of old 

iron. Within these redoubts are the common dwellings of the men who 

must defend them, and between them runs a palisaded bank and ditch, 

which will be scoured by the artillery. One man in each redoubt, kept 

day and night upon the guard, will give alarm upon occasion to the 

others at work. So they will cultivate their lands, secure their cattle, 

and follow their business with perfect ease and safety. Exactly in the 

center of the inmost square will be a fort defended by a large cannon, 

pointing every way, and capable of making strong resistance in case some 

quarter of the outward lines should chance to be surprised by any sud 

den accident. The nature of this scheme, when weighed against the 

ignorance and wildness of the natives, will show that men thus settled 

may at once defend and cultivate a territory with the utmost satisfac 

tion and security, even in the heart of an Indian Country. Then how 

much rather a place considerably distant from the savage settlements?' 

"Next he proceeds to give an explanation of the plan for fixing the 

districts or divisions in the Margravate. The whole diagram was to be 

a square twenty miles long each way, containing 256,000 acres. It was 

agreed that the men to defend the district should be hired in Great 

Britain or Ireland; that they should dwell in the fortified angles and


cultivate the land immediately .around them; that they should be hired 

for a definite term of "years, and that at the expiration of this time such 

among them who should marry or come married hither might have a 

right of laying claim to a ' certain Fee Farm, ready cleared, together with 

a house built upon it, and a stock sufficient to improve and cultivate it, 

to be enjoyed Tax and Rent free during life as a reward for service.' 

'By which means two great advantages must naturally follow: (1) 

Poor laboring men, so secured of a fixed future settlement, will thereby 

be induced to go thither more willingly and act when there with double 

diligence and duty and (2) When the time of service expires, possession 

just long enough to pass their lives upon at ease and to bring up their 

children on honestly, the families they have will prove a constant semi 

nary of sober servants of both sexes for the Gentry of the colony, where 

by they will be under no necessity to use the dangerous help of Blacka 

moors or Indians. The lands set apart for the purpose are to be two 

miles in width, surrounding the district, and lying next within the Mar 

grave's own reserved land. The 116 squares into which the inner 

quadrangle is divided are to be one mile each way, or 640 acres, bating 

only for the highways which divide them. These are the estates be 

longing to the Gentry of the district, who being so confined to an equality 

in land, will be profitably emulous of outdoing each other in improve 

ment; and when the Margravate is strong enough to form many dis 

tricts the estates will be given gratis to honest and qualified gentlemen 

in Great Britain and elsewhere who, having numerous and well edu 

cated families, possess but little fortune and will therefore be chosen to 

enjoy these advantages. The four great parks or forests are each to be 

four miles square; sixteen miles around each forest, in which are to be 

propagated herds of cattle of all sorts. The middle hollow square, which 

is full of streets crossing each other, is the city, and the belt embroidered 

with trees is to be used for a thousand purposes, among the rest as being 

airy and affording a fine prospect of the town near it. In the center of 

the city stands the Margrave's house. This is to be his constant resi 

dence, and to contain everything requisite for the dispatch of business. 

This likewise is to be separated from the city by an embroidered belt 

like the one separating the city from the rural districts.' 

"Sir Robert enlarges upon the profits to be realized from this charm 

ing country in the cultivation of rice, tea, figs, raisins, currants, almonds, 

olives, silk and cochineal. Large gains were expected from the manu 

facture of potash. Liberal offers were made to all who might wish to 

become colonists in the Margravate of Azilia and ample guarantees 

given for protection. Although subscription books were opened in the 

Carolina Coffee House, near' the Royal Exchange, it does not appear that 

much stock was taken in the enterprise. To the King, Sir Robert ad 

dressed a petition specifying the tract of land called Azilia, with which 

he had been invested by the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, declaring 

that he had a bona fide intention of founding a colony there and request 

ing the privilege of establishing in the city of Edinburgh a lottery of 

100,000 tickets, at the rate of forty shillings per ticket, for the purpose 

of raising funds with which to defray the expenses of the adventure. 

A memorial was received from the Lords Proprietors, explaining the 

proposal of Sir Robert for settling the most southern parts of Carolina,


of which he was to be Governor. It was referred to a committee of the 

Privy Council for consideration. The board of trade, while recommend 

ing Sir Robert as a proper person for Governor, in order to avoid com 

plications, suggested to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina the advisabil 

ity of surrendering to the Crown their powers of government over the 

places included in the proposed Margravate, reserving to themselves 

only the property in the lands. The whole matter was referred to the 

attorney-general, who reported that he saw nothing in the cession preju 

dicial to the rights of the crown, but he doubted whether the powers 

granted to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina could be divided in the 

manner proposed. To remove the difficulty he suggested that if the 

Lords Proprietors would surrender to his Majesty their powers of gov 

ernment over the new province to be erected, reserving to themselves 

only the right of property therein they might lease the land on such 

terms as they saw fit and then his Majesty could create a new govern 

ment upon such conditions and with such powers as he deemed proper. 

"Despite the efforts made to induce immigration into the favored 

region at the expiration of the three years allowed by the cession from 

the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, Sir Robert Montgomery found him 

self without colonists. His grant expired and became void by terms of 

limitation. His Azilia remained unpeopled, save by the red men of the 

forest. His scheme proved utterly Utopian, and it was reserved for 

Oglethorpe and his companions to wrest from primeval solitude and 

to vitalize with the energies of civilization the lands lying between the 

Savannah and the Altainaha. * * * Nevertheless, the attorney-gen 

eral's suggestion with respect to surrendering powers to the Crown was 

adopted with respect to the whole of Carolina. The disputes and con 

flicts between the Lords Proprietor and the colonists continued to be 

so constant that .all except .Lord Carteret, taking advantage of the pro 

visions of an Act of Parliament, surrendered to the. King, not only their 

rights and interests in the government of Carolina, hut also their own 

ership of the' soil. The indenture of purchase and sale was duly exe 

cuted and the consideration was 22,500 pounds sterling. Thus, for this 

small sum, were seven-eighths of the extensive territory constituting the 

province of Carolina sold by the Lords Proprietors to the crown. The 

other eighth was owned by Lord Carteret, Baron of liawnes. Subse 

quently by deed, dated February 28, 1732, he conveyed to the Trustees 

for establishing the colony of Georgia in America, the one undivided 

eighth part of all lands lying between the Savannah and Altamaha 

Rivers. The other seven-eighths was ceded to them by the Crown. With 

this explanation, we understand why, in the charter granted by King 

George II, dated June 9, 1732, royal cession was made of only seven- 

eighths of the lands to be erected into a province to be called Georgia.''

CHAPTER V 

ENGLAND DURING THE REIGN OF G-EORGE II—POLITICAL, CONDITIONS FOL 

LOWING A CHANGE OP DYNASTIES—HEAVY INDEBTEDNESS ENTAILED 

BY DISASTROUS WARS—THE MANIA FOR SPECULATION—THE SOUTH 

SEA BUBBLE BURSTS—THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AN ENDORSER OF 

THE SCHEME is INVOLVED IN THE GIGANTIC CATASTROPHE—HUNDREDS 

OF INNOCENT INVESTORS REDUCED TO WANT AND DESTITUTION—WAL- 

POLE'S ADMINISTRATION AS PRIME MINISTER AN ERA OF COMMERCIAL 

EXPANSION BUT OF CORRUPT POLITICS—RELIGIOUS ZEAL AT A Low 

EBB—INTEMPERANCE'FOLLOWS THE MANUFACTURE OF RUM—DEBTOR 

PRISONS—How MANAGED—OUTRAGEOUS ABUSES—THOUSANDS OF IN 

SOLVENTS SUFFER Loss OF LIBERTY—VICTIMS OF THE HARD TIMES— 

ENGLAND'S RESPONSIBILITY—OGLETHORPE IN SEARCH OF A FRIEND 

VISITS THE FLEET PRISON—LEARNS THAT ROBERT CASTELL, AN ARTIST, 

HAS DIED OF SMALLPOX—RESOLVES TO REFORM THE PRISONS OF 

ENGLAND—Plow THE COLONY OF GEORGIA WAS CONCEIVED—JAMES 

EDWARD OGLETHORPE—SKETCH OF His LIFE—HUMANITARIAN AND 

SOLDIER—SERVES UNDER PRINCE EUGENE—AN EPISODE IN His CAREER 

AS A GENTLEMAN VOLUNTEER—ENTERS PARLIAMENT—ZEALOUS AS A 

REFORMER ONLY AFTER His VISIT TO THE FLEET PRISON—ENLISTS 

THE CO-OPERATION OF EMINENT ENGLISH GENTLEMEN—THESE JOIN 

HIM IN A PETITION TO THE CROWN FOR A CHARTER—THE PETITION 

is GRANTED BY KING GEORGE. 

To grasp with anything like an intelligent appreciation the reasons 

for establishing a new colony in North America to be called the Colony 

of Georgia we must endeavor to realize conditions in England during the 

reign of George II. The beginning of the eighteenth century was marked 

by a great political and social revolution. It was a period of tremendous 

upheaval. In the first place, there had been .a change of dynasties. The 

House of Brunswick had superseded the House of Stuart on the English 

throne; and from a line of Scotch sovereigns the kingdom had turned to 

a line of German princes. Nor did this change bode much for the bet 

ter. George I, who could hardly speak a syllable of English, spent most 

of his time across the channel; but his profligate habits of life made 

his absence a benefit rather than a bane to his subjects. George II, with 

some difficulty, learned to speak the language of Alfred, but with a 

marked Teutonic accent; and while he improved upon his father's Eng 

lish, he did not better the latter's example as an immoral spendthrift. 

Consequently it was a motley crowd of vulgar flatterers and of coarse 

sycophants who fawned upon these foreign monarchs until the1 royal 

court soon became a school of scandal and, adopting a dissolute code 

of manners, ceased to recall an age of Elizabeth. 

45


But this was only a beginning of trouble. Disastrous wars had in 

volved the empire in heavy debt. The mania for speculation had become 

an epidemic, giving rise to numerous ventures which, in the last analysis, 

' were only legalized forms of gambling. But such was the passion for 

accumulation, such the lure of sudden riches, especially for those who 

had felt the pinch of poverty, that thousands, persuaded into taking a 

short cut to fortune, were easily victimized by swindlers. These enter 

prises came to be known as bubbles, for reasons only too obvious. But 

during the first quarter of a century more than a hundred were organ 

ized. However, a climax was reached when the British Government 

chartered the South Sea Company, a syndicate which agreed to take 

over England's entire debt, then aggregating £53,000,000 sterling and 

to pay the bondholders in certificates of stock. Such was the prospect 

of rich revenues to be derived from an unlimited trade with Spanish 

America, a realm whose fabled wealth had become a familiar proverb, 

that the British imagination was fairly dazed by the stupendous under 

taking. Even the most astute statesmen of the age felt its fascination. 

As a result the British Government accepted the syndicate's proposi 

tion. Of course, since England herself endorsed the scheme and was 

to become a shareholder in its expected profits it was only natural that 

its stock should have found purchasers in an open market, among private 

individuals. To the average man it looked like a perfectly safe invest 

ment. But it proved to be only a bubble; and in its wake came the 

heaviest financial crash in England's history, entailing upon thousands 

of people want, misery, .and destitution. The treasury of England was 

embarrassed by the wars but pauperized by the gamblers. 

Robert Walpole becoming England's prime minister at this time 

brought to the helm of affairs a sagacious intellect but a dissolute life. 

His administration, in a commercial sense, evolved order out of chaos. 

It marked an era of maritime enterprise, of industrial activity, of trade 

expansion; but it .also marked an era of corrupt politics. 

To add to the prevailing demoralization, religious zeal was at a low 

ebb. The church had become formalistic. It no longer embodied a vital 

principle, a regenerating power. It merely proclaimed a code of ethics. 

Though a spirit of reform, destined to eventuate in the great Wesleyan 

movement, was already beginning to quicken at Oxford, it came too late 

to be of help in this hour of England's crisis. 

Misfortune always opens a door to intemperance. The gin habit had 

fastened itself upon the population to an alarming extent. Prior to 1689 

drinking in England had been confined largely to the wealthy classes 

who could afford the luxury of French wines; but trade relations with 

Prance having been suspended in the above year, Englishmen began to 

manufacture a cheap drink called gin, whose use especially .among the 

masses soon became a great evil, spreading throughout the kingdom like1 

a pestilence. To quote a student of economics: * " Statistics of the 

manufacture of intoxicants bear out this statement. In 1684, only 527 

gallons of spirits were distilled in England; in 1714 the figures had risen 

to 2,000,000 gallons; in 1727 to 3,601,000; in 1733 to 5,394,00 and in 

1742 to 7,000,000 gallons. Most of this was gin. It is said that retailers 

* E. P. Brooks in '' History of Georgia,'' p. 36.


of gin hung out signs to the effect that one could be made drunk for a, 

pennyworth of gin, dead drunk for two pence, and should have straw to- 

sleep on for nothing. Naturally crime and immorality increased with 

the consumption of gin." 

It was at this crisis of affairs that the debtor prisons of England 

began to swell with inmates. Every grim fortress for the detention of 

insolvents began to open wide its devouring jaws. According to writers 

of the time, 4,000 persons were annually committed to these prisons for 

debt in the one city of London.* To the shame of England be it said 

that upon her statute books there existed laws, giving to creditors such 

an arbitrary power; that no provision was made for the relief of honest 

debtors, "for a judicious distinction between fraud and misfortune." 

These laws only diminished a debtor's ability to pay by depriving him of 

his personal liberty and by making him odious from association with 

criminals in a common jail. 

Hundreds of these hapless debtors were the innocent victims of specu 

lative enterprises to which the government itself had given charters -T 

hundreds had been reduced to penury by the collapse of the South Sea 

Company, to which England's good faith was itself pledged; hundreds 

were men of high birth, of gentle blood, of aristocratic family connec 

tions; and riot a few were even men of genius. To realize what these 

debtor prisons were and to know what choice spirits they sometimes con 

tained one needs only to read the tale of "Little Dorrit," a novel in 

which Dickens has charmingly portrayed for us a child of the Marshalsea. 

Oftimes these debtor prisons witnessed the most cruel outrages. Men of 

the highest respectability were made to consort with prisoners of the 

lowest type, all thrown together in dungeons, not only devoid of ventila 

tion but noisome with foul air and offensive with filth. Not unlike 

Georgia's convict lease system of a later day, the control of .these prisons 

was farmed out to the highest bidder. Sometimes as much as 5,000 

pounds sterling per annum was paid for this coveted franchise; and, as 

a rule, whenever a government, for ends of gain, transfers to private in 

dividuals its authority over prisoners, we find a ruthless disregard of 

human life on the part of monstrous Calabans who call themselves over 

seers or jailers. England's prison laws were bad enough even under 

normal conditions; but when, due to exploded bubbles in the financial 

world, there was a swelling of these dens .of torture for unfortunate 

debtors, suffering reached its climax, endurance was strained to its 

utmost tension. It was time for the government itself to act. The re 

sponsibility for these prison outrages, for these inhuman jailers, for these 

unhappy debtors, all lay at the door of Christian England. 

But relief was in sight. One day there appeared at the debtor 

prison of the Fleet a gentleman whose tall figure, commandingly impres 

sive, bespoke a military training. His face wore an anxious look. For 

weeks he had missed a friend whom he had finally traced to this prison 

—Robert Castell, a skilled architect, born to wealth. There was his name- 

enrolled among the inmates. But on further inquiry touching the pris 

oner's health he learned to his dismay that Castell. having been impris- 

* J. E. McCain, '' The Executive in Proprietary Georgia," p. 8.


oned in a ward infected with smallpox, had died of this loathsome dis 

ease, a victim of cruel neglect. 

This 'visitor was the illustrious Oglethorpe. With the convulsive 

power of an earthquake, the news of his friend's death awoke in him the 

slumbering spirit of a great reform. We are told that'' in Dante's lonely 

voice, ten silent centuries spake." So likewise, in Oglethorpe's resolve, 

the cry of a suffering age was answered. Returning to his home, he 

tossed upon his pillow but finally he slept and in his dreams he heard 

a voice calling to him across the Atlantic's wild waters: "bring your 

prisoners hither!" It was the child of his own fancy—there enthroned 

like a queen, radiant and beautiful, on the green bluffs at Savannah. 

It was a vision of Georgia. 

Like a true humanitarian, Oglethorpe possessed the spirit of self- 

effacement. In prosecuting his work of reform, he did not seek his own 

OGLETHORPE MONUMENT 

preferment; he did not force himself forward. To attest his zeal, he 

was ready when the time should come to take the leadership, in braving 

perils, in enduring hardships; but not for mere glory's sake. He was 

ready, if need be, to conduct his colony in person to the new world, 

there to share with his less fortunate countrymen a life of privation, of 

toil, and of danger. On the midnight sky of the eighteenth century, 

Oglethorpe's sublime unselfishness shines like a lone meteor, a solitary 

planet, amid the prevailing darkness. Great as was his wealth, his social 

position, his prestige as a member of Parliament, his rank as a soldier of 

England, he was ready to imperil everything—to sacrifice all_in his 

noble crusade' of reform. Fortunate for England that in an age of 

speculative greed, her better impulses found expression in an altruism 

so pure and so generous. She redeemed herself from a thousand follies 

in producing one man of such a pattern and with such a soul.


Until this time, Oglethorpe had been a somewhat inactive, if not an 

obscure member of the English House of Commons. But as the result 

of this visit to the Fleet, Oglethorpe became a conspicuous figure in the 

movement for the reform of English prisons, its recognized leader on the 

floor of Parliament. Humanitarian and soldier both, he became one of 

the foremost men of his day, extolled by Alexander Pope, admired by 

Samuel Johnson, limned on canvas by Joshua Reynolds, an intimate 

friend of Edmund Burke, of Oliver Goldsmith, and of Bishop Berkeley. 

His work in founding a colony for indigent debtors will be unfolded 

more in detail as this narrative proceeds. But to give him a better intro 

duction a few preliminary facts are needed. 

James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia, be 

longed to an ancient family of high repute in England. His military 

genius was of paternal origin. Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe, his father, to 

whom he was born the third son, attained a major-general's commis 

sion in the British army. He also became first equerry to James II who 

assigned him to an important command of the forces assembled to oppose 

the Prince of Orange.* The gentler phases of his character were doubt 

less derived from his mother. There has been some dispute as to the 

exact date of his birth but from an entry in the parish register of St. 

James, Westminster, he was born on June 1, 1689. t While still a mere 

youth, he matriculated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford; but more 

soldier than student he became impatient for a military career, relin 

quished his collegiate studies and in 1710 entered the English army as 

an ensign. This rank he retained until 1714 when he became captain- 

lieutenant in the first troop of the Queen's Life Guards. But an idle 

career at home proved irksome to the young officer. Consequently we 

soon find him on the continent, serving "as a gentleman volunteer.'.' 

Under the renowned Prince Eugene of Savoy he perfected himself in the 

art of war. To this gallant commander he bore a strong letter of recom 

mendation from the Duke of Argyle and was thereupon given appoint 

ment on Prince Eugene's staff, first as secretary and later as aide de 

camp. An apt pupil he made rapid progress, winning from his renowned 

chief not only esteem and confidence, but also high encomiums. When 

peace was concluded, in 1718, he returned to England, "versed in the 

principles of military science, accustomed to command, inured to the 

shock of arms, instructed in the conduct of campaigns, the management 

of sieges and the orders of battle, and possessing a reputation for man 

hood, executive ability, and warlike knowledge not often acquired by one 

of his years.'' 

Boswell, in his "Life of Dr. Samuel Johnson," has preserved the fol 

lowing spicy ancedote of Oglethorpe when a volunteer of the continent; 

but he is doubtless mistaken as to the young soldier's age at the time in 

question: J " The general told us that when he was a very young man, 

I think only fifteen, serving under Prince Eugene of Savoy, he was sit 

ting in a company at table with a prince of Wurtemberg. The prince 

took up a glass of wine, and, by a fillip, made some of it fly in Ogle- 

* "Wright's Memoir of Oglethorpe," p. 3. 

t Col. Chas. C. Jones, Jr., "History of Georgia," Vol. I, p. 82. 

i. Murray's Edition, Vol. Ill, pp. 217-218.


thorpe's face. Here was a nice dilemma. To have challenged him in 

stantly might have fixed a quarrelsome character upon the young soldier; 

to have taken no notice of it might have been considered as cowardice. 

Oglethorpe, therefore, keeping his eye upon the prince and smiling all 

the time as if he took what his highness had done in jest, said, 'Mon 

Prince' (I forget the French words he used; the purport, however, was), 

'that's a good joke, but we do it much better in England,' and threw a 

whole glass of wine in the prince's face. An old general, who sat by, 

said, 'II a Hen fait, mon Prince, vous 1'avez commence;' and thus all 

ended in good humor." 

But an unexpected turn of affairs soon launched Oglethorpe upon a 

political career. His brother, Theophilus, dying, he succeeded to the 

family estate at Westbrook. In 1722, as a member from Haslemere, in 

the County of Surry, he took his seat in the House of Commons. 

Though not a trained debater, he continued, despite numerous interrup 

tions and through frequent changes of administration, to represent his 

ancient borough in Parliament for a period of thirty-two years. 

Throughout his long sojourn in Georgia, he was continuously a member 

of the House of Commons. Finally he met defeat in 1754. Like most 

of the country gentlemen of the period, Oglethorpe was a pronounced 

Tory: and though he entered Parliament at a time when the Jacobites 

were meditating a restoration of the Stuarts, a line to which his family 

was attached, he maintained an independent course; spoke seldom, but 

always to the point; and was chiefly interested in legislation for extend 

ing commerce, for propagating knowledge, and for ameliorating distress. 

Oglethorpe may possibly have been interested in the reform of Eng 

lish prisons before his visit to the Fleet; but his zeal for the cause re 

ceived .a fresh inspiration, a new baptism, from this hour. In 1729, we 

find him chairman of a committee to visit the Fleet, the Marshalsea, and 

the King's Bench—three noted debtor prisons—to inquire rigidly into 

the conditions of each and to submit a report thereon to the House of 

Commons. It is needless to say that Oglethorpe's exposure of prison 

abuses was ruthlessly severe. He applied the scorpion's lash with vigor, 

not only to paid underlings but to high officials. However, when sifted 

to its last analysis, the responsibility attached to England .for tolerating 

a system which permitted such enormities; and he proposed to dig to the 

roots, to perform a major operation in surgery, for the purpose of ex 

tirpating a cancerous growth. As appears from the records, three 

separate reports were made by him from time to time, in consequence of 

which radical reforms were effected not only in the management of 

prisons but in the statute law itself, prescribing how these institutions 

should be governed. 

We have already intimated that Oglethorpe's idea of founding a 

colony in the new world for insolvent debtors was inspirationally given; 

but intimate contact with these unfortunate individuals only confirmed 

him in his project. It also gave him an opportunity for working out its 

details. There were scores of men to be found in these debtor prisons, 

who possessed good family connections, upon whom no stigma of guilt, 

no shadow of crime, rested, who only needed an opportunity, under uni 

form and just laws, to show what was really in them; and why not or 

ganize these men into a colony and give them a fresh _start in the new


world? Sir Richard Montgomery's Utopian scheme having failed to 

materialize, he thought of the fertile domain in the western part of South 

Carolina's grant, where the sanguine Scotch nobleman, had expected to 

plant his ill-fated Margravate tff Azilia. Here was a territory vast in 

extent, whose resources of soil and whose charms of climate had already 

been extolled. To establish between the Altamaha and the Savannah 

rivers a self-supporting colony, it was only necessary to avoid some of 

the fundamental errors in Sir Richard Montgomery's plan. Moreover, 

if a colony were located here, it would be a protection to South Carolina 

whose complaints were of long standing. Incidentally, England's trade 

and commerce might be augmented. 

Mature reflection only intensified the burning desire of Oglethorpe 

to realize his cherished ambition. Though a man of wealth, his private 

means were not sufficient to compass the ends of so vast an undertaking. 

In planting a colony, there were heavy expenses involved. Moreover, 

the task of directing such an enterprise was too stupendous for one man 

to assume, however great his zeal or mature his wisdom. It was needful, 

therefore, as a condition precedent, to accomplish two things: to asso 

ciate with him in the enterprise men of independent fortune and of 

secure reputation and to obtain royal sanction for the project in the 

nature of a direct grant from the crown of England. 

But how was he to enlist this co-operation ? How obtain this patent 

from King George III More than a hundred years had elapsed since a 

corporation for colonizing purposes had been organized in England; it 

had been in fact more than fifty years since a colony had been established 

by English people in America.* Religious persecution as a driving 

wheel to induce colonization no longer existed, though an established 

church was disposed to show little favor to Catholics. Pew of the colonies 

had been successful as money-making ventures; while the experience of 

the Lords Proprietors of South Carolina had been in this respect a sort 

of fiasco; and there was no longer any credence to be placed in the 

account of untold wealth to be found in America. Such tales no longer 

fired the imagination; but on the contrary had become "a weariness to 

the flesh." 

There seemed to be no hope for a new colony at this time except by 

showing the practical ends to be gained. It was pre-eminently an age 

of greed. The underlying motive for Georgia's establishment was to fur 

nish an asylum for insolvent debtors; but had its purely humanitarian 

aspects alone been stressed such an age would have laughed it to scorn. 

It was necessary to find some economic basis on which to ground the proj 

ect. Consequently a striking array of facts was presented along this 

line. Figures were brought forward to show that it took £2,000 sterling 

to support a hundred families in London while families of the class who 

would be sent to Georgia could earn only £1,000: so that to support them 

at home would entail a loss of £1,000 per year on the public. It was esti 

mated that in Georgia a hundred families could earn £6,000, saving to 

the crown, therefore, £4,000, to be used in buying English merchandise.! 

With arguments like these, showing not only the humanitarian but 

* J. B. McCain, "The Executive in Proprietary Georgia," p. 7. 

t Ibid., 9.

52 GEOKGIA AND GEORGIANS 

the economic basis for his proposed enterprise, Oglethorpe enlisted the 

co-operation of some of the best men in England, including members 

of the nobility like Lord Percival. These, on September 17, 1730, joined 

him in a memorial addressed to the Privy Council, asking for a grant of 

land in the new world on which to start this humane experiment; and, 

broadly speaking, the practical reasons set forth in favor of the proposed 

enterprise were as follows -. * 1. To establish an asylum for indigent 

debtors in the new world would not only give these insolvents a fresh 

start but would prove a material saving to England's treasury already 

little short of bankrupt; that languishing in the prisons of London there 

were thousands of worthy debtors, from the number of whom a meritori 

ous few could be selected with which to start the experiment; and that 

these would willingly and gladly seek a livelihood in any of his majesty's 

plantations in America, if they were only provided with transportation 

and furnished the means of settling. Moreover, it was believed that men 

of property could also be found to embrace an opportunity for acquiring 

lands in Georgia, and whose maintenance would not be .an item of 

expense. 2. It was urged that a colony planted between the Savannah 

and the Altamaha, if organized upon a military basis, would provide an 

adequate protection to the' exposed frontiers of South Carolina, whose 

large slave population was largely at the mercy of designing Spaniards 

in Florida ; also that a failure to establish in this region a permanent set 

tlement might strengthen the claims of rival powers to South Carolina's 

disputed lands. 3. It was argued that a successful colony, in this part 

of North America, lying well within the temperate zone, where grapes 

and mulberry trees could be cultivated with great success, would prove a 

rich asset to the mother country and would mean much to the maritime 

supremacy of England. 

Finally, the petitioners agreed to take charge of the enterprise, to 

transport the colonists to America, and to erect the plantation into a 

proprietary government; they prayed that the lands above indicated be 

granted to them under a royal patent and that as a corporation they be 

allowed both to receive and to disburse all contributions and benefactions 

and to be clothed with full authority to enforce law and order within the 

limits of the province; they also requested the right to acquire lands of 

inheritance in Great Britain to the value of £1,000 sterling. 

First, the petition was referred to a committee of the Privy Council 

for investigation, after which the law officers of the crown and the Board 

of Trade were consulted as to the legal questions involved and as to the 

expediency of granting the proposed charter. Thus two years elapsed. 

There was inevitably some delay; but in the end the proposed enterprise 

was favorably reported by the Privy Council: whereupon, under his 

Majesty's direction, a charter was prepared which on June 9, 1732, 

received the royal sanction, thus kindling a new star in the diadem of 

England. 

* '' Reasons for Establishing the Colony of Georgia with Regard to the Trade of 

Great Britain, etc." Benjamin Martyn, London, 1733.

CHAPTER VI 

GEORGIA'S EOYAL CHARTER—THE TRUSTEES NAMED THEREIN—THE COR 

PORATION TO EXIST FOR TWENTY-ONE YEARS—THE COMMON COUNCIL 

—ALL MEMBERS OP THE TRUST TO SERVE WITHOUT COMPENSATION— 

DENIED THE RIGHT TO HOLD LANDS IN GEORGIA—RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 

GRANTED TO ALL EXCEPT CATHOLICS—REASONS FOR THIS EXCEPTION 

—GEORGIA'S TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES—PERMISSION GRANTED FOB 

TRANSMITTING BRITISH SUBJECTS—FOREIGNERS REQUIRED TO TAKE 

THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO ENGLAND—ALL SETTLERS TO ENJOY THE 

RIGHTS OF ENGLISHMEN—No GRANT TO EXCEED FIVE HUNDRED 

ACRES, EVEN TO MEN OF MEANS—LANDS TO BE RENT FREE FOR TEN 

YEARS—OFFICERS TO SERVE THE COLONY—COMMISSIONS TO BE ISSUED 

UNDER A COMMON SEAL—PROVISIONS FOR MAINTAINING THE SETTLERS 

—MILITARY REGULATIONS AND POWERS—CRITICAL ESTIMATE OF GEOR 

GIA 's CHARTER—FIFTY YEARS SINCE A BRITISH COLONY WAS PLANTED 

IN AMERICA—THE CHARTER ACCEPTED BY THE TRUSTEES—SUBSCRIP 

TIONS SOLICITED—THE BANK OF ENGLAND MADE CUSTODIAN OF FUNDS 

—THE COLONIAL SEAL—MULBERRY TREES AND SILK WORMS—RULES 

ADOPTED BY THE TRUSTEES—ESTATES IN TAIL MALE—SLAVERY FOR 

BIDDEN—RUM EXCLUDED—LICENSE REQUIRED FOR TRADING WITH 

INDIANS—GREAT POPULAR INTEREST AROUSED, 

Before proceeding further, let us glance briefly at Georgia's charter. 

The new colony was to be named for the reigning sovereign, King George 

II, whose royal sanction was affixed to the grant. As the grounds for its 

establishment, the various reasons set forth in the preceding chapter 

were enumerated. To serve the colony as trustees, all who signed the 

petition were designated, to-wit: John, Lord Viscount Percival, Edward 

Digby, George Carpenter, James Oglethorpe, George Heathcote, Thomas 

Tower, Robert Moor, Robert Hucks, Roger Holland, William Sloper, 

Francis Eyles, John Laroche, James Vernon, William Belitha, Esqs., 

A. M., John Burton, B. D., Richard Bundy, A. M., Arthur Bedford, 

A. M., Samuel Smith, A. M., Adam Anderson and Thomas Coram, gen 

tlemen. These, together with others, afterwards to be elected, were to 

constitute a body politic and corporate, in deed and in name, to exist 

for a period of twenty-one years and to be styled: The Trustees for Es 

tablishing the Colony of Georgia in America. The corporation was 

vested with perpetual succession. It was empowered to establish courts, 

to make laws, to use a common seal, and to hold lands, hereditaments and 

franchises in fee simple, also personal property requisite for settling 

and maintaining the colony. It was given the right to dispose of such 

holdings by the usual modes of conveyance, including gifts, grants, leases 

and demises. It was, moreover, clothed with all the powers necessary 

53


for attaining the objects set forth in the charter. The corporation was 

to meet annually for an election of officers on the third Thursday in 

each year. , 

To transact the ordinary business of the trust a common council 

was to be appointed, each member of which before entering upon his 

duties was to take an oath of office, which the president of the corpora 

tion was to administer. He, in turn, was to be sworn into office by the 

chief baron of the exchequer. Lord John, Viscount Percival, was 

designated as the first president of the corporation and it was made his 

duty within thirty days from the granting of the charter to convene 

the trustees for the purpose of perfecting an organization. Edward 

Digby was named as chairman of the common council, a board to con 

sist of fifteen members, eight of whom were named in the charter, as 

follows: John, Lord Viscount Percival, Edward Digby, George Car 

penter, James Oglethorpe, George Heathcote, Thomas Laroche, James 

Vernon, William Belitha, Esqs., and Stephen Hales, A. M. 

Both the president of the corporation and the chairman of the com 

mon council were declared competent to vote and to participate in all 

discussions. Provision was also made for each of these offices to be 

filled by rotation. 

All members of the trust were to serve without salary, fee, perquisite, 

benefit, or profit whatever. Permission was granted for soliciting and 

receiving subscriptions; also for appointing agents to collect moneys and 

gifts. It was made the duty of the corporation to submit annually in 

writing an account of all moneys and effects received and expended. 

Furthermore, the corporation was empowered to frame such rules and 

regulations for the government of the colony, to prescribe such pains 

and penalties for infractions, and to establish such methods of enforce 

ment as were not repugnant to the statutes and laws of the realm. 

Religious freedom was accorded to all except Catholics. Says Mr. 

Brooks:* "This discrimination was due to historical causes. In 1688 

the Catholic monarch, James II, was expelled from England, and it 

was made the law of the land that no Catholic should ever sit on the 

throne. Catholics were also excluded from holding any civil or military 

office or from sitting in Parliament. For many years the exiled family 

of Stuart schemed to regain the lost throne, usually with the assistance 

of a powerful party in England and with the sympathy of Catholic 

France. Only seventeen years before the granting of the charter of 

Georgia there had been a rising of Catholics in favor of the Stuart 

Pretender. So it was natural that Englishmen did not care to harbor 

within the new colony persons whom they regarded as hostile to the 

English throne and religion." 

Georgia's territorial domain, as fixed by the terms of her charter, 

was to include all the lands embraced between the Savannah and the 

Altamaha rivers, reaching back from the headwaters of these streams, 

in a westerly direction, to the South Seas, an indefinite expression which, 

at a later period, was construed to mean the Mississippi River. It was 

to include also the islands of the sea lying opposite the eastern coast, 

within a distance of twenty leagues therefrom, together with all the 

•"History of Georgia," E. P. Brooks, p. 45.


soils, grounds, havens, ports, gulfs and bays, mines, precious stones, 

quarries, woods, rivers, waters, fishings, pearls, commodities, jurisdic 

tions, royalties, franchises, privileges and preeminences within the said 

frontiers. However, only an undivided seven-eighths interest in these 

lands was conveyed to the trustees by King George. It will be remem 

bered that all this territory had been granted to eight noblemen called 

the Lords Proprietors of Carolina; and in ceding the tract thus con 

veyed back to the crown only seven of the grantees joined. Lord Car- 

teret retained his undivided one-eighth interest. But Georgia perfected 

her. title in time by obtaining a deed from Lord Carteret. 

Permission was granted for transporting out of the limits of the 

United Kingdom or from any of the British dominions into the province 

of Georgia, for settlement there, as many subjects of the Crown as should 

be willing to go, and also such foreigners as should consent to abide there, 

under the allegiance of the English Crown. These were to be given land 

rent-free for ten years. Permission was granted also to carry into the 

province such munitions of war as were requisite for its defense and 

such clothing, implements, furniture, victuals, merchandise, cattle, 

horses and wares as were needed by the colonists either for use or for 

traffic with the natives. All persons born within the province were to 

enjoy all the liberties, franchises and immunities of free denizens and 

natural born citizens and subjects of Great Britain as fully as if born 

and residing within the Kingdom of England. No grant of land was 

to exceed five hundred acres; no member of the trust was to be granted 

lands; and no one holding lands was to be elected to the trust. ' There 

was to be an ajanual quit-rent of four shillings per hundred acres to be 

paid by the trustees for all lands granted to others; and all grants, leases, 

plantings, conveyances, settlements and improvements of any lands, 

tenements and hereditaments within the province, made by the corpo 

ration, were to be registered with the auditor of plantations within one 

year from the respective dales thereof; otherwise they were to become 

void. From time to time statements showing the progress of the colony 

were to be rendered. 

Officers to serve the colony including governors, judges, magistrates, 

also military and naval officers, were to be commissioned by the common 

council, eight members of which body were to constitute a quorum for 

the transaction of business, but the right to be reserved by the Crown 

to select all officers concerned in the .collection of revenues for the gen 

eral government. Commissions were to be issued by the trust under the 

common seal. The appointment of a colonial governor was to be ap 

proved by the crown and said officer was to take such oath as was 

required of governors in the other colonies and give bond for an observ 

ance of the various acts of Parliament relating to trade and navigation 

and for obedience to all orders issued to him by the home government. 

There was also to be a secretary and a treasurer for the colony, neither 

of whom could be a member of the corporation. 

The charter made adequate provision for a defense of the colony 

in the event of hostilities. To this end, the trustees were empowered to 

establish a militia; and in an emergency, all who were competent to bear 

arms were to be assembled, to repulse, whether on land or at sea, any 

enemy, either within or without the province, and in all fitting ways to

56 GEORGIA AND-GEORGIANS' 

destroy or conquer any who, in a hostile manner, might attempt the 

invasion, detriment, annoyance' .or destruction of the plantation. Mar 

tial law was to be declared in the event of hostilities. The trustees were 

furthermore empowered to erect forts, to fortify towns, to establish 

garrisons, and to take such other precautionary measures as were req 

uisite to protect both the coast and the frontier from the incursions of 

marauders, pirates, savages, or enemies. Though a proprietary govern 

ment, its militia was to remain in the hands of the king, and the domin 

ion of the Crown was to prevail.* Free importation and exportation of 

all goods and products was authorized. In conclusion, the life of the 

corporation was to continue for twenty-one years, and at the expiration 

of this time such a form of government was to be adopted as the Crown 

should ordain. 

Mr. J. R. McCain, a recognized authority on Georgia's colonial 

period, has given us the following critical estimate of her charter. 

Says he: t " The granting of such a charter was in a measure a rever 

sion to type. It has been noted that more than a hundred years had 

elapsed since a corporation resident in England had been chartered for 

the purpose of colonization, but it was through corporations in the 

nature of trading companies that British colonization was first success 

fully achieved within the present limits of the United States. Virginia, 

the first of the colonies, was the proprietary province of a corporation 

just as was Georgia, the last of the thirteen to be settled. Only two other 

corporations had been formed for the purpose of colonizing America, 

and they, like the London company, were organized prior to 1630. In 

dividual proprietorships had been established, and in the case of Caro 

lina eight men had been associated for the purpose of founding a colony: 

but apparently the interest in colonization had not been widespread 

enough in England from 1630 to 1730 to call for the organization of a 

company or corporation. The settlement of Georgia enlisted the inter 

est and the aid of a larger number of people than that of any other 

British colony. 

"Since the charter was granted fifty years later than that of any 

other British colony, it is interesting to note the effect of experiments 

with the colonies on the terms of the Georgia charter. Since the estab 

lishment of Pennsylvania in 1681, there had been marked efforts on the 

part of the British government to increase imperial control in America, 

and there was a strong tendency to substitute royal provinces for those 

of proprietary or corporate nature. In its first report, the Board of 

Trade showed several tendencies in this direction. The land was not 

granted outright to the petitioners, but they were to be tenants of so 

much as they might occupy, paying therefor to the King the rather heavy 

quitrent of four shillings proclamation money per hundred acres. Care 

ful registers were to be kept to ascertain the King's rights in the mat 

ter. Of greater importance, was the provision in the report requiring 

that officers be approved by the King, and that all laws be submitted to 

him for approval. Moreover, a great deal of imperial control was se 

cured by the requirement that officials in the new colony must take 

* J. B. MeCain, '' The Executive in Proprietary Georgia,'' p. 13. 

t Ibid., pp. 14-16.


and receive instructions such as were given to the royal governors in the 

American provinces. 

"As the charter was finally issued, there were numerous provisions 

also for imperial control. The most remarkable one was that limiting 

the powers of government bestowed on the founders of Georgia to a 

period of twenty-one years. The petitioners had sought greater powers 

of appointing and removing officers and of establishing courts, and the 

request was granted only on the condition of this time limitation. 

Formal laws must be approved by the King, but regulations and orders 

to fit special occasions could be given without approval. The power of 

making laws was also limited to a period of twenty-one years, and no 

law could become effective until .actually approved. Even in the mat 

ter of appointing officers, there were two restrictions in favor of royal 

control. The Crown reserved the right to appoint all those who should 

be chosen to collect the King's revenue. Moreover, the person appointed 

to be governor in the colony must have the approval of the King, and 

must qualify himself properly by taking oaths and giving security to 

obey the acts of Parliament relating to trade and navigation and to obey 

instructions sent him pursuant to said acts. He was not bound, however, 

to obey general instructions. The supervision of the British govern 

ment over the financial management of the colony was secured by the 

requirements that an annual account of all moneys received and ex 

pended be presented in writing to two officials of the home government. 

It was further stipulated that from time to time accounts of the progress 

of the colony should be given to the secretaries of state and to the Board 

of Trade." 

On July 20, 1732, the trustees named by the king met in London * 

to perfect an organization under the new charter whose terms and pro 

visions were, at this first meeting, formally accepted. Lord John, Vis 

count Percival, after exhibiting a certificate from the lord chief baron of 

the exchequer to the effect that he had taken the required oath, was 

thereupon duly installed in office as president of the corporation, fol 

lowing which he proceeded to administer the prescribed oath to his 

colleagues of the trust. 

The Bank of England was designated as custodian of all moneys to 

be contributed to the trust for Georgia's colonization. Benjamin Mar- 

tyn was elected secretary, while the following gentlemen formed the 

first common council: Anthony, Earl of Shaftsbury; John, Lord Vis 

count Percival; John, Lord Viscount Tyrconnel; James, Lord Viscount 

Limerick; George, Lord Carpenter; Edward Digby, Esq., James Ogle- 

thorpe, Esq., George Heathcote, Esq., Thomas Tower, Esq., Robert 

Moor, Esq., Robert Hucks, Esq., Roger Holland, Esq., William Sloper, 

Esq., Francis Eyles, Esq., John Laroche, Esq., James Vernon, Esq., 

Stephen Hales, A. M., Richard Chandler, Esq., Thomas Frederick, Esq.. 

Henry L'Apostre, Esq., William Heathcote, Esq., John White, Esq., 

Robert Kendal, Esq., aldermen, and Richard Bundy, D. D. 

Most of the business of the trust was transacted by the common coun 

cil, subject, however, to final review at the hands of the corporation. 

Its first chairman, as designated in the charter, was Hon. Edward Digby. 

* Palace Court, in Old Court Yard, Westminster.


Without dealing with the business of particular meetings, we merely 

give results. 

First, it was necessary to adopt a corporate seal. The design selected 

for its two faces was as follows: '' That for the .authentication of legis 

lative acts, deeds and commissions contained this device: two figures 

resting upon urns, from which flowed streams typifying the two rivers, 

viz., the Savannah and the Altamaha, which formed the northern and 

southern boundaries of the province. In their hands were spades, sug 

gesting agriculture as the chief employment of the settlers. Above and 

in the center was seated the genius of the colony, a spear in her right 

hand, the left placed upon a cornucopia, and a liberty cap upon her 

head. Behind, upon a gentle eminence stood a tree, and above was 

engraven this legend: ' COLONIA GEORGIA, AUG. ' On -the other face— 

which formed the common seal to be affixed to grants, orders, and cer 

tificates—were seen silk-worms in the various stages of their labor, and 

the appropriate motto: 'Now SIBI SED ALOOS.' This inscription, not 

only proclaimed the disinterested motives and intentions of the trustees, 

but suggested that the production of silk was to be reckoned among the 

chief employments of the colonists." 

Encouraged by Sir Thomas Lombe to believe that a superior quality 

of silk could be produced in Georgia, to whose soil mulberry trees were 

indigenous, the trustees decided to engage Italian experts to accompany 

the colonists to Georgia and to teach them the best methods of feeding 

silk-worms, how to obtain the thread from the cocoons and how to manu 

facture the silk into fabrics. Oglethorpe himself became quite an en 

thusiast on the subject. In fact, he came to believe that vast sums 

annually spent in the purchase of foreign silks might be saved to the 

nation. Moreover, in the culture of grapes for the manufacture of 

wines, it was contemplated that a rich revenue would accrue to the 

Crown. 

Some of the regulations adopted by the trustees require notice in 

this connection. Since Georgia was to be an agricultural colony, organ 

ized upon a military basis, each male inhabitant was to be regarded 

both .as a planter and as a soldier.* Together with tools and implements 

for industrial use, he was to be provided with weapons for defending 

the settlement. He was also to be instructed in the manual of arms. 

Forts were to be erected at strategic points on the exposed ocean front 

and on the endangered frontier.' Each town was to be a sort of citadel, 

containing its garrison of troops, its arsenal, etc.: and whatever lands 

were allotted to the colonists were to be in the neighborhood of these 

fortified towns, so that instantly the inhabitants, on the first signal of 

alarm, might betake' themselves thereto for protection, without loss of 

time and without great personal hazard. Besides the likelihood of a 

Spanish invasion, there was the ever present dread of an Indian out 

break. 

It was for the purpose of strengthening Georgia as a military prov 

ince designed to protect not only South Carolina but all of the colonies 

to the north that a system of land tenure was adopted which in after 

* An Account Showing the Progress of the Colony of Georgia in America from its 

First Establishment, London, 1741; "Colonial Eecords," Vol. I.


years gave rise1 to much complaint. Fifty acres of land—to define the 

system briefly—were deemed sufficient for each family's support. Con 

sequently, to each able-bodied colonist was allotted this amount of land, 

to be held, however, not in fee simple but as a military fief; and on this 

land he was to plant 100 white mulberry trees to every ten acres. It 

was feared that if the lots were otherwise conveyed, it would tend to en 

feeble the garrison by giving rise to an accumulation of lots in one own 

ership; and to prevent such a result it was planned that for each lot 

there should be an occupant to cultivate the ground and to bear arms. 

Since women were not expected to act as soldiers, it was not contem 

plated, except in certain contingencies that they should be landholders. 

Consequently, grants were to be made in tail male rather than in tail 

general. To give to a female the portion of a soldier would be to dimin 

ish the strength of the settlement. Moreover, by intermarriage several 

lots might be merged into one ownership; and inasmuch as women were 

not supposed to serve on juries or to perform military duties, these bur 

densome obligations, in the event she were given a soldier's portion, 

would devolve more frequently upon the men. 

There were numerous reasons to justify the trustees in refusing to 

sanction alienations in fee. To begin with, the right of sale was neces 

sarily inherent in such an estate; and immediately following an investi 

ture of title a grantee, if he saw fit to do so, might sell, mortgage or alien 

his lands. Most of the colonists to be transported to Georgia were indi 

gent ; and, having failed as managers at home, it was not deemed prudent, 

at the outset to entrust them with the ownership of property which in a 

short while might be squandered. Again, the colony was surrounded by 

Papists, French to the west and Spaniards to the south; and it was 

thought unsafe, therefore, to grant estates in fee because it might be the 

means of introducing Catholics into the colony of Georgia. Though 

religious persecution had become less rigorous, there still existed in Eng 

land a feeling of bitter hostility toward all non-Protestants. 

The charter forbade a grant of more than 500 acres of land to any 

one person; but if titles were conveyed in fee simple it would not be long 

before thrifty individuals would acquire a concentrated ownership of 

lots, thus contravening the charter's manifest intent. Moreover, since 

the trustees were defraying the passage of these settlers, maintaining 

them on the voyage, giving them tools, weapons, seeds, etc., with which 

to begin life anew in the colony, and agreeing furthermore to support 

them for a season from the general stores, all this in addition to having 

compromised with creditors for sums due them by these debtors, it 

might, therefore, be well argued that the public had purchased from 

these settlers, for an adequate consideration, whatever they could give 

in the way of just equivalent. Consequently there seemed to be no alter 

native, save to grant estates in tail male, if Georgia's character as a mili 

tary province was to be maintained. 

Nor were men of means to hold lands under a different tenure. 

Where a settler defrayed his own expenses and brought ten able-bodied 

servants, over twenty-one years of age, into the colony, he was to receive 

500 acres of land, not an acre of which, however, could be sold; and at 

his death this land was to descend to his male heirs. He was to pay a 

rental of 20 shillings a year on each 100 acres but payment was not to


begin for ten years. Within a month .after its execution, the grant was 

to be registered with the auditor of plantations. The grantee obligated 

himself to repair at once to Georgia with his servants, there to remain 

for at least three years, building houses and cultivating his lands. 

Within ten years from the date of grant he was to have 200 acres under 

cultivation and 200 white mulberry trees planted. The grantee was not 

to leave the province without special permission from the authorities. 

Male servants, when released from contracts, provided they had been 

four years in the province, were to be given, on application, twenty 

acres of land in tail male, under certain conditions and restrictions. 

But an equally drastic law enacted by the trustees was a law forbid 

ding the introduction of slaves into the Colony of Georgia. There was 

no precedent for such a regulation in any of the other colonies,- but a 

law of this character was deemed essential to a province organized on a 

strictly military basis. Nor were other reasons lacking. In the first 

place, a great majority of the colonists were wholly without means either 

to purchase slaves or to support them under the peculiar system of land 

tenure which the trustees thought it wise to adopt. One of the main 

sources of weakness, in the case of South Carolina, was due to the pre 

ponderating number of slaves. These considerably outnumbered the 

whites who were powerless, on the one hand, to protect them against the 

mischievous wiles of the Spaniards or to subdue any insurrectionary 

spirit, among them, on the other. Moreover, South Carolina weakened 

by an excessively large slave population was, in a most critical sense, at 

the mercy of the foe, including not only the Spaniards but also the 

French; nor was she without frequent visits from the Indians who kept 

her borders constantly embroidered with crimson. Knowing her en 

feebled condition, these enemies especially the Spaniards and the In 

dians, were incessantly annoying; and since the design of a new colony 

was to protect South Carolina it was important to avoid, therefore, what 

in the latter province had proven an element of weakness. 

To state another reason, the average cost of a negro servant at this 

time was £30, a sum sufficient to defray the passage of a white man, sup 

ply him with needed equipment, and support him for a whole year; and 

to permit slaves, therefore, would only lessen the ability of the trustees 

to maintain the white settlers. Moreover, on account of the limited 

funds at the disposal of the trust, every slave sent over would mean a 

white man displaced or a soldier withdrawn from the garrison. Thus to 

allow slaves would be to subtract from the fighting strength of the prov 

ince ; and since Georgia was to be .a barrier interposed between South 

Carolina and her enemies, not only would she fail to give this desired 

protection but her own security would be endangered, on account of her 

closer contact with these foes who would show her no quarter. 

Furthermore, it was argued that the ownership of slave property 

would lessen a settler's inclination to perform individual labor; that 

it would put a badge of servitude upon honest toil; and that, should the 

head of a family be removed by death or incapacitated by sickness, or 

should he be temporarily absent from home, his undefended household 

would be at the negro's mercy: a menace serious at least in its possibili 

ties. Besides, the Spaniards, when not enticing slaves into Florida would 

be inciting them to insurrections. South Carolina though some distance


removed from St. Augustine had nevertheless suffered greatly in both 

of these respects; nor would Georgia prove exempt from such annoy 

ances, which in her case, from a closer proximity to the Spaniards, would 

be even more aggravated. Whatever justification there may have been, 

therefore, for permitting slaves in South Carolina where extensive rice 

plantations along the coast required arduous labor, under malarial con 

ditions, no such pretext could be urged in the' case of Georgia, where the 

culture of grapes and the production of silk, while calling for greater 

intelligence, imposed much lighter burdens upon the laborer. Indeed, 

this work would be of such a mild character that even the women could 

assist, finding such employment a pastime rather than a hardship. 

It was thought wise to deny slaves even to settlers of independent 

fortune who might wish to settle in the province without expense to the 

trust. The ownership of slaves by some would only tend to create a spirit 

of discontent in others to whom this privilege was denied, would give 

rise to invidious comparisons, would cause class distinctions to appear, 

and would lay an undue emphasis upon existing inequalities. 

Nor did another argument fail to impress the trustees. It was this: 

if slaves were introduced into Georgia it would only tend to facilitate the 

desertion of slaves from South Carolina into Florida by furnishing an 

intermediate place of shelter for these fugitive negroes in connivance 

with Georgia allies and abettors. 

Thus it will be seen that for the prohibition of slaves in the Colony 

of Georgia there were no lack of sound arguments both from the economic 

and from the humanitarian point of view; and at first this drastic law 

no doubt proved salutary in its operation. But in time it became a seri 

ous detriment. To meet the demands of competition—in fact, to save 

the colony from utter collapse—its abrogation was eventually demanded; 

and when this barrier was removed not only did the tide of prosperity 

begin to rise but there came into Georgia her largest and wealthiest slave 

holders: the Dorchester Puritans of whom we shall have much to say 

later. 

Rum was also excluded from the colony for reasons too obvious to 

require statement. It was of the utmost importance that settlers who 

were expected to meet a two-fold demand, to serve the colony both as 

competent workers and as good soldiers, should be men of temperate 

habits. 

Trading with the Indians, unless authorized by special license, was 

also forbidden. Such were some of the regulations adopted by the trus 

tees for Georgia's government. As we shall see, though founded in 

excellent logic and justified by what was undoubtedly the wisdom of 

the hour, they became in time detrimental to the colony's growth; but 

the trustees were too far removed from actual contact with the settle 

ment—too idealistic perhaps—to understand the condition of life which 

prevailed in Georgia or to lose sight of the fundamental reasons upon 

which they had acted at the start. Committed to these regulations, 

from the standpoint of principle, they were' slow to yield to any demand 

for change; and in doing so at last they were forced to recognize the 

failure of these Utopian ideals. Nor was it without a sigh of relief that 

when the twenty-one years expired a responsibility which had grown 

burdensome was finally relinquished. Thousands of good English pounds


sterling had been expended with little immediate profit. Even the effort 

to grow mulberry trees proved abortive. The looms of England were 

never overtaxed in weaving Georgia's silk into fabrics. But a colony 

was planted in the wilds of America which, in spite of all these dis 

couragements, took deep root. Nor is it any small debt which Georgia 

owes to her earliest sponsors, all of whom were men of the highest char 

acter, of the purest benevolence, of the most exalted patriotism. To the 

latest generation, her history will be fragrant with the names of these 

English gentlemen. 

Subscriptions were next solicited. As an evidence.to the public of 

perfect good faith and to prevent any misappropriation of funds an 

account was opened with the Bank of England, where a register was 

kept in which to record the names of all donors, together with the 

amounts subscribed by each to the colonial fund. Eesponses were liberal, 

coming not only from individuals but from corporate institutions. Even 

Parliament subscribed £10,000, thus attesting its good-will toward the 

enterprise and its confidence in the trustees. This spontaneous outpour 

ing of gifts was largely the result of an address published by the trus 

tees, setting forth the benevolent ends and objects of the undertaking. 

The public was informed that money was needed not only to defray the 

passage of colonists, hundreds of whom were ready for embarkation, 

but to give them subsistence until they could clear their lands and build 

their homes; that for success in this great philanthropic enterprise reli 

ance was placed, first, in the goodness of divine providence and, second, 

in the compassionate disposition of the Christian people of England; 

that much could be spared from luxury, by generous tempers, when 

such an opportunity was offered them, to provide in perpetuity for a 

man or woman with £20 and for a child with £10. The location of the 

province, in a temperate zone, its mild climate, its rich soil, its authoriza 

tion by the government of England, its management by men of high 

official position, its importance in protecting the exposed borders of 

South Carolina; and, last but not least, its stimulating and enriching 

effect upon the commerce of England. 

To aid in the enterprise newspapers gave wide publicity to its benevo 

lent designs and ministers from the pulpit preached eloquent sermons in 

approval of its philanthropic scope and spirit. Much of this popular 

awakening was only the reflex of Oglethorpe's powerful influence; for 

his zeal in launching the colony knew no abatement. In a carefully con 

sidered tract to which his name was not signed but in which his mind 

and heart were reflected as in a mirror and which every one admits that 

he not only circulated but prepared, we find a poem from the pen of 

Waller, in which occur these lines descriptive of Georgia's environ 

ment : * 

"So sweet the air, so moderate the clime 

None sickly lives or dies before his time 

Heaven sure has kept this spot of earth uncursed 

To show how all things were created first.'' 

* A New and Accurate Account of the Provinces of South Carolina and Georgia, 

London, 1732.


Besides the tract prepared and circulated by Oglethorpe, there also 

appeared a pamphlet written by Benjamin Martyn, secretary of the 

board, entitled "Reasons for establishing the Colony of Georgia, with 

regard to the trade of Great Britain, etc.,'' a discussion ol some merit; 

but for lack of time we cannot pause to discuss its contents." The author's 

appeal was a strong one, based upon sound arguments and it closed 

with an imaginative picture of the future colony, rich in its flocks and 

herds. All things considered it is not a matter of surprise that Eng 

land's interest in a colony organized for the relief of insolvent debtors 

should have reached a degree of interest hitherto unknown in the em 

pire's experience as a colonizer and that Georgia, her latest offspring, 

fostered by the humane soul of an Oglethorpe, should have become the 

favorite child of England, the darling of the Crown.

CHAPTER VII 

t 

PLAN OF SAVANNAH DRAWN BEFORE OGLETHORPE LEAVES ENGLAND— 

HUNDREDS EAGER TO EMBARK FOR GEORGIA—SELECTING EMIGRANTS 

—EIGID EXAMINATION OF APPLICANTS—ONLY THE WORTHY CHOSEN— 

PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE—THIRTY-FIVE FAMILIES SET SAIL FOR 

GEORGIA ON NOVEMBER 17, 1732—OGLETHORPE ACCOMPANIES THE EX 

PEDITION—PEN-PICTURE OF THE GREAT HUMANITARIAN AND SOLDIER— 

Two CHILDREN DIE AT SEA—CHARLESTON Is SAFELY REACHED—JOY 

OF THE COLONISTS—SOUTH CAROLINA'S WELCOME TO OGLETHORPE— 

ROYALLY ENTERTAINED—WITH COL. WILLIAM BULL, THE FOUNDER 

SETS OUT ON A RBCONNOITERING TOUR—SAILS UP THE SAVANNAH 

RIVER—LOCATES THE SITE OF A TOWN ON A HIGH BLUFF—MAKES A 

TREATY WITH TOMO-CHI-CHI, AN AGED Mico, OF THE YAMACRAWS, A 

SMALL DETACHED TRIBE OF THE CREEK INDIANS—RETURNS TO CHAR 

LESTON—CONDUCTS THE COLONISTS TO YAMACRAW BLUFF—THE EX 

PEDITION LANDS ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 12, 1733—GEORGIA 

DAY. 

Oglethorpe, while still in England, devising plans for his settlement, 

drew the diagram of a town to embody his conception of a military 

stronghold and to constitute at the same a civic center for the new prov 

ince. Savannah, therefore, began to exist in embryo long before its 

foundations were actually laid upon the bluffs at Yamacraw. We will 

discuss somewhat more in detail the specifications of this plan at a later 

period. We pause just here only to record in its proper chronological 

place an interesting fact. The future metropolis of Georgia's seaboard, 

though still unnamed, was already, so to speak, in life. It only needed to 

be transferred from England to Georgia. Its earliest inhabitants were 

already gathering upon the banks of the Thames and, with rosy anticipa 

tions of a bright tomorrow, were waiting for the hour to sail. 

But let us not anticipate. Having secured funds sufficient to launch 

the new enterprise and to defray its initial expenses and furthermore 

having adopted regulations for governing the colony soon to be planted, 

it was next in order to secure emigrants. To this end the trustees an 

nounced themselves ready to receive applications from all who wished to 

emigrate to Georgia. The bare announcement was like an opening of the 

flood-gates. Applications poured in upon the trustees. To give these 

an unbiased consideration, a committee was appointed from the trust 

to visit the prisons. Its object was to inquire into the worthiness of all 

applicants and when satisfied on this point to make compromises with 

creditors for whatever debts were due, to assume payment thereof, and 

to procure a release of the debtor. 

64 

,


There was also a committee appointed to hear such applications as 

came in person to the office of the corporation at Westminster. Many 

were, of course, rejected. No criminal was even considered. No man 

upon whom rested a shadow of suspicion or a stigma of any kind was 

accepted. Nor was any applicant received who in coming to Georgia 

would leave behind him a family dependent upon his labor for support. 

There were no wife deserters among these beneficiaries of the trust; no 

fugitives from justice; no men of vicious character; no debtor whose obli 

gations had not been canceled. As a rule preference was given to those 

whose applications were endorsed by ministers, church-wardens and over 

seers. After an emigrant was chosen he was drilled each day by the ser 

geant of the Royal Guards, a much needed discipline since it was not 

only as a planter but also as a soldier that he was expected to serve the 

trust. Says a well known Georgia historian in refuting a popular mis 

conception concerning these early colonists: * "It has been idly charged 

that in the beginning Georgia colonists were impecunious, depraved, law 

less and abandoned, that the settlement at Savannah was a sort of Botany 

Bay and that Yamacraw Bluff was peopled by renegades from justice. 

The suggestion is utterly without foundation. The truth is, no appli 

cant was admitted to the privilege of enrollment as an emigrant until 

he had been subjected to a preliminary examination and had furnished 

satisfactory evidence that he was fairly entitled to the benefits of the 

charity. Other American colonies were founded and augmented by in 

dividuals coming at will, without question, for personal gain, and bring 

ing no certificate of present or past good conduct. Georgia, on the con 

trary, exhibits the spectacle, at once unique and admirable, of permit 

ting no one to enter her borders who was not by competent authority, 

adjudged worthy the rights of citizenship." 

On October 3, 1732, the enrollment lists disclosed 114 persons who 

were ready to embark as emigrants for the new world. This number 

included men, women and children. But no one was admitted to passage 

until he or she had first been apprised in detail of the terms and condi 

tions involved in this change of residence nor until he or she had testified 

acceptance thereof in a formal document containing articles of agree 

ment, signed, sealed and filed in the office of the trust. To meet a few 

objections which were well founded, as, for example, in families where 

there were daughters only, it was provided that any person claiming the 

privilege might name a successor to the lands held by him and that in 

case the original grantee died without issue such successor should take 

possession, the property thereafter to descend to his or her male heirs. 

It was also ordained that a widow should receive a third of her deceased 

husband's property as fixed by the laws of England. 

On the eve of sailing, a certain amount of land within the limits of 

the future colony—5,000 acres—was, for purposes of distribution, deeded 

in trust to three of the colonists to wit: Thomas Christie, William Cai- 

vert, and Joseph Hughes. These were to reconvey the land in fifty-acre 

lots to each male adult, at his request, upon arrival in the province. 

There attached to each transfer the conditions of settlement thereon; and 

*"History of Georgia," Charles C. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, p. 113, footnote. 

Vol. T—5

66 GEOEGIA AND GEORGIANS 

except in cases for which special provision was needed the property was 

to descend to his male heirs. 

At the time of embarkation, on November 17, 1732, there were thirty- 

five families enrolled, aggregating 130 individuals. These comprised car 

penters, brick-layers, mechanics and farmers. To convey them to the new 

world a galley of some 200 tons burden, named the Anne, Captain Thomas 

in command, was provided by the trustees. It was comfortably fitted 

out for the voyage, containing in addition to food supplies such agricul 

tural implements, household utensils, tools, weapons, munitions and 

stores as were needed for the colonists on arrival. To show that nothing 

was overlooked necessary to the comfort of the voyagers we are told that 

the vessel's cargo included "ten tons of Alderman Parson's best beer." 

Among the passengers on board were: Dr. Henry Herbert, a clergyman 

of the established church, Mr. Amatis, an Italian from Piedmont, en 

gaged to instruct the colonists in breeding silk-worms and in the art of 

winding silk; and, last but not least, this vessel, freighted with the desti 

nies of a new province, carried its illustrious founder, James Edward 

Oglethorpe. 

It was at his own solicitation that Oglethorpe was chosen to accom 

pany the emigrants to Georgia; but the trustees were a unit in regarding 

him as the best man in all England to superintend the work of Georgia's 

establishment. Not only was he the originator of this project to found 

an asylum in the new world for indigent debtors, but from first to last 

he was its most enthusiastic, zealous, and unremitting advocate. More 

over, as chairman of the committee on prisons, he had achieved a world 

wide reputation in the English Parliament. He had been largely instru 

mental in purifying the prisons of England and was perhaps the best 

known humanitarian and philanthropist of his day. But what qualified 

him, in a peculiar sense, to organize a colony founded upon a military 

basis was his ripe experience and rare genius as a soldier. When we 

remember that in a few years he was to become the official head of the 

English army, we can form some estimate of his qualifications at this 

time as a military commander. He was in the prime of life, tall and 

erect, possessed of a vigorous constitution, and one of the handsomest 

men to be encountered in a tour of rural England. Though often in 

London, it was not as a metropolitan but as a country squire that he 

loved to be known; nor did any man of his time better illustrate this title 

in its softer and finer phases. Not too austere, he was characterized as 

the beau ideal of an English gentleman; and blest with means ample 

for the gratification of every wish he was ready to sacrifice ease and ele 

gance and to share with penury a lot of toil, of privation, and of peril. 

In the language of an eloquent biographer: '' Possessing a liberal educa 

tion, a fearless soul, a determined will, a tireless energy, a practical 

knowledge of military affairs and of the management of expeditions, 

with-an experience of men and climes and matters, which only years of 

careful observation and intelligent travel and thoughtful study could 

supply, he was, beyond all dispute, the man of his age and people best 

qualified to inaugurate and conduct to a successful issue an enterprise 

so entirely in unison with his own philanthropic sentiments and so 

important to the interests of both England and America.'' * 

* Charles C. Jones, Jr., in "History of Georgia," Vol. I, p. 115.


Says a contemporary writer: "To see a gentleman of his rank and 

fortune visiting a distant and uncultivated land, with no other society 

but the miserable whom he goes to assist, exposing himself freely to 

the same hardships to which they are subjected, in the prime of life, 

instead of pursuing his pleasure or ambition, intent on an improved and 

well-concerted plan from which his country must reap the profits, at his 

own expense, and without a view or even a possibility of receiving any 

private advantage from it; this, too, after having done and expended 

for it what many generous men would think sufficient to have done,— 

to see this, I say, must give every one who has approved and contributed 

to the undertaking the highest satisfaction, must convince the world of 

the disinterested zeal with which the settlement is to be made, and entitle 

him to the truest honor he can gain—the perpetual love and applause of 

mankind.'' * 

As above stated, Oglethorpe accompanied the colonists to Georgia at 

his own expense. He also provided the furnishings for his cabin and 

laid in supplies, all of which were placed at the disposal of his fellow- 

voyagers. The Sabbath before sailing was spent by the colonists at Mil 

ton on the Thames, where, in a body, they worshiped in the parish 

church. On the 16th of November quite a number of the trustees went 

down to Gravesend where the galley Anne was moored, to extend a for 

mal farewell to Oglethorpe and to bid him Godspeed on his voyage to 

Georgia. Next morning the vessel lifted anchor and under fair skies 

began its long journey across the wide Atlantic. En route, the galley 

Anne touched at the Madeira Isles, where five tons of wine were taken 

on board. Favoring gales wafted the vessel upon its journey westward. 

Pew mishaps were encountered. Only two infants died on the voyage; 

and finally, after a lapse of two months, the excited passengers, on Jan 

uary 13, 1733, entered the harbor of Charleston. 

Going ashore after nightfall, Oglethorpe assembled the colonists to 

gether for the purpose of returning thanks to Almighty God who had 

prospered them on a perilous voyage to the new world and had brought 

them at last in safety to the shelter of a friendly haven. Thence he pro 

ceeded to Charleston, a short distance up the river, where his excellency, 

Robert Johnson, governor of the Province of South Carolina, greeted 

him with formal honors, a reception in which his council participated. 

Without attributing to selfish motives a welcome which was undoubt 

edly sincere, we can'well understand the joy with which the Georgia 

colonists were hailed when we remember that one of the chief objects in 

establishing a colony to the west of the Savannah River was to protect 

South Carolina's exposed borders. Nor. was the coming of these settlers 

unheralded. The Lords of the Admiralty had issued instructions to 

commanders in the Virginia and Carolina waters to render every assist 

ance possible to the Georgia colonists. At the same time the Duke of 

New Castle, then at the head of colonial affairs, had apprised all the 

governors in America of Oglethorpe's mission, commending him to the 

courteous favor of these officials. All awaited his coming with interest. 

To quote Colonel Jones: t "In truth, Georgia was to constitute a pro- 

* Political State of Great Britain, February, 1733, Vol. XLV, p. 181, quoted by 

William B. Stevens in '' History of Georgia,'' Vol. I, pi 81. 

t '' History of Georgia,'' Charles C. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, p. 118.


tection to all of the American colonies, but especially to Carolina against 

the encroachments of the Spaniards, who regarded with jealous and 

hostile eyes the growing power and expanding settlements of England 

upon American shores. This mutual sympathy and dependence were, 

at an early date, acknowledged by a contributor to the 'London Maga 

zine' in the following lines:" 

"To Carolina be a Georgia joined; 

Then shall both colonies sure progress make, 

Endeared to either for the other's sake; 

Georgia shall Carolina's favor move, 

And Carolina bloom by Georgia's love." 

Before leaving Charleston, Governor Johnson, we are informed, 

"cheerfully responded to Oglethorpe's needs." What these were we 

do not know. But the reception to the colonists included a sumptuous 

banquet at which some old wine was uncorked. Under the guidance of 

the king's pilot, a Mr. Middleton, who performed this office by Governor 

Johnson's direction, the colonists were conducted to Port Royal where 

the Anne was securely anchored, after which the settlers went ashore 

at Beaufort to find convenient quarters in the substantial new barracks. 

Oglethorpe's arrival at Beaufort was signalized by an artillery salute. 

Here leaving the colonists to refresh themselves amid pleasant surround 

ings, he set out with Col. William Bull, on a reconnoitering expedi 

tion and proceeded up the Savannah River until he reached a point 

some eighteen miles inland, where a high bluff overlooked the stream. 

Hitherto, on either side, the river had coursed through marshy lowlands; 

but here, some forty feet above low tide, arose an elevated plateau, on 

which stood a forest of pines, interspersed with fragrant magnolias, 

while here and there an ancient live oak trailed its pendant mosses. The 

river was deep enough at this point to float an ordinary vessel; and in 

the shadow of this high bluff a ship could easily discharge its cargo at 

the water's edge. 

It was an ideal site for a town. Oglethorpe's trained eye was quick 

to detect its advantages; and realizing in an instant that he had found 

the spot of which he, was in search he called it Savannah, from the river 

which murmured at its base. On the heights stood an Indian village 

which, on inquiry, he learned to be the seat of a small detached tribe of 

the Creek Nation known as Yamacraws. Tomo-chi-chi, an aged prince 

of the forest, was its chief or mico. On this same side of the river— 

though in contravention of a law governing South Carolina's commerce 

with the Indians—was a trading post, here established by a man named 

Musgrove, whose wife, Mary, was a half-breed, afterwards famous in 

the history of the settlement. 

Deeming it wise to treat with the recognized chief of the region before 

bringing his colonists hither, at what might prove an imminent risk, he 

sought and obtained an interview with this Indian mico—the first Geor 

gian of whom we have any account—Tomo-chi-chi. To this end he pro 

cured the mediatory services of Mary Musgrove, whom he found to be 

kindly disposed toward her husband's fellow-countrymen and whose fair 

knowledge of English made her a good interpreter. Mary's Indian name


was Coosa-pon-a-kee-see. She was subsequently employed by Oglethorpe 

in similar negotiations at a stipulated salary of £100 sterling per annum. 

Though at first disposed to regard the proposed settlement with dis 

favor, Tomo-chi-chi, who was far above the ordinary savage in his powers 

of intellect, was made to realize ere long that the coming of the Euro 

peans, instead of proving a menace, was likely to open a door of oppor 

tunity for his people; and then and there was cemented a friendship 

which survived until the old mico's dying hour. Nor did Oglethorpe's 

love for the noble old Indian prove less enduring. Fortunate it was for 

Georgia that, on the threshold of her existence as a struggling colony, 

surrounded by enemies on every side, she was protected by so powerful 

a friend, so noble a character. It looked like a special providence de 

signed to shield her from an untoward fate. 

Having prepared the way for his colony not only in the matter of a 

site but in what was equally as important, a definite understanding with 

the ' Yamacraw Indians, Oglethorpe1 returned to Beaufort. Here he 

found the settlers greatly refreshed. The safe return of the little 

colony's head and founder and the successful nature of his visit gave 

increased cause for gratitude to Almighty God; and on the following 

Sabbath a day of special thanksgiving was observed. There was an ex 

change of courtesies at this time, the Rev. Lewis Jones preaching for 

the colonists, while the Rev. Dr. Herbert occupied the former's pulpit 

in Beaufort. 

To conclude the day's observance a bountiful dinner was provided 

by Oglethorpe and included among the articles mentioned as constitut 

ing'the feast were "eight turkeys, four fat hogs, many fowls, English 

beef, a hogshead of punch, a hogshead of beer, and a generous quantity 

of Avine." It is quite evident from this inventory that while rum was to 

be excluded from the colony by an express edict of the board of trustees, 

Georgia wa,° not committed to a policy of total abstinence nor was she 

in any sense an advocate of strict prohibition. We are glad to be in 

formed that at this feast no one was intoxicated. 

Leaving Beaufort for Savannah, the colonists were conveyed in a 

sloop of several tons, re-enforced by a cluster of five periaguas. En 

route a storm was encountered, which forced them to seek shelter from 

its violence at a point called Lookout. Here they remained all night, 

suffering keenly no doubt from exposure to an inclement winter season. 

On the next day they proceeded to John's Island where eight men had 

been stationed some few days before to provide huts for the colony's 

accommodation at this place, midway between Savannah and Beaufort. 

But the morning of February 12, 1733 * found the colonists safely 

landed upon the bluffs at Yamacraw. 

* Old Style, January 30, 1733. 

WORMSLOE: THE HOME OP NOBLE JONES.—Near the mouth of the Vernou River, 

at the extreme southern end of the Isle of Hope, lies the oldest estate in 

Georgia: Wormsloe. It was formerly the country-seat of Noble Jones, a com 

panion of the great Oglethorpe on his first voyage to America, and for years a 

distinguished officer of the Crown. He came into possession of the estate in 1733, 

at which time he gave it the name which it still bears. Here he built a 

wooden fort, which he called Fort Wymberley, placed in such a position as to com 

mand the inland passage from the Vernon to the Wimrington River. This passage

RUINS OF FORT WYMBERLEY ON THE ISLE OF HOPE 

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still bears his name. It was much used by Indians, Spaniards and outlaws when 

visiting the South Carolina coast for purposes of plunder and to carry off the negro 

slaves to Florida. Later he rebuilt it of "tabby" or "mancheeolas" as the 

Spaniards called it, with outbuilt port-holes to defend it from escalade. In 1741, he 

was given a four-pound cannon with which to defend the fort. Here he established 

headquarters for his famous marines, who lived in huts near by and who rendered 

double duty by scouting the country on horse-back and the river in boats. One of 

these guarded Skiddaway Narrows and carried dispatches between Savannah and 

Frederica for General Oglethorpe. 

On December 22, 1739, Noble Jones with his boat well armed captured a schooner 

in "Ussybaw" Sound and carried her around to Tybee. He also cruised with 

Captain Demetree to intercept unlawful trading vessels. Fort Wymberley was at 

one time successfully defended against a party of Indians and Spaniards by Mary 

Jones who, in the absence of her father, took command; and tradition records it that 

in recognition of her courage Wormsloe has always been left to the widows and un 

married daughters of the house for life, the fee to be vested at death in the male 

heir. There were many mulberry trees at Wormsloe and the colony in a measure 

depended upon this source of supply for a sufficient quantity of silk worm seed, and 

one year it was deplored that the crop would be short, as "Mr. Noble Jones's 

daughter had suffered her worms to issue from the cocoons without sorting them." 

Mary Jones married James Bulloch,- Sr., father of Governor Archibald Bulloch and 

was his third wife. She died at Wormsloe without issue in 1795. 

Noble Wymberley Jones, a zealous whig, who was kept from attending the 

Continental Congress by the serious illness of his father, who remained to the last a 

devoted royalist, became in 1775 by inheritance the owner of Wormsloe. But the 

necessity for mending his fortune, shattered in the Revolution, left him little time to 

spend on his place. He practiced medicine in Charleston, Philadelphia, and Savannah. 

The estate passed at his death to his son, Judge George Jones, who used it as' a 

place in which to raise fine horses, of which he was excessively fond. It was his custom 

on the circuit to drive a four-in-hand. George Wymberley Jones, his son, afterwards 

George Wymberley Jones DeEenne, then became the owner of Wormsloe, where he 

lived until the time of the Civil war and where he collected and published early 

Georgia manuscripts in the Wormsloe quartos. Here, on the southern extremity of 

the island, a battery was built at this time, called "Lawton Battery," after Gen. 

A. B. Lawton. This battery exchanged one shot with a Federal gunboat ascending 

Vernon Biver. The gunboat withdrew finding the river fortified. 

It was after the war that Wormsloe came to the rescue of the family by tempting 

a Northerner to lease the estate for the purpose of raising sea island cotton thereon. 

But the lessee soon tired of the existing labor conditions, whereupon Wormsloe 

reverted to the owners. Wymberley Jones DeEenne, son of George Wymberley Jones 

DeEenne, the present incumbent, has laid out live-oak tree avenues and, arranged 

native trees and plants in groups and lines, thus developing the natural beauties of 

the place. He has also built a library dedicated "to Noble Jones, owner of 

Wormsloe, from 1733 -to 1775," a handsome structure devoted entirely to Georgia 

books, maps, manuscripts, etc., relating to the history of Georgia. Near the ruins 

of the Old Fort, the name by which Fort Wymberley is called, there stands a tomb 

stone erected by the father of the present owner, on which appears this inscription:* 

George Wymberley Jones DeEenne hath laid this stone 

MDCCCLXXV to mark the old burial place of Wormsloe, 

1737-1789, and to save from oblivion the graves of his kindred. 

DERIVATION OF THE NAME "SAVANNAH."—To quote Col. Absalom H. Chappell: 

"No one can ascend the river from the sea or stand on the edge of the bluff 

which the city occupies and overlook the vast expanse of flat lands on either 

side, without knowing at once that from these plains or savannas came the river's 

name, derived from the Spanish word ' Sabanna;' and the fact that it was baptized 

with the Christian, though not saintly, name which it bears is just as certain as it is 

that the great grassy plains in South America owe the name by which they are called 

to the same parental source.'' 

* These facts in regard to Wormsloe were given to the author by Mr. Wymberley 

Jones DeEenne.

CHAPTER VIII 

TOMO-CHI-CHI FORMALLY WELCOMES THE NEWLY-ARRIVED COLONISTS— 

AN INDIAN CEREMONIAL—LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS OP SAVANNAH— 

OGLETHORPE ASSEMBLES THE COLONISTS FOR A FEW TIMELY WORDS 

OF ADMONITION—His FIRST LETTER TO THE TRUSTEES—SOUTH CARO 

LINA EXTENDS SUBSTANTIAL HELP—SAWYERS CONTRIBUTED—MANY 

HANDSOME DONATIONS—FRIENDS WHO LENT A HELPING HAND—OGLE 

THORPE AT WORK—PORTRAYED BY A SOUTH CAROLINA GENTLEMAN— 

SAVANNAH'S RAPID GROWTH—DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN BY BARON 

VON RECK—OGLETHORPE VISITS CHARLESTON—ADDRESSES THE GEN 

ERAL ASSEMBLY AND THANKS THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH CAROLINA—LET 

TERS OF CONGRATULATION FROM THE NORTHERN COLONIES—CHRIST 

CHURCH, SAVANNAH. 

To meet the colonists on arrival there was a large company of Indians 

assembled on the bluff. Nor was this greeting unaccompanied by the 

spectacular formalities characteristic of the savage tribes. We quote 

from an old account the following paragraph, descriptive of these cere 

monies: "In front advanced the Medicine Man, bearing in each hand 

a fan of white feathers—the symbols of peace and friendship. Then 

came Tomo-chi-ehi and Scenauki, his wife, attended by a retinue of some 

twenty members of the tribe filling the air with shouts. Approaching 

Oglethorpe, who advanced a few paces to meet them, the Medicine Man 

or priest, proclaiming the while the brave deeds of his ancestors, stroked 

the governor on each side with his fans—apt emblems of amity. This 

done, the king and queen drew near and bade him and his followers 

welcome. After an interchange of compliments, the Indians were enter 

tained as hospitably as the means at command would allow-"* 

Busily setting themselves to work the colonists before nightfall had 

cleared a wide space among the pines, in which area four tents were 

erected large enough to accommodate the entire settlement. These were 

provided, of course, for temporary purposes, to serve until permanent 

homes could be built. Thither such bedding as was needed to give com 

fort and protection was brought from the boats anchored underneath 

the bluff. Oglethorpe, having posted his sentinels, lay down near the 

central watch-fire, a sharer in the common hardships, privations and 

dangers of his little flock; and thus, amid the solitudes of a primeval 

forest and underneath the stars of a new world, disturbed by no spectres 

of impending danger, was passed in sweet repose the first night spent on 

Georgia's soil. 

; " History of Georgia," Charles C. Jones, Vol. I, pp. 132-133. 

72


Next morning Oglethorpe called the people together for a two-fold 

purpose: first, to offer devout thanksgiving to a merciful providence; 

and second, to give the settlers a few words of practical advice, on the 

threshold of a new life, rich in its possibilities but great in its pit-falls 

and perils. He reminded them of the far-reaching effects upon future 

generations of even the most trivial thing, whether for good or for evil. 

Two vices against which he specially inveighed were: idleness and in 

temperance. He also warned them against improper dealings with the 

Indians. Said he: " It is my hope that through your good example the 

settlement of Georgia may prove a blessing and not a curse .to the native 

inhabitants." Then followed an assignment of tasks. To facilitate a 

handling of bulky articles, some were set to work erecting a crane; 

others, equipped with axes, were directed to fell trees. There were also 

squads organized to unload the cargoes, to begin the erection of a fort, 

and to do a tbmisand other necessary things. The Georgians were re- 

enforced at this time by a number of South Carolina friends who came 

over with servants to lend a helping hand. Col. "William Bull was un 

remittingly active. His qualifications as an engineer enabled him to 

be of material help in laying off squares, lots and streets. He also con 

tributed four expert saw men, to aid in preparing boards, with which 

to build the settlement store and to erect homes. 

Oglethorpe bestowed no thought upon himself. He claimed "in his 

own behalf and for his own comfort no labor from the colonists.'' Four. 

stately pines were by his direction left standing near the bluff and oppo 

site the center of the encampment; and under these he pitched his tent. 

He wished to enjoy no luxury in which the humblest settler did not par 

take. He declined to accept for himself any labor of which he was not 

in urgent need, and for more than a year he lived under canvas. He 

then moved into hired lodgings. When a convenient opportunity offered, 

Oglethorpe addressed to the trustees his first letter written on Georgia 

soil. It ran as follows: 

"To THE TRUSTEES FOR ESTABLISHING THE COLONY OP GEORGIA IN 

AMERICA. 

"Gentlemen,—I gave you an account in my last of our Arrival at 

Charles-Town. The, Governor and Assembly have given us all possible 

Encouragement. Our People arrived at Beaufort on the 20th of January 

where J lodged them in some new Barracks built for the Soldiers, while 

I went myself to view the Savannah Elver. I fix 'd upon a healthy situa 

tion about ten miles from the sea. The River here forms a Half-Moon, 

along the South-Side of which the Banks are about forty Foot high, and 

on the Top a Flat which they call a Bluff. The plain high Ground ex 

tends into the Country five or six Miles, and along the River-side about a 

Mile. Ships that draw twelve Foot Water can ride within ten Yards of 

the Bank. Upon the River-side, in the Centre of this Plain, I have 

laid out the Town. Opposite to it is an Island of very rich Pasturage, 

which I think should be kept for the Trustees' Cattle. The River is 

pretty wide, the Water fresh, and from the Key of the Town you see its 

whole course to the Sea, with the Island of Tybe, which forms the Mouth 

of the River; and the other way you see the River for about six Miles 

up into the Country. The Landskip is very agreeable, the Stream being


wide, and border's with high woods on both Sides. The whole People 

arrived here on the first of February. At Night their Tents were got up. 

'Till the seventh we were taken up in unloading and making a Crane 

which I then could not get finish'd, so took off the Hands, and set some 

to the Fortification and began to fell the woods. I mark'd out the Town 

and Common. Half of the former is already cleared, and the first House 

was begun Yesterday in the Afternoon. Not being able to get negroes, I 

have taken ten of the Independent Company to work for us, for which 

I make them an allowance. I send you a copy of the Resolutions of the 

Assembly and the Governor and Council's letter to me. Mr. Whitaker 

has given us one hundred Head of Cattle. Col. Bull, Mr. Barlow, Mr. 

St. Julian, and Mr. Woodward are come up to assist us with some of 

their own Servants. I am so taken up in looking after a hundred neces 

sary things, that I write now short, but shall give you a more particular 

Account hereafter. A little Indian Nation, the only one within fifty 

Miles, is not only at Amity, but desirous to be Subjects to his Majesty 

King George, to have Lands given them among us, and to breed their 

Children at our Schools. Their Chief, and his Beloved Man, who is the 

Second Man in. the Nation, desire to be instructed in the Christian Reli 

gion. 

"I am, Gentlemen 

"Your Most Obedient, Humble Servant, 

"JAMES OGLETHORPE." * 

Limitations of space will not permit us to reproduce the documents 

received from South Carolina, of which Oglethorpe makes mention-, one 

from the governor and council, the other from the house of assembly, 

both felicitating Oglethorpe upon his arrival and pledging him every 

assurance of friendship, co-operation and encouragement. It was ordered 

in the resolutions of the House of Assembly that Captain MacPherson, 

with fifteen of the Rangers '' do repair at once to the new settlement of 

Georgia to cover and protect Mr. Oglethorpe and those under his care 

* * till the new settlers have enforted themselves." Moreover the set 

tlement was given as a present "an hundred head of breeding cattle and 

five bulls, also twenty breeding sows and four boars, with twenty barrels 

of rice, the whole to be delivered at the Charge of the Publick at such 

Place in Georgia as Mr. Oglethorpe shall appoint." These resolutions 

were adopted soon after Oglethorpe's arrival in Charleston; and to 

facilitate his work of settling the new province we find it ordered "that 

Colonel Bull be desired to go to Georgia with the Hon. James Oglethorpe, 

Esq. to aid him with his advice and assistance in the settling of that 

place.'' 

Pursuant to this order, Colonel Bull spent more than a month in 

Savannah, supervising the work of four expert sawyers whose labor 

he contributed. Besides helping with surveys, he also aided in the erec 

tion of buildings. Mr. "Whitaker, in association with some friends, do 

nated a hundred head of cattle to the settlement. Mr. St. Julian for 

several weeks gave his time and attention to the settlement in a super 

visory way. Mr. Joseph Bryan donated the labor of four servants, all of 

whom were sawyers. He also came in person to assist the colonists. The 

residents of Edisto Island donated twenty sheep. Mrs. Ann Drayton


sent over four sawyers. Governor Johnson made the colony a present 

of seven horses; while Colonel Bull and Mr. Bryan together furnished 

Oglethorpe twenty servants to he employed in whatever way the foun 

der might deem most advantageous. Mr. Hammerton donated a drum. 

To the first child born on Georgia soil, Mr. Hume offered a silver boat 

and spoon, the recipient of which was an infant born to Mrs. Chase.* 

On March 22, 1733, a South Carolina gentleman who had lately vis 

ited the new province published a letter in the South Carolina Gazette, 

in which the following pen picture is drawn of the founder at work: 

'' Mr. Oglethorpe is indefatigable, takes a vast deal of Pains; his fare is 

but indifferent, having little else at present but salt Provisions: He is 

extremely well beloved by all his People; the general Title they give him 

is Father. If any of them is sick he immediately visits them and takes 

a great deal of care of them. If any difference arises, he is the person 

that decides it. Two happened while I was there, and in my Presence; 

and all the Parties went away, to outward Appearance, satisfied .and con 

tented with his Determination. He keeps a strict discipline; I never 

saw one of his People drunk or heard one swear all the Time I was there; 

He does not allow them Rum, but in lieu gives them English Beer.'' 

Savannah grew rapidly. The tents disappeared one by one as the 

new houses were' finished. On the outskirts of the town a public garden 

was laid out, to cultivate which a servant was detailed at the expense of 

the trust. It was planned to make this garden a nursery from which 

fruit trees, vines, plants, and vegetables might be obtained for private 

gardens owned by the inhabitants. It was also to be devoted largely to 

the propagation of white mulberries, from the cultivation of which as 

food for silk-worms, great profits were expected. Baron Von Reck, who 

came to Georgia in 1734, to establish a colony of Salzburgers in the 

province, has given us the following sketch of the Town of Savannah: f 

"I went to view this rising Town, Savannah, seated upon the Banks 

of a River of the same Name. The Town is regularly laid out, divided 

into four Wards, in each of which is left a. spacious Square for holding 

of Markets and other public Uses. The Streets are all straight, and the 

Houses are all of the 'same Model and Dimensions, and well contrived for 

•Conveniency. For the Time it has been built it is very populous, and its 

Inhabitants are all "White People. And indeed the Blessing of God seems 

to have gone along with this Undertaking; for here we see Industry 

honored and Justice strictle executed, and Luxury and Idleness ban 

ished from this happy Place where Plenty and Brotherly Love seem to 

make their Abode, and where the good Order of a Nightly "Watch re 

strains the Disorderly and makes the Inhabitants sleep secure in the 

midst of a Wilderness. There is laid out near the Town, by Order of the 

Trustees, a Garden for making Experiments for the Improving Botany 

and Agriculture; it contains 10 Acres and lies upon the River; and it is 

cleared and brought into such Order that there is already a fine Nursery 

of Oranges, Olives, white Mulberries, Figs, Peaches, and many curious 

Herbs: besides which there are Cabbages, Peas and other European 

* William B. Stevens in "History of Georgia," Vol. I, p. 92. 

t An Extract of the Journals of Mr. Commissary Von Keck and of the Eev. Mr. 

Bolzius, pp. 12-15, London, 1734.


Pulse and Plants which all thrive. Within the Garden there is an arti 

ficial Hill, said by the Indians to be raised over the Body of one of their 

ancient Emperors. I had like to have forgot one of the best Regulations 

made by the Trustees for the Government of the Town of Savannah. I 

mean the utter Prohibition of the Use of Rum, that flattering but deceit 

ful liquor which has been found equally pernicious to the Natives and 

new Comers, which seldom fails by Sickness or Death to draw after it 

its own Punishment."* 

Oglethorpe, later in the summer, visited Charleston where he ad 

dressed the General Assembly and thanked the Province of South Caro 

lina through its assembled law-makers for the many courtesies extended 

to him and to the Colony of Georgia. On this visit Governor Johnson 

met him at the water's edge. Besides another generous appropriation 

from the General Assembly, Oglethorpe also received a handsome dona 

tion from the-people of Charleston. But while Oglethorpe's settlement, 

due to its peculiar location, was likely to prove of special benefit to South 

Carolina, it was also regarded with favor by the colonies further to the 

north; nor was it long before Pennsylvania and Massachusetts sent 

addresses to Georgia, expressing an interest in the colony's welfare and 

offering to its founder not only felicitations but practical encouragement. 

* Charles 0. Jones, Jr., "History of Georgia," Vol. I, p. 170. 

CHRIST CHURCH, SAVANNAH: WHERE THE GEORGIA COLONISTS FIRST WORSHIPPED 

GOD.—To quote a distinguished local historian *: "On the orignial .spot where the 

Colonists established a house of worship stands today the beautiful and classic 

proportions of Christ Ctareh. Here Wesley preached and Whitefield exhorted— 

the most gifted and erratic characters in the early settlement of Georgia. Wesley 

came to these shores with a fervor amounting almost to religious mysticism. He 

thought his mission was to Christianize the Indians. No priest of Spain ever carried 

the Cross among the Aztecs and Incas of Mexico and Peru with greater zeal; but 

his career in Georgia was checkered and unfruitful. Though a man of gifts he 

suspended his work among the Indians because he.could not learn the language; 

and his ministry among the whites was characterized by a severity which made it 

unpopular. He seems to have been a martinet in the pulpit. He became embroiled 

with his parishioners and left Savannah between two suns. Yet Bishop Candler 

probably spoke the words of truth when, from the pulpit of Wesley Monumental 

Church, in November, 1899, he said: 'No grander man ever walked these historic 

streets than John Wesley.' " t 

On February 26, 1838, the corner stone of the present handsome edifice was laid. 

It is the third religious structure which has occupied this time-honored site since 

the days of Oglethorpe. The plans were drawn by James Hamilton Couper, Esq., 

a noted planter; and the building committee appointed to supervise the work con 

sisted of the following substantial members of the parish: William Scarborough, 

who built the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean; Dr. Theodosius Bartow, 

father of the afterwards celebrated Col. Francis S. Bartow, who fell at Manassas; 

William Thorne Williams, Robert Habersham and William P. Hunter. The rector 

at this time was the Eev. Edward Neufville, and his vestrymen were: Dr. George 

Jones, a United States senator; William Thorne Williams, Robert Habersham, 

""Pleasant A. Stovall, in a chapter on "Savannah," written for Historic Towns 

of the Southern States, pp. 308-310, New York, 1904. 

t It must not be forgotten that Wesley and Whitefield were both ministers of the 

Church of England. Though holding peculiar views and belonging to a society 

called in derision '' Methodists,'' they both lived and died Episcopalians. Wesley 

and Whitefield also differed between themselves. The former was Arminian, the 

latter Calvinistic in theological doctrine.


William Scarborough, E. K. Cuyler, a famous railroad pioneer; William P. Hunter 

and Dr. P. M. Kolloek. For nearly fourteen years the eloquent Dr. Stephen Elliott, 

afterwards the first bishop of the diocese of Georgia, was rector of Christ Church. 

He died in 1866, lamented by the entire South. The following inscription on the 

corner stone gives an epitomized history of this ancient house of worship: 

I. H. S. Glory to God. Christ Church. 

Pounded in 1743. Destroyed by fire in 1796. Eefounded 

on an enlarged plan in 1803. Partially destroyed in the hur 

ricane of 1804. Kebuilt in 1810. Taken down in 1838. 

Says a well-known writer t: ' 'Dating from .the first Episcopal services held in 

Savannah by the Reverend Henry Herbert, one of the voyagers in the galley 'Ann,' 

Christ Church constitutes the oldest ecclesiastical organization in Georgia. The 

present site was chosen when Oglethorpe planned the town. Until the first build 

ing was erected for the congregation, divine worship was held in the tent of Ogle 

thorpe, in the open air, and in the Court House. Progress in the work was retarded 

for several years on account of hostilities with Spain. 

"The successor of Henry Herbert was the Eeverend Samuel Quiney, a member 

ef the famous family of Massachusetts; and he in turn was succeeded by John 

Wesley and by George Whitefield. It was under the latter that the parish was 

first organized in 1843 and the original house of worship erected. During the 

rectorship of the Reverend Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, Colonel Barnard, of Augusta, 

presented the church with the first organ ever seen in Georgia. In 1774, the 

Eeverend Haddou Smith, then rector, gave great offence to the Liberty element 

by his pronounced Loyalist views, in consequence of which he was approached by 

a committee of the church, who forbade him further to officiate in Georgia. Disre 

garding the command, he went to the church as usual to find the doors barred against 

him. Later he was published in the Gazette as an enemy to America; and being 

apprised of the fact that a mob was approaching the rectory, whose purpose was 

to tar and feather him, the unhappy clergyman escaped with Ms family to Tybee, 

whence he sailed for Liverpool. In 1815 Bishop O'Hara, of South Carolina, came 

to Savannah to consecrate a building, which was then recently erected, and, at the 

same time, he held the first confirmation service in Georgia, at which time sixty 

persons were presented by the rector, the B'everend Mr. Cranston." 

: Adelaide Wilson in "Historic and Picturesque Savannah," Boston, 1889.

CHAPTER IX 

THE ARRIVAL OF THE JAMES—CAPTAIN YOAKLEY AWARDED A SPECIAL 

PRIZE FOR BRINGING THE FIRST SHIP-LOAD OF EMIGRANTS TO SAVAN 

NAH—OGLETHORPE CONVENES THE SETTLERS TO EXPLAIN THE PLAN 

OF SAVANNAH—NAMES ITS STREETS, SQUARES, WARDS AND TITHINGS 

—EARLY FRIENDS OF THE COLONY REMEMBERED—BAILIFFS AND CON 

STABLES CHOSEN—CONSERVATORS OF THE PEACE—TITHING MEN—THE 

FIRST JURY EMPANELLED—HEBREW EMIGRANTS ARRIVE IN GEORGIA 

—IRREGULARITY OF THE EXPEDITION—OGLETHORPE WELCOMES THE 

JEWS—FRICTION RESULTS BETWEEN OGLETHORPE AND THE TRUSTEES 

BUT OGLETHORPE STANDS FIRM—ON JULY 7, 1733, AN ALLOTMENT OF 

LANDS is MADE TO THE COLONISTS—DETAILS OF THE DISTRIBUTION— 

NAMES OF THE EARLY COLONISTS PRESERVED IN AN OLD DOCUMENT— 

TOMO-CHI-CHI 's FRIENDSHIP FOR GEORGIA. 

Within the next few weeks the settlement's population was increased 

by small accessions from Charleston; but in May, 1733, a vessel, the 

James, dropped anchor at Savannah with a list of seventeen passengers, 

all of whom had been approved by the trustees and transported at the 

expense of the corporation. On board there were some Italians from 

Piedmont who had come to instruct the colonists in breeding silk-worms 

and in other important phases of an industry from which large revenues 

were expected. Captain Yoakley, the vessel's commanding officer, was 

awarded a special prize offered by the trustees to the first English ves 

sel to discharge its cargo at Yamacraw Bluff.* 

On July 7, 1733, Oglethorpe called the settlers together for the pur 

pose of acquainting them with the town's design, to promulgate the 

names given to streets, squares, wards and tithings, and to distribute 

town lots, gardens and farms. As was customary, whenever Oglethorpe 

assembled the colonists together on any important occasion, the busi 

ness of the day was preceded by an invocation of the divine blessing. 

From an authoritative account, we quote the following description of 

how the city was laid off and how the lands allotted to settlers were in 

each instance divided into three portions, a town lot, a garden in the 

immediate vicinage, and a farm in the remoter environs: t 

'' Four wards, each containing four tithings, were marked and named, 

viz.: Percival Ward, so named in honor of John, Lord Percival, the 

first Earl of Egmont, and president of the Trustees for establishing the 

colony of Georgia in America; Heathcote Ward, so named in honor of 

* Gentleman's Magazine for 1733, p. 384. 

t '' History of Georgia,'' Charles G. Jones, Jr., Vol. I, pp. 149-150. 

78


George He'athcote, M. P., an alderman of London and one of the most 

active and influential members of the board o£ trustees; Derby Ward, 

so called in compliment to the Earl of Derby, who was one of the most 

generous patrons of the colonization; and Decker Ward, so named in 

honor of Sir Matthew Decker, whose benefactions to the charitable 

design had been conspicuous. The tithings embraced in Percival Ward 

were called, respectively, Moore, Hucks, Holland, and Sloper, in honor 

of Robert Moore, Robert Hucks, Roger Holland, and William Sloper, 

members of Parliament all, and influential trustees. Heathcote Ward 

was composed of Eyles, Laroehe, Vernon, and Belitha tithings, so named 

to perpetuate the pleasant memories of Sir Francis Eyles, Bart., one of 

the commissioners of the navy and a member of Parliament, John La- 

roche, .also a member of Parliament, James Vernon, Esqr., and William 

Belitha, all members of the trust. The four tithings constituting Derby 

Ward were Wilmington, Jekyll, Tyrconnel, and Frederick. These were 

named in compliment to the Earl of Wilmington, Sir Joseph Jekyll, 

Master of the Rolls, who, with his lady, had contributed six hundred 

pounds in furtherance of the laudable design of the trustees, Lord John 

Tyrconnel, and Thomas Frederick, M. P., both members of the board of 

trustees. • The tithings into which Decker Ward was divided were named 

Digby, Carpenter, Tower and Heathcote, in honor of Edward Digby, 

George, Lord Carpenter, Thomas Tower, M. P., and George Heathcote, 

M. P., trustees all. 

"Johnson Square was so named in compliment to his excellency, Rob 

ert Johnson, governor of South Carolina, who cordially welcomed Ogle- 

thorpe .and his companions upon their advent, and contributed gener 

ously to the comfort and advancement of the Colony. 

'' The streets then laid out were Abercorn, Drayton, Bull, and Whita- 

ker, running north and south, and the Bay, Bryan, and St. Julian streets, 

intersecting them at right angles. In naming these also Oglethorpe 

sought, in an enduring manner, to express the gratitude of the Colony 

and its founder. Thus, the principal street bore the name of Colonel 

William Bull, who accompanied Oglethorpe when he selected Yamacraw 

Bluff as a suitable site for Savannah, and on various occasions ren 

dered the plantation services disinterested and valuable. The liberality 

of Mr. Joseph Bryan, of Mr. St. Julian, of Mrs. Ann Drayton, of Mr. 

Whitaker of South Carolina, and of the Earl of Abercorn was in this 

manner publicly acknowledged. 

'' In the middle of Johnson Square a large sun-dial was erected for the 

convenience of the inhabitants. It perished long ago 1, and the spot where 

it stood is now dignified by a shaft dedicated to the memory of General 

Nathaniel Greene, which testified to the ages the enduring gratitude 

cherished for him who, in the' primal struggle for independence, next 

to Washington engaged the affections and excited the admiration of 

the Georgia patriots." 

Until this time Oglethorpe-had embodied in his own'-person not only 

the executive but also the judicial power of the province. However, 

warned by the increasing burden of responsibility, he now determined 

to delegate some of his duties to others. Accordingly, during the after 

noon of this eventful day, he established a town court for the determina 

tion of causes both civil and criminal. George Symes, Richard Hodges

80 GEORGIA AND GEOEGIANS 

and Francis Scott were appointed bailiffs. These were the highest magis 

terial officers which Georgia knew for several years. Noble Jones was 

made recorder. Richard Cannon and Joseph Coles were designated to 

serve as constables; while Francis Magridge and Thomas Young were 

named as tithing men. Commissions had been issued to these men on 

November 8, 1732, a week in advance of the first embarkation; but 

Oglethorpe had waited to establish his settlement before imposing upon 

these officers the duties encumbent upon them. Conservators to keep 

the peace were chosen by the trustees at the same time as follows: Peter 

Gordon, William Waterland, Thomas Causton, Thomas Christie, George 

Symes, Eichard Hodges, Francis Scott and Noble Jones. 

To be keeper of the public stores, Thomas Causton was selected. 

The first jury drawn and empaneled in the colony of Georgia was 

constituted at this time as follows-. Samuel Parker, Thomas Young, 

Joseph Coles, John Wright, John West, Timothy Bowling, John Mil- 

ledge, Henry Close, Walter Fox, John Grady, James Carwell, and Eich 

ard Cannon. 

On July 11, 1733, a vessel bearing forty Hebrew colonists arrived at 

Savannah. It was a galvanizing force which came at this time to invigo 

rate the province with new life, but there was something irregular in 

the method by which these emigrants were transported. They came 

direct from England and at the expense of the trustees but not with 

the approval of the corporation. Three Jews had been commissioned 

by the trustees to solicit contributions in aid of Oglethorpe's scheme. 

These were: Alvarro Lopez Sausso, Francis Salvador, Jr., and Anthony 

Da Costa. Starting a canvass they had secured benefactions to a large 

amount, but instead of paying these funds to the trustees they began 

at once to collect Hebrew colonists; and, without permission from the 

trustees, chartered a vessel on which forty Jews were transported to 

Savannah, using for this purpose the moneys collected by them, chiefly, 

no doubt, from Jewish contributors. 

Oglethorpe, having received no advice from London relative to these 

emigrants, was naturally perplexed. But since the charter of Georgia 

guaranteed religious freedom to all except Papists he thought that in 

giving the Hebrew colonists a welcome he was acting clearly within the 

discretion which the charter of Georgia gave him and was at the same 

time exemplifying its philanthropic spirit. As the founder of the 

province he well knew for what ends it was called into existence; but he 

did not know, of course, that on January 31, 1733, the corporation in 

London had instructed its secretary, Mr. Martyn, to demand from the 

Jews above mentioned a surrender of the commissions held by them,- 

and that in consequence of a refusal to make this surrender an embar 

rassing situation had resulted. Oglethorpe's action in receiving the 

Jews was not approved. On the contrary, a committee 1 was appointed 

to prepare a statement for publication and to assure the public that 

Georgia was not "a Jew's colony." Oglethorpe was urged to use his 

best endeavors to prevent the Hebrew colonists from acquiring a per 

manent foothold in the province. Letters from the trustees informed 

him that the sending over of these people had alienated some of the 

best friends of the trust and had turned aside many intended bene 

factors.

GEORGIA AND GEOEGIANS 81 

But Oglethorpe refused to take any step which was prejudical to 

these colonists. The irregularity of the expedition was admitted. There 

was ample ground on which to justify the action of the trustees, so far 

as it concerned a revoking of commissions; "but Oglethorpe was undoubt 

edly right in according the Jews a home in Savannah. His firmness in 

this matter created a temporary breach which the founder hoped to 

heal on his return to England; but he' was fully prepared to take the 

consequences. 

Going back to the vessel which brought the Hebrew colonists to 

Georgia, its roster included: Benjamin Sheftall, accompanied by his 

wife, Perla Sheftall; Doctor Nunis, with his mother, Mrs. Nunis; two 

other bearers of this name, Daniel and Moses; Shem Noah, a family 

servant; Isaac Nunis Henneriques, with his wife, Mrs. Henneriques, 

also a son Shem; Raphael Bornal and Mrs. Bornal, his wife; David 

Olivera; Jacob Olivera; Mrs. Olivera, the latter's wife, two sons, Isaac 

and David, and a daughter, Leah; Aaron Depevia; Benjamin Gideon; 

Jacob Costa; David Lopez, with Mrs. Lopez, his wife; Mr. Veneral; Mr. 

Molena; David Cohen and Mrs. Cohen, his wife, three daughters, 

Abigail, Grace and Hannah, also .a son, Isaac; Abraham Minis and Mrs. 

Minis, his wife, with two daughters, Leah and Esther; Simon Minis; 

Jacob Yowell; and Abraham DeLyon. These colonists were in the main 

Portugese and Spanish Jews, though a few were descendants of English 

refugees from .Holland. Doctor Nunis, whose knowledge of medicine 

proved to be of great value to the settlers, came from Portugal. The 

Sheftalls were of Bavarian stock, but came from England. Some have 

claimed that the first rutive Georgian was a Jew—Philip Minis, who 

was born on the bluffs of Savannah, not long after the vessel dipped 

anchor. 

These Hebrew emigrants constituted an important asset. But dis 

couraged in part by the attitude of the trustees and in part by the 

adverse conditions which, at a later day, prevailed in the province, some 

migrated to Charleston and some to Philadelphia; but others continued 

to reside in Savannah, where descendants of the original Jewish settlers 

are still to be found. 

While the allotment of land to the colonists took place in Savannah 

on July 7, 1733, it was not until several months thereafter that deeds 

were executed formally conveying these tracts and parcels. On the 

eve of the first embarkatio.^ it will be remembered a body of land con 

taining 5,000 acres had been conveyed in trust to three colonists for 

subsequent distribution. One of these grantees, Joseph Hughes, had 

died in the meantime; but the other two, Thomas Christie and William 

Calvert, finally executed a deed. The original instrument making this 

transfer is still preserved in the office of the secretary of state and is a 

document to which the greatest value attaches. But a new shipload 

of emigrants having arrived in the province, these were likewise in- 

eluded in the distribution made under the old deed. The vessel in 

question was the Savannah, which left England on September 12, 1733, 

bearing 132 passengers. It was not every colonist to whom land was 

granted. As a rule only those who were able to bear arms were thus 

favored. But there were some exceptions. In the following table will 

be found the names of all who were granted land at this time. The


original deed to which these names are attached is still preserved in 

the state department. It is to be regretted that the plan of the town 

which accompanied this instrument has been irretrievably lost. 

DERBY WARD 

Gardens. Farms. 

Wilmington Tything— No. A 

John Goddard .......................... 33 E. 5 

Walter Fox ............................ 12 E. 4 

John Grady ............................ 53 E. 8 

JamesN Carwall ......................... 61 E. 6 

Richard Cannon ........................ 62 E. 5 

Frances, Relict of Dr. William Cox........ 52 E. 7 

George Sims ........................... 41 E. 10 

Joseph Fitzwater ....................... 37 E. 9 

Relict of John Samms.................... 7 E. 3 

Elizabeth, Relict of John Warren.......... 64 E. 2 

Jekyll Tything— B 

Mary, Relict of Joshua Overend........... 51 E. 9 

Francis Mugridge ...................... 37 E. 2 

Robert Johnson ........................ 42 E. 6 

William Horn .......................... 59 E. 5 

John Penrose .......................... 30 E. 1 

Joseph Hughes ......................... 26 E. 4 

Mary, Relict of Richard Hodges........... 36 E. 10 

James Muir ............................ 48 E. 7 

Thomas Christie ........................ 3 E. 8 

Joseph Cooper ......................... 27 E. 3 

Tyrconnel Tything— C 

John West ............................. 13 E. 3 

James Wilson .......................... 63 E. 8 

Thomas Pratt .......................... 57 E. 5 

William Waterland ..................... 27 E. 4 

Timothy Bowling ....................... 4 E. 2 

Elizabeth, Relict of Thomas Milledge...... 66 E. 6 

Elizabeth, Relict of William Little....... 60 E. 7 

Samuel Parker, Senr.................... 49 E. 9 

Daniel Tibbeau ......................... 39 E. 1 

Henry Close ........................... 6 E. 10 

Frederick Tything— D 

Joseph Stanley .... V .................... 34 B. 6 

Robert Clark ........................... 9 E. 3 

Peter Gordon .......................... 10 E. 7 

Thomas Causton ........................ 8 E. 10 

John Vanderplank ...................... 5 E. 9 

Thomas Young ......................... 38 E. 4 

Joseph Coles ........................... 65 E. 3 

Thomas Tibbit ......................... 51 E. 8 

John Dearn ............................. 24 E. 2 

John Wright ........................... IE. 5


DECKER'S WARD 


Digby Tything— No. B : 

John Clark ............................ 34 E. 5 

William Gough ........................ 36 W. 2 

William Mackay ........................ 97 W. 

Thomas Ellis ........................... 35 E. 9 

Edward Johnson ....................... 36 E. 1 

Isaac Nunez Henriquez.................. 33 W. 7 

William Mears ......................... 23 E. 6 

Moses Le Desma ........................ 41 W. 10 

Carpenter Tything— F 

Noble Jones ............................ 29 E. 6 

Paul Cheeswright ....................... 40 E. 5 

Samuel Nunez Ribiero .................. 63 W. 3 

John Musgrove ......................... 45 E. 9 

Noble Wimberly Jones.................... 25 E. 8 

Daniel Ribiero ......................... 43 W. 2 

Charles Philip Rogers.........'.......... 47 E. 10 

Moses Nunez Ribiero .................... 64 W. 4 

Robert Gilbert ......................... 2 E. . I 

Tower Tything— G 

Edward Jenkins, Senr................... 40 W. 2 

Jacob Lopez d'Olivero................... 30 W. 7 

William Savory ........................ 33 W. 3 

Edward Jenkins, Junr................... 68 W. 9 

Isaac de Val ........................... 70 W. 

Heathcote Tything— H 

David Cohen del Monte.................. 61 W. 30 

Benjamin Shaftell ....................... 72 W. 6 ' 

Bearsley Gough ........................ 

Robert Hows ........................... 23 E. 5 

———— Hows ........................... 44 E. 

Abraham Nunez ........................ 

Monte Santo ........................... 34W. 

Peter Tondee .......................... 

PERCIVAL WARD 

More Tything— No. I 

James Willoughby ..................... 

Robert More ........................... 

Robert Potter .......................... 

Robert Hanks .......................... 

Thomas Egerton ........................ / 

John Desborough ....................... 

Lewis Bowen ........................... 

John Kelly ............................ 

John Lawrence ......................... 

Thomas Chenter ........................

84 ' GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 


Hucks Tything:— K 

John Milledge .......................... 45 E. 10 

Jacob Towel ........................... 65 W. 1 

Samuel Parker, Junr.................... 32 W. 7 

Abraham Minis ........................ 51 W. 6 

James Turner .......................... 9 

Thomas Atwell ......................... . 2 

Hugh Frazier .......................... 5 

John Graham .......................... 3 

Samuel Marcer ......................... 4 

William Bornjohn ...................... 8 

Holland Tything— L' 

Sloper Tything— . M 

Henry Parker .......................... 7 

Thomas Gapen ......................... 

Francis Delgrass ....................... 

Jeremiah Papot ........................ 

Peter Baillou .......................... 

James Papot ........................... 

FlEATHCOTE WAED 

Eyles Tything— No. N 

LaEoche Tything— O 

Jacob Lopez de Crasto................... 42 "W. 

David de Pas........................... 27 W. 

Vernon Tything— P 

Belitlm Tything— Q 

ToMO-Cm-Cm's FRIENDSHIP FOR GEORGIA.—The situation of this feeble colony 

was, in the very nature of things, extremely precarious. Located in the depths 

of a primeval forest, the tangled brakes and solemn shadows of which proclaimed 

loneliness and isolation; the vast Atlantic rolling its waters between it and the 

mother country; the Carolina settlements at best few in numbers and contending 

in a stern life-struggle for their own existence; Spaniards in Florida jealous of this 

disputed domain, and ready at any moment to frustrate by stealthy approaches and 

with force of arms all efforts of the English to extend their plantations along the 

southern coast; and, above all, Indian tribes in the occupancy of the country 

attached to their grand old woods and gently flowing streams, watchful of the 

graves of their ancestors, imposed upon by Spanish lies, disquieted by French 

emissaries, cheated by Carolina traders, and naturally inclined to resist all encroach 

ments by the whites upon their hunting grounds, it did indeed appear that the 

preservation and development of this colony were well-nigh impossible. But its 

planting and perpetuation had "been confided to the guardian care of one who was, 

perhaps, beyond all others, most capable of conducting the enterprise. 

In his efforts to conciliate the native population he derived incalculable benefit 

from the friendship and kindly intervention of Tomo-chi-chi. This chief, whose 

memory is so honorably associated with the early history of Georgia, and whose 

many acts of kindness and fidelity to the whites demand and must ever receive the 

most grateful acknowledgment, although at this time far advanced in years, was 

a man of commanding presence, grave demeanor, marked character, established 

influence, of a philosophical turn of mind, and in the full possession of all his 

faculties. For some cause, the precise nature of which has never been fully 

explained, he had, with a number of his. countrymen, suffered banishment at the 

hands of his people, the Lower Creeks. Whatever the real reason may have been


for this action on the part of the Creeks toward Tomo-chi-ehi, it does not seem, 

that it was the result of any special ill-will, or that the expatriation was a punish 

ment either for specific crime or general misconduct. The probability is that he went 

into voluntary exile for a season, or that he may; have been temporarily expelled 

the limits of the nation, on account of some political disagreements. Oueeka- 

shumpa, the great chief of the O'Conas, claimed kinship with him and saluted him 

as a good man and a distinguished warrior. 

Kemoving from his former abode, after some wanderings he finally, and not very 

long before the arrival of the Colony of Georgia, formed a settlement at or very 

near the present site of the City of .Savannah, where he gathered about him the 

tribe of Yamacraws, consisting mainly of disaffected parties from the Lower Creeks, 

and, to some extent, of Yemassee Indians, by whom he was chosen mico or chief. 

Prior to his removal to Yamaeraw Bluff he tarried for a season with the Palla- 

Chueolas. But little can be gathered of his life previous to his acquaintance with 

Oglethorpe. Ninety-one years had been, amid the forest shades, devoted to the 

pursuits of war and the'ehase, and there is scarcely a tradition which wrests from 

oblivion the deeds and thoughts of this aged chieftain during that long and voice 

less period. 

Dvu'iag the visit wMeh. he subsequently made to London, in company with Ogle 

thorpe, his portrait was painted by Verelst, and hung for many years in the Georgia 

rooms. This likeness, which represents him in a standing posture with his left 

hand resting upon the shoulder of his nephew and adopted son, Toonahowi, w,ho 

holds an eagle in his arms, was subsequently engraved by Faber and also by 

Kleinsmidt. That Tomo-ehi-chi was noble in his connections we are fully advised, 

and there is that about the countenance of this venerable mieo, as it has thus been 

handed down to us, which savors of intellect, dignity, manliness and kingly bearing. 

It will readily be perceived how important it -was to the interests of the colony 

that the good-will of this chief should be secured at the earliest moment, and his 

consent obtained for the peaceable occupation of the soil by the whites. On the 

occasion of his first interview with Tomo-ehi-chi, as we have already seen, Mr. Ogle 

thorpe was fortunate in securing the services of Mary Musgrove * as an interpreter. 

Perceiving that she possessed considerable influence with the Creeks, he retained 

her in this capacity, allowing her an annual compensation of £100. The meeting 

between the governor of the colony and the aged mico beneath the grand live-oaks 

and towering pines, the sheltering arms of which formed a noble canopy, was frank, 

cordial and satisfactory. His personal friendship and the good-will of the Yama- 

craws were firmly pledged, and permission was granted for the permanent occupation 

of the site selected by Oglethorpe for the Town, of Savannah. 

Although amicable relations had thus been established with the nearest Indians, 

it was necessary, in order to promote the security of the colony, that consent to 

its foundation here should be ratified by other and more powerful nations. 

Learning from Tomo-ehi-chi the names and the abodes of the most influential 

chiefs dwelling within the territory ceded by the charter, Mr. Oglethorpe enlisted 

the good offices of the mieo in extending to them an earnest invitation to meet him 

at Savannah at some early convenient day. The value of these interviews with 

and the generous intervention of Tomo-chi-ehi cannot easily be overestimated in 

considering their influence upon the well-being and prospects of this lonely colony 

struggling for its primal existence. Had this chief, turning a deaf ear to the 

advances of Mr. Oglethorpe, refused his friendship, denied his request, and, inclin 

ing his authority to hostile account, instigated a determined and combined opposition 

on the part not only of the Yamacraws, but .also of the lichees and the Lower 

Creeks, the perpetuation of this English settlement would have been either most 

seriously imperiled or abruptly terminated amid smoke and carnage. When, there 

fore, we recur to the memories of this period, and as often as the leading events 

in the early history of the Colony of Georgia are narrated, so often should the 

favors experienced at 'the hands; of this Indian chief be gratefully acknowledged. 

If Oglethorpe's proudest claim to the honor and the respect of succeeding genera 

tions rests upon the fact that he was the founder of the Colony of Georgia, let it 

* Her Indian name was Coosaponakesee.


not be forgotten by those who accord him every praise for his valor, judgment, 

skill, endurance, and benevolence that in the hour of supreme- doubt and danger 

the right arm of this son of the forest and his active friendship were among the 

surest guaranties of the safety and the very existence of that colony. Tie endur 

ing and universal gratitude of the present may well claim illustrious expression from 

the lips of the poet, the brush of the painter, and the chisel of the sculptor. Chas. 

0. Jones, '' History of Georgia,'' Vol. I.

CHAPTER X 

OGLETHOEPE'S TREATY WITH TOMO-CHI-CHI NEEDS TO BE CONFIRMED 

BY THE GREEK NATION—THE AGED Mico ARRANGES A MEETING TO 

BE HELD IN SAVANNAH—WHAT TOOK PLACE AT THIS CONFERENCE 

WITH THE INDIANS—CONCESSIONS MADE TO THE ENGLISH—FRIENDLY 

BELATIONS STRENGTHENED—SCHEDULE OF PRICES FOR ARTICLES SOLD 

TO THE INDIANS—PORT ARGYLE Is LOCATED—HIGHGATE AND HAMP- 

STEAD—THUNDERBOLT Is FORTIFIED—SKIDOWAY NARROWS—JOSEPH- 

TOWN—ABERCORN—IRENE—TYBEE LIGHTHOUSE Is STARTED—BETH- 

ANY——GOSHEN. 

Oglethorpe's interview with Tomo-chi-chi, on the eve of Savannah's 

establishment, was in no sense of the word a treaty with the Creek nation 

of Indians. It only secured the friendship of a small detached tribe 

known as the Tamacraws whose aged chief, though a man of powerful 

influence throughout the whole Georgia forest, was nevertheless unable 

to bind his nation by any compact into which he himself might enter 

with the whites. But Oglethorpe' found Tomo-chi-chi 's friendly offices 

of priceless value to the infant colony of Georgia.* Not only did he 

obtain from this aged Indian both the names and the abodes of all the 

principal Creek chiefs, but rj. ^mo-chi-chi became himself an intermedi 

ary, through whom an earnest invitation was extended to these chiefs to 

meet Oglethorpe in Savannah at some convenient time in the early 

summer. What the fate' of Georgia might have been without the timely 

help of this noble Indian we cannot tell—we shudder to contemplate. 

Due to Tomo-chi-chi's influence, the Creek kings and warriors were 

not only willing to attend a meeting in Savannah but were ready to 

regard its objects with favor. The time set for the interview was May 

14, 1733. It was 'necessary for Oglethorpe to make a visit to Charleston 

in the meantime but he hastened back to attend this important conven 

tion of red men. We find a full account of what took place at this con 

ference in an old volume, from which we quote the following extracts: t 

"On the 14th of May, Mr. Oglethorpe set out from Charlestown on his 

return to Savannah, which is the name of the town now begun to be 

built in Georgia. That night he lay at Col. Bull's house on Ashley 

River, where he dined the next day. The Rev. Mr. Guy, rector of the 

parish of St; John's waited upon him there, and acquainted him that 

his parishioners had raised a very handsome contribution for the assist 

ance of the colony of Georgia. Mr. Oglethorpe went from thence to 

Capt. Bull's, where he lay on the 15th. On the 16th, in the morning, 

* See article in small type at the close of tlie preceding chapter. 

f "Political. State of Great Britain," Vol. 46. 

87


lie embarqued at Daho, and rested at Mr. Cochran's island. On the 

17th he dined at Lieut. Watts' at Beaufort, and landed at Savannah on 

the 18th, at ten in the morning, where he found that Mr. Wiggan, the 

interpreter, with the chief men of all the Lower Creek nation, had come 

down to treat of an alliance with the new colony. 

"The Lower Creeks are a nation of Indians who formerly consisted 

of ten, but now are reduced to eight, tribes or towns, who have each 

their different government, but are allied together and speak the same 

language. They claim from the Savannah River as far as St. Augustin, 

vand up to the Flint river, which falls into the bay of Mexico. All the 

Indians inhabiting this tract speak their language. Tomo-chi-chi, mico 

and the Indians of Yamacraw ate of their nation and language. 

"Mr. Oglethorpe received the Indians in one of the new houses that 

afternoon. They were as follows:— 

"From the tribe of Coweta—Yahou-Lakee, their king or mico. Esso- 

boa, their warrior,—the son of old Breen, lately dead, whom the Span 

iards called emperors of the Creeks,—with eight men and two women 

attendants. 

"From the tribe of the Cussetas—Cusseta, the mico, Tatchiquatchi, 

the head warrior, and four attendants. 

"From the tribe of the Owseecheys—Ogeese, the-mico, or war king, 

Neathlouthko and Ougachi, two chief men, with three attendants. 

"From the tribe of Cheehaws—Outhleteboa, the mico, Thlantho- 

thlukee, Figeer, Sootapmilla, war-captains, and three attendants. 

"From the tribe of Echetas—Chutabeeche and Robin, two war-cap 

tains (the latter was bred among the English), with four attendants. 

"From the tribe of Pallachucolas—Gillatee, the head warrior, and 

five attendants. 

'.'From the tribe of Oconas—Oueekachumpa, called by the English 

'Long King,' Coowoo, a warrior. 

"From the tribe of Eufaule—Tomaumi, the head warrior, and three 

attendants. 

"The Indians being all seated, Oueekachumpa, a very tall old man, 

stood up, and with a graceful action and a good voice made a long- 

speech, which was interpreted by Mr. Wiggan and John Musgrove, and 

was to the following purpose. He first claimed all the land to the south 

ward of the river Savannah, as belonging to the Creek Indians. Nest 

he said that although they were poor and ignorant, He who had given 

the English breath had given them breath also; that He who had made 

both, had given more wisdom to the white men; that they were firmly 

persuaded that the Great Power which dwelt in heaven and all around 

(and then he spread out his hands and lengthened the sound of his 

words), and which had given breath to all men, had sent the English 

thither for the instruction of them, their wives and children; that there 

fore they gave them up freely their right to all the land which they did 

not use themselves, and that this was not only his opinion, but the opin 

ion of the eight towns of the Creeks, each of whom having consulted 

together, had sent some of their chief men with skins, which is their 

wealth. He then thanked him for his kindness to Tomo-chi-chi, mico, 

and his Indians, to whom he said he was related; and said, that though 

Tomo-chi-chi was banished from his nation, he was a good man, and


had been a great warrior, and it was for his wisdom and courage that 

the banished men chose him king. Lastly, he said, they had heard in the 

nation that the Cherokees had killed some Englishmen, and that if he 

should command them, they would enter with their whole force into 

the Cherokee country, destroy their harvest, kill their people and re 

venge the English. He then sat down. Mr. Oglethorpe promised to 

acquaint the trustees with their desire of being instructed, and informed 

them that although there had been a report of the Cherokees having 

killed some Englishmen, it was groundless. He thanked them in the 

most cordial manner for their affection, and told them that he would 

acquaint the trustees with it. 

'•Tomo-chi-chi, mico, then came in, with the Indians of Yamacraw 

to Mr. Oglethorpe, and, bowing very low, said: ' I was a banished man; 

I came here poor and helpless to look for good land near the tombs of 

my ancestors, and the trustees sent people here; I feared you would 

drive us away, for we were weak and wanted corn; but you confirmed 

our land to us, gave us food and instructed our children. We have 

already thanked you in the strongest words we could find, but words 

are no return for such favors; for good words may be spoke by the de 

ceitful, as well as by the upright heart. The chief men of all our nation 

are here to thank you for us; and before them I declare your goodness 

and that here I design to die; for we all love your people so well that 

with them we will live and die. We do not know good from evil, but 

desire .to be instructed and guided by you that we may do well with, 

and be numbered amongst the children of the Trustees.' * He sat down, 

and Yahou-Lakee, mico of Coweeta, stood up and said: 'We are come 

twenty-five days' journey to see you. I have been often advised to go 

down to Charles-Town, .but would not go down because I thought I 

might die in the way; but when I heard that you were come, and that 

you were good men, I knew you were sent by Him who lives in Heaven, 

to teach us Indians wisdom; I therefore came down that I might hear 

good things, for I knew that if I died in the way I should die in doing 

good, and what was said would be carried back to the nation, and our 

children would reap the benefit of it. I rejoice that I have lived to see 

this day, and to see our friends that have long been gone from amongst 

us. Our nation was once strong, and had ten towns; but we are now 

weak, and have but eight towns. You have comforted the banished, and 

have gathered them that were scattered like little birds before the eagle. 

We desire therefore to be reconciled to our brethren who are here 

amongst you, and we give leave to Tomo-chi-chi, Stimoiche, and Illispelle, 

to call the kindred that' love them out of each Creek town that they 

* In "A Curious Account of the Indians toy an Honorable Person,'' Mr. Ogle 

thorpe writes: " Tomo-ehi-chi, in liis first set speech to me, among other things, 

said, 'Here is a little present;' and then gave me a buffalo's skin, painted on'the 

inside with the head and feathers of an eagle. He desired me to accept it because 

'the eagle signified speed, and the buffalo strength: that the English were as swift 

as a bird, and as strong as the beast; since like the first, they flew from the utmost 

parts of the earth, over the vast seas, and like the second, nothing could withstand 

them; that the feathers of the eagle were soft, and signified love; the buffalo skin 

was warm, and signified protection; therefore he hoped that we would love and 

protect their little families.' "


may have come together and make one town. We must pray you to 

recall the Yamasees that they may "be buried in peace amongst their 

ancestors, and that they may see their graves before they die; and their 

own nation shall be restored again to its ten towns.' After which he 

spoke concerning the abatement of the prices of goods, and agreed upon 

articles of a treaty which were ordered to be engrossed.'' 

Tomo-chi-chi insisted upon acting the part of host to the visiting 

Creek Indians. Accordingly, after the conference in Savannah, he 

invited these warriors to his home village, where they passed the night 

in a round of entertainment, feasting and dancing. On the 21st of May 

a treaty was formally signed. At this time, to each of the Indian chiefs 

was given a laced coat, a laced hat, and a shirt; to each of the warriors 

a gun and a mantle of duffils; and to all the attendants cloth of a coarse 

texture. Besides, a number of useful articles were distributed. 

Under the terms of this treaty the Lower Creeks ceded to the trus 

tees all lands and waters lying between the Savannah and the Altamaha 

rivers, from the ocean front to the head of tide-water. The islands off 

the coast were likewise included in this grant, excepting three of these, 

Ossabaw, Sapelo and St. Catherine, which were reserved by the Indians 

for hunting, "bathing and fishing. There was also reserved a small tract 

of land above Yamacraw, as a place of encampment for the Indians 

when visiting Savannah. Stipulations were made at this time regulating 

the price of goods, the value of pelts, and the privilege of traders.* 

During the visit of these Indians to Savannah, Oglethorpe took occa 

sion to impress upon them the power and greatness of the British nation. 

Consequently the colonists were put through the manual of arms. There 

was marching and firing, all of which visibly impressed the savages; 

but when the great guns were called into action, reverberating for 

miles around and breaking a silence which for ages had brooded upon 

the forest, it seemed to them as if they were in the presence of the Great 

Spirit, whose voice was making the earth tremble. Such an exhibition 

of power moved them to awe and veneration. 

The treaty made with the Indians at this time still required the 

acquiescence of the trustees in England to make it valid; but this formal 

.confirmation was duly obtained. As a result of this compact not only 

were the Lower Creeks conciliated but also the Yamacraws and the 

Uchees, all of whom with respect to the lands ceded under this treaty 

recognized the supremacy of England. 

Thus, having secured the good will of these Indians, Oglethorpe was 

free to devote himself to the upbuilding of the settlement. As we have 

already seen, while the colonists were building homes in Savannah, Cap 

tain MacPherson, of South Carolina, had been stationed above Yama- 

* SCHEDULE OF THE PKICES OF GOODS AGREED ON, ANNEXED.—Two yards of stroud, 

five buck-skins; one yard of plains, one buck-skin; white blanket, one buck-skin; 

blue blanket, five buck-skins; a gun, ten buck-skins; a pistol, five buck-skins; a gun- 

lock, four buck-skins; two measures of powder, one buck-skin; sixty bullets, one 

buck-skin; one white shirt, two buck-skins; one knife, one doe-skin; eighteen flints, 

one buck-skin; three yards of eadiz, one doe-skin; three yards of gartering, one doe 

skin; one hoe, two buck-skins; one axe, two buck-skins; one large hatchet, three 

doe-skins; one small hatchet, one buck-skin; brass kettles, per pound, one buck-skin. 

Doe-skins were estimated at half the value of the bucks.


craw at a point on the river known as Horse-shoe Quarter. But since a 

battery had been planted at Savannah and since a stockade had been 

built completely surrounding the town, there was no longer any need 

of an armed force to protect the colony in this neighborhood. Conse 

quently, it was thought best to transfer this garrison to the Ogeeehee 

River, in the rear of Savannah, at a point where the Indians were in 

the habit of crossing this stream on predatory expeditions into South 

Carolina. The stronghold here built was called Fort Argyle, in honor 

of John, Duke of Argyle, an intimate friend of Oglethorpe. To further 

strengthen this outpost, ten families were sent from Savannah, to reside 

in its vicinity, to cultivate the lands, and to establish the nucleus of a 

town. 

On an eminence of ground some four miles to the south of Savan 

nah a French settlement containing twelve families was planted, to which 

was given the name of Highgate, while just to the east of Savannah, per 

haps a mile distant, was located the village of Hampstead, where twelve 

German families were grouped. These settlers were truck farmers, 

from whose industry it was designed to furnish the Savannah market 

with vegetables. Both communities were flourishing in 1736 when vis 

ited by Francis Moore, but they proved short lived, doubtless for the 

reason that each of the families at Savannah had a five-acre garden of 

its own, from which to obtain supplies of this kind. There may also 

have been malarial causes for this decline. At any rate, in 1740, there 

were only two families residing at Highgate, while the settlement at 

Plampstead was entirely extinguished. 

To safeguard the colony from attack by way of Augustine Creek, 

a small fort was constructed at Thunderbolt in the neighborhood of 

which several families were located; but the fort was only a temporary 

affair, it seems, and falling into decay was not rebuilt. Equally short 

lived was a settlement planted at the northeast end of Skidoway Island, 

where a fort was built for the protection of some families, ten in num 

ber, clustered in its neighborhood. However, a Manchecolas fort, erected 

for the defense of Skidoway Narrows, proved to be of a more perma 

nent character. This stronghold was garrisoned by a detachment from 

a company of marines commanded by Captain Noble Jones, whose home, 

called "Wormsloe, was on the Isle of Hope, an estate granted its owner 

in 1733. Captain Jones accompanied Oglethorpe to Georgia on the gal 

ley Anne, became first recorder and afterwards treasurer and was for 

years one of the colony's foremost leaders. His famous country seat 

is still the property of his descendants.* 

There was a small Scotch settlement called Joseph-Town planted on 

the' Savannah River, at a point opposite Argyle Island, but discouraged 

by a failure of crops its thrifty inhabitants sought homes elsewhere. 

There was perhaps an additional reason for this exodus in the prevail 

ing unhealthiness. Many of the servants in the employ of these Scotch 

owners died. 

Just above Joseph-Town, on a creek some three miles distant from its 

confluence with the Savannah, was located the village of Abercorn, like 

wise a Scotch settlement. The town site was divided into twelve lots, 

* See article in small print at the end of this chapter.


in addition to which, at either end of the village, there was a trust lot. 

Between Joseph-Town and Savannah was Sir Francis Bathhurst's plan 

tation, Walter Augustine's settlement, Captain Williams' plantation, 

Mrs. Matthews' plantation, Horseshoe Quarter, and a tract of land 

reserved by the Indians as a place of encampment. Later the Moravians 

built an Indian schoolhouse which they called Irene, at a point on the 

river, not far from the Matthews place, reference to which will be made 

later. But none of these rural communities prospered. The story of 

one is the story o£ all. It was not until African slaves were brought 

into the colony that the river bottom and sea-island plantations could 

be worked with' profit. Take Abercorn, for example. Out of the ten 

families resident here in 1733 not one remained in 1737. John Brodie, 

with twelve servants, then occupied the settlement but his stock of 

patience was exhausted in three years. It was, in each case, a losing bat 

tle with malarial conditions. Only negroes accustomed to a sub-tropical 

sun could till these swampy lands. The work was ill suited to colonists 

reared in the mild air of England. 

Thus from the beginning the end was foreshadowed. In 1733 the 

first lighthouse to throw its beams upon the ocean from Georgia head 

lands was commenced on Tybee Island, at the extreme northern end. 

When completed, the lighthouse was to measure ninety feet. Here was 

stationed a guard to command the mouth of the Savannah River. With 

the influx of emigrants a number of plantations were settled to the south 

and west of the Savannah, on Augustine Greek, on Wilmington Island, 

at Beaulieu, on the Little Ogeechee and even on the Great Ogeechee, 

but none of these colonists found a planter's life on the Georgia coast, 

under prevailing conditions, a bed of roses. 

BETHANY.—Five miles northwest of Bbenezer a settlement was planted by Wil 

liam DeBrahm, in 1751. He established here 160 Germans. Most of the new 

comers were either friends or relatives of the settlers at Ebenezer; and between 

the towns a road was opened across Ebenezer Creek. The settlers probably supplied 

the filatures at Bbenezer with cocoons. There is no evidence that they were them 

selves engaged in the manufacture of silk. The town was little more than an agri 

cultural community and was fated to perish amid the clash of hostilities with 

England. 

GOSHEN.—Goshen was located about ten miles below Ebenezer, near the road 

leading to Savannah. It was another rural town of the pious Germans destined to 

become extinct soon after the Revolution. According to DeBrahm, there were 1,500 

Salzburgers in Georgia, when the wave of emigration from Germany reached flood- 

tide. 

THUNDERBOLT: How THE NAME OEIGINATED.—Five miles to the southeast of 

Savannah lies Thunderbolt. Guarding one of the rear approaches to the city, it was 

the site of early fortifications. Here also an important garrison was stationed during 

the Civil war. As for the origin of the name, there is still in existence an old lette'r 

written by Oglethorpe, in which he traces the derivation to a rock which was here 

shattered by a thunderbolt, causing a spring to gush from the ground, which con 

tinued ever afterwards to emit the odor of brimstone. At present, Thunderbolt is 

one of the many playgrounds to which the population of Savannah resorts in 

summer. It was also until 1916 a place where refreshments were served to patrons who 

were not strict prohibitionists.

CHAPTER XI 

SAVANNAH HAVING BEEN SETTLED, OGLETHORPE VISITS THE SOUTHERN 

CONFINES OF THE PROVINCE ON A TOUR OF INSPECTION—ANTICIPATES 

A SPANISH INVASION AND WISHES TO ASCERTAIN THE NATURAL 

ADVANTAGES on1 THE COAST—FINDS A SPLENDID SITE FOR A MILITARY 

STRONGHOLD ON ST. SIMON'S ISLAND, PACING THE MOUTH OF THE 

ALTAMAHA—EXPECTS THE SPANIARDS TO ATTACK AT THIS POINT— 

HERE FREDERICA WAS AFTERWARDS BUILT—JEKTLL ISLAND—FORT 

ARGYLE Is VISITED—THE SALZBURGERS—OLD EBENEZBR—NEW EBE- 

NEZER—TWELVE MONTHS ELAPSE SINCE OGLBTHORPE'S LANDING— 

STATISTICS OF GROWTH. 

To visit the extreme southern confines of the province was Ogle 

thorpe's next care. Having settled Savannah, established a number of 

rural communities and built forts at strategic points, it was next in 

order to ascertain what natural advantages, if any, were possessed by 

the province to the south, where an attack from Spain was likely to 

occur at any moment. For months the anxious face of Oglethorpe had 

been turned toward the Altamaha River. He had conciliated the In 

dians ; but not so the Spaniards. On January 23, 1734, accompanied 

by Captain Ferguson, he left Savannah in a large rowboat, on a tour of 

inspection. He was followed by a yawl, which carried provisions and 

supplies. Besides Captain Ferguson, there were sixteen attendants in' 

the party, two of whom were Indian guides. Threading the interior 

waters between the coast islands and the mainland, he reached the delta 

of the Altamaha, opposite to which, on St. Simon's Island, he found an 

ideal site to be fortified.. Here he afterwards built Frederica. Arriving 

at this place in a violent downpour of rain, he spent the night on shore. 

Next morning he proceeded to the southern point of the island, where 

the site for another fort was located, after which he examined an island 

which he called Jekyll, in honor of Sir Joseph Jekyll, master of the 

rolls. Some little distance up the Altamaha he found an eminence well 

adapted for a town site, where a settlement known as New Inverness 

was afterwards planted. 

Before returning to Savannah, Oglethorpe also visited Fort Argyle, 

on the Great Ogeechee. Here we are told that for the first time since 

leaving Thunderbolt "he lay in a house and upon a bed." To his grati 

fication, he found the fort practically finished and several guns in posi 

tion. Captain MacPherson had lost no time in establishing a secure 

stronghold at this point, where a trail from the south led to an, old 

Indian village on the Savannah River called Palechocolas. 

Expenditures for the colony had reduced the resources of the trustees 

in England to a state of exhaustion. Indeed, the situation had become 

93


extremely critical, when unexpectedly, by a sort of special providence, 

the exchequer of the trustees was replenished. Quite a large sum of 

money had been realized from the sale of lands in the island of St. 

Christopher; and, on motion of Sir Charles Turner, in the House of 

Commons, the sum of £10,000 was turned over to the trustees to . 

be used by them in settling European Protestants in the colony of 

Georgia. On December 15, 1733, a resolution was adopted by the com 

mon council offering ,a home in the province to persecuted Salzburgers, 

30,000 of whom had been driven from home by the tyranny of Leopold, 

and had found temporary asylums in various parts of Europe. These 

Salzburgers were to be transported at the charge of the trust. On 

arrival in the province, each family was to be given three lots, one for a 

residence, one for a garden, and one for a small farm. Moreover, the 

trustees agreed to supply them with tools and to furnish them main 

tenance from the stores until they could make a crop. Out of this offer 

to establish a colony of Salzburgers in Georgia grew the famous settle 

ment at Ebenezer, on the Savannah River. 

To this gentle religious sect Georgia owes much. They were not 

given to martial deeds, but they were law-abiding, industrious and frugal 

people, and they have left behind them .an incense of memory which 

has sweetened the whole history of the state. The story of how they 

came to settle in Georgia may be told in very few words. Says Doctor 

Lee: * "In the lovely district of the Tyrol there is to be found an 

historic city which the painter Wilkie has described as 'Edinburg Castle 

and the Old Town, brought within the cliffs of the Trossachs and watered 

by a river like the Tay.' It is the city of Salzburg, on the Salza, famous 

as the birth-place of Mozart and as the burial-place of Haydn. Almost 

simultaneously with the accession of George II there came to the prin 

cipality, of which Salzburg was the capital, a new ruler, who inaugu 

rated an era of persecution. The Thirty Years War in Germany had 

ended with the complete suppression of Protestantism in Austria. In 

quiet nooks, here and there, however, it still lingered on; and Salzburg 

was one of these. The rulers of Salzburg were ecclesiastics, and bore 

the title of Archbishop. To this class belonged Count Firmian, who, 

on coming into power, determined to uproot the heresy which was con 

taminating his flock. He put into force all the terrors of the law—fine, 

confiscation, imprisonment. "When the suffering people pleaded the 

provisions for religious tolerance contained in the treaty of Westphalia, 

signed eighty years before, he dubbed them rebels, and borrowed Aus 

trian grenadiers to suppress what he was pleased to call a revolt. The 

matter then became a national one, and Frederick William of Prussia 

espoused the cause of the Salzburgers, Under the provisions of the 

treaty of Westphalia, peaceful emigration offered the best solution of 

the problem. The Prussian king, Frederick the Great's stern old father, 

was the most powerful Protestant ruler in Germany, and he insisted 

upon fair treatment for the refugees. Count Firmian was about to 

banish them in the winter season, without provisions for the long jour 

ney, but he was compelled to comply with the dictates of humanity, and 

to allow them a daily dole. The story of the sad departure has been 

1 Illustrated History of Methodism/


told by Goethe in the sweetest of his verse narratives, ' Hermann and 

Dorothea,' the only poem of his early life which he cared to read 

when old. 

''Journeying eastward, the main body of exiles passed through 

Frankfort-on-the-Main. This was Goethe's native town. The Prussian 

king was ready to welcome the whole army of refugees, over 10,000 in 

number, but a band of them, conducted by Herr Yon Reck, a Hanoverian 

nobleman, sailed down the Rhine and took refuge under the British flag. 

They finally landed on the shores of America, where they settled at 

Ebenezer, in the new colony of Georgia. None of the settlers were 

superior to these excellent Salzburgers, whom George "Whitefield con 

sidered the cream of the population for industry and uprightness. The 

orphan home, which he afterwards instituted at Bethesda, was based 

upon an institution of like character at Ebenezer." 

Col. Charles C. Jones, Jr., adds some additional particulars in 

regard to the emigration of the Salzburgers to Georgia.* Says he: 

"During the four years, commencing in 1729 and ending in 1732, more 

than 30,000 Salzburgers, impelled by the fierce persecutions of Leopold, 

abandoned their home in the broad valley of the Salza, and sought refuge 

in Prussia, Holland, and England, where their past sufferings and pres 

ent wants enlisted substantial sympathy from Protestant communities. 

Persuaded by the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge 

and acting upon the invitation of the Trustees of the Colony of Georgia, 

forty-two Salzburgers, with their wives and children—numbering in all 

seventy-eight souls—set out for Rotterdam, whence they were to be 

transported free of charge to Dover, England. At Rotterdam they were 

joined by their chosen religious teachers, the Rev. John Martin Bolzius 

and the Rev. Israel Christian Gronau.'' According to the same author 

ity, the Georgia Trustees engaged not only to advance the funds neces 

sary to defray the expenses of the journey and to purchase the requisite 

sea stores, but also to allot to each emigrant on his arrival in Georgia 

fifty acres in fee and provisions sufficient for maintenance until such 

land could be made available for support. 

After taking the oath of loyalty at Dover, the emigrants, on Decem 

ber 28, 1733, embarked for the new world in the ship Purisburg, which, 

in due season, anchored safely at Charleston, South Carolina. It so 

happened that Oglethorpe was in Charleston at this time to meet them 

and, without delay, he arranged to take the emigrants to Savannah, 

reaching port on March 10, 1734. It was Reminiscere Sunday—accord 

ing to the Lutheran calendar—when the boat arrived. By a queer sort 

of coincidence the Scripture lesson for the day, so the good Mr. Bolzius 

informs us, was the passage which tells how the Saviour, after suffering 

persecution in his own country, came to the borders of the heathen. He 

then describes the vessel as "Lying in fine and calm weather, under the 

shore of our beloved Georgia, where we heard the Birds sing melodi 

ously;" and notwithstanding the sacred character of the day and the 

gentle disposition of the new arrivals, he adds that the inhabitants of 

the town of Savannah "fired off some Cannons." 

While the Salzburgers rested from the fatigues of the long trip across 

'Dead Towns of Georgia, " p. 11, Savannah, 1878.

96 GEOBGLA AND GBOEGIANS 

the seas, Herr Von Eeck, in company with Oglethorpe, set out on horse 

back to select a place of settlement for the emigrants. It was finally 

reached on the morning of March 17, 1734. The site chosen for the 

purpose was four miles to the south of the present town of Springfield, 

in a region which was wholly destitute of fertility and without the least 

claim to attractiveness. But to judge from the description of Herr 

Von Eeck it was veritably a bit of Eden. On the banks of a creek 

which was found after meandering several miles eastward to empty 

into the Savannah Eiver, he marked off the future town, which he called 

Ebenezer, in devout recognition of the Lord 's help; and he likewise be 

stowed the name upon the adjacent stream. As soon as the reconnoiter- 

ing party returned to Savannah, eight able-bodied Salzburgers were dis 

patched to Ebenezer to fell trees and to erect shelters for the colonists. 

Early in April the rest followed. Substantial cabins were built, bridges 

were thrown across the water-courses, and a roadway constructed to 

Abercorn. The people of Savannah gave the settlers a number of cows 

and a lot of seed with which to begin industrial .activities. Altogether 

the outlook was most promising, and with none to molest them or to 

make them afraid the once persecuted Salzburgers began anew the strug 

gle of life in the free wilderness of Georgia. 

On February 5, 1736, there was another arrival of Germans at Savan 

nah ; and, though a few of them under Captain Hermsdorf were dis 

patched to Frederica, for the purpose of strengthening the military post 

on St. Simon's Island, the majority of them preferred to settle ,at 

Ebenezer, a wish in which they were indulged by Oglethorpe. With this 

addition the population of the new town was little short of two 'hun 

dred souls. But the community was not prosperous. The climate proved 

to be malarial. The water disagreed with them. The soil refused to 

reward even the most diligent efforts to cultivate it; sickness prevailed 

among the colonists; .and, to lengthen the catalogue of complaints, it was 

found that the distance from the settlement to the Savannah Eiver, 

though only six miles over land, was twenty-five miles by water. The 

matter was finally laid before Oglethorpe who, realizing the difficulties 

under which the Salzburgers labored at Ebenezer, gave them permis 

sion to move elsewhere. Accordingly they selected a high ridge, near 

the Savannah Eiver, at a place called Eed Bluff, because of the peculiar 

color of the soil; and, setting themselves to work, the change of abode 

w.as speedily effected. 

Less than two years were consumed in transferring the household 

goods of the Salzburgers to the new site. It was called New Ebenezer, 

to distinguish it from the former place of abode, which in turn became 

Old Ebenezer. "Whatever could be moved with the means at hand was 

conveyed to the new town. Even the cabins were taken down and carted 

through the woods, log by log. It was slow and tedious work, but the 

Salzburgers were marvclously patient. By the summer of 1738 the old 

town had degenerated into a cow pen, where one Joseph Barker resided, 

in charge of some cattle belonging to the trustees. William Stephens, 

who visited the locality about the same time, found it an abandoned 

settlement; and it need hardly be added that riot a vestige of the old 

town today survives. 

The choice of the new place of abode was wisely made. It was only


six miles to the east of Old Ebenezer, but it was located to much better 

advantage with respect both to fertility of soil and to general health- 

fulness. As described by Mr. Strobel, the situation was somewhat ro 

mantic.* Says he: "On the east lay the Savannah with its broad, 

smooth surface. On the south was a stream, then called Little Creek, 

but now known as Lockner's Creek, and a large lake called Neidlinger's 

Sea; while to the north, not very distant from the town, was to be seen 

an old acquaintance, Ebenezer Creek, sluggishly winding its way to 

mingle with the waters of the Savannah." The landscape was here 

gently undulating, so he tells us, the countryside covered with a fine 

growth of forest trees, the fields luxuriant with many-colored flowers, 

among them the woodbine, the azalea and the jessamine. But the pesti 

lential germs were found to be here, too, for on three sides the town 

was encompassed by low swamps, which were subject to periodical inun 

dation, and which generated a poisonous miasma prejudicial to the 

health of the inhabitants. 

For years New Ebenezer prospered. The Salzburgers did not know 

what it was to eat the bread of idleness. John Wesley was lavish in 

praise of the neat appearance which the town presented when he called 

to see them. He found the houses well built. He was also impressed 

with the frugality' of these Germans. They did not leave a spot of 

ground implanted in the little gardens belonging to them, and they 

even made one of the main streets yield a crop of Indian corn. From 

first to last, they were an agricultural people. As early as 1738 they 

began to experiment with the culture of cotton. But the trustees were 

partial to silk and wine. Consequently the growth of this plant was 

discouraged. By 1741 it is estimated that in the Colony of Georgia 

there were not less than twelve hundred German Protestants, most of 

whom were at Ebenezer. 

But we must not anticipate. Oglethorpe, after assigning a location 

to the Salzburgers, made them a visit, helped in laying out the town 

and ordered six carpenters to assist them in erecting houses. On this 

same trip, he visited Aberdeen and Palochocolas, the latter an Indian" 

village on the Savannah Eiver. 

Twelve months had now elapsed since the landing of the first emi 

grants upon the bluffs at Yamacraw. Many difficulties and hardships 

had been encountered, in all of which Oglethorpe had borne his full 

share. There are no statistics at hand for showing the exact status of 

the colony at this time; but, on June 9, 1733, one year after the grant 

ing of Georgia's charter, the trustees submitted an annual report from 

which it appeared that up to this time 152 persons had been sent over by 

the trust, eleven of whom were foreign Protestants, the rest Britons, t 

Five thousand acres of land had been granted in parcels to the colonists 

sent over by the corporation, besides which 4,460 acres had been deeded 

to parties settling in Georgia without expense' to the trustees. Over 

£2,254 sterling had been expended. Again, on June 9, 1734, the trustees 

* '' Salzburgers and Their Descendants,'' p. 91, Baltimore, 1855. 

t "An Account Showing the Progress of the Colpny of Georgia in. America from 

its First Establishment," pp. 14-16, London, 1741. 

Vol. 1—7


reported that for the year preceding 341 persons had been transported by 

the corporation, of whom 237 were Britons and 104 foreign Protestants. 

To parties coming at their own expense, 5,725 .acres had been deeded, in 

addition to 8,100 acres conveyed to indigent colonists. Out of £11,500 

sterling received in contributions, £6,863 had been disbursed. To quote „ 

Colonel Jones:*1 "With the progress of colonization the Trustees cer 

tainly had good cause to be pleased. Never was a trust more honestly 

administered. Among all the English plantations we search in vain, for a 

colony the scheme of whose settlement was conceived and executed upon 

like principles, whose colonists were selected with like care, whose affairs 

were conducted with equal regularity, and whose supervisors and agents 

could be matched in respectability, culture and benevolence. 'By judi 

cious treatment the red men had been won over to peace and amity. By 

treaty stipulations these sons of the forest had surrendered to the Euro 

peans their titles to wide domains. The pine-covered bluff at Yamacraw 

was transmuted into a town, well-ordered, regularly laid out, .and pos 

sessing forty completed houses and many others in process of construc 

tion. A battery of cannon and a palisade proclaimed its power for 

protection. An organized town court was opened for the enforcement 

of rights and the redress of wrongs. From a tall flagstaff floated the 

royal colors, and a substantial crane on the bluff facilitated the un- 

burthening of vessels in the river below. A public garden and private 

farms evidenced the thrift of the community, and gave promise of a 

liberal harvest. An ample storehouse sheltered supplies against a sea 

son of want. This little mother town—miniature metropolis of the 

province—had already sent out her sons; some of them to dwell along 

the line of the Savannah, others to watch by the Ogeechee, others to 

build homes upon the islands and guard the approaches from the sea, 

others to warn the mariner as he entered the mouth of the Savannah, 

and others still to convert the neighboring forests into pleasant fields. 

Planters, too, at their own charge, bringing articled servants with them, 

were already seeking out and subduing fertile tracts. Thus the colony 

enlarged its domains and multiplied its settlements." 

*"History of Georgia," Vol. I, pp. 172-173. 

EBENEZER, THE SALZBUROER SETTLEMENT.—Twenty-five miles above Savannah, 

on an eminence which at this point overlooks the historic stream, there is still to 

be seen a quaint little house of worship, from the belfry of which glistens a swan, 

copied from the coat-of-arms of Martin Luther. It stands alone in the midst of a 

silent waste; for the sturdy Germans who once peopled the surrounding area have 

long since disappeared from the region. Near the church is the ancient burial ground. 

The inscriptions upon the yellow tombstones can hardly be deciphered, so busily 

have the destructive forces of time been here at work. But some of the graves are 

almost, if not quite, as old as the Colony of Georgia; and, with naught to disturb 

them in this quiet spot, save the pitiless elements, most of the inmates have here 

slept for the better part of two centuries. It is the old deserted settlement of 

the pious Salzburgers: Ebenezer. 

To the outside world there were various names by which the little church was 

known. It was sometimes called the Lutheran Meeting House, Occasionally it 

was called the Salzburger Church, or the German Church, but in the official records 

of the parish it was always Jerusalem Church, so named for the old original church 

of the apostles at Jerusalem. It was indeed the center of a little German Palestine, 

here planted among the lowlands of Georgia, a religious capital where the divine 

law was promulgated. The present unpretentious but substantial edifice of brick was


commenced in 1767 and completed in 1769, on the site formerly occupied by a 

temporary structure of wood. It was invested by the British during the Revolution, 

who used it first as a hospital for the sick and then as a stable in which the horses 

of the officers were kept. The house of worship was also desecrated in other ways. 

With unbridled license, these ruffians, who were most of the time under the influence 

of bad liquor, converted the pulpit, the windows, the mottoes on the walls, and other 

objects into targets, at which they discharged firearms. The result was that at 

the close of hostilities it was little better than a ruin; but the walls were intact, 

and, subsequent to the Eevolution, it was restored to something like the appearance 

which it formerly presented. 

On April 21, 1911, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, a handsome tablet of bronze 

was unveiled on the walls of the old church at Ebenezer by the Georgia Society of 

Colonial Dames of America; and lettered upon the tablet is this inscription: 

To the Glory of God. In Memory of the Salzburger Lutherans 

who landed at Savannah, Georgia, March 12th, 1734, and built this 

Jerusalem Church in 1767-1769. Erected by the Georgia Society 

of Colonial Dames of America. 

L. L. Knight in "Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," Vol. II.

CHAPTER XII 

OGLETHOBPE SETS SAIL FOR ENGLAND ON A RETURN VISIT—THOMAS 

CAUSTON GIVEN THE GENERAL CONDUCT OF AFFAIRS—TOMO-CHI-CHI, 

His WIFE, SCENAWKI, AND His NEPHEW, TOONA-HOWI, ACCOMPANY 

OGLETHOBPE ON THE VOYAGE—OGLETHOBPE Is GREETED WITH EN 

THUSIASTIC ACCLAIM—POEMS WRITTEN IN His HONOR—RECEPTION 

GIVEN THE INDIANS—TOMO-CHI-CHI MAKES A DEEP IMPRESSION— 

INSPIRES A LENGTHY ODE—THE INDIANS PRESENTED AT COURT— 

TOMO-CHI-CHI's PORTRAIT PAINTED BY. VERELST—ONE OF THE IN 

DIANS DIES OF SMALLPOX AND Is BURIED IN LONDON—SAVAGE RITES 

OF BURIAL OBSERVED—OGLETHOKPE TAKES THE DEPRESSED INDIANS 

TO His COUNTRY SEAT—WHAT TOMO-CHI-CHI THOUGHT OF LONDON— 

LOADED WITH PRESENTS THE INDIANS RETURN TO GEORGIA ON THE 

PRINCE OF WALES—OGLETHORPE RESUMES His SEAT IN PARLIAMENT 

—MORE STRINGENT LAWS ADOPTED BY THE TRUSTEES—SAMPLES OF 

GEORGIA SILK PRESENTED TO THE QUEEN—SHE ORDERS A COSTUME 

TO BE MADE OF THE FABRIC, IN WHICH TO APPEAR ON HER BIRTHDAY 

—THE MORAVIANS—COUNT ZINZENDORF'S SCHEME OF COLONIZATION 

—IRENE—SOME OF THE MORAVIAN SETTLERS AFTERWARDS MEN OF 

DISTINCTION—GEORGIA LOSES THESE COLONISTS TO PENNSYLVANIA, 

EXCEPT FOR A SMALL REMNANT—SCOTCH HIGHLANDERS INDUCED TO 

. EMIGRATE TO GEORGIA AND TO START A SETTLEMENT ON THE ALTA- 

MAHA RIVER—NEW INVERNESS—JOHN MOHR MC!NTOSH—REV. JOHN 

McLEOD—CAPT. HUGH MACKAY—THIS SETTLEMENT ALMOST COM 

PLETELY EXTINGUISHED BY THE SPANISH WARS—DARIEN. 

On April 7, 1734, Oglethorpe set sail for England on a return visit. 

Before leaving Georgia he placed Thomas Causton in authority, giving 

him the general conduct of affairs. Mr. Causton was not only store 

keeper for the province, an office of the first importance under the trus 

tees ; but he was also a bailiff. In the event any problem arose which 

he did not feel competent to decide, he was to consult Mr. James St. 

Julian, of South Carolina, or Mr. Francis Scott, of Georgia, either of 

whom would prove a safe councilor. Oglethorpe had been absent from 

England for more than sixteen months and there were a number of mat 

ters to call him back, some of which pertained to his own private affairs, 

others to his management of the province, on which he wished to confer 

with the trustees. It was not without sad hearts that the colonists bade 

him adieu. To quote the exact language of Baron Von Reck, he "was 

their Benefactor and their Father; who had watched over them as a 

good shepherd does over his flock; and who had so tender a care over 

them both by Day and by Night.'' It was a tribute well deserved. 

100'"


But Oglethorpe did not return to England unaccompanied. His 

companions, on this eventful voyage, were: Tomo-ehi-chi, the aged chief 

of the Yamacraws, his wife, Scenawki, and his adopted son and nephew, 

Toonahowi. The party of Indians also included Hilli-spilli, war chief 

of the Lower Creeks, four other chiefs of this nation and one chief .of 

the Uchees, from Palachocolas, besides an interpreter and other attend 

ants. Tomo-chi-chi, despite his advanced age, was eager .to behold the 

marvels of England-.>he, therefore, gladly accepted Oglethorpe's invita 

tion. He wished to learn more of England's greatness, to acquire new 

ideas for himself, and to obtain instructors to teach his people' the Eng 

lish language and religion. 

The voyage lasted seventy days. But the passage of the Atlantic 

was made without serious mishap. Leaving the Indians at his estate, he 

proceeded at once to London where he was greeted with most unusual 

honors. On the evening of June 21, 1734, a formal reception was ten 

dered him and at this time he presented to the' trustees a narrative of 

Georgia's progress. Oglethorpe's return was heralded throughout the 

kingdom; his philanthropy, his patriotism, his self-sacrifice, his altru 

ism, his shining catalogue of Christian virtues, these were all extolled. 

It was at this time that Alexander Pope, in a glowing couplet, praised his 

"strong benevolence of soul;" 

adding these lines: 

'' Thy great example shall through ages shine, 

A favorite theme with poet and divine; 

To all unborn thy merits shall proclaim, 

And add new honors to thy deathless name." 

Thomson, in his "Seasons," thus speaks of Oglethorpe the humani 

tarian : 

"And here can I forget the generous hand 

That, touched with human woe, redressive searched 

Into the horrors of the gloomy jail? 

Unpitied and unheard, where misery mourns; 

Where sickness pines; where thirst and hunger burn, 

And poor misfortune feels the lash of vice. 

This same gifted author in his "Ode to Liberty" says of Oglethorpe's 

colony in America: 

"Lo, swarming southward, on rejoicing suns 

Gay colonies extend; the calm retreat 

Of undeserved distress; the better home 

Of those whom Bigots chase from foreign lands; 

Not built on Rapine, Servitude, and Woe, 

And, in their turn, some petty tyrant's prey; 

But, bound by social freedom, firm they rise, 

Such as of late an Oglethorpe has formed, 

And crowding round the charmed Savannah sees.'' 

Such adulation was seldom if ever known. But Oglethorpe's honors 

were not unshared by Tomo-chi-chi, the aged mico, to whom an ode with 

eleven stanzas was composed. Since we cannot reproduce this poem in 

full, we cull therefrom the following lines:


"What Stranger this? and from what Region far? 

This wondros Form, majestic to behold ? 

Uncloath'd but arm'd offensive for the War, 

In hoary Age and wise' Experience old ? * * * 

Thine with thy Oglethorpe's fair fame shall last, 

Together to Eternity consigned, 

In the immortal Roll of Heroes placed, 

The mighty Benefactors of Mankind.'' 

Tomo-chi-chi was, of course, the bright particular star among the 

Indians; but all of these savages were objects of curious interest. Great 

crowds flocked to see them at the Georgia office in London; they were 

also given mimerous handsome presents. On August 1, Sir Clement 

Cotterill was sent to conduct them to Kensington Palace, where they 

were to be presented to. the king. Indian-like these warriors desired to 

appear at court in scant clothing; but Oglethorpe dissuaded them from 

this intention. However, adorned with imperial feathers and gorgeously 

arrayed in bright colors, they presented a most impressive spectacle: one 

to which London with its strange sights was wholly unaccustomed. 

Tomo-chi-chi, giving the king a bunch of eagle feathers, said: "These 

are the feathers of the eagle, which is the swiftest of birds, and which 

flieth all around our nations. These feathers are a sign of peace in our 

land, and have been carried from town to town there, and we have 

brought them over to leave with you, 0 great king, as a sign of ever 

lasting peace.'' * 

While on this visit to London, Tomo-chi-chi's portrait was painted 

by Verelst and for many years hung in the Georgia rooms, an object 

of deep interest to all visitors. It represents the old mico in a standing 

posture, his left arm resting lightly upon the shoizlders of Toona-howi, 

his adopted son, while the latter held in his arms an eagle. Engravings 

from this portrait Avere subsequently made by well-known artists, among 

them Faber and Kleinschmidt. 

It was a matter of universal regret that on this visit one of the 

Indian chiefs died of small-pox. His companions, deeply affected and 

greatly depressed, wished to take the body back to Georgia for sepul 

ture, but finally in deference to Oglethorpe's wishes consented to an 

interment in St. John's Cemetery, Westminster, where as nearly as cir 

cumstances would permit the customary funeral rites were observed. 

Sewed up in two blankets, with deal boards, one over and one under, both 

lashed together with a cord, the corpse was carried to the grave on. a 

bier. On lowering the body into the earth, some of the dead Indian's 

clothes, a quantity of glass beads, and some pieces of silver were thrown 

into the grave with him, thus ending a ceremony full of deep pathos. 

Considerate always, Oglethorpe, to divert the minds of the Indians, 

carried them for a visit of two weeks to his country seat, where, under 

the boughs of ancestral oaks, they found balm amid scenes which called 

to mind their own beloved forest in the wilds of Georgia. Tomo-chi-chi 

always bore himself well, whether at. the royal court, or in- the pres 

ence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, or on a visit to Lady Dutry. His 

own noble blood put him on a conscious equality with the proudest aris- 

* Gentleman's Magazine, Thursday, August 1, 1734.


tocrat whom he met and, in a thousand gentle ways, made it apparent 

to all that, savage though he was, without the culture of courts or the 

training of schools, he was not a stranger to gentleness, hut an inate 

nobleman, a forest-born Chesterfield. He was profoundly impressed 

by the magnificence of the English capital but surprised that short 

lived people should build such long-lived structures. For years the 

visit of these Georgia Indians remained a fragrant tradition in the life 

of London. Royally entertained for foxir months by the English people, 

they were eager at the expiration of this time to return home; for, 

while there had been no diminution of hospitality, they felt the lure 

of the home land; they longed once more to hear the music of murmur 

ing waters, to lie down beneath a canopy of whispering oaks. 

Loaded with presents the Indians returned to Georgia on a vessel 

bearing fifty-six Salzburgers, besides not .a few English emigrants who 

went over at the expense of the corporation. The vessel on which the 

Indians returned to Georgia was the Prince of Wales, commanded by 

Capt. George Dunbar. It anchored safely at Savannah, on December 

27, 1734. The handsome gifts brought home by Tomo-chi-chi, coupled 

with the wonderful stories which he never tired of narrating, went far 

toward confirming the friendship of the Creeks. 

Oglethorpe, resuming his seat in the House of Commons, caused two 

measures to be introduced and passed for the purpose of re-enforcing 

certain regulations already made by the trust. Both were prohibitory 

measures, one forbidding the introduction of slavery into the province, 

the other an importation of rum. Upon a moderate use of English beer 

no restriction was placed. Edmund Burke always doubted the wisdom 

of these measures which he thought ill-adapted to conditions in America, 

an opinion in which he was sustained by later developments. 

Not only did the trustees approve with great unanimity what had 

been done by Oglethorpe but they also readily endorsed his plan for 

constructing fortifications on the southern frontier of the province. At 

the suggestion of the common council, one of these, a stronghold to be 

erected on St. Simon's Island, opposite the mouth of the Altamaha, 

was to be called Frederica. 

While Oglethorpe was in England some excellent specimens of raw 

silk were received from the province. Accompanied by Sir Thomas 

Lombe, the trustees exhibited one of these samples to the queen who 

was so pleased with its quality that she ordered a handsome costume to 

be made of Georgia silk, in which she appeared on her birthday at the 

royal court. 

More stringent rules were adopted at this time for the colony's regu 

lation. As might have been anticipated, some of the emigrants sent 

over by the trust had proved a worthless sort. Consequently it was 

necessary to use greater vigilance in selecting the beneficiaries of such 

a favor and to draw the reins of government with a firmer hand. To 

this end the trustees cautioned Thomas Gauston to keep a watchful eye 

on the province and to employ the utmost wisdom, fidelity and zeal in 

discharging the duties of his office; but to this solemn trust, as we shall 

see later, he was destined to prove recreant. 

We have already observed how the Salzburgers found a, home in 

Georgia. Not unlike these pious German peasants was another Protes-


taut sect called Moravians, a colony of which was sent over by Ogle- 

thorpe in 1735 to form a settlement at Irene, on land situated between 

Savannah and Ebenezer. 

Scarcely a vestige today survives in the way of a memorial to tell 

of the brief sojourn in this state of the pious Moravians. But the early 

annals of Georgia are too fragrant with the memories of this sweet- 

spirited sect to justify any omission of them in this historical retro 

spect. • Both in simple habits of life and in deep religious fervor, they 

were not unlike the Salzburgers, to whom they were remotely allied by 

ties of kinship. The missionary activities of the Moravians among the 

Georgia Indians were successful in a, marked degree; and, with little 

opposition from the red men of the forest, who learned to trust them 

with implicit confidence, they penetrated far into the Blue Ridge Moun 

tains and established at Spring Place, in what is now Murray County, 

a mission which exerted a powerful influence among the native tribes, 

converting not a few chiefs and warriors, and continuing to flourish 

down to the final deportation of the Cherokees, in 1838. Both Elias 

Boudinot and David Vann were Moravian converts. 

But who were these Moravians? To answer this question, we must 

cross the sea to Bohemia. Coincident with Oglethorpe's humane pro 

ject, there was an effort made by Count Zinzehdorf, a Protestant, to 

organize on his estate a community of believers, modelled upon the old 

original church of the Apostles. "When a charter was granted for the 

Colony of Georgia, the count sought and obtained a concession of 500 

acres of land from the trustees, with permission to absent himself in 

person from the colony, on condition that he send over ten male servants, 

in his own stead, to cultivate' the soil. Accompanied by the Rev. Mr. 

Gottlieb Spangenberg, the first emigrants of this religious persuasion 

arrived in Georgia in the spring of 1735, and settled near the Savannah 

River, on a body of land between the Salzburgers and the Town of 

Savannah. 

To quote Colonel Jones: * The history of the Moravians in Georgia 

may be quickly told. Under the auspices of Count Zinzendorf, seconded 

by the good offices of the trustees, additions were made from time to 

time to this settlement. A schoolhouse called Irene was built near Tomo- 

chi-chi's village, for the accommodation and instruction of Indian 

children; and in its conduct and prosperity the aged mico manifested 

a lively interest. With the Salzburgers the Moravians associated on 

terms of closest friendship. In subduing the forest and in the erection 

of homes they, manifested great zeal. Above all others were they suc 

cessful in tilling the ground, and in the accumulation of provisions, 

which sufficed not only for their own wants, but also met the needs of 

their less provident neighbors. * * * They were in all respects use- 

ful colonists. 

When summoned, however, to bear arms in defense of the province 

against the Spaniards, they refused to do so, alleging that since they 

'• Jones: "History of Georgia,," Vol. I.


were not freeholders there was no obligation resting upon them to per 

form military duties. They further insisted that they were prevented 

by religious convictions from becoming soldiers, and stated that before 

coming to Georgia it had been expressly stipulated that they should be 

exempt from such obligations. After mature deliberation, it was agreed 

that the Moravians be excused; but this exemption embittered the minds 

of the other colonists against them and rendered a further residence in 

the province unpleasant. Accordingly, in 1738, some of them, having 

first refunded to the authorities all moneys disbursed for them, aban 

doned the settlement in Georgia * * * and removed to Pennsyl 

vania, * * * where the settlements of Bethlehem and Nazareth pre 

serve to this day some of the distinguishing features of this peculiar 

people. 

According to Bishop Stevens: * Several of the Moravian, ministers 

who came to Georgia were men of eminent distinction, Christian Gott- 

lieb Spangenberg had been an adjunct professor in the University of 

Halle, in Saxony; and after leaving Savannah he went to Europe, where 

he was ordained bishop. He returned to America and took entire charge 

of the affairs of the brethren in the British Colonies. He was also an 

author and wrote the "Life of Count Zinzendorf," besides a number of 

religious books. David Nitschman was one of the companions of Wesley 

on his visit to Georgia. He rose to be a bishop, and was one of the first 

missionaries to the blacks in the Danish West Indies. Peter Beuler also 

became a bishop. He was a graduate of the University of Jena and a man 

of ripe scholarship. Martin Mack, after leaving Savannah., labored for 

years among the Indians in Pennsylvania, and was then made a bishop 

and assigned to the Danish West Indies. The Moravians did not remain 

long enough in Georgia to fashion the plastic mass; but could they have 

aided in moulding the institutions of the Commonwealth, many calamities 

might have been avoided and many virtues might have been developed 

which would have reflected glory upon Georgia's name. 

Steps for protecting the exposed southern frontier of the province 

were hastened by a memorial received from South Carolina urging imme 

diate action on this line because of irritating transactions with the 

Spaniards. The likelihood of an invasion from this quarter had become 

alarmingly imminent. Oglethorpe, with the leverage of his wide influ 

ence' and great popularity throughout England at this time, induced 

Parliament to grant a special sum of £26,000 to be used chiefly in safe 

guarding the province. Successful in this endeavor, he next sought 

to find settlers of a hardy type for his border outposts on the Altamaha 

River. Incident to life on the southern confines of Georgia there were 

not only great hardships but dire perils; and for such a settlement as 

the one contemplated by Oglethorpe men of sturdy mold, of vigorous 

fibre, of proven mettle were needed. 

To this end the trustees commissioned Lieut. Hugh Mackay to recruit 

among the highlands of Scotland. The well-known Jacobite sympathies 

of Oglethorpe were doubtless instrumental in arousing wide-spread in 

terest in the proposed scheme of colonization. 

Stevens: "History of Georgia," Vol. I.


There was no attempt made to overpaint the charms or conceal the 

hazards of life in Georgia. The situation of affairs was well understood. 

But the rugged mountaineers were inured to hardships; and to men who 

touched elbows with peril every day of the world and who took little 

counsel of fear there was an element of zest added to the prospect of 

adventure in an unknown world. John Mohr Mclntosh, a chief of one 

of the most powerful clans of Scotland, whose support of the Pretender 

cost him the forfeiture of his estates, was one of the first to enlist; and 

he induced many of his kindred to accompany him. Not less than 130 

Highlanders, with 50 women and children, were enrolled at Inverness; 

and these, together with some who held special grants and who went 

without expense to the trustees, sailed from Inverness, October 18, 1735, 

on board the Prince of Wales, commanded by Capt. George Dunhar. 

Three months were consumed by the voyage. They carried a clergy 

man, the Rev. John McLeod, a native of the Isle of Skye, to minister 

to them in sacred things, and he became the pioneer evangel of Presby- 

terianism in Georgia. Most of the emigrants were soldiers; but -some 

of them, like the Cuthberts, the Bailies, the Mackays, and the Dunbars, 

went in the capacity of freeholders. They were accompanied by servants 

and were possessed of titles to large tracts of land. 

In due season, the vessel entered the mouth of the Savannah River; 

and the new arrivals, after a period of rest spent in the village to which 

they were given a cordial welcome by the inhabitants, were transported 

in rude canoes through the various inlets and up the Altamaha River, 

to the appointed place of settlement selected by Oglethorpe. The allu 

vial bottoms of the low-lying region which they reached at length bore 

little resemblance to the hills of heather which they left behind^ them; and 

the homesick Highlanders must have experienced a chill of disappoint 

ment Avhen they disembarked upon the monotonous stretch of level 

ground on which they were henceforth to dwell. 

But they wasted no time in vain regrets. At a point which was best 

adapted to defensive purposes, they at once erected a fort, mounted four 

pieces of cannon, built a guard-house, a store, and a chapel, and con 

structed huts for temporary accommodation, preparatory to erecting 

more substantial structures. Dressed in plaids and equipped with 

broad-swords, targets, and firearms, the Scotch soldiers presented quite 

a unique and novel appearance on this remote belt of the savage wilder 

ness, separated by 3,000 miles of water from the familiar highlands 

which now smiled upon them only in the sad retrospect of the past. 

In honor of the town from which they sailed they gave to the young 

settlement the name of New Inverness, while to the military post and 

to the outlying district they gave the name of Darien. 

To the colony of Oglethorpe, the arrival of these sturdy Highlanders 

proved an important acquisition. They were more than mere sinews of 

war. They were representatives of the thriftiest and best elements of 

the Scotch population. They brought with them the highest ideals of 

citizenship and the profoundest reverence for divine truth. Says Doctor 

Stevens -. * " They were not reckless adventurers or reduced emigrants, 

* '' History of Georgia,'' by William Bacon Stevens, Vol. I, pp. 126-127, New 

York, 1847.

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 

volunteering through necessity or exiled by insolvency and want. In 

fact, they were picked men. They were commanded by officers most 

respectably connected in the Highlands, and the descendants of some of 

them have held and still hold high offices of honor and trust in the United 

Kingdom.'' 

According to Colonel Jones, the Scotch emigrants, while in Savannah, 

were told by some Carolinians that they were foolish to interpose them 

selves between Savannah and Florida, that it was perilous in the extreme 

thus to court danger on the frontier, and that the Spaniards, from the 

secure forts in which they dwelt on the border, would shoot them upon 

the very spot which they were expected to defend. But the Scotch 

Highlanders were in no wise intimidated, and they replied by saying 

that they would beat the Spaniards out of the forts which they occupied 

and would thus find houses ready built in which to live. Such an answer 

was well in keeping with the record which they were destined to make as 

courageous fighters. It was full of the spirit of Bannockburn, and to 

men like John Mohr Mclntosh, Capt. Hugh Mackay, Ensign Charles 

Maekay, Col. John Mclntosh, Gen. Lachlan Mclntosh and others of the 

same heroic stock, Georgia, both as a colony and as a state, owes a debt 

of gratitude which time cannot diminish. 

At an early date, Capt. Hugh Mackay, with the assistance of Indian 

guides furnished by Tomo-chi-chi, located a road between New Inverness 

and Savannah, and the same route is today followed by the splendid 

highway which runs between Savannah and Darien. The town which 

was settled by the Highlanders began to prosper. It was beautifully 

situated on a bluff of the river, in a grove of wide-spreading live oaks, 

while around it for miles stretched the level forests of Georgia. In 

after years it was destined to become an important commercial seaport; 

but before this time arrived it was fated to suffer almost complete anni 

hilation. The Highlanders at New Inverness were the chief dependence 

of Oglethorpe in the Spanish hostilities which ensued; and while they 

saved Georgia from destruction, it was at grim cost to themselves. 

Most of the gallant band were either killed in battle or taken prison 

ers. The greatest fatalities occurred during the disastrous assault upon 

St. Augustine. It seems that Colonel Palmer, who commanded a force 

of Highlanders at the time of the siege, disregarded the instructions of 

Oglethorpe, only to be surprised by the enemy at Fort Moosa, with 

tragic results. The Highlanders fought like tigers, but fell in great 

numbers. Those who survived were afterwards permitted to taste the 

sweets of victory when the Spanish power was overthrown at the battle 

of Bloody Marsh. But the remnant was pathetically small, some moved 

to other localities, and the little Town of New Inverness finally passed 

into other hands, to emerge eventually into the modern City of Darien.* 

* Of the condition of this town in 1743 we find the following account in the 

London Magazine for 1745, p. 551: '' Our first Stage we made New Inverness, or 

the Darien, on the Continent near 20 miles from Frederica; which is a Settlement 

of Highlanders living and dressing in their own Country Fashion, very happily and 

contentedly. There is an Independent Company of Foot of them, consisting of 70 

men who have been of good service. The Town is regularly laid out, and built of 

Wood mostly, divided into Streets and Squares; before the Town is the Parade, 

and a Fort not yet finish'd. It is situated upon a very high Bluff, or point of Land,

,108 GEORGIA AND GEOEGIANS 

from whence, with a few cannon, they can scour the River, otherwise it is surrounded 

by Pine-barrens, and Woods, and there is a E'out by Land to Savannah and Fort 

Argyle, which is statedly reconnoitred by a Troop of Highland Bangers who do duty 

here. The Company and Troop, armed in the Highland manner make an extreme 

good appearance under arms. The whole Settlement may be said to be a brave and 

industrious People; but were more numerous, planted more, and raised more cattle 

before the Invasion, with which they drove a good trade to the Southward; but 

things seem daily mending with them. They are forced to keep a very good Guard 

in this Place, it lies so open to the Insults of the French and Spanish Indians, who 

once or twice had shewn Straglers some very bloody Tricks." 

"Altamaha," according to Col. Absalom II. Chappell, is derived from the Spanish 

expression "alta-mia," signifying a deep earthen plate or dish. The name may have 

been suggested by the character of the lower end of the river, perhaps the only part 

•which the Spaniards saw before the christening and which looked to them like a 

dish kept full to the brim by tidal impulses from the sea rather than by hidden 

sources of supply from an unknown interior. Oliver Goldsmith's famous picture of 

the region where the "Wild Altama" murmured to the woe of the settlers was 

probably drawn from some exaggerated account. 

J

CHAPTER XIII 

TOMO-CHI-CHI'S VISIT TO ENGLAND Is TURNED TO GOOD ACCOUNT—IN 

CREASED INTEREST IN THE COLONY OP GEORGIA—Two VESSELS CHAR- 

TEEED TO CONVEY THE NEW SETTLERS—THE SYMOND AND THE -LONDON 

MERCHANT—OGLETHORPB DECLINES TO ACCEPT PASSAGE ON His 

MAJESTY'S SLOOP OF WAR, THE HAWK—PREFERS TO SHAKE THE DIS 

COMFORTS OF HlS FELLOW-VOYAGERS—THE GREAT EMBARKATION—Tl-IE 

WESLEYS ACCOMPANY OGLETHORPE TO GEORGIA—STORMY WEATHER 

ENCOUNTERED—CALMNESS OF THE MORAVIANS—AN INCIDENT OF THE 

VOYAGE—TYBEE ISLAND Is BEACHED—OGLETHORPE DISAPPOINTED TO 

FIND THE LIGHTHOUSE STILL UNFINISHED—REASONS FOR THE DELAY 

—WHISKY BROUGHT OVER FROM SOUTH CAROLINA—ON ARRIVING 

IN SAVANNAH, THE MORAVIANS DESIRE TO LOCATE AT IRENE—OGLE- 

THOBPE CONSENTS, THOUGH HE WISHED TO SETTLE THEM AROUND His 

MILITARY STRONGHOLD ON ST. SIMON'S ISLAND—EBENEZBR VISITED 

—FORT AUGUSTA Is GARRISONED—THE INDIAN TRADE AT THIS POINT 

JUSTIFIES A LINE OF BOATS—EFFORTS TO DIVERT IT FROM CHARLES- 

: TON—OGLETHORPE BUILDS A HIGHWAY BETWEEN SAVANNAH AND 

DARIEN—FORT FREDBRICA Is COMMENCED—THE TOWN—FRANCIS 

' MOORE'S DESCRIPTION—THIS BECOMES OGLETHORPE's HOME—RE 

TURNING TO SAVANNAH, HE STOPS AT NEW INVERNESS—WEARS THE 

SCOTTISH PLAID—ON BEACHING TYBEE, HE FINDS THE Two CAPTAINS 

UNWILLING TO ENTER THE SHALLOW WATERS OF JEKYLL SOUND—CAR 

GOES TRANSFERRED—DELAY INVOLVED—OGLETHORPE EXPLORES THE 

LOWER COAST—CUMBERLAND ISLAND—FORT ST. ANDREW—FORT WIL 

LIAM—FORT GEORGE—FORT ST. SIMON—CHARLES DEMPSEY, AN ENG 

LISH ENVOY, VISITS ST. AUGUSTINE TO CONCILIATE THE SPANIARDS— 

RESULTS OF His MISSION. 

Tomo-chi-chi 's visit to England was turned to good account by the 

trustees. As a result, popular interest in the colony was greatly stimu 

lated. Donations poured into the London office. Applications were re 

ceived by the score from persons who wished to settle in Georgia, many 

of these without expense to the trust. Great preparations, therefore, 

were made for Oglethorpe's return voyage to Georgia. It became an 

absorbing- topic of discussion throughout the kingdom. Prizes were 

offered by the Gentleman's Magazine for the four best poems to be writ 

ten on "The Christian Hero." Oglethorpe was the toast of all Britain. 

But he was too deeply absorbed in the details of his work, if not too 

well poised in his splendid balance of character, to be disturbed by this 

adulation. Mr. Francis Moore was put in charge of all provisions and 

supplies for the voyage. These included food products, agricultural 

implements, household utensils, small arms, heavy guns, in fact, every- 

109 .


thing needed for the colony's maintenance and protection. This depart 

ure of Oglethorpe for Georgia became known as the Great Embarkation. 

To preach tlje gospel both to the Indians and to the colonists, John 

Wesley, a young divine of ascetic habits of life, accompanied him, under 

a commission from the trustees, to succeed the Rev. Samuel Quincey, with 

whose conduct as resident minister there was much dissatisfaction. Mr. 

Wesley was employed at a salary of £50 sterling per annum. For a 

young minister who was both a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and a 

fine classical scholar, to undertake such an errand to the wilds of America 

at such a salary was proof sufficient of John Wesley 's consecration. His 

brother, Charles "Wesley, wishing to accompany' him, was retained as 

Oglethorpe's private secretary and was also designated as secretary of 

Indian affairs. These gifted divines embodied all unconsciously at this 

time one of the great reform movements of modern times; but the hour 

had not yet struck for its awakening. 

Two vessels were chartered by the trustees to convey the new emi 

grants to Georgia. These were the Symond, a vessel of 220 tons, Capt. 

Joseph Cornish in.command, and the London Merchant, a sister ship, 

Capt. John Thomas in command. On Tuesday, October 14, 1735, Ogle 

thorpe, accompanied by the two Wesleys, the Rev. Mr. Ingram, and 

Charles Delamotte, the son of a London merchant, set out for Grave- 

send, where these vessels were waiting at the docks ready to spread sail. 

Besides the two vessels above named there was also a convoy, his majesty's 

sloop of war, the Hawk, commanded by Captain Gascoine. This was 

provided with special reference to Oglethorpe's comfort; but he declined 

to avail himself of quarters better than those allotted to his fellow-voy 

agers. He, therefore, took a cabin on the Symond. Two hundred a,nd 

fifty-two passengers were listed for this eventful voyage. These included 

a number of German Lutherans, under Captain Hermsdorf and Baron 

Von Reck, also twenty-five Moravians, accompanied by the Rev. David 

Nitschman. Sir Francis Bathhurst,-his son, three daughters, and a num 

ber of servants, were also among the voyagers, going without expense 

to the trust to settle in Georgia. 

But adverse weather conditions prevented a departure for several 

weeks. It was not until December 10, 1735, that favoring gales arrived; 

and even then it was a tempestuous voyage upon which these colonists 

embarked. Violent storms raged, tossing the ships upon angry seas. The 

following anecdote of the voyage has been preserved: On one occasion 

the waters broke over the Symond, flooding the vessed from stem to 

stern. It even burst through the windows of the state cabin and 

drenched the inmates. John Wesley was almost washed overboard by 

one of the waves. But in all these storms and dangers the Moravians 

were calm and unterrified. The tempest began on Sunday, just as they 

commenced services; the sea broke over the ship, split the mainsail, and 

poured down upon the vessel, threatening instant destruction. The 

English screamed, but the Germans sang on. 

"Wiere you not afraid?" asked Wesley, speaking to one of them. 

"I thank God, no," he replied. 

"But were not your women and children afraid?" he inquired. 

"No," answered the Moravian, "our women and children are not 

afraid to die."


Mr. Wesley afterward said that the example of these Moravians 

exerted so powerful an influence upon him as to make him doubt if he 

were really converted before he met them.* 

At last, however, on February 4, 1736, the voyagers reached Tybee 

Island. On going ashore, Oglethorpe was disappointed to find what lit 

tle progress had been made in building the light-house, whose beams 

the founder had expected to light his entry back into Georgia's-home 

waters. Work had commenced more than eighteen months before, but 

only the foundations had been laid. As an explanation for this state 

of affairs, it was found that cheap rum had been conveyed across the 

estuary from South Carolina, in consequence of which the workmen were 

'' frequently drunk, idle and disobedient.'' 

On arrival in Savannah, Oglethorpe was greeted by all the free 

holders under arms and was given a salute of twenty-one guns from 

a battery of cannon. The new emigrants were delighted -with the 

settlement and glad to partake once more of fresh meat. It was Ogle 

thorpe 's intention to locate all the new settlers, brought over at this 

time, on the trust's account, at Frederica, where he planned with the 

co-operative help of many hands to build a town and a fort on St. 

Simon's Island. But the Moravians were not fighters. Religiously 

opposed to warfare they did not wish to live in a military town on the 

exposed borders, where they might come to blows at any time with the 

Spaniards. Consequently they prevailed upon Oglethorpe to send them 

to Irene, where a Moravian colony had already been planted. For like 

reasons, the Lutherans wished to settle at Ebenezer and they were not 

opposed in this desire; but Captain Hermsdorf, a soldier, volunteered 

with a small company to go to Frederica and "to serve with the 

English to the last." 

Before establishing his military stronghold at Frederica, however, 

Oglethorpe went first to Ebenezer where he found these German settlers 

clamorous for removal to a new site nearer the Savannah River; but we 

have already anticipated this change in a former discussion of the 

Salzburger settlement in Georgia. Oglethorpe was at first opposed to 

removal but finally consented. Nor did he ever regret having done so. 

It marked a new era in the lives of these frugal and industrious people 

who worked all the harder to conquer success from a savage wilderness. 

It was estimated by Benjamin Martyn, secretary of the trustees, that 

up to 1741 there were not less than 1,200 German Protestants in the 

province, settled at the following places: New Ebenezer, Bethany, 

Savannah, Frederica and Goshen; nor did the colony boast better 

inhabitants. 

Without stopping to discuss matters which cannot be included in a 

general survey of conditions or which do not bear directly upon the 

main current of events, we must hasten on to note important de 

velopments. 

In 1736 a garrison was stationed some distance up the Savannah 

River at a point which Oglethorpe, during the year previous, had se 

lected for a fort to guard the extreme northern frontier. On the oppo 

site side of the river was a settlement, the origin of which dated back 

* Lawton B. Evans, in "School History of Georgia."


to 1716. It was called at first Savannah Town, afterwards Fort Moore, 

and was planned as a sort of trading post to facilitate commerce with 

the Gherokee Indians who occupied the mountain regions and with 

the Upper Creeks who dwelt principally in Alabama. The first agent 

in charge of the store was Theophilus Hastings. There was a well 

established trail running through the wilderness from Port Moore to 

Charleston, with which town there was also communication by water. 

The garrison located on the west side of the Savannah River at this 

time was called Fort Augusta, in honor of a royal princess by this name. 

Besides a rude fortification built to defend the neighborhood there was 

erected in its shadow a large warehouse well stocked with supplies such 

as were usually sought by the Indians. Animal skins of various kinds 

called pelts, taken in exchange, always brought good prices in the 

CELTIC CROSS, MARKING THE SITE OP OLD FORT AUGUSTA 

Charleston market. To divert this trade to Savannah was one of the 

primary objects of the new settlement. Accordingly a line of boats was 

established between Savannah and Fort Augusta, which in time became 

a source of great profit. The new settlement proved to be a great resort 

for traders, especially in the spring of each year. Here was purchased 

from the Indians annually ''some 2,000 pack horse loads of skins^ and 

other articles offered by the natives in the way of barter; and includ 

ing residents of the town, pack horse men, boat hands and servants, it 

is estimated that not less than 600 white persons were, at an early date, 

engaged in commercial transactions." With the growing importance of 

Fort Augusta, the settlement at Fort Moore began to decline. In addi 

tion to a water route, there was also opened a road to Savannah over 

which one could travel on horseback. On the authority of Colonel Jones 

a man by the name of O'Bryan was the first settler at Fort Augusta, 

erecting there at his own expense a well furnished store house. Roger


De Lacy, a noted Indian trader, was also an early pioneer resident of 

the town. The garrison at this place was commanded for some time by 

a Captain Kent. Its maintenance was a charge upon the trustees. 

Oglethorpe next turned his attention to the south. First a highway 

was surveyed to connect Savannah and Darien. Mr. Hugh Mackay was 

engaged to run this line, assisted by Messrs. Augustine and Tolme, with 

guides furnished by Tomo-chi-chi. Captain MacPherson, at the head of 

a detachment of rangers, was sent to aid the Highlanders on the Alta- 

maha River. 

But the founder's most cherished project was the fortification of 

St. Simon's Island. With this end in view, he secured some fifty rangers, 

besides one hundred workmen, to assist him in building a fort to com 

mand the mouth of the Altamaha River, also a town to be located in its 

immediate neighborhood. Having made these preliminary arrange 

ments, he returned to where the Symond and the London Merchant lay 

at anchor in the Savannah River. But he found their captains unwill 

ing to risk a hazardous trip through unknown waters. He, therefore, 

purchased the cargo of a sloop, the Midnight, on condition that its 

freight should be at once delivered at Frederica. Captains Cornish and 

Thomas were to board this sloop, leaving their vessels in charge of 

Mr. Francis Moore, keeper of the stores, and proceeding southward 

were to acquire a knowledge of the entrance into Jekyll Sound; after 

which they were to conduct their vessels thither. With thirty single 

men, Messrs. Plorton and Tanner were ordered to acompany the sloop, 

which was well supplied with munitions for resisting an attack. Ogle 

thorpe set sail in a scout boat to meet the sloop at Jekyll Sound. Cap 

tain Hermsdorf, some Indians and two colonists accompanied him, while 

Captain Dunbar, with his boat, followed behind. Threading the in 

terior waters, St. Simon's was reached on the morning of February 18, 

1736. All hands were immediately put to work. Three days later a 

periagua arrived from Savannah bringing workmen, provisions, and 

military supplies for the new settlement. On the 26th Captains Cornish 

and Thomas returned to Tybee; but after sounding these waters they 

were still unwilling to risk their vessels on a journey to Frederica. At 

great delay, therefore, and much to the annoyance of Oglethorpe, it 

was necessary to transfer the cargoes brought over by these vessels to 

smaller ones, the Peter and the James; but in time both cargoes were 

discharged at St. Simon's. 

Fort Frederica was soon built. Nor could a better site have been 

chosen. It faced one of the several streams into which the delta of the 

Altamaha River divides on approaching the ocean, but it so happened 

that the channel which it overlooked at this point constituted the most im 

portant outlet to the sea. Oglethorpe possessed the trained eye as well 

as the stout arm of the soldier. He saw at once the strategic value 

of the bluff, while in the level area of ground which stretched behind 

it he found the ideal spot for his future home town. Here" he began to 

erect the fort, which was to guard the exposed southern frontier of 

Georgia. The original structure was in the main built of tabby, a 

concrete material of lime mixed with shells and stones. It was quad 

rangular in shape, provided with four bastions, and defended by 

eighteen-pounders. Oglethorpe himself superintended the work of con-


struction and taught the men to dig the ditches and to turf the ramparts. 

There were two large magazines, sixty feet in length and three stories 

in height included within the stockade. The barracks were at the north 

end of the town, where they occupied quarters ninety feet square. Over 

the gateway rose a tower, while on either side there were bastions two 

stories in height and twenty feet square, each equipped with heavy 

guns. To furnish adequate water supplies, a well was dug within the 

fort. In honor of Frederick, Prince of Wales, the stronghold was 

christened Frederica. 

To quote Colonel Jones again: "Such was the simple beginning of 

Frederica. Near this town Mr. Oglethorpe fixed the only home he ever 

owned in the province. In its defence were enlisted his best energies, 

military skill and valor. Brave are the memories of St. Simon's Island. 

None prouder belong to the colonial history of Georgia.'' But we must 

dissent from a statement made by Colonel Jones in the foregoing para 

graph. Oglethorpe's ownership of a home contravenes one of the ex 

press rules adopted by the corporation forbidding a trustee to own any 

land in the province. It was not, therefore, in any sense of absolute 

proprietorship that Oglethorpe owned a home on St. Simon's Island. 

Having given explicit directions to the workmen at Frederica the 

founder once more turned Ms face northward to superintend the trans 

fer of stores and passengers from the vessels anchored off Tybee Island. 

En route, he stopped over to visit the Highlanders at Darien. These 

Scotch settlers accorded him a hearty welcome, and there was great re 

joicing among them when it was learned that a town was soon to be 

established on St. Simon's Island and that direct communication by 

land was soon to be opened with Savannah. Though importuned by 

Capt. Hugh Mackay to occupy his tent for the night, Oglethorpe ex 

cused himself, preferring to make his couch at the Guard Fire, wrapped 

in his Scotch plaid, "for he wore the Highland Habit." Despite the 

cold weather, Captain Mackay followed his example, as did also the 

other gentlemen. 

In due season Oglethorpe reached Tybee Island. Assembling the 

colonists together he informed them of his failure to persuade the two 

captains to conduct them to Frederica in the ocean transports. He also 

apprised them of the difficulties to be encountered in making a passage 

of the inland waters in open boats, and gave them an option of settling 

in Savannah; but after conferring for two hours they decided to make 

the trip to Frederica, notwithstanding the hazards involved. On March 

2d the new settlers embarked for Frederica in a fleet of open boats, for 

each of which spare oars were provided. Oglethorpe accompanied them 

on this trip, taking passage in the rear craft. To encourage the men 

who operated the oars, Oglethorpe, we are told, "placed all the.strong 

beer on board a fast boat." Five days were consumed in the voyage; 

but finally on March 8th Frederica was safely reached. 

To make amends for lost time the colonists worked with a vim. In 

three weeks a battery of cannon had been mounted upon a high rampart 

covered with sod, streets had been laid out for the town, and a store 

house, sixty feet in width, had been started. The earliest description of


Frederiea dates back to this time and comes from the pen of Mr. Francis 

Moore. Says he: * 

"The Main Street that went from the Front into the Country was 

25 yards wide. Each Free-holder had 60 Foot in Front by 90 Foot in 

Depth, upon the high Street, for their House and Garden; but those 

which fronted the .River had but 30 Foot in Front, by 60 Foot in Depth. 

Each Family had a Bower of Palmetto Leaves, finished upon the back 

Street in their own Lands. The Side towards the front Street was set 

out for their Houses. These Palmetto Bowers were very convenient 

Shelters, being tight in the hardest Rains; they were about 20 Foot long 

and 14 Foot wide, and, in regular Bows, looked very pretty, the Pal 

metto Leaves lying smooth and handsome, and of a good Colour. The 

whole appeared something like a Camp, for the Bowers looked like 

Tents, only being larger and covered with Palmetto Leaves instead of 

Canvas. There were 3 large Tents, two- belonging to Mr. Oglethorpe, 

and one to Mr. Horton, pitched upon the Parade near the River." 

Before returning to Savannah, Oglethorpe proceeded further down 

the coast, accompanied by a body of Indians, some forty in number, 

including Tomo-chi-chi. The party was conveyed in two scout boats. 

On the day following, Capt. Hugh Mackay, with, twenty Highlanders, 

ten men of the Independent Company and a supply of provisions, over 

took them on the journey southward. Reaching an island called by the 

Indians "Wasso, meaning "sassafras," he changed its name to Cumber 

land. This was done at the suggestion of Toona-howi, nephew of Tonia- 

chi-chi, who had received from the Duke of Cumberland, while in Eng 

land, a gold watch as a memento, "We will give his name to this 

island," said Toona-howi, "so that we will remember him at all times." 

On the north-western point of Cumberland the site for a fort was marked 

out to be called Fort Andrew. Captain Mackay was left on the island 

with his command to construct this stronghold, attended by a company 

of Indians to supply them with game for food while thus engaged. 

The island to the south of Cumberland was named Amelia, because 

of its rich coloring, then beautiful with the soft tints of early spring. To 

the Spaniards this island was known as Santa Maria, the English of 

which is St. Mary, a name still retained by a river forming the present 

southern boundary line of Georgia. 

At a later period, Fort William was built at the lower end of Cum 

berland to control the inland passage to St. Augustine. On San Juan 

Island, at the entrance to the St. John's River, he found an old fort 

which he called Fort George, since this island was included in a cession 

of land made by the Indians to King George. Captain Hermsdorf was 

left with a detachment of Highlanders to rebuild this fort. 

En route back to Frederica a battery called Fort St. Simon was 

erected at the lower end of St. Simon's Island to guard the inland 

passage to Frederiea and to command the entrance to Jekyll Sound. 

Arrived at Frederiea, Oglethorpe was gratified to find the men busily at 

•work. Within the fort had been dug a well which yielded an abundant 

supply of good water. Under one of the bastions of the fort a powder 

magazine had also been excavated. To encourage the workmen an in- 

'Voyage to Georgia."


dented servant, a baker, was detailed to bake bread for them, while veni 

son, brought in by the Indians, took the place of salt provisions, Ogle 

thorpe was anxious to see the fort completed before an attack from the 

Spaniards should materialize; and in order that news of any movement 

from the enemy in this direction might be obtained without delay Indian 

runners were employed to watch the walls of St. Augustine. In the event 

of trouble the Chehaws had promised a band of warriors. Tomo-chi-chi, 

with his brave Yainacraws, was also ready to assist. Ensign Delegal, 

hearing that trouble was imminent, reached Frederica on the 10th of 

May, with thirty men of the Independent Company, but only tarried to 

locate a fort on the east side of St. Simon's Island. Here he mounted 

several guns. Returning', on June 8th, with the rest of the Independent 

Company, he brought thirteen cannon, and completed his earthwork 

which became known as Delegal's Fort at the Sea Point. Volunteers 

from Georgia and South Carolina offered themselves in such numbers 

that Oglethorpe was compelled to issue orders directing all who had 

plantations to cultivate them until summoned to arms. 

Meanwhile steps were taken by England to conciliate the Spaniards. 

Mr. Charles Dempsey, an envoy of the British government, had accom 

panied Oglethorpe to America, with instructions to proceed to St. Au 

gustine. On February 19, 1736, with Major Richards, he set out for the 

Florida capital. We cannot enter into any detailed narrative of these 

negotiations. It is useless to deny that, during his residence in St. 

Augustine, Mr. Dempsey did much to adjust relations between Georgia 

and Spain and to prevent a Spanish invasion of Georgia soil. His 

visit was well timed, for Spain was only too eager to crush the struggling 

Province of Georgia, She had long been maturing plans to this end. 

But while much is to be credited to the diplomatic errand of Mr. Demp 

sey, still more is due to the sleepless vigilance of Oglethorpe and to the 

splendid show of batteries, scout boats and armed men which he made 

on Georgia's ocean front. Thus two whole years elapsed before the 

blow contemplated by Spain was finally delivered. 

FORT AUGUSTA: 1736.—Overlooking the Savannah Biver, from the rear of St. 

Paul's Church, stands a cross of Celtic design which marks the birth-place of the 

present City of Augusta. It was on this spot, at the head of navigation, that the 

great founder of the colony caused a fort to loo erected in 1736, the object of which 

was to protect the trading post established at this point, in the fall of 1735, and to 

divert the extensive Oherokee and Creek Indian trade hitherto monopolized by South 

Carolina. In honor of the Princess of Wales, whose royal consort afterwards became 

George III, it was christened Fort Augusta, though it was sometimes called King's 

Port. It was not a large affair. The dimensions were 120 feet each way and the 

walls were constructed of wood. But it answered the purpose: Augusta was never 

attacked or pillaged by the savages. Sometimes they came quite near; indeed, 

their faces often peered through the dense forest across the river and their foot 

prints were often seen in the nearby trails, but they never ventured to hurl a torch 

or a tomahawk against the village. 

At first the garrison consisted of less than twenty men. However, with the 

increase of trade, it was gradually strengthened. According to an early document 

on the state of the province, dated November 10, 1740, and made under oath it 

was estimated that 2,000 pack-horse loads of peltry were brought to Augusta an 

nually and that 600 white persons, including servants, were engaged in the 

traffic. Thus the importance of Augusta as a trading point, even from tho earliest 

times, is clearly shown; and William Batrram, the celebrated English naturalist,

GEOBGIA AND GEORGIANS 117 

who visited the place twice, expected it to become the metropolis of Georgia. There 

was no commercial intercourse allowed except through licensed traders; warehouses 

were constructed in which were stored goods suited for barter with the natives; and 

it was not long before the Indians began to come to Augusta in large numbers from 

the most distant stretches of the wilderness. 

In 1739, Oglethorpe himself visited the settlement. It was on his return trip to 

Savannah, after the famous conference with the Indians at Goweta Town, and, ex 

hausted with his long journey across tlie province, lie sought repose in Augusta, 

where he was the recipient of marked attention from the inhabitants. In 17G3, an 

important gathering was held in Augusta called the Congress of the Five Indian 

Nations, to which 700 savages came for the purpose of meeting the governors of 

Virginia, of North Carolina, of South Carolina, and of Georgia. We are told by an 

early chronicler that the congress adjourned under a salute from the guns of Fort 

Augusta, and there was doubtless some method in the compliment of Governor Wright 

when he ordered the salute to bo fired. It gave the Indians something to remember. 

It sounded a note of warning, and the moral effect was fine. Says Doctor Williams, 

a former rector of St. Paul's, on the occasion when the site was marked by the 

Colonial Dames:* "Fort Augusta discharged the very highest functions for which 

military armaments are intended. It kept the peace throughout the whole Colonial 

time, up to the breaking out of the Revolution and, indeed, until 1781. It fulfilled 

its first purpose—a mission of peace. The bloody time, the time of tragedy, came 

later, vrtiea "we toot those guns and turned them against one another.'' 

On the ruins, of the old fort, in 1901, the Colonial Dames erected the handsome 

memorial tribute which today marks the historic spot. It is a cross of Celtic design, 

rough-hewn, perhaps twelve feet in. height and mounted upon a base of granite to 

match the superstructure. At the base rests an old cannon, one of the ancient 

guns which formerly stood upon the parapets. It is difficult to conceive of anything 

more appropriate. The purpose for which the fort was built, in part at least, was 

to protect the house of worship over which it kept grim and silent watch and around 

which clustered the rnde cabins of the settlers. Both the religious and the primitive 

character of the little frontier town are charmingly commemorated. Inscribed on 

the side nearest the chureli are the following words: 

This stone marks the site of the Colonial Fort Augusta, built 

by order of General Oglethorpe and the trustees in 1736 and known 

during the Revolution as Fort Cornwallis. 

St. Paul's Church was built in 1750 under a curtain of this fort. On the opposite, 

side, facing the river, the inscription reads: 

Erected by the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America, 

November, 1901. Virtues majorum felice conservant. 

Doctor Williams, in speaking of the old cannon at the base of the monument 

said: "To my mind, it is the most interesting relic in Augusta. It is all that is 

left of the old fort—the one thing which was here in 1736 and is here today; the 

one thing which puts us in actual touch with Oglethorpe, for it was here when he 

came on his visit, in 1739, and when he wrote a letter in his own hand, dated 'Fort 

Augusta, in Georgia.' " There were originally eight guns mounted upon the walls 

of the fort, all of which were bought in England by Oglethorpe himself. Yet this 

one, dismounted, spiked, rusting from long disuse and old age, is the sole survivor 

of the early frontier days when Fort Augusta first stood upon the bluff. 

HISTORIC OLD ST. PAUL'S.—Opposite one of the curtains of the fort, in 1750, 

fourteen years after the establishment of the garrison, were laid the foundations 

of the most ancient edifice in Augusta: historic old St. Paul's. The present house 

of worship is not the original structure. Two others have preceded it; but around 

this ancient land-mark cluster the memories of a hundred eventful years. Moreover, 

it occupies the site of the earliest rude building in which religious services were 

first held, according to the impressive ritual of the Church of England; and, 

standing in the very heart of the bustling city, it carries the imagination back to 

* Story of St. Paul 's Parish, a pamphlet, by Rev. Chauncey C. Williams, D. D.

ST. PAUL'S, AUGUSTA 

0 H 

O 

O 

tel 

o

I 


the time when the old fort rose in the wilderness to protect the infant settlement. 

Says Doctor Williams, formerly rector of the parish : * "It was appropriately 

named for the great pioneer Apostle, since it stood on the frontier line of civilization 

in Georgia, and was not only the first church but for over fifty years the only church 

of any kind in Augusta. Its rectors were of course missionaries of the Church of 

England. The first of the number was the K'ev. Jonathan Gopp who came to take 

charge in 1751. He found the conditions very difficult, lived in constant fear of 

an Indian invasion, and wrote somewhat doleful letters, but he held services at 

regular intervals, and, encouraged by the better class of people, he carried the gospel 

into the neighboring country, within a radius of thirty miles. He was succeeded 

in 1756 by the Bev. Samuel Frink, a delicate man, who, in spite of ill-health, went 

everywhere, re-enforcing his sermons by the wholesome power of example. Next 

in 1767 came the Eev. Edward Ellington, a missionary in the severest sense of the 

word. He was seldom at home, except on Sundays, and frequently journeyed into 

the wilderness for more than a hundred miles. He was followed in 1771 by the Eev. 

James Seymour, who was rector of St. Paul's throughout the vicissitudes of the 

Eevolutionary War. 

"During the struggle for independence the fort was three times taken and retaken 

and Mr. Seymour saw the church appropriated first by the Americans as a barracks 

and then by the British for other military purposes. The parsonage house he will 

ingly allowed to be used as a hospital for sick soldiers. The old churchyard became a 

battlefield, drenched with the blood and sown with the bones of the slain, and the 

church itself was practically destroyed by the fire of an American cannon mounted 

upon a tower thirty feet high and raking the whole interior of the fort. At this time, 

having been occupied and enlarged by the British, it was called Fort Cornwallis; and 

it was this stronger fortification which was besieged in 1781 by the Americans, under 

'Light-Horse Harry' Lee, father of our own general, Robert E. Lee. Hunted down 

by a mob and driven into a swamp, because of his loyalty to England, Mr. Seymour 

escaped after many privations to Savannah. When hostilities were over, he was in 

vited to return, but he engaged in other wovk and never came back. Meantime, the 

church and the 'glebe had been confiscated by the State. The property of St. Paul 'a 

then comprised 300 acres. When the land was sold, the proceeds were given to the 

Trustees of the Kichmond Academy, and' in 1786 the church was virtually rebuilt by 

the town authorities. While Episcopal clergymen still officiated in St. Paul's, the 

church was denied titles both to the building and to the ancient burying ground. In 

fact, in 1804, the church was rented for five years to the Presbyterians and it was 

not until 1818 that the Legislature of Georgia tardily restored the property to the 

Episcopalians." Soon after the transfer was made, the present handsome old 

edifice was built, in 1819, at a cost of $30,000, under the rectorship of the Eev. Hugh 

Smith. He was succeeded in 1832 by the Eev. Edward E. Ford, who ably served the 

church for thirty years, dying on Christmas eve, 1862, and at his request he was 

buried under the altar of the church. Dr. Wm. H. Clarke Was then rector for sixteen 

years, after which at his death he was given like honors of interment. Dr. Williams 

became rector in 1878 and served the church with great usefulness for 28 years, at 

the expiration of which time he resigned his office to labor in another field. He was 

succeeded by the present rector. 

Dr. Williams preached his farewell sermon on December 2, 1906. At the same 

time a tablet was erected in St. Paul's Church by the vestry, commemorating the 

events of which it became the historic center in Colonial times. Lettered thereon 

is the following inscription : 

This Tablet commemorates the founding of St. Paul's Church 

A. D. 1750, nearby the King's Fort in the town of Augusta, in the 

Colony of Georgia, under the English Crown. 

Also the faithful services of its Colonial Rectors : Eev. Jonathan 

Copp, 1751; Eev. Samuel Frink, 1765; Eev. Edward Ellington, 

1767 ; Eev. James Seymour, 1771-1781 ; Missionaries of the Church . 

of England and of the Society for the Propagating of the Gospel in 

Foreign Parts. 

L. L. Knight in ' ' Georgia 's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, ' ' Vol. I. 

Story of St. Paul's Parish," a pamphlet, by Eev. Chauneey C. Williams, D. D.

CHAPTER XIV 

THE WESLEYS IN GEORGIA—JOHN WESLEY COMES AS A MISSIONARY TO 

THE INDIANS AND AS A SPIRITUAL SHEPHERD TO THE WHITE FLOCK 

—CHARLES WESLEY ENGAGES AS OGLETHORPB'S PRIVATE SECRETARY, 

BUT LATER TAXES HOLY ORDERS—THE FORMER LABORS CHIEFLY IN 

SAVANNAH, THE LATTER AT FREDEKICA—THE Two EXCHANGE PLACES 

FOR A TIME—CHARLES W!ESLEY GETS INTO HOT A¥ATER—OGLBTHORPE 

RESENTS SOME OF His INJUDICIOUS MEDDLING—SAVANNAH, THE 

CRADLE OF METHODISM AND THE BIRTHPLACE OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS— 

JOHN WESLBY QUITS SAVANNAH—His LOVE AFEAIK WITH SOPHIA 

HOPKEY OR HOPKINS—WESLEY's GEORGIA DlARY AND HYMN BOOK— 

BETHESDA—How WHITEEIELD CAME TO ESTABLISH His FAMOUS 

HOME FOR ORPHANS—THE GREAT PREACHER'S OWN ACCOUNT—LADY 

HUNTINGDON BECOMES A PATRONESS—ONE OP THE GREATEST OP 

PULPIT OKATOKS. 

When Oglethorpe returned to Georgia, in 1736, after a sojourn of 

several months in England, there sailed with him to Savannah two young 

religious enthusiasts, whose names were destined to become household 

words throughout the whole of Christendom: John and Charles Wes- 

ley. It was the founder's anxiety for the spiritual welfare of the colony 

which induced him to make overtures to these devout men. On the other 

hand, it was' the somewhat- ascetic creed of self-denial embraced by the 

Wesleys which induced them to exchange the luxurious life of an 

English countryside for the privations of an unexplored wilderness 

beyond the Atlantic. Reared under the pious roof of old Samuel Wes- 

ley, who, for more than forty years, was rector of the church at Epworth, 

both heredity and environment impelled them toward the pulpit. How 

ever, it was not until they became students at Oxford that they acquired 

the austere habits of life which set them peculiarly apart; and here, 

in association with congenial spirits, few in number but kindred in 

character, they formed a club, which drew upon them no small amount 

of ridicule and abuse. They were regarded in the light of pietists. The 

name which finally stuck—Methodists—seems to have been given to 

them by a fellow of Merton College. At first John Wesley declined the 

offer of Oglethorpe. His father was recently deceased and his mother 

was old. The latter, however, rallied him with mild rebuke. "Had I 

twenty sons," said she, "I should rejoice that they were all so em 

ployed, though I should never see them, more." Thus admonished, he 

waived his scruples and agreed to accompany Oglethorpe to Georgia, 

his special desire being for missionary work among the Indians; and 

for this piirpose he came with full religious ordination. But Charles 

engaged himself in the capacity of private secretary to Oglethorpe; and 

120


his acceptance of purely secular work in preference to holy orders is 

said to have given offense to John, whose paramount reason for sailing 

to Georgia was "to save his soul." But Charles, almost from the out 

set, felt himself to be a misfit. It was at the expense of the Society for 

the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts that John embarked 

upon the expedition. At first he refused to receive the stipend of £50 

per annum, but he afterwards agreed to take it. Another of the Oxford 

band who joined the brothers was Benjamin Ingham, a man of parts, 

who later joined the Moravian brethren, married a titled lady, and be 

came the head of a sect called the Inghamites, 

It was late in the fall of the year when two vessels, the Symond 

and the London Merchant, each of 220 tons burden, quit the English 

docks, bearing 300 emigrants to Georgia. The Wesleys traveled in the 

former. Among the passengers were twenty-six Moravians, whose de 

meanor during the progress of a somewhat stormy voyage made an 

extraordinary impression upon the Oxford men; and such was John 

Wesley's eager desire to converse with them that he immediately began 

the study of German and acquired no little familiarity with the lan 

guage before reaching port. The piety of these devout Moravians moved 

him to admiration. Indeed, he questioned the genuineness of his conver 

sion prior to meeting them. In his mission to the new world he was 

destined to meet with little apparent success, but he needed just the 

mental and spiritual discipline which it gave him. To quote Dr. J. W. 

Lee:'' The John Wesley who went out to Georgia was still in a chrysallis 

condition; he had yet to learn how to expand his wings. It is not true 

that his career in Georgia was the utter failure it has been represented 

to be in many treatises. It is true, however, that it was hampered by 

the uncertain condition of will which is apt to precede some great spir 

itual change." On the 14th of February, 1736, which proved to be the 

Sabbath, the vessels anchored in one of the coves of an island, probably 

Cockspur. The day was calm and beautiful. Early in the morning 

the voyagers went ashore, and there, on a rising knoll, with his fellow 

voyagers around him, John Wesley lifted his voice in prayer for the 

first time in the new world, where the present generation sees his fol 

lowers numbered by millions. Soon after reaching Savannah, John 

Wesley was designated to succeed Samuel Quincy, in charge of the 

religious affairs of the settlement, while Charles, in company with Ogle- 

thorpe, journeyed still further to Frederica. 

To the west of the main highway and in less than half a mile of Fort 

Frederica, on St. Simon's Island, looms an ancient oak, gnarled and 

twisted. It rises to a height of some 200 feet, while, over an 

area of several acres, its cool shade rests like a benediction. It stands 

• at the gateway to the churchyard of Christ Church; and, according to 

local tradition, it marks the exact spot on which the Wesleys preached 

during the infant days of the settlement. At first, Charles Wesley was 

employed in secular work. He engaged himself to Oglethorpe in the 

capacity of private secretary, before leaving England, but he afterwards 

took orders and devoted much of his time to preaching in the neighbor 

hood of Frederica, From time to time he was also joined by his brother 

John, who came down from Savannah. Even if the oak in question is 

not the identical forest monarch under which the Wesleys preached, its


antiquity, from outward appearances at least, is sufficiently great to 

embrace the period of Georgia's early settlement, and several generations 

sleep within the quiet enclosure over which it stands sentinel. From the 

outstretched limbs of the old oak trail the pendant mosses, giving it an 

appearance of great solemnity and beauty and making it the picturesque 

embodiment of the austere memories which cluster about the sacred spot. 

The present chapel is comparatively new and thoroughly modern in every 

appointment, but it occupies the site of one which was quite old, and 

on the parish register are the names of the earliest residents of St. 

Simon's Island. 

WESLEY OAK, A FOREST GIANT UNDER WHOSE BOUGHS THE FOUNDER OP 

METHODISM ONCE PREACHED IN GEORGIA 

"When Charles Wesley accompanied Oglethorpe to this place, opposite 

the mouth of the Altamaha, it was an infant settlement and the walls of 

Fort'Frederica were just beginning to rise as a bulwark against the pow 

erful encroachments of the Spaniards. Says Doctor Lee-.* "Of this 

settlement, Charles Wesley, now in holy orders, took the spiritual charge. 

But he failed to make a success of his work. Benjamin Ingham was with 

him, a man of sincere piety but of doubtful judgment. Even before the 

close of the first month he had come to loggerheads with the people and 

was finding his duties as secretary an intolerable burden. His congrega 

tion had 'shrunk to two Presbyterians and a Papist,' and the physical 

* "Illustrated History of Methodism," by Bev. James W. Lee, D. D., St. Louis, 

1900, pp. 69-70.


discomforts of the place nearly drove him wild. Nor was he pleased 

with the manner in which Oglethorpe treated him. The good man, who 

had to attend to everybody's claims all over the Colony, and, in addition, 

was providing against, threatened attacks from without, grew impatient 

with the incessant complaints made against Charles Wesley, who seemed 

to be always-in hot water. Moreover, in the ecclesiastical attempts of 

the latter to set everything on a basis of thorough propriety, there was 

present a distinct element of insubordination to civil authority, which 

was beginning to show disintegrating effects in the attitude of the com 

munity at large. Being a thorough disciplinarian Oglethorpe keenly 

resented the injudicious meddling; and he visited his wrath upon his 

secretary in some acts of petty tyranny for which he afterwards expressed 

regret. 

"In the beginning of April, John Wesley came to Frederica and 

preached in the new store-house. He had hoped to set matters right by 

his presence but was unsuccessful. We can picture the two brothers, 

sitting together under the broad oak, which is still pointed out on the 

island as having afforded them shelter and can be seen by tourists on 

board the vessels which pass through the channel. Under it they no 

doubt discussed the worries and trials of colonial life. John Wesley 

decided to change places for a time with his brother; and Charles seems 

to have been much happier in Savannah. But he found that Georgia was 

no place for him; and, on July 26, 1736, at noon, he took his final leave 

of Savannah, surprised that he 'felt no more joy in leaving such a scene 

of sorrow.' In the friendly parting with Oglethorpe, the latter advised 

him to take a wife, as it would be likely to increase his usefulness.'' 

Savannah may not inaptly be called the cradle of Methodism. Both 

of the Wesleys, when in Georgia, labored within the bounds of the Church 

of England; but the seeds of the great Wesleyan movement were never 

theless here planted. To quote John Wesley himself -. '' The first rise to 

Methodism was in 1729, when four of us met together at Oxford. The 

second was at Savannah in 1736, when twenty or thirty persons met at 

my house. The' last was at London, on this day, May first, 1738, when 

forty or fifty of us agreed to meet together ev-ery Wednesday evening.'' 

Of the four young men who met together at Oxford, all visited Savannah, 

John and Charles Wesley, Benjamin Ingham and George Whitefield, 

three of them having the charge of churches in the colony. Verily, Savan 

nah has every right to be a stronghold of Methodism. 

To quote a local historian, well-versed in the antiquities of Savannah: 

"Another event which lends luster to the small settlement on the 

banks of the Savannah River was the establishment of a Sunday-school 

in the parish of Christ Church by Reverend John AVesley, nearly fifty 

years before Robert Raikes began his system of Sunday instruction in 

Gloucester, England, and eighty years before the first Sunday-school in 

America, modeled after his plan, was established in New York. . . 

This Sunday-school begun by Wesley, was perpetuated by Whitefield at 

Bethesda, and has continued until the present—constituting the oldest 

Sunday-school in the world. Nor does this end the claim of Savannah 

upon John Wesley. Here in Savannah was his first book of hymns writ 

ten, though it was published in Charleston, in 1737. But one copy is 

known to be in existence, discovered in England in 1878. Rare as any


Shakespeare, this hymnal escaped the search of both English and Ameri 

can collectors; no biographer of John Wesley so much as dreaming of its 

existence. It is also interesting as an early-printed American book, 

apart from its interest as a hymnal and a portrayal of Wesley's mind 

during his eventful visit to Georgia. The volume is a small octavo 

volume of seventy-four pages, the title page of which reads: ' A Collec 

tion of Psalms and Hymns—Charleston. Printed by Timothy Lewis, 

1737.'"*t 

Says Dr. James W. Lee, in narrating the circumstances under which 

the great founder of Methodism left Savannah, in 1736: 

"During his stay at Ebenczer, AVesley opened his heart to Spanen- 

berg on a matter which was weighing heavily upon his mind; and he has 

placed on record his approval of the good pastor's advice. On his return 

to Savannah the affair was to assume a very serious aspect, and to bring- 

to an abrupt termination his career in the settlement. The chief man at 

Savannah was a certain Thomas Causton, who began his career as the 

company's storekeeper, and was successful in securing the good will of 

Oglethorpe. This led to rapid advancement, which, however, was unde 

served; for, some years later, he was detected in a course of fraudulent 

dealing and was summarily cashiered. 

"There was living in his household at this'time an attractive young 

lady, named Sophia Christina. Hopkey, or Hopkins, his niece, who 

showed herself a devoted attendant at church services, and most recep 

tive to the ministrations of the handsome young pastor. Desirous of 

learning French, she found in him an excellent teacher. Wesley's Lon 

don, friend, Delamotte, however, who regarded Miss Sophia as sly and 

designing, and doubted the sincerity of her professions, warned John 

Wesley against her. Wesley seems also to have discussed the matter of 

her sincerity—or rather of her fitness to be .a clergyman's wife—with 

the excellent Moravians. The advice which they gave him coincided with 

Delamotte's, and the result was a distinct coolness in his manner toward 

the young lady. She resented the change, and, understanding its signifi 

cance, accepted the' advances of a less scrupulous suitor named Wilkin- 

son, a man by no means conspicuous for piety. As her spiritual adviser, 

Wesley still continued to visit Mrs. Wilkinson. 

"At length, believing that he perceived in the lady's conduct distinct 

marks of spiritual degeneracy, he deemed it his duty to repel her from 

holy communion. This summary and injudicious step was naturally in 

terpreted in .an unpleasant way. The husband and uncle of the lady 

sued him in the civil court for defamation of character; and, in the 

squabble which followed, the people took part against Wesley. Holding 

peculiar views respecting the limited jurisdiction possessed by civil . 

courts over clergymen, Wesley refused to enter into the necessary recog- 

* Adelaide Wilson, in '' Historic and Picturesque Savannah.'' Consult also: 

James W. Lee, in "Illustrated History of Methodism." 

t Though Savannah has been called the '' cradle of Methodism,'' it was not until 

1807, nearly three-quarters of a century after the Wesleys returned to England, that 

this new religions denomination succeeded in obtaining a foothold in Savannah. Rev. 

Hope Hull, in 1790, undertook to hold a series of meetings in a chairmaker's shop, 

but, according to Doctor White, his preaching aroused mob violence, and'his success 

was small—White's "Historical Collections of Georgia," under Chatham.


nizanees, and a warrant for his arrest was accordingly issued. To avoid 

further trouble, he determined to fly, like Paul from Damascus. He left 

the place secretly by night, in the company of a bankrupt constable, a 

ne'er-do-well wife-beater named Gough, .and a defaulting' barber. They 

rowed up the river in a boat to the Swiss settlement at Purysburg, and 

proceeded thence on foot to Beaufort; but, misdirected by an old man, 

they lost the way, wandered about in a swamp, and, for a whole day, had 

no food but a piece of gingerbread. Finally they arrived at Beaufort, 

where Delamotte joined them, and thence they took boat to Charleston. 

Here Wesley preached again 'to this careless people,' and four days later 

took leave of America, embarking on board the 'Samuel,' Captain Percy. 

'' On the voyage, which was a stormy and unpleasant one, he devoted 

himself to ministering to the spiritual wants of those on board. In the 

solitude of his cabin he gave himself up to deep heart-searching. He 

felt that the want of success which attended his work in America was 

due to some lack of real devotion in himself. As he expressed it very 

tersely in a note to one of the entries in his journal: ' I had even then 

the faith of a servant, though not of a son.' 

"Meanwhile, George Whitefield, to whom he had sent a pressing invi 

tation to join him in Georgia, had embarked on his journey; and, the 

two vessels, as it happened, the one outward bound, bearing Whitefield, 

all aglow with missionary enthusiasm, the other about to enter port, car 

rying the disappointed Wesley, met at the mouth of the Thames. The 

question whether Whitefield should proceed or return weighed heavily on 

the mind of the older man, who seems to have thought that the decision 

rested with him. At length, having cast lots—a Biblical practice shared 

by him with the Moravians—he sent word to W'hitefield that he had better 

return. But Whitefield did not highly esteem this method of coming 

to a practical decision, resolved to continue on his voyage; and, in due 

time, he landed at Savannah."*' 

"Bishop E. E. liendrix had the good fortune, while on a visit to 

England in 1900 as the fraternal delegate of the Methodist Episcopal 

Church, South, to the British Wesleyan Conferences, to come into pos 

session of the original diary kept by John Wesley during his stay in 

Georgia. This rare manuscript journal has been in the hands of only 

two families since it was given, in 1817, by the Rev. Henry Moore to 

Miss Elizabeth Taylor, of Caermarthcn. She left it by will, in 1847, 

to the Rev. John Gould Avery, a Wesleyan preacher, who valued it so 

highly that it was retained in the possession of himself and his only 

daughter, Mrs. Norton Bell, the wife of a London architect, until bought, 

in 1897, by Mr. R. Thursfield Smith, J. P., of Whitechurch, Shrop 

shire, a retired engineer and iron manufacturer. 

"The book is a small duodecimo, bound in leather, and contains one 

hundred and eighty-six pages, all but eleven of which are numbered, 

and are filled with Wesley's handwriting. Each of the numbered pages 

is devoted to the doings of a single day, and each line to the work of a 

single hour, except on one or two occasions when the writer was travel- 

* E'ev. James W. Leo, D. D., in Illustrated History of Methodism.


ing. The whole, therefore, contains a minute account of the way in 

which Wesley spent every hour of every day during the time embraced 

in the record. The first entry is dated Saturday, May 1, 1736 [Old 

Style] ; the last is dated February 11,1737. Wesley relates in his printed 

journal that he 'first set foot on American ground,' Friday, February 

6, 1736, entering upon his ministry in Savannah on Sunday, March 7, 

of the same year; and on Friday, December 2,- 1737, he continued, 'I 

shook off the dust of my feet and left Georgia, after having preached the 

gospel there—not as I ought but as I was able—one year and nearly 

nine months.' He' took his final leave of America on the twenty-second. 

This record therefore relates to the greater part of the time spent by 

him as a missionary in Georgia. . 

"In the journal, the entries for the day begin at four o'clock in the 

morning, and end at nine o'clock at night; and, also every hour of the 

day is inserted, whether the writer was on land or sea. The dates are 

given at the head of each page with the utmost exactness. The handwrit 

ing is neat and clear, and resembles that found in Wesley's later manu 

scripts. It was all written with a quill pen, on good paper, and with 

durable ink. The book is stained with oil or sea water, for he carried 

it with him on his voyages during his stay in America, several of such 

voyages being mentioned in the book. In one passage he uses the short 

hand of Byrom's system, which he learned as early as 1731. The book 

shows that he was often attacked by ailments which ordinary mortals 

would have regarded as severe. Again and again he is seized with 'chol- 

ick,' which he sometimes spells with and sometimes without the 'k.' The 

first registered attack was on May 5th. It was on this date he met with 

trouble by declining to baptize a child because the mother refused to 

have it dipped. Wesley dined there, and 'took a glass of spirit and 

water to cure me of the cholick.' He abstained from spirituous liquors, 

'unless in cases of extreme necessity' or 'at a wedding feast.' 

"On one occasion he suffered from an attack of 'St. Anthony's fire,' 

which 'smarted much.' He was also attacked by 'shocking headaches,' 

intermittent fever, violent and protracted nausea, dysentery, and boils. 

He was also occasionally deprived o£ sleep by the attacks of nocturnal 

insects. He had often to take 'physick,' and was frequently 'in pain' or 

'sick.' The only robust exercise he took was 'walking' or 'felling trees,' 

or 'nailing pales.' References are made to different places about Savan 

nah, such as Frederica and Thunderbolt, and to the different people 

whom he chanced to meet. He speaks of Tomo-chi-chi and the Indians. 

"While in Savannah, Mr. Wesley acquired German, Spanish and Italian. 

He prepared while there a small volume of seventy-four pages, with the 

title-page: 'A Collection of Psalms and Hymns. Charles-town: printed 

by Lewis Timothy.' This was the first Methodist hymn-book ever pub 

lished." 

On a bluff, near the seashore, nine miles from Savannah, is situated 

Bethesda, one of the noblest memorials in existence to the great English 

divine, the mature flower of whose genius was devoted to the establish 

ment of this orphan house in what was then a remote wilderness of the 

New World. It is the oldest organized charity in America, a record


which may excite some surprise in view of the fact that Georgia was 

the youngest of the original thirteen colonies, founded more than a hun 

dred years after Jamestown. But the humane enterprise of Oglethorpe 

originated in an impulse of philanthropy; it was an experiment in which 

some of the noblest minds of England were interested; and there is 

nothing illogical or strange in the fact that such an institution should 

have found birth in a colony, the motto upon whose seal was "non sibi 

sed aliis." To the people of Georgia, it will ever be a source of the 

keenest satisfaction not only that this pioneer institution possesses an 

age record of this character but that it originated in the heart of George 

Whitefield, the foremost pulpit orator known to the English-speaking 

world of his day and time. On a special visit to England, he secured 

from the trustees of the colony a grant of land comprising 500 acres, on 

which to establish his plant; and with the help of James Habersham, a 

fellow-traveler on his first voyage to America, he began to launch the 

humane project. 

The site 1 having been selected, a road was cut from Savannah to 

Bethesda—the first highway ever constructed in Georgia. 

Perhaps the circumstances connected with the establishment of 

Bethesda are best narrated in the language of the great founder himself. 

"Writing of the project, Whitefield, in a letter, dated March 21, 1745, 

and postmarked Bethesda, says: * " * * * it was first proposed to 

me by my dear friend, the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, who, with his excel 

lency, Gen. Oglethorpe, had concerted a scheme for carrying on such a 

design before I had any though „ of going abroad myself. It was natural 

to think that as the Government intended this Province for the refuge 

and support of many of our poor countrymen, numbers of such adven 

turers must necessarily be' taken off, by being exposed to the hardships 

which unavoidably attend a new settlement. I therefore thought it a 

noble design in the general to erect a house for fatherless children; and, 

believing such a provision for orphans would be some inducement with 

many to come over, I fell in with the design, when mentioned to me by 

my friend, and was resolved, in the strength of God, to prosecute it with 

all my might. But, knowing my first stay in Georgia would necessarily 

be short, on account of my returning again to take priest's orders, I 

thought it most prudent to go and see for myself and defer prosecuting 

the scheme till I came home. When I came to Georgia I found many 

poor orphans who, though taken notice of by the Honorable Trustees, 

yet through the neglect of persons acting under them, were in wretched 

circumstances. For want of a house to breed them up in, the poor little 

ones were tabled out here and there; the others were at hard services 

and likely to have no education at all. Upon seeing this, and finding 

that his Majesty and Parliament had the interest of the Colony at heart, 

I thought I could not better show my regard to God and my country 

than by getting a house and land for these children, where they might 

learn to labor, read, and write, and, at the same time, be brought up in 

the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Accordingly on my return to 

England, in the year 1738, to take priest's orders, I appealed to the 

Honorable Society for a grant of five hundred acres of land and laid 

* White's "Historical Collections of Georgia," Chatham County, Savannah, 1854.


myself under obligations to build a house upon it and to receive from 

time to time as many orphans as the land and stock would maintain 

* * * I called it Bethesda because I hoped it would be a house of 

mercy to many souls.'' 

Whitefield gave himself unreservedly to the work. Throughout the 

remainder of his life, it was the constant theme of his eloquence. Voy 

ages back and forth to England and travels up and down the continent 

were made by him, almost without number, in behalf of his beloved 

Bethesda. Large sums were contributed on both sides of the water, and 

people in every walk of life were charmed into giving by the marvelous 

witchery of his words. Benjamin Franklin records this anecdote of 

Whitefield : "I happened soon after to attend one of his sermons, in the 

course of which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection and I 

silently resolved that he should get nothing from me. I had in my 

pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five 

pistoles of gold. As he proceeded I began to soften, and concluded to 

give the copper. Another stroke of oratory made me ashamed to give 

so little and determined me to give the silver; and he finished so admir 

ably that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and 

all." 

Nineteen years later found Whitefield making Bethesda an academy 

of high character, similar in design to one in Philadelphia. For this 

purpose two wings, 150 feet each, were added to the main building. But 

the great friend of the orphans was nearing the end of his pilgrimage. 

It was not reserved for him to witness the ultimate fruition of his work. 

By Whitefield's death, the institution passed to Lady Huntingdon. 

The clause in his will, transferring the property to her, reads: "I will 

and bequeath the Orphan House at Bethesda and likewise all buildings, 

lands, books, and furniture belonging thereto to that lady elect, that 

Mother in Israel, that mirror of true and undefiled religion, the Right 

Honorable Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. In case she should be called 

to enter upon her glorious rest before my decease, then, to the Honorable 

James Habersham, a merchant of Savannah." Lady Huntingdon's first 

thought upon hearing of the bequeathal to her of Bethesda was char 

acteristic of her devotional nature; a day was set apart for fasting a.nd 

prayer. But preparations were hardly begun for taking over the work, 

when the buildings were destroyed by lightning. 

Lady Huntingdon contributed largely of her private means to restore 

the institution and to provide sufficient accommodations; but anything 

like permanent growth was intercepted by the outbreak of hostilities 

between the mother country and the colonies in America. It is an inter 

esting fact that this noble and gifted woman was distantly related to 

George Washington. She presented to the Orphan House at Bethesda, 

a full-length portrait of herself, the work of Sir Joshua Reynolds. It 

was sent to New York in 1851 to be re-touched and, after this result was 

skillfully accomplished, it was reshipped to Savannah. With the con 

sent of the officers, it was placed in the keeping of the Georgia Historical 

Society; and today hangs in Hodgson Hall. At the' close of hostilities 

with England an effort was made by the Legislature to carry out White-


field's idea; and Chatham Academy was projected, which took over the 

educational work of Bethesda. The latter, for some time, retained an 

interest in the school property in Savannah, but eventually relinquished 

'it and then seemingly passed out of existence, until finally revived by 

the Union Society: an organization only ten years younger thaii 

Bethesda. Planned upon non-sectarian lines, it existed for practical 

benevolence; and, in 1854, the board of managers of the Union Society, 

purchasing 125 acres of the Bethesda estate, erected buildings thereon 

for the orphans under its charge, and removed them thither. Ever since 

then the prosperity of the institution has been continuous and unbroken. 

EECOLLEOTIONS OF GEORGE WHITEMELD.—Urged by the letters of Wesley, the 

Key. George Whitefield resolved to answer his call for help, and go over to his 

assistance in Georgia. This young gentleman, born in an inn, of humble but worthy 

parents, was early left fatherless, and thrown upon resources so slender as scarcely 

to give him support. At school his talents for oratory were very nearly turned towards 

the drama; but, at the age of fourteen, he persuaded his mother to take him from, 

school and, putting on his blue apron, "washed mops and cleaned, gowns" in his 

mother's tavern. Learning accidentally from a Pembroke servitor that, by aid of 

such a menial office, he could go through college with small means and having already 

made himself a good scholar in the classics, he hastened when eighteen years of age 

to Oxford, and, by the aid of £10 borrowed from a friend to defray the expenses of 

entering, he was admitted as a servitor in Pembroke College; where he was soon, 

drawn towards the religious club of which the Wesleys were leaders. * * * 

He chose the worst food, wore mean apparel, often knelt under the trees of Christ 

Church walk until he was benumbed with cold, and passed Lent in such rigorous 

fastings, that, by Easter, he had to be under a physician for weeks. * * * 

Ordained, June 20, 1736, at the age of twenty-one, to the office of deacon in the 

Church of England, he commenced his clerical life with six guineas and one sermon; 

but soon called to officiate in London, he there began to exhibit the marvelous elo 

quence, for which in after years he was much noted. 

Crowds flocked to hear him preach. Never before in. England had so young a 

clergyman produced such wonderful effects. The churches could not contain the 

multitudes. His renunciation of honors and preferments at home that he might 

devote himself to the spiritual wants of a feeble colony abroad, combined with his 

bold oratory to beget an interest in the young divine which many lordly prelates 

might have coveted in vain. Yet in the midst of this tide of popular applause, we 

find him preserving his piety, his humility and his unswerving zeal. He left London, 

December 28, 1737, and, "in the strength of God as a poor pilgrim,'' went on board 

the Whittaker to embark for Georgia. He took with him, however, one friend, 

Mr. James Habersham, who, in opposition to the views of his uncle and guardian, 

resolved to cast his lot among the people where Whitefield was to labor. The 

ship in which the two friends sailed was a transport employed to convey part of 

General Oglethorpe's regiment to Georgia; but it was nearly a month before it was 

out to sea, being detained by head-winds; and in the meantime Wesley had returned 

to England.—Wm. Bacon Stevens, M. D., D. D., in History of Georgia, Vol. I. 

His congregations were immense, filling valleys or covering hills; and the whole 

evangelical dissent of England still feels his power. With the Countess of Hunting 

don, he founded the Calvinistie Methodism of Great Britain; but such was the moral 

unity of both parties, the Arminian and the Calviuistie, that the essential unity of 

the general Methodist movement was maintained. Whitefield crossed the Atlantic 

thirteen times and journeyed incessantly through the colonies, from Georgia to Maine, 

like a '' flame of fire.'' The Congregational churches of New England, the Presby 

terians and the Baptists of the Middle States, and the mixed colonists of the South, 

are largely indebted to the impulse received from his powerful ministrations. The 

great awakening under Edwards had not only subsided before Whitefield's arrival, 

but had reacted. Whitefield restored it. Though he did not organize the results


of his labors, he prepared the way for Wesley's itinerants. Abel Stephens, LL. £>., 

in History of American Methodism. 

On Saturday, September 29, 1770, he left Portsmouth on horseback for Exeter, 

where he preached in the open air to a large multitude. The effort was made in 

opposition to medical advice and exhausted him greatly. After dinner he rode to 

Newburyport with his friend, Jonathan Parsons, at whose house, close by the church, 

he was wont to stay. The walk in the garden, where the two used to pace up and 

down, is still shown. When they arrived he complained of weariness, took but a. 

light supper, and thought of retiring. But the people of the place had gathered in. 

front of the house to listen to words from the great preacher; and, with candle in 

hand, he stood on the doorstep, then considerably higher above the roadway than 

now. Earnestly he spoke to them regarding eternal salvation, until the candle was. 

almost burned away and guttered in its socket. Then he withdrew and ascended to> 

his bedchamber, where, at 6 o'clock the next morning, he succumbed to an attack of 

asthma. His last act before going to bed was to read from the Bible and from a. 

volume of hymns by Watts. 

His funeral was attended by an immense concourse of all classes; flags were at 

half-mast in the harbor, and the bells were thrice tolled for half an hour. He was- 

buried according to his own request, in front of the pulpit of the Old South Church,, 

in a brick vault. There in the coffin his bones are still to be seen; but the full 

canonicals in which he was laid to rest have long since moldered. Beside him repose- 

the remains of his friend, Jonathan Parsons, who died at Newburyport, in July,. 

1776, after an honored pastorate of thirty years; also the remains of the blind 

preacher, Joseph Prince, who survived them both. In. the corner to the left of the- 

pulpit stands a cenotaph erected in 1828 to his memory by the Hon. William Bartlett; 

and the inscription, composed by Prof. Ebenezer Porter, reads as follows: 

"This cenotaph is erected with affectionate veneration to the memory of the- 

Rev. George Whitefleld, born at Gloucester, Eng., Dec. 16, 1714; educated at Oxford 

University; ordained 1736. In a ministry of 34 years he crossed the Atlantic 13 

times, and preached more than 18,000 sermons. As a soldier of the cross, humble,, 

devout, ardent, he put on the whole armor of God, preferring the honor of Christ to- 

his own interest, repose, reputation or life; as a Christian orator, his deep piety,, 

disinterested zeal, and vivid imagination, gave unexampled energy to his look, action,, 

and utterance; bold, fervent, pungent, and popular in his eloquence, no other un 

inspired man ever preached to so large assemblies or enforced the simple truths of the- 

gospel by motives so persuasive and awful, and with an influence so powerful on the- 

hearts of his hearers. He died of asthma, Sept. 30, 1770, suddenly exchanging his. 

life of unparalleled labors for his eternal rest.'' James W. Lee, D. D., in Illustrated* 

History of Methodism.

CHAPTER XV 

THE SPANIARDS PROVE TREACHEROUS NEIGHBORS—GEORGIA IN CONSTANT 

DREAD OP A SPANISH INVASION—THE OLD BOUNDARY LINE DISPUTE 

BETWEEN ENGLAND AND SPAIN REMAINS UNADJUSTED—To PREPARE 

FOR A CLASH OGLETHORPE RETURNS TO ENGLAND FOR RE-ENFORCE 

MENTS—BARELY ESCAPES SHIPWRECK IN THE BRITISH CHANNEL— 

EFFORTS MADE BY SPAIN TO SECURE OGLETHORPE'S REMOVAL, BUT. THE 

FOUNDER OF THE COLONY Is Too SECURELY ENTRENCHED—WARMLY 

RECEIVED IN ENGLAND—Is EMPOWERED TO RAISE A REGIMENT—How 

IT WAS ORGANIZED—TROOPS ORDERED FROM GIBRALTAR TO GEORGIA— 

WHITEFIELD ACCOMPANIES THE SOLDIERS—OGLETHORPE SETS SAIL • 

FOR GEORGIA WITH His REGIMENT, IN FivE TRANSPORTS—SAFELY 

LANDS AT FREDERICA—MUTINY AMONG THE TROOPS CAUSED BY A SOL 

DIER IN THE PAY OF SPAIN—QUELLED BY OGLETHORPE—CAUSTON'S 

DEFALCATIONS—OGLETHORPE HASTENS TO SAVANNAH WHERE CAUS- 

TON AT THE HEAD OF THE BAILIFFS Is ONE OF THE FlRST TO GREET 

HIM ; BUT THE BLOW SOON FALLS—CAUSTON GOES TO ENGLAND TO 

EXPLAIN MATTERS—ON THE RETURN VOYAGE HE DIES AT SEA. 

NOTE: OGLETHORPE'S REGIMENT 

But the Spaniards were treacherous neighbors. There was no pros 

pect of a settled peace so long as the old boundary line dispute between 

Spain and England remained unadjusted. It will be remembered that 

the former claimed all of South Carolina as a part of Florida, while 

England, on the other hand, insisted that her sovereignty in North 

America extended as far south as the St. John's River. The whole of 

Georgia's territory, therefore, was a bone of contention, lying entirely 

within this disputed belt. Moreover, since Georgia was organized as a 

buffer colony to protect the endangered frontier of South Carolina, the 

very existence of such a colony was a standing menace and a source of 

irritation to Spain. Realizing that sooner or later the long contem 

plated invasion was bound to come, Oglethorpe had lost no time with the 

means at his command in fortifying the southern boundaries of the 

province. The mission of Mr. Dempsey had not been without its help 

ful and wholesome results. But Oglethorpe well knew the Spanish 

temper. He had witnessed its exhibition too often. If there was to be a 

lull in the vexatious outbreaks along the border—if a truce was to be 

observed between Georgia and Florida—he well reasoned that its oppor 

tunities would be improved by Spain for quietly perfecting her plans. 

To thwart these designs by counter preparations was, therefore, the 

part of sound wisdom. 

Accordingly, having put the colony in a fair condition to withstand an 

131


attack, having guarded every passageway of approach, by such means 

as lay within his power, Oglethorpe again set sail for England, on No 

vember 29, 1736. He went to secure re-enforcements for the struggle, 

whose fiery storm-clouds were gathering. This trip also met the wishes 

of the trustees, who desired him to be present at the approaching session 

of Parliament, so that needed supplies for Georgia's maintenance and 

protection might be obtained. Major Horton, in the absence of Ogle 

thorpe from the colony, was left in general charge of its defense. With 

headquarters at Frederica, the latter made frequent tours of inspection 

to its various outposts. But nothing of any special moment transpired 

to disturb the even tenor of life on the frontier; and while the founder 

was away a benign providence seemed to brood over Georgia, shielding 

her from all harm. 4 

Narrowly escaping shipwreck in the British Channel, Oglethorpe 

reached London in time to attend a special meeting of the trustees on 

January 19, 1737. After giving a full report of the colony's progress, 

he discussed at some length his negotiations with the Spanish author 

ities at St. Augustine, his preparations for an attack from the Span 

iards, and his need of further assistance from England. The trustees, 

by a unanimous vote, returned thanks to Oglethorpe for his wise over 

sight of the colony and resolved at once to petition Parliament for a 

grant of men, munitions and money, with which to protect the province 

against a threatened invasion by Spain. Coincident with Oglethorpe's 

arrival, a communication was received from Madrid asking for his dis 

missal. The Spanish ambassador also protested against the sending of 

troops to Georgia and against the return of Oglethorpe; but the under 

lying motives for these overtures was only too obvious. To quote a 

writer in the "London Post": "If this be a fact"—the rumor of Spain's 

request for Oglethorpe's recall—"we have a most undeniable proof that 

the Spaniards dread the abilities-of Mr. Oglethorpe. It is, of course, a 

glorious testimony to his merit and a certificate of his patriotism that 

ought to endear him to every honest Briton.'' England's further answer 

to this appeal for the dismissal of Oglethorpe was a commission from the 

Crown appointing him general and commander-in-chief of all his ma 

jesty's forces in Georgia and Carolina. This was done in order that he 

might wield the military power of the two provinces all the more readily 

in the event of hostilities. At the same time, along with this general 

command, he was specially authorized to raise a regiment in England, 

to consist of six companies, of 100 men each, exclusive of non-commis 

sioned officers. Later, a company of grenadiers was added. The manner 

in which this regiment was raised will indicate its select character. Ogle 

thorpe secured as officers, so we are told, only such persons as were 

gentlemen of family and well reputed. He disdained to commercialize 

the service of his country by selling commissions in his regiment; and so 

far from deriving any pecuniary benefit from these appointments, it is 

known that in some cases he actually advanced out of his own private 

fortune what sums were necessary to procure commissions and to pur 

chase uniforms. He also engaged some twenty young men of position 

but without fortune to serve as cadets with the promise of promotion as 

vacancies occurred. Moreover, at his own expense, he engaged forty 

supernumeraries. To induce the members of his regiment to settle in 

Georgia permission was granted each to take to the colony a wife for


whose support additional maintenance was provided. In the language 

of Colonel Jones: "So carefully was the regiment recruited and officered 

that it constituted one of the best military organizations in the service 

of the King."* 

But no time was to be lost. While Oglethorpe was raising his regi 

ment, a detachment of troops, to meet emergencies, was sent from Gib 

raltar to Georgia, arriving at Savannah May 7, 1738. On this ship, the 

famous clergyman and orator of the Church of England, Rev. George 

Whitefield, was a passenger. As we have seen, he was coming to 

take the place of John Wesley as the colony's religious instructor. Not 

long thereafter, two companies forming a part of Oglethorpe's regiment 

were sent over, under command of Lieut.-Col. James Cochrane, and 

arriving in Charleston they marched overland by a road leading from 

Port Royal to Darien. 

On July 7, 1738, with the rest of his command, numbering alto 

gether—wives, children and supernumeraries—between 600 and 700 

souls, Oglethorpe set sail for Georgia, on his third and last trip. Five 

transports were filled. These convoyed by two men of war, Blandford 

and Hector, arrived safely in Jekyll Sound, on September 18, 1738. t 

On landing at Soldier's Fort the troops were greeted with an ar 

tillery salute. The construction of a road from Soldier's Fort to Fred- 

erica next engaged the attention of Oglethorpe and so rapidly was this 

work pressed to completion that in three days a highway was built, 

destined to prove of immense value in the military operations of a later 

period. This road ran for two miles along a marsh which, in the near 

future, was to be the scene of a most decisive conflict in the history of 

America. To quote Mr. Thomas Spalding: "It was due to the manner 

in which this road was laid out and executed that General Oglethorpe 

owed the preservation of the fort and town to Frederica. "$ 

Notwithstanding the extreme care employed by Oglethorpe in se 

lecting the men who were to compose his regiment, it was nevertheless 

found to contain spies. The story of how these were first discovered is 

told as follows: "While on board the Blandford it was discovered that 

one of the enlisted soldiers in Oglethorpe's regiment had been in the 

Spanish service, and that he was endeavoring to persuade several of his 

comrades, upon their arrival in Georgia, to desert with him to the 

Spaniards in Florida. His scheme further contemplated a murder of the 

officers at the post to which his company might be ordered, and deser 

tion to.the enemy with such valuables as might then be secured. He 

had a plenty of money, and stated that he was to be rewarded according 

to the number of men he should be able to seduce. Upon the concen 

tration of the regiment in Georgia it was ascertained that several of the 

enlisted men were spies. They strove to persuade some stanch compan 

ions to betray a post to the Spaniards. Instead of complying with their 

suggestion, the honest and loyal fellows revealed to their commanding 

officer this evil intention. One of these spies, when arrested, confessed 

that he was a Papist and denied that the king of England possessed 

any authority over him whatever. A court martial was convened, and 

* History of Georgia, Vol. I, p. 260. 

t Stephens' Journal, Vol. I, pp. 294-295. 

t History of Georgia, by Charles 0. Jones, pp. 261-262.


the traitors, having been found guilty, were whipped and drummed out 

of the service. One of them, Shannon by name, afterwards committed 

murder at Fort Argyle. He was brought to Savannah and there tried, 

condemned and executed. Oglethorpe was extremely mortified at be 

holding this treacherous element, exceedingly small though it was, in 

his regiment, and used prompt measures for its extirpation. * 

Accompanied by Capt. Hugh Mackay, Oglethorpe, on October 8th, 

set out in an open boat for Savannah, where he was greeted at the land 

ing by a deputation of magistrates and saluted by the militia under 

arms and by the cannon from the fort. Tomo-chi-chi was also on hand 

to greet him, having arisen from a sick bed for this purpose. There were 

stopping at the old mico 's house at this time, several Greek Indian chiefs 

who were in Savannah to congratulate him upon his safe return and 

to offer allegiance to the king. On the night of Oglethorpe's arrival 

bonfires were kindled in Savannah, and there was a great demonstration 

of rejoicing." 

But Oglethorpe returned none too soon. Trouble was already brew 

ing. On account of financial embarrassments under which the trust 

was laboring at this time, it had been necessary for the founder to draw 

largely upon his private means in conducting operations on the south 

ern frontier. But he had not desisted from his labors on this account. 

To .explain these difficulties of finance, Thomas Causton, keeper of the 

public stores and first magistrate at Savannah, had plunged the colony 

into debt. There were strong reasons for believing that he had misap 

propriated funds, aggregating perhaps as much as £13,000 sterling, t 

for the improvement of his plantation at Ockstead where he maintained 

himself in a style unapproaehed by any of his neighbors. Complaints 

had been made to the trustees of Causton's conduct while Oglethorpe was 

still in England. Moreover, the corporation had been distrustful of the 

storekeeper's integrity for some time. On June 7, 1738, the common 

council had sealed the removal of Mr. Causton as first bailiff and had 

in his room appointed Mr. Henry Parker. To examine into the store 

keeper's accounts, Mr. Thomas Jones was appointed, with instructions 

to make a rigid investigation. At the_same time Causton's arrest was 

ordered and directions given to seize his books and papers. Oglethorpe, 

on his arrival in Savannah, brought these documents. Causton, igno 

rant of what was coming, appeared at the head of the magistrates to 

welcome Oglethorpe on his return from Frederica. But he was not 

long kept in the dark. Some of the charges which the grand jury in 

Savannah had preferred against him were as follows: that he had 

expended much larger sums than were authorized by the trustees; that 

he had brought the colony into debt; that he had exceeded his powers; 

that he was tyrannical, arbitrary and oppressive in the discharge of 

his duties as an officer; that he was partial in the distribution of the 

public stores; that he had rendered the other magistrates subservient 

to his will. On October 18, 1738, Causton was dismissed from office 

as keeper of the public stores and required to deliver into the hands 

of Mr. Jones all books, papers and accounts connected with his office 

* Ibid., p. 264. 

t Letter from Harman Verelst, accountant, Westminster, June 2, 1738, Colonial 

Becords.


as such. Mr. Henry Parker became first magistrate in his stead; while, 

to succeed him as storekeeper, Colonel William Stephens, who was then 

in Savannah, serving as secretary to the trustees in the province, was 

appointed.* Oglethorpe demanded bond of Causton; but since there 

were not in the colony men of sufficient means to make good the sums 

involved it was necessary to take Causton's individual bond secured by 

an assignment of his home at Ockstead, with all improvements thereon. 

Examining Causton's accounts proved intricate work. His system 

of bookkeeping was a marvel of confusion. Months elapsed without 

bringing matters to an end. Finally Causton was ordered to London 

to appear before the common council; but with no better result. Fail 

ing to produce proper vouchers, he was permitted to return to Georgia, 

where he promised to make everything satisfactory to the trustees. 

But, en route home, he died at sea and in a grave beneath the Atlantic's 

rolling waters the restless spirit of this unhappy man at length found 

rest. 

* Jones, History of Ga., Vol. I, p. 271. 

OGLETHORPE's KEGIMENT.—Whatever may be said to the disparagement of Georgia 

as a colony of indigent debtors and of impecunious exiles, there was not to be found 

in the service of the King of England a body of soldiers whose family connections 

were superior to .those of the men who composed Oglethorpe's Regiment. The story 

of how he gathered them is thus told by Colonel Jones. Says he: 

'' Oglethorpe's regiment was limited to six companies of one hundred men each, 

exclusive of non-commissioned officers and drummers. To it a grenadier company was 

subsequently attached. Disdaining to 'make a market of the service' by selling 

commissions, the General secured the appointment, as officers, only of such persons 

as were gentlemen of family and character in their respective communities. He also 

engaged about twenty young gentlemen of no fortune to serve as cadets. These he 

subsequently promoted as vacancies occurred. So far from deriving any pecuniary 

benefit from these appointments, the General, in some cases, from his private fortune 

advanced the fees requisite to procure commissions, and provided moneys for the pur 

chase of uniforms. At his own expense he engaged the service of forty supernumer 

aries—' a. circumstance,' says a contemporary writer, ' very extraordinary in our 

armies, especially in our plantations.' In order to engender in the hearts of the 

enlisted men an attachment for and an interest in the Colony which they were to 

defend and also to induce them to become settlers, permission was granted to each 

to take a wife with him, for the support of whom additional pay and rations were 

provided. So carefully was this regiment recruited and officered that it constituted 

one of the best military organizations in the service of the King." 

As gathered by Mr. G. W. J. DeRenne, from the Book of) Army Commissions, 

from 1728 to 1841, in the Eeeord Office in London, some of the members of Ogle 

thorpe's Regiment are given below. The list is fragmentary, but a more complete 

one is probably not in existence. These names are as follows: 

James Oglethorpe, Colonel of a regiment 

of foot. 

James Cochran, Lieut-Colonel. 

Wm. Cook, Major. 

Hugh Mackay, Captain. 

Richard Norbury, Captain. 

Alcx. Herron, Captain. 

Albert Desbrisay, Captain. 

Philip Delegall, Senior Lieutenant. 

Philip Delegall, Junior Lieutenant. 

Raymond Demere, Lieutenant. 

George Morgan, rank not stated. 

George Dunbar, rank not stated. 

Will Horton, Ensign. 

James Mackay, Ensign. 

Wm. Polsom, Ensign. 

John Tanner, Ensign. 

John Leman, Ensign. 

Sandford Mace, Ensign. 

Hugh Mackay, Adjutant. 

Edward Dyson, Clerk and Chaplain. 

Thomas Hawkins, Surgeon. 

Edward Wansall, Quartermaster.

CHAPTER XVI 

WHILE OGLETHOKPE Is AT FORT ST. ANDREW, AN INSOLENT SOLDIER 

FORCES HIMSELF UNANNOUNCED INTO THE FOUNDER'S TENT—DE 

MANDS AN INCREASE OF RATIONS—OGLETHORPE'S NARROW ESCAPE 

PROM A MURDEROUS ASSAULT—THE WOULD-BE ASSASSIN COURT-MAR 

TIALED AND SHOT—FINANCIAL EMBARRASSMENT FOLLOWS CAUSTON'S 

IRREGULARITIES—WANING INTEREST IN THE COLONY—GRADUAL 

SHRINKAGE IN PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TRUST—FAILURE OP 

CROPS—CONDITIONS IN GEORGIA AT THIS TIME DESCRIBED BY OLIVER 

GOLDSMITH—THE DISCONTENT CENTERS CHIEFLY AROUND SAVAN 

NAH—ON DECEMBER 9, 1738, A PETITION FOR REDRESS Is SENT TO THE 

TRUSTEES—THE NEED OF NEGRO SLAVES AND OF FEE SIMPLE TITLES TO 

LAND—BUT THE SALZBURGERS AND THE HIGHLANDERS PROTEST 

AGAINST AN INTRODUCTION OF SLAVES—DOCTOR TAILFER EXPELLED 

FROM THE PROVINCE—His Vicious PAMPHLET—OGLETHORPE Is AD 

VISED TO VISIT COWBTA TOWN WHERE THE CREEK INDIANS ARE SOON 

TO ASSEMBLE—HE MAKES A HAZARDOUS JOURNEY THROUGH THE 

FOREST AND NEGOTIATES A TREATY WHICH BINDS THE INDIANS TO THE 

ENGLISH IN THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS AND GIVES AN ANGLO- 

SAXON CHARACTER TO THE SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA 

—THE DEATH OF TOMO-CHI-CHI. 

Having adjusted matters in Savannah, after Causton's dismissal 

from office, Ogletliorpe, on October 25, 1738, returned to the southern 

frontier, establishing his headquarters temporarily at Fort St. Andrew 

on Cumberland Island, where military defenses were in process of con 

struction. The garrison at this place was manned by troops brought 

over from Gibraltar and these' soldiers, besides receiving full pay, had 

for a season been allowed extra provisions from the public store. There 

was great dissatisfaction when these rations were discontinued: so much 

so that one of the men, forcing himself upon Oglethorpe unannounced, 

demanded a renewal of the allowance, in a manner most insolent. Cap 

tain Mackay, who was present, instantly drew his sword. But the des 

perado seizing it broke the blade in two, threw the hilt at the officer's 

head, and rushed to the barracks where he snatched up a loaded gun 

and gave an alarm shouting '' one and all.'' It was evidently a precon 

certed affair. Followed by some half dozen men he ran back to Ogle 

thorpe 's quarters and fired a shot that grazed the general's ear. Another 

soldier took deliberate aim but his gun missed fire. Thereupon a third 

approached, with his knife drawn in an effort to stab the commander 

but Oglethorpe having drawn his sword parried the murderous blow. 

At this time an officer appeared who, seeing Oglethorpe's peril, ran the 

ruffian through the body, at sight of which the conspirators fled. But 

136


overtaken they were put into irons; and, after trial by court martial, 

having been found guilty, were shot. As we shall see later, the preserva 

tion of Oglethorpe 's life at this time by what seemed almost a miraculous 

intervention meant much not only to Georgia's future existence but to 

an Anglo-Saxon supremacy in North America. 

Financial embarrassment made the outlook for Georgia at this time 

dark with threatening storm-clouds. Causton's defalcations were not 

unattended by other calamities. There had been a gradual shrinkage 

for some time in private contributions to the trust. Parliament had 

decreased its appropriations for the colony's support; and, having au 

thorized a regiment, the sum of £12,000 sterling was set aside for its 

maintenance, while only £8,000 was put at the disposal of the trust, to 

meet its customary expenditures. Consequently the trustees had in 

curred a debt of £12,000. Not only were forts still in need of cannon 

but colonists were clamoring for bread. There had been a failure of 

crops. The constant dread of a Spanish invasion had proved demoraliz 

ing to agricultural pursuits. Malarial fevers had become prevalent. To 

prevent a threatened destruction of the province, therefore, it was neces 

sary for Parliament to act. An appropriation of £20,000 was accordingly 

made with which the trustees were enabled to meet outstanding obliga 

tions. 

But there was a growing spirit of discontent in the colony, due to 

causes the roots of which struck still deeper. The system of land 

tenure had not given satisfaction. Since a property owner could neither 

mortgage nor sell his lands there was a check put upon trade. The 

necessity for slaves was hourly becoming more and more urgent. 

Effluvia from the swamps was rapidly destroying life among the white 

servants who tilled the river bottom plantations. As a result scores of 

settlers had quit the province, most of these going to South Carolina, 

where no restrictions were put upon lands and where there were 40,000 

slaves. It was doubtless at this time that Oliver Goldsmith w,as inspired 

to write his doleful lines descriptive of conditions in Georgia. Portray 

ing the region along the "wild Altama" he wrote as follows: 


While oft in whirls the mad tornado flies, 

Mingling the ravished landscape with the skies. 

Far different those from every former scene, 

The cooling brook, the grassy vested green, 

The breezy covert of the warbling grove 

That only sheltered thefts of harmless love." 

However, it was chiefly around Savannah that most of the unrest 

was to be found at this period. On December 9, 1738, a petition signed 

by 121 male inhabitants of the province was transmitted to the trustees 

asking for redress. The misfortunes of the province were at this time 

assigned to a two-fold cause: first, the want of a fee simple title to lands; 

and, second, the need of negro slaves. But the Scotch settlers at New 

Inverness, hearing of this petition, importuned the trustees not to grant 

slaves. The arguments made by the Highlanders were: (1) the prox 

imity of the Spaniards whose offer of freedom to runaway slaves would 

make additional labor necessary to protect slave property; (2) the su 

periority of white labor to negro labor; and (3) the modest circum 

stances of the settlers who, if encumbered with debt to buy slaves would, 

in the event these slaves ran away, be confronted with ruin. In a letter 

to Oglethorpe the Salzburgers at Ebenezer also protested against the 

introduction of slaves. Consequently there was a refusal by the trus 

tees to grant the reforms sought. 

Dr. Patrick Tailfer, an apothecary of Savannah, in association with 

one Robert Williams, was, according to Oglethorpe, in a letter to the 

trustees, dated March 24, 1738, the chief instigator in fomenting strife 

among the colonists. This man became literally a thorn in Oglethorpe's 

flesh. As the ring-leader of a rowdy element or club of malcontents in 

the. province he made himself notorious, so much so indeed that with 

some of his followers he was forced to quit the colony and to take refuge 

in South Carolina. Signing himself "Plain Dealer," he had addressed 

a scurrilous communication to Oglethorpe, replete with sarcasm, denun 

ciation and invective. Finding himself beyond the confines of Georgia, 

he dropped his literary disguise and, in joint responsibility with two 

others, Hugh Anderson and David Douglass, published a defamatory 

pamphlet entitled: "A True and Historical Narrative of the Colony 

of Georgia." The fine Italian hand of Doctor Tailfer was recognized 

in its authorship. There was a vigor'of English about it, an Addisonian 

flavor of style, but it failed to compass Oglethorpe's undoing. Even 

when thus maligned the object of this defamatory article was planning 

a hazardous journey through the forest to negotiate a treaty with the 

Indians at Coweta Town and to achieve a diplomatic feat which was 

destined to resound with his praise for ages to come. In a letter ad 

dressed to the trustees, June 15, 1738, he had intimated his intention of 

making this trip. Said he: * 

"I have received frequent and confirmed advices that the Spaniards 

are striving to bribe the Indians, and particularly the Creek nation, 

to differ from us; and the disorder of the traders is such as gives but 

too much room to render the Indians discontented; great numbers of 

* Colonial Records.


vagrants being gone up without licenses either from Carolina, or us. 

Chigilly, and Malachee—the son of the great Brim, who was called 

emperor of the Creeks by the Spaniards—insist upon my coming up 

to put all things in order, and have acquainted me that all the chiefs 

of the nation will come down to Coweta town to meet me and hold the 

general assembly of the Indian nations, where they will take such meas 

ures as will be necessary to hinder the Spaniards from corrupting and 

raising sedition amongst their people. This journey, though a very 

fatiguing and dangerous one, is quite necessary to be taken; for if not, 

the Spaniards, who have sent up great presents to them, will bribe the 

corrupt part of the nation; and, if the honester part is not supported, 

will probably overcome them and force the whole nation into a war 

with. England. Tomo-chi-chi and all the Indians advise me to go up. 

The Coweta town, where the meeting is to be, is near five hundred miles 

from hence-, it is in a straight line three hundred miles from the sea. 

All the towns of the Creeks and of the Coursees and Talapousees, 

though three hundred miles from the Cowetas, will come down to the 

meeting. The Choctaws also and the Chickasas wilLsend thither their 

deputies; so that 7,000 men depend upon the event of this assembly. 

The Creeks can furnish 1,500 warriors, the Chickasas 500, and the Choc- 

taws 5,000. I am obliged to buy horses and presents to carry up to 

this meeting." 

Opposite the great bend in the Chattahoochee River, just below the 

site of the present City of Columbus, on the Alabama side of the stream, •" 

there stood an old Indian settlement: Coweta Town. It was the prin 

cipal village of the great Muscogee or Creek Confederacy of Indians, a 

seat of government at which council fires were annually kindled by the 

various component tribes. Here, on August 21, 1739, occurred an event 

of transcendent importance not only to the State of Georgia but to the 

whole English-speaking world, for there was here signed and sealed a 

treaty of friendship the ultimate'effect bFwnich" was to give an Anglo- 

Saxon character to the whole subsequent history of North America. 

This compact not only kept the Muscogee nation from re-enforcing the 

Spaniards who were soon to invade Georgia; but it brought them to the 

side of England in the French and Indian wars. Let us refresh our 

recollection upon this point with a brief statement. 

It will be remembered that the French, at this time, by reason of the 

explorations of LaSalle, claimed the entire Mississippi basin of the con 

tinent, reaching from the Great Lakes on the north to the Gulf of Mex 

ico on the south. They were already securely entrenched upon the ice 

bound heights of the great St. Lawrence; but they sought to strengthen 

the hold of France upon the vast and fertile region which bordered 

upon the warm tropics. For thirty-five years Bienville had governed 

with far-sighted statecraft the Province of Louisiana. His great aim 

was to give reality -to the old dreams of LaSalle, viz.—to bring the native 

tribes under French control, to foster trade relations, to discover mines, 

to establish missions, and to unite Louisiana to Canada by means of a 

chain of forts planted at strategic points along the great Father of 

Waters. 

In furtherance of this grand design, he had not only fortified the 

Mississippi delta but had planted the standard of King Louis upon the 

bluffs at Mobile.


As a sequel to this latter exploit, he- claimed for France two-thirds 

of the land ceded to Georgia by the Crown of England. Had Oglethorpe 

failed, therefore, at this critical moment to enlist the friendship of the 

powerful Muscogee or Creek Confederacy of Indians and to confirm by 

treaty agreement the English right of ownership to the land described 

in Georgia's charter, there would have been an altogether different story 

for the future historian to tell. It is quite certain that the Indians 

would have come under the spell of the French diplomacy, for the 

Jesuits, a noble band of missionaries, were not slow in finding the key 

to the savage heart; and, in such an event, not only would the territory 

today embraced within Alabama and Mississippi have been lost to Eng 

land but, from the additional strength gained by this alliance, another 

result might have been given to the French and Indian wars. In the 

light of this somewhat rapid survey, therefore, it is not difficult to trace 

BOULDER OP GRANITE MARKING THE BURIAL PLACE OF TOMO Cm-Cm 

IN SAVANNAH 

an intimate logical connection between the treaty of friendship con 

cluded at Coweta Town on the Chatta.hoocb.ee and the final overthrow 

of the French power in North America on the Heights of Abraham! 

The masterful mind of Oglethorpe, with almost prophetic ken, fore 

saw at once the danger which confronted the Colony of Georgia; and, 

in good season, he struck a blow for England, which was destined to 

echo down the centuries. The great philanthropist and soldier had 

already in the fall of 1738 met at Savannah the chiefs of four of the 

Creek towns with whom he had sealed a pact of friendship. But Georgia 

was begirt by enemies. To the south were the Spaniards in Florida 

and'to the west were the' French in Louisiana; and, in order to circum 

vent any covert designs on the part of these powers to seize the territory 

of Georgia, he sought by means of larger co-operation with the Indians 

to confirm the English right of occupation to the Georgia lands and to 

bind the savage tribes more securely to him, in the event of an outbreak of 

hostilities.


He therefore resolved to attend the next great annual conclave or 

council-fire of the Muscogee Indians, on the Chattahoochee River, at 

Coweta Town. 

In pursuance of this purpose, he accordingly left Savannah, on July 

17, 1739, accompanied on the perilous expedition by a few chosen com 

panions, among them, Lieutenant Dunbar, Ensign Leman, and Cadet 

Eyre, besides a small retinue of servants. The journey from Savannah 

to Coweta Town lay through a trackless forest, 300 miles in ex 

tent; and, taken in the heat of midsummer, there was added to the 

likelihood of attack from savage Indians the risk of exposure to the pesti 

lential air of the swamps. We can thus form some idea of the sturdy 

mold of character in which this stalwart and heroic Englishman was 

cast. The wonderful influence of his strong personality upon the savage 

tribes of the wilderness again bore fruit in the success of his mission 

to Coweta Town, where, in due time, a treaty of alliance was concluded 

with the Creeks by virtue of which he obtained the good-will of 

20,000 warriors and sealed the future welfare and happiness of the 

Colony of Georgia. 

En route back to Savannah, on the return trip, the splendid con 

stitution of Oglethorpe gave way, and, for weeks, at Augusta, he lin 

gered in the uncertain balances of fate, equipoised between life and 

death—the victim of a malignant fever. But at length he came success 

fully through the severe ordeal of illness. His great work, under divine 

providence, was still unfinished for, besides thwarting the designs of 

Prance, there was still reserved for him the supreme and final task of 

sounding the death-knell of the power of Spain in the decisive battle of 

Bloody Marsh. 

Tomo-chi-chi's health had been slowly failing for some time. It 

will be remembered that while the old Indian mico had been present in 

Savannah to welcome Oglethorpe on his second return from England, 

he had risen from a sick bed in order to extend his personal greetings 

to the founder. His sands of life were running low. Nor was it long- 

after Oglethorpe's return before there occurred an event which steeped 

the whole colony in profoundest gloom. This was the aged mico's 

death. To the end of his days, this noble savage, this sage philosopher 

of the forest, had been a true friend to the colonists; nor 'did he ever 

tire of recalling his wonderful visit to England. Tomo-chi-chi was 

ninety years of age, according to tradition, when Oglethorpe landed 

upon the bluff: at Savannah; and was close upon the century mark when 

he died. It was the last wish of the aged chief to be buried among 

the whites. His remains were, therefore, brought to Savannah, where 

they were interred in Percival, now Court House, Square, with impress 

ive ceremonies. Six of the most prominent citizens of Savannah acted 

as pall-bearers, Oglethorpe himself among the number. Minute guns 

were fired from the battery as he was lowered to rest, and every respect 

was paid to the memory of the aged chief. His death occurred on 

October 15, 1739. An appropriate monument was planned by Ogle 

thorpe, but for some reason it was not erected. However, the belated 

tribute has been paid at last. On the reputed spot of the old Indian's 

burial, a rough boulder .of granite has been placed by the Georgia


Society of Colonial Dames of America, and a circular plate of copper 

bears the following inscription: 

"In memory of Tomo-Chi-Chi, Mico of the Yamaeraws, the com 

panion of Oglethorpe, and the friend and ally of the Colony of Georgia. 

This stone has been here placed by the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames 

of America. 1739-1899."

CHAPTER XVII 

OGLETHORPE's TREATY WITH THE INDIANS AT COWETA TOWN NEGOTI 

ATED NONE Too SOON—RELATIONS BETWEEN ENGLAND AND SPAIN 

REACH AN ACUTE STAGE—WAR Is DECLARED—ADMIRAL VEENON Is 

COMMISSIONED TO COMMAND A SQUADRON IN THE WEST INDIES— 

SPANIARDS BUTCHER DEFENSELESS SETTLERS ON AMELIA ISLAND— 

THE FIRST BLOODSHED—OGLETHORPE PURSUES THE MURDERERS 

WITH DIREFUL VENGEANCE AND BY WAY OF RETALIATION SWEEPS 

THE ST. JOHN'S AND BURNS THREE OUTPOSTS—RAVAGES THE COUN 

TRY IN THE DIRECTION OF ST. AUGUSTINE—NEXT PLANS A DECISIVE 

BLOW AT THE FLORIDA CAPITAL—EXPECTS FLEET, IN THE HARBOR TO 

RE-ENFORCE LAND OPERATIONS—WHY THE ATTACK UPON ST. 

AUGUSTINE FAILED—COLONEL PALMER'S DISOBEDIENCE OF ORDERS— 

His TRAGIC DEATH—FORT MOOSA A DEATH-TRAP FOR THE GEOR 

GIANS, WHO FIGHT LIKE LIONS AT BAY—MORE THAN A YEAR 

ELAPSES—THE SPANISH INVASION AT LAST MATERIALIZES—THE 

HISTORIC BATTLE OF BLOODY MARSH—OGLETHORPE's ACCOUNT— 

SPAIN Is GIVEN A DECISIVE BLOW—CARLYLE'S OPINION—WHITE- 

FIELD'S COMMENT—OGLETHOBPE'S FAREWELL TO GEORGIA—FINAL 

RETURN TO ENGLAND—His SUBSEQUENT CAREER. 

NOTES: BLOODY MARSH—FORCES ENGAGED—MEMORIAL OF BLOODY 

MARSH—FORT FHEDERICA—GENERAL OGLETHORPE's EPITAPH. 

Ogletliorpe's treaty with, the Indians at Coweta Town was negoti 

ated none too soon. Relations between Spain and England had 

reached an acute stage. British trade with America had for years been 

harrassed by Spanish, coast guards who, under the most frivolous pre 

tenses, had seized English merchantmen, confiscating the property on 

board. At the same time, English sailors had been thrown into prison 

and subjected to cruel treatment. There was naturally a demand for 

redress raised throughout England, but Walpole, eager for extending- 

British trade, was anxious to maintain peace, a condition essential to 

this end. He, therefore, sought reparation by means of indemnity; 

and, under the terms of an agreement signed at Pardo, in January, 1739, 

Spain had agreed to pay a stipulated sum to cover losses sustained by 

British subjects. With respect, however, to the territory in dispute 

between Georgia and Florida, the issue as to a boundary line was to 1 

be settled by a commission representing the two powers. But Spain 

had failed to meet her obligations under this compact and had defaulted 

in the matter of paying an indemnity at the time stipulated. War, 

therefore, was declared. 

Oglethorpe's defensive activities in safeguarding Georgia had given 

143


offense to the Spatrish king, who demanded a discontinuance of these 

hostile preparations. "No more forts and no more soldiers in 

Georgia"—these were his angry orders; but when this message was 

read in the King's Council the Duke of Argyle impatiently arose. 

"This should be answered," said he, "but not in the usual way—the 

reply should be a fleet of battleships on the coast of Spain."* 

To command a squadron in the West Indies a commission was 

issued to Admiral Vernon, a gallant naval officer for whom Washing 

ton's country seat on the Potomac was afterwards named. Coincident 

with this appointment, Oglethorpe was ordered to harrass the Spanish 

settlements on the Florida coast. Before assuming an aggressive, how 

ever, Oglethorpe first began to repair forts, to strengthen garrisons 

and to concentrate munitions of war on the southern frontier. Relying 

upon promises made to him at Coweta Town, he dispatched runners to 

the Indian villages asking for a thousand warriors to reinforce him; 

and there came in response to this summons a host of bowmen. Some 

of these were employed as scouts. To guard the coast, vessels of war 

were detailed. Nor did Oglethorpe lose any time in preparing his 

regiment for hostile maneuvers. St. George's Island, having been 

abandoned in 1736, his southernmost garrison was on Amelia Island. 

Here he stationed a scout boat with sixteen men and later added a 

sergeant's guard. On November 15, 1739, tidings of the first blood 

shed were brought to Frederica. Spaniards, having secretly landed in 

the night on Amelia Island and having concealed themselves in ambush, 

killed two unarmed Highlanders on the following day, at an early hour, 

. when these men, unsuspicious of danger, were in quest of food. To 

murder, these Spaniards added butchery, frightfully mutilating the 

bodies of the two hapless victims. | Oglethorpe was no sooner informed 

of this outrage than he started in pursuit, only too anxious to visit 

condign punishment upon its perpetrators. 

While the effort proved futile, Oglethorpe, by way of retaliation, 

swept the St. John's River, landed on the Spanish Main, and burnt 

three outposts. He also ravaged the country in the direction' of 

St. Augustine, and for three days without success endeavored to pro 

voke the Spaniards to combat. On January 1, 1740, with a detachment 

of his regiment, re-enforced by a band of Indians, he ascended the 

St. John's River and, after burning Fort Picolata, invested another 

stronghold, Fort St. Francis de Papa. Oglethorpe narrowly escaped 

death from a cannon ball in seeking to reduce this second fort; but he 

won the day. On driving the Spaniards out, he occupied it with a 

garrison and strengthened its defenses, deeming it too strategic a point 

to be abandoned. 

Oglethorpe next planned a decisive blow at the enemy's citadel— 

St. Augustine. With the approval of the home authorities, he left 

Frederica in May, 1740, in command of a body of troops, numbering 

2,000 men, of whom 1,000 were Indians. Fort San Diego, nine miles 

from the Florida capital, was easily captured, after which he continued 

his victorious march. Two miles from St. Augustine was Fort Moosa, 

* L. B. Evans, History of Georgia, p. 28. 

t Gentlemen's Magazine, 1740, Vol. X, p. 129.


the garrison in command of which, hearing of Oglethorpe's approach, 

retreated to the city for protection. On arriving before the gates of 

St. Augustine, Oglethorpe demanded the surrender of the town; but 

this message was returned by its commander: "I will shake hands 

with General Oglethorpe in the castle." Though somewhat ambigu 

ous as to its exact meaning, it clearly implied a refusal to surrender. 

Oglethorpe's plan of campaign included a naval attack. But 

unfortunately the ships could not get close enough to support the land 

forces, whereupon, instead of storming the city, a siege was instituted. 

From the standpoint of military science, no criticism was to be made 

of Oglethorpe's plan. His object, in the first place, was to prevent 

re-enforcements from reaching the Spaniards within the walls. He 

also wished to deceive the enemy as to his own strength, which was all 

too small to compass so hazardous an undertaking. Accordingly, he 

ordered Colonel Palmer, with ninety-five Highlanders and forty-two 

Indians, to scour the country in every direction, to cut off all supplies, 

to keep the Spaniards deceived as to his number, to be constantly on 

the march, showing himself everywhere, and to rest at no one place two 

nights in succession. But a violation of orders proved fatal to the suc 

cess of this stratagem. Colonel Palmer remained three nights at Fort 

Moosa; and the Spanish general, learning of his whereabouts, took him 

one morning by surprise. Colonel Palmer fell early in the action; also 

a captain. Twenty Highlanders were killed and twenty-seven were 

captured, but never lions fought more fiercely, and, to quote Colonel 

Jones, "this hand to hand conflict was won at a cost to the enemy of 

more than a hundred lives.'' Oglethorpe was chagrined at this unex 

pected turn. It completely upset his calculations, opening the way for 

food supplies, of which the Spaniards were already greatly in need. 

Had it not been for Colonel Palmer's violation of orders the fall of 

St. Augustine would doubtless have followed within a week's time. 

There was now no alternative left but to withdraw the troops. The 

sultry days of mid-summer were at hand. Many of Oglethorpe's men 

had been prostrated by fever; and there seemed to be no likelihood 

of success in accomplishing the city's reduction. The attack on 

St. Augustine was therefore abandoned; but the English had lost only 

fifty men while the Spaniards had lost 450, besides four forts. 

On returning to Frederica—his home since 1735—Oglethorpe lay 

for weeks in the clutches of a slow fever which threatened to end his 

life. It did leave him weak, emaciated and enfeebled, and he was 

months in regaining his former strength. But his zeal for the prov 

ince was unabated; his vigilance, his enthusiasm, his courage—these 

knew no weariness. Five reasons are given by an eminent historian 

for Oglethorpe's failure to reduce St. Augustine: 

1. The delay in starting. This was due mainly, if not entirely, to 

tardiness on the part of the South Carolina authorities in contributing 

troops and provisions, for which requisition had been made in due sea 

son. Upon Oglethorpe's regiment, supported by Indian allies and 

Georgia colonists, had devolved the brunt of the siege. The Caro- 

linians, under Colonel Vanderdussen, proved inefficient, turbulent and 

disobedient. 

2. The re-enforcement of St. Augustine with men and supplies from 

Vol. I—10


Havana just before the English, expedition set out, thereby materially 

repairing the inequality previously existing. 

3. The injudicious movement against Forts Francis tie Papa and 

Diego, which put the Spaniards on the alert, encouraged concentration 

on their part, and foreshadowed an immediate demonstration in force 

against their stronghold. 

4. The inability of the fleet to participate in the assault previously 

planned, and which was to have been vigorously undertaken as soon 

as General Oglethorpe with his land forces came into position before 

the walls of St. Augustine. 

5. The destruction of Colonel Parker's command, thereby enabling 

the enemy to communicate with and draw supplies: from the interior; 

the lack of heavy ordinance with which to reduce the castle from the 

batteries on Anastasia Island; the impossibility of bringing up the 

larger war vessels to participate in the bombardment; the inefficiency 

of Colonel Vanderdussen's command; the impatience and disappoint 

ment of the Indian allies who anticipated early capture and liberal 

spoils; hot sun, heavy dews, a debilitating climate, sickness among the 

troops, the arrival of men, munitions o-f war, and provisions through 

the Matanzas River, these in the end rendered quite futile every hope 

which at the outset had been entertained for a successful prosecution 

of the siege.* It is needless to add that Oglethorpe was most severely 

and harshly criticized in England for the failure of the expedition 

against St. Augustine; but much of this criticism was captious, ill- 

advised, and unjust. 

To prepare for a Spanish invasion, which was now imminent, Ogle 

thorpe, on recovering from his malady, employed his regiment in 

erecting new fortifications. At the same time, old ones were put in 

repair. But more than a year was destined to elapse before a renewal 

of hostilities. Taking advantage of the lull, let us contemplate a pic 

ture of Georgia's founder drawn by the master-hand of an eminent 

historian: t 

"During' these seven years, which constituted the entire life of the 

colony, General Oglethorpe had enjoyed no respite from his labors. 

Personally directing all movements, supervising the location, and pro 

viding for the comfort, safety, and good order of the settlers, accommo 

dating their differences, .encouraging and directing their labors, 

propitiating the aborigines, influencing necessary supplies and inaugu 

rating suitable defenses, he had been constantly passing from point to 

point, finding no rest for the soles of his feet. Now in tent at Savan 

nah, now in open boat reconnoitring the coast, now upon the southern 

islands, his only shelter the wide-spreading live-oak, designating sites 

for forts and look-outs, and with his own hands planning military 

works and laying out villages; again in journeys oft along the Savannah, 

the Great Ogeechee, the Altamaha, the St. John and far off into the 

heart of the Indian country-, frequently inspecting his advanced posts, 

undertaking voyages to Charlestown and to England in behalf af the 

trust, and engaged in severe contests with the Spaniards, his life had 

* Colonel Charles C. Jones in History of Georgia, Vol. I, p. 334. 

t Charles C. Jones, Jr., History of Georgia, Vol. I, pp. 336-7.


been one of incessant activity and solicitude. But for Ms energy, 

intelligence, watchfulness, and self-sacrifice, the enterprise must have 

languished. As we look back upon this period of trial, uncertainty, 

and poverty, our admiration for his achievements increases the more 

closely we scan his limited resources and opportunities, the more intelli 

gently we appreciate the difficulties he was called upon to surmount. 

Always present whenever duty called or danger threatened, he never 

expected others to press on where he himself did not lead. 

"The only home he ever owned or claimed in Georgia was on 

St. Simon's Island. The only hours of leisure he enjoyed were spent 

in sight and sound of his military works along the southern frontier, 

upon whose safe tenure depended the salvation of the colony. Just 

where the military road connecting Fort St. Simon with Frederica, 

after having traversed the beautiful prairie constituting the common 

pasture land of the village, entered the woods, General Oglethorpe 

established his cottage. Adjacent to it were a garden, and an orchard 

of oranges, figs, and grapes. Magnificent oaks threw their protecting 

shadows above and around his quiet, pleasant abode, fanned by deli 

cious sea-breezes, fragrant with the perfume of flowers, and vocal with 

the melody of song-birds. To the westward, and in full view, were the 

fortifications and the white houses of Frederica. Behind rose a dense 

forest of oaks. 'This cottage and fifty acres of land attached to it,' 

says the Honorable Thomas Spalding in his 'Sketch of the Life of 

General James Oglethorpe,' 'was all the landed domain General Ogle 

thorpe reserved to himself, and after the General went to England it 

became the property of my father. . . . After the Revolutionary 

war, the buildings being destroyed, my father sold this little, property. 

But the oaks were only cut down within 1 four or five years past, and 

the elder people of St. Simon's yet feel as if it were a sacrilege, and 

mourn their fall.' Here the defenses of St. Simon's Island were under 

his immediate supervision. His troops were around him, and he was 

prepared, upon the first note of warning, to concentrate the forces of 

the colony for active operations. In the neighborhood several of his 

officers established their homes. Among them, 'Harrington Hall,' the 

country seat of the wealthy Huguenot, Captain Raymond Demere, 

inclosed with hedges of cassina, was conspicuous for its beauty and 

comfort." 

To note briefly some of the elements of strength presented by 

Georgia's southern frontier at this time, the town of Frederiea, guarded 

by a secure fort built of tabby, was a town of probably 1,000 inhab 

itants, most of whom were soldiers. On the south point of the island, 

at the village of St. Simon, was erected a watch-toAver, from which 

the movements of vessels at sea might "be conveniently observed and to 

apprise Oglethorpe of any information gathered from this point of 

observation there were signal guns mounted to give the alarm and a 

horseman ready to convey dispatches to headquarters. Vigils were 

also kept by a party of rangers at Bachelor's Redoubt and by a cor 

poral's guard at Pike's Bluff. There was also a canal built to facili 

tate communication with Darien. On Jekyll Island, where Captain 

Hortdn owned a plantation, defensive works were erected. . There was 

also established here a brewery to supply the troops with beer. On


Cumberland Island there were three batteries: Fort St. Andrew, Fort 

William, and a battery on the west to control inland navigation. There 

was a fort at Darien garrisoned by Highlanders; while on Amelia 

Island was stationed a guard of Highlanders in scout boats. Such 

were some of the features in Georgia's plan of defense against the 

Spaniards. 

During the midsummer of 1742 the long-expected Spanish invasion 

at last materialized, and in the historic battle of Bloody Marsh Ogle- 

thorpe's crowning service to the colony of Georgia was rendered. The 

best account of this renowned engagement is from Oglethorpe himself 

in a letter addressed to the trustees, on July 30, 1742. It is preserved 

both in the records of the Georgia Historical Society and in the Colonial 

Records of Georgia.* On account of the far-reaching effect of this 

battle not only upon the immediate fortunes of Georgia but upon the 

future destinies of America, Oglethorpe's letter describing this cele 

brated encounter is reproduced in full. It is to be regretted that in 

repelling the Spanish invasion little help was received from South 

Carolina. The victory was won almost entirely by Georgians. Says 

Oglethorpe: 

"Frederiea in Georgia, 30th July, 1742. 

"The Spanish Invasion which has long time threatened the Colony, 

Carolina, and all North America has at last fallen upon us and God 

hath been our deliverance. General Horcasilas, Governour of the 

Havannah, ordered those troops who had been employed against Gen 

eral Wentworth to embark with Artillery and everything necessary; 

upon a secret expedition. They sailed with a great fleet: amongst them 

were two half Galleys carrying 120 men. each & an 18 pound Gun. 

They drew but five feet of water which satisfied me they were for this 

place. By good great Fortune, one of the half Galleys was wreacked 

coming out. The Fleet sailed for St. Augustine in Florida. Capt. 

Homer the latter end of May called here for Intelligence. I acquainted 

him that the Succours were expected and sent him a Spanish Pilot to 

shew him where to meet with them. He met with ten sail which had 

been divided from the Fleet by storm, but having lost 18 men in 

action against them, instead of coming here for the defence of this 

Place he stood again for Charles Town for repair, and I having certain 

advices of the arrival of the Spanish Fleet at Augustine wrote to the 

Commander of His Majesty's Ships at Charles Town to come to our 

assistance. 

"I sent Lieut. Maxwell who arrived there and delivered the letters 

the 12th of June, and afterwards Lieut. MacKay, who arrived and 

delivered letters on the 20th of June. 

"Lieut. Colonel Cook who was then at Charles Town, and was 

Engineer, hastened to England, and his son-in-law Ensign Eyre, Sub- 

Engineer, was also in Charles Town, and did not arrive here till the 

action was over; so, for want of help, I myself was obliged to do the 

duty of Engineer. 

"The Havannah Fleet, being joined by that of Florida, composed 

51 sail, with land men on board, a List of whom is annexed: they were 

* Georgia Collections III, pp. 133 et seq.

GEOEGIA AND GEOKGIANS 149 

separated, and I received advice from Capt. Dunbar (who lay at 

Fort William with the Guard Schooner of 14 Guns and ninety men) 

that a Spanish Fleet of 14 sail had attempted to come in there, but 

being drove out by the Cannon of the Fort and Schooner they came in 

at Cumberland Sound. I sent over Capt. Horton to land the Indians 

and Troops on Cumberland. I followed myself and was attacked in 

the Sound, but,with two Boats fought my way through. Lieut. Tolson, 

who was to have supported me with the third and strongest boat, 

quitted me in the fight and run into a River where he hid himself till 

next day when he returned to St. Simon's with an account'that I was 

lost but soon after found. I was arrived there before him, for which 

misbehaviour I put him in arrest and ordered him to be tryed. The 

Enemy in this action suffered so much that the day after they ran out 

to sea and returned for St. Augustine and did not join their Fleet till 

after their Grenadiers were beat by Land. 

"I drew the Garrison from St. Andrews, reinforced Fort "William, 

and returned to St. Simon's with the Schooner. 

"Another Spanish Fleet appeared the 28th off the Barr: by God's 

blessing upon several measures taken I delayed their coming in till th6 

5th of July. I raised another Troop of Rangers which with the other 

were of great service. 

"I took Capt. Thomson's ship into the service for defence of the 

Harbour. I embargoe'd all the Vessells, taking their men for the 

service, and gave large gifts and promises to the Indians so that every 

day we increased in numbers. I gave large rewards to men who dis 

tinguished themselves irpon any service, freed the servants, brought 

down the Highland Company, and Company of Boatmen, filled up as 

far as we had guns. All the vessells being thus prepared on the 5th of 

July with a leading Gale and Spring Tide 36 sail of Spanish vessels 

run into the Harbour in line of Battle. 

"We cannonaded them very hotly from the Shipping and Bat- 

terys. They twice attempted to board Capt. Thomson but were 

repulsed. They also attempted to board the Schooner, but were 

repulsed by Capt. Dunbar with a Detachment1 of the Regiment on 

board. 

'' I was with the Indians, Rangers, and Batterys, and sometimes on 

board the ships, and left Major Heron with the Regiment. It being 

impossible for me to do my duty as General and be constantly with the 

Regiment, therefore it was absolutely necessary for His Majesty's 

service to have a Lieut. Colonel present, which I was fully convinced 

of by this day's experience. I therefore appointed Major Heron to be 

Lieut. Colonel, and hope that your Grace will move His Majesty to be 

pleased to approve the same. 

"The Spaniards after an obstinate Engagement of four hours, in 

which they lost abundance of men, passed all out Batterys and Ship 

ping and got out of shot of them towards Frederica. Our Guard Sloop 

was disabled and sunk; one of our Batterys blown up, and also some 

of our Men on board Capt. Thomson, upon which I called a Council of 

War at the head of the Regiment where it was unanimously resolved 

to march to Frederica to get there before the enemy and defend that


Place: & To destroy all the provisions, Vessels, Artillery, &c., at 

St. Simon's that they might not fall into the Enemy's hands. 

"This was accordingly executed, having first drawn all the M.en 

on shoar which before had defended the shipping. I myself staid till 

the last, and the wind coming fortunately about I got Capt. Thomp 

son's Ship, our Guard Schooner, and our Prize Sloop to sea and sent 

them to Charles Town. This I did in the face and spite of thirty-six 

sail of the Enemy: as for the rest of the Vessells, I could- not save 

them, therefore was obliged to destroy them. 

"I must recommend to His Majesty the Merchants who are sufferers 

thereby, since their loss was in great measure the preserving the 

Province. 

'' We arrived at Frederica, and the Enemy landed at St. Simon's. 

"On the 7th a party of their's marched toward the Town: our 

Rangers discovered them and brought an account of their march, on 

which I advanced with a party of Indians, Rangers, and the Highland 

Company, ordering the Regiment to follow, being resolved to engage 

them in the Denies of the Woods before they could get out and form 

in the open Grounds. I charged them at the head of our Indians, 

Highland Men and Rangers, and God was pleased to give us so much 

success that we entirely routed the first party, took one Captain pris 

oner, and killed another, and pursued them two miles to an open 

Meadow or Savannah, upon the edge of which I posted three Platoons 

of the Regiment and the Company of Highland foot so as to be covered 

by the woods from the Enemy who were obliged to pass thro' the 

Meadow under our fire. This disposition was very fortunate. Capt. 

Antonio Barba and two other Captains with 100 Grenadiers and 200 

foot, besides Indians and Negroes, advanced from the Spanish Camp 

into the Savannah with Huzzah's and fired.with great spirit, but not 

seeing our men by reason of the woods, none of their shot took place, 

but ours did. 

"Some Platoons of ours in the heat of the fight, the air being dark 

ened with the smoak, and a shower of rain falling, retired in disorder. 

"I hearing the firing, rode towards it, and at near two miles from 

the place of Action, met a great many men in disorder who told me that 

ours were routed and Lieut. Sutherland killed. I ordered them to halt 

and march back against the Enemy, which orders Capt. Demere and 

Ensign Gibbon obeyed, but another Officer did not, but made the best 

of his way to Town. As I heard the fire continue I concluded our Men 

could not be quite beaten, and that my immediate assistance might 

preserve them: therefore spurred on and arrived just as the fire was 

done. I found the Spaniards intirely routed by one Platoon of the 

Regiment, under the Command of Lieut. Sutherland, and the Highland 

Company under the Command of Lieut. Charles MacKay. 

"An Officer whom the Prisoners said was Capt. Don Antonio Barba 

was taken Prisoner, but desperately wounded, and two others were 

prisoners, and a great many dead upon the spot. Lieut. Sutherland, 

Lieut. Charles MacKay and Sergt. Stuart having distinguished them 

selves upon this occasion, I appointed Lieutenant Sutherland Brigade 

Major, and Sergt. Stuart second Ensign. 

"Capt. Demere and Ensign Gibbon being arrived with the men


they had rallied, Lieut. Cadogan with an advanced party of the Regi 

ment, and soon after the whole Regiment, Indians, and Rangers, I 

marched down to a causeway over a marsh very near the Spanish Camp 

over which all were obliged to pass, and thereby stopt those who had 

been dispersed in the fight in the Savannah from getting to the Span 

ish Camp. Having passed the night there, the Indian scouts in the 

morning advanced to the Spanish Camp and discovered they were all 

retired into the ruins of the Fort and were making Intrenchments 

under shelter of the cannon of the ships. That they guessed them to be 

above 4,000 men. I thought it imprudent to attack them defended by 

Cannon with so small a number but marched back to Frederica to 

refresh the soldiers, and sent out Partys of Indians and Rangers to 

harrass the Enemy. I also ordered into arrest the officers who com 

manded the Platoons that retired. 

"I appointed a General Staff: Lieut. Hugh MacKay and Lieut. 

Maxwell Aids de Camp, and Lieut. Sutherland Brigade Major. On 

ye llth of July the Great Galley and two little ones came up the river 

towards the Town. We fired at them with the few Guns so warmly 

that they retired, and I followed them with our boats till they got under 

the cannon of their ships which lay in the sound. 

"Having intelligence from the Spanish Camp that they had lost 

4 Captains and upwards of 200 men in the last Action, besides a great 

many killed in the sea-fight, and several killed in the night by the 

Indians even within or near the camp, and that they had held a Council 

of War in which there were great divisions, insomuch that the Forces 

of Cuba separated from those of Augustine and the Italick Regiment 

———— of Dragoons separated from them both at distance from the 

rest near the woods and that there was a general Terror amongst them, 

upon which I was resolved to beat up their Quarters in the night and 

marching down with the largest body of men I could make, I halted 

within a mile and a half of their camp to form, intending to leave the 

Troops there till I had well reconitred the Enemy's disposition. 

'' A French Man who without my knowledge wa.s come down amongst 

the volunteers fired his Gun and deserted. Our Indians in vain pur 

sued and could not take him. Upon this, concluding we were discovered, 

I divided the Drums in different parts and beat the Grenadiers march 

for about half an hour, then ceased, and we marched back with silence, 

"The next day I prevailed with a prisoner, and gave him a sum of 

money to carry a letter privately and deliver it to that French Man who 

had deserted. This letter was wrote in French as if from a friend of 

his, telling him he had received the money; that he should strive to 

make the Spaniards believe the English were weak. That he should 

undertake to pilot up their boats and Galleys and then bring them tinder 

the'Woods he knew the Hidden Batterys were; that if he could bring 

that about, he should have double the reward he had already received. 

That the French Deserters should have all that had been promised to 

them. The Spanish Prisoner got into their Camp and was immediately 

carried before their General Don Manuel de Montiano. He was asked 

how he escaped and whither he had any letters, but denying his having 

any, was strictly searched and the letter found, and he upon being par 

doned, confessed that he had received money to deliver it to the French-


man, for the letter was not directed. The Frenchman denied his know 

ing anything of the contents of the letter or having received any money 

or correspondence with me, notwithstanding which, a Council of War 

was held and they deemed the French Man to be a double spy, but Gen 

eral Montiano would not suffer him to be executed, having been employed 

by him; however they imbarqued all their Troops, and halted under 

Jekyll; they also confined all the French on board and imbarked with 

such precipitation that they left behind them Cannon, &c., and those dead 

of their wounds, unburied. The Cuba Squadron stood out to sea to the 

number of 20 sail; General Montiano with the Augustine Squadron 

returned to Cumberland Sound, having burnt Captain Horton's houses, 

&c., on Jekyll. I, with our boats, followed him. I discovered a great 

many sail under Fort St. Andrew, of which eight appeared to me plain, 

but being too strong for me to attack, I sent the Scout Boats back. 

'' I went with my own Cutter and landed a man on Cumberland who 

carried a letter from me to Lieut. Stuart at Fort William with orders 

to defend himself to the last extremity. 

"Having discovered our Boats & believing we had landed Indians 

in the night they set sail with great haste, in so much that not having 

time to imbarque, they killed 40 horses which they had taken there, and 

burnt the houses. The Galleys and Small Craft to the number of fifteen 

went thro' the inland Water Passages. They attempted to land near 

Fort William, but were repulsed by the Rangers; they then attacked it 

with Cannon and small Arms from the water for three Hours, but the 

place was so bravely defended by Lieut. Alexander Stuart that they 

were repulsed and ran out to sea where twelve other sail of .Spanish 

vessels had lain at anchor without the Barr during the Attack without 

stirring; but the Galleys being chased out, they hoisted all the sails they 

could and stood to the Southward. I followed them with the Boats 

to Fort William, and from thence sent out the Rangers and some Boats 

who followed them to Saint John's, but they went off rowing and sail 

ing to St. Augustine. 

"After the news of their defeat in the Grenadier Savannah arrived 

at Charles Town, the Men of War and a number of Carolina People 

raised in a hurry set out and came off this Barr after the Spaniards had 

been chased quite out of this Colony, where they dismissed the Carolina 

vessels, and Capt. Hardy promised in his letters to cruise off St. 

Augustine. 

"We have returned thanks to God for our deliverance, have set all 

the hands I possibly could to work upon the Fortifications, and have sent 

to the Northward to raise men ready to form another Battalion against 

His Majesty's Orders shall arrive for that purpose. I have retained 

Thompson's ship, have sent for Cannon shott, &c., for Provisions and 

all kinds of stores since I expect the Enemy who (tho' greatly terrified) 

lost but few men in comparison of their great numbers, as soon as they 

have recovered their fright will attack us with more caution and better 

discipline. 

'' I hope His Majesty will- approve the measures I have taken and I 

must entreat Your Grace to lay my humble request before His Majesty 

that he would graciously pleased to order Troops, Artillery and other 

Necessarys sufficient for the defence of this Frontier and the neighbor-


ing Provinces, or give such direction as His Majesty shall think proper, 

and I do not doubt but with a moderate support not only to be able to 

defend these Provinces, the same numbers they had in this expedition." 

To this interesting narrative we append, without comment, two con 

temporaneous accounts, copies from documents on file in the Public 

Record Office, in London, and found among the Shaftesbury Papers: 

"The following particular Account of the Spaniards invading 

Georgia was received by Messrs. Skinner & Simson, Merchants in Lon 

don, from Mr. John Smith, who was then on board the Success Frigate, 

Captain William Thomson, dated at Charles Town in South Carolina, 

the 14th of July last: 

" 'This serves to inform you of my safe arrival in Georgia after 

a Passage of 10 weeks. We met no Molestation from the Privateers 

in our way, nor could make no Prizes, tho' we pursued and brought to 

several Vessels. Our People were all healthy 'till the last three weeks 

of our Passage, when a Malignant Fever came amongst them and sweeped 

away several Soldiers, and the best part of our Ship's Company with 

out Chief Mate, Carpenter, and Boatswain. ' I was also visited, but got 

well over it. 

" 'Three days after our arrival in Georgia AVO were alarmed by sev 

eral small Vessels being seen off the Harbour which we took to be Span 

iards. The Ge/ieral sent his Privateer Schooner to Fort William which 

lyes to the Southward of our Harbour to help to defend that Place in 

ease of being attacked, and the next day (being the 22nd of June) sent 

out his own Barge to make discovery if the Enemy had landed. They 

returned in the afternoon with Account that the Enemy with eleven 

Galleys were in the Sound called Cumberland, about 20 miles to the 

Southward of St. -Simon's, where we lay. Upon which the General put 

two Companies of Soldiers in three Boats and went along with them 

himself to the relief of Fort William, so that crossing Cumberland Sound 

the Galleys, full of men, bore down upon them. He began the Engage 

ment himself with his own Boats' Crew, and exchanged several Volleys 

with one of the Galleys. In the mean time two Galleys engaged one of 

the General's Boats where was 50 Soldiers commanded by one Toulson, 

who thinking himself hard set, bore away and left the General with 

the other two Boats engaged, but they bravely fought their way through 

with the loss only of one man, and got to Fort William. Toulson got 

clear and afterwards came to St. Simon's. That night we heard several 

great Guns fired, and volleys of small arms to the Southward, so that 

we got all ready for an attack; next day heard nothing of the General, 

which put everybody under great concern. The Day after saw a Sail 

off the Bar which proved to be the General's Schooner with himself 

aboard, and a Company of Soldiers, who brought account of all being 

well at Fort William, and that they had beat off 9 Galleys which thought 

to surprise them. The General came ashore and was saluted by us with 

31 Guns, and by the Fort. He confined Mr. Toulson for leaving him, 

and sent for Captain Thomson, and advised him to send his Goods to 

Town, and get all ready for defence, for he thought of being attacked at 

St. Simon's. And soon after we had an Account that there were 32 Sail 

hoisting Spanish Colours where they lay in the same place for 5 days 

without making the least attempt, but sent out their small Vessels to


sound the Bar. July the 4th, they got under sail and came to in the 

right way off the Channel so that we expected to be attacked next day. 

The General came, on board of us and made a very handsome Speech 

encouraging us to stand by our Liberties and Country. For his part 

he was resolved to stand it out, and would not yield one inch to them 

tho' they appeared so formidable. He was convinced they were much 

superior in Numbers, but then he was sure his men were much better, 

and did not doubt (with the favour of God) but he would get the better. 

We having but 10 seamen on board, the General sent us 100 Soldiers, 

and being well provided with warlike stores, were ready for twice the 

number of Spaniards. There were several Vessels in the Harbour which 

we (as Commodore) placed in the following order, viz:— 

" 'The Success, captain Thomson, 20 guns, 100 men, with springs 

upon our cable. 

" 'The General's Schooner, 14 guns, 80 men, on our starboard bow. 

" 'The St. Philip Sloop, 14 guns, 50 men, on our starboard quarter.. 

" '8 York Sloops close in Shore with one man on board each in case 

of being overpowered, to sink or run them on shore. 

" 'July 5th. The Spanish Vessels got all under Sail and stood in. 

They sent two Quarter Galleys carrying 9 Pounders, and one Half Galley 

with two 18 Pounders in her bow to begin the Attack which were warmly 

received by the Fort, which exchanged several Shot with them. The 

Wind and Tide both serving, they soon came up with us and fired upon 

us, which we returned very briskly. They .attempted to come up under 

our stern, upon which I run out two 6 Pounders at the Stern Ports 

(they being the Guns I commanded) and fired upon her which made' 

them lye upon their Oars, and drive with the Tide. The Admiral came 

next and was saluted with our whole broad-side, then by the Schooner 

.and Sloop, which made him sheer off from us. In short we received 

all their Fire and returned the same very briskly, having fired near 

300 Shot out of our Ship, they coming on one by one just gave us time 

to load, so that I believe there was not one Ship but had some Shot in 

her. They fired at the York Sloops which had run aground. After, 

they came to anchor and landed a great many men, of which they had 

great Plenty. 

" 'The General sent us off Thanks for our brave Resistance and 

ordered his men ashore and us with what other Vessels could go to make 

the best of their way to Charles Town or anywhere to save the Vessels; 

upon which, we gott ourselves in train for going to sea, and cutting our 

Cable dropped down with the Tide. The Schooner and Prize Sloop 

followed us, next morning got over the Bar, and said 4 Galleys standing 

after us, we got all ready for a second engagement, and having sea- 

room, would have made a market of them, but they did not care to coine 

over the Bar. 

''' All that night saw several fires, and a sloop blow up, which proved 

the General destroying all that might be of service to the Enemy, intend 

ing to march all his men to frederiea and there hold it out. 

" 'July 7th. Got all into Charles Town. Captain Thomson peti 

tioned the Assembly for assistance to the General, and to have his own 

Ship manned to go against the Enemy with the Man of War and what


other Merchantmen they can fit out, which they have taken into con 

sideration. 

" 'The Mamborcragh, Man of War, and two Sloops, with a Galley, 

have been gone from this place a fortnight, and been drove to the North 

ward by a Gale of Wind. They yesterday came abreast of this place 

and had account how the General's Affairs stood: upon which they made 

sail for the Southward. 

" ''I wish our Fleet had been ready to have gone with them, and I 

dare say we would have catcht them all. Every minute .appears an 

age to me till we can assist our Friends to the Southward and 'till I have 

Satisfaction for being left naked: They have got my all amongst them: 

not having one shirt but as I •• borrow. I hope next opportunity to write 

you better news. In the mean time remember me to all our Fiiends.' 

'' On the 28th of June, 1742, thirty three Spanish Vessels appeared off 

the Bar. The General staid at St. Simon's taking all possible measures 

for the Defence of the Harbour, and opposed them in such a manner 

that they could not become Masters of the Bar 'till 5th instant when 

they entered the Harbour in line of Battle ahead. The General's Dis 

position of the Land Troops prevented the Spaniards from Landing. 

The General's three Vessels, with Captn Thomson's Ship, fought stoutly. 

The Officers and Men in the Merchant Service, as well as those of the 

Regiment behaved with the greatest courage. After three hours' fight 

by the Land Batteries as well as the Vessels, the Spanish Fleet broke all 

through and made for Fredcrica, but in a very Shatter'd condition, 

which obliged the General immediately to send the Regiment for the 

defence of that Place, and followed in the rear himself, and before he 

would leave St. Simon's, had all the Cannon, Magazines, &c., burst and 

destroyed, and sent out such Vessels as were on float to sea, the Harbour 

having been left open by the Spaniards running up the River. The 

loss is very considerable, and chiefly owing to the want of Artillery, En 

gineers, good Gunners, and Ships of Force,—the Officers of the Regi 

ment, Sailors, Indians, &c., having done all that men could do for their 

numbers. The General himself was everywhere but chiefly at the Main 

Battery and Shipping, Major Herpn being with the Regiment on Shore, 

and Col. Cook at Charles Town, by leave of Absence by reason of siek- 

ness, on his way to England. The General is preparing to make the 

best defence he can in this Place. 

"General Oglethorpe being arrived on the 6th of July by day 

break, without the loss of a man, having brotight up all the wounded 

on his horses, he dismounted and marched on foot himself and gave his 

own Horse to me. He immediately gave Orders for the Defence of this 

Place, sending our Scouts on all sides .and, supplying the broken and 

lost arms &e., ordered all the Companies to be paraded on the afternoon 

of the same day. The Creek Indians brought in five Spanish Prisoners 

on the 7th day: On which day about the hour of ten, the Rangers who 

had been on the Scout came chased in by the Spaniards, giving an ac 

count that the Enemy was within a mile of this Place where they had 

kill'd one Small. The General leaped on the first Horse and immedi 

ately marched the Highland Company, who were then under arms a 

parading, and ordered sixty from the Guard to follow. He himself


galloped with the Indians to the Place which was just within the Woods 

about a Mile from hence, where he found Captain Sebastian Santio, and 

Captain Magaleeto with 120 Spanish Troops and forty five Spanish In 

dians. Captn Grey with his Chickesaws, Capt. Jones with his Tomo- 

hetans, and Tooanahowi with his Creeks, and .the General with six High 

land Men, who outran the rest, immediately charged them. Captn. 

Mageleeto was killed, Captn. Sebastian Santio taken, and the Spaniards 

entirely defeated. The General took two Spaniards with his own Hands. 

Captn Mageleeto Shot Toonahowi in his right arm as he rushed upon 

him. Toonahowi drawing his Pistol with his left Hand, shot him through 

the Head. The General pursued the Chace for near a mile, when halt 

ing at an advantageous Piece of Ground, stayed till the Guard came up, 

and then posting the Highlanders on the right, and the guard upon the 

left of the Eoad,—hid in a Wood with a large Savannah or Meadow in 

their Front over which the Spaniards must pass to come to Frederica,— 

the General returned and ordered the Regiment, Rangers and Com 

panies of Boatmen to march. Whilst they were preparing, we heard 

Platoons firing. The General immediately got on Horseback, and rid 

ing towards it met three Platoons on the Left coming back in great dis 

order, who gave him an account they had been broke by the Spaniards 

who were extremely numerous. Notwithstanding which, he rallied them 

and he himself rode on, and to his great satisfaction found Lieut. Suth 

erland and the Platoon of the Regiment under his command, and Lieut. 

Mackay with the Highlanders had entirely defeated the Spaniards who 

consisted of two Companies of Grenadiers, making 100 Men and 200 

Foot. Don Antonio Barbara, who commanded them, was Prisoner, but 

was mortally wounded; they also took several other Grenadiers and the 

Drum. The General ordered all the Troops to march from Frederica 

to him. As soon as they arrived he pursued the Enemy four Miles. 

In the two Actions there were one Captain, one Corporal, and sixteen 

Spaniards taken, and about 150 killed: the rest are dispersed in the 

Woods, for the General halted all night at a Pass through the Marshes 

over which they must go in their return to their Camp, and thereby 

intercepted them. The Indians are out, hunting after them in the 

Woods and every hour bring in Scalps. 

"July 8. Before daybreak the General advanced a Party of In 

dians to the Spanish Camp at St. Simon's who found they were all 

retired into Ruins of the Fort, under the Cannon of the Men of War. 

Upon which the General marched back and arrived here about Noon. 

About the same time a Party which the General had drawn from Fort 

William arrived, notwithstanding the Spanish Fleet lyes between us to 

secure us from that Place. 

'' July 9. This day was spent in going on with the Works.'' 

On July 23, 1743, Oglethorpe returned to England, leaving Colonel 

William Stephens as deputy-general of the colony and Major Horton as 

military commander at Frederiea. Despite the signal victory achieved 

by Oglethorpe over the Spaniards, he was not given the cordial recep 

tion in England which had signalized his former returns, due partly 

to a decline of popular interest in the 1 colony itself and to a coldness


between Oglethorpe himself and the trustees touching financial matters. 

Because of this estrangement, Oglethorpe ceased to manifest' the same 

interest in the affairs of the trust and to attend with anything like his 

former regularity upon its meetings; but he retained his commissions 

as governor down to 1752, when the charter of Georgia w.as formally 

surrendered to the Crown. The nature of these frictional troubles be 

tween Oglethorpe and the Trustees will be given more at length in a 

subsequent chapter. The illustrious founder returned no more to Geor 

gia but in England he continued to mold events. For more than a 

decade, we find him a power in Parliament. His marriage in 1745 to 

an heiress, Elizabeth Wright, daughter of Sir Nathan Wright, a baro 

net, brought him a long rent roll and served to enlarge his influential 

family connections. Ten years later he became the official head of the 

Royal Army, with the full rank of general. In the most brilliant coterie 

of the Eighteenth Century, a group of intellects which included the 

great lexicographer, Dr. Samuel Johnson, with Boswell at his elbow; 

the renowned artist, Sir Joshua Reynolds; the celebrated poet, Dr. Oliver 

Goldsmith; and the foremost orator of his time, Edmund Burke; we find 

in this select company of immortals the tall figure of General Ogle 

thorpe. He was too old, at the outbreak of the Revolutionary struggle, 

to accept the command of the British forces in America, but he was the 

ranking soldier of Great Britain.* It is also a fact of some interest to 

note that his sympathies were upon the side.of the Colonies. Boswell, 

in his "Life of Johnson," makes frequent allusion to General Ogle 

thorpe, and the great soldier's biography was to have been written by 

no less renowned a pen than Doctor Johnson's, but for some reason the 

author of "Rasselas" failed to execute this task. The portrait of Ogle 

thorpe painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds was lost in the destruction by 

fire of his famous country seat, Cranham Hall. Alexander Pope, in a 

famous couplet, extolled the great philanthropist. Hannah More, in a 

gossipy letter, refers to him with some degree of gusto as her new ad 

mirer. Thomson, in his poem on "Liberty," pays him a fine tribute, 

and, in his most famous production, "The Seasons," he alludes still 

further to his humane experiment. The hardships of the Georgia col 

onists are also rehearsed at some length in Goldsmith's "Deserted Vil 

lage." The friend of Bishop Berkley, the patron of John Wesley, and 

the colleague of Horace Walpole, the great man who founded Georgia 

was a personality of Titanic proportions. Royal favor was not bestowed 

upon Oglethorpe because of the well-known attachment of his ancestors 

to the House of Stuart. According to an old account, he was himself a 

foster-brother to the pretender. This explains why England failed to 

knight the first man of his age. But there was little need for England 

to lay the accolade of her chivalry upon one of God's noblemen.f Gen- 

* '' The assertion has frequently been made, though the authority for it is not 

conclusive, that being the senior of Sir William Howe there was offered to him the 

command of the forces to subjugate America in the "War of the Revolution, but that 

he declined the appointment, assuring the ministry that he knew the Americans well, 

that they would never be subdued by force of arms, but that obedience would be 

secured by doing them justice." History of Georgia, by Wm. B. Stevens, p. 207, 

New York, 1847. 

t The following Oglethorpe bibliography may be helpful to students: '' Memoirs of 

General James Edward Oglethorpe," by Robert Wright, Londbn, 1867; "Life of


era! Oglethorpe died at the patriarchal age of ninety-seven. He lived 

to see the Colony which he founded an independent commonwealth and 

to meet John Adams, the first ambassador from the United States to 

the Court of St. James. He was buried at Cranham Church, in Essex: 

Comity, England, where his last resting place commands an outlook 

upon the North Sea. 

General Oglethorpe," by Henry Bruee, New York, 1890; "James Oglethorpe, the 

Founder of Georgia," by Harriet C. Cooper, New York, 1904; "James Edward Ogle 

thorpe," an address at the Annual Banquet of the Georgia Society of Sons of the 

Revolution, at Savannah, February 5, 1894, by Judge Emory Speer, included in a 

volume of speeches on "Lee, Lincoln, Grant," etc., New York and Washington, 1909; 

and Judge Charlton's oration at the unveiling of the Oglethorpe monument in 

Savannah, November 23, 1910. 

BLOODY MAESH: WHEKE A BATTLE WAS FOUGHT IN WHICH SPAIN LOST A CON 

TINENT.—Between, the lighthouse at St. Simon's and the old citadel of Frederica 

there stretches a low plain on which was staged a war drama, the far-reaching effect 

of which upon the subsequent fortunes of America hardly admits of a parallel in the 

history of the New World. Here, on July 7, 1742, was fought the historic battle 

of Bloody Marsh. To quote an authority whose opinion is universally respected, 

Thomas Carlyle, "half the world was hidden in embryo under it;" and this wisest 

seer and clearest thinker of the nineteenth century further adds: '' The Yankee nation 

itself was involved, the greatest phenomenon of these ages.'' * The renowned White- 

field declared that Georgia's deliverance from the Spaniards.at this time was to be 

paralleled "only by some instances out of the Old Testament."t Said he:t "Certain 

it is that this battle, though well nigh forgotten, is one of the most glorious and 

decisive in the annals of our country. It detennined that (North America should be 

left to the exploitation of the Anglo-Saxon, the Celtic and the Teutonic races. Had 

success attended the Spaniards, they would have advanced upon the more northern 

settlements." To quote an eminent jurist of this State,* "General Oglethorpe re 

ceived from the Governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vir 

ginia, and North Carolina special letters, congratulating him on his success and 

expressing gratitude to the Supreme Governor of Nations for placing the affairs 

of the Colonies under the direction of a General, so well qualified for the important 

trust.'' In the ancient Spanish burial ground near Frederica lie the remains of 

some of the hapless victims who fell in this engagement, but the sacred area is 

choked with briars and brambles while, amid the damp undergrowth, hisses the 

vengeful snake. The disappearance of the Spanish flag, on January 1, 1899, from 

the whole upper half of the Western Hemisphere, when the independence of Cuba 

was recognized by the government of Madrid, merely served to record the final issues 

of the great victory achieved by Oglethorpe when, with a force of six hundred men, 

he inaugnarated the era of Spain's downfall and gave the whole continent of North 

America to English civilization. Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, 

L. L. Knight, Vol. I. 

* Judge Emory Speer, in a speech delivered at the annual banquet of the Georgia 

Society of Sons of the Revolution,, at Savannah, on February 5, 1894, and incor 

porated in a volume entitled "Lincoln, Lee, Grant, and Other Biographical Ad 

dresses," pp. 130-131, New York and Washington, 1909. In this same work, Judge 

Speer reproduces the "Official E'eport of Don Manual Montiano, Spanish Commander 

of the Expedition against Georgia,'' a document of very great value to historians. 

t McCall, Stephens, Jones. 

t Judge Speer in the worki above mentioned, pp. 130-131.- Also an address de 

livered by Judge Walter G. Charlton, at the unveiling of the Oglethorpe monument 

in Savannah, November 23, 1910,

GEORGIA AND GEOBGIANS 159 

FORCES ENGAGED.—The following is an estimate of the forces engaged:* 

SPANISH TROOPS 

One Regiment of dismounted Dragoons........................ 400 

Havana Regiment ...,.,........'................,.............. 500 

Havana Militia .............................................. 1,000 

Regiment of Artillery......................................... 400 

Florida Militia .............................................. 400 

Battalion of Mulattoes....................................... SOO 

Black Regiment ............................................. 400 

Indians ..................................................... 90 

Marines .................................................... 600 

Seamen ....................................................1,000 

Total .................................................. 5,090 

GENERAL OGLETHOKPI's COMMAND • 

His Eegiment ................................................ 472 

Company of Bangers.......................................... 30 

Highlanders ................................................. 50 

Armed Militia ............................................... 40 

Indians ...................................................... 60 

Total ...................................................652 

MEMORIAL OF BLOODY MARSH.—During the summer of 1913, the historic battle 

field of Bloody Marsh, on St. Simon's Island, was marked by a handsome granite 

memorial, unveiled under the auspices of two patriotic organizations: the Georgia 

Society of Colonial -Dames of Aanerica, and the Georgia Society of Colonial Wars. 

Hon. Bichard D. Meader, of Brunswick, Chancellor of the latter society, delivered 

the principal address, in which he discussed the fa,r-reaehing significance of this 

decisive battle, on the Georgia coast. Said he, among other things: 

'' The entire population, of Georgia in 1750, eight years after Bloody Marsh, was 

only 5,000, whereas South Carolina at the same time had 68,000, North Carolina 

80,000 and Virginia 275,000. In 1742 Georgia probably did not number more than 

4,000 inhabitants, so that we have the spectacle of a small army of 650 men, less 

than a modern regiment, defending more than 300,000 people against the attack 

of a powerful enemy without any assistance from those people. Assuming that 

Georgia's population was 4,000 in 1742, it is not probable that the adult male pop 

ulation was more than one-third that number, so that we see another unusual spec 

tacle, that of one-half the entire male population being engaged in one force, a 

proportion which I doubt has ever been equalled in the world's history. Had this 

small army of 650 men been killed or captured by the Sapniards, there could have 

been 110 effective resistance from the other parts of the colony, and Georgia as an 

English colony would have ceased to exist, while South Carolina and the more 

northern colonies would have had to fight for their existence. 

"Oglethorpe, knowing the overpowering strength of the Spanish and his own 

weakness, realized the desperate straits he was in and made repeated but fruitless 

calls for additional troops upon the more northern colonies. Finally realizing that 

he must rely upon what force he had, in the face of great and impending danger 

he wrote those brave and memorable words which appear above his name on the 

monument that we are dedicating today.'' 

Embedded in the monument is a neat tablet of bronze on which the following 

inscription is lettered: 

"We are resolved not to suffer defeat. We will rather die like 

Leonidas and his Spartans, if we but protect Georgia and the 

Carolinas and the rest of the Americans from desolation."— 

Oglethorpe. 

Erected on the battlefield of Bloody Marsh—by the Georgia 

Society of Colonial Dames of America and the Georgia Society of 

*See MeCall's History of Georgia, Vol. I, p. 196, Savannah, 1811.


Colonial Wars in memory of the great victory -won over the 

Spaniards on this spot July 7, 1742. Georgia's Landmarks, 

Memorials and Legends, L. L. Knight, Vol. II. 

FOKT FKEDBRICA : 1735.—On the west side of St. Simon's Island, at a point which, 

commands the entrance to the Altamaha Biver. stands an ancient pile, the origin of 

•which can be traced to the days of Oglethorpe. It is the oldest of Georgia's historic 

ruins. Some of the very guns which were used to expel the Spaniards may be seen 

upon its moss-covered ramparts; and not only the earliest but the bravest memories 

of Colonial times cluster about its dismantled walls. Except for the part which it 

played in cheeking the haughty arrogance of Madrid, an. altogether different sequel 

might have been given to the subsequent history of North America, for here it was 

that the Castilian power in the Western Hemisphere was for the first time challenged 

and the march of Spain toward the North halted by an overwhelming victory for the 

English Colonies. 

Only some twelve miles distant from the beach, an automobile brings the visitor 

in less than half an hour to the picturesque old ruin and puts him in touch with the 

romantic life of two centuries ago. 

RUINS OF FORT FREDEKICA 

The road to Prederica winds through splendid forests of live-oak, weirdly and 

gloomily draped with pendant mosses. It skirts the historic battle ground of Bloody 

Marsh, passes underneath the famous Wesley oak, and commands a view of Christ 

Church, within the sacred precincts of which there are a number of tombs wherein 

repose the dust of the old planters, whose elegant homes and fertile acres have long 

since been abandoned. 

If the visitor prefers he can make the trip to Frederiea by water. 

But time has spared only the barest remnant of the ancient citadel which saved 

the continent of North America from Spanish domination. Only the walls of the 

old fort have been spared. Not a vestige of the town survives. Says one who has 

often visited the historic spot*: " It is a shame to think how the blocks of tabby 

were carted away to build the lighthouse and the negro quarters, so that nothing 

remains of the old town of Frederica. I remember when a child seeing a house on 

the ruins of the old battery and I~ can recall how I peeped down with awe at the 

magazine below. If our patriotic societies had been earlier founded how much might 

have been saved from vandal hands. But we are thankful to save even this remnant, 

* Mrs. J. J. Wilder, of Savannah, President of the Georgia Society of Colonial 

Dames of America.


which the greedy waves had already overthrown when we determined to preserve it. 

On these very blocks of tabby the great and good Oglethorpe may have laid his hand. 

It is preserved in honor of him, the Founder of Georgia, whose energy -was boundless, 

whose watchfulness was unceasing." 

It is to the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America that the credit belongs 

for the rescue of this historic ruin on the Georgia coast. Occasional visits to the 

upper part of the island disclosed the sad plight in which the old fortifications were 

left and emphasized the importance of immediate action if anything were done to 

rescue the ancient land-mark from utter extinction. At one time there stood upon 

the ruins of the old fort an occupied building. Just how long ago it stood here is 

uncertain, but in removing the debris some of the workmen chanced to discover the 

walls. Thus after the lapse of long years was the existence of the old fort brought 

to the attention of the public. In 1902 a resolution was adopted by the Colonial 

Dames looking toward the restoration of the ancient stronghold. This was possible 

only in part; but without losing a moment's time these patriotic women took the 

initiative, raised the funds which were needed for making the proper repairs, and 

in due time completed the task. Embedded in one of the outer walls of the old fort 

is an elegant tablet of bronze, eighteen by twenty-four inches, on which may be read 

the following inscription: 

OGLETHORPE 

This remnant is all that time hag spared of the Citadel of the 

Town of Frederica, built by General Oglethorpe, A. D., 1735, as an 

outpost against the Spaniards in Florida. Presented by the Georgia 

Society of Colonial Dames of America, 1904. 

"With impressive exercises, the above mentioned tablet was unveiled on April 22, 

1904. There were a number of distinguished visitors present, including representa-. 

tivea from the various patriotic orders. The fort on this occasion was profusely 

decorated with flowers. The tablet was covered with the British, flag, while the 

American colors floated from the parapet. Mrs. J. J. Wilder, President of the 

Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America, unveiled the tablet. The prayer of 

invocation was offered by Eev. D. W. Winn, rector of Christ Church at Frederica, 

after which the anthem "America" was sung by a choir of children. Then followed 

an address by Mrs. Wilder, at the conclusion of which Captain C. S. Wylly, of 

Brunswick, introduced the orator of the day, Hon. Pleasant A. Stovall, of Savannah, 

who, in eloquent language, told the brave story of the old fort. Some few paragraphs 

from this address are herewith reproduced. 

Said Mr. Stovall, in substance: "Those who would have a glimpse of the real 

James Oglethorpe must come to Frederica, for he was above everything else a sol 

dier. When he had finished his earlier task at Savannah, his face by some mysterious 

fascination was turned ,to the southward. He thereupon set out for St. Simon's 

where, true to his military instincts, he built his forts and assembled his regiment, 

and where, for the first time, yielding to the domestic spirit, he reared his roof-tree 

and established the beginning of his home. Until he left the Colony never again 

to return he resided at his cottage on St. Simon's Island, and of all the places 

planted and nurtured by him, none so warmly enlisted his energies or engaged his 

constant solicitude as this fortified town at the mouth of the river. 

'' The men who sailed with Francis Drake and who ravaged the Spanish main in 

the sixteenth century did not lead a more venturesome or heroic existence than did 

Oglethorpe at Frederica, yet according to Colonel Jones, 'the only hours of leisure 

he ever enjoyed were in sight and sound of his military works on the southern 

frontier.' Weary of the outcries and intrigues of the settlers at Savannah, stung by 

their evidences of ingratitude and discouraged by their protests against his benign 

supervision, he found rest at Frederica, where he stationed his regiment and revived 

a military regime. Here he mounted guard under the spreading oaks and watched 

the sentinels as they paced the lonely shades. Now and then he conversed genially 

with the cadets of the old families who had enlisted here, while ever and anon he 

heard the bugles ring out in the silver moonlight and saw his guard sloop patrol the 

estuaries of. the Altamaha. 

"Oglethorpe proved to be a sea-fighter as well as an in/antry commander. He 

seemed to be at home in every branch of the service. Napoleon, when he heard that 

Vol. I—11


the English had vanquished the French fleet in the battle of the Nile, held up his 

hands in helplessness and exclaimed: 'I cannot be everywhere.' But Oglethorpe 

seemed to have the faculty of being everywhere and of covering every foot of ground 

and every sheet of water, from the mouth of the St. John's to St. Simon's Island 

He served the guns on shipboard and 011 the land batteries, and even acted as engi 

neer. He had the power of initiative. He possesses the aggressive genius of attack.'' 

"Walpole called him a 'bully.' He was not that; but he was a military man 

every inch of him, strict and severe in discipline, better suited to the scenes of war 

than to the patient civic administration of the council board. After the Spanish 

had been driven from the limits of Georgia and the peace of Europe had been accom 

plished, leaving Frederica free from the fear of further invasion, Oglethorpe sailed 

away to the old country and left the work of rehabilitating the Colony to other 

hands. It is fortunate, perhaps, for his fame that he did so. The rules of the 

trustees were much modified. The charter was surrendered to the Crown and the 

drastic lines upon which the paternal government of Oglethorpe had been projected 

were partially changed. But conditions had shifted. A Colony environed by an 

implacable foe, subject to spoliation at any time, must be governed, perhaps, by the 

rules of the ramparts and of the quarterdeck. A people basking in peace and 

developing under the arts need vastly different regulations. But fortunate for all 

of us it was that the first period of Georgia's existence was shaped by a master hand 

and its destinies guided by one of the noblest men and one of the knightliest soldiers 

in Europe. 

"After the departure of Oglethorpe and the conclusion of peace Frederica began 

to retrograde. The troops were finally removed and the fortifications fell into decay. 

Houses commenced to tumble down, and there were 'barracks without soldiers, gong 

without carriages, and streets overgrown with weeds.' Even in 1774, two yean 

before the Declaration of Independence, Frederica was a ruin; from the crumbling. 

walls of the deserted houses, figs andj pomegranates were growing; and the brave 

town soon dwindled into nothingness. During the Revolution the British troops well- 

nigh completed the spoliation of time. The mission of Frederica, according to CoL 

Jones, was accomplished when the Spaniards no longer threatened. Its doom was 

pronounced in the hour of its victory. Fannie Keinble, who visited the ruins in 

1839 saw 'the wilderness of crumbling gray walls compassionately cloaked with a 

thousand graceful creepers.' "* 

GENERAL OOLETHOEPE'S EPITAPH.—In the chancel of the parish church at Gran- 

ham, in the County of Essex, Eng., on a mural tablet of white marble, is the follow 

ing inscription to General Oglethorpe. The last resting place of the great humani 

tarian and soldier is near the water's edge, sixteen miles to the east of London. His 

palatial residence, which stood in the immediate neighborhood, was burned to th^ 

ground some time during the last century and the moldering gateway to the garden 

alone remains to tell where the colony of Georgia was first outlined in the dreams of 

the illustrious founder. 

Near this place lie the remains of JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE, Esq., who 

served under Prince Eugene, and in 1714 was Captain Lieutenant in the first troup 

of the Queen's Guards. In 1740 he was appointed Colonel of a Regiment to be 

raised for Georgia. In 1745 he was appointed Major-General; in 1747, Lieutenant 

General; and in 1760, General of His Majesty's forces. In his civil station he was 

very early conspicuous. He was chosen Member of Parliament for Haslemere, in 

Surry, in 1722, and continued to represent it till 1754. 

In the committee of Parliament, for inquiring into the state of the jails, formed 

25th of February, 1728, and of which he was Chairman, the active and persevering 

zeal of his benevolence found a truly suitable enjoyment, by visiting with his col 

leagues of that generous body, the dark and pestilential dungeons of the Prisons, 

which at that time dishonored the metropolis; detecting the most enormous oppres- 

sions; obtaining exemplary punishment on those who had been guilty of such outrages 

against humanity and justice; and redressing multitudes from extreme misery to 

light and freedom. Of these, about seven hundred, rendered, by long confinement for 

debt, strangers and helpless in the country of their birth, and desirous of seeking 

an asylum in the wilds of America, were by him conducted thither in 1732. 

* Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, by L. L. Knight. Vol. I.


lie willingly encountered in their behalf a variety of fatigue and danger, and 

thus became the founder of the Colony of Georgia; a Colony which afterwards set 

the noble example of prohibiting the importation of slaves. 

This new establishment he strenuously and successfully defended against a power 

ful attack of the Spaniards. In the year in which he quitted Englaud to found this 

settlement, he nobly strove to secure our true national defence by sea and land— 

a free navy—without impressing a constitutional militia. But his social affections 

were more enlarged than even the term Patriotism can express: he was the friend 

of the oppressed negro,—no part of the globe was too remote,—no interest too 

unconnected,—or too much opposed to his own, to prevent the immediate succor of 

suffering humanity. 

For such qualities he received from the ever memorable John, Duke of Argyle, 

a full testimony, in the British Senate, to his military character, his natural gen 

erosity, his contempt of danger, and regard for the Public. A similar encomium is 

perpetuated in a foreign language;* and, by one of our most celebrated poets,t 

his remembrance is transmitted to posterity in lines justly expressive of the purity, 

the ardor, and the extent of his benevolence. He lived till the 1st of July, 1786; 

a venerable instance to what a duration a life of temperance and virtuous labor is 

capable of being protracted. His widow, Elisabeth, daughter of Sir Nathan Wright, 

of Crauham Hall, Bart., and only sister and heiress of Sir Samuel Wright, Bart., 

of the same place, surviving, with regret, but with due submission to Divine Provi 

dence, an affectionate husband, after an union of more than forty years, hath 

inscribed to his memory these faint traces of his excellent character. 

(Then follows several lines of inferior verse.) 

* Reference is here made, to an eloquent eulogy of Oglethorpe by Abbe Raynal, 

in his '' Historic Philosophique et Politique.'' 

t Alexander Pope's famous lines are here recalled— 

" Hail, Oglethorpe! with nobler triumphs crowned 

Than ever were in camps or sieges found. 

* * # 

Thy great example shall through ages shine, 

A favorite theme with poet and divine; 

People unborn thy merits shall proclaim 

And add new honors to thy deathless name."

CHAPTER XVIII 

GEORGIA DIVIDED INTO Two GREAT COUNTIES : SAVANNAH AND FRED- 

ERICA—COLONEL WILLIAM STEPHENS Is MADE PRESIDENT OF THE 

FORMER—BUT ON THE RETURN OP OGLETHORPE TO ENGLAND HE 

BECOMES PRESIDENT OF THE COLONY OF GEORGIA—SKETCH OF 

PRESIDENT STEPHENS—His JOURNAL AN IMPORTANT SOURCE-BOOK 

OF INFORMATION IN REGARD TO COLONIAL AFFAIRS—IMPOVERISHED 

CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE FOLLOWING THE SPANISH WARS—THE 

SILK-WORM INDUSTRY DECLINES—GREAT DISTRESS PREVAILS— 

PRAYER FOR RELIEF Is MADE TO THE TRUSTEES—THOMAS STEPHENS 

EMBARKS FOR ENGLAND TO REPRESENT THE MALCONTENTS, MUCH TO 

THE EMBARRASSMENT OF AN AGGRIEVED FATHER—SLANDERS THE 

TRUSTEES, FOR WHICH OFFENCE HE Is MADE TO KNEEL BEFORE THE 

HOUSE OF COMMONS AND TO RECEIVE A REPRIMAND FROM THE 

SPEAKER—NEVERTHELESS, • IN RESPONSE TO REPEATED COMPLAINTS, 

RADICAL CHANGES ARE MADE—SLAVERY Is ALLOWED UNDER CER 

TAIN RESTRICTIONS—EVEN THE SALZBURGERS . WITHDRAW OBJEC 

TIONS—RUM Is ALSO ADMITTED—ESTATES IN TAIL MALE ABOLISHED— 

OGLETHORPE'S DIPLOMACY IN DEALING WITH THE INDIANS—CHRIS 

TIAN PRIBER—SEEKS TO ORGANIZE AN INDIAN CONFEDERACY—PROVES 

TO BE A CATHOLIC—PAPERS FOUND ON His PERSON—THE BOSOM- 

WORTH CLAIM—MARY'S DRAMATIC ENTRANCE INTO SAVANNAH— 

PRESIDENT STEPHENS TAKES A BOLD STAND—THE INDIANS ARE 

QUIETED. 

Some two years before the return of Oglethorpe to England the 

province of Georgia had been divided by the trustees into two great 

counties: Savannah and Frederica. It was contemplated that for each 

of th^se there should be a president, with four assistants. But since 

Oglethorpe had established his residence on St. Simon's Island, no 

president was appointed for Frederica. To fill this office for Savannah, 

Col. William Stephens was appointed. Oglethorpe, however, still 

retained his general oversight of the province until his return to Eng 

land in 1743, when Col. William Stephens was designated to succeed 

him as president of Georgia, an office which he held as a sort of lieu 

tenant-governorship under Oglethorpe, who, even after his return to 

England, continued for more than a decade to he Georgia's official head. 

Maj. William Horton was designated to act as military commander at 

Frederiea. Here, on March 22, 1743, the powder magazine was blown 

up, it is supposed, by a vagabond Irishman; but its great mission had 

been accomplished. Capt. Richard Kent was chosen at this time to 

keep the peace at Augusta. 

164


William Stephens was the son of an English baronet and was born 

on the Isle of Wight in 1671. After receiving his diploma from King's 

College, Oxford, he was admitted to the Middle Temple. In 1736 he 

came to South Carolina to survey a barony; and while in that province 

he chanced to meet General Oglethorpe, who was frequently a visitor 

in Charleston. At the latter's invitation he removed to Georgia in 

1737 to become resident secretary of the trustees. Sixty-seven years of 

age at this time, he was quite an old man when made secretary; and 

on assuming official responsibilities as president of Georgia he was in 

his seventieth year. The journal which he kept during his residence 

in the province is the chief source from which most of our information 

concerning Georgia's early colonial life has been derived. This work, 

entitled a "Journal of the Proceedings in Georgia," was published in 

London in 1742, in three volumes. It has recently been reproduced in 

the Colonial Records of Georgia.* The infirmities of age necessitated 

his relinquishment of the office of president in 1751; but he continued 

to live for two years longer, dying in 1753, at the age of eighty-two. 

Thomas Stephens, his son, published in 1742 a biographical work which 

he called "The Castle Builders, or the History of William Stephens," 

a second edition of which appeared in 1757. 

Following the Spanish wars an impoverished condition of affairs was 

presented by the province. The Scotch settlement at Darien was almost 

completely extinguished. Most of the stalwart Highlanders had fallen 

in the protection of Georgia's exposed frontier, some of them under the 

walls of St. Augustine. Frederica had likewise received a blow from 

which it was destined never to recover. There was little recuperative 

energy in the province, due to some of the stringent laws under which 

Georgia was governed. Estates in tail had not proven a success. The 

ban against an importation of slaves had prevented Georgia from -keep 

ing apace with other colonies. The culture of silk-worms had proven a 

failure, nor had the growing of grapes been a source of profit. There 

had been no immigration of new settlers into the province for some 

time, due to various causes, among them (1) a waning interest in the 

colony on the part of the British public, shared in some measure even 

by the trustees; (2) a demoralized condition of affairs caused by Caus- 

ton's irregularities; and (3) an ever-present dread of the Spaniards, 

who had sworn to extinguish Georgia; (4) malarial fevers;,and (5) 

ill-advised rules of the trustees relative to land tenure, slavery, and rum. 

Consequently, the administration of President Stephens was couched 

-upon troublous times. It was a period of great unrest, of widespread 

destitution, of deep-seated complaint, of demoralized social, industrial, 

and business conditions. Nor was it in any wise the fault of this high- 

minded and upright old man who, under circumstances of a most trying 

nature, was unflinchingly true to his trust. If he was to be criticized 

at all, it was for not acquainting the trustees, who relied upon him for 

information, as to the true facts concerning the province, especially 

with regard to the harmful effect of some of the laws passed by the 

corporation; but he was .anxious to appear well in the eyes of the trus 

tees, and he doubtless little thought that by putting a fair face upon 

• Vol. IV, Colonial R'eeords, Gaudier.


conditions he was doing the province any real harm. He ought to have 

told the trustees the exact truth, but instead of doing this, he preferred 

to urge a philosophic patience and a submissive spirit upon the colonists. 

Georgia was the only one of the English provinces in which any 

restriction existed at this time as to the ownership of lands, as to the 

employment of slave labor, or as to the use of alcoholic liquors. As we 

have already seen, the trustees, while forbidding negro slaves, permitted 

white servants. These were brought into the colony under contracts 

called indentures, in which they bound themselves to hard labor for a 

term of years, usually from three to four; and at the expiration of this 

time they were to be given lands to occupy as settlers. Servants of this 

character were, as a rule, worthless. They were known as "indented" 

or "articled" servants; and if not an indolent lot, they were ill-adapted 

to agricultural employment in the Georgia swamps under a blistering 

sun. As a consequence, many of them fell victims to malarial fever. 

Besides, scores of these servants ran away, finding conditions of life 

much easier in the other colonies. We are not surprised to learn, there- 

fore, that for the first six years after Colonel Stephens became presi 

dent of the colony, Georgia, instead of flourishing, slowly declined until 

conditions finally reached an acute climax. 

Prayers for relief had been made to the trustees as early as 1735, 

but without success. In 1738 a petition, signed by more than a thousand 

colonists residing in the neighborhood of Savannah had been forwarded 

to the home authorities asking for modifications in the law as to slaves 

and ownership of lands; but the Scotch settlers at Darien and the Salz- 

burgers at Ebenezer had opposed the introduction of slave labor in 

counter petitions. Consequently, the trustees had again refused to 

modify a set of rules to which they were committed by fixed principles. 

But there was no relinquishment of purpose on the part of the colonists. 

An incessant bombardment of the London office commenced to reach" its 

dramatic culmination when Thomas Stephens, a son of Georgia's aged 

president, was sent to England as the mouthpiece of this discontented 

element to demand measures of relief, much to the embarrassment of an 

aggrieved father, who was not in sympathy with his errand.*' 

While these disappointments were being suffered by the trustees, 

further vexations were begun for them by Thomas Stephens, who had 

come to England claiming to represent the people of Georgia. As the 

agent of the inhabitants of the province, he had on March 30, 1742, pre 

sented a petition to the Privy Council complaining against the oppres 

sions of the trustees and asking for relief. This petition was referred 

to the committee of the council for plantation affairs and a copy of it 

was sent by the committee to the trust with the desire that an answer 

might be returned as speedily as possible by the trustees. This answer 

was filed on May 3, 1742, but before a hearing could be held by the 

council the matter had been taken up by the House of Commons. On 

April 30 a petition was presented in the House for Thomas Stephens, 

but in the name of the inhabitants of Georgia, and it was moved that 

the petition be referred to a private committee. The friends of the 

trustees objected to this disposition of the matter, because they feared 

* Thomas Stephens made to kneel before the House of Commons.


that a committee might be selected that would be hostile to the colony 

and so they pressed for a hearing before the whole House and this was 

finally secured by them. The petition and answer that had been filed 

with the Privy Council were laid before the House and it was agreed 

that both sides should be allowed to introduce evidence and might be 

heard by counsel. 

Three solemn hearings at the bar of the whole House of Commons 

were held on the allegations of the petition and the defense of the 

trustees was then presented. After hearing the counsel for both sides 

and debating the subject among themselves, the members of the House 

as a committee adopted six resolutions to embody their findings in the 

case. They approved entirely the usefulness of Georgia; they asserted 

that it ought to be supported and preserved, and they condemned the 

petition of Stephens as containing false, scandalous and malicious 

charges, but they reported in favor of changing one or two of the regu 

lations of the trustees. When these resolutions were presented as the 

report of the committee, the House adopted them without change on 

June 29; and Thomas Stephens on the next day was made to kneel 

in the House of Commons and was reprimanded lay the speaker for his 

part in trying to asperse the characters of the trustees. 

But sentiment in favor of radical changes in the government of the 

colony was gradually crystallized into a universal demand. The Sulz- 

burgers, who bitterly opposed at first an introduction of slaves, finally 

relented. The Scotch Highlanders no longer interposed an objection. 

Even the revered Whitefield, a moral leader of the most exalted type, 

originally a pronounced foe to slavery, became convinced of the fact 

that Georgia's .existence as a colony was imperiled by the law forbid 

ding its introduction. James Habersham was likewise of this opinion. 

Consequently, after turning a deaf ear to all appeals of this character 

for a period of fifteen years, the trustees were finally made to realize 

that resistance was no longer a virtue. Perhaps the most weighty argu 

ment of all for rescinding the law as to slaves was a single detached 

sentence from a letter written by the devout old minister, Mr. Bolzius. 

"Things being now in such a melancholy state," wrote he, "I most 

humbly beseech your honors not to regard any more our petitions 

against negroes." . 

It was, thereupon, resolved by the trustees to petition the king for 

a repeal of the law touching slavery in the province, under certain 

conditions, to wit: that the colonists should employ one white servant 

to every four male slaves; that slaves should be taught no trade likely 

to interfere with white citizens; that inhuman treatment was not to be 

allowed; and that moral and religious instruction was not to be 

neglected. Before any final action was taken, however, a letter was 

first addressed to President Stephens setting forth these conditions, in 

regard to which a ratification was asked. At a convention of the colo 

nists over which Major Horton, of Frederica, presided, these conditions 

were accepted without demurrer. Moreover, additional conditions were 

proposed by the colonists to the following effect: That a penalty of 

ten pounds should be paid by every master who forced or permitted 

a slave to work on the Lord's day; and that if any master failed to 

compel his slaves to attend church at some time on Sunday he should,


for each offense, be fined five pounds. Upon these conditions, formal 

acceptance of which was given, a petition signed by twenty-seven per 

sons of the highest standing in the province was forwarded to the 

trustees asking that slavery be allowed at once; and in response thereto, 

on October 26, 1749, tinder the conditions above indicated slaves were 

admitted by law into the colony of Georgia. 

Without multiplying details, it was only a few months before the 

regulations against a sale of rum and other distilled liquors was also 

repealed; while on March 25, 1750, the law governing land tenure was 

changed so that an owner of property might mortgage or sell his land 

at will. Thus fee simple estates were substituted for estates in tail 

male. One after another, therefore, the rules which, in the beginning, 

had been deemed by the trustees so essential to the welfare of the colony, 

had been abrogated. Even the silk-worm industry, of which the trustees 

had expected so much, was soon to die a natural death, despite every 

effort made by the British government to encourage its development. 

Handsome appropriations, liberal premiums, generous gifts, all proved 

unavailing. Mulberry trees began to die of neglect, cocoons decreased 

in number, filatures fell into ruin, and an industry from vast revenues 

were expected to accrue to the Crown of England, perished by slow 

degrees until at last its existence became only a dim recollection. The 

industrious Salzburgers alone persevered for any length of time in the 

spinning of silk; but even these patient Germans became discoiiraged 

at last. Thus every reform principle upon which the colony of Georgia 

was established by the trustees was in the end abrogated or annulled; 

but nothing can be said derogatory to the motives of the high-minded 

English gentlemen who were Georgia's earliest sponsors, and who, if 

somewhat visionary, were nevertheless noble and generous men. 

Oglethorpe's tact in dealing with the Indians, whether we ascribe it 

to his far-sighted wisdom or to his strong benevolence of soul, secured 

for the province a long immunity from hostile attack. During the 

entire period of his residence in Georgia not a drop of English blood 

gleamed on an Indian's tomahawk or stained a white man's doorstep; 

and for years after his return to England so pervasive was his influ 

ence throughout the wilderness, so manifold the deeds of kindness 

which he had left behind him in Georgia, so just, humane and tender 

the recollections in which his good name was enshrined in the memory 

of these loyal friends of an alien race, so powerful the spell which he 

still continued to cast upon these savage men from whom he was sepa 

rated by 3,000 miles of water, that no serious rupture with the Indians 

disturbed the smooth tenor of Georgia's colonial life, and even down to 

the close of the Revolution, both the Creeks and the Cherokees, still true 

to an old friendship, remained loyal to the flag of England. 

But this friendship was at times sorely tested. As early as 1736 

a German Jesuit named Christian Priber, in the employ of the French, 

had endeavored to alienate the affections of the Cherokee Indians. 

Priber was an accomplished linguist. He was also a man of intense 

religious zeal and with the courage of a Stoic. The ascendancy which 

he acquired over the Cherokees, among whom he made his residence, 

was marvelous, and for months all efforts to compass his arrest were 

futile. Finally, however, he was brought before Oglethorpe, who was


amazed to find a man of such, attainments dressed in a coarse attire of 

deer skin. Nor was he less surprised when Priber frankly admitted 

that he belonged to the order of Jesuits; that, acting under instruc 

tions from his superior, he sought to organize not only the Cherokees 

but all the southern Indians into one confederacy, to instruct them in 

the useful arts, to teach them habits of industry, and, last but not least, 

by welding them into one compact and independent mass, to detach 

them from the British crown. Oglethorpe was moved to admiration 

for his prisoner, but since Georgia was a Protestant colony, from the 

privilege of which Catholics were excluded by charter, he deemed Priber 

a dangerous man in the province, not only for political but equally for 

religious reasons. He, therefore, caused him to be imprisoned at Fred- 

erica. Papers found on his person revealed somewhat more in detail 

the magnificent scheme of empire which he hoped to establish. Entries 

in his private journal told of a secret treasurer in Charleston from 

whom he was receiving funds. Had Priber not been arrested there is 

no telling what mischief he might have wrought. Dying suddenly 

while imprisoned at Frederiea, his tragic death brought a sense of 

relief. Thus fell the curtain upon one of the strangest of dramas. 

We -now come to another singular episode. It transpired in 1749, 

six years after Oglethorpe's return to England. For a while an Indian 

outbreak of serious magnitude seemed to be threatened as its natural 

consequence, but happily bloodshed was averted. Rev. Thomas Bosom- 

worth, an English minister, sent over by the trustees, had married Mary 

Musgrove, the Creek woman who had acted as interpreter for Ogle 

thorpe during his first interview with the Indians. During the life 

time of her former husband, Mary had maintained friendly relations 

with the whites. It was not long after her second marriage, however, 

that she was persuaded by Bosomworth to present a claim of 5,000 

pounds against the colony for her services as interpreter and for dam 

ages to the property of her first husband. 

Cinder the influence of Bosomworth she was also induced to declare 

herself an Indian princess, the true Empress of the Creek Indians; 

and to support this contention Malatche, a chief of the Lower Creeks, 

was persuaded to recognize her as a sister. Nor was this all. Mary 

demanded three islands off the coast of Georgia, to wit, Ossabaw, Sapelo , 

and St. Catharine, all of which had been reserved by the Indians for 

pleasure grounds. Her demand likewise included a tract of land near 

Savannah. Mary claimed that, in making this demand, she was not 

actuated by mercenary motives; that had she considered her own self- 

interest she could have made a fortune out of the colony ; and that, 

had she desired to do so, it lay in her power to turn the whole Creek 

nation against the English, a result which would certainly have proved 

disastrous to Oglethorpe's humane project. 

Strange to say, some of the most influential men in the-colony 

espoused her cause, among them Maj. William Horton, commander of 

Oglethorpe's regiment at Frederiea, lately deceased; Colonel Heron, 

who succeeded him, and who afterwards became commander of his 

majesty's forces in Georgia, besides many others. But President 

Stephens refused to recognize the validity of her claims, either to royal 

descent or for damages against the province; and he was, in fact, dis-


posed to impute sinister motives to some of the high officials who sup 

ported her contentions. Greatly incensed by the president's attitude, 

she collected a band of Creek Indians, at whose head she placed herself, 

and, marching to Savannah, renewed her demands. It was a most 

impressive spectacle, well planned and well executed. At Mary's side 

marched lier husband, the Rev. Thomas Bosomworth, dressed in his 

white flowing robes as a priest of the Church of England. In the rear 

followed kings and warriors of the Lower Creeks, belligerent with war 

paint and armed with hostile bows. The populace was alarmed and a 

battle seemed to be imminent. 

But President Stephens was not to be intimidated by Mary's, bold 

ultimatum. Despite his advanced years, he possessed a resolute spirit. 

He realized at once that a serious situation confronted him, and, calling 

out the military, under Capt. Noble Jones, to re-enforce his commands, 

he met the insurgent band on the outskirts of Savannah and ordered 

every man before entering the city to surrender his weapons. Con 

strained by the presence of the troops, the Indians agreed. But they 

also doubtless remembered Oglethorpe, and recalling his friendship, 

did not wish to shed blood. However, nothing could be done by the 

Indians while under the baleful influence of a pretended queen. Con 

sequently, within a short while after entering Savannah, the Bosom- 

worths were separated from the Indians and lodged in jail for safe 

keeping. President Stephens, in a friendly address, then endeavored 

to conciliate the Indians by reminding them in the first place that all 

the lands claimed by Mary belonged, in fact, not to her, but to the 

Creeks, having been reserved to them under an old treaty with Ogle 

thorpe in 1733. As for Mary's claim to royal descent, he convinced 

the Indians that she was only an imposter and that she was using this 

title to accomplish her own selfish ends. The Indians gave no further 

trouble. Pledges of friendship were renewed, presents were distrib 

uted, and so far as the savages were concerned the affair was at an end. 

But the Bosomworths left at once for England to prosecute this 

celebrated claim before the trustees. We cannot pause to consider fur 

ther details. Years elapsed before a final decision was reached. The 

case became famous in the English courts. It was a source of great 

annoyance both to the corporation and to the Crown, but at length, in 

1757, the matter was adjusted. Mary was awarded nearly two thou 

sand pounds sterling in requittal of her claims. She was also given 

St. Catharine's Island, on which she was afterwards buried beside her 

second husband. Thus ended .the Bosomworth claim. But long before 

its culminating stages were reached, President Stephens, having relin 

quished the helm of affairs, had closed his eyes in death at Beaulieu, his 

beautiful country seat, at the mouth of the Vernon River.

CHAPTER XIX 

BEFORE PRESIDENT STEPHENS RETIRES PROM OFFICE A GREAT REVIVAL 

OF INDUSTRY Is WHTNESSED—BUT THE SPINNING OF SILK CONTINUES 

TO LANGUISH—GEORGIA'S FIRST COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENT— 

HABERSHAM AND HARRIS—CENSUS OF 1750 GIVES GEORGIA 1,500 

POPULATION—To ASSIST THE AGED WILLIAM STEPHENS AT THE HELM 

OF AFFAIRS, HENRY PARKER Is COMMISSIONED VICE-PRESIDENT— 

EFFORTS TO REVIVE THE SILK INDUSTRY—PICKERING ROBINSON 

BUILDS A FILATURE IN SAVANNAH—MR. PARKER BECOMES PRESI 

DENT—GEORGIA'S FIRST PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY—IT, EXERCISES No 

LEGISLATIVE FUNCTIONS—DISTRICTS, How REPRESENTED—FRANCIS 

HARRIS . Is MADE SPEAKER—NUMEROUS RECOMMENDATIONS—THE 

PROVINCIAL MILITIA—THE FIRST GENERAL MUSTER—CAPT. NOBLE 

JONES IN COMMAND—SOUTH CAROLINA, No LONGER IN DREAD OF THE 

SPANIARDS, SEEKS TO ANNEX GEORGIA—THE MIDWAY SETTLEMENT— 

HISTORY OF . THE DORCHESTER PURITANS—INFLUENCE OF THIS SET 

TLEMENT UPON THE FUTURE HISTORY OF GEORGIA—LARGE SLAVE 

OWNERS, ENTERING GEORGIA ONLY WHEN THE BAN ON SLAVERY Is 

REMOVED—THE TRUSTEES PREPARE TO SURRENDER GEORGIA TO THE 

CROWN—WEARY OF A RESPONSIBILITY IN MEETING WHICH THEY 

HAD EXPERIENCED A NUMBER OF FAILURES AND WERE NOT ON THE 

WHOLE SUCCESSFUL—GEORGIA BECOMES A ROYAL PROVINCE OF 

ENGLAND. 

NOTES: HISTORIC OLD MIDWAY—SKETCH OF PRESIDENT PARKER, 

Before retiring from office, President Stephens witnessed a great 

revival of industry in the Province of Georgia. Coincident with the 

radical changes made by the trustees, permitting the use of slave labor, 

removing the restrictions upon land tenure and allowing the importa 

tion of rum, an era of prosperity was inaugurated, the like of which 

had been unknown. Commerce also revived. Not only were importa 

tions from England increased, but an export trade with the mother 

country was developed. Some of the articles exported to England were 

deer-skins, rice, rosin, tar, indigo and staves. Efforts to encourage the 

planting of mulberry trees, however, yielded only indifferent results. 

The silk industry was 'doomed from the hour of its birth; but the trus 

tees were, slow to grasp this fact. Half of the silk in the colony was 

produced by the Salzburgers at Ebenezer, who alone possessed the 

requisite patience for earning its small profits, New varieties of grapes 

obtained from Europe were cultivated with great success. Settlers 

began to come into Georgia from other colonies, causing a steady 

171


increase in population. According to a census taken in 1750 there was 

a net gain of 1,500 souls. 

Georgia's first commercial establishment—excepting, of course, the 

public store owned by the trust—was organized in 1749 by two enterpris 

ing residents of Savannah, Messrs. Francis Plarris and James Habersham. 

The latter had accompanied AVhitefield to Georgia and had been associ 

ated with him in organizing Bethesda, his celebrated home for orphans. 

Habersham and Harris were the colony's first merchants to engage in 

foreign commerce. They also chartered the first ship to carry the prod 

ucts of Georgia to England, and these enterprising business mep were 

largely instrumental in laying the foundations of a trade destined to 

yield rich revenues. 

To assist the aged William Stephens in the discharge of his execu 

tive duties, Henry Parker, on June 26, 1750, had been commissioned 

vice-president of the colony, while to the office of secretary James 

Habersham had been elected. At the same time, an assembly of the 

people of Georgia was called to meet between Michaelmas and Lady 

Day, the purpose of which body was to recommend to the trustees what 

was deemed for the best interest not only of each particular settlement 

but of the province in general. Thus we here find the beginning of 

local self-government in Georgia; but this body, as we shall see later, 

was not a legislature. It proposed, but did not enact, laws. 

The silk industry alone failed to share in the general improvement. 

To stimulate the production of silk, Pickering Robinson was placed by 

the trustees at the head of this industry, at a salary of 100 pounds per 

annum. He was also allowed 25 pounds for a clerk. To act with him 

James Habersham was appointed as a special commissioner without 

compensation. The year previous, Mr. Robinson had been sent to 

France, at the expense of the trust, to acquire new methods at first 

hand. On his arrival in Georgia a filature was built at Savannah as a 

sort of normal school for the benefit of the colonists. Liberal prices 

were offered for green cocoons and substantial outlays were made for 

bounties, but despite every effort to foster the industry it continued to 

languish. Up to the time when the charter of Georgia was surrendered 

by the trustees scarcely 1,000 pounds of raw silk had been raised in 

the province. Yet it was warmly asserted, if not actually believed, 

in the beginning, that the silk-worm industry of Georgia would, in vari 

ous capacities, employ 40,000 individuals, and would net to the Crown 

a saving of 500,000 pounds per annum. 

On April 8, 1751, Mr. Parker was commissioned president of 

Georgia to succeed William Stephens who, now having attained to the 

dignity of an octogenarian, was retired on a yearly pension of 80 

pounds. Francis Harris and Pickering Robinson were named as assist 

ants to the president, while Capt. Noble Jones was commissioned to 

serve the colony as registrar. 

President Parker's administration was signalized by the meeting of 

Georgia's first provincial assembly, but its powers were somewhat lim 

ited. Since the authority to enact laws was vested by charter in the 

trustees, this assembly, therefore, could not legislate. It merely sug 

gested to the trustees such measures as were deemed of vital importance 

to the welfare of the province or conducive to its best interests. The


assembly was to convene in Savannah once a year at such a time as the 

president might choose, with the advice of his assistants. Its deliber 

ations were not to continue longer than one month. There was to be 

one deputy allowed each town, village or district in the province con 

taining ten families, and for each settlement having thirty families two 

deputies were to be allowed. Savannah was given four deputies, 

Augusta and Ebenezer two each. Frederica was also to be allowed two, 

if thirty families were there resident., 

In accordance with a provision to this effect made by the trustees, 

writs of election were issued, and on January 15, 1751, the assembly 

met and organized by electing Francis Harris its speaker. Pickering 

Robinson was appointed to prepare a report on the state of the prov 

ince. The deputies—sixteen in number—who constituted Georgia's 

first provincial assembly, with the jurisdictions represented by each, 

were as follows: * ' 

Savannah District—Francis Harris speaker; John Milledge, Wil 

liam Francis, William Russell. 

Augusta District—George Catogan, David Douglass. 

Ebenezer District—Christian Reidlesperger, Theobald Keiffer. 

Abercorn and Goshen Districts—William Ewen. 

Joseph Town District—Charles Watson. 

Vegnonbourgh District—Patrick Hountoun. 

Acton District—Peter Morell. 

Little Ogeechee District—Joseph Summers. 

Skidaway District—John Barnard.' 

Midway District—Audley Maxwell. 

Darien District—John Mackintosh, B. 

These deputies were required within three days after assembling to 

submit a written statement showing the number of inhabitants in the 

province, white and black, male and female, the quantity of land culti 

vated by each inhabitant, in what crop planted, the number of negroes 

owned and employed, the quantity of mulberry trees standing on each 

plantation, fenced and unfenced, the progress made by each family in 

the culture of silk, indigo, cotton, etc. This detailed report, together 

with such suggestions as the assembly might see fit to offer, was to be 

signed by the speaker and delivered to the president of the colony, to 

be forwarded to the trustees. There were no qualifications prescribed 

for delegates to the first assembly, but after June 24, 1751, no inhab 

itant of the colony could be elected a deputy who did not have 100 

mulberry trees planted and fenced on every fifty-acre tract which he 

owned. Moreover, no one could be a deputy who did not adhere strictly 

to the prescribed number of negro slaves allowed by law in proportion 

to white servants employed, who did not have in his family at least 

one female skilled in the reeling of silk, and who did not annually pro 

duce fifteen pounds of silk for. every fifty acres which he owned. If 

ever a colony was organized on Utopian principles it was Georgia. 

Most of her early legislation was monopolized by silk worms; and not 

only a man's wealth, but his value to society, his standing in the church 

and his hope of heaven were all gauged by mulberry trees. 

! Charles C. Jones, Jr., in '' History of Georgia,'' Vol. II.

174 GEOEGIA AND GEOEGIANS 

After remaining1 in session some three weeks the assembly adjourned 

on. February.8, 1751, having submitted a number of grievances which 

the president of the colony was thought competent to redress. One of 

the recommendations urged by this body was that a militia be organ 

ized, and to this overture, President Parker, on assuming office, 

addressed himself. Since the disbandment of Og'lethorpe's regiment 

the colony had been at the mercy of the Indians, whose friendship, 

while warmly professed, was somewhat uncertain. Civilians were forced 

to rely upon themselves for police duty, and consequently there was no 

adequate protection for the colony's exposed borders. To form a militia, 

therefore, all adult white male inhabitants who possessed 300 

'acres of land or over were ordered to appear on horseback, well 

accoutered, while all white male proprietors who owned less than 300 

acres were to be armed as infantrymen. There were four companies in 

the, militia thus organized, one of horse and three of foot, numbering 

in all some 300 men. On Tuesday, June 13, 1751, ..the first general 

muster, was held at Savannah, under the general command of Capt. 

Noble Jones, There were 220 men who responded to this call. Later 

Captain Jones was given a colonel's commission. His son, Noble Wym- 

berly Jones, formerly a cadet in Oglethorpe's regiment, was given the 

command of a troop of horse. 

Conservators were named at this time for some of the more populous 

districts in which there were no established courts, Capt. John Mcln- 

tosh was appointed at Darien, James Frazer at Augusta, and Audley 

Maxwell for the district of Midway and Great Ogeechee. These con 

servators, to use the phraseology of a later day, -were justices of the 

peace, empowered to try cases where the amount involved did not exceed 

£20 sterling. 

Disturbed no longer by the dread of a Spanish invasion, South Caro 

lina began to covet once more the rich lands which lay to the west of 

Savannah, out of which a colony had been formed for her protection. 

Consequently, a movement for the annexation of Georgia to South Caro 

lina was projected. It met with vigorous opposition on the part of 

the colony's first assembly and a strong pamphlet entitled "Objections 

to Annexing Georgia to South Carolina" was published at this time, a 

copy of which is still in existence among1 the Shaftsbury papers, in the 

Public Record Office in London. But the proposed consolidation failed 

to materialize.* 

In 1752 a colony of Puritans destined to make its profound impress 

upon the future history of the state, came to Georgia, settling in the 

famous Midway district, between Savannah and Darien. These new 

settlers came directly from South Carolina, where they had acquired an 

extensive property in slaves. For -some time they had coveted these 

rich alluvial lands on the Georgia coast, but it was not until the trust 

permitted an introduction of negroes and modified its policy with respect 

to land tenure that they felt at liberty to settle in Georgia. Most of 

* Sowtb, Carolina made a similar attempt during "the Bevolutiou to incorporate 

Georgia within her boundaries; and to this end sent Wm. H, Drayton to Savannah 

to address the Legislature. But sueh. was the hornet's nest of opposition aroused by 

his speech that he returned somewhat hastily to South Carolina, where he felt much 

safer.


these Puritans were rice planters. Having employed white labor with 

disastrous results, they found negro labor a source of profit, and they 

' became in time the largest slaveholders in the state. 

To find the historical genesis of this devout community on the 

Georgia coast, we must go back to the ancestral seats, beyond the water, 

in England. On March 30, 1630, there gathered upon the docks of 

Plymouth, to. embark for the New World, a band of Puritans. They 

came together from the neighboring counties; and, after a day spent in 

worship, took passage on the Mary and John, a small vessel of 400 tons, 

commanded by Captain Squeb. Entering the harbor of Nantucket, on 

the coast of Massachusetts, they settled in the tide-water region near-by, 

calling the place Dorchester, in honor of the old home in England from 

which many of them came. There were 140 members' in this pioneer 

flock. At the expiration of five years, becoming dissatisfied, they re 

moved to the present site of Windsor, Connecticut. In 1695, some 

of • these same Puritans, migrating southward, planted a settlement 

on the Ashley River, in South Carolina, which they likewise called 

Dorchester; and when, in 1751, the restrictions upon slave labor 

and land tenure in Georgia were removed by the trustees, these enter 

prising planters sent representatives into the adjoining province to 

reconnoiter. At last they decided to locate upon the fertile bottoms of 

the Midway district. According to the records, the first settlers were 

beset on the journey by the most violent storms ever known on the 

Georgia coast; but they were not to be deterred. They proceeded into 

the interior some ten miles, and selecting a locality which seemed to 

meet the requirements, they called it Dorchester, thus memorializing 

for the third time this prime favorite among the English towns. 

On December 5, 1752, the advance guard arrived at the place of 

settlement, Benjamin Baker and Samuel Bacon, each accompanied by 

his family; but the death of Mrs. Baker, on the day following, cast a 

gloom of sadness over the little camp. In the spring of the next year, 

Parmenas Way, with his family, arrived; and during the year 1754 

there came seventeen families, including the pastor's, Rev. John Osgood, 

and two single men, John Quarterman, Jr., and Moses Way. Those hav 

ing families were: Rev. John Osgood, Richard Spencer, John Stevens, 

Richard Baker, Josiah Osgood, Samuel Way, John Quarterman, Sr., 

Sarah Mitchell, John. Mitehell, Samuel Burnley, Edward Way, Edward 

Sumner, William Baker, John Shave, Nathaniel Way, and Benjamin 

Andrews. Three of these were from Pon Pon, a settlement on the lower 

Edisto River, viz.: Sarah Mitchell, John Mitchell, and Benjamin An 

drew. In 1755 there arrived six families and two single men. The 

heads of families were: John Gorton, John Winn, John Lupton, Joseph 

Bacon, Andrew Way, Isaac Girardeau, The two single men were: 

Thomas Peacock, of Charleston, and Joseph Massey, of Pon Pon. Five 

families came in 1756, those of William Graves, John Stewart, Sr,, 

John Stewart, Jr., John Graves, and Daniel Dunnom. The next year 

came the family of Richard Girardeau; and in 1758 Samuel Jeans and 

family, James Andrew and family, and Mrs. Lydia Saunders. Then 

came,an interval of several years until 1771, when three families came, 

those of Jonathan Bacon, William Norman and Isham Andrews, mak 

ing a total of thirty-eight families, in addition to five single persons.

OLD MIDWAY CHURCH 

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Besides the above named settlers, there were some from other locali 

ties; and the fact must not be overlooked that several families were 

established in the district before the Dorchester colonists arrived. The 

journal of the first General Assembly of the Province in Savannah, in 

1751, shows that the community was represented by Audley Maxwell, 

whose family was probably the oldest one in this section of Georgia. 

Vast changes have taken place since 1752; but the names of the old 

settlers are still preserved by descendants in the immediate neighbor 

hood. The sturdy John Quarterman, from whose loins have come 

twenty-three ministers of the gospel, seven foreign missionaries, and 

eight distinguished educators, is not without witnesses in the old settle 

ment to testify to his manifold virtues. The Ways have also replenished 

a large part of the earth, nor is the1 name likely to become extinct in 

Liberty for some time to come, for here it still flourishes amid the de 

serted fields in which other stalks have withered. Relationships have 

been greatly mixed by intermarriage between the various families. Says 

Doctor Stacy •. '' The case is very aptly put in the following couplet of 

names, formed, it is said, by Dr. W. P. McConnell, in 1843, a year gen 

erally known as one of exceeding scarcity and hardness, which I give 

both as a specimen, of Liberty County wit and as an illustration of the 

point. Said he: 

" 'We have Hams and Dun-hams, Bacons and Greens, 

Manns and Quartermans, a Plenty of Ways, but no 

Means.'" 

But we have gone too far afield. Georgia's charter had been granted 

to the trustees for a period of twenty-one years. On June 9, 1753, this 

time limit was due to expire; nor was the corporation desirous of its 

extension. With only a few exceptions, the trustees of Georgia had been 

true to the trust imposed upon them by the Crown of England; but to 

a man they wished to be relieved of a burden which had grown too 

onerous. These trustees had served without recompense, some of them 

at great pecuniary sacrifice; nor will Georgia soon forget the English 

gentlemen who were her earliest sponsors and who, though wedded to 

ideas more visionary than real, were humanitarians all. 

During the life of the trust Georgia's spiritual interests had not been 

neglected. To the rule of religious tolerance there was only one excep 

tion—the Roman Catholic Church. All other religious creeds were 

welcomed; and while the Church of England was regarded with special 

favor and nurtured with peculiar care, the colony's population embraced 

Presbyterians, Lutherans, Moravians, Methodists, Anabaptists and 

Hebrews. Rev. Henry Herbert was the colony's first spiritual shepherd. 

Then came Rev. Samuel Quincy, who for two years was the only clergy 

man in Savannah. Next we find the Wesleys preaching in Georgia; but 

John was the accredited missionary. To succeed him the trust sent over 

Rev. George Whitefield, who built the famous orphanage and made the 

continent of North America rock with his eloquence. Next came William 

Norris, who baptized 142 persons, seventy-one of whom were soldiers, 

but he left under a cloud. Following him we find Rev. Christopher 

Orton, whom death, however, soon removed. Rev. Thomas Bosomworth 

Vol. 1—12


was'the next appointee. His marriage to an Indian woman, the widow 

of an English trader, by the name of Musgrove, aroused in him merce 

nary instincts, impairing his usefulness to the province and necessitat 

ing his recall. As we have already seen, he persuaded his wife to de 

clare herself empress of the Creeks and to make exorbitant demands. 

Rev. Bartholomew Zouberbubler was the last minister to serve in Geor 

gia, under appointment of the trustees and it was under him that a 

church edifice, begun in 1740, was brought to completion on the site 

where the colonists first worshipped. 

On June 23, 1752, the last meeting of the trustees for establishing 

the Colony of Georgia was held in London, at .which time the seal of 

the corporation was affixed to a deed of surrender. Not a bill remained 

unpaid. Not a claim was left unsettled. Not a grievance remained to 

be considered. All was in readiness for the last solemn act, after which 

the seal was defaced and the trustees ceased to exist as a body corporate. 

Having sent a memorial to the lords of the council, proposing to sur 

render the province to the Crown, King George II, who still occupied 

the English throne, had consented to accept as a crown jewel the colony 

which bore his name,- and when the formal act of relinquishment took 

place Georgia ceased to be a proprietary holding and became in the ful 

lest, sense of the word .a royal province of England. 

HISTORIC OLD MIDWAY: A SHRINE OF PATRIOTISM.—On the old military road, 

between Savannah and Darien, in an angle which it here makes with the road to 

Sunbuvy, stands an ancient land-mark, "built of wood, two stories in height. To the 

outward eye it presents few attractions. The simple taste of the Puritans who built 

it is proclaimed by an absence of anything which even remotely suggests artistic 

design. Its austere appearance is sternly in keeping with the rigid Calvinistie prin 

ciples of the devout believers who here worshipped and who took no little pride in 

the fa.ct that they sprang from ancestors who belonged to the Ironsides of Cromwell. 

Except on commemorative occasions, the building is no longer used; and those of 

its members who are not sleeping underneath the live-oaks, in the little grave-yard 

across the road, are scattered far and wide. Before the war, there was not to be 

found in Georgia a community of thriftier planters than, the one which stretched for 

miles in every direction around this sacred center; but today it stands amid the 

abandoned acres, like a grim sentinel keeping watch over a silent past, while upon it 

from one Lord's Day to another there broods the hush of an unbroken Sabbath. 

Once each year, the descendants of the early settlers gather in the little house of 

worship on the green plaza in front of it to revive the recollections of former days, 

some of them coining from the most distant parts of the continent. It may be ques 

tioned whether the North Star casts a more potent spell upon, the needle of the 

mariner's compass than does this hallowed spot upon, the descendants of the early 

Puritans of Georgia. Nor is it a matter of marvel. The loadstone which draws 

them is in some respects the most famous of America's patriotic shrines: historic 

old Midway Church. 

From this parental stock !^7e sprung hundreds of the most distinguished men in 

the public life of the nation. It has produced two Signers of the Declaration of 

Independence (Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett), two Generals of the Bevolution 

(James Screven and .Daniel Stewart), besides numerous officers of lower rank, two 

Commodores, one President of the United States (Theodore Eoosevelt, descendant 

of Daniel Stewart), the wife of another President (Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, grand 

daughter of Bev. I. S. K. Axson), three United States Senators, four members of 

Congress, four Governors of Georgia, and at least six judges of the Superior Court. 

In advance of the rest of the Province the first bold stand for independence was 

here taken and the Colonial, flag on Port Morris was the last to be lowered when 

Georgia was overrun by the British. Not less than six counties of the state bear


names whose origin can be traced to the Midway settlement. Two of the most 

eminent of modern scientists were natives of the Parish of St. John. The list also 

includes two university chancellors, three presidents of female seminaries, one presi 

dent of the State Normal School, one United States Minister to China, six authors 

of note, two historians, six editors, six foreign missionaries, and scores of successful 

business men, together with a host of other notables including soldiers, statesmen, 

educators, inventors, doctors, lawyers, and ministers of the gospel.* Can any other 

religious organization in America exhibit such a record? The explanation is to be 

found in the substantial pabulum upon which the offspring of the settlement were 

nourished, the emphasis put upon moral and educational values, the sturdy examples 

which were set before them, and the fear of God which was an ever-present factor in 

the lives of these devout people. To what depths the vital truths of religion struck 

root in this fertile soil may be gleaned from thei fact that eighty-two clergymen 

have sprung from the Midway settlement. Fifty of these have been Presbyterians, 

seventeen Baptists, three Episcopalians, and thirteen Methodists, one of whom 

attained to the high office of Bishop. Included among the early pastors of the 

church was the father of the famous New England poet: .Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

—L. L. Knight, in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, Vol. I, pp. 135-138. 

MIDWAY: DERIVATION OP THIS TISKM.—There is some difference of opinion among 

the historians concerning' the origin of the name by which this famous settlement 

is known. The river which waters the district was originally written Medway, a 

spelling which can still be found upon some of the old maps and charts. William 

DeBrahm, the colonial engineer, in the original .plan of the district drawn by him 

spelt it thus, but in his history he chose the other form. Capt. Hugh McCall calls 

it Medway, likewise William Bartram in his Travels. It is so designated in the 

letters of Sir James Wright; and even Colonel Jones, who holds to the opposite view 

point, reproduces in his Dead Towns of Georgia, a map, on which the name is spelt 

Medway. But the latter is quite positive that such is not the correct form of the 

word. Says Colonel Jones: '' The territory lying between the Great Ogeechee and 

the South Newport rivers was called the Midway district because of its central loca 

tion, being about equidistant from.the Savannah and Altamaha rivers, which then 

constituted respectively the northern and southern boundaries of Georgia. It has 

been suggested by some and the belief is to a limited extent current that the name 

both of the district and of the river which permeates it was at the earliest period, 

Medway and not Midway, an appellation which was borrowed from one of the well- 

known rivers of Merrie 01$ England. The records do not justify the intimation, 

and in the light of history it should be repudiated." 

Doctor Stacy, on the other hand, is equally certain that in the beginning at least 

the river was called Medway and that from it the name of the settlement was derived. 

Says he: * "My own opinion is that the district or neighborhood was named after 

the river, which was not called Midway, because of any equidistance between any 

two points, but Medway, after the river of the same name in England. This form 

of the word, however, soon degenerated into the more common and familiar name 

of Midway; and, both the church and the community becoming known by the degen 

erated appellation, the idea of equidistance was purely as an afterthought. It is an 

easy matter to account for Midway coming out of Medway, but difficult to explain 

how to get Medway out of Midway. However, for several generations, the church 

has been familiarly known as the Midway church, and I have so written it both here 

and in the public records." Doctor Stacy is a native of the Midway District. Two 

of. his family were clerks of the church session, John Stacy, from 1798 to 1818, and 

John W. Stacy, from 1824 to 1854, a period of fifty years having been covered 

between them. Doctor Stacy himself is the historian of the Midway Settlement; 

and though Colonel Jones was an offspring of the same historic settlement, the 

weight of authority in this particular instance is probably upon the side of the 

former. 

* History of Midway Congregational Church, by Rev. James Stacy, D. D., New- 

nan, 1899. Under the head of Liberty County, in Part 2 of this work, the contribu 

tions of Midway Church are discussed more in detail.

180 " GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 

SKETCH OF PRESIDENT PARKER.—Henry Parker entered the service of the Trust 

as a constable on July 4, 1733. The next year he was promoted to be third bailiff, 

and the year following lie became second bailiff. In 1738 when Causton was deposed, 

Parker was given the position of first bailiff of Savannah; and he continued to hold 

that office until the charter of the colony was surrendered to the king. When the 

province was divided into counties, Parker was made first assistant for the County 

of Savannah; and in 1743 he was made first'assistant for the whole of Georgia. 

On March 27, 1750, he was advanced to the office of vice-president, which had been 

created to give relief to President Stephens on account of his great age and infirmi 

ties. On May 24 of the following year, Parker was made president of the colony 

and held the position, when, the government of England took charge of the province. 

Parker's character is clearly delineated in all the accounts we have of him. He 

was strongly addicted to the habit of drunkenness, and it seems that he never over 

came this handicap. He was a poor manager of his own affairs and was often 

reduced to want, his dress and appearance becoming despicablej for service in his 

office. The neglect of his personal affairs was partly occasioned by his zeal for the 

colony, for he was ever ready to serve the public when he was not under the influence 

of strong drink. In consideration of his poverty and services, the Trustees in 1738 

gave him the use of two Trust servants and'a gift of money additional to his salary. 

In his public service, he was acknowledged by his enemies to be a man of good sense 

and of an impartial temperament, though he showed no special initiative or strength 

of 'will. That he was comparatively easy to lead was evident in 1739 when a number 

of malcontents in Savannah got him to join with them in petitioning for negroes and 

changes in tenures, though he himself was not interested in the changes and knew 

that the petitioners were mainly bent on embarrassing the Trustees. As a punish 

ment for his weakness in this instance, as well as his other shortcomings, the Trustees 

removed him from the offices which he held under them; but before the removal took, 

effect, he was restored to office. His restoration was due to his acknowledgement of 

his faults and his promise to make an effort to overcome them.—J. B. McCain: The 

Executive in Proprietary Georgia.

CHAPTER XX 

RELATION 01 OGLETHORPE TO GEORGIA—POWERS AND LIMITATIONS— 

FAILURES AND SUCCESSES—DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OGLETHORPE AND 

THE TRUSTEES RELATIVE TO FINANCIAL MATTERS—THE WHOLE MAT 

TER REVIVED BY AN IMPARTIAL INVESTIGATOR. 

(This chapter contributed by James Boss McCain, A. M.) 

One of the interesting problems of the colonial history of Georgia is 

the relation and importance of James Oglethorpe to the settling and 

developing of the province. Was he the father of the enterprise ? Was 

he responsible for the plans and rules under which it was attempted? 

What motives prompted him to accompany the colonists to America? 

Was his presence of real benefit to the colony? What .were his legal 

powers in Georgia? What led to the later friction between him and the 

trustees and to his withdrawal from participation in Georgia affairs? 

The answer to at least a portion of the questions may be' found by ex 

amining the principal facts of his life and by following in order the 

various entries in the records of the trustees regarding Ms activities 

under their directions. 

No detailed account of Oglethorpe's life is necessary, and indeed the 

facts are not sufficiently established to warrant a full summary of his 

life before he went to Georgia. He was born on June 1, 1689. He 

matriculated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, though the date of his 

entrance is in doubt, but he soon left his college work for service in the 

' army. In 1710 he was an ensign in the British Army and served till 

the war ended in 1713. It was in this war of the Spanish Succession 

that he got his first contract with the Spanish, a contract which was to 

be hostile when renewed in America. Soon after the Treaty of Utrecht, 

he entered the service of Prince Eugene of Savoy, with whom he con 

tinued until 1718, when he returned to England. There is no definite 

information available as to the amount or the quality of the service ren 

dered by Oglethorpe during the time he was connected with the army. 

Many conjectures have been made as to his attainments in military 

science and experience; but they are inferences from his later career 

rather than actual facts.* 

On the death of his brother Theophilus, he inherited a considerable 

estate at Westbrook, and he settled down to what gave promise of being 

the ordinary life of an English gentleman. His manor was situated 

near Godalming in Surrey County and was sufficient to enable him to 

live in independence and comfort. Like so many of the country gentle- 

' Wright 5, 7. 

181


men of the period, he was a Tory in politics, though his later career 

indicates that he was not an extremist in his political faith. In 1722 

he was chosen as one of the representatives in Parliament of the Town of 

Haslemere, which was located in Surrey County not far from the Ogle- 

thorpe estate, and he continued in this relation until he was defeated in 

1754.* His father and both his older brothers had formerly represented 

the same borough, and this was probably a help to him in gaining the 

position, but the fact that he held it so long indicates that he must have 

been satisfactory to his constituents. 

Oglethorpe seems to have taken no active part in parliamentary 

affairs during the first six or seven years after his election. It was not 

until 1729 that he attracted any considerable attention. In that year 

he was made chairman of a committee of the House of Commons whose 

business it was to visit and report on the condition of the Fleet, Mar- 

shalsea, and King's Bench prisons. The committee was composed of 

fourteen members, and it seems to have been appointed on the motion of 

Oglethorpe, who had learned something of prison conditions through 

a visit to one of his friends who was incarcerated for debt. It is not 

entirely clear that he inaugurated the movement, but as chairman of the 

committee he was active in the work and he presented to Parliament the 

results of the investigations.t The first of these reports was submitted 

to the House on March 20, 1729, and the last was on May 11, 1730. 

With details of the reports we are not now concerned, but it is worth 

noting that the work seems to have been done with expedition and 

thoroughness. Bills were introduced by Oglethorpe to ameliorate the 

wretched conditions which the committee had found and to punish the 

worst offenders among the prison wardens.! 

In other respects Oglethorpe began to show himself interested in the 

unfortunate or the oppressed. On January 13, 1732, he made a speech 

in the House of Commons in which he showed sympathy for the perse 

cuted Protestants of Europe and expressed the wish that something 

might be done for their relief.**'" He was also a member of the Society 

for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and in addition he 

was on a council of fifty who looked after the support and education of 

exposed and deserted children. In "The Sailor's Advocate," he de 

fended seamen against the worst evils of impressment. He ably advo 

cated the petition of the Moravians for assistance, and he sustained a 

motion to relieve the poor of certain of their most burdensome taxes, tt 

As to whether or not Oglethorpe first thought of or suggested the 

scheme of making the settlement of Georgia, the evidence is not suffi 

cient for a definite decision. Original documentary evidence that he 

fathered the idea is lacking. In none of the lists of those interested in the 

matter is his name mentioned first. In the charter three men are 

mentioned ahead of him on the lists of both the general board and the 

Common Council. Neither was he made the first president of the cor 

poration or the first' chairman of the Common Council. In some of the 

* Ibid., 12, 373. 

t Cobbett VIII: 706 et seq. 

t Ibid., 706-753, 803-826. 

**Ibid. ; 875-876. 

ttStevensI: 82-83.


references to the petitioners for the charter as recorded in the "Acts 

of the Privy Council,'' his name does not appear at all, though it is quite 

likely that he was included under the general term "and others/' After 

the petition for the charter had been referred to the board of trade for 

investigation, Oglethorpe wrote to the board a number of suggestions. 

Among other things he proposed for the new corporation the name, 

"Corporation for Establishing Charitable Colonies," which was for a 

while considered but was finally discarded. Just what were his other 

suggestions and whether they were adopted or not cannot be ascer 

tained.* After the board of trade had made its report, Oglethorpe in 

company with others appeared before a committee of the privy council 

to ask for certain changes in the report in order that the trustees might 

have more power than was proposed in the matter of selecting the civil 

and military officers of Georgia.f 

In no case above cited does Oglethorpe seem to have exercised more 

influence than any other of the active petitioners for the charter. That 

is not proof positive at all that he was not more influential, nor would 

it prove that he was not the originator of the project. There are a num 

ber of indications that such honor ought to be given him. By common 

consent the historians of Georgia and the biographers of Oglethorpe 

agree that he was the first to propose the settlement and that it was 

through his efforts that the other men who later became trustees became 

interested in the work. The literature of the time paid tribute to him as 

pre-eminently benevolent of soul, but the compliments paid him in 

nearly every case came after he had gone to Georgia, and they were 

seemingly called forth on that account rather than because he was the 

author of the scheme. The fact that he had shown already indications 

of interest in imprisoned debtors and in foreign Protestants, and the 

additional fact that he was prominently connected with several other 

charitable enterprises, are perhaps the best reasons for thinking that 

he would and did originate the plan for settling the new province. 

Whatever may be the facts about its origin, Oglethorpe was indisputably 

earnest in helping to carry forward the project. 

It has been incidentally mentioned that he was a member both of 

the general corporation and of the common council which was to do so 

much of the actual work of government. He was faithful in attending 

the meetings of these bodies. Before he left England, there were nine 

teen meetings of the general board of trustees, and Oglethorpe was 

present seventeen times. Only one other member of the board equalled 

him in faithfulness. There were, in addition, seven meetings of the 

common council, and he was present at six of these, being surpassed by 

two members and equalled by four others in regard to the number of 

times in attendance. He was also active in the committee work of the 

early organization. For the common council he served in this capacity 

six times before leaving England, being equalled in this particular by 

only two others. For the general board he also served on six commit 

tees, having only one man to surpass him in activity. In this connection 

it is worthy of note that Oglethorpe served on the most important com- 

* Abstract of B. T. Papers, S. C. Hist. Colleo. II: 127. 

tActs of Privy Council, 1720-1745: 301-303.


mittees. He was the chairman of the one to draw up laws and regula 

tions for the colony,'* and we shall have occasion to discuss later whether 

or not the work of this committee was wisely done or not. He was ap 

pointed a committee of one to see that the project was given the proper 

publicity through the newspapers and also to prepare commissions and 

boxes for those who should be willing to solicit funds for the enterprise, t 

He seemed for the time being to have charge of the receipts and dis 

bursements, for which he rendered a regular account.:!: Whether on 

account of his financial relation to the undertaking or because of his 

greater interest in it, he reported more names to the board of those who 

were willing to solicit money for the work than any other trustee. In 

addition to the activities already noted, he is thought to have written in 

behalf of the new colony the pamphlet entitled, "A New and Accurate 

Account of the Provinces of South Carolina and Georgia."** 

When preparations for the first embarkation of colonists to Georgia 

were being made, Oglethorpe decided to accompany the new settlers in 

person. This determination seems to have been entirely voluntary on 

his part; but, while the trustees had not urged him to the course, they 

were glad to avail themselves of his generous offer. The people who were 

going to Georgia were almost all of good character, but they had not 

hitherto been successful as a rule in managing their private affairs; and 

so it could not be reasonably expected that they would be capable of 

directing a whole settlement. Some guiding hand was needful. The 

normal thing to do was to appoint a governor who would be strong and 

experienced enough to put into operation the various plans of the 

trustees; but the latter were unwilling to appoint such a governor lest 

they should lose some of their authority, since the charter provided that 

a governor must be obedient to the Grown as well as the trustees. They 

seemed to feel that if Oglethorpe went over to get things well started 

the colony could get along without much government; and they cer 

tainly acted on this theory whether they consciously held it or not. 

Oglethorpe probably sympathized with his fellow trustees in desiring 

to keep independent of government control, for this was ever his later 

policy whenever it was possible. Another reason why he may have been 

induced to undertake the journey was his love of adventure. He had 

served as a gentleman volunteer on the continent before entering the 

English army, and he had later joined the Austrians against the Turks, 

as we have noticed; and the establishing of a buffer colony against his 

old opponents, the Spanish, would doubtless appeal to him on the mili 

tary and adventurous side. There is no good reason for doubting, how 

ever, that he was greatly, and perhaps mainly, moved by compassion for 

the poor debtors and other unfortunates who were preparing to go to a 

new country, and who would need all the help and advice obtainable in 

order to succeed. His action was regarded in this light at the time,- and 

he was highly eulogized for leaving his home and the comforts of so 

ciety and the pursuits of ambition in order to do a work from which he 

could hope to receive no private advantage.! f 

*0. R. I: 70. 

t C. E. II: 3. 

t Ibid., 9. 

**Ga. Hist. Oollee. I: 42. 

tt Polit. State XLV: 18.1, cited by Stevens I: 83.


It has frequently been stated on high authority that Oglethorpe 

was the first governor of Georgia. It was impossible that he should hold 

that office. He was forbidden by the terms of the charter, as were all 

the trustees, to hold "any office, place, or employment of profit under 

the corporation.'' Further, as a trustee, ho was forbidden to receive or 

take, directly or indirectly, any salary, fee, perquisite, benefit or profit 

whatever by reason of service rendered the corporation, in any manner 

or capacity.* It might be urged that these requirements forbade the 

holding of only those offices which were "of profit," and that he might 

well have occupied the office of governor because he went at his own 

expense.! It is difficult to dissociate the idea of a salary from that of 

a governor in any ordinary sense; but whatever the possibilities in the 

case might have been, the fact remains that Oglethorpe was not granted 

authority or powers that would entitle him to be called the governor of 

a province or even of a single settlement. It seems not to have been 

anticipated that he would remain longer in the colony than might be 

necessary to actually establish the colonists in their homes in peace; and 

so the powers given him were in a measure temporary and by no means 

extensive. For example, he was given power to set out and divide 5,000 

acres of land that had been deeded in trust to three of the settlers, and 

he was to give directions to these holders of the land in trust how to 

proceed with their business of assigning it to the other settlers.J He 

was authorized to grant licenses to those desiring to leave the province 

of Georgia so that they might not forfeit their grants.:!: He was en 

trusted with the special authority to administer the oaths of allegiance, 

supremacy, and abjuration to the various officers appointed in the new 

colony; but it was not a general power to administer oaths, since the 

individuals were specified by name.'5* He was also granted the power 

as attorney for the trustees to name officers for the militia of Georgia.tt 

The last appointment gives the keynote of the relation that Oglethorpe 

bore to the trustees. He was not a governor under them, but their attor 

ney to act in their stead. Nor was he an attorney with general power to 

act, but he was limited to the special matters in which authority was 

assigned him. 

It is beyond question that it would have been a wiser policy for the 

trustees to give to him or to some other man larger powers specifically 

or, better still, more general powers to act. In the nature of things, 

there would arise many circumstances demanding prompt action which 

could not be foreseen and specifically provided for by the trustees. Many 

such occasions did arise; and Oglethorpe usually acted as he thought 

best, though not authorized to do so. For instance, none of the records 

indicate that he was authorized to draw on the trustees for money; 

but he did so, and no protest was made in the beginning at least,:j:f 

though we shall see that it led later tp unfortunate misunderstandings. 

Having noticed the part played by Oglethorpe in getting the project 

*C. B. I: 16. 

t C. B, III: 378. 

t C. B. II: 9-10. 

** Ibid., 11. 

tt B. T., Ga., XII: 25. 

It C. K. II: 27.


launched in England, and understanding the powers granted him and 

his relations to his fellow trustees, we must next estimate some of the 

services he rendered in actually planting the settlement in Georgia. 

This side of his career has been so fully developed in his biographies 

and in the histories of Georgia that we shall merely refer to the various 

incidents without giving details. It has already been noted that in going 

to Georgia Oglethorpe could hope for no financial remuneration on 

account of provisions in the charter; but it would be a strict interpreta 

tion of the provisions that would necessitate his paying his own expenses 

for the journey, and so his expenditures in this particular must be con 

sidered as a gift to the cause. Not only did he furnish his own cabin 

and provide for his servants, but he' also relieved the burdens of the 

voyage by contributing to the comforts of his fellow passengers.* 

When the colonists reached Port Royal, South Carolina, Oglethorpe 

proceeded with Col. William Bull to the Savannah River for the pur 

pose of selecting a site for the proposed settlement. This was a matter 

of prime importance, affecting every person who might locate in the 

town to be established. This work was well done; the spot chosen was 

perhaps the best possible one for the Town of Savannah. It is very 

likely that credit is due both to Oglethorpe and Bull for the decision 

made; but, as the former had final authority in the matter, he is entitled 

perhaps to the greater commendation.! 

In his personal contact with the early settlers, and in his handling 

the' details of the settlement, Oglethorpe seems to have been very suc 

cessful. He worked hard himself and spared no pains to get the town 

started properly. He was much beloved of the people, who gave him 

the title of "Father." He visited the sick and took care of them. If 

there were differences, he decided the matters at issue himself; and for 

the time at least there seemed to be little dissatisfaction with his judg 

ments. He was strict in discipline, allowing neither drunkenness nor 

swearing. He laid out a great deal of work and was successful in get 

ting much of it done, permitting no idlers around him. J 

Oglethorpe showed as much tact in dealing with the Indians as he 

exhibited good judgment in the choice of a site and industry in getting 

the settlement started. There had been a former treaty between the 

Indians 'and South Carolina that no white settlements were to be made 

south of the Savannah without the consent of the natives; and they 

were at first inclined to object to the coming of the Georgians. On his 

first visit for the purpose of selecting the location for the town, Ogle 

thorpe had held an interview with Tomo-chi-chi, the chief of the small 

Indian tribe living near the river; and with the aid of a half-breed inter 

preter, Mary Musgrove, had persuaded him that it would be advantage 

ous to the Indians that the white men should come. This interview was 

the beginning of a firm friendship which lasted between the English and 

the Indians during almost all of the proprietary history of the colony. 

Through the influence of Tomo-chi-chi, the other Indian tribes within 

the limits of Georgia were gathered for a conference, at which Ogle- 

* Wright 58. 

t 0. E. Ill: 380. 

t Polit. State XLV: 543-544, cited by Wright 65.


thorpe treated them with so much candor and tact that they readily 

ceded to the English the lands desired and entered into a treaty of 

friendship and commerce.* For the weak and struggling settlement, the 

friendship and assistance of the natives was worth more than fortifica 

tions or troops; and nobody could have heen more successful than was 

Oglethorpe in bringing about the cordial relations. 

These were the most valuable achievements of the leader of the 

Georgians, but there were a number of things besides which occupied 

his attention. He provided for the defense of the Town of Savannah 

by planting a battery and establishing a few outposts like Fort Argyle 

and Thunderbolt. He laid out the town into convenient wards and tith- 

ings. He explored the lower coasts of the province and made notes of 

the best methods of fortifying it. Just before leaving Georgia for Eng 

land, he accompanied the newly arrived Salzburgers for the purpose of 

selecting a site for their town; in this he was not so fortunate as in his 

choice of a location of Savannah, but for the time being the Germans 

were well pleased with it. When he finally set sail on March 23, 1734, 

the people could hardly restrain their tears, because he had cared for 

them much like a father both by night and by day for more than a year, t 

On the whole, Oglethorpe was most useful to the colony and very suc 

cessful in managing its affairs during his first stay in Georgia. He 

showed industry, foresight, good judgment, tact, and sympathy for the 

people. To this point certainly, the province would have been no bet 

ter off if it had had a regular governor of the best caliber. The princi 

pal error, it seems to us, that had been made hitherto was in failing to 

establish the magistrates in office at the very beginning. During the 

first five months, he kept to himself all authority of every sort. $ There 

is little doubt that he was a better judge and a wiser magistrate than 

any who had been appointed by the trustees; but he could not exercise 

all the authority satisfactorily, and he would not be in America con 

tinuously, so that it would have been better to allow the appointees of 

the trustees to enter at once upon their duties. One of the greatest handi 

caps the province had was lack of respect for its officials; and this was to 

a great extent due to the general impression that they were dependent 

for power on Oglethorpe and that he could veto or alter their actions. 

It could not be foreseen perhaps that bad results would follow the post 

ponement of inducting the officials into office, and so it was due to an 

error rather than to a fault that it was not done immediately. 

Before he left Georgia, Oglethorpe had been remonstrated with by 

the trustees for drawing bills on them without sending letters of advice 

to explain the necessity of the draft. Several such drafts were sent; 

and the matter became so troublesome that on February 6, 1734, a reso 

lution was passed to the effect that no bill drawn by any person whatso 

ever be accepted or paid by the trustees unless it be accompanied by a 

proper letter of advice. This was not enforced with entire strictness 

against Oglethorpe, however, for they later paid some of his drafts which 

*C. E. Ill: 381. 

t Von Reck, Extract from "Journal" 18, cited by Wright 80. 

J Wright 73.


had not been properly certified.* During these early days, he seemed 

to manage his accounts rather well. Out of a total of about £55,137 

spent during the years 1732-1734 by him, he was able to produce vouchers 

for all but £1,874. t 

The trustees were duly appreciative of the work that Oglethorpe did 

for the establishing of the settlement. On June 13, 1733, Secretary 

Martyn wrote to know how long he could remain in the colony and 

asking who could best superintend the work when he left. Under date 

of September 1, 1733, he wrote again, expressing appreciation of what 

had already been done and telling him that the trustees wished to send 

over as many settlers as possible before he left. Again on November 22,. 

1733, Martyn regretted that the people were misbehaving and feared 

that the troubles might revive when Oglethorpe left the province. J In 

addition to the appreciation expressed, all these communications indi 

cate that Oglethorpe Js stay in Georgia was expected to be only temporary 

and that his great work was that of smoothing over the difficulties en 

countered in the beginning. When he reached England in June, 1734, 

he was welcomed by an unusually full meeting of the trustees, and he 

was heartily thanked by them in a unanimous resolution for the '' many 

and great services he has done the colony of Georgia." ** 

The general public received him with demonstrations of high regard 

and honor for the work he was doing. Whatever may have been the case 

in the beginning, he was at that time regarded as the decided leader in 

the founding of Georgia. Poems in his honor were published in The 

Gentleman's Magazine and.medals were struck to commemorate his 

work, while the nobility and gentry poured congratulations upon him.ft 

His one year of labors in Georgia had gained for him more considera 

tion and honor than, he could have won from decades of service in Par 

liament or from ,a whole life of mingling in the society of the times. It 

is small wonder then that he determined to return to Georgia. He may 

have intended to do so anyway; but there is no indication of such an 

intention on his part or of expectation on the part of the trustees that 

he would return, until after his very flattering reception at home. 

While in England, Oglethorpe was very active indeed in behalf of 

the colony, responding well to the encouragement he had received from 

the public. In attendance on the meetings of the trustees, he was prompt 

and regular. He was present at fifty-five of the sixty-four meetings 

of the regular corporation, and he attended thirty-four of the thirty- 

seven meetings of the common council, being surpassed in his record by 

only one or two of the members; and he was also frequently called on 

for service on committees. 

He was largely instrumental in getting the trustees to pass three 

laws that were destined to have a large influence on the future history 

of Georgia. He was chairman of the committee which prepared the laws, 

and it was through representations that he made that they were thought 

*C. B. II: 53, 56, 58. 

t Ibid., 117. 

t B. T., Ga., VIII: Letter book arranged by dates. 

**C. E. I: 175. 

tt Wright 86, 91.


necessary.* These laws were for the purpose of regulating the trade 

with the Indians in the interest of peace with them, of preventing the 

importation of rum into Georgia, and of prohibiting the use of negro 

slaves within the province. They were all productive of later troubles 

within the colony, and they were all in some respects ill advised because 

not suited to the people and to the circumstances in the case; but they 

seemed reasonable to the trustees, and doubtless Oglethorpe in urging 

them felt that they were for the best interests of the province.! 

The powers granted him on his second trip to Georgia were very 

similar to those possessed by him the first time. He was given authority 

to divide and lay out the land given in trust for the new settlement of 

Frederica; he was authorized to grant licenses to persons wanting to 

leave Georgia; it was his business to administer oaths to the newly 

appointed officers of the town. In addition, he was granted the power 

to put the act for keeping peace with the Indians into execution. | On 

the first expedition, he was authorized to appoint officers for the militia, 

while now he was himself appointed to train and instruct them.** He 

was definitely given the right to draw bills on the trustees, and he was 

the only person in the province to have this right, tt All the notes or 

sola bills issued by the trustees had to be signed by him. JJ We have 

noted already that he exercised on his first trip the power to draw bills, 

though it had not been formally given him. In a few respects, there 

fore, the powers granted him were more definite and implied an expec 

tation of a somewhat extended stay in Georgia to a greater extent than 

when he first went out; but they were still far from comparable to the 

powers exercised by any ordinary governor in any of the American 

colonies. 

The company led by Oglethorpe' to Georgia in 1735 was the largest 

number of mere colonists that went to the province during the proprie 

tary period. There were more than 280 settlers in the party, occupying 

two ships and being accompanied by a sloop of war. Instead pf going 

on the comparatively comfortable sloop, as he had the privilege of doing, 

Oglethorpe chose to go in one of the crowded ships, paying the passage 

of his servants, in order that he might better take care of the colonists. 

He had provided himself with live stock and other refreshments for the 

missionaries and other companions, but he rarely ate himself anything 

but the ship's stores. He visited the sick on board, giving them fowls 

and other dainties from his own stores; and he also visited the accom 

panying ship as often as possible to render assistance' and comfort to 

the people on it. He lectured the freeholders on the nature of the coun 

try they were to settle and told them how best to conduct themselves 

in it. In all these affairs he showed a strong paternal interest in the 

people going with him.*** 

One of the first things Oglethorpe had to do upon his return to Geor- 

*C.R. I: 70. 

t C.E. I: 31 et seq. 

t O.K. II: 120. 

**C. E. I: 228. 

tt B. T., Ga., VIII: Verelst to Causton, Dec. 2, 1735. 

n G. E. II: 113. 

*** Moore in Ga. Hist. Collee. I: 85-88.


gia was to consult with the Salzburgers about changing the location of 

their Town of Ebenezer. They objected to the poor quality of the land 

and requested to move. He objected to this; but he finally yielded the 

point, and they moved over to Savannah River. Later developments 

indicate that they rather than Oglethorpe were right in the wisdom of 

the movement.* 

The large embarkation that had accompanied him to Georgia was for 

the purpose of establishing ,a new town to help defend the southern 

boundary of the province against the Spanish. It had been generally 

understood that it was to be located at St. Simons at the mouth of the 

Altamaha River. After Parliament granted only £10,000 instead of the 

£20,000 requested by the trustees, the latter decided unanimously that 

it would be best not to locate the new settlement so far to the south. 

They wished both the Highlanders and the English moved to the Ogee- 

chee River, where provisions would be cheaper, they would be closer to 

Savannah for mutual support and defense, and there would be no neces 

sity for further Indian presents, in order to secure more land.f 

A month later Secretary Martyn wrote for the trustees again, urging 

the same policy of making the settlements nearer together. They urged 

that the depth of water in the Altamaha is not sufficient to make it a 

good harbor, and that was a main dependence in going there. In spite 

of the expense already met with, they preferred to drop the scheme. 

They yielded their judgment so far as to allow him to continue the set 

tlement if it seemed necessary to keep the Spanish from thinking that 

the English were weakening in their claims to Georgia. J Oglethorpe 

evidently regarded it as best to hold to St. Simons as an outpost, and so 

he continued to settle and to fortify it. As a military leader, it was 

almost inevitable that he would make this choice, for the mouth of the 

Altamaha was undoubtedly a better strategic position than any point 

on the Ogeechee; but it is not certain that his military training was of 

great value to the colony in this particular decision. 

There are several reasons for thinking that he made a mistake in 

thus going counter to the expressed will of the trustees. As they had 

written him, it was very expensive to establish the new town so far from 

Savannah; transportation of provisions was a constant drain; the inter 

change of messages meant an additional outlay of money; and at the 

same time the resources of the trustees were decreasing. Again, the dis 

tance from Savannah prevented Oglethorpe from keeping up with affairs 

in the northern part of the province; and, as the trustees trusted to 

him for letters of information, they were led into grave errors, as we 

shall see. The settlement of Frederica was of no material benefit to the 

colony; the town was prosperous for a little while, but it soon became 

practically dead. The settlements on the Altamaha were designed as 

defenses for Georgia; but it is by no means certain that they were not 

sources of more danger than aid. The Spanish made no overt attempts 

against Georgia and no very vigorous protests against the English set 

tlements there until after the settlements on the Altamaha and on the 

* Ga. Hist. Gollec. Ill: 13. 

t B. T., Ga., VIII: Martyn to Oglethorpe, May 10, 1736. 

t Ibid., June 10, 1736.


islands even to mouth of the St. Mary's River. There is no reason for 

thinking that they would have disturbed the province at all if it had not 

been for the warlike aggressiveness of the English, in establishing forts 

far below the charter limits of the colony. It is true that in 1742 the 

fortifications on St. Simons Island were of immense' value in repelling 

the Spanish invasion; but if the settlement had been on the Ogeechee 

near Savannah, it is probable that no invasion would have been made. 

Granting, however, that an invasion would have taken place, we are 

confident that the same expenditure of money and labor in fortifications 

would have been sufficient to repel the enemy at the mouth of the Ogee 

chee or at Savannah itself. If all the efforts of 1735 had been concen 

trated in the northern part of Georgia, so great an impetus could have 

been given to it that it would have succeeded from that time instead 

of going down rapidly as it did after that time. Oglethorpe's aggres 

sive measures toward the Spanish may have been partly due to his slight 

regard for their military ability and his hostility toward them which he 

unconsciously gained during his service in the "War of the Spanish 

Succession. 

The trustees did not approve of expenditures on. his part for mili 

tary or any other purposes outside the charter limits of the province; 

and they wrote to him that he must look to the British government and 

not to them for reimbursement for expenses thus incurred.* This is 

the first intimation we have of a difference of opinion between him and 

his fellow trustees that was ultimately to become serious. Oglethorpe 

was on the ground and he saw work that he thought necessary for the 

protection of Georgia; and so it seemed to him unreasonable that the 

home authorities should grudge to have the expenses encountered. On 

the other hand, the trustees found it much more difficult to raise funds 

to support the colony than Oglethorpe realized; and they thought it 

rash for him to make expenses of which they had had no notice and for 

which they had made no provision. 

In addition to the settling of Frederica and the establishing of fortifi 

cations on the islands along the coast, Oglethorpe had other things to 

occupy him. He succeeded in making a treaty with the governor of St. 

Augustine and another with the council of war of the same place, where 

by peace was to be maintained between Georgia and Florida,! but these 

never went into effect for they were vetoed by the Spanish authorities 

at Havana. He also attended a meeting with representatives of South 

Carolina in order to confer with them in regard to disputes over the 

enforcement of the rum act. The conference was held in Savannah, and 

the matter was thoroughly discussed, but no agreement was reached; 

and it was finally carried for decision to the board of trade. J 

The complaints filed by South Carolina against Georgia made the 

trustees fearful that they might not obtain a grant from Parliament 

during the next session. This anxiety was intensified by the fact that 

they had not heard any news at all about the province from June to 

November, and so they could not present any favorable statement as to 

* Ibid., July 7, 1736. 

tC. E. I: 266. 

i Jones, ' ' History of Georgia. " 1: 253-25S.


its condition. In order to answer the complaints and to get the neces 

sary news, it was deemed needful that Oglethorpe return in person, as 

he alone was depended on to furnish information. Accordingly the trus 

tees requested that he come at once to England,* and he embarked on 

his mission November 29, 1736, after being in Georgia on this visit a 

little less than ten months. 

On January 12, 1737, he attended a meeting of the trustees and laid 

before them his proceedings in Georgia since going there the February 

preceding. A resolution was passed congratulating him on his safe 

return and thanking him for his many and important services to the 

Colony of Georgia.! 

In England he attended the hearings before the board of trade rela 

tive to the disputes with South Carolina, the results of which are given 

later; and he was greatly interested in getting the British government 

to take over the defense of the province, relieving the trustees of this 

responsibility. This course was finally adopted; and it was determined 

to raise a regiment of 600 men for Georgia. Oglethorpe himself was 

appointed colonel of the regiment; and he was also nominated captain- 

general and commander-in-chief of the forces of South Carolina and 

Georgia. |. Up to this time, he had drawn no salary for his services in 

the colony. He had been in the service of the trustees and not of the 

crown. Now he would draw the regular stipend of a colonel in the 

British service; and it seems that he drew in addition a £1,000 per an 

num hitherto allowed the governor of South Carolina as commander-in- 

chief of the forces of that province.** 

As a natural consequence, from this time forth Oglethorpe was more 

and more occupied with the matter of defense, and he could give a pro 

portionally smaller time to the business affairs of the trust. The ten 

dency toward preoccupation with defense is reflected in his attendance 

on the meetings of the trustees while he was at home. He was present 

at only thirty-nine out of sixty-four meetings of the corporation, and at 

nineteen of twenty-eight meetings of the Common Council. Before he 

went to Georgia the first time, his attendance was 90 per cent; on his 

first return to England it was still about 88 per cent; while on the second 

stay at home it was only 63 per cent. 

On this trip to England, Colonel Oglethorpe's accounts were audited; 

and it was found that he had kept careful accounts, for he had vouchers 

for all but £464 of the large sums that had passed through his hands.ft 

Since the notes or sola bills issued by the trustees had been so drawn 

that only Oglethorpe could issue them, and that he could do it only 

when in Georgia, the form was now changed to enable him to issue them 

anywhere. He was desired to issue quite a number of them in blank 

so that they could be sent to Georgia for use by Messrs. Stephens, Cau- 

ston, and Parker as need should develop. Oglethorpe was to be in 

demnified against the sola bills he endorsed; and the three officials in 

* B. T., Ga., IX, Oct. 22, 1736. 

t C. E. I: 266-267. 

jr.B. T., Ga., IX: Verclst to Causton, May 27, 1737. 

**C.E. V: 66. 

tt 0. B. II: 244.


Savannah would have to account for them.* This was another step in 

the separating of Oglethorpe from the active management of the colony. 

Before this all expenses were to pass under his eye, while after this he 

would have little knowledge of the ordinary expenses. 

This tendency, however, was not continuous. Oglethorpe gave as 

undivided attention to the civil affairs of the colony for awhile after his 

return to Georgia in September, 1738, as at any time during his connec 

tion with it., There had never been any adequate executive authority in 

Savannah; and, after the settlement in the southern part of the province 

was made, not even Oglethorpe's influence was felt to any degree. 

Thomas Causton had exercised almost despotic power, and he had got 

ten the finances of the colony into a most deplorable condition. By 

order of the trustees, he was arrested by Oglethorpe, and held under 

bond until the matter could be investigated.! Affairs seemed in such 

desperate straits that Oglethorpe felt called on to pledge' his personal 

credit to insure a feeling of confidence on the part of the people. He 

offered to advance to the trustees the income from his estates and his 

salary for the year.:!: They appreciated his work and expressed their 

feelings to him on several occasions. On February 3, 1739, Accountant 

Verelst wrote, "The Trustees are sensible of the difficulties you labor 

under and the dangers you are exposed to; * * * They much ap 

prove of your conduct under these hardships and are truly animated 

with a most commendable zeal for the preservation and welfare of that 

province which you have endured so many fatigues, and gone through 

so many eminent dangers in the establishing of." ** Later they express 

appreciation also for the generous advances of money with which to 

finance the colony, and they promise to reimburse him as soon as the 

accounts could be presented to them, but they urge that he do not run 

beyond the computed rate of expenses.ft It is evident that they are fear 

ful that one who is so generous with his own money may be too much 

inclined to spend too freely the money of others which he had in charge. 

A service of quite a different sort was performed by him in his visit 

to Coweta in order to meet with the Creek Nation, obtain new land 

grants from them, and renew the treaty of peace and friendship. The 

long journey of 500 miles through the wilderness was successfully made, 

and the objects of the trip were fully realized. Jt Colonel Oglethorpe 

was a master hand in winning the 'Confidence and support of the red 

men; and his services were especially important just at this time, as the 

war with Spain was imminent. 

Toward the close of 1739 there developed a somewhat serious dis 

agreement between Oglethorpe and the trustees as to the amount of au 

thority he was to exert in Georgia. On July 4, 1739, the colonel wrote 

to the trustees that things were in bad shape in the province. He repre 

sented that magistrates generally were using their powers to get income 

for winking at those who disobeyed the laws or they expected large 

* G. E. II: 237-238. 

t Ibid., 247. 

t B. T., Ga., XXI: Oglethorpe to Trustees, Oct. 19, 1738. 

** Ibid., Verelst to Oglethorpe, Feb. 3, 1739. 

tt Ibid., June 11, 1739. 

it C. B. V: 22fi. 

Vol. 1—13


allowances for doing their duty. They were banding together to allow 

persons to escape who were indebted to the trust. There was a general 

need of a more steady way of doing things, but the people were denying 

that he had authority over them. He also strongly opposed any changes 

in the land laws, -urging that those who complained in the matter were 

those who- made the least improvement as things were.* He made it 

plain that he felt that he ought to be allowed to take affairs in hand 

and to straighten them out; and the trustees understood perfectly well 

his meaning, but they were not inclined to yield to him. 

They agreed with him that a steady and regular manner of doing 

things ought to be observed, but they said that this would result best 

from a faithful performance of the commands of the trustees. First of 

all, the estimate of expenses ought to be carefully considered and ought 

not to be exceeded. All funds misapplied are at the peril of the official 

neglecting or disobeying in the matter: They seem to doubt somewhat 

the charges he makes against the officials in Georgia, asking him to make 

specific and personal charges. They regretted that the people denied 

authority in him. They declared that such must belong to the factious 

element of the settlers. The wiser part must understand that he neither 

could nor would exceed the power given him by the trustees who would 

uphold the powers flowing from themselves. They likewise did not 

agree with his advice concerning the changes in. the land laws, admitting 

that the complainants made little improvements, but thinking that this 

was due to discouragement in regard to the laws.f 

At the same time, Oglethorpe was sent a report of the Committee on 

Accounts to whom had been assigned the duty of checking up his ac 

counts recently submitted. The report made a number of criticisms as 

to the colonel's policies and expenditures. For instance, it criticized 

him for hiring men to work when there were so many trust servants in 

the colony; it seemed unreasonable to the committee that he should pur 

chase posts when the servants could so easily cut them; it appeared 

unnecessary to purchase cattle when there were more than 1,000 head in 

the province; and lastly that receipts for a niimber of expenditures did 

not appear, though the committee did not doubt that they had been 

properly expended. $ 

The letter as first prepared by the trustees was harsher than the one 

sent as summed up above. It was softened by the Earl of Egmont, but 

still it was severe enough to much displease Colonel Oglethorpe. The 

trustees felt that he wanted to act in all things at his pleasure and to 

spend whatever money seemed to be needed, while they felt seriously 

the need of strict economy; they thought also that he wrongfully applied 

some of the trust money for defense that ought to have been looked 

after by the general government of Great Britain. They had been fol 

lowing almost absolutely his advice in regard to the regulations they 

would pass for the provinces; and now they felt that he had made mis 

takes in regard to several matters. He had always advocated maintain 

ing strictly the original provisions as to land tenures, rum, negroes, and 

* B. T., Ga., XXI: Oglethorpe to Trustees, July 4, 1739. 

t C. R. V: 267-268. 

i O.E. II: 310-311.

GEOBGIA AND GEOEGIANS 195 

Indian trade; and he had advocated not yielding to South Carolina in 

the quarrel between the two colonies. They were ready to break away 

from his advice in regard to land and the South Carolina quarrel, as 

they were soon to do in other respects.* 

The next month the trustees arranged that the sola bills which were 

used for money in the colony should be endorsed by three of the officials 

in Savannah. Up to this time, Oglethorpe alone had had this power. 

Now he was totally excluded from handling the money, though he could 

still make accounts subject to approval by the trustees. The Earl of 

Egmont in commenting on this exclusion of the colonel mentioned that 

it "was thought a prudent and necessary step." f They also requested 

him through their accomptant that he would be careful to distinguish in 

his expense accounts between items that pertained to defense, which 

would be paid from the British treasury, and those that belonged to the 

strictly civil affairs for which the trust was responsible. J 

One or two other incidents may be cited showing a slight irritation 

between Oglethorpe and the home board. In May, 1740, the latter 

learned that the general had employed a jailer and provost-marshal at 

Savannah and that he had disposed of certain trust servants. Both of 

these things had been done without leave 'of the trustees arid without 

informing them of the matter; and they were displeased at the occur 

rences.** 

Again in the same year, the trustees felt that Oglethorpe was acting 

without his authority and without reason in withholding from the peo 

ple a deed poll that had been sent over in 1739. This related to certain 

indulgences granted by the trustees to the settlers in regard to the land 

tenures. Notice of the grants had been sent to Secretary Stephens at 

Savannah, and the people were expecting the deed; but Oglethorpe did 

not like the regulations, preferring to stand by the original rules, and 

so it was claimed by the trustees that he wilfully kept back the deed; to 

the discouragement both of the people and of the trustees.ft 

On December 17, 1740, through their accomptant they wrote to the 

magistrates at Savannah that they did not desire General Oglethorpe to 

interpose in their civil concerns while he was employed in his military 

ones, which were distinct services. They expected their orders to be 

obeyed by those to whom they might be sent without giving the general 

the trouble of being consulted and without waiting for his directions 

therein, which the trustees did not expect from him nor reasonably 

could. |t This was not liked by General Oglethorpe, but it was judged 

most necessary by the board of trustees for the general was too far away 

and his mind was too much occupied with military concerns to attend 

to matters in the northern part of the province.*** 

The situation had not been formally discussed in the meetings of 

the trustees, so far as the records show, until December 19, 1740, two 

*C. R. V: 247, 259, 266. 

t Ibid., 287. 

t B. T., Ga., IX: Verelst to Oglethorpe, June 11, 1740. 

**0. E. V: 346. 

tt Ibid., 211. 

U B. T., Ga., X: Verelst to Oglethorpe. 

*** G.R. V: 290-291.


days after the letter just mentioned had been. sent. On that day Mr. 

Yemen, a personal friend, of General Oglethorpe and one of the staunch- 

est supporters of the province, took advantage of a full board to express 

his sentiments on the conditions in Georgia. He frankly said that some 

one ought to be given more power and .authority than any one in the 

colony had under the existing constitution. The change was imperative 

in order to get the orders of the trust obeyed. He pointed out that 

Oglethorpe was neglecting certain things that he had been asked to look 

after. He was assuming too much authority, expecting that no compli 

ance should be given the trustees' orders until confirmed by him. . The 

trustees had already removed him from the financial affairs of Georgia, 

and it was now time to remove from -the other civil concerns.* 

At the next meeting of the trustees, Mr. Vernon again brought up 

the matter, saying that much disgrace and mischief had befallen both 

the trustees and the colony by reasoii of Oglethoxpe's intervention in. tlie 

execution of the commands sent to Georgia. He instanced the ease of 

the light house which they had asked him to look after in vain, and 

which would probably cost £1,500 to repair when it ought.not to have 

cost over £200. He declared that matters of the utmost importance 

were delayed in order that he might be consulted because there was a 

misconceived notion that he had the final control of matters ordered 

by the trust. On this groxind, information in regard to the colony had 

been delayed; and yet it was of vital importance in order that the 

province might be set in the best light before Parliament. He proposed 

to invest some one in Georgia with powers superior to any possessed there 

at that time, and. to make him entirely independent of General Ogle 

thorpe. fie did not wish a governor, proposing instead that the prov 

ince be divided into two counties with a president over each. He sug 

gested that Oglethorpe might be complimented by making him president 

in "the southern division. All present seemed to approve his ideas, and 

he was asked to embody them in a definite plan.f 

Turning now to Georgia, we may understand why General Ogle 

thorpe was neglecting somewhat to look after the lighthouse and other 

affairs that had been committed to him on the civil side. As soon as 

he returned from the visit to the Creek Nation at Coweta, he heard that 

war had been declared between England and Spain; and he at once 

began to make active preparations for it. From that time till he left 

Georgia in 1743, he was occupied nearly all the time with military cares. 

In partial justification at least of the expenditures complained of by 

the Committee of Accounts, it may be noted that the English govern 

ment was very grudging .at times of the financial aid it lent General Ogle 

thorpe for defending the province and for prosecuting the war; and so 

he felt constrained to get it elsewhere trusting that it would be later 

repaid. He advanced large sums for the purpose himself, and he used 

some of the trust money in the same way, violating his instructions no 

doubt and yet feeling that it was necessary. $ 

No detailed account can be given of his expedition into Florida. 

* Ibid., 413.' 

t Ibid., 415-416. 

t A. W. I. XXV: 175, 186.


It may well be doubted whether his service in this particular was of 

value to the province. Pie did not succeed in securing and holding the 

cordial assistance of South Carolina or of the British fleet; and so the 

expedition failed, in spite of his own earnestness and activity. It might 

be argued with. some plausibility that his taking the offensive in this 

campaign prevented the Spanish from invading Georgia; but it seems 

more likely that this provocation and the fact that the English were not 

very successful led to the Spanish invasion in 1742. 

The repelling of the Spanish in the latter attempt was the high water 

mark of his career, and it was of genuine service to Georgia. He' drove 

off a superior force of the enemy by a stratagem that was well con 

ceived and well executed. The strictly military features of the cam 

paign reflect little credit on Mm, for they were insignificant; but the 

general results were very important, as much so as if a decisive battle 

had been won by the English, since the Spanish retired to trouble Geor 

gia no more during the remainder of the proprietary period. In this 

campaign, as in the former one in Florida, General Oglethorpe was act 

ing as an officer in the British regular army; and, while his services 

affected Georgia, he was not acting in any capacity as a Georgian or as 

an official of the province. 

For his bravery and good service in repulsing the enemy, the king 

of his own accord promoted Oglethorpe to be a brigadier-general.* He 

was much troubled, however, about the state of his accounts with the 

treasury department; and so he sought leave to come to England for 

the purpose of settling the financial difficulties and of answering several 

charges that had been preferred against him. On July 23, 1743, lie left 

the province never to return. He was easily cleared of the charges 

against him; and he held the command of his regiment in Georgia in 

name at least until it was disbanded in 1748. 

Resuming our study of his relations to the trustees after 1740, we 

find that in spite of his exclusion from civil affairs he could not refrain 

entirely from interfering to some extent; and this was still resented by 

the trustees. Toward the close of 1741, the general wrote to President 

Stephens at Savannah signifying his pleasure that a certain lot in Sa 

vannah be granted to one Papott; but the president and assistants over 

ruled the request, assigning to him their reasons therefor.f About 

four months later, he wrote them that notwithstanding the reasons given 

by them his request might and ought to be granted; but they again 

denied his authority to direct their action by refusing to accede to his 

proposal, .t At almost the same time that the above request was made 

by Oglethorpe, he wrote another letter to President Stephens signifying 

his pleasure that certain money sent to the colony by the trustees should 

be turned over to an agent he was sending to receive and apply it. The 

trustees had already given directions as to the application of the funds; 

and the president and assistants in this matter also denied the request 

of the general, directing that the president "do pursue his first orders 

received from the trust without variation therefrom."'** 

*C. E. V: 679. 

t C. R. VI: 16. 

t Ibid., 29. 

** Ibid., 16.


On June 18, 1742, the Earl of Egmont received a letter from him, 

possibly written in consequence of the above incidents. In this letter 

he said that Colonel Stephens and every one in the magistracy in Geor 

gia ought not to act without his directions since they plunged everything 

into a strange confusion.* 

It is probable that he tried to exercise again some authority in the 

southern part of the province at least; for on May 10, 1.743, the trustees 

wrote to Bailiff Hawkins, of Frederica, on the subject. They expressed 

astonishment that any one should think that General Oglethorpe, be 

cause a trustee, was vested with power superior to that of a magistrate. 

They asserted that no single trustee had any power at all, and they 

further said that no single person had any power at all except what had 

been given by the collective body of trustees. No single individual had 

power at all. The opposite doctrine would cause endless confusion. Gen 

eral Oglethorpe himself would set him straight in that matter.! The 

Earl of Egmont explained that this letter was sent because Oglethorpe 

was interposing without authority and was looked upon by some as hav 

ing a power superior to that of a magistrate. J 

After General Oglethorpe reached England, though fresh from a 

victorious campaign that had saved Georgia from invasion, he was not 

received and thanked as on the former visits he had made to England. 

There was certainly less cordiality between him and the general body of 

the trustees, to whatever cause the lack of harmony may be attributed. 

He attended the meetings of the board and of the common council with 

much less regularity, going to thirty-four of the 103 meetings of the 

former, and to nine of the 26 council meetings, held after his return to 

England. His attendance before he left for Georgia the first time was, 

as we have seen, about 90 per cent of the possible meetings; and it was 

63 per cent on his last trip • while now his attendance had fallen to 34 

per cent. In the beginning, he had been on almost every important com 

mittee, while after his final retiirn to England he was not appointed on 

any committee of the common council and on only two of the general 

board of trustees.** 

His lack of harmony with his associates is shown even more strikingly 

perhaps in the dissent which he several times entered to matters passed 

in the meeting. It was one of the two general by-laws adopted by the 

trustees that any member who dissented from a resolution should have 

the privilege in the same meeting of entering the simple words, "I, A. 

B., do dissent from the foregoing resolution." ft "With the exception of 

a single instance, Oglethorpe was the only trustee who availed himself 

of the privilege of thus putting his opposition on record; and it may be 

worth while to note the matters on which he thus differed from his col 

leagues. On January 19, 1745, steps were taken to abolish the town 

court of Frederica, the action being partly due to the fact that two of 

the three bailiffs had come to England on military business. At the 

same time, a motion was made to prohibit any one in military employ- 

*O.E. V: 637. 

I B. T., Ga., X: Martyn to Hawkins, May 10, 1743. 

* C.B. V: 689. 

**C.B. I: 501, 510. 

ft Ibid., 31.


ment from being employed as a magistrate' in Georgia. The matters 

were postponed for final settlement; but the general desired leave to dis 

sent to all the resolutions.* 

On January 30 following, the subjects were again discussed; and it 

was decided that if any of the magistrates of Georgia should accept 

military employment they would become incapable of holding or exer 

cising their civil offices. It was further decided that dormant commis 

sions be sent over for men to take the places of any magistrates who 

should thus change to the military service. As might have been ex 

pected from his former action, Oglethorpe dissented from the resolu 

tions, t 

Again on May 24, 1748, he dissented to the proceedings of the day. 

On this occasion, the principal point under discussion was the distribu 

tion of Indian presents by a joint commission from South Carolina and 

Georgia. J In expressing opposition to this plan, he may have been 

moved by his early hostility to making any concessions to South Caro 

lina in regard to the Indian trade, for we have noted that he was per 

sistent on that subject. On the same day, he presided at a meeting of 

the common council and dissented likewise from the proceedings of the 

day. It is very difficult to see any reason for his behavior on that occa 

sion. Only routine matters were passed upon, and nothing involving 

any disputed principle was seemingly discussed or put through.** This 

was the next to the last meeting of the common council that he attended, 

and it was only a short while until he stopped attending the meetings 

of the general board. So far as the records show, his last meeting with 

the trustees was at the anniversary sermon on March 16, 1749.ft 

During the remaining years of the trust, Oglethorpe was in England 

and was taking an active part in Parliamentary affairs, J J and of course 

it is interesting to ascertain why he did not keep up his connection with 

the affairs in Georgia. His regiment was disbanded in 1748, and that 

severed one connection that he had had with the province. We have 

noted also that he was not in accord with several of the measures being 

adopted at that time by the trustees. There was one other circumstance 

that may help to explain his absence from the councils of the trust. He 

was having-a disagreement with the trustees in regard to financial mat 

ters. Late in 1744 he was asked to render an account of the' various 

orders for money or other articles given by him to Thomas Causton,*** 

and there is no record of any settlement as to that. 

On July 6, 1751, the accomptant was instructed to call on General 

Oglethorpe for the balance due from him to the trust of about £1,412, 

because the money was urgently needed for carrying on the colony.ttt 

The general replied that the balance of accounts was in his favor, and 

that even if that were not true the claim of the trustees on him was not 

* Ibid., 463. 

t Ibid., 464-465. 

. tlbid., 516. 

**C. B. II: 489. 

tt C. E. I: 529. 

it Wright, 363-370. 

***O.B. II: 441. 

tttC.B. I: 563.


payable until the account was allowed at the government treasury on the 

auditor's statement of it. To this the trustees replied that he was mis 

taken as to their claims not being payable; he had been allowed enough 

from the treasury department to repay the money of the trustees which 

he had used for the military service, and the trust is in great need of 

money to carry on the colony.* 

Oglethorpe responded to this request with a letter dated August 17, 

1751, in which he reiterates his claim that the balance of accounts as 

already submitted is in his favor. Besides, he says that there is an addi 

tional account of expenditures made by him for the trustees which he 

has not yet presented, owing to the fact that he had an account to pass 

with the government at the time it would ordinarily have been sub 

mitted to the trust. He abstains from presenting it until the government 

matter is settled when his claims and those of the trust may be set one 

against another. Under date of a week later, the trustees reply, ex 

pressing great surprise that he had any further demands to make upon 

them. They are the more surprised because he was present on the 17th 

of January, 1749, when his accounts were delivered, examined and 

determined, and at that time he had made no mention of anything fur 

ther. They, therefore, request that he let them know what these demands 

are as soon as possible, the circumstances of the trust not admitting o£ 

any delay, t 

This was the last communication that passed between the general 

an.d the trustees, so far as the records show. The accounts of the trust 

do not show that he ever paid any money to extinguish the claims 

against him, nor, on the other hand, do they indicate that he received 

anything in consequence of his claims. It seems most probable that the 

claims remained unsettled until the trust was dissolved. 

Reviewing the whole connection of Oglethorpe with the Province of 

Georgia, we are led to a number of interesting conclusions. His per 

sonal character was worthy of admiration. Though it was bitterly as 

sailed by many of his enemies, both on general and specific charges, ± 

nothing unworthy or dishonorable was ever proved against him. In the 

beginning of the enterprise, he showed only the most disinterested and 

philanthropic motives, and at no time during his connection with it did 

he seem to act from purely selfish incentives. In his first visit to Georgia, 

he must have been actuated primarily by the desire to aid those who had 

been oppressed and to show them how to succeed in their undertaking. 

On his later journey the same desire' to be of service was doubtless pres 

ent also, though it was mixed with personal ambition. He was generous 

in his gifts of labor and sacrifice for the colony. His contributions in 

money, as shown in the receipts of the trustees, were small,** but his 

services were given freely to the trust,ft and at times he even paid his 

*Ibid., 565-566. 

tlbid., 566-567. 

t In a number of pamphlets like the "True and Historical Narrative" (Ga. Hist. 

Gollec. 11: 163 et seq.), he was bitterly assailed. Also by Eev. William Norris and 

others at the Parliamentary inquiry. (O.K. V: 573,619.) 

** They amounted to about £16. (0. E. Ill: 7, 14, 164.) 

ft He was paid nothing at all until he was made colonel of the regiment and 

Commander-in-chief of the forces of South Carolina and Georgia, when he received 

abundant pay from the government, though nothing at any time from the trustees.


own expenses. He has been highly eulogized because he did not accept 

pay from the trustees and did not acquire any lands in Georgia, but we 

have already noted that the charter forbade him to do either.* 

As to his official career in Georgia, in spite of his high aims, his pure 

motives, and his clean character, he did not meet with very great suc 

cess. He started out on the friendliest terms with South Carolina, but 

it was not long until that province was completely alienated from him. 

Of course this was not entirely the fault of Oglethorpe, but in the mat 

ter of the Indian trade and in regard to the expedition to Florida, he 

did not seem to use the tact that was needful to get the best results. 

Whether another could have succeeded better is of course an open ques 

tion, but there was no difficulty with the colony after President Stephens 

took charge of the Indian affairs for Georgia. On the whole, his rela 

tions to the civil affairs of the province were not entirely advantageous. 

Retaining all authority at first, he made the impression, whether inten 

tionally or not, that the magistrates were to be subservient to his will, 

and that no important action was to be taken without his consent. This 

caused vexatious delays when he was out of the province or too far away 

to be readily reached; it was also a source of misunderstanding and 

hard feeling between him and the trustees later on. There was no set 

tled way of doing things in Georgia until the trustees made it plain that 

their directions were to be fully carried out without consulting him un 

less so ordered. 

As long as his advice Avas followed regarding the land tenures, the 

introduction of rum, and the prohibition of negro slaves, the colony was 

kept backward. In theory he seemed to be right on all those matters, 

but, as Burke observed, the regulations were not adapted to the country 

and to the people concerned, and they could not succeed. The trustees 

in England had to depend on the advice given by Oglethorpe on the' 

field, and he erred, though in all honesty, as to what was the best course 

to pursue. The loose government and the unsatisfactory economic con 

ditions were the principal hindrances in the development of the colony. 

In the matter of defense he' was most successful, maintaining peace 

with the Indians and keeping the Spanish out of Georgia; yet even in 

this matter it is not certain but that another policy might have been 

better. The plan of pushing fortifications and forts far to the south 

helped to arouse the 'hostility of the Spanish, and after they were' estab 

lished in 1735 and the following years, there was much disturbance from 

Spanish alarms. The people could not raise their crops and go quietly 

about their business. They might have been spared this anxiety if the 

Georgia settlements had been kept within the limits of the province, 

and especially if they had been kept in the northern part of it. How 

ever, in the actual fighting necessary to drive off the Spanish in 1742, 

General Oglethorpe was abundantly successful. His zeal for defense 

led him to make quite extensive expenditures of money which neither 

the trustees nor the British government were willing to sustain. He 

was of that generous and somewhat reckless disposition that does on the 

impulse what seems necessary at the moment without waiting to weigh 

the expense and determine whether it is absolutely required. With his 

'0. R. I: 16, 21-22.


own money he was perfectly willing to make such expenditures, and so 

he was not likely to think it wrong to do so with that of the trust or of 

the government. Thus he had serious trouble himself because of his 

accounts, and he made trouble for the trustees. 

If he was unsuccessful in Georgia, he was not more to blame than the 

trustees themselves, and perhaps he was not so much .at fault as they. 

He was placed by them in a most embarrassing position, being sent to 

take charge of the colony and yet clothed with most insignificant powers. 

He could .accomplish little if he stayed within his commission from 

them, and if he exceeded it he was open to censure, especially if his 

transgression proved troublesome in any way. They gave him very few 

instructions, but they were ready enough to expect that he act wisely 

without them. If he could have been appointed a regular governor of 

the province, with powers similar to those of the governor of South 

Carolina or of other provinces, and with sufficient assistants to help him, 

he would no doubt have made an excellent record in most respects, but 

the trustees were unwilling to surrender much power to anyone in the 

colony, .and no member of the trust could fully occupy the position of 

governor on account of the charter provisions. 

Therefore in our judgment it would have been better for the province 

if Oglethorpe had never gone to Georgia, or at least if he had gone there, 

only as the commander of the regiment and without any civil authority 

at all. Of course his help at the outset would have been greatly missed, 

and the first year might not have been so successful as it was. If Ogle 

thorpe had not gone, however, it would have been necessary for the trus 

tees to send some other person of experience and ability to manage the 

expedition, as it could not have been trusted to the raw colonists them 

selves. Such a person would have been responsible to the trustees, as 

Oglethorpe was not; from him they could have required frequent and 

regular reports, as they did not feel free to require of Oglethorpe and 

as they did not get from him. Such a person, whether actually bearing 

the title of governor or not, would have centralized authority to some 

extent, and he would have been steadily in the province, whereas Ogle 

thorpe did not feel bound to remain there and did not actually reside in 

Savannah, the central place of government, more than one year out of 

the ten that he was connected with the province. The trustees would 

have felt it necessary to send full instructions to such an official, as 

they did later to President Stephens, while they expected Oglethorpe 

to know what to do from his general knowledge of their purposes, and 

greater definiteness and certainty were much needed in the colony. 

If the trustees had been compelled thus to appoint a governor, they 

might have put themselves into more cordial relations with the board of 

trade and the ministry in England, and so might have been aided rather 

than injured by the suggestions from these sources, as they feared they 

would be.* 

It is unlikely that any person could have been found who had the 

natural qualifications and the enthusiasm possessed by Oglethorpe, and 

therefore so fit to be a governor, but whatever he lacked in personal fit 

ness and zeal might be atoned for by the other advantages mentioned 

*C. E. V: 415-416. 

7


above. If Oglethorpe could have remained in England lie would have 

made a most useful member of the trust, punctual in attendance, ready 

to work, successful in getting outsiders interested. He might thus have 

served the colony as faithfully, if not so prominently, and during the 

closing years he might have been still cordial with his associates instead 

of absenting himself from their meetings, dissenting from their actions 

when present, and disputing with them as to the balance of money due 

on his accounts with them.

CHAPTER XXI 

PERSONNEL OF THE TBUSTEES—HIGH CHARACTER OP THE MEN WHO GOV 

ERNED THE COLONY OP GEORGIA—How THE AFFAIRS OF THE TRUST 

WERE ADMINISTERED—How THE MEETINGS WERE ATTENDED— 

JAMES VERNON—THE EARL OP EGMONT—THE EARL OF SHAFTSBURY. 

(This chapter contributed by James Ross McCain, A. M.) 

It will be recalled that the trustees for settling Georgia were organ 

ized into an open corporation whose membership could be indefinitely 

increased. It was a wise provision of the charter, since it allowed the 

trustees to associate with them as many good and influential men as 

they might be able to interest in their enterprise. From the nature of 

the undertaking, it was not to be expected that many men would seek 

membership in the trust; only those who were willing to do hard work 

without remuneration could be induced to join in carrying on the settling 

and support of the colony. In addition to the twenty-one trustees named 

in the charter, fifty others were elected to office during the twenty years 

of the corporation's existence. Twenty-six of these were chosen during 

the first two years of the trust, while the remaining twenty-four were 

scattered somewhat uniformly through the last eighteen years. This 

inequality of distribution in the adding of members is readily explained 

by the great amount of interest in the colony and enthusiasm for its 

development that we have previously noticed was especially manifest 

during the years 1733 and 1734. 

The trustees named in the charter did not belong to any one profes 

sion or rank in society, though all were gentlemen. Interest in the 

charitable work proposed seems to have been the general basis of ap 

pointment. Five of the twenty-one members were ministers of the 

gospel, all of the Church of England. Ten were members of the House 

of Commons. Two held seats in the House of Lords. One was a com 

missioner of the excise, another was a philanthropist noted for his work 

in establishing, and supporting hospitals, still another was a clerk in 

the South Sea House, while the last was a country gentleman. None 

of the men were distinguished. nobles or noted political leaders at the 

time, nor were they of such wealth that they would be able \o carry on 

the work by their own financial contributions, in fact the records for the 

whole twenty years of the trust show gifts from these twenty-one mem 

bers of only about £225.* 

In the choice of members at the annual meeting of 1733, it would 

seem that interest in the financial progress of the colony had weight. 

*C. E. Ill: 1-208. 

.204


Of the seventeen trustees chosen on that occasion, twelve had shown 

their personal interest either by making contributions in money or by 

securing commissions to solicit funds from others for the purposes of 

the charter. Of the five who do not appear to have been thus interested, 

one was a member of the Hmise of Lords, three of the House of Com 

mons, and the last was a country gentleman. 

The financial support was the basis of choice in 1733, it did not con 

tinue to be, for the next year nine trustees were chosen, none of whom 

had contributed to the colony or had tried to get others to do so, though 

six of them made contributions shortly after their election. Four of 

them were members of the House of Commons, one was of the House of 

Lords, another was a clergyman, still another was an eminent lawyer, 

while about the remaining two very little is known. The next trustee, 

who was chosen in 1737, was undoubtedly selected on account of his 

great financial assistance. He had given £1000 from a trust fund in 

his possession for the development of Georgia, this sum being much in 

excess of the combined contributions of all the other trustees during 

the proprietary period.* 

Between the years 1738 and 1743 inclusive there were elected thirteen 

members of the corporation, and all of these were members of Parlia 

ment. There had been a strong tendency heretofore to choose members 

from those who could be useful in securing the support of Parliament, 

and as the support became more doubtful it is not surprising that mem 

bers of the House of Commons would make the most acceptable trustees. 

Of the ten members chosen during the last decade of the trust, six 

were members of Parliament, one a clergyman, another was lord mayor 

of London, still another was a merchant, while nothing is known of the 

remaining one.t . . . . 

Of the seventy-one J trustees, eleven never qualified by attending 

a single- meeting and seven others attended only three meetings or less, 

so that the active membership of the trust was only fifty-three, and it 

must not be supposed that all of .these did much work either in attend 

ing meetings or in looking after the details of the colony. In view of 

the large mnnber who were .indifferent, we can understand why the 

average attendance was so small at both corporation and common .council 

meetings. For the purpose of our study, the activity of a man in 

Georgia affairs and his general usefulness to the trust are of more im 

portance than the facts of his personal or private life. Some of those 

elected members of the corporation were in many respects very noted 

and influential men, and yet their participation in the business of the 

trust was so slight that they do not merit individual attention in study 

ing the personnel of the working members of the board. The following 

table will indicate those who were most diligent in attending to the 

duties which devolved on the members of the corporation: 

* O.K. I: 273-275. 

t Stevens. 1: 474-475. 

t Jones, Stevens, and others give lists of seventy-two members of the trust; but 

they overlook the fact that Robert Kendall, Esq., and Sir Robert Cater were two 

names for the same man. G. JR. I: 28.


ATTENDANCE OF MEMBERS ON THE MEETINGS OF THE TRUSTEES FOK ES 

TABLISHING THE COLONY OF GEORGIA IN AMERICA, 1732-1752. , 

Meetings 

Meetings held during 

Name Chosen attended membership 

John Lord Viscount Perceval ............ 1732 343 450 

(Later Earl of Egmont.) 

Hon. Edward Digby, Esq................ 1732 97 512 

George Carpenter, Esq. .................. 1732 70 -463 

(Later Lord Carpenter.) 

James Oglethorpe, Esq. .................. 1732 147 512 

George Heathcote, Esq. .................. 1732 84 512 

Thomas Towers, Esq. .................... 1732 193 512 

Robert More, Esq. ...................... 1732 39 512 

Robert Hucks, Esq. ..................... 1732 187 423 

Rogers Holland, Esq. ................... 1732 87 512 

William Sloper, Esq. .................... 1732 36 388 

Francis Eyles, Esq. ..................... 1732 26 512 

John Laroche, Esq. ..................... 1732 161 512 

Hon. James Vernon, Esq. ................ 1732 394 512 

William Belitha, Esq. ................... 1732 18 512 

Rev. Stephen Hales, D. D. .............. 1732 152 512 

Rev. John Burton ...................... 1732 46 512 

Rev. Richard Bundy, D. D. .............. 1732 . 81 274 

Rev. Arthur Bedford ................... 1732 36 423 

Rev. Samuel Smith ..................... 1732 352 512 

Mr. Adam Anderson .................... 1732 129 512 

Mr. Thomas Coram ..................... 1732 129 494 

James Earl of Derby .................... 1733 None 476 

Anthony Ashley Earl of Shaftesbury...... 1733 138 476 

John Lord Viscount Tyrconnel............ 1733 102 476 

James Lord Viscount Limerick............ 1733 27 476 

James Lord D'Arcy ..................... 1733 None 64 

Hon. Richard Chandler, Esq. ............. 1733 61 476 

Thomas Frederick, Esq. ................. 1733 30 320 

Henry L'Apostre, Esq. .................. 1733 294 476 

William Heathcote, Esq. ................. 1733 125 476 

(Later Sir Wm. Heathcote, Bart.) 

Robert Kendall, Esq. .................... 1733 29 273 

(Later Sir Robert Cater.) 

John Page, Esq. ........................ 1733 16 476 

William Hanbury, Esq. .................. 1733 I 476 

Erasmus Phillips, Esq. .................. 1733 1 476 

(Later Sir E. Phillips, Bart.) 

Christopher Towers, Esq. ................ 1733 23 476 

Sir John Gonson, Knight ................ 1733 6 476 

George Tyrer, Esq. ...................... 1733 None 476 

John White, Esq. ....................... 1733 38 476 

Rev. Thomas Rundle, D. D. .............. 1734 4 272 

(Later Lord Bishop of Londonderry.) 

Hon. William Talbot, Esq. ............... 1734 8 412 

(Later Lord Talbot.)


Meetings 

* attended 

Meetings 

held during 

membership 

Richard Coope, Esq. .................... 1734 None 412 

William Wollaston, Esq. ................. 1734 2 412 

Hon. Robert Eyre, Esq. .................. 1734 63 412 

Thomas Archer, Esq. ................... 1734 39 412 

(Later Lord Archer.) • 

Henry Archer, Esq. ..................... 1734 62 412 

Robert Tracy, Esq. ...................... 1734 57 412 

Francis Wollaston, Esq. ................. 1734 None 412 

Sir Jacob Des Bouverie, Bart............. 1737 4 283 

(Later Lord Viscount Folkstone.) 

Sir Harry Gough, Bart................... 1738 10 238 

Sir Roger Burgoyne, Bart................ 1738 1 238 

Lord Sidney Beauclerk .................. 1739 19 101 

Hon. Henry Bathurst, Esq. .............. 1741 8 165 

Hon. Philip Perceval, Esq. ............... 1741 33 116 

John Frederick, Esq. ................... 1741 10 165 

Hon. Alexander Hume Campbell, Esq. .... 1742 None 146 

Sir John Barrington, Bart............... 1742 26 146 

Samuel Tuffnell, Esq. ................... 1742 46 146 

Henry Calthrope, Esq. .................. 1742 3 146 

(Later Sir Henry Calthrope.) 

John Phillips, Esq. ..................... 1743 22 130 

(Later Sir John Phillips, Bart.) 

Velters Cornewall, Esq. ................. 1743 9 130 

John Wright, Esq. ...................... 1743 None 130 

Rev. Thomas Wilson, D. D. .............. 1745 16 79 

Francis Cokayne, Esq. .................. 1747 2 59 

Samuel Lloyd, Esq. ..................... 1747 37 59 

Hon. John Earl of Egmont............... 1749 None 39 

Anthony Ewer, Esq. .................... 1749 20 39 

Edward Hooper, Esq. ................... 1749 23 39 

Sir John Gust, Bart..................... 1749 None 39 

Slingsby Bethel, Esq. .................... 1749 None 39 

Stephen Theodore Jansen, Esq. .......... 1749 None 39 

Richard Cavendish ..................... ? 3 ? 

In addition to the regular members listed above, there were chosen 

on March 19, 1747, two corresponding members of the trust for the serv 

ice of Salzburgers and other Germans who might be inclined to go to 

Georgia. These were Mr. Chretien Von Munch and Rev. Samuel Url- 

sperger of Augsburgh. They never attended any meetings of the trust 

but they frequently gave information and advice through letters to the 

trustees.* 

Since the common council of the trustees was a closed board and 

since it was necessary for it to have eight members present in order to 

do business, it was more important that its membership be selected from 

active and interested persons than that such should be chosen for the 

corporation only. There were in all forty-eight members of the common 

*C. E. I: 499.


council appointed or selected. Of this number, two never accepted the 

office to which they were elected, so that only forty-six actually took the 

oath which inaugurated them into service. Six members served during 

the whole period of proprietary control, and two others served from the 

completion of the first council on. March 15,1733, to the end of the period. 

Since the duties of a common councilman were in many respects more 

arduous than those of an ordinary member of the corporation, it is 

worth while to tabulate the faithfulness of its members. 

ATTENDANCE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL ON ITS 

MEETINGS, 1732-1752 

Meetings 

Name Chosen attended 

Egmoiit ......... 1732 161 

Digby ........... 1732 50 

Carpenter ....... 1732 42 

*0glethorpe ...... 1732 70 

G. Heathcote ..... 1732 65 

*Laroche ........ 1732 110 

*Vernon ......... 1732 176 

Belitha .......... 1732 7 

*Hales .......... 1732 95 

*T. Towers ...... 1732 125 

Hucks ........... 1732 82 

More ............ 1732 28 

^Holland ........ 1732 68 

Sloper ........... 1732 29 

Eyles ........... 1732 29 

*Shaftesbury ..... 1733 80 

*Tyrconnel ....... 1733 80 

Limerick ......... 1733 14 

'-Chandler ....... 1733 34 

T. Frederick ..... 1733 25 

L'Apostre ....... 1733 138 

"W. Heathcote.... 1733 42 

White ..'.......,. 1733 28 

Cater ............ 1733 25 

Bundy .......... 1733 52 

Talbot ........... 1736 2 

T. Archer ....... 1736 11 

*Byre ........... 1736 39 

*Smith .......... 1737 75 

*Tracy .......... 1737 32 

*Page ........... 1737 2 

H. Archer ....... 1737 31 

C. Towers ....... 1737 14 

Beauclerk ....... 1738 15 

*J. Frederick .... 1740 13 

Meetings 

held during 

nicinbership 

201 

210 

127 

215 

215 

215 

215 

15 

215 

215 

111 

98 

215 

193 

193 

186 

200 

128 

200 

141 

189 

141 

96 

112 

112 

16 

72 

104 

Resigned July 7, 1742. 

Died 1745. 

Resigned March 8, 1738. Re- 

elected and resigned April 

12, 1740. 

Resigned March 8, 1738. 



Resigned April 16, 1736. 

Resigned February 20, 1742. 

Resigned February 11, 1742. 

Resigned 1739; re-elected 

1740. 

Resigned 1739. 

Died 1740. 

Resigned 1747. 

Resigned July 30,1739. 

Resigned April 26,1736. 

Resigned March 8,1738. 




69 Resigned January 28,1744. 

75 Resigned 1747. 

46 ' Died November 23, 1744. 

45

Name Chosen 

*Bathurst ....... 1740 

^Barrington ..... 1741 


Meetings 

Meetings held during 

attended membership 

7 

12 

*Tuffnel ......... 1741 19 

*Phillips ....'.... 1742 10 

P. Perceval ...... 1743 None 

*Cornewall ...... 1743 6 

Bouverie ........ 1744 None 

*Wilson ......... 1746 6 

*Lloyd .......... 1749 9 

*Hooper ......... 1749 6 

*Ewer ........... 1749 8 

:*Cavendish 

45 Resigned March 9,1744. 

32 

32 

25 

8 Died 1747. 

19 

17 (Resigned ?) 

13 

9 

9 

9 

COMMITTEE SERVICE OF THE CORPORATION AND OF THE COMMON COUNCIL 

OF THE TRUSTEES FOR ESTABLISHING THE COLONY OF 

GEORGIA IN AMERICA. 

Name 

Vernon ...... 

Egmont ..... 

T. Towers ... 

L'Apostre ... 

Laroche ..... 

Hucks ....... 

Hales ....... 

Oglethorpe ... 

Shaftesbury .. 

Eyre ........ 

Smith. ....... 

Holland ..... 

Tyrconnel ... 

H. Archer ... 

W. Heathcote 

G. Heathcote . 

Digby ....... 

Corporation Common Council Total 

47 

12 

26 

6 

11 

14 

7 

19 

12 

6 

20 

4 

6 

8 

2 

6 

1 

95 

98 

74 

88 

51 

46 

46 

31 

36 

40 

23 

33 

22 

11 

17 

11 

17 

142 

110 

100 

94 

62 

60 

53 

50 

48 

46 

43 

37 

28 

19 

19 

17 

18 

* Those whose names are thus marked above formed the Common Council when 

the charter was surrendered in 1752. The minutes of the Trustees are not quite 

complete as to the changes made during the last few years and it is not certain when 

Cavendish was chosen to the Council or whether Bouverie ever resigned from the 

body or not. 

Besides attending the meetings of the corporation and the Common Council, the 

more active Trustees frequently had duties to perform on some of the permanent or 

special committees which were so frequently employed by both bodies. Although, 

service on the committees was very often assigned to any three or more of the mem 

bers, it usually devolved on a very few persons who were willing to sacrifice their 

time for the good of the colony. The various journals and minutes which describe 

the work of the committees frequently fail to indicate the individuals who composed 

the committees, but sufficient information may be gleaned from them to show with 

reasonable accuracy the members both of the corporation and of the Common Council 

who were most prominent in this work. 

Vol. 1—14


Chandler ..................... 6 12 18 

Tracy ........................ 3 14 17 

Hooper ...................... 6 8 14 

J. Frederick ................... 2 10 12 

T. Frederick .................. 3 7 - 10 

Bundy ....................... 6 3 9 

More ......................... 4 5 9 

White ........................ 2 7 9 

Bathurst ...................... 3 6 9 

Lloyd ........................ 4 9 13 

Ewer ......................... 3 8 11 

Cavendish .................... 2 5 7 

J. Phillips .................... 2 4 6 

Coram ....................... 6 — 6 

Wright ...................... 2 3 5 

T. Archer ..................... 3 — 3 

Wilson ....................... 1 1 2 

Campbell ..................... 1 1 2 

Page ......................... 1 1 2 

Burton ....................... 1 — 1 

Anderson ..................... 1 — 1 

Bedford ...................... 2 — 2 

Carpenter .................... — 3 3 

Sloper ........................ — 4 4 

Eyles ........................ — 8 8 

Belitha ....................... — 7 7 

Cater ......................... 3 11 14 

Talbot ........................ — 1 1 

Limerick ..................... — 1 1 

Beauclerk .................... — 3 3 

C. Towers .................... — 3 3 

Barrington ................... — 3 3 

Tuffnel ....................... — 1 1 

This table furnishes -the clearest evidence available that a very few 

men did the actual work of the trust. So far as information is available, 

there were in all 1,162 reports for committee duty, and more than half 

of these were made by seven men. These seven seem to have had more 

to do with the constructive policy of the trustees than all the other sixty- 

four members of the trust combined; for the minutes of the common 

council and the journal of the trustees make it evident that very much 

of their business consisted of hearing and approving the work of their 

committees. However, lest it give undue prominence to the committee 

work to select as the most prominent trustees those who led in it, it will 

be best to combine in one table the various activities of those who ranked 

highest in all departments of service for the colony. The results are col 

lated in the summary following:


THE LEADING WORKERS AMONG THE TRUSTEES IN EVERY DEPARTMENT 

OP SERVICE, 1732-1752. 

Corporation Council 

Name Meetings Meetings Committees Total 

Vernon .................. 394 176 142 712 

Egmont .................. 343 161 110 614 

L'Apostre ................ 294 138 94 526 

Smith .................... 352 75 43 470 

T. Towers ................ 193 125 100 418 

Laroche .................. 161 110 62 334 

Hucks ................... 187 82 60 329 

Hales .................... 152 95 53 300 

Oglethorpe ............... 147 70 50 267 

Shaftesbury .............. 138 80 48 266 

Since these ten men by every test appear to have done the major 

part of the work in founding and supporting Georgia, it is highly im 

portant that they be studied in detail; while, on the other hand, it is 

not essential that those who contributed almost no service to Georgia 

should be discussed, however eminent and important they may have 

been in other fields. 

It is remarkable that the name of James Vernon heads the list in 

every department of service connected with the trust. Not only was 

he first in attending the corporation, the common council, and commit 

tees, but he was the most consistent and regular worker among the trus 

tees. Several of the ten listed above were faithful and prompt when 

the enterprise was begun; but, as the hardships increased and as the 

task appeared to attract less enthusiasm and approval among the people 

generally, some of them became less regular in their attendance. Ver 

non maintained the good record with which he began his labors for 

Georgia, and during the last nine years of proprietary government he 

was absent from only four of the 114 meetings held by the corporation. 

At the meetings when he was absent, only routine business of slight 

iinportance was transacted,* so that Vernon may be said to have parti 

cipated in practically everything that was done after 1743. The attend 

ance of other members of the corporation at these meetings varied 

greatly, and it was nearly always small, no other member being present 

at near all the meetings. One might infer from the situation that dur 

ing much of the time Vernon was practically in charge of the work and 

that he called in others to confirm and make legal what he wished to 

do, though he was doubtless only leading and not entirely dominating 

corporation affairs. The part he played in the common council and in 

committees was similar to that he held in the corporation. 

The general idea of his leadership during the second decade of the 

trust is reinforced by the fact that during this period the policy for 

which he stood came more and more into practice. More earnestly than 

any other trustee, so far as the records indicate, Vernon had advocated 

the plan of satisfying the colonists in Georgia and so- inducing them 

"C.B. I: 533, 536, 575, 576.


actively to work in the development of the province. When they com 

plained of the poor quality of their land, he urged repeatedly that they 


pended upon, lie is one." * Vernoii deserves to rank very near Ogle- 

thorpe in credit for the establishment and success of Georgia. The 

latter made more personal sacrifices for it; but Yemen worked with 

him in obtaining the charter, and he kept up his interest and efforts for 

the province after Oglethorpe and all the other founders had ceased 

to labor for it. 

Next to Vernon in activity for Georgia, was John, Lord Viscount 

Perceval, better known by his later title, the Earl of Egmont. He was 

the first president of the corporation and as such administered the oath 

of office to his fellow members of the common, council.! In almost all 

the lists of the trustees occurring either in the charter or in the records 

of the trust, his name stands at the top, for he' was recognized as a 

leader among them. Had it not been for his resignation from the com 

mon council in 1742 and his death in 1748, he might have equalled or 

even surpassed Vernon in his attention to Georgia affairs, for they were 

almost equally prompt in service until 1742, Egmont being perhaps a 

somewhat more dominant figure than Vernon. In spite of his gout and 

other physical handicaps, he took the lead in the affairs of Georgia, and 

he seemed to occupy in England a position somewhat similar to that 

of Oglethorpe in America, .being the person,to whom others generally 

Rooked for suggestions and directions. To him were sent more letters 

and reports concerning the province than to any other trustee, and he 

was foremost in pressing the claims of the colony for help and support, 

knowing better than any other its circumstances and needs. $ 

Like Vernou, the Earl of Egmont was inclined to be liberal toward 

the colonists; but he was more cautious in his policy. He opposed the 

giving of good lands for bad too hastily, urging that a more careful 

study of the facts should be made. His attitude was that the colonists 

ought to make a good showing with what they had before they should 

be allowed their full requests.** He was also opposed to the use of 

negroes, either free or slave, in Georgia; but his opposition was not 

harsh and overbearing like that of some of the other trustees.ft He 

strongly favored alterations in the land tenures so as to conform to the 

desires of the people of Georgia, giving .as his reason for his position on 

the matter a desire to conciliate the settlers in every possible manner 

consistent with the purposes of the colony. $$ 

Though raised to the rank of an earl under the "Walpole adminis 

tration, he occupied an independent position in politics. He discloses a 

good deal of animus against Walpole himself at various times, accusing 

him of deliberately falsifying in order to get the support of the trus 

tees.*** Egmont himself felt that it Avas best for him and for the other 

trustees to make no alliance with either party, putting the interests of 

Georgia ahead of the success of any faction.fft 

* Wright. 143-144, 165. 

t C. B, I: 66. 

tC. R. V: 636, 6,39, 641, 271-273, for example. 

** Ibid., 227-228. 

tt Ibid., 378. 

ft Ibid., 379. 

***Ibid., 34, 88, as examples. 

ttt Ibid., 132.


Were his devotion to the colony not so manifest on many occasions, 

it might be questioned in view of the circumstances of his resignation. 

When Parliament refused a supply of money in the spring of 1742, 

he spoke of throwing up the whole trust because both the ministry and 

the minority in Parliament seemed to appreciate so little the labors of the 

trustees. He did not meet with encouragement in the idea and he dropped 

it for the time.* Later in the year, after Thomas Stephens; had been repri 

manded for attempting to asperse the characters of the trustees, and after, 

another effort on the part of the supporters of Georgia had failed, the 

Earl of Egmont in hasty indignation resigned his place as a member of 

the common council on July 7, 1742. If any means of resigning from 

the corporation had been provided, he would likely have given it up 

also, for he was thoroughly roused. His action was ill considered. His 

letter enclosing his resignation did not touch on what was the real seat 

of trouble, which was the hope of getting others also to resign and so 

forcing the government to either support Georgia or to give it up.f 

He failed in his purpose of getting others to follow his example; and it 

was well for the colony that he did so fail. If the charter had been sur 

rendered at that time, it is most certain that Georgia would either have 

been surrendered to Spain or would have been joined to South Carolina, 

and in either case its independent character would have been lost. The 

reasons assigned in his letter of failing health and his physician's direc 

tions to rest would have been ample excuses for his resignation were it 

not that he himself gave a different interpretation of his own action. 

The Earl of Egmont was disposed to judge harshly the motives and 

actions of his fellow trustees, and he would have been very severe toward 

another acting as he did in that matter. 

Egmont had had a somewhat distinguished career before he became 

connected with Georgia. He had been privy councillor for Ireland. In 

1715 he had been made Baron Perceval; and in 1722 he had been created 

Viscount. His advancement to the earldom was in 1733, his interest in 

Georgia possibly having some influence' in his promotion. He was a 

Fellow of the Royal Society. Egmont was the author of several tracts 

or small books, most of which were concerned with the advantages of 

Georgia and the need of its support. J 

Henry L'Apostre, the trustee ranking third in faithful attendance 

on the duties of his office, seems to have been a man of much less force 

of character than either Vernon or Egmont. He was not a member of 

Parliament, and almost nothing is known of his private life. While he 

was regularly in his place at the meetings of corporation, common coun 

cil, or committees, arguments or suggestions from him rarely appear in 

the proceedings, indicating that his influence was perhaps not very 

great among his fellow trustees. His committee service was to a large 

extent connected with financial or banking affairs,** and it might be in 

ferred that he was experienced in such matters, but there is no corrobo 

rative evidence to support the inference. He did not share Vernon's 

*Ibid., 612. 

t Ibid., 643-644. 

Jlbid., 273-275; Stevens I: 463-464. 

** 0. E. II: 248; C. E. V: 707, as examples.


view of conciliating the people of Georgia, but opposed humoring them 

as to either land tenures or negroes.* 

Rev. Samuel Smith was a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, and 

he was the rector of All Hallows on the Wall. He was early impressed 

with possibilities for good in the Georgia enterprise, and he preached 

a sermon for'the special purpose of recommending the charity. In con 

sequence of this .and other services, an application was made by the 

trustees to the right honorable the lord high chancellor for some prefer 

ment in or near London to be given to the Rev. Mri Smith "for the 

great Service he has been of to the Trust.'' f Like Mr. L 'Apostre, he 

seems to have been more faithful in attending meetings than promi 

nent in his participation in them. He aided Vernon in securing the 

interest of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in the remov- 

. ing of the Salzburgers from Germany to Georgia; and he was active in 

all religious enterprises of the trust. $ 

Thomas Tower was one of Oglethorpe's closest friends among the 

trustees,** and they were in thorough accord as to many matters of 

importance in colonial affairs. Neither of them was willing to yield to 

the clamors of the Georgians for better land tenures, the exchange of 

bad lands for good, the traffic in rum, and the introduction of negroes. 

Tower had been on the committee which framed the regulations for the 

colonists,It and he had satisfied himself that they were suitable and 

necessary; and he felt, as did Oglethorpe, that those complaining ought 

to be entirely disregarded unless they were improving their lots the 

best they could before making their complaints. Accordingly he op 

posed more than any other trustee the various concessions that were 

made to the people. $$ 

Tower was a good speaker in the House of Commons,*** and he was 

a lawyer of ability. His legal services were the most valuable that he 

rendered to the trustees. He was on nearly all committees that were 

appointed to prepare laws, draw up instructions for magistrates in 

Georgia, or to put papers into proper legal form.ttt In this respect 

he was perhaps the "most active and able trustee. He also served the 

trust at times by interviewing Sir Robert Walpole to get his approval 

of measures desired by the friends of Georgia; in this capacity he was 

effective, but he was unwilling to do much service of the sort. In fact 

his close allegiance to the Walpole party greatly hampered him in his 

usefulness to the Georgia trustees. In order to please Sir Robert Wal 

pole, Tower was willing to surrender Georgia to the Spanish without 

a serious fight to retain it. J-tJ To further please him, he undertook with 

another trustee to defend the English title to Georgia, though the trus 

tees as a whole very strongly disapproved of the measure, thinking that 

*C. R. V: 378. 

t C. E. II: 60. 

t C. R. 1: 114, 209, as examples, 

** Wright 143-144, 165. 

ttO. R. I: 70. 

n G. R. V: 217, 467. 

*** Ibid., 117. 

tttlbid., 390, 429, 599, as examples. 

100.


it was a matter to be settled by the law officers of the Crown and fear 

ing that an unsuccessful defense would be used as an excuse for giving 

up the province.* Friendship for the Walpole party also led Tower 

to oppose any effort to make the corporation independent of politics; 

he did not wish the trustees to petition Parliament for the protection of 

Georgia, and he frequently insisted that the demands for money be 

cut low enough to please the lord .chancellor. It is not certain btit it is 

probable that his refusal to speak for the colony in the House of Com 

mons and his indifference on other occasions may be explained also on 

the basis of his political alignment, t 

Plucks and Laroche were two other strong supporters of Walpole 

among the trustees; and their general position on all matters of im 

portance was that of Thomas Tower. Hucks was at first one of the 

most interested and faithful of the little group who were launching the 

enterprise of the new colony, but his political connections were a source 

of weakness to him as a trustee, and his father thought that the brew 

ing business in which they were engaged suffered because of his son's 

occupation with Georgia affairs. $ Accordingly he withdrew from the 

common council, and after a little time he seemed to lose all interest 

in the trust, failing to uphold it in its efforts to get support from the 

House of Commons.*'' 

Though Laroche was a steady adherent of "Walpole and on that 

account was not perhaps always as useful to the trust as he could have 

been, he was ever ready to defend in the House of Commons both the 

province of Georgia and the management of it by the trustees.ft His 

connection with Walpole was not an unmixed disadvantage, but he was 

a useful committeeman in securing the aid of Sir Robert in many 

affairs in which Georgia was concerned. In. regard to the policy to be 

pursued in the province, he inclined to a conciliatory attitude toward 

' the inhabitants, as did Vernon and Egmont. $$ 

One of the most eminent of the active trustees was Rev. Stephen 

Hales, D.D., who was a charter member of the corporation and who 

was the only minister who continued faithful all through the years of 

proprietary control. He was a graduate of Bennet College, Cambridge, 

and he also was given the degree of doctor of divinity by the rival 

University of Oxford. In 1717 he was chosen a Fellow of the Royal 

Society, and in 1739 he won its gold medal for a scientific essay. At a 

later time he was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences in 

Paris. He was one of the foremost naturalists of his day and he was 

"pious, modest, indefatigable, and born for the discovery of truth." *** 

.Being closely associated with the royal family, he was offered prefer 

ment as preacher, but he retained his position because he thought he 

could render more service in it than if he accepted advancement. 

In his duties as trustee, he seems to have been interested chiefly in 

*Ibid., 108. 

t Ibid., 117, 274, 280. 

t Ibid., 116. 

**Ibid., 286, 302. 

ttlbid., 433, 444, 446, as examples. 

nibid., 371. 

***Stevens II: 467-468.


the charitable side o£ the enterprise. During the early years of the 

undertaking he 'was instrumental in securing many gifts for carrying 

on the work. He does not seem to have taken much part in the discus 

sions or debates as to policies to be pursued, and his opinions on them 

are not cited in the records. He was interested with Vernon in the 

religious welfare of the people in Georgia, consulting the Society for 

the Propagation of the Gospel and aiding in the settlement of foreign 

Protestants in Georgia. 

Concerning the work of James Oglethorpe as a trustee, Chapter II 

of this work gives ample information. Had he been as interested after 

1743 as he was when the work was first begun, he would have ranked 

with Vernon and Egmont in his attendance, and his right to the first 

place among the trustees could hardly have been questioned. As it is, 

whatever place of honor is assigned him must be limited to his activi 

ties during the first decade of the trust. 

Anthony Ashley Cooper, fourth Earl of Shaftesbury, was one of the 

mainstays of the trustees after the Earl of Egmont resigned from the 

common council. Shaftesbury seems to have acted always in perfect 

harmony with Vernon, and he was the latter's most frequent associate 

during the closing years of proprietary management. His service in 

the common council was not continuous. Elected in 1733, he served 

until the question of the convention with Spain was settled in Parlia 

ment in 1739. Being a member of the minority at that time, he was 

greatly exasperated that so many of the members of the common coun 

cil supported Walpole in the vote on the convention and he resigned 

in disgust his place on the council. The resolution, to resign was hastily 

reached, being brought about by the influence of Lord Limerick and 

other minority leaders; and, while it was much resented by his fellow 

members who felt that they had a right to vote in Parliament as they 

pleased, the trustees were disposed to overlook his rashness on account 

of his youth and the influence of older men.* 

The next year through the influence of the Earl of Egmont, Shaftes 

bury was persuaded to return to the common council. He was warmly 

welcomed and his rejoining the body gave credit to the sinking fortunes 

of the trustees; for, as one of them described him, he was a "nobleman 

of all amiable qualities and not one vice.'' t His high rank and known 

character made hitn useful in all committee service affecting the vari 

ous departments of the government, and he was the leader in the negoti 

ations which resulted in the British government's assuming the sup 

port and control of the province in 1752.1 

Among the seventy-one trustees who were appointed or elected dur 

ing the twenty ye.ars of the trust, there were many men who were influ 

ential, interested and active during certain portions of the time, but 

who withdrew from the common council so soon, or were elected to 

office so late, that they did not exercise sufficient influence on the whole 

course of executive management to be ranked with those whom we have 

been considering. A few of these ought to be mentioned. Among 

* Ibid., 132-133. 

t Ibid., 318, 325. 

t O.K. I: 569 et seq.


them Henry Archer was one of the most energetic and useful. Hold- 

iug office in the .common council from 1734 to 1744, he was concerned 

in. all the legal and political problems of that stormy period of the trust. 

He was allied with Thomas Tower in politics, but he was more inde 

pendent than most of the Walpole group, frequently breaking from his 

chief in minor matters and nearly always defending the trustees in the 

House of Commons.* He served on nearly all the committees ap 

pointed to interview the chancellor of the exchequer, the speaker, or 

other officials of either the Walpole or the Wilmington-Carteret minis 

tries, t During his term of office he probably also served oftener than 

any one else on committees to draw up laws or to determine the legal 

responsibility of the trustees, being generally associated with Tower in 

this work. 

George Heathcote, on account of failing health, was not so regular 

an attendant at the meetings as the others already mentioned, but he 

served apparently without pay as cashier or treasurer of the trust until 

March 22, 1740. The duties of the office were not taxing but they 

required time and attention. It was customary to deposit about five 

hundred pounds at a time with the cashier with which to pay the minor 

expenses of the trust. The largest amounts were paid by direct drafts 

on the Bank of England, signed by any five of the common council. 

Heathcote was dissatisfied with the policy of the trustees in support of 

the Church of England in Georgia, J but he was a good friend of the 

colony and of the trustees after he ceased to be actively associated with 

them, defending them ably in Parliament on several occasions.** He 

was an alderman of London, and in 1740, the year he resigned from the 

position of cashier of the trustees, he was elected Lord Mayor of London, 

but declined to serve.tt 

'Sir William Heathcote was one of the few members of the trust who, 

having resigned from the common council, continued to attend the 

meetings of the corporation. He was a man of recognized worth and 

good sense and he also had a large fortune; it was with regret that his 

fellow members of the council gave him up. He resigned in 1739 and 

it was thought by Egmont that he was persuaded to this course by 

George Heathcote, Lord Limerick and other minority members of Parlia 

ment who had already persuaded the Earl of Shaftesbury to withdraw. JJ 

Heathcote in his letter of resignation professed great love for the colony, 

regretting that private affairs prevented his further service in the coun 

cil, and he did afterwards as an ordinary trustee render service to the 

came, being the only one.to aid the members of the common council in 

transferring the responsibility of the trustees to the crown when the 

charter was surrendered.*** 

Very few of the trustees who were not also members of the common 

council were regular in attending the meetings of the corporation. To 

*C. R, V: 120, 286. 

t Ibid., 600, 607, as examples. 

i C. E. V: 116. 

**lbid., 294, 444. 

tt Stevens I: 464. 

UC. E. V: 230. 

***C. E. II: 506.


tliis general rule, Adam Anderson. was in a measure an exception. He 

was a clerk in the South Sea House, and he was afterwards an author 

of some note; but he seems to have been of comparatively little influ 

ence in. the Georgia board, his faithful attendance being his principal 

merit. 

Three members elected to the trust during its declining years deserve 

special mention. These were Samuel Lloyd, Edward Hooper, and 

Anthony Ewer, all of whom were of great assistance to Vernon and 

Shaftesbury in maintaining the work of the board at a time when some 

of its older friends were falling away. 

On the whole, the trustees were an able set of men. They repre 

sented well the leading political and religious beliefs of England, and 

they included persons of varied experience and. occupations in life. 

Since they were thus varied in their personnel, it is not strange that 

there were among them causes of misunderstanding and disputes. The 

most serious of the disagreements among the members of the trust grew 

out of politics centering about the support of Walpole or opposition to 

him. We have seen that feeling over this matter caused the with- 

draiwal of some members from the common council. Perhaps next in 

importance to the political differences were those over religious matters. 

The large majority of the trustees were members of the Church of 

England, and they were anxious that it prevail in Georgia,- but there 

were also many Presbyterians and other non-conformists on the board,* 

and these were disgusted with the resolution of the majority of the 

corporation to support a church establishment. Whether this differ 

ence caused the withdrawal of members or not, it produced a coolness 

among- some of them.f 

Less can be said of the self-sacrifice of the Georgia trustees than of 

their ability. Of the seventy-one who were chosen, thirty-six seem to 

have contributed no money to the enterprise, and the whole sum con- 

tributed, according to their own accounts, was only about £900 from 

their own resources. $ The test of contributing money is not final as 

to the interest a man may have in an enterprise, but when the under 

taking is charitable in its aims and dependent on charity for its support, 

the amount given by the trustees may be some measure of the regard in 

which the colony was held by its managers. The attendance percentage 

of the whole body of trustees on the meetings of the corporation was 

only 17 per cent of what it might have been, as shown on pages 101-104 

herein. It was the case with many of the trustees that as soon as their 

vanity was satisfied by their election to so honorable a body as the 

Georgia board they lost much of their interest in the work-, and when 

affairs in the colony went badly and when debts began to accumulate, 

such members ceased entirely to act with their colleagues. It was only 

. a small handful that stuck to their duty through fair weather and foul 

until the end. And yet who can blame the trustees for quitting their 

task? No financial rewards awaited them, and little honor was attached 

to the office after the early years. The duties were arduous and the 

* Wvight 165. 

tC.B. V: 116. 

i Bouverie, one of the Trustees, gave £1000; but it was from a fund in his pos 

session left for charity; it did not come out of his own resources.


performance of them was greeted with criticism from the government 

at home and complaints from the colonists in Georgia. 

The criticisms just made apply only to the whole body of seventy- 

one members. The self-sacrifice of the working members of the trust— 

Oglethorpe, Vernon, Egmont, L'Apostre, Smith, Hales, Shaftesbury, 

and a few others like them—cannot be too highly praised. To these few 

may be applied the words used by a historian of Georgia in summing 

up the work of the whole body: "At every stage of progress and in 

every act, whether trivial or important, these trustees, capable and 

worthy, evinced a clear conception of duty, a patience of labor, a sin 

gleness of purpose, an unselfish dedication of time and energy, an integ 

rity and a rigid adherence to all that was pure, elevated and human 

izing, which become quite conspicuous when their proceedings are 

minutely and intelligently scanned."* 

* Jones, "History of Georgia." I: 443.

CHAPTER XXII 

HAVING PASSED UNDER THE DIKECT CONTROL OP THE CROWN OF ENGLAND, 

A NEW FOKM OF GOVERNMENT Is REQUIRED FOR GEORGIA—MEAN 

WHILE THE RULES OF THE TRUSTEES CONTINUE IN EFFECT——PATRICK 

GRAHAM Is PLACED TEMPORARILY AT THE HELM, WITH FOUR ASSIST 

ANTS—GEORGIA'S POPULATION IN 1753 ESTIMATED AT 2,380 WHITES 

AND 1,066 BLACKS—EFFORTS TO REVIVE THE SILK INDUSTRY—ON MAY 

8, 1754, A NEW FORM OF GOVERNMENT Is PROPOSED—GEORGIA TO 

HAVE A ROYAL GOVERNOR LIKE THE OTHER PROVINCES—ALSO A 

KING'S COUNCIL, TO CONSIST OF TWELVE MEMBERS—CAPT. JOHN 

REYNOLDS, OF THE ROYAL NAVY, Is APPOINTED GOVERNOR, VICE- 

ADMIRAL AND CAPTAIN-GENERAL—OTHER APPOINTMENTS MADE BY 

THE GROWN—GEORGIA'S NEW PROVINCIAL SEAL—DUTIES OF THE 

GOVERNOR DEFINED—THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CONSIST OF A LOWER 

HOUSE, SITTING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE KING'S COUNCIL—To BE 

GIVEN FULL LEGISLATIVE POWERS—PROPERTY QUALIFICATIONS—GOV 

ERNOR REYNOLDS ARRIVES IN THE PROVINCE—GIVEN A JOYOUS RECEP 

TION—FINDS THE PROVINCE IN AN UNSETTLED CONDITION—CEREMONY 

OF INSTALLATION—WHITES A LETTER TO THE BOARD OF TRADE—WRITS 

OF ELECTION ISSUED—GEORGIA'S FIRST LEGISLATURE CONVENES IN 

SAVANNAH, JANUARY 7, 1755—EARLIEST LAWS RELATIVE TO SLAVERY 

IN THE PROVINCE—GOVERNOR REYNOLDS MAKES A TOUR OF INSPEC 

TION—HARDWICKE, A NEW TOWNSITE, Is RECOMMENDED FOR A FUTURE 

CAPITAL—EDWARD GRAY, A DISSOLUTE CHARACTER, SETTLES A COL 

ONY AT BRANDON, BUT LATER REMOVED TO SALTILLA RIVER—GOVERNOR 

REYNOLDS, WITH THE AID OF DE BRAHM, PLANS NEW FORTIFICA 

TIONS—THE ACADIANS IN GEORGIA—ON ACCOUNT OF THE PROSCRIP 

TION OF CATHOLICS A PROBLEM Is PRESENTED—FATE OF THE POOR 

UNFORTUNATES—GOVERNOR REYNOLDS PROVES A DISAPPOINTMENT— 

INFLUENCED BY A CORRUPT, SECRETARY, TO WHOM HE LARGELY COM 

MITS THE MANAGEMENT OF AFFAIRS—COMPLAINTS MADE BY THE 

COLONISTS—RECALLED TO ENGLAND—LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR ELLIS 

Is GIVEN A TEMPORARY COMMISSION—GOVERNOR REYNOLDS RESUMES 

His PLACE IN THE NAVY, WHERE HE ERASES THE STIGMA FROM His 

RECORD. 

NOTE: OLD INDEPENDENT. 

Georgia having passed under the direct control of the Crown of 

England, it was necessary to adopt a new form of government. On 

taking- over his royal charge, the king announced that all laws enacted 

by the trustees would remain in effect for the present and that all 

appointees would continue in office until further notice. President 

221


Parker, who died while the surrender to the Crown was taking place, 

was succeeded temporarily at the helm by Patrick Graham, whose four 

associates were: James Habersham, Noble Jones, Pickering Robinson 

and Francis Harris. The population of Georgia, as shown by a census 

taken at this time, was 2,381 whites and 1,066 blacks. But this 

enumeration did .not include the Midway Puritans who were then set 

tling in the province, some 280 in number, with 536 slaves. Joseph 

Ottolenghe, an Italian, succeeded Mr. Pickering in charge of the silk 

industry, to relinquish which the Crown was still reluctant, since, 

nowhere in the British dominions was silk produced; and to England 

the success of this enterprise meant the saving of millions. 

It was not until March 5, 1754, that a new form of government for 

Georgia was proposed by the Board of Trade, to whom the matter was 

referred. As finally agreed upon, this plan was as follows: that a 

governor be appointed 'by a commission, under the Great Seal, in like 

manner as the governors of his majesty's other provinces and planta 

tions, with powers to call an assembly to pass laws, to erect courts, to 

grant lands, and to do all other necessary and proper things; that 

twelve persons be appointed by his majesty to serve as the king's council, 

in said province, with the same powers, authorities and privileges given 

to other councils of a like character; that the governor be appointed 

vice-admiral of said colony; that such other officers be appointed as 

registrar of grants and receiver of quit rents, a secretary of the prov 

ince, to act as clerk of council and keeper of records, a surveyor of 

lands, an attorney-general, and a provost marshal. Besides a governor, 

there was also to be a lieutenant-governor. 

Five months later, the foregoing plan having received royal sanc 

tion, appointments were approved by the king as follows: Capt. John 

Reynolds, of the Royal Navy, to be governor of the Province of 

Georgia; William Clifton, attorney-general; James Habersham, secre 

tary and registrar of records; Alexander Killet, provost marshal, and 

William Russell, naval officer. 

At a salary of £50 each, Messrs. Henry Yonge and William 

De Brahm were commissioned as joint surveyors of land in Georgia; 

while Sir Patrick Houstoun, with a like salary, was selected as registrar 

of grants and receiver of quit rents. To serve as members of the 

king's council the following were appointed: Patrick Graham, Sir 

Patrick Houstoun, baronet; James Habersham, Alexander Killet, Wil 

liam Clifton, Noble Jones, Pickering Robinson, Francis Harris, Jona 

than Bryan and William Russell. Later the name of Clement Martin 

was added. 

On June 21, 1754, his majesty approved a design submitted by the 

Board of Trade for a public seal to be used by the authorities of the 

province in attesting its solemn transactions. Accordingly an order 

was given for a seal to made of silver, to correspond in size with those 

sent to North and South Carolina. The design of the seal was as fol 

lows : On one face a figure representing the Genius of the Colony offer 

ing a skein of silk to his majesty, with the motto, "Hinc Laudem 

Sperate Coloni," and this inscription around the circumference: "Se- 

gillium Provincae Nostrae Georgiae in America." On the other side 

appeared his majesty's arms, together with his crown, garter, and sup-


porters, and this inscription: "Georgius II, Dei Gratia, Magnae Bri- 

tanniae, Pranciae et Hibernia Rex, Fidei Defensor, Brunswiei et Lun- 

eburgi Dux, Sacri Romani Imperil Archi Thesaurius et Prineeps 

Elector." 

The new governor was to hold appointment direct from the Crown. 

His official title;—a somewhat elongated affair, was to be: Captain- 

General and Governor-in-Chief of His Majesty's Province of Georgia 

and Vice-Admiral of the Same. The proper form to be used in address 

ing him was "Your Excellency," a form which has ever since been 

observed. As captain-general he was to command all land and naval 

forces belonging to the province and to appoint all officers of militia. 

As governor-in-chief he possessed the sole power both to convene and to 

dissolve legislative bodies. All laws to become valid required his sanc 

tion. It devolved upon him either to approve or to disapprove all 

measures passed by the legislature. All officers who were not directly 

appointed by the Crown were to be appointed by him, and he likewise 

filled all vacancies pending action by the home government. He was 

custodian of the Great Seal. He presided as chancellor in a court of 

errors, composed of himself and members of his council, sitting as 

judges. He served as ordinary in probating wills and granting letters 

of administration. He also issued writs of election; and in him was 

lodged the pardoning power for all crimes save treason and murder. 

As vice-admiral he exercised jurisdiction over Georgia waters. He did 

not sit in the court of vice-admiralty, but in time of war he issued war 

rants to its officers, empowering them to grant commissions to privateers. 

The general assembly was to consist of two branches: an upper and 

a lower. The king's council, though a body somewhat in the nature of 

a cabinet, was to constitute the upper branch; while the house of assem 

bly was to constitute the lower branch. Composed of the representa 

tives of the people, it was the exclusive right of this body to propose 

bills, to levy taxes, and to appropriate money. The king's council, as 

we have already seen, was to be composed of members appointed by the 

king, of whom there were to be twelve in ordinary and two in extraordi 

nary commission. The surveyor-general of customs and the superin 

tendent-general of Indian affairs filled the two places last mentioned. 

The king's council sat in a legislative capacity only when the general 

assembly met; but as an advisory board it met from time to time at the 

call of the governor. On such occasions the governor presided; but 

when the council sat as a legislative body, either the lieutenant-governor 

or the senior member present was to occupy the chair. There was a 

property qualification for suffrage. To be an elector or voter the own 

ership of fifty acres in the district Avas a prerequisite; to hold office 

as a representative the ownership of 500 acres in some part of the prov 

ince was required. However, these restrictions were modified somewhat 

in response to a memorial dated February 21, 1755. Provision was made 

for the establishment of a court of record to be known as the general 

court, in which civil business was to be transacted. Criminal jurisdic 

tion was given to a court of oyer and terminer, for which letters patent 

were issued; 'but since the judges of the two courts were the same, the 

latter was eventually abolished., Court was to be convened four times a 

year at Savannah. Its presiding judge was to be appointed under the


king's sign manual, was to bear the high and solemn title of "Chief 

Justice of Georgia" and was to receive £2,500 per annum. There were 

to be three assistants appointed by the governor, but these were to serve 

without salary, except in certain cases. Inferior courts were also to be 

established. 

Governor Reynolds did not reach Georgia until October 29, 1754. 

He was an officer in the king's navy and was qualified neither by pre 

vious experience nor by temperamental fitness for executive responsi 

bilities. But he was given a cordial welcome by the colony which he 

had come to govern. When the British man-of-war, Port Mahon, on 

which he took passage, arrived at the docks in Savannah, there was a 

great delegation assembled upon the bluff to meet him, and his arrival 

upon Georgia's soil was hailed with signal honors. At night bon-fires 

were kindled in the public square. Patrick Graham, acting as presi 

dent of the colony, made a formal speech of welcome, introducing him 

to the board of assistants. Governor Reynolds was then conducted to 

the chair, at which time he formally dissolved the old board and 

announced the new king's council. On the following day its members 

were duly sworn. The oath was likewise administered to the various 

officers appointed by the Crown. The commission given to Governor 

Reynolds was "next read and published at the head of the militia under 

arms," and was heard with profound respect. At its conclusion a 

salute of musketry was fired. Then followed, in honor of the new 

government, a public dinner, at which the members of council and the 

principal inhabitants of Savannah were present, and with this bountiful 

repast an eventful day was brought to an end. 

Governor Reynolds found the province in a greatly reduced condi 

tion. Back of the joyful acclamations with which he was greeted upon 

his arrival in Savannah there were many anxious hearts. All looked to 

his coming as a harbinger of better times. It was a period of transi 

tion. Much depended upon the new form of government. There was 

great latent wealth within the colony, but it needed the vitalizing touch 

of Prospero's wand. Some idea of conditions in Savannah may be 

obtained from an early letter written by Governor Reynolds to the 

Board of Trade. -Said he: 

"The town of Savannah is well sitxiated and contains about a hun 

dred and fifty houses, all wooden, ones, very small and mostly very old. 

The biggest was used for the meeting of the President and Assistants, 

where I sat in Council for a few days, but one end fell down whilst 

we were all there, and obliged us to move to a kind of shed behind the 

Court-house, which being quite unfit, I have given orders, with the 

advice of the Council, to fit up the shell of a house which was lately 

built for laying up the silk, but was never made use of, being very ill- 

calculated for that purpose as Mr. Ottolenghe informs me, wherefore 

he says he has no further use for it, but it will make a tolerable good 

house for the Council and Assembly to meet in, and for a' few offices 

besides.'' 

Writs of election were issued at this time for a general assembly 

to be held at Savannah, on January 7, 1755, only the lower house of 

which was to be elected. When the house of assembly met at this time 

in association with the king's council, sitting in a legislative capacity,


these two bodies constituted Georgia's first real legislature, for, as we 

have seen, the pioneer assembly which met in 1751 possessed no author 

ity to enact laws. David Montaigut was the house of assembly's first 

speaker. Twelve acts were passed at this session. To enumerate some 

of the more important measures, there was first an act to provide for a 

currency. Paper hills aggregating in amount £7,000 were to be printed, 

issued and circulated, these bills to he considered as legal tender in the 

province and to be let out at interest, on good security, at 6 per cent 

interest per annum. There was also an act for raising revenue. This 

was to be accomplished by a tax levied upon negroes, lands, and moneys 

at interest or invested in trade. To keep the lighthouse on Tybee 

Island in repair, an impost was to he levied on all vessels engaged in 

trading •with the province. It was made obligatory upon the planter 

to enclose his fields with a fence at least five and a half feet in height. 

The legal rate of interest was fixed at 10 per cent. Provisions were 

also made for laying out new.roads, to prevent fraudulent deeds and 

conveyances, and to require all-.such transactions to be registered; and 

to establish a town market in Savannah. Finally an act was passed 

governing the ownership of slave property in the Province of Georgia. 

This act is of primary importance since it embodies the earliest legis 

lation in Georgia upon this subject; but we can only outline its essen 

tial features.*' Cruelty to slaves was prohibited by the following section: 

"Whereas cruelty is not only highly unbecoming those who profess 

themselves Christians, but is odious in the Eyes of all Men who have 

any sense of Virtue or Humanity, therefore to restrain and prevent 

Barbarity being exercised towards Slaves, be it enacted by the Author 

ity aforesaid, that if any person or persons whatsoever shall wilfully 

murder his own Slave or the Slave of any other person, every such 

person shall, upon conviction thereof by the oath of two witnesses, be 

adjudged guilty of Felony for the first-offence and have the benefit of 

Clergy, making satisfaction to the Owner of such Slave: but the second 

offence shall be deemed Murther, and the offender shall suffer for the 

said Crime according to the Laws of England, except that he shall for 

feit no more of his Lands and Tenements, Goods and Chattels, than what 

may be sufficient to satisfy the owner of such Slave so killed as afore 

said. And in case any shall not be able to make the satisfaction hereby 

required, every such person shall be sent to any Frontier Garrison of 

this Province, or committed to the Goal at Savannah, and there to re 

main at the public expence for the' space of seven years, and to serve 

or'to be kept to hard labour; and the pay usually allow'd by the public 

to the Soldiers of such Garrison, or the profits of the Labour of the 

Offender, shall he paid to the owner of the Slave murdered. 

"And if any person shall, on sudden heat or passion, or by undue 

correction, kill his own Slave, or the Slave or any other Person, he shall 

forfeit the sum of fifty pounds sterling. 

"And in case any person or persons shall wilfully cut the tongue, 

put out the eye, sactrate, or cruelly scald, burn, or deprive any Slave 

of any limb or member, or shall inflict any other cruel punishment other 

than by whipping or beating with a horse-whip, cow-skin, switch, or 

* Hnlonial Records "History of Georgia," Jones, I, pp. 480-485. 

Vol. I—15

226 " GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 

small stick, or by putting irons on, or confining or imprisoning such 

Slave, every such person shall for every such offence forfeit the sum of 

ten pounds sterling.'' * 

On visiting the southern confines of the province, Governor Reynolds 

found the Town of Frederiea in ruins. The fort was dismantled. Most 

of the guns had been taken to Savannah, where they were lying in the 

sand; but some twenty cannon still remained. These—some of them 

eighteen-pounders—"were all spoiled for want of care." The houses in 

the town were in a greatly dilapidated condition; but, in the opinion 

of Governor Reynolds, Frederica was the best situation for a garrison 

to cover and protect the province from invasion by sea. On a bluff of 

the Ogeechee, fourteen miles from its mouth, Governor Reynolds found 

an ideal site for a seat of government. Here, on February 4, 1755, a 

town had been laid out to which, with the approval of the king's coun 

cil, he had given the name of Hardwicke, in honor of a relative, the 

lord high chancellor of England. In a letter to the board of trade, 

dated May 1, 1755, he thus speaks of the new town: f 

"Hardwicke has a charming situation, the winding of the river 

making it a peninsula; and it is the only fit place for the capital. There 

are many objections to this Town of Savannah being so, besides its being- 

situated at the extremity of the province, the shoalness of the river, and 

the great height of the land, which is very inconvenient in the loading 

and unloading of ships. Many lots have already been granted in Hard 

wicke, but only one house is yet built there; and as the province is 

unable to be at the expence of erecting the necessary public buildings, 

and the annual sum of £500 allowed for erecting and repairing public 

works, entertaining Indians, and other incidental expenses being in 

sufficient for all those purposes, I am in hopes your Lordships will think 

proper to get a sufficient sum allowed for erecting a Court-IIousc, and 

Assembly-House, a Church, and a Prison at Hardwicke, which will be' 

* COLONIAL SLAVE LAWS.—The following regulations were in force during the 

whole or a part of the period in which slavery existed in Colonial Georgia. All negroes 

mulattoes, mestizoes, and other persons of color, except Indians in amity with the 

colony, were presumed to be slaves unless the contrary could be established. A slave 

must not be absent from the town or plantation where he belonged without a ticket 

from his master or overseer. "When found violating this law a slave might be pun 

ished by any white person. In ease the slave should strike the white person, he might 

lawfully be killed. Patrols were organized throughout the province, with the duty 

of riding at least one night in each fortnight to visit the several plantations in each 

district, and to whip every slave found abroad without a ticket. Slaves might not 

buy or sell provisions or similar articles without a ticket. 

The following offenses were capital crimes when committed by a slave: Burning 

stacks of rice or stores of tar, or destroying similar valuable commodities; insurrec 

tion, or the attempt to excite it; rape, or the attempt on a white female; assault on 

a white person with a dangerous weapon; maiming a white person; burglary; arson; 

murder of a slave or free negro. A slave might be tried for a capital ofiense by two 

justices of the peace and three freeholders. Free negroes were included under most 

of the slave regulations. 

'The earliest law was positively barbarous in some of its provisions, sneh as the 

offer of rewards for the scalps of slaves escaped beyond the Florida boundary, and 

the fixing of the limit of the legal working day for slaves at sixteen hours. The 

harshest provisions of the first laws were not continued longer than 1765.—IJ. B. 

Phillips, in '' Georgia and State Eights,'' pp. 152-153. 

t "History of Georgia," Jones, I, p. 470.


such an encouragement to private people to build there as will soon 

make it fit for the seat of government to the universal benefit of the 

province.'' 

Antedating the administration of Governor Reynolds a community 

had been established in upper Georgia known as Brandon. Its founder 

was a man by the name of Edmund Gray, a pretended Quaker. His 

colony occupied a site not far from where the famous old Town of 

Wrightsboro flourished in after years. But Gray was a dissolute char 

acter and he gave Governor Reynolds no end of trouble. His settlement 

was composed of men who were little better than himself. To quote an 

authoritative account: "Brandon may be recognized as still maintaining 

a feeble existence in the later village of Wrightsboro, although its original 

features and peculiarities have encountered essential modifications. The 

founder of Brandon was Edmund Gray, a pretending Quaker, who came 

from Virginia with a number of followers. A man of strong will and 

marked influence, he was nevertheless a pestilent fellow and, during the 

administration of Gov. Reynolds, was compelled to abandon his little town. 

He subsequently formed a settlement on the neutral lands lying between 

the Altamaha and the St. Johns. Thither flocked criminals and debtors 

anxious to escape the just demands of creditors." The Town of Bran- 

dori was settled not later than 1754 and the land was probably obtained 

by direct purchase from the Indians. 

With the assistance of De Brahm, to whose pioneer work as an en 

gineer, Georgia owes a lasting debt of gratitude, Governor Reynolds 

spent much time in a systematic effort to strengthen the defenses of the 

province. Cockspur Island, Savannah, Hardwicke, Frederica and 

Augusta, all needed to be more securely garrisoned. Besides, the land 

passages called for defensive safegiiards. To this end, plans and specifi 

cations for strongholds at various places were submitted, with esti 

mates as to the garrisons needed for each and the cost of constructing 

same with negro labor; but little was done toward putting this general 

scheme of defense into effect. The reasons for this will appear later. To 

conciliate the Indians, Governor Reynolds by appointment made a visit 

to Augxista, late in December, 1755, taking with him a number of pres 

ents to be distributed. Here he spent ten days waiting for the Indians 

to put in an appearance. Finally he returned to Savannah, leaving these 

presents with his secretary, Dr. William Little, who delivered them to 

the Indians, together also with an address from the governor and in 

return received from the Indians cordial expressions of friendship. 

While in Augusta, awaiting an interview with these Indian chiefs, 

Governor Reynolds was hastily summoned to Savannah. On arriv 

ing, he found that two vessels had anchored in the stream, with 

400 French Catholics on board, from Nova Scotia, then called Acadie. 

These gentle immigrants brought a letter to Governor Reynolds which 

explained matters after a fashion; but it did not solve an exceedingly 

difficult problem. The letter was from Lieutenant-Governor Lawrence, of 

Nova Scotia, stating that under a resolution of his council he had for 

warded these people to Georgia believing that in Oglethorpe's colony— 

an asylum for unfortunates—such an outcast people would not be denied 

a shelter. All provisions on board having been exhausted, starvation 

confronted these refugees. Governor Reynolds was perplexed. The


prohibition of Catholics was still unrepealed. To send these immigrants 

adrift in the dead of winter would be an act of inhumanity; but Georgia 

was in no condition at this time to assume the care of destitute sufferers. 

However, Governor Keyiiolds determined to give them temporary 

quarters. 

There is nothing sadder in the Colonial annals of America than the 

story of the unf ortunate Acadians: the original French settlers of Nova 

Scotia, some of whom sought refuge in Georgia when driven out of 

Canada by the cruel edict of the English. • These Acadians called the 

country in which they settled Acadie. It was a bleak region, in the cold 

latitudes of the far North, but to them it was home, and by industrious 

cultivation they gave to it many of the charms of beauty. But, in 1713, 

under the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were forced, after various 

wars and changes, to relinquish these lands to the Crown of England; 

and, though speaking the French language and professing the Catholic 

faith, they were required at its cession to Great Britain to take the 

oath of allegiance to the English monarch. It was a harsh exaction. 

But the Acadians consented to take this oath, provided they were not 

required to sever relations with friendly Indian allies or to take up 

arms against France. The governor acquiescing in this proviso, the 

oath was registered in due form; but the action of the local authorities 

was overruled by the court, a decision of which required an uncondi 

tional oath or immediate expatriation. The Acadians refused to coin- 

ply with these demands, but, as a body, maintained a neutral position; * 

and, thus matters remained unsettled until 1755, when radical measures 

were adopted. 

Bishop Stevens * has given us a graphic picture of these Acadians. 

Says he: "They were an agricultural and pastoral people—tilled the 

lands with great art and industry—reared large flocks and herds—dwelt 

in neat and convenient houses—subsisted upon the varied stores gathered 

from sea and land, and, with few wants and no money, lived in peace 

and harmony under the mild jurisdiction of elders and pastors. The 

Abbe Eaynal has described them in terms too eulogistic for human na 

ture, representing a state of social happiness more consonant with the 

license of poetry than with the fidelity of truth. It cannot be denied, 

however, that they presented • a picture, full of charming scenes and 

lovely portraits, simple manners, guileless lives, scrupulous integrity 

and calm devotion. But the eye of English envy was upon them. The 

uprooting of this people was entrusted to Lieutenant-Colonel Winslow, 

commanding the Massachusetts forces, a gentleman of great moral and 

military worth, whose strict ideas of obedience alone induced him to 

consent to undertake the task. 

"By a proclamation, so artfully framed that its design could not be 

discovered, yet requiring compliance by penalties so severe as pre 

vented any absence, the attendance of the male Acadians was required 

at a specified time and in a specified place. At Grand Pro, where 

Colonel Winslow commanded, over four hundred men met on the ap 

pointed day, September 5, 1755, at 3 p. m., in the village clrureh, when, 

going into their midst, he revealed to their astonished ears, the startling 

''"Win. Bacon Stevens, M. P., D. D., in "History of Georgia," Vol. I.


resolutions of the Governor and Council. The late happy, but now 

wretched, inhabitants, eighteen thousand in number, were appalled by 

the magnitude of the calamity which thus suddenly burst upon them. 

No language can describe their woes: turned out of their dwellings, 

bereft of their stock, stripped of their entire possessions, the bright 

hopes of the future blasted in a single hour, the labor of years wrested 

from them by a single effort, and torn from each and every association 

which binds the heart to its native fields, they were declared prisoners, 

though guiltless of any crime, and were destined to expatriation only 

because English blood flowed not in their veins and English speech did 

not dwell upon their lips. To make it impossible for them to remain, 

their houses were burnt down, their fields laid waste, their improve 

ments destroyed—everything in one general conflagration. 

"Forced to embark at the point of the bayonet, crowded into small 

vessels, provided with neither comfort nor necessaries, broken up as a 

community into many fragments—wives separated from husbands— 

children from parents—brothers from sisters—they were stored on • 

board like a cargo of slaves, and guarded like the felons of a convict 

ship. Thus they were hurried away and scattered like leaves by the 

ruthless winds of autumn, from Massachusetts to Georgia, among those 

who hated their religion, detested their country, derided their manners, 

and mocked at their language. This was English policy, outraging 

English humanity. It was an act, blending fraud, robbery, arson, 

slavery and death, such as history can scarcely equal. English philan 

thropy planted Georgia; English inhumanity uprooted the Acadians. 

How can we reconcile the two? The one was prompted by the mild 

spirit of peace; the other by the stern councils of war. It was a detach 

ment of this persecuted people whose arrival in Savannah recalled Gov 

ernor Reynolds from Augusta to the seat of government. 

"But what could the Governor do with 'such a body of strangers? It 

was one of the express conditions upon which Georgia was settled, that 

no Papist should be permitted in it; yet here were four hundred in one 

body, set down in its midst. It was also of the greatest importance to 

break up French influence on the frontier, but now nearly half a thou 

sand French were consigned to the weakest and most exposed of all the 

thirteen colonies. On account of the lateness of the season and the desti 

tute condition of the exiles, they were distributed in small parties 

through the province, and maintained at the public expense until spring, 

when, by leave of the Governor, they built themselves a number of rude 

boats, and in March most of them left for South Carolina, two hun 

dred embarking at one time, in ten boats, indulging the hope that they 

might thus work their way back to their native and beloved Acadie." 

But Governor Reynolds proved a disappointment. Though not a bad 

man, he possessed a positive genius for making trouble. His manner was 

abrupt, harsh, and dictatorial. It implied a condescension on his part in 

having taken the governorship. He complained of an inadequate salary, 

wholly out of keeping with his official position and disproportioned to his 

needs. This was the burden of more than one letter addressed to the 

board of trade. 

But complaints received in England from aggrieved inhabitants told 

a different tale. He had not been in Georgia six months before frictional


difficulties arose. The joyful acclamations of the populace which had 

waited upon his arrival had, during this interval, changed into an equally 

sincere desire for his departure. He had delegated the duties of his 

office, in large measure, to his secretary, Dr. William Little, a surgeon in 

the. navy, who was even less competent than Governor Reynolds, who was, 

in fact, not above crooked dealings, but who exercised a powerful in 

fluence over his chief. It was charged to the account of Governor Rey 

nolds that for the purpose of frustrating an inquiry into the conduct of 

Doctor Little, he had dissolved the general assembly, with only half the 

taxes for the past year collected and with those for the current year 

unraised; that he paid little or no regard to the king's council, whose 

dignity he brought into contempt; that he inserted or omitted what he 

pleased in making up the journal of council; that he transcended his 

powers in filling offices Avhich fell within the gift of the Crown; and that, 

to epitomize a multitude of complaints, his administration of the gov 

ernment was incompetent, partial and tyrannical. 

. These charges are all set forth in a letter addressed to the board of 

trade, under date of July 7, 1756, by Alexander Killet, provost marshal 

of the province and a member of the king's council. His majesty, King 

George II, having been memorialized by the board of trade, it was there 

upon ordered that Governor Reynolds embark at once for England to 

answer these charges. At the same time, the "recommendation of 

Henry Ellis, Esq., to be appointed lieutenant-governor during the ab 

sence of Mr. Reynolds" was approved. The royal signature was in a 

few day's thereafter affixed to the latter's commission. 

Governor Reynolds left for England on a merchant vessel, the 

Charming Martha, soon after the lieutenant-governor's arrival. En 

route home he was captured by a French privateer and carried to 

Bayonne, where his personal belongings were appropriated by his cap 

tors. Due to this somewhat unpleasant interruption he did not reach 

England until midsummer. Governor Reynolds made a straightforward 

defense before the board of trade, admitting his mistakes but denying 

that he had been guilty of any criminal misconduct. He called attention 

to the difficulties of his task in undertaking to organize a new govern 

ment, without precedents to guide him, with savage tribes to conciliate 

and with only limited means at his disposal. On the whole, he made a 

good impression upon the board of trade, though his defense did not 

• completely exonerate him; and it was deemed best to permit him to 

resign his office .as governor and to resume his rank as a naval officer. 

Bishop Stevens finds much to extenuate in the conduct of Governor 

Reynolds. Says he: 

"Unused to legislative bodies, unconversant with courts of law, un 

versed in the functions of his office, he was transferred from the quarter 

deck of a man-of-war to the helm of a royal province, and was required 

to begin, arrange, digest, and carry out the many necessary steps and 

changes in the first establishing of a new, and to the people untried, 

form of government. This required a patience, energy, knowledge, and 

firmness which Governor Reynolds did not possess. He was not adequate 

to the duties which his station required, and yielding to the machina 

tions of his private secretary he made himself obnoxious by devolving


upon a parasite powers which he himself should have used with knowl 

edge and discretion." 

Colonel Jones, while reviewing the affair with a pen less sympathetic, 

adds this paragraph in praise of the gallant English sailor: '' Once 

again afloat, however, he took his place among the trusted officers of 

the greatest naval power of the world and died an admiral of the blue.'' 

But let us go back. 

OLD INDEPENDENT: A BRANCH OF THE KIRK or SCOTLAND.—In 1755, on the 

petition of forty-eight free-holders, a lot was granted on which to erect a building 

to be called the Independent Presbyterian Church, the land granted and the church 

built thereon to be for the use of such persons in the district of Savannah as sup 

ported the doctrines of the Church of Scotland. From its foundation, the Inde 

pendent Presbyterian Church has been independent in name and fact. It has no 

connection either with the Presbytery of Savannah or with the Synod of Georgia and 

is governed solely by its own board of elders. The lot granted to the congregation 

was located on Market Square, between St. Julian and Bryan streets, and running 

east to Whitaker. It was specified in the grant that the meeting-house was to be 

erected within three years. Before the expiration of this period, a brick structure 

was completed and a call extended to the Rev. John J. Zubly, a native of Switzer 

land, who accepted the charge and remained pastor until 1778. At the time of the 

siege over a thousand shells poured into the town from the batteries of the allies, 

producing havoc and destruction; four houses were burned, several were demolished, 

and quite a number injured almost beyond repair. Shots from the galleys in the 

river reached Zubly's meeting house in Decker "Ward. The church was turned into 

a hospital, and a chimney built in the center; but when the siege was over it was 

little more than a ruin. On April 15, 1784, there appeared in the Gazette a call from 

the trustees for a meeting to be held in the office of Olive Lewis, Esq., the purpose 

of which was to devise plans for rebuilding the structure. The call was signed by 

Jonathan Bryan, Kobert Bolton, and William Gibbons, trustees. Several years later, 

the new building was destroyed by fire, and the congregation worshipped with the 

Baptists until another edifice was completed, in 1800, on St. James Square, between 

York and President streets. 

On January 13, 1817, with impressive ceremonies, the cornerstone of the present 

beautiful edifice of the Independent Presbyterian Church was laid, and in the month 

of May, 1819, the building was dedicated. President James Munroe, then on a visit 

to Savannah, attended the exercises, together with other dignitaries. Dr. Henry 

Kollock, the pastor, preached the dedicatory sermon from the text: "The glory of 

this latter house shall be greater than the former." Haggai, 2:9.

CHAPTER XXIII 

LlEUTENANT-GoVEBNOB BLLIS DELAYED IN EMBARKING FOB GEORGIA—— 

IMPROVES His OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME BETTER EQUIPPED—SKETCH 

OP His LIFE—EXPLORATIONS MADE BY HIM IN THE ARCTIC REGION— 

SOMETHING OF A SCHOLAR, HE MAKES IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS 

TO GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH—ARRIVAL IN THE PROVINCE—GREETED 

WITH JOYFUL ACCLAMATIONS—PAYS His DUTIFUL RESPECTS TO GOV 

ERNOR REYNOLDS, WHO LEAVES IMMEDIATELY FOR ENGLAND—FINDS 

THE PROVINCE IN A DEMORALIZED CONDITION, BUT WINS THE FRIEND 

SHIP OF THE COLONISTS—HOLDS A CONFERENCE WITH THE INDIANS— 

MAKES A TOUR OF INSPECTION—LIKE GOVERNOR REYNOLDS HE Is 

PARTIAL TO HARDWICKE—GEORGIA DIVIDED INTO PARISHES—EPIS 

COPACY Is ESTABLISHED—LETTER TO THE BOARD OF TRADE—INVESTED 

WITH FULL POWERS AS GOVERNOR—PROSPERITY BEGINS TO RETURN 

—EDMUND GRAY'S SETTLEMENT OF BRIGANDS ON THE SATILLA RIVER 

Is BROKEN UP—SUNBURY, A SEAPORT TOWN, Is FOUNDED AT THE 

MOUTH OF THE MIDWAY RIVER—ONCE A RIVAL OF SAVANNAH—THE 

BOSOMWORTH CLAIM Is FINALLY SETTLED—SOUTH CAROLINA BE 

COMES INVOLVED IN A WAR WITH THE CHEROKEES—GOVERNOR LITTLE- 

TON'S UNWISE POLICY IN DEALING WITH THE INDIANS CONTRASTED 

WITH THE FINE DIPLOMACY OF GOVERNOR ELLIS:—BUT GEORGIA Is 

FATED TO 1 LOSE HER POPULAR CHIEF MAGISTRATE—ILL HEALTH 

CAUSES GOVERNOR ELLIS TO ASK FOR His RECALL—LEAVES THE 

PROVINCE AMID UNIVERSAL REGRET—BECOMES GOVERNOR op NOVA 

SCOTIA—His SUBSEQUENT CAREER—LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR WEIGHT 

Is COMMISSIONED. 

NOTES : • GALPHINTON—QUEENSBORO—GEORGE GALPHIN. 

Delayed in leaving England, Lieutenant-Governor Ellis did not reach 

Georgia until February 16, 1757. Meanwhile he had made the most of 

opportunities for posting himself relative to the true condition of affairs. 

He had devoured every book, letter, document and paper pertaining to 

the province; he had familiarized himself with the location of every 

fort on the colony's exposed borders, the strength of its garrison, the 

nature of its construction; he had versed himself in the duties encumbent 

upon him as an officer of the Crown, resolved to profit by the mistakes 

of his predecessors. This indicated a wise head upon shoulders which 

were still young. His ambition was to restore tranquility to the 

province, to revive its commercial activities, to rebuild its waste places, 

and to give prosperity to its inhabitants. 

Henry Ellis was a student. With predilections for travel, he had 

already contributed to the sum of geographical knowledge. At the age 

232


of twenty-seven he had been entrusted by Parliament with the conduct 

of a most important expedition, in quest of a new passage to the Pacific 

Ocean. His courageous qualities were sternly tested in the prosecution 

of this bold enterprise and for more than a year he endured the rigors 

of an arctic winter. Nor did the results derived from this hazardous 

undertaking prove of an ephemeral character. In a publication which 

attracted wide notice not only in England but on the continent he set 

forth these results, eliciting the admiration of savants and winning a 

fellowship for himself in the' Royal Society. It was through the influence 

of the Earl of Halifax that he is said to have obtained his appointment 

as lieutenant-governor of the province of Georgia. 

On arriving in Savannah, Governor Ellis was greeted with every , 

manifestation of joy. Guns were fired both from the shore and from 

vessels in port. Great hopes were kindled by his coming. Disappointed 

in Governor Reynolds the populace was prepared to embrace any change 

as a change for the better. But "pausing not to dally with the saluta 

tions of the citizens," he went at once to the home of Governor Rey 

nolds, where he paid his formal respects to the chief executive. This 

obligation of courtesy having been discharged, he then responded to the 

public welcome in a decorous manner. At a subsequent meeting of the 

king's council, in the presence of Governor Reynolds, who had accom 

panied him to the chamber, he produced his commission at lieutenant- 

governor. This having been read, the great seal was then placed in his 

hands, thus ending the ceremony of his installment. In the evening there 

was an illumination of homes. Doctor Little was burnt in effigy; and, 

amid a blazing of bon-fires, the night was passed. On the day following 

there was a continuous stream of callers. Visiting out-of-town delegates 

brought him messages of congratulation; and he was also waited upon 

by a deputation of Masons. But an episode which touched him most 

of all was the part taken in his formal welcome by a band of school 

boys, organized as a military company, not one of whom was more than 

half grown. Speaking through its captain, this company of youngsters 

saluted the newly arrived governor in a brief address which captivated 

him so completely that, throughout his whole after life, it is'said to have 

been one of his most cherished recollections. 

Lieutenant-Governor Ellis found the province in a greatly disturbed 

condition. There was a prevalent spirit of discontent growing out of 

the recent high-handed rule of Governor Reynolds and one of the first 

acts of the new administration was to reinstate two members of the coun 

cil who for no good cause had been removed; but in reinstating them 

such tact was employed that no offense was given. Governor Ellis made 

it evident from the start that he was to be the tool of no faction; and, 

quick to perceive his intentions, the people were drawn to him in a 

friendship which further acquaintance only served to augment. In one 

of his earliest letters to the board of trade, he urged the appointment 

of a chief-justice for the province, in order that all causes of action 

might be heard promptly and all complaints growing out of a lack of 

uniformity in the law might be quieted. Provision had been made for 

such an officer, as we have already seen, -but no appointment had as yet 

been made by the crown. 

Early in the spring, Governor Ellis made a tour of the province for


the purpose of acquainting himself more fully with its needs, fie, too, 

was impressed with the central location of Hardwicke, on the Great 

Ogeechee, with its importance as a strategic point, with its splendid com 

mercial outlook; and he fully sympathized with the suggestion of Gov 

ernor Reynolds that the seat o£ government be transferred to Hard 

wicke; biit to accomplish this end he did not neglect the public buildings 

of Savannah, as his predecessor had done, to the detriment of the latter 

town. It was not until June 16, 1757, that Governor Ellis convened the 

general assembly, and at this time, in a most felicitous message, he 

deepened the good impression already made by him upon the colonists. 

Throughout the entire administration of Governor Ellis there was not 

the least legislative friction. At a conference with the Creek Indians 

held in Savannah, on October 25, 1757, Governor Ellis cemented the 

friendship of the nation in a treaty which was formally consummated 

some two weeks later, both lower and upper Creeks participating. 

On March 17, 1758, an act was approved by Governor Ellis dividing 

the several districts of the province into parishes, providing for the 

establishment .of religious worship according to the rites and ceremonies 

of the Church of England and empowering church wardens and vestry 

men in the respective parishes to assess rates for the repair of churches 

and for the relief of the poor. These parishes—eight in number—were 

as follows: 

The Parish of Christ Church, which included the town and district of 

Savannah, together with adjacent islands. 

The Parish of St. Matthew, embracing the district of Ebenezer, 

together with Abercorn and Goshen. 

The Parish of St. George, which was created from the district of 

Halifax, embracing an area of which the site of the present town of 

Waynesboro was the center. 

The Parish of St. Paul, which included the district of Augusta. 

The Parish of St. Philip, embracing the town of Havdwicke and the 

district of Ogeechee, together with Ossabaw Island. 

The Parish of St. John, which included the Sunbury and Midway set 

tlements, together with St. Catharine and Bermuda Islands. 

The Parish of St. Andrew, which embraced the town and district of 

Darien, south of the Altamaha, including Sapelo and adjacent islands. 

The Parish of St. James, which embraced the town and district of 

Frederica, including1 Great and Little St. Simon and adjacent islands. 

In accordance with the provisions of an act dated March 25, 1765, the 

newly acquired territory between the Altamaha and the St. Mary was 

divided into four parishes, to wit: 

The Parish of St. David, embracing a tract of land between the Alta 

maha and the north branch of Turtle River. 

The Parish of St. Patrick, embracing an area between the north 

branch of Turtle River and the south branch of the Little Satilla. 

The Parish of St. Thomas, extending from the south branch of the 

Little Satilla to the south branch of the Great Satilla. 

The Parish of St. Mary, which included an area between the south 

branch of the Great Satilla and the south branch of the St. Mary, 

together with the sea islands embraced within these limits. 

In a letter addressed to the Board of Trade, bearing date of May 30,


1758, Governor Ellis thus tells of conditions in the Province of Georgia. 

Said he:* 

'' Immediately after our Assembly rose I took a Journey to the South 

in order to examine into the state of things in that Quarter. On my 

way I touch'd at the Eiver Ogeeche and saw the Fort that had lately 

been raised there in consequence of the Resolutions of the Assembly 

last year. It is of a Quadrangular Figue, each side measuring 100 

yards, constructed with thick logs set upright, fourteen feet long, five 

whereof are sunk in the Earth, and has four little Bastions, pierced for 

small and great guns that would render it very defeneeable. From 

thence I proceeded to Medway where I found the Inhabitants had 

inclosed their Church in the same manner, and erected a Battery of 

eight guns at Sunbury in a very proper situation for defending the 

River. i 

"I reached Frederica two days afterward, the ruinous condition of 

which I could not view without concern. A dreadful Fire, that lately 

happened there, has destroyed the greatest part of the town. Time has 

done almost as much for the Fortifications. Never was there a. spot 

better calculated for a place of arms or more capable of being fortified 

to advantage. It lies on the west side of the Island St. Simon's, and 

the chief and most southern branch of the great river Alatamaha. The 

military works were never very large, but compact and extremely 

defeneeable. 

"The Sound will conveniently admit of 40 Gun Ships, and those of 

500 tons burthen may come abreast of the Town; but for three miles 

below it the River winds in such a manner that an Enemy must in that 

space be exposed to our Fire without being able to return it. In short 

it is of the last importance that that place should be kept in constant 

Repair and properly Garrisoned, as it is apparently and really the Key 

of this and the rest of the King's Provinces to the South, but the 

wretched condition in which it now is makes it easy to conjecture what 

would be its fate should Spanish War suddenly break out. 

"From hence I went to the Island of Cumberland on the south point 

whereof stands Fort William, a Post of no less consequence, as is evi 

dent from the Defence it made against Twenty Eight Spanish Vessels 

and a considerable Land Force that attack'd it unsuccessfully in the 

year 1742. 

"General Oglethorpe has, in my humble opinion displayed a great 

deal of Skill in his choice of such situations. This Fort commands a 

noble Inlet from the Sea,—the entrance of the River St. Mary,—which 

runs deep into the country,—and the Inland Passage thro' which the 

runaway Negroes and other Deserters are obliged to go on their way to 

St. Augustine. The works are of no great extent but admirably con 

trived to be maintained by a small Garrison, and might be replaced 

without any great expense, £10,000, and until these things are done I 

apprehend this Province, and I may add the next, will be very insecure." 

On May 17, 1758, Governor Reynolds having been relieved of his 

commission by the home government, Lieutenant-Governor Ellis, in rec 

ognition of his efficient work in tranquilizing conditions in Georgia, was 

*"History of Georgia," Jones, I, pp. 530-531.


made governor-in-ehief of the province and placed at the helm of affairs. 

He had fully met all expectations, not only of the province but of the 

crown. 

Returning prosperity was indicated at this time by the colony's 

increased exports to England. These included 25,000 pounds of indigo, 

55 hogsheads of rice, large quantities of resin, etc.; but the relative 

weakness of the province was still such that Georgia, in response to a 

communication from the Earl of Chatham, could offer little assistance 

to the mother country in a war against the French in Canada. How 

ever, the militia of the province was most effectually employed in safe 

guarding the borders. It was at this time that a nest of outlaws con 

gregated on lands between the Altamaha and the St. John was broken 

up. The principal settlement of these brigands was located on the 

Satilla River, thirty miles above its mouth, at a place called New Han 

over. Here, the notorious Edmund Gray, somewhat after the fashion 

of Robin Hood, held sway over a band of outlaws, who, holding no title 

to land and professing no allegiance to Georgia, were deemed a menace 

to the peace of the province. Orders were, therefore, issued by the 

Crown to disperse these marauders, a result accomplished without blood 

shed, chiefly through the determination of Governor Ellis to use the 

militia if necessary. All preliminaries were arranged by a conference 

with ample powers. 

In a former chapter we traced at some length the growth of the 

Midway settlement. The desire for an outlet on the ocean front led the 

Dorchester Puritans, who were largely interested in exports such as 

rice, indigo and cotton, to establish a town at the mouth of the Midway 

River, on an eminence well wooded. Such was the beginning of 

Sunbury. 

Once a rival of Savannah, there is not a vestige left of the ancient 

town which in colonial days arose on the gentle slopes of the Midway 

River, near the point where it widens into St. Catharine's Sound. The 

streets and squares and market places of the town have been completely 

obliterated. Weeds today choke the deserted docks where vessels used 

to land rich cargoes. Oyster shells in great white heaps mark the 

rugged shore lines; and on the hilltops, where formerly blazed the 

hearthstone fires, long rows of tasseled corn may be seen in summer, 

forming a coat of green wherewith to hide the tragedy which time has 

here wrought. The only link between past and present on these long- 

abandoned heights is the pathetic little graveyard; but even here the 

brambles riot among the crumbling tombstones. 

Perhaps nowhere else in Georgia has the ruthless plowshare of Fate 

exemplified more strikingly the final estate to which things human and 

terrestrial are at last doomed. Yet this buried metropolis produced 

two signers of the Declaration of Independence, a distinction enjoyed 

by few cities in America. The commercial importance of Sunbury at 

the beginning of the Revolution is attested by the fact that seven square- 

rigged schooners have been known to enter the port in one day, and 

Capt. Hugh MeCall,* Georgia's earliest historian—our authority for 

this statement—adds that Sunbury competed with Savannah for the 

'History of Georgia," Edition of 1909, Vol. I, p. 177.


coast trade during the late Colonial period. Colonel Jones estimates 

the population of Sunbury at something like 1,000 inhabitants, a num 

ber which was quite large, considering the times, and doubtless but 

little short of the figures for Savannah. It was also the seat of a 

pioneer school of learning—the famous Sunbury Academy, taught by 

Dr. Me Whir. Only ten miles distant from the Midway Church, it 

became the abode of a number of the members of this flock. But the 

excellence of the harbor facilities attracted settlers from remote points. 

Some came from Savannah, some from Charleston, and some even from 

far-off Bermuda. As early as 1762 it was made a port of entry by 

Governor Wright, who considered it a place of great promise; but it 

lay in the path of the despoiler, and from the ravages of the Revolution 

it never rallied. 

General Oglethorpe, during his reconnoisance of the southern fron 

tier of the province, in 1734, is said to have been impressed by the bold 

and beautiful bluff near the mouth of the Midway River, but it was not 

until twenty years later that the foundations of the future town were 

laid. The members of the Dorchester settlement, who were located for 

the most part in the close neighborhood of the Midway Church, were 

thrifty as well as pious, and they realized the need of a town on the 

ocean front nearby, where they could market rich crops of rice and 

indigo, from which, if handled to commercial advantage, there were 

large profits to be realized. The result was that, on June 20, 1758, 

Capt. Mark Carr, who owned 500 acres of land oil the heights overlook 

ing the river, deeded 300 acres of this tract to a set of trustees, who were 

charged with the duty of laying out the proposed town. 

It appears that the owner acquired the property only a short time 

before the date of this transfer by deed of conveyance from His 

Majesty, King George II. The trustees to whom he conveyed the land 

for the founding of Sunbury were: ; James Maxwell, Kenneth Baillie, 

John Elliott, Grey Elliott, and John Stevens, most of whom were either 

members or supporters of Midway Church. Captain McCall* suggests 

that the town was called Sunbury because the slopes on which it was 

built faced the sunrise, reasoning from the etymology of the word, the 

interpretation of which is—"the residence of the sun." Colonel Jones 

is inclined to think that it was named for the town of Sunbury, on the 

River Thames, in England. The trustees divided the area of the town 

into 400 lots and also planned for three squares. The lots were to be 

seventy feet in breadth by 130 feet in depth, and four of these were to 

constitute a block, bounded on three sides by streets, while a lane was 

to be the boundary of the fourth. The width of the streets was to be 

seventy-five feet and of the lanes twenty feet. King's Square, an area 

well to the front of the town, was to be twice the size of the other two, 

viz.: Church and Meeting, and these were to be in. the opposite wings. 

Such, in brief, were the specifications upon which the town was built. 

It commanded the rice crops from the adjacent swamps, together with 

large supplies of indigo from Bermuda Island. The principal trade 

was with the West Indies and with the Northern colonies. On being 

made a port of entry, Thomas Carr \vas appointed collector, John Mar- 

• "History of Georgia," Edition of 1909, Yol. I. p._177.


tin, naval officer, and Francis Lee, searcher. The growth of the town 

was rapid. Schemes for public improvement were projected on quite 

an impressive scale, and it was proposed, among other things, to con 

struct a canal through the marshes to Colonel's Island. But the dream 

dissolved into thin air with the outbreak of hostilities; and, after the 

struggle for independence was over, Sunbury seems to have declined in 

commercial importance and to have become more of an educational 

center—in which respect it continued for years to enjoy an undisputed 

leadership. 

According to tradition, the first Masonic lodge ever organized in 

Georgia was instituted under an old oak tree at Sunbury by Oglethorpe 

himself. It was more than twenty years before the town was located 

at this point, and when the founder of the colony was reconnoitering 

along the southern coast. The Society of St. George, now the Union 

Society, of Savannah, is said to have held a meeting under the same 

tree, by virtue of which its charter was saved, and the incident caused 

the old landmark to be designated in after years as the Charter Oak. 

It was during the troublous days of the Revolution; and, among the 

prisoners of war brought to Sunbury were Mordecai Sheftall, John 

Martin, John Stirk and Josiah Powell, all of whom were members. 

The charter of the organization provided for its own forfeiture, in the 

event meetings were not held annually; and here, under the walls of 

Port Morris, in order to save the charter from extinction, these prison 

ers of war met and elected officers, and thus one of the noblest organiza 

tions of the state was spared for future usefulness. Today, the Union 

Society is the legatee and guardian of "Whitefield's Orphan Home, at 

Bethesda. In the family of the Sheftalls a piece of the old oak is still 

preserved. 

It was at Sunbury that some of the most noted men in the colony of 

Georgia resided. Here lived Dr. Lyman Hall, a signer of the Declara 

tion of Independence from Georgia, a governor of the state, and a 

patriot who, single and alone, represented the Parish of St. John in the 

Continental Congress, at Philadelphia, before the province at large 

could be induced to join the federation. Here Button Gwinnett, an 

other patriot whose name is on the immortal scroll of freedom, spent 

most of his time officially, while a justice of the peace for St. John's 

Parish, though he resided on St. Catharine's Island. Here George 

Walton, the last member of the illustrious trio who represented.Georgia, 

was brought a prisoner of war, upon the fall of Savannah; and here he 

remained for months until the wound which he received in defence of 

the city was healed and his exchange was negotiated. Both Walton 

and Gwinnett were also chief magistrates of the commonwealth. 

There also lived here Richard Howley and Nathan Brownson, both 

governors; John Elliott and Alfred Cuthbert, both United States sena 

tors, and John A. Cuthbert, a member of Congress. Here also was the 

home of Maj. John Jones, who was killed by a cannon ball at the siege 

of Savannah; and here John E. "Ward, the first minister to China, was 

born. Commodore Mclntosh, his sister, Maria J. Mclntosh, the famous 

novelist, Judge William E. Law and many others of note, were also


natives of Sunbury. On February 1, 1797, the town having com 

menced to decline, the county seat was changed to Riceboro, a point 

which was nearer the center of population. Two hurricanes, one in 

1804 and one in 1824, hastened the final hour of doom for the once 

populous seaport; malarial disorders multiplied amid the wreckage, and, 

in 1829, Sherwood gave the town a population of only 150 inhabitants. 

Twenty years later it was completely extinct. 

During the administration of Governor Ellis, there was a final 

adjustment of the celebrated "Bosomworth claim." It will be remem 

bered that in requittal of her services to the colony as interpreter and 

to cover certain damages sustained by her first husband, who was an 

Indian agent, she had made a claim upon the colony for £5,000, in 

addition to which she had claimed three islands off the coast, Ossabaw, 

Sapelo and St. Catharine. These islands had been reserved by the 

Creeks, under an old treaty, but had been ceded back to the English. 

However, the claim of Mrs. Bosomworth still put a cloud upon the titles. 

Finally, to make an end of matters, it was agreed to give her a deed in 

fee to the island of St. Catharine, on which she had established her 

residence, to pay her £450 for goods disbursed by her in his majesty's 

service during the years 1747 and 1748, and to pay her £1,600 in full 

of all demands both as interpreter and as government agent. In turn, 

Mrs. Bosomworth agreed to waive all claim to Ossabaw and Sapelo. 

These islands were subsequently sold, the former yielding £1,350, the 

latter £7,000; and from the proceeds thus obtained, Mrs. Bosomworth 

was paid the sum of £2,050. 

Events were soon to demonstrate the foresight of Governor Ellis in 

renewing a covenant with the Creek Indians. Both the Carolinas in 

1759 became involved in a war with the Cherokees, a powerful nation of 

red men, whose territory at this time reaching down into middle Georgia, 

embraced not only all the lands of North Carolina west of the Blue 

Ridge Mountains, but a large part of South Carolina; while on the north 

it reached to the Ohio River. The Cherokees had proven themselves 

effective allies in the English attack upon Fort Duquesne; but on 

returning home after the capture of the fort they had appropriated 

some horses found pasturing in Virginia. Pursued by a party of fron 

tiersmen, twelve warriors were killed, besides a number wounded. Such 

treatment for stealing a few stray horses, after a great service had 

been rendered to the English, was well calculated to arouse the Cher 

okees, whose resentment, fanned into flames by French agents, led them 

to harrass the Carolina frontiers. Fort Loudoun, on the Little Ten 

nessee River, was surrounded and its garrison cut off from all supplies, 

was faced by a critical situation. Calling out the militia, Governor 

Littleton, of South Carolina, prepared to march against the Cherokees, 

hearing of which thirty-two chiefs, with friendly sentiments toward 

the whites, went to Charleston prepared to make peace. But Governor 

Littleton refused to give them an audience. Moreover, he compelled 

them to march with his army to the town of Keowee, near which an 

English stronghold, Fort Prince George, was located. While on the 

march he kept them under guard and, after arriving at Keowee, he 

immured them within the fortress walls. Such an act of inhumanity 

lent no credit either to the soldiership or to the practical sagacity of


Governor Littleton, who, some days later, finding his army too weak 

for a successful attack upon the Cherokees, concluded to make peace 

with them and return to Charleston. He, therefore, sent for Atta- 

kulla-kulla, a chief whose friendship for the British was of long stand 

ing, and with his assistance a peace was concluded on the following 

terms, to wit.- Twenty-two Indians were to be held in the fort as host 

ages for an equal number of redskins who had been murdering the 

whites, and all speed was to be employed in bringing these marauders 

to bay. 

Governor Littleton then set out for home. But his harsh treatment 

of the chiefs still rankled in the breasts of the Cherokee warriors, who, 

taking advantage of his departure, besieged the fort and killed out 

right fourteen men. However, the fort itself was not taken. Cha 

grined at this failure, the Indians resorted to stratagem. Whereupon 

Captain Cotymore, with two lieutenants were decoyed beyond the bar 

ricade and murdered in cold blood. Incensed at this foul play, the 

soldiers within the fort retaliated by attempting to put the hostages in 

irons; but one of the Indians, in resisting this indignity, stabbed a 

soldier, to avenge which all the Indians were slaughtered. 

The Cherokees needed no further goad. With a savage war cry 

they descended upon the South Carolina frontier, bearing both torch 

and tomahawk. Nor was any resistance offered for weeks, an epidemic 

of smallpox .having broken out, in consequence of which the militia 

could not be called into action. But Colonel Montgomery was in this 

crisis dispatched from New York, with a force of regulars, supported 

by seven companies of rangers from North Carolina and Virginia. 

Attacking the Cherokees in South Carolina, he burned several towns, 

killed men, women and children, in an indiscriminate slaughter, and 

finally drove the remaining savages to the shelter of the mountains, 

where an effort to follow them drew him into an ambuscade, from which 

he was fortunate enough to escape. Returning to Charleston, he thence 

embarked for New York. 

Meanwhile, on August 7, 1760, the garrison at Fort Loudoun, 

reduced to the point of starvation, was forced to capitulate. It was 

stipulated in the terms of surrender that the garrison was to be trans 

ferred to Fort George, but on the first night of the journey a party of 

Indians waylaid the soldiers and those who escaped death were taken 

back as prisoners to Fort Loudoun. The Cherokee war had assumed 

serious proportions. 

We have gone thus fully into particulars because the whole of upper 

Georgia was at this time occupied by the Cherokees and the future 

course of events in the province was to some extent affected. Since this 

crimson holocaust was the result of Governor Littleton's folly in dealing 

with the Indians, it will only serve to bring into clear relief the supe 

rior tact, humanity and wisdom of Governor Ellis and to emphasize how 

fortunate it was for Georgia that at this time—in the hour of her weak 

ness—she was served by such a man—one whose policy was to befriend, 

not to mistreat, the savage tribes of the forest. Throughout all this 

period of bloodshed not a settler in the province of Georgia was attacked. 

Oglethorpe was beyond the seas, but in his place was one who breathed 

his spirit—an Ellis. • - '


But Georgia was fated soon to lose this wise protector. Governor 

Ellis had made a most excellent chief magistrate. He was deservedly 

popular with all classes of people. In fact, the welfare of the province 

had ever been his central thought, had ever engaged his most strenuous 

and resolute endeavors. There had been a general revival of industry 

throughout the province, all bickerings had ceased, and the tide of 

prosperity had commenced slowly to motmt higher and higher. But 

the enervating effect of a warm climate had left its mark upon a con 

stitution none too robust; and while loath to relinquish an office whose 

duties he enjoyed or to leave a people , whom he had learned to 

regard with a genuine affection, lie was nevertheless forced in deference 

to his health to ask for permission to return to England. This request 

having been granted by the Crown, Lieutenant-Governor James Wright 

was designated to relieve him; and, on the latter's arrival in the prov- 

incej on November 2, 1760, embarked for home, leaving behind him a 

fragrant memory to enrich the colonial annals of Georgia, His depar 

ture was a source of regret to all, profound, unalloyed, and universal. 

Having arrived in England, he persuaded the Crown to relieve him per 

manently of his responsibilities; but so efficient had he proven as an ad 

ministrator of the Crown interests of England that he was soon after 

wards made governor of Nova Scotia, a domain recently acquired by 

England from the French. But here he found the climate entirely too 

rigorous; and, after giving two years and a half of his life to the service 

of the king in this far northern latitude, he sought to regain his health in 

the south of France. Attaining to a ripe old age, he spent his last days 

in a seaside villa, overlooking the Bay of Naples. 

GALPHINTON OB "OLD TOWN.'''—Fifty miles southwest of Augusta, on the upper 

banks of the Ogeechee Eiver, there once stood an old trading post, the origin of 

which, probably antedates the coming of Oglethorpe to Georgia. At any rate, the 

traditions of the locality indicate that at an early period there were Indian traders 

from South Carolina in this immediate neighborhood, and, if not-the first Europeans 

to establish themselves upon the soil of the future colony, "they at least penetrated 

further into the interior. George Galphin was one of this adventurous baud. He 

lived at Silver Bluff, on the east side of the Savannah River, where he owned an 

elegant mansion, conducted an extensive trade with the various Indian tribes, and 

became a sort of potentate upon whom the dusky natives of the forest looked with 

awe and respect. They usually brought to him for settlement the issues on which 

they disagreed; and whatever he advised them to do in the matter was ordinarily the 

final word on the subject, for they acquiesced in his ruling as though he were an 

oracle of wisdom. The trading-post which he established on : the Ogeechee Biver 

was called Galphinton. It was also known as Ogeechee Town; and, after Louis 

ville was settled, some ten miles to the northwest, it was commonly designated as 

Old Town to distinguish it from New Town, a name which the residents of the 

locality gave to the future capital of Georgia. In the course of time, there gath 

ered about the old trading-post quite a settlement, due to the extensive barter with 

the Indians which here took place at certain seasons of the year; but time has 

spared only the barest remnants of the old fort. The following story is told of 

how George Galphin acquired the land on which the town of Louisville was after 

wards built. Attracted by the red coat which he wore, an old Indian chief, whose 

wits had been somewhat sharpened by contact with the traders, thus approached 

him, in the hope of securing the coveted garment. Said he: 

"Me had dream last night." 

"You did?" said Galphin. "What did you dream about?" 

'' Me dream you give me dat coat.'' 

Vol. 1—16


"Then you shall have it," said Galphin, who immediately suited the action 

to the word by transferring to him the eoat. 

Quite a while elapsed before the old chief returned to the post, but when 

he again appeared in the settlement Galphin said: 

'' Chief, I dreamed about you last night.'' 

"Ugh!" he grunted, "what did yon dream?" 

"I dreamed that you gave me all the land in the fork of this creek," pointing 

to one of the tributary streams of the Ogeechee. 

"Well," said the old chief, "you take it, but we no more dream." 

There is every reason to believe that the old trading-post at Galphinton was 

in existence when the state was first colonized. The settlement which gradually 

developed around it may have arisen much later, but the historians are not in accord 

upon this point. Says Doctor Smith:* "There may have been, and I think it 

likely there were, sundry settlers who were scattered among the Indians and who 

had squatted on lands belonging to them; and it is probable that Mr. Galphin had 

around his settlement at Galphinton, some of his countrymen before Oglethorpe 

came, but I find no positive proof of it, and Colonel Jonesi put the emigration of 

the Seotch-Irish to St. George's Parish as late as 1768. I find that certainly as 

early as the time of Governor Reynolds, in 1752, there were grants made to men 

whom I know were in Jefferson." Be this as it may, George Galphin himself was 

an early comer into this region and beyond any question Galphinton was the first 

locality in Georgia established by white men for purposes of commerce. The site 

of the old trading-post is now owned by heirs of the late H. M. Comer, Sr., of 

Savannah. 

At Galphinton, in 1785, a treaty was made between the State of Georgia and 

the Creek Indians, whereby the latter agreed to surrender to the state the famous 

"Tallassee Strip," between the Altamaha and the St. Mary's; but the compact 

was repudiated by the Creeks under the artful Alexander McGillivray, under whose 

leadership was fought the long-protracted Oconee war. Hostilities were not con 

cluded until 1796, when a treaty of friendship was negotiated at Coleraine, con 

firming the treaty of New York, in 1790, under which the "Tallassee Strip" was 

confirmed to the Indians. This much-coveted bone of contention remained in pos 

session of the Creeks until 1814, when, as a penalty for siding with the British, in 

the War of 1812, they were forced to relinquish it to the whites.t 

QUEENSBORO: A LOST TOWN.—Some eight miles to the north-west of Galphin 

ton, a trading post was established about the year 1769 by a band of Scotch-Irish 

settlers, who called, the place Queensboro in honor of Queen Anne. It was located 

in an angle made by the Ogeechee River with a large creek which enters the stream 

at this point. The locality was somewhat elevated and seemed to meet the two 

fold requirement of a stronghold which was secure from Indian assaults and con 

ducive to general good health. Colonel Jones estimates that in the immediate 

vicinity of the trading post there were at one time as many as two hundred families 

settled. It was sometimes called the Irish Settlement or the Irish Reserve because 

of the predominance of this racial element, most of the settlers having come either 

directly or indirectly from the North of Ireland. George Galphin and John Eae, 

were instrumental in obtaining for them a reservation of 50,000 acres of land on 

the branches of the Ogeechee Eiver. They were Presbyterians in religious faith 

and were served for many years by Rev. David Bothwell, a man of unusual force 

of intellect and character who caane to them from the home-land in response to 

earnest overtures. Queensboro survived for a number of years; but when the town 

of Louisville arose only two miles off, it gradually declined in population until 

finally it ceased to exist. + 

GEORGE GALPHIN: THE PIONEER INDIAN TRADER.—As the result of an extensive 

trade with the various Indian tribes, George Galphin became in time one of the 

wealthiest land-owners of the Province. Though he lived on the South Carolina 

side of the Savannah River, at a place called Silver Bluff, where his principal depot 

* "Story of Georgia and the Georgia People," p. 31, Atlanta, 1900. 

t "Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. I. 

t Ibid., Vol. I.


of supplies was also located, it was mainly with the Creek and Cherokee Indians of 

Georgia that he engaged in traffic. The area of his operations extended from 

Mobile to Charleston, and he dealt with foreign, countries not only through these 

ports of entry, but through Savannah, St. Augustine, and Pensacola. The Indians 

became indebted to him for large sums of money; but when Governor Wright, in 

1773, negotiated with the Indians for an extensive tract of land wherewith to 

extinguish the debts due the traders he refused to pay the claim of Galphin because 

he sided with the colonies in the pending troubles with England. At the close of 

hostilities, the claim was transferred to the courts of the United States; but it 

was not until 1848 that the matter was finally settled. In the meantime, George 

Galphin had been dead for sixty-eight years, and it was finally among his grand 

children that the proceeds were divided. 

The story is told by Doctor White.* Says he: "Prior to the year 1773 George 

Galphiu was a licensed trader to the Creek and Cherokee tribes of Indians, then 

within the limits of the colony of Georgia, and to him these tribes were largely 

indebted. In the same year, Sir James Wright, Governor of Georgia, pursuing the 

instructions of the parent government, concluded at Augusta, for the sole purpose 

of discharging the indebtedness of the Indian traders, a treaty for land, by which 

was annexed to the British crown a large extent of territory, embracing the present 

counties of Wilkes, Lincoln, and Elbert, together with parts of Greene, Oglethorpe, 

and Franklin. In 1775 the treaty was ratified by the British crown, and commis 

sioners were appointed to liquidate the various claims under it.. Accordingly the 

claim of George Galphin for 9,791 pounds, 15 shillings, and 5 pence was approved 

by the Governor in Council, to be paid out of moneys arising from the sale of lands 

lately ceded to his Majesty by the Creek and Cherokee Indians. The menace of 

open, war in the succeeding year entirely destroyed the prospect of payment from 

this source. In January, 1780, the Legislature of Georgia, under the exigencies of 

the times, appropriated these ceded lands, but made an important reservation in 

favor of such Indian traders as were friends to America. These, on submitting 

the requisite proofs, were to be given certificates payable within four years at 6 

per cent interest. The relation of George Galphin to the ^Revolution became, there 

fore, the pertinent question to be decided. He was a native of Ireland, who emi 

grated to America soon after reaching manhood and died at Silver Bluff, on the 

Savannah River, in South Carolina, December 2, 1780, in the seventy-first year of 

his age. By his enterprise he extended his mercantile relations far into the country 

of the Indians, and by his fair dealing and uniform kindness he acquired an influ 

ence over the tribes, who were always predisposed to resentment and war. As a 

commissioner of Indian Affairs under the colonial government, his official duties 

were discharged with promptitude and fidelity; and his conduct during the war of 

the Revolution, to the period of his death, was consistent and patriotic.'' 

Without quoting in detail the somewhat lengthy account, General Howe, in 

writing to his commander-in-chief, General Washington, spoke in the highest terms 

of the unwearied efforts of Mr. Galphin to conciliate the Creek Indians, and Gov 

ernor Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, also testified without 

reserve to his patriotism, while Maj. Joseph Ilabersham, Hon. William Stephens, 

and Maj. Peter Deveaux made affidavits to the same effect. The Royal Assembly, 

which met in Savannah in 1780, attainted George Galphin of high treason against 

the British crown only four months before he was carried to his grave. In 1790 

the British Parliament made an appropriation to meet the claims of the sufferers 

under the old treaty of 1773 but the heirs of George Galphin were not allowed to 

share in the benefits of this measure of relief which was intended strictly for 

British loyalists. His estate was sold to satisfy debts inclined in his trade with, 

the Indians, for the payment of which he relied upon the proceeds of these ceded 

lands. In 1793, the heirs applied to the United States government, whereupon a 

measure was passed by the Senate to carry into execution the promise of the State 

of Georgia. But the matter remained in abeyance for years. At last the claim was 

reported to be one, the payment of which should be assumed by the United States 

government. Accordingly, the secretary of the treasury was directed to pay the 

claim, which amounted to $234,000. 

* White's "Historical Collections of Georgia," pp. —, New York, 1856.

CHAPTER XXIV 

LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR WRIGHT ARRIVES—THOUGH EDUCATED IN ENG 

LAND, A NATIVE OF SOUTH CAROLINA—DESTINED TO ENJOY GREAT 

POPULARITY, TO RESTRAIN GEORGIA FROM ENTERING Too HASTILY 

INTO THE REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE, TO BE MADE A BARONET OF 

ENGLAND, AND TO BE THE FIRST AMERICAN HONORED WITH A BURIAL 

IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY—PROSPERITY CONTINUES—DEATH OF KING 

GEORGE II, FOB WHOM GEORGIA WAS NAMED—MANIFESTATIONS OF 

SORROW FOLLOWED BY JOYFUL RECOGNITION OF KING GEORGE III— 

GOVERNOR WRIGHT Is PLACED OFFICIALLY AT THE HELM—BECOMES 

GOVERNOR WITH FULL POWERS—PLACES THE COLONY IN A STATE OF 

DEFENSE AGAINST THE LIKELIHOOD OF AN INDIAN OUTBREAK— 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL GRANT CRUSHES THE INDIAN UPRISING— 

GEORGIA'S IMMUNITY FROM TROUBLE WITH THE INDIANS—IMPORTANT 

CHANGES IN BRITISH AFFAIRS—ENGLAND, FLUSHED WITH VICTORY 

OVER FRANCE, BECOMES INVOLVED IN A SUCCESSFUL WAR WITH 

SPAIN—ACQUIRES FLORIDA—THE DISPUTED BOUNDARY LINE Is AT 

LAST SETTLED—GEORGIA'S EXTREME SOUTHERN LIMIT Is FIXED AT 

THE ST. MARY'S RIVER—KING GEORGE, TO REPLENISH His WASTED 

EXCHEQUER, TAXES His AMERICAN COLONIES—THE NEFARIOUS 

STAMP ACT—HOSTILE DEMONSTRATIONS IN GEORGIA—THE SONS OF 

LIBERTY—TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION—THE SPEEDWELL 

ARRIVES AT SAVANNAH WITH THE STAMPED PAPER—DIFFICULTIES 

ENCOUNTERED IN LANDING ITS CARGO—No STAMPS SOLD IN GEORGIA 

EXCEPT TO CLEAR VESSELS IN THE HARBOR—DRAMATIC EVENTS IN 

SAVANNAH—THE STAMP ACT REPEALED—LEGISLATIVE TROUBLES— 

THE KING'S COUNCIL Is LOYAL, BUT THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY 

REFUSES TO PAY FOR GEORGIA'S COERCION—THE LEGISLATURE Is DIS 

SOLVED—DK. NOBLE WYMBERLEY JONES ELECTED SPEAKER OF THE 

NEW HOUSE—JONATHAN BRYAN REMOVED FROM THE KING'S COUN 

CIL—MORE TROUBLE FOR GOVERNOR WRIGHT, WHO LEAVES FOR ENG 

LAND, WHERE HE Is KNIGHTED—JAMES HABERSHAM Is LEFT IN 

CHARGE—LOYAL TO THE CROWN, SB STANDS FIRM—TWTICE VETOES 

THE ELECTION OF DOCTOR JONES—GOVERNOR WEIGHT'S RETURN— 

ACQUIRES A BODY OF LAND FROM THE INDIANS—ENGLAND RENEWS 

HER TAXATION OF THE COLONIES, BUT REPEALS THEM AGAIN, RETAIN 

ING ONLY THE DUT.Y ON TEA—REBELLION BREAKS OUT AFRESH— 

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY—THE CHARTER OF MASSACHUSETTS RE 

VOKED—GEORGIA'S SYMPATHY Is AROUSED—JONATHAN BRYAN "Is 

AGAIN EXPELLED—PATRIOTS HOLD A MEETING IN SAVANNAH ON 

JULY 27, 1774—DUE TO GOVERNOR WRIGHT's INFLUENCE, No DELE 

GATES ARE SENT TO PHILADELPHIA—BUT DR. LYMAN HALL GOES TO 

244


REPRESENT THE PARISH OF ST. JOHN, WHERE KINSMEN OF THE 

MASSACHUSETTS PURITANS RESIDE—THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON— 

GEORGIA'S CONSERVATISM YIELDS. 

NOTES : BONAVENTURE—RESOLUTIONS OF PROTEST ADOPTED BY FRIENDS 

OF THE KING—ST. GEORGE'S PARISH: A NEST OF LOYALISTS— 

WiRIGl-lTSBORO : THE QUAKER SETTLEMENT—GEORGIA'S QUAKER COL- 

ONY PILES A PROTEST,. 

Two weeks before Governor Ellis set sail for England there arrived 

in the province a gentleman of middle age, who was destined for a score 

of years to become the central figure around whom the fortunes of 

Georgia were to revolve. Though educated in England, he was born in 

the province of South Carolina, where for two full decades he had held 

the office of attorney-general. Under his administration as governor, 

until the passage of the nefarious Stamp Act by the English Parlia 

ment, there was fated to be no discord. He brought a benign counte 

nance, a wise head and a firm hand to the administration of affairs. 

Prosperity smiled upon the province; and when troublous days came 

at last there was still felt for this faithful old servitor of the Crown 

an affection which even bayonets could not uproot. While still holding 

the' governorship of Georgia, he was invested by his sovereign with the 

honors of knighthood. On the recapture of Savannah by the patriots 

in 1781 he returned to England, where at the close of an eventful life 

he was laid to rest in her ancient Valhalla—the first American to be 

buried in Westminster Abbey. 

This was James Wright. He arrived in Georgia on October 11, 1760, 

having been commissioned as lieutenant-governor, to serve 1 while his 

chief was on a leave of absence in England. But, as we have already 

seen, Governor Ellis had returned home in a state of health too pre 

carious to admit of his continuance in office; and accordingly, on 

March 20, 1761, Governor Wright was placed officially at the helm and 

invested with the full title of captain-general, governor and com- 

mander-in-chief of the Province of Georgia. During the interval which 

elapsed between these dates a ship arrived in the harbor at Savannah 

bearing news of the death of King George II. This was the sovereign 

for whom Georgia was named and whose signature had been affixed to 

her royal charter. The announcement was received with profound sor 

row in the province, for Georgia was bound to the old king- by 110 ordi 

nary tie of allegiance; but, on the day following, pursuant to an estab 

lished custom, the new king, George III, was proclaimed with joyful 

manifestations. For more than sixty years this new sovereign was to 

fill the English throne; and, during this time, at the end of a mighty 

revolution, England was to lose all of her American possessions on the 

mainland, south of the Dominion of Canada. 

But more of this later. Governor Wright's first care, on. assuming 

office, was to place the province in a state of defense against the likeli 

hood of an Indian attack. Fort Loudoun had just been taken and there 

existed a widespread uneasiness as to what might follow. He, therefore, 

addressed a message to the general assembly, urging the necessity for 

immediate action in strengthening outposts and in safeguarding the


province at exposed points. Special attention was given to Savannah. 

The town was enclosed with palisades, its fortifications repaired, and 

its garrison re-enforced. This was done not only to protect the seat of 

government, but to afford an asylum to the people of the neighborhood 

in the event of a savage outbreak. Ports Argyle, Frederica and 

Augusta were likewise put in readiness to withstand an attack. 

During the spring of 1761, Lieut.-Col. James Grant, to aid South 

Carolina in subduing the Cherokees, arrived in Charleston with a body 

of Highlanders. Re-enforced by local companies, he inarched at the 

head of a column, 2,600 strong, to Fort Prince George, where in May 

he met Atta-kulla-kulla, who urged him to delay his hostile expedition 

until he could use his offices to secure peace. Friendly alike both to 

the whites and to the Indians, he wished to avert bloodshed if possible, 

and to protect his nation against an armed foe whose superior numbers 

and munitions of war he was powerless to resist. But to the old chief's 

entreaties, Colonel Grant turned a deaf ear, and pointing his sword 

toward the heart of the Cherokee Nation, he issued his stern command: 

'' Forward march!'' Four days later, at the foot of the mountains, 

where Colonel Montgomery had been drawn into ambuscade, a bloody 

fight ensued, in which the Indians, though offering a desperate resist 

ance, were finally routed. Pressing on to the Indian Town of Etchoe, 

he reduced it to ashes, after which, penetrating into a region beyond 

the mountains, he sacked fourteen other towns; nor did he return to 

Fort Prince George until his avenging sword had brought the Cherokee 

nation to its knees. The campaign was most successful. The power 

of the Cherokees was crushed, and there followed a peace which 

remained unbroken until the time of the Revolution. Two years had 

been consumed in these various expeditions against the Cherokees, but 

not a cabin on the frontier of Georgia had been harmed. Oglethorpe's 

humane spirit still enveloped the province in a mantle of protection. 

His memory was a tower of defense. It guided a Reynolds. It coun 

seled an Ellis. It inspired a Wright. 

"Wlhen the danger of an Indian uprising was no longer imminent, a 

crusade was launched by speculators for a removal of the seat of gov 

ernment to Hardwicke, but Governor Wright did not look with favor 

upon this proposal, and he soon put an end to the agitation by announc 

ing his attitude upon the subject. To property owners in Savannah, 

many of whom had erected substantial structures of brick, this decision 

on the part of Governor Wright gave no little satisfaction. At the 

same time it delivered a death-blow to Hardwicke, a town which sur 

vives today only in the traditions of a remote past. For more than 

150 years it has been numbered among the silent towns of Georgia. 

Meanwhile important changes were taking place in the wider realm 

of British affairs. As the result of the French and Indian wars, an 

imperial territory north of the Great Lakes had been conquered. At 

the same time, Acadie had been christened Nova Scotia. Gains in India 

and on the Dark Continent had likewise augmented the dominions of 

Great Britain. 

Moreover, having learned that between Spain and France, each of 

which was governed by a Bourbon, there existed a secret alliance grow 

ing out of what is known in history as the "Family Compact," to which


Sicily and Palma were also parties, England in 1762 declared war against 

Spain. Thus, taking advantage of her newly acquired strength, she 

sought to punish the Spanish power, for secretly defending France, in 

the recent European upheaval, to which the French and Indian war in 

America was only an adjunct. France, Austria and Russia were allied 

upon the one hand, against England and Prussia on the other; and it 

was to help the former coalition that Spain had interfered. 

Consequently, it was her time next. In less than six months, 

England had destroyed the Spanish navy, captured Havana, and 

brought Madrid to terms. Realizing that her rich colonial possessions 

were at the mercy of England, there was no alternative except to yield. 

Under the treaty of Paris, signed in 1763, England acquired from Spain 

the Peninsula of Florida, while from France she acquired a vast belt 

of land between the Alleghany Mountains and the Mississippi River. 

At this time the northern boundary of Florida, long a bone of conten 

tion, was finally settled. On October 10, 1763, King George III, by royal 

edict fixed this boundary line at the St. Mary's River, its beginning 

point, thence extending in a straight course westward, from the head 

waters of this stream to the mouth of the Appalachacola River—all the 

territory south of this line and east of the Appalachacola River to be 

known as the Province of East Florida; all the territory west of the 

Appalachacola River to be known as the Province of West Florida, with 

its northern boundary line fixed at the 31st parallel of north latitude. 

In this same royal proclamation, King George annexed to the Prov 

ince of Georgia, all the lands included between the Altamaha River 

and the St. Mary's; and, out of these lands, in 1765, were created four 

new parishes: St. David, St. Patrick, St. Thomas and St. Mary. Besides 

gaining an increase of territory, the effect of which was to make her 

cue of the largest provinces in America, she also gained an English 

neighbor to the south. Subsequently a new commission was issued to 

Govemor Wright, giving the precise boundaries of the enlarged prov 

ince over which he was to rule, a document which at the close of the war 

with England, in 1783, when Florida reverted back to Spain, was to 

play an important part in settling the lower boundaries of the United 

States.* 

Likewise in this same proclamation King George set aside for the 

use of the Indians all lands lying between the Mississippi River and the 

headwaters of streams flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. It was made 

unlawful for the white settlers to occupy these lands until permitted to 

do so under future treaties of cession. Friendly relations with the In 

dians were enjoined, to which end the royal governors in each of the 

English provinces, within whose borders lay these Indian lands, were 

directed to hold a joint conference with the chiefs of the various tribes; 

and Augusta, having been selected as the most convenient site for the 

assemblage, it here met, on November 5, 1763, at the King's Fort, near 

the present, site of St. Paul's Church. It is estimated that not less than 

700 Indians were in attendance upon this congress, over which Governor 

Wright presided. Five days were consumed in negotiations, after which 

a solemn compact, pledging perpetual friendship, was signed by all par- 

L. ~3. Ivans' "History of Georgia," p. 68.

248 . GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 

ties to the agreement. Ten years later, in 1773, Governor Wright, at 

Augusta, negotiated from the Indians, in satisfaction of debts due to 

traders, a large body of land out of which in 1777 was erected the orig 

inal County of Wilkes. 

While the devastating Seven Years war had enlarged the dominions 

of England, it had also doubled her national debt, and to provide addi 

tional revenue for the Crown it was thought necessary to tax the colonies. 

English taxpayers at home were already struggling under a heavy bur 

den, to increase which was deemed unjust, especially since a part of the 

nation's war debt had been contracted to defend the colonies. There 

seemed to be some basic element of fairness in this contention; but, on 

the other hand, it was claimed by the colonies that, in furnishing aid 

and equipping soldiers for the French and Indian war and in helping 

to achieve an English victory in Canada, they had already redeemed this 

obligation in full. Moreover, the right of Parliament to tax the colonies 

was traversed on the ground of its opposition to fundamental law. It 

was a cardinal principle of English freedom, securely founded -upon the 

Bill of Rights, that taxation without representation was unjust; and 

since the colonies were denied a voice in the Parliament of England it 

was manifestly unfair to impose upon them a tax in the levying of which 

they were unrepresented. Even though living in America the colonists 

were not aliens but English subjects, entitled to all the rights conferred 

upon them by the Great Charter. Englishmen they were in allegiance, 

Englishmen in blood. Despite the manifest injustice, therefore, of 

denying to them a time-honored and well-established principle of right, 

despite the short-sightedness of a policy whose effect would be to excite 

resentment, to weaken allegiance, and to alienate affection, despite the 

earnestness with which the colonies themselves protested against such 

a monstrous wrong, despite the warnings of Chatham, of Burke, and of 

Fox, Parliament in the spring of 1765 proceeded to pass the iniquitous 

Stamp Act. 

Patrick Henry's great speech in the Virginia Assembly voiced the 

protest not .of Virginia alone but of all the North American colonies. 

Even Georgia arose in revolt—though England's youngest born. To a 

circular letter sent out by Massachusetts, calling for a congress of all 

the colonies to enter formal protest against the tax, Georgia was ready to 

respond, and, though Governor Wright's personal influence prevented 

an election of delegates, a letter was addressed to the congress pledging 

Georgia's co-operation. Her next step was even more belligerent. She 

dismissed her agent in London, William Knox, for the reason that he 

made himself obnoxious by advising her to accept the situation. This 

course was likewise recommended by most of the graybeards of the 

province; but the younger element of the population, in whose veins 

pulsed the riotous blood of youth, banded themselves together for resist 

ance into an organization styled "the Sons of Liberty," a patriotic 

order destined to give a good account of itself in the approaching con 

flict of arms. 

On October 26, 1765, an event occurred which served to test the 

temper of this patriotic uprising. Governor Wright, to celebrate the 

fifth anniversary of the new king's accession to the throne, ordered a 

general muster of the provincial militia, little reckoning as to its conse-


quences. There assembled in Savannah at this time a large crowd 

ostensibly to witness the maneuvers but most of these visitors proved to 

be Sons of Liberty, who paraded the streets, with a great noise, denounc 

ing the Stamp Act; Threats were even made of violence to Governor 

Wright. Some of the English statesmen were burned in effigy and most 

intense excitement prevailed. 

To explain this iniquitous Stamp Act, it levied upon the colonies 

a tax to be collected by the sale of stamped paper, the use of which was 

made essential to the validity of certain transactions. Legal documents, 

such as deeds, contracts, notes, bonds, marriage licenses and other writ 

ten agreements, were null and void unless written on stamped paper 

furnished by the English Government. Tracts and pamphlets could 

not be sold unless printed on stamped paper. It was an indirect form 

of taxation but it affected directly every interest in the colonies; and 

from Massachusetts to Georgia there was an undivided sentiment of 

opposition. Some of the most loyal friends of the crown resented the 

obnoxious tax as unwarranted, arbitrary and unjust. 

November 1, 1765, was the time set for the Stamp Act to become 

effective but it was not until December 5 that his majesty's ship, the 

Speedwell, arrived at Savannah, with supplies of the stamped paper on 

board. It required a guard of forty men to protect the dock hands while 

engaged in transferring this paper from the vessel to the king's store 

house : such was the feeling of local resentment; and there were rumors 

afloat that a seizure of the stamped paper was contemplated by an 

organized band of patriots. The paper remained unmolested and un 

opened in the king's store until January 3, 1766, when Mr. Agnus, an 

Englishman, arrived at Savannah to begin its distribution. On arrival 

he was secretly landed in a scout boat, carrying an officer and a party 

of men to protect him and was hurried to the governor's house, where 

he' took the oath of office; but here he remained a prisoner for two weeks, 

not daring to expose himself on the streets of Savannah. Until the situa 

tion should become less acute, he was then taken into the country, to 

escape violence at the hands of an infuriated mob. Excitement ran 

high. Threatening letters poured in upon Governor Wright and even so 

good a man as James Habersham, president of the king's council, was 

waylaid one night and forced to seek protection in the governor's house, 

around which a guard was posted. 

Matters reached a climax toward the end of January, when Gov 

ernor Wright, hearing that a band of 600 men had been organized, 

to break into the king's store, caused the stamped paper to be 

conveyed to Fort George, on Cockspur Island, where its safety was less 

endangered. On February 2, the Speedwell having returned to Savan 

nah, the stamped, paper was put on board this vessel. At night, in 

Savannah, a riotous scene was enacted. Indignation at sight of the 

ship which had brought the stamped paper to Georgia caught fire and 

burst into flame. Governor Wright, pictured in effigy as holding one of 

the obnoxious sheets in his hand, was held up to derision, after which 

this caricature of the governor was bxirned. 

Three weeks later the Stamp Act was repealed; but Parliament in 

rescinding this measure did not relinquish its right to tax the colonies. 

Consequently the evil day was only postponed.


Meanwhile an incident occurred in legislative circles which we must 

not overlook. It illustrated the temper o£ the times. For supplies is 

sued to the British soldiers stationed in Georgia, the governor late in 

January issued a requisition upon the assembly, transmitting therewith 

a copy of the mutiny act, under which the supplies were authorized by 

Parliament. While the Upper House readily agreed, the Lower House 

stoutly demurred. The governor was indignant at this action but pow 

erless to help matters. If he dissolved the assembly a new one would 

be elected, in which the Sons of Liberty might constitute an even larger 

majority of its members. Thus the wheels of legislation were locked. 

Moreover, in choosing an agent to represent the colony in England the 

Lower House refused to approve any nomination which the Upper 

House made. Georgia was without an agent therefore, until 1768 when 

Dr. Benjamin Franklin, at a salary of £100 sterling per annum, was 

chosen to fill this position, holding it until the outbreak of the Revo 

lution. 

Nothing of special interest occurred for the next two years. But in 

1768 Parliament again asserted its right to tax the colonies by levying 

a duty upon certain articles of British manufacture including paint, 

paper, glass, etc. Massachusetts again took the initiative by calling for 

united action against these oppressive measures of Parliament. The 

Legislature of Georgia was not in session when the Massachusetts circu 

lar arrived but Speaker Wylly, who presided over the late House, sent 

a sympathetic response, stating the facts. The new House, on assem 

bling, evinced its strong whig sentiments in the election of Dr. Noble 

Wymbeiiey Jones to the speakership. This gentleman, a son of Capt. 

Noble Jones, was an ardent patriot, though his father remained to the 

end of his days a pronounced royalist. The business of the session hav 

ing neared its conclusion, Mr. Wylly brought the Massachusetts circu 

lar to the attention of the House, together with one from Virginia; and 

both were entered upon the journal. Moreover, the assembly passed 

resolutions endorsing the resistive measures taken by the other colonies. 

This action provoked an indignant message from Governor Wright who 

thereupon dissolved the Legislature in short order. 

During the month of November, 1769, the merchants of Savannah 

passed resolutions agreeing not to export any of the articles subject to 

tax. Still later a mass-meeting of citizens was held at which similar 

action was taken. Over this meeting, Jonathan Bryan, a member of the 

king's council, presided, on hearing of which the king signified his dis 

pleasure by ordering Mr. Bryan's removal. But more will be said of 

this later. Governor Wright found the house of assembly a difficult 

problem with which to deal. The Upper House was usually ready to 

adopt his suggestion but the Lower House almost invariably crossed his 

purposes. In 1770, Doctor Jones, "a pestiferous Whig," was again 

elected speaker. But Governor Wright refused to sanction this action 

of the House and ordered another election. Incensed at this outrage 

upon its dignity, the House not only refused to recede but passed resolu 

tions complimentary to Doctor Jones. Again the House was dissolved. 

.Thus matters stood in the midsummer of 1771 when Governor 

Wright, having obtained a leave of absence, set sail for England. To 

discharge the duties of governor until his return to Georgia, the king


appointed Hon. James Habersham, president of the council. Through 

out a trying ordeal, Mr. Habersham remained true to Ms trust. He was 

one of the people. His sympathies were with the colonists. Three of his 

sons, James, John and Joseph, were zealous whigs. But he remained a 

faithful officer of the Crown of England. Though he filled the executive 

office, he retained the title of president. 

Twice Mr. Habersham vetoed the election of Doctor Jones as speaker 

of the Lower House. Such were the king's orders. When elected for 

a third time, Doctor Jones declined the honor, whereupon Archibald 

Bulloch was elected; but this substitution of patriots was only exchang 

ing a Roland for an Oliver. The House insisted upon putting into its 

minutes these various items showing its opposition to the king's wishes; 

and for this offense again incurred the penalty of dissolution. 

Governor Wright returned to Savannah in the spring of 1773 having 

been created a baronet while in England. The difficulties surrounding 

him at this time were fully realized but his management of affairs in the 

province had excited the greatest respect for his abilities among the 

English people; nor was he without many sincere and loyal friends 

among the colonists. Even those who differed with him respected his 

fidelity to the Crown interests of the realm. 

One of the first matters to engage Governor Wright's attention on 

his return to Georgia was a treaty with the Indians for which purpose 

he left at once for Augusta where, in satisfaction of certain debts due 

from the Indians to English and Scotch traders he obtained a large 

body of land—containing some 2,100,000, out of which in 1777 was 

carved the original County of Wilkes. The consideration involved in 

this transfer was $200,000. 

Finding the colonies stubborn in refusing to submit to unjust meas 

ures, the British Parliament finally repealed the obnoxious tax on all 

articles except tea. Yet, in this single exception, lay the future un 

doing of England. It was chiefly to show that she still retained her 

right to tax the colonies that she permitted the duty on tea to remain. 

But the Americans were firmly resolved to outlaw tea. Ships bringing 

it to New York and Philadelphia were sent back to England unloaded. 

In Charleston it was taken ashore but permitted to rot in cellars. In 

Boston a company of men disguised as Indians went on board the tea 

ships and dumped the chests into the sea. Thereupon Parliament retali 

ated in 1774 by passing the famous Boston Port Bill, the effect of which 

was to close the harbor. But Massachusetts having offended in other 

counts, her charter as a royal colony was revoked. To make bad matters 

worse, a sweeping law was enacted which required all persons charged 

with crime in the English colonies to be sent to England for trial. 

These multiplied outrages fast goaded the colonies to action. On 

August 10, 1774, at the call of four patriots, Archibald Bulloch, John 

Houstoun, John Walton and Noble Wymberley Jones, a meeting was 

held in Savannah at which strong resolutions were passed, sympathizing 

with the people of Boston and condemning the arbitrary acts of Great 

Britain. Six hundred barrels of rice, besides a handsome subscription 

in cash, was forwarded to the Boston sufferers. This was done largely 

through the instrumentality of the Puritan settlers of the Midway Dis 

trict, who were kinsmen. Jonathan. Bryan had been re-instated as a


• 

member of the king's council; but, having been present at this meeting, 

he once more incurred the royal displeasure, and once more came an 

order for his dismissal. Georgia was not represented in the Continental 

Congress of 1774, due largely to her own conservatism and to the per 

sonal influence of Governor "Wright. However, an effort was made to 

send delegates in 1775. At this time, three delegates were actually 

chosen, Noble W. Jones, Archibald Bulloch and John Houstoun; but, 

since only five parishes out of twelve had been represented in the 

provincial Congress at Savannah, these delegates did not repair to Phila 

delphia but addressed a letter to John Hancock, its president. The 

parish of St. John, resenting this failure of the province to send dele 

gates to Philadelphia, held a separate meeting at which Dr. Lyman Hall 

was elected a delegate to represent the parish of St. John in the Conti 

nental Congress; and he repaired at once to the seat of government, 

where he sat until the close of the session. Since he only represented a 

parish he was not allowed to vote; but he was there nevertheless to rep 

resent the uncompromising stand for liberty taken by the Georgia Puri 

tans. At the outbreak of the revolution, St. John's Parish was erected 

into a separate county and called Liberty in honor of the zealous sup 

port given by its inhabitants to the cause of American independence. 

These events will all be discussed more at length in a subsequent chap 

ter. Here they are merely summarized. Georgia's conservatism was 

slow to yield. She was the only province of England unrepresented by 

a full delegation in the Continental Congress of 1775. But an event 

soon occurred which was destined to swing her into line. This was the 

battle of Lexington. 

BONAVENTURE : THE ANCIENT SEAT OF THE TATTNAI.LS.—Four miles from 

Savannah, on the road to Thunderbolt, lies Bonaventnre, today one of the most 

beautiful burial places of the dead in America. Its majestic live-oaks, more than 

a century old, interlock their rugged branches and trail their pendant mosses over 

an area of consecrated ground, beautifully kept by the care-taker in charge, and 

the scone presented to the eye by these gnarled and twisted Druids is at once both 

weird and fascinating. Bonaventure is today thickly sown with the historic dust 

of Savannah; but, in former times, it was the abode of life; a place where hospi 

tality expressed itself in the most delightful rounds of entertainment and where 

loyal subjects pledged the health of the king. 

Originally it belonged to John Mullrync, who purchased the estate in 1762. His 

attractive daughter, Mary, an only child, having been wooed and won by Josiah 

Tattnall, it became the home of the successful suitor, with whose name its wealth 

of associations was afterwards to be entwined. Tradition has preserved a bit of 

romance in connection with the old estate, for there still abides an unwritten legend 

to the effect that the avenues of magnificent trees were planted in the form of a 

monogram combining the letters "M" and "T", the initials of the two aristo 

cratic families. The Tattnalls came originally from Normandy, in France. They 

afterwards settled in Cheshire, England, where the name first appears among the 

gentry as far back as 1530. In the beginning, it was spelt De Taten, afterwards 

Taten-hall, borrowing the added syllable, no doubt, from the ancestral manor; and 

finally it was contracted into Tattnall. The earliest bearer of the name came to 

South Carolina in 1700, where he married the grand-daughter of an Irish peer. 

It was his son, Josiah Tattnall, who; in the staid old city of Charleston, sued 

for the hand of John Mullryne's daughter; and soon after the nuptials were 

celebrated the family abode was established at Bonaventure. 

On the approach of hostilities with England, both John Mullryne and Josiah 

Tattuall remained steadfast loyalists. The latter was a fighter, whose sword flashed 

in the Colonial wars. He could not antagonize the mother-country, however, even


though he declined a commission in the royal army, nor could he shed the blood of 

kinsman at home. He was poised between two painful extremes; but the situation 

was soon simplified by banishment. With John Mullryne, lie suffered the penalty 

of expatriation; and, taking his two sons, John and Josiah, he embarked for 

England. The family estate was confiscated by the whigs; and thus were these 

BONAVENTURE : TlIE OLD HOME OP THE T ATTNALLS, NEAR 

SAVANNAH, Now A BURIAL PLACE OP THE DEAD 

staunch partisans of the royal house rewarded for the conservatism which kept them 

loyal to the Crown. 

The boys were put to school abroad; but young ".Josiah, making his escape, 

returned to America. lie felt the lure of Bonaventure, the home of his birth. 

Joining the American army at. Purysburg 1, he took an active part in the closing 

scenes of the Revolution in Georgia. He was honored in many ways by the state, 

was finally made governor, and before his death was reinvested with the titles to 

Bonaventnrc, within whose soil his ashes today sleep. He died in the West Indies, 

253

254 GEOBGIA AND GEOEGIANS 

an exile in search of health, and his last request was that he might repose in 

Bonaventure, under the guardian oaks of his boyhood. 

His son, Commodore Josiah Tattnall, became an illustrious commander. He served 

the United States Government with eminent distinction upon the high seas, It is a 

coincidence, however, of the most singular character that eighty-four years after 

his grandfather's property was confiscated by the state government his own personal 

property was confiscated "by the Federal Government because he refused to remain 

in the service after Georgia seceded; and among the effects thus appropriated were 

some of the identical belongings which his grandfather forfeited to the state and 

Which -were subsequently restored.* L. L. Knight in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials 

and Legends, Vol. I. 

RESOLUTIONS OF PBOTEST ADOPTED BY FRIENDS OF THS KING.—At the instance 

of Governor Wright, there was held in Savannah soon after the famous meeting of 

the patriots, on August 10, 1774, a gathering of loyal citizens, whose purpose was to 

check tho growing sentiment of hostility to the crown. Among those who attended 

the meeting were quite a number of conservatives, who were not prepared for radical 

action at this time but were later found on the side of the colonies. To counteract 

the influence of the patriots, resolutions were adopted protesting in very strong terms 

against the rash and impulsive action taken by the "Sons of Liberty" and seeking 

to discourage any future assemblages of like character. The need of protection, the 

weakness of the province, and the uniform kindness shown by the mother country to 

the youngest of her offspring, were among the various arguments set forth. The list 

of dissenters is herewith reproduced because it contains the names of some of the 

first families of Savannah at this time and throws an important side-light upon the 

history of the period: t 

James Habersham Laehlan McGillivary 

Josiah Tattnall James Hume 

John Jamieson Thomas Johnston 

John Simpsou James Bobertson. 

Alexander Thompson Lewis Johnson 

John Irvine Alexander Stokes 

Edward Langworthy Joseph Butler 

James Mossman . William S. Kenner 

Henry Youngs ' Philip Younge 

Thomas Moodie Philip Moore 

Joseph Ottolengie George Eraser 

John English David Montaigut 

James Bead "William Moss 

Henry Younge, Jr. James Farley 

James Nicol Thomas Boss 

James Thompson Bichard Wright 

John B. Garardiau Abraham Gray 

John Patton John Hume 

James E. Powell Leonard Cecil 

Moses Nunes Andrew Eobertson 

Henry Preston Robert Boltoii 

Noble Jones James Habersham, Jr. 

James A. Stewart Peter LaVein 

John Mullryne Bobert Walt 

Alexander Wylly David Gray 

William Moore Quinton Pooler 

Francis Knowles Georgo Finch 

William Boss John Parkerson 

John Graham E. Jones 

Thomas Eeid William Brown, Jr. 

John Storr John Herriott 

John Lowery N. Wade 

Matthew Stewart Charles Younge 

* Consult: "Life of Commodore Josiah Tattnall," by Charles C. Jones, Jr., 

Savannah, 1878. 

t Consult: White's "Historical Collections of Georgia," Savannah, 1854.

Bobert Gray 

Samuel Shepherd 

William Thompson 

Stephen Britton 

James Low 

Jonathan Holden 

John Mills 


James Dixie 

William Stvother 

George Henly 

John Spence 

D. Mclnnes 

Henry Forest 

ST. GEORGE 's PAKISH : A NEST OF LOYALISTS.—It was not until the battle of Lex- 

ingtou that the Scotch-Irish settlers at Queensboro in the Parish of St. George 

renounced allegiance to the Crown of England. The reasons for the strong royalist 

sentiment which prevailed in this part of the province were numerous. In the first 

place, the settlers lived on the frontier belt, where they were constantly exposed to 

attacks from the Indians. They needed the protection of England. Not a few of 

them were wealthy planters, who possessed large estates. Moreover, they resented 

a condition of affairs which they laid at the doors of the meddlesome Puritans of 

Boston and they did not see why Georgia should become a party to New England's 

quarrel. So following the famous meeting at Tondee's Tavern, there was entered, 

on September 28, 1774, a protest from the Parish of St. George, in which the 

resolutions adopted at Savannah, on August 10, 1774, were condemned as "reflecting 

improperly upon the King and Parliament of England." It was signed by the 

following freeholders, who were the earliest settlers of what afterwards became the 

County of Jefferson: 

George Wells, afterwal-ds lieutenant- 

governor. 

Peter Shand 

James Doyle 

Shadrach Barrow 

Joseph Gresham 

James Roe 

William Doyle 

Joseph Tilley 

Daniel Thomas 

Giden Thomas 

Eobert Hendersou 

John Bed 

James Williams 

Alexander Berryhill 

Charles Williams 

John Eogers 

Drewry Roberts 

James Eed 

John Kennedy 

Paul McCormick 

John Greenway 

Hugh Irwin 

James Brantley 

John Catlett 

John Pettigrew 

John Frier 

William Milner 

Samuel Berryhill 

John. Bledsoe 

Solomon Davis 

Francis Hancock 

Myriek Davis 

Daniel Logan 

John Forth 

Edward Watlers 

Frederick Francis 

Arthur Walker 

Eobert Douglas, Sr. 

Henry Mills 

Amos Whitehead 

Ezekiel Brumfleld 

Clement Yarbrough 

Bar.naby Lamb 

Lewis Hobbs 

John Howell 

James Moore 

John Sharpe 

William Hobbs 

Jacob Lamb 

Joseph Allday 

Laudruni Ashbury 

Jesse Scruggs 

Joseph Moore 

John Robinson 

Jacob Sharp 

James Hunt 

John Tillman 

E'obert Cade 

John Thomas 

Francis Lewis Feyer 

James Warren 

Samuel Eed 

Edmond Hill 

Thomas Pennington 

Job Thomas 

Joel Walker 

William N. Norrell 

Francis Stringer 

Humphrey Williams 

Robert Blaishard 

Thomas Carter 

John Anderson 

David Greene 

William Catlett 

James Davis


William Moore Elijah Dix 

Kiehard Curton Thomas Red 

Philip Helveston William Whethers 

Ephraini Odom William. Godbe 

Thomas Gray William Curton 

Jolm Greene Eiiaa Daniel 

Starling Jordan Benjamin Brautley 

Zaehariah Wimbeiicy Jeremiah Brantley 

Benjamin Warren John Bumsides 

John Gray • Patrick Dickey 

Pleasant Goodall Stephen Lamb 

Wado Kitts Seth Slocknmb 

John Roberts Charles Golightly 

Nathan Williams Bud Cade 

John Stephens John Whitehead 

Moses Davis Thomas Odom 

AmosDavis ' John Thomas, Sr. 

Alien Brown Caleb Whitehead 

James Douglas 

Despite tho foregoing protest, delegates were sent to the Provincial Congress 

which met in Savannah on July 4, 1775, at which time the tie of allegiance to 

England was severed; and throughout tho Revolution the Parish of St. George was 

the abode of tho most intense loyalty to the patriotic cause and the theater of some 

of tho most tragic engagements. 

WRIGHTSBOKO : THE QUAKER SETTLEMENT.—It was in the year 1770 that Joseph 

Mattock, a Quaker, having obtained from the royal governor a grant of 40,000 acres 

of land in this vicinity, undertook to revive the old settlement of Brandon. He called 

the new town AVrightsboro, in honor of Governor Wright. Here, in 1773, he enter 

tained the celebrated naturalist, William Bartram, who afterwards wrote of him in 

most complimentary terms as "a public-spirited chief-magistrate." At the out 

break of the Revolution, the Quaker Colony at Wrightsboro embraced some 200 

families. Joseph Mattock was elected a member of the famous Provincial Congress 

which was called to meet in Savannah, on July 4, 1775, but on account of his pro 

nounced Tory sentiments he declined a s,eat in this body, the membership of which 

was hostile to England. 

The little church in which the Quakers worshipped still stands in Wrightsboro, 

surrounded by tall dark cedars. Equipped with highbaek pews, with an old-fashioned 

pulpit, and with long narrow windows, it represents a style of architecture severely 

simple, but characteristic of the pious sect whose weakness was not for outward show. 

Yellow with age, the tombstones here cluster thick in God's Acre. Fragments alone 

remain of some; while over most of them the weeds have grown, and into the deep- 

cut epitaphs have crept the green moss. It is worth a visit to Wrightsboro, if only 

to wander among the grim memorials of the little church yard, where— ' 

"Each in his narrow cell forever laid 

The rude forefathers of the haonlet sleep.'' 

GEORGIA'S QUAKER COLONY FILES A PROTEST: SOME OF THE SIGNERS.—From a 

protest signed by most of the inhabitants of Wrightsboro, repudiating the resolu 

tions passed on August 10, 1774, by the hot-headed patriots of the coast, almost 

a full list of the early settlers can be obtained. There was comparatively little 

hostility to England in this part of the province, at least until the battle of Lexirtg- 

ton. The district had just been, purchased from the Indians by Governor Wright, 

who had promised the settlers every protection against the savages, and they were 

less exercised over the Boston tea party and the revocation of the charter of 

Massachusetts than they were over the perils of the frontier. On the list appear 

the following names: 

John Oliver, J. P. -Edward Hill 

John Stubbs John Hill 

Isaac Vernon Joshua Hill 

Josias Pewgate John Davis

John Jones 

Thomas Watson, Sen. 

David Baldwin 

Henry Ashfield 

Samuel Hart 

Alexander Ottery 

Jesse Morgan 

Ellis Haines 

Aaron MeCarter 

Stephen Bigshop 

Abram Louders 

James Oliver 

John Greason. 

William Daniel 

Silaa Pace 

Gereiom Woddell 

Absalom Beddell 

William Foster 

John Glower 

Abraham Parker 

James Jenkins 

Oliver Matthews 

Edward Greene 

Joseph Jackson 

Joel Phillips 

Matthew Hobbs 

Joseph Haddock, J. P. 

Thomas Ansley 

John Lindsay 

Abram Dennis 

Eichard Webb 

Benjamin Ansley 

John Watson 

Robert Day 

Drury Rogers 

James Anglin 

Jacob Watson 

Robert Cowin 

Lewis Powell 

Jacob Gollins 

William Childre 

Robert Harper 

Jacob Dennis 

Nicholas White 

John Moor 

Joshua Sanders 

E'obert Jenkins 

Bobert Nelson 

Hillery Gray 

James Bishop 

John Eairehild 

John James 

ZaehaTiah Phillips 


Isaac Greene 

Samuel Sinquefield 

William Sinquefield 

Eeuben Sherrill 

Morris Callingham 

Joel Cloud 

John Stewart, Jr. 

John. Lang 

James Eyan 

Henry Walker 

Peter Perkins 

Thomas Gilliland 

Uriah Odom 

Eichard Hokitt 

Edward Hagan. 

Joseph Kallensworth 

Abram Hiltou 

William Mitchel 

John Evans 

John Evans, Jr. 

Peter Williams 

John Stewart 

Jonathan Sell 

William Welden 

John Thompson 

Joseph Millen 

William Penton 

Alexander Oliver 

Ambrose Holiday 

Abraham Johnston 

Nathaniel Jackson 

George Waggoner 

Robert Walton 

Walter Drummond 

Charles Dunn 

Ezekiel Mîllar 

John West 

John Hodgin 

Peter Cox 

Joseph Brown 

Henry Jones 

John Dennis 

Francis Jones 

Peter Weathers 

Timothy Jourdan 

Watkiu Eichards 

Abraham Davis 

John Davis 

Isaac Davis 

John Pirks 

Jacob Davis 

Jonathan Sell, J. P. 

Thomas Pace 

The foregoing list is most important. Among the early settlers of Wrightsboro 

were the progenitors of some of the oldest and best families of Georgia. Not a few 

of the names above mentioned are still prominent throughout the whole middle belt. 

These men were Quakers—most of them at least—inclined to the arts of peace rather 

than to the pursuit of war. But the subsequent history of Georgia proves that they 

could fight like lions at bay when the necessity for resistance arose; and from these 

gentle molds of ancestry has sprung the Ajax Telemon of modern state politics: 

Thomas E. Watson. L. L. Knight in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, 

Vol. I. 

Vol. I—17

SECTION H 

THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD, OR GEORGIA IN THE STRUG 

GLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 1775-1789.

CHAPTER I 

FOLLOWING THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON, G-EOEGIA'S FIRST SECESSION CON 

VENTION MEETS IN SAVANNAH, JULY 4, 1775—ARCHIBALD BULLOCH IN 

THE CHAIB—GEORGE WALTON AT THE SECRETARY'S DESK—DELEGATES 

CHOSEN TO CONTINENTAL CONGRESS—TONDEE'S TAVERN—EVENTS 

NARRATED IN THE LAST CHAPTER AGAIN EECITED BY WAY OF RECAFIT- 

ULATION—JONATHAN BRYAN—NOBLE WYMBERLEY JONES—THE COM 

MITTEE OF SAFETY—CONSERVATISM MARKS THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS 

OF JULY 27, 1774—BUT THE ADJOURNED MEETING ON AUGUST IOTH 

ELECTS DELEGATES TO THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS—DUE TO A 

MINORITY REPRESENTATION OF THE PARISHES, THESE Do NOT REPAIR 

TO PHILADELPHIA, BUT ADDRESS A LETTER TO JOHN HANCOCK—DR. 

LYMAN HALL Is SENT BY THE SINGLE PARISH OF ST. JOHN TO THE CON 

TINENTAL CONGRESS—THIS PARISH AFTERWARDS ORGANIZED INTO THE 

COUNTY OF LIBERTY—ON MAY 11, 1775, WHEN NEWS OF THE BATTLE 

OF LEXINGTON REACHES SAVANNAH, A RAID Is MADE ON THE POWDER 

MAGAZINE—SOME OF THIS POWDER USED AT THE BATTLE OF BUNKER 

HILL—AT THIS CRISIS, GEORGIA'S FIRST SECESSION CONVENTION 

MEETS AS ABOVE INDICATED—ALL THE PARISHES REPRESENTED— 

DELEGATES CHOSEN TO THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS—THE EXECUTIVE 

COUNCIL IN CONTROL—OLIVER BOWEN AND JOSEPH HABERSHAM PUT 

IN COMMAND OF THE FIRST NAVAL VESSEL COMMISSIONED IN THE REVO 

LUTION—CAPTURE 9,000 POUNDS OF POWDER—THE FIRST PRIZE OF 

WAR—GEORGIA EQUIPS A BATALLION WITH LACHLAN MC!NTOSH AS 

COLONEL—THE ARREST OF GOVERNOR WRIGHT—How THE DECLARA 

TION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS RECEIVED IN GEORGIA—DEATH OF ARCHI 

BALD BULLOCH—WHILE PRESIDENT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HE 

BECOMES THE FIRST DE FACTO HEAD OF THE NEW STATE—READS THE 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO THE ASSEMBLED POPULACE IN 

SAVANNAH, 

NOTES: GEORGIA'S FIRST SECESSION CONVENTION—GUNPOWDER FOR 

BUNKER HILL—GEORGIA COMMISSIONS THE FIRST WARSHIP—THE 

FIRST CAPTURE OF THE REVOLUTION—TONDEE 's TAVERN. 

Soon after the news of the battle of Lexington, traveling by slow 

stages, reached the lower spurs of the Appalachian chain of mountains 

and spread toward the Southeast, Georgia's first secession convention 

was held at Tondee's Tavern, in Savannah, on July 4, 1775, exactly one 

year to the hour before the Declaration of Independence was signed at 

Philadelphia. 

Archibald Bulloch was called to th


Boys in the colony; and the unanimous vote by which they were sum 

moned to official positions in the historic assembly served to foreshadow 

the radical action which was about to be taken by the determined body 

of patriots. Seized with alarm, the loyalists sought to disguise the fears 

which they secretly entertained by ridiculing the quarters in which the 

convention met. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" was 

asked in the mildewed accents of an old sneer. But Tondee's Tavern 

was not an inappropriate birthplace for the cause of liberty; and it was 

not the first time in the history of the world that an humble wayside inn 

was called upon to furnish the rude cradle of emancipation. 

Laughter is sometimes premature; and, though Rome was once saved 

by the cackling of Juno's geese, it was not decreed that Georgia should 

be kept within the British allegiance by the same musical notes. The 

loyalists could, well afford to employ mild explosives until the real 

cannonade commenced. Further down the road lurked heaviness of 

spirit; and before Yorktown sealed eventually the bloody volume which 

Lexington opened many an ounce of vermilion was destined to redden 

the king's highway and many an anxious sigh was fated to fill the Tory 

lungs which were then seeking by forced mirth to drown the young voice 

of Yankee Doodle. 

Georgia until now had been conservative. Perhaps, of all the orig 

inal thirteen colonies, she had been the favorite of the mother-country: 

an affectionate distinction quite often conferred upon the youngest mem 

ber of the household. Yet, it could not be said that Georgia was less 

ardently devoted to the cause of liberty than was either Virginia or 

Massachusetts. The very charter of the colony committed her to the 

love of freedom by making her an asylum for indigent but honest pris 

oners for debt. She cherished the traditions of Runnymede; and she 

lacked neither the bold initiative nor the patriotic fearlessness which was 

needed for the approaching crisis. 

But there were good reasons for tempering the rash counsels of impa 

tience with the prudent safeguards of conservatism. Under the original 

charter, Georgia, for twenty-one years, had been faithfully served by the 

old trustees, without fee or emolument; and some of them were still in 

life, including the illustrious founder of the colony, General Oglethorpe. 

She bore the Teutonic name of the Brunswick house and she felt con 

strained by the obligations of the baptismal vow to respect the scepter 

of the Georges. Moreover, she had been peculiarly fortunate in most 

of her dealings with the British Crown. Prosperity had filled the coffers 

of the thrifty merchants and enlarged the smokehouses and the corn- 

cribs of the industrious planters; immigration had commenced to pour 

into the fertile lowlands from the other colonies; and she had experi 

enced none of the ill-usage which nurtures the spirit of discontent. 

'Governor Reynolds, though dominated by an infamous secretary, was 

not himself an unworthy man. His faults lay chiefly in sins of omis 

sion. Governor Ellis, in his watchful care of the province, had set a 

standard which his successor, Governor Wright, was zealous to equal, but 

could not hope to surpass. Indeed, until the passage of the obnoxious 

Stamp Act, the royal governor was well beloved by the people of Georgia; 

and even then it was freely admitted that the zeal of the old royalist 

was not inspired by unfriendliness toward the colonial aspirations, but


was born of fidelity to the Crown interests of the realm. Such consider 

ations served to keep Georgia in the loyal ranks, though, twelve colonies 

were represented in the Continental Congress at Philadelphia and were 

inclined to shoot reproachful glances toward the loyal province which, 

solitary and alone, still floated the English colors. 

Nevertheless, when the news of the battle of Lexington summoned 

the patriots together at Tondee 's Tavern, the fighting blood of the colony 

was at last aroused. Delegates were chosen to the Continental Congress; 

an executive council was named to direct the affairs of the colony in the 

pending crisis, and other radical measures were adopted indicative of the 

change of mind which had come over the youngest of the colonial group. 

True to the filial instinct of allegiance, the convention, before adjourn 

ing, petitioned the king once more to heed the protest of the aggrieved 

colonies; and, even with the Macedonian cry from the New England hills 

ringing in the ears of the defiant patriots, the way was paved for return 

ing, in the course of time, to the ancient shelter of the Crown. But the 

olive branch was rejected. The issue of grim battle was joined; and the 

bloody grapple was soon to commence. Though it was not an act of 

formal separation from the mother country, it virtually slipped the 

bonds of allegiance and committed Georgia to the great revolt, whose 

opening challenge was the Declaration of Independence and whose cul 

minating scene was the surrender at Yorktown. 

Despite the conservatism which delayed the action of Georgia, it must 

not be supposed that there was any prevalence of apathy within the 

province toward the unjust impositions of the British Parliament. On 

the contrary, it was maintained that an imperial tax upon the colonies 

without voice in the home councils was most unjust; and formal protest 

was made in London through Benjamin Franklin. The passage of the 

Stamp Act provoked universal indignation. -Governor Wright's life was 

threatened; and James Habersham, president of the King's Council, was 

actually waylaid and forced to seek shelter behind the royal guns. On 

the anniversary of the king's accession to the throne, the Liberty Boys 

took possession of the streets of Savannah, perverting the governor's 

proclamation into an opportunity for burning in effigy some of the king's 

representatives; and no stamps were used in Georgia, under the Act of 

1765, except such as were needed to clear the vessels which left the har 

bor of Savannah and which were liable to seizure upon the high seas, if 

unable to produce certificates. 

Of course the repeal of the Stamp Act temporarily improved the 

situation. But the fires were only smoldering; and, when Governor 

Wright, who thought it wise to keep an armed force at the executive 

elbow, made requisition upon the Provincial Assembly for supplies, 

under the provisions of the mutiny bill, the sleeping spirit of resistance 

was once more in flames. If England was determined to employ force, 

some of the patriotic lawmakers at least were resolved that Georgia should 

not pay for the luxury of being coerced into submission; and the Lower 

refused to join the Upper House in voting the appropriation. 

To explain the terms used, the Lower House was the popular branch 

or House of Commons, whose members were elected by the people; while 

the Upper House was the King's Council or House of Lords, whose 

vacancies were filled by royal appointment. Naturally the former, being


in touch with the masses, was inclined to be radical; and Governor 

"Wright, like old King Charles, spent more than one sleepless night in 

grieving over the stubbornness of the Commons. To show the strong 

feeling of discontent which prevailed in Georgia in consequence of the 

colonial policy of Great Britain, the Legislature was not in session when 

the Massachusetts circular addressed to the Provincial Assemblies of 

America, advising union against the oppressive acts of Parliament, was 

received; but ex-Speaker Alexander Wylly, who afterwards became an 

avowed Tory on the issue of separation, undertook to answer the letter 

in sympathetic terms. 

However, under the speakership of Dr. Noble W. Jones, the Lower 

House took an aggressive stand, which greatly angered Governor Wright, 

Certain communications from other colonies were spread upon the min 

utes and strong resolutions of endorsement were adopted. Governor 

Wright was anxious to conciliate the Liberty Boys because he knew 

that republican sentiment was growing in the colony, but one issue 

succeeded another until finally, in sheer desperation, he was compelled 

to exercise the royal prerogative of dissolution. 

Nothing of special interest now occurred until developments at last 

brought to the front an intrepid old patriot who was marked to become 

the first victim of political persecution in Georgia: Jonathan Bryan. 

It did not occur to the royal governor when he dissolved the Lower 

House that trouble might be brewing in the King's Council. He took 

it for granted that the sober-minded old men who sat in the upper cham 

ber were too well inoculated with the royal virus to become infected by 

the heretical epidemic. But he was destined to be regaled with an unex 

pected dish. 

In repealing the iniquitous Stamp Act the British Parliament had 

not relinquished the right to tax the colonies; and in 1768 various arti 

cles of merchandise were subjected to burdensome duties. The people 

of Savannah, in mass meeting assembled, agreed to use none of the arti 

cles upon which the tax was levied. Jonathan Bryan presided over the 

gathering; and the spectacle which he presented was somewhat anoma 

lous. He was an old man whose locks were snowy white; and, at this 

time, the fires of liberty burned chiefly in the veins of the ardent youth 

of the province. Besides possessing large means, he also belonged to 

the King's Council; and, if most of the graybeards were disposed to be 

conservative by reason of the frosty touch of age, this proneness to sub 

mit to the oppressive yoke was doubly true of the grave elders whose 

enjoyment of the royal dispensations made them lean unconsciously 

toward the golden circlet. 

But there was no unction in the speech and no charm of magic in 

the gift of sovereigns to natter this old patriarch of liberty. Bent 

though he was with age, he was yet ablaze with zeal in the sacred cause 

of freedom. He dared, to protest against the British exactions. Con 

sequently, orders soon came from London commanding the old man's 

suspension; and Jonathan Bryan quit the King's Council. Time went 

on. Eventually he was restored to favor; but again he incurred the 

royal displeasure. He was present at the meeting held in Savannah 

to protest against the passage of the Boston Port Bill and to raise funds 

for the sufferers. It put the offender beyond the pale of forgiveness, in


the eyes of the graybeards whose legs were crossed under the king's 

mahogany, and as soon as Governor Wright called the council together 

some one moved to expel Mr. Bryan. The old man arose. 

'' If such is the feeling which the council entertains,'' said he, '' I 

will retire at once. It is unnecessary to put the motion.'' 

Thereupon he withdrew to engage no more in the service of King- 

George. 

Included among the heirlooms of the Bryan family in Georgia, there 

is still preserved an. old silver piece of priceless value inscribed to the 

sturdy patriot for espousing the liberties of the people of Georgia at 

the sacrifice of high official position. Joseph Bryan, the father of the 

old patriot, was living in South Carolina when. General Oglethorpe 

landed on the bluffs of the Savannah River; and, being in sympathy with 

the philanthropic spirit of the colonial enterprise, he crossed over into 

Georgia and helped to clear the wilderness in which the colony was 

planted. He then returned to South Carolina. But Jonathan Bryan, 

when he was old enough to shift for himself, came to Georgia to live. 

Joseph Bryan, his son, afterwards represented Georgia in the United 

States Senate, and his descendants are still numbered among the best 

citizens of the state. 

Though past the patriarchal limit of years at the time of the Revo 

lutionary outbreak, Mr. Bryan participated in the defense of Georgia 

soil; and, upon the fall of Savannah, was captured, sent to New York 

and imprisoned on Long Island. The circumstances of the old man's 

arrest are too interesting to be omitted. Three nights after the reduc-. 

tion of Savannah, a party of armed men were secretly dispatched from 

the Phcenix, a man-of-war lying in the harbor, and given instructions 

to take the old man a prisoner. He was supposed to have sought refuge 

on his plantation across the Savannah River, and the arresting officers, 

moving stealthily up Union Creek, under cover of darkness, found him 

at the place indicated, and with his son, James, placed him on board 

one of the prison ships. 

In vain his daughter, Mrs. Morel, sued for the release of her aged 

father. She even went down on her knees, it is said, to the British com 

mander. But Commodore Hyde Parker was obdurate. The old man 

liad been too great an offender against the British Crown. Consequently, 

feeble though he was with advanced years, Mr. Bryan was sent North; 

and, after being transferred from one prison ship to another, he was 

eventually incarcerated on Long Island. However, an exchange was 

effected in the course of time, and, returning home, he survived the 

Revolution, witnessed the adoption of the Federal Constitution, and died 

in 1788: Georgia's Pylean-Nestor of Independence. 

Another conspicuous landmark among the early patriots whose name 

must now be mentioned again was Noble Wymberley Jones. He was the 

son of Noble Jones, one of the pioneer settlers who came to Georgia with 

the illustrious founder; and, although the elder Jones at an advanced 

age still held the office of colonial treasurer and espoused the king's side 

to the very last, the younger Jones was an uncompromising "Whig. The 

first of Georgia's long line of patriotic physicians, Dr. Jones had for


some time been prominent in the Lower House; and Governor Wright, 

in reporting to the London authorities, had complained of the obstrep 

erous rebel. In 1768 he had been elected speaker; but when, in 1770, he 

was re-elected, Governor "Wright refused to sanction the choice and 

ordered another ballot. 

However, instead of obeying the executive behest, the House passed 

resolutions commending Dr. Jones for the courageous stand which he 

had taken in support of the people against the Crown. Moreover, it 

declared that the sentiment of approbation which was entertained for the 

speaker could not be lessened by any slight which might be put upon 

him in opposition to the unanimous voice of the Commons. The answer 

of Governor Wright was an act dissolving the House. 

Matters stood still for some time; and Governor Wright, taking ad 

vantage of the lull, sailed for England, leaving a Georgian in charge of 

the colony, James Habersham, who, to quote the language which he used 

in writing to the Earl of Hillsboro, was no Liberty Boy. Mr. Haber 

sham was president. of the King's Council; and, though he shared to 

some extent the popular feeling, he felt constrained to act as an oath- 

bound officer of the Crown. Again the Lower House met and twice 

elected Dr. Jones, only to have its action vetoed by the lieutenant- 

governor, who had received positive instructions from the king. 

Thereupon, Dr. Jones stepped aside, and Archibald Bulloch was elected. 

This was substituting a Roland for an Oliver; but the House having 

receded, the election was approved. However, on looking over the min 

utes, Mr. Habersham observed discourteous items and frictional irrita 

tion followed which caused him to dissolve the House. At this stage 

Governor Wright returned, decorated with baronial titles. But he found 

that the cause of the king had not suffered from any lack of loyalty on 

the part of James Habersham. 

This faithful old servitor of the Crown came to Georgia to aid White- 

field in the work of the Orphan Asylum at Bethesda, and in time suc 

ceeded the great divine in control of the enterprise. Later he engaged 

in business activities and established the first large commercial house in 

Savannah. He died in 1775, leaving two sons, John and Joseph, both of 

whom were among the boldest of the whigs. Dr. James Habersham, 

whose name also appears in the Revolutionary lists, was another son. 

Dr. Jones continued to be an active worker in the patriotic ranks, 

despite the loss of the speaker's gavel and the parental admonitions of 

an aggrieved sire. He was subsequently included among the bold whigs 

whose names were attached to the calls for the first provincial meetings 

in the interest of liberty, and he was also chosen on the first delegation 

to represent Georgia in the Continental Congress, but, on account of the 

illness of his father, who at the time was lying at the point of death, he 

was detained at home. An uncompromising patriot, he possessed abili 

ties which gave him an influence of unusual character and extent; and, 

in view of the courageous stand which he took in the forefront of what 

was undoubtedly at the start an unpopular movement in the youngest 

of the royal colonies, he well deserved the poetic sobriquet which, reach 

ing back to the earliest gray dawn of liberty in Georgia, describes him as 

one of the morning stars.


Notwithstanding the frequent and emphatic protests of the bold 

patriots of Georgia against the arbitrary course of the British Crown, 

there was little talk of actual separation and little desire for any 

thing beyond mere redress of grievances, except on the part of 

some few violent extremists, until .Parliament passed the Bos 

ton Port Bill in 1774. This was, perhaps, the most drastic measure 

enacted by the London lawmakers to punish the rebellious colonies; 

but, to make matters still worse, Parliament revoked the charter of 

Massachusetts and required all persons charged with crime to be sent 

to England for trial. Though the heaviest suffering was entailed upon 

New England, whose commerce it suspended, the other colonies were 

given due warning of what they, too, might expect; but the harsh legis 

lation also served to develop a sense of kinship which separate colonial 

charters, rival interests, and inadequate facilities of travel, had tended 

to obscure. 

What called for the Boston Port Bill was the famous episode of the 

tea chests. "While the imperial tax now rested only upon tea, the Puri 

tan colonists of New England were determined to eliminate the beverage 

from the bill of fare, until the oppressive duty should be removed; and 

only the most pronounced Tory deigned to moisten his throat with the 

forbidden liquid. The story of the Boston tea party is one of the famil 

iar classics of American history. To the youthful imagination it rivals 

the- legends of the adventurous Spaniards, DeSoto and Ponce de Leon; 

and the youngest child in the nursery can prate of the bold men who, in 

the guise of Indians, went on shipboard and plunged the outlawed mer 

chandise into the sea. This provoked the retaliatory act, .which was 

designed to close the Boston harbor; but, instead of reducing the indig 

nant patriots to submission, it fired the whole Atlantic seaboard into 

grim resistance and foreshadowed the banners of the Continental army 

under George Washington. 

Even the loyal colony of Georgia felt the tie of allegiance yield; and 

nothing except the most persistent efforts on the part of Governor 

Wright prevented the province from sending delegates to Philadelphia. 

On July 20, 1774, there appeared in the Georgia Gazette a call for the 

patriots to meet in Savannah for the purpose of taking radical action; 

and the stout Whigs who sounded this earnest bugle-note were Noble W. 

Jones, Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun and John Walt'on, the signer's 

brother. Pursuant to this call, the patriots met at Tondec's Tavern on 

July 27th following and John Glen, the chief justice of the colony, pre 

sided. To give some idea as to who the early patriots were, the following 

committee of thirty-one, which includes the colonial ancestors of many 

present-day Georgians, was appointed to report resolutions: John Glen, 

Joseph Clay, John Smith, Noble W. Jones, Lyman Hall, William Young, 

Edward Telfair, Samuel Parley, George Walton, Joseph Habersham, 

Jonathan Bryan, Jonathan Cochran, George Mclntosh, John Benefield, 

William Gibbons, Benjamin Andrew, John Winn, John Stirk, Archibald 

Bulloch, John Screven, John Stacy, Henry Davis Bourquin, Elisha But 

ler, WilMam Baker, Parmenus Wey, John Baker, John Mann, Suttoii 

Banks, David Zubly, and John Morel. The resolutions were outspoken 

in character, condemning as tyrannous the closing of the Boston harbor, 

and emphasizing the injustice of taxation without representation. More-


over, English, subjects in the wilds of North America were held to be 

entitled to the .same rights and privileges as English subjects in the 

environs of London. But action upon the resolution was delayed. It 

appeared that some of the upper parishes were not represented and it 

was desired to give the whole province an opportunity to be heard. Con 

sequently, an adjournment was'taken until August 10th, but, in the 

meantime, a committee was appointed to raise funds for the Boston 

sufferers. William Ewen, William Young, Joseph Clay, John Houstoun, 

Noble W. Jones, Edward Telfair, John Smith, Samuel Farley and An 

drew Wells were given this task to perform, and in due time 600 barrels, 

of rice and several bags of money were forwarded to Boston. 

On August 10th the assemblage met again, but the counteractive 

agencies of Governor Wright were apparent; and only five out of eleven 

parishes were represented. It was known that heroic measures of redress 

were sought. This deterred many parishes from sending delegates, espe 

cially since the royal governor had issued warning proclamations. More 

over, some of the delegates who responded to the call thought it best 

to be conservative. It has already been stated that the Sons of Liberty 

were, with few exceptions, young men whose fathers were staunch old 

royalists; and some of them were doubtless held in check by the fear of 

parental displeasure. Besides, it must be added that the growth of the 

Revolutionary doctrines had been much more rapid in the towns than in 

the rural districts; and the colony had recently undergone an expansion 

which considerably increased the area of the latter. Savannah and Sun- 

bury were the chief incubators of liberty, while the new parishes, which 

Governor Wright had lately opened up, were almost wholly the abodes 

of conservatism. Consequently, th'e utmost which could be done was to 

adopt the resolutions above mentioned, and even this mild course was 

disapproved by the stern elders who thought that Georgia was ill-requit 

ing the royal benefits. If some of the wealthy aristocrats were upon the 

side of liberty, most of the landed gentry still posed as the bulwarks of 

the Crown. Yet, even among the poorer classes, there was an inclination 

toward the reigning sovereign whose father was the Brunswick prince for 

whom the colony was christened and whose name was George III. 

Indignant because the most radical action was not taken by the 

provincial assemblage, the representatives from St. John's Parish with 

drew. This left the patriotic body still feebler, and it was decided to 

adjourn until the Legislature should meet, the idea being to get the 

Lower House, which represented the whole province, to elect delegates 

to the Continental Congress. But the plan failed to work. Governor 

Wright thwarted the designs of the patriots by adjourning the Legis 

lature at the critical moment, and the provincial assembly was forced 

either to adjourn without further ado or to go through the mock for 

mality of choosing delegates whose credentials would be comparatively 

worthless. It was decided to take the latter course, and Noble W. Jones, 

Archibald Bulloch and John Houstoun were elected. 

However, since the question of legality might be raised upon minority 

credentials, the delegates did not repair to Philadelphia. • Instead, they 

dispatched a communication informing the Continental Congress of the


facts and stating that,, while Georgia seemed to be tardy and irresolute, 

the province would be ready to evince at the proper time an uncompro 

mising devotion to the patriotic cause. This document bore emphasis, 

from the most radical standpoint, to the fact that Georgia was sincerely 

attached to the mother-country, regardless of the influences which were 

slowly but surely goading her to defy the edicts of the Crown. 

But there was one parish in Georgia which needed no further time 

for preparation and which was altogether too impatient to abide the 

slow processes of conversion which were necessary to bring the colony 

at large to the patriotic altars. This was the parish of St. John, one 

"of the wealthiest of all the political subdivisions of the province. -Per 

haps the zeal of the parish was due largely to the sympathetic bond of 

kinship between the Puritan settlers at Midway and the Puritan suf 

ferers in New England: and decidedly the largest contributions to the 

New England fund came from St. John's Parish, which was later to fur 

nish two signers to the Declaration: Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett. 

But Dr. Hall was destined to be Georgia's first representative in the 

Continental Congress, and to sit alone for several months in this august 

assemblage of patriots. On withdrawing from the Provincial Congress 

the parish of St. John decided to take independent action. Accordingly, 

Dr. Hall was sent to Philadelphia; and, in due season, he took his seat 

in the Continental Congress as the accredited delegate from the. parish 

of St. John in the colony of Georgia. This bold leadership among the 

parishes is today monumentalized in the county which includes the his 

toric Midway settlement and which bears the sacred name of Liberty. 

Within the next few days came the news of the battle of Lexington. 

It brought the appeal of blood which Georgia could not resist. On the 

evening of May 11, 1775, six young adventurers broke into the powder 

magazine at Savannah and took possession of the stores of ammunition. 

The beardless captain of the band was Maj. James Ilabersham. He was 

the son of the old royalist, James Habersham, who ran the colony while 

Governor Wright was in England. He fought through the Revolution, 

and, when the Federal Government was duly organized, he became post 

master-general under Washington. The other raiders were Noble W. 

Jones, Edward Telfair, Joseph Clay, William Gibbons and John Mil- 

ledge. Some of the captured booty was stored in secure vaults and cel 

lars for future use, some sent to South Carolina, and some forwarded to 

Boston where, in the great battle of Bunker Hill, it was destined to 

weave the heroic shroud of General Warren. 

Another call was now issued for the patriots to meet in Savannah. 

It was signed by the same old advance guard of liberty, with the excep 

tion that George Walton's name was substituted for John Walton's, and 

the meeting was held on June 22d following. Besides designating an 

ad interim Council of Safety, which included such representative men 

of the colony as William Ewen, Edward Telfair, George Walton, Joseph 

Habersham, Samuel Elbert, John Glen, William Le Conte, and others, 

it was decided to summon the whole province together in conventional 

assembly on July 4th ensuing. There now remained but little trace of 

the conservative sentiment which had hitherto kept Georgia from send 

ing delegates to Philadelphia. The most intense excitement prevailed; 

and the signs in the sky caused the royal governor to shudder with pain-


ful forebodings as he anxiously surveyed the distant horizon and noted 

the dusky banners of the fast oncoming storm. 

This was the status of affairs in the midst of which Georgia's first 

secession convention, on July 4, 1775, met at Tondee's Tavern in Savan 

nah. An eloquent sermon from Dr. Zubly solemnized the patriots for 

the serious business which was soon to be transacted, and, with Archi 

bald Bulloch in the chair and George Walton at the secretary's desk, 

the historic assemblage was ready to proceed. The first duty was to 

choose an executive council in which to lodge the government of the 

province, and the members appointed were : George Walton, president ; 

William Ewen, Stephen Drayton, Noble W. Jones, Basil Cooper, Edward 

Telfair, John B. Girardeau, John Smith, Jonathan Bryan, William Gib 

bons, John Martin, Oliver Bowen, Ambrose Wright, Samuel Elbert, 

Joseph Habersham and Francis H. Harris. To the Continental Con 

gress five delegates were elected: Noble W. Jones, Lyman Hall, John 

Houstoun, Archibald Bulloch and John J. Zubly. But only three attended 

the adjourned session of the Continental Congress, Dr. Jones and Dr. 

Hall being detained at home. All of the parishes were represented in 

the notable convocation. Indeed, no subsequent assembly was ever more 

harmonious; and, if the Sons of Liberty, according to Governor Wright, 

acted like drunken men, they were intoxicated with the Pentecostal wine 

of the new freedom. The die was cast. Georgia's first secession ordi 

nance was written, and the colonial gem, which bore the name of the 

Brunswick prince, was now transferred from King George's coronet to 

Young Liberty's brow. 

But the convention, which remained in session for several days, was 

not unmindful of the steps which were needed to insure Georgia protec 

tion. It was necessary to provide the sinews of war. A schooner was 

commissioned by the Congress and put in command of two stout patriots, 

Oliver Bowen and Joseph Habersham, who were already in possession 

of information which promised to yield substantial results; and, within 

the next few days, 9,000 pounds of powder fell to Georgia's share in a 

haul which the officers made in connection with some adventurous South 

Carolinians. It was the first capture made by the first vessel commis 

sioned for naval warfare in the Revolution. 

However, this was not the powder which Governor Wright was ex 

pecting from the British depot of supplies. The helpless condition of 

the royal cause had induced the governor to send dispatches both to 

General Gage and to Admiral Graves asking for immediate re-enforce 

ments. But the letters were intercepted by good Whigs who suspected 

the character of the contents, and who, using the same envelopes, sub 

stituted fictitious letters stating that the situation in Georgia was per 

fectly tranquil. Though the letters in due time reached the proper des 

tination, there was naturally no response; and Governor Wright was 

puzzled for an explanation until years afterwards, when he chanced to 

meet General Gage in London. 

For the military defense of the state, the First Battalion of Georgia 

troops was constituted with Lachlan Mclntosh as colonel, Samuel Elbert 

as lieutenant-colonel, and Joseph Habersham as major. In. the course


of time other battalions were added and Colonel Mclntosh eventually 

became General Mclntosh. But an unfortunate duel with Button Gwin- 

nett, in which the latter fell, induced General Mclntosh to seek an assign 

ment to service in another field, and Colonel Elbert succeeded him at the 

head of the Georgia troops. However, General Mclntosh returned to 

Georgia in the course of time to aid in the recapture of Savannah, and 

was second in command to General Lincoln. He achieved marked dis 

tinction in the Revolution, especially under General Washington, but 

at home he was.unfortunately the victim of divided sentiment, though 

an impartial sifting of the evidence shows that he was not the party at 

fault. Colonel Elbert was made brigadier-general at the battle of Briar 

Creek. Though the engagement was disastrous to the Americans, due 

largely to the strategic blunders of General Ashe, it brought honors to 

the brave Georgian, every member of whose command was either killed, 

wounded or taken prisoner. Just before the fall of Savannah, Colonel 

Elbert urged General Howe to fortify Brewton Hill; but the command 

ing officer overruled the suggestion, and, sad to relate, Brewton Hill, 

in grim confirmation of the Georgian's foresight, furnished the precise 

spot on which the British troops landed. In 1785 General Elbert was 

made governor. 

But the fortunes of war were destined to bring other Georgians to the 

front. Gen. James Screven, who was killed at the battle of Midway 

Church, was an able officer, to whose memory the United States Congress 

voted a monument, but the shaft was long delayed. Gen. Elijah 

Clarke* was an illiterate man who lived on the northern frontier of the 

state; but he was an unterrified dealer in buckshot. He waged relent 

less warfare against the Tories, and at the battle of Kettle Creek he is 

credited with the victory which overcame the noted ringleader of the 

band, Colonel Boyd. Subsequently, when Augusta fell for the second 

time into the hands of the British, he conducted the defenseless wives 

and children of the Broad River region to an asylum of safety in Ken 

tucky ; and the effort of Cornwallis to thwart him gave rise to the battle 

of King's Mountain. His son John, who afterwards became governor 

of Georgia, participated in some of the border campaigns, though at the 

time only an immature youth. Gen. John Twiggs was another distin 

guished soldier of the Revolution, whose services the state will always 

remember. Like General Clarke, he, too, lived on the upper frontier 

near Augusta, but he was an accomplished man, refined and polished, 

though largely self-educated. He married a sister of David Emanuel; 

and, coming to Georgia from Maryland some time before the Revolu 

tion, he was not long in winning the spurs of knighthood. He fought 

few engagements in which he was not successful; and in this respect was 

perhaps unequaled by any Georgian. Indeed, he is said to have been the 

nightmare of the dreaded Tarleton. Gen. David E. Twiggs was his son, 

and Judge H. D. D. Twiggs, of Savannah, is one of his descendants. 

Both General Clarke and General Twiggs distinguished themselves after 

the Revolution in campaigns against the Indians. 

* Though General Clarke was an illiterate man, the county which includes the 

classic city of Athens with the State University and the Lucy Gobb Institute, and 

which is therefore the Georgia Attica, bears the name of the rustic rifleman.


Maj. James Jackson first came to the front at the battle of Cowpens. 

During the last years of the war he commanded an independent legion 

similar to the partisan bands which were led by General Clarke and 

General Twiggs; and he aided in the recapture of the two principal 

strongholds of the state: Augusta and Savannah. In 1780 he met 

Lieutenant-Grovernor Wells on the field of honor, inflicting mortal 

wounds, but receiving no serious hurt; and at the siege of Augusta he 

barely escaped assassination at the hands of an insubordinate British 

deserter who belonged to the legion. Perhaps not one of the Revolution 

ary patriots experienced more hairbreadth escapes that the adventurous 

young officer who was destined to attain to the very highest civic honors, 

and to link an already glorious name with the expurgation of the Yazoo 

fraud. 

Like the heroes of faith, the brave men who illustrated Georgia in 

the dark days of the Revolution are too numerous even to be catalogued; 

but, among the gallant host of true and tried Georgians whose names 

appear on the bloody scroll are: Col. John Dooly, Col. Thomas Dooly, 

Maj. John Berrien, Col. William Glascock, Capt. John Baker, Ignatius 

and Benjamin Few, Stephen Heard, Thomas Glascock, John Mclntosh 

and David Emanuel. 

It is only fair to the martial prowess of the brave troops who guarded 

the home soil to say that Georgia, in the fore part of the struggle for 

independence, was the victim of incompetent generalship on the part of 

the commanding officers who were put in charge of the Southern depart 

ment. To possess St. Augustine had been Georgia's darling ambition 

since the first outbreak of hostilities. The Florida border had always 

been a thorn in the side of the colony; and, between the outlaws and the 

savages, it was destined to furnish additional complications. In the 

hands of the English, St. Augustine proved an almost invincible base 

of operations, but the town could easily have been taken by an early 

assault. Gen. Charles Lee recognized the strategic importance of pos 

sessing St. Augustine, but he was called to New York before the cam 

paign could be undertaken. General Howc sent an. expedition against 

the stronghold, but it was wholly inadequate and disaster followed. 

General Howe also committed fatal blunders in the defense of Savannah, 

which was both defectively and insufficiently garrisoned; and he barely 

escaped being eourtmartialed for the, slaughterhouse tragedy which 

opened the sea-gates of Georgia to the British invaders and inaugurated 

the bloody carnival whose butcheries were to redden the farthest hills. 

Of course, Georgia will always be grateful to Gen. Benjamin Lincoln 

for the gallant defense which he made of the state, especially in the ever- 

memorable siege of Savannah, in which Count Pulaski and Sergeant 

Jasper fell mortally wounded. But he was largely to blame for the igno 

minious defeat of General Ashe at Briar Creek, and it was not until 

Gen. Nathanael Greene was put in charge of the Southern department 

that the British were finally expelled from Georgia soil. He sent Gen. 

Light-Horse Harry Lee and Gen. Andrew Pickens to aid Clarke and 

Twiggs and Jackson in the recapture of Augusta, and Gen. Anthony 

Wayne to take charge of the operations around Savannah. They came 

in good time to the relief of the well-nigh drenched and exhausted state 

whose overpowered defenders were still bravely fighting the combined 

,.*!


Tories and Bluecoats; and they rendered efficient service to Georgia, for 

which they received due recognition. In the final capitulation of Savan 

nah, Maj. John Habersham bore the negotiations and Gen. James Jack 

son was deputed to receive the keys of the city. 

Not long after the adjournment of the famous convention, Governor 

Wright was arrested and imprisoned in the executive mansion by the 

same daring party of volunteers who had broken into the powder maga 

zine in the early summer. In spite of the most vigilant effort to capture 

the raiders, Governor Wright was himself captured by the very patri 

ots whose punishment he sought. Walking up to the surprised vicar of 

royalty, who was surrounded at the time by several members of the 

king's council; Maj. Joseph Habersham, the leader of the patriotic 

posse, quietly said: 

'' Sir James, you are under arrest.'' 

Taken wholly unawares, Sir James was probably for the first time 

in his life bereft of the king's English. But he soon found himself at 

the same moment quite as helplessly abandoned by the king's council. 

For, the sage advisers of the administration, applying the prudent max 

ims of wisdom to the practical ends of self-preservation, happened to 

remember that they .had pressing engagements elsewhere in Savannah, 

and, without ceremonious adieus, left Sir James to entertain the unan 

nounced arrivals. 

Supposing that Major Habersham was heavily supported by military 

re-enforcements in the background, the royal governor offered no resist 

ance to the interesting program arranged by the captors. The fortunes 

of war had converted the executive mansion into the colonial bastile. 

But, luckily for Sir James, he subsequently escaped and took passage 

for England, leaving Georgia to work out her own salvation, which she 

proceeded to do with orthodox zeal. 

However, on the fall of Savannah into the hands of the British, in 

1778, Sir Jam.es recrossed the Atlantic and resumed once more the reins 

of government. The first act of the returning chief magistrate was to 

offer amnesty to all who were willing to renounce the Whig cause; and 

the temporary success of the Redcoats resulted in the manufacture of 

Tories in wholesale quantities. At one time when the state was com 

pletely overrun by the British, it looked as if the flag of England was 

again to become the imperial guardian of Georgia soil, hut gradually the 

fortunes of war restricted inch by inch the domain of the royal governor 

until he found himself once more impaled within the boundaries of 

Savannah. In vain he summoned the Rump Parliaments and issued the 

executive edicts to punish the rebellious subjects of King George. The 

shadow of Yorktown was beginning to fall across the royal arms. 

Towards the last, disasters multiplied thick and fast about the old 

vicegerent, whose splendid estates one by one fell into the hands of the 

Americans, and whose numerous official titles became at last the grim 

mest of mockeries. He could see from his open window the smoke of 

his burning barns. He could feel the tightening cordon. He could hear 

the approaching tramp of the victorious cohorts. But he bore himself 

like one of the princes of the blood, and Georgians in unaffected admira 

tion for Sir James cannot fail to be proud of the fact that the name of 

the colony is indissolubly associated with the name of the English noble- 

Vol. 1—18


man who, amid the direst perils of the Revolution, was so unflinchingly 

steadfast in his allegiance to the House of Brunswick. 

Georgia's delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence 

were: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton. This event 

took place in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. But such were the primitive 

means of communication in colonial times that it was not until August 10, 

1776, that Georgia was apprised, either by official report or by oral 

rumor, of what had taken place in Philadelphia. On the day in ques 

tion, a copy of the Declaration of Independence was brought to Savan 

nah by a courier mounted on horseback, who also bore a letter from 

John Hancock. AVithout delay Archibald Bulloch convened the execu 

tive council and in formal session read the glorious document which 

severed the last links between- the Crown and the colonies. It was not 

inappropriate that the old patriot who, on July 4, 1775, had called Geor 

gia's first secession convention to order should have been accorded this 

high honor. 

Together with the executive council, he then repaired to the public 

square and read the document again to the assembled populace of Savan 

nah. It was received with acclamations of great enthusiasm. But still 

again the document was read, ere the sun intoxicated by the musical 

accents lit the Avestern horizon into sympathetic flames. This time it 

was read to the Georgia battalion at the Liberty Pole in front of Tondee 's 

Tavern, the historic rendezvous of the patriots. It fired the hearts and 

steeled the nerves of the soldier boys, who were soon to make the lusty 

echoes ring on the battlefield. At the command of Colonel Mclntosh 

thirteen volleys were fired indicative of the fair sisterhood of sovereign 

states which comprised the Continental Union. Later in the day the 

tables were spread in the open air and the dignitaries dined under the 

cedars. 

But the final ceremonies took place after nightfall, when the bonfires 

were kindled and the mortal ashes of King George were consigned in 

effigy to the dust. The red glare of the torch, the sharp flash of the 

bayonets and the struggling moonbeams' misty light, recalled the burial 

of Sir John Moore. It was an evening never to be forgotten. But Archi 

bald Bulloch soon fell asleep; and the Declaration of Independence sealed 

the lips of the old patriot who presided over Georgia's first secession 

convention. 

GEORGIA'S FIRST SECESSION CONVENTION.—"Memorable in the political aimals of 

the colony were the proceedings of the Provincial Congress, which assembled at 

Savannah on the 4th of July, 1775. Every parish was represented, and the delegates 

were fitting exponents of the intelligence, the dominant hopes, and the material 

interests of the communities from which they respectively came. This was Georgia's 

first secession convention. It placed the province in active sympathy and confederated 

alliance with the other twelve American colonies, practically annulled within her 

limits the operation of the obnoxious acts of Parliament, questioned the supremacy 

of the realm, and inaugurated measures calculated to accomplish the independence of 

the plantation and its erection into the dignity of Statehood.'' 

The following members submitted credentials and came together at Tondee's 

Long Hoom: 

Town and District of Savannah.—Archibald Bulloch, Noble Wymberley Jones,


Joseph Habersham, Jonathan Bryan, Ambrose Wright, William Young, John Glen, 

Samuel Elbert, John Houstoun, Oliver Bowen, John McClure, Edward Telfair, Thomas 

Lee, George Houstoun, Joseph Reynolds, John Smith, William Ewen, John Martin, 

Doctor Zubly, William Bryan, Philip Box, Philip Allman, William O'Bryan, Joseph 

Clay, Seth John Cuthbert. 

District of Vernonbnrgh.—Joseph Butler [declined to take his seat], Andrew 

Elton Wells, Matthew Roche, Jr. 

District of Aeton.—David Zubly, Basil Cowper, William Gibbons. 

Sea Island District.—Colonel Deveaugh, Colonel Delegall, James Bulloeh, John 

Morel, John Bohun Girardeau, John Barnard, Robert Gibson. 

District of Little Ogeeehee.—Francis Henry Harris, Joseph Gibbons, James Kob- 

ertson [declined to take his seat]. 

Parish of St. Matthew.—John Stirk, John Adam Treutlen, George Walton, Edward 

Jones, Jacob Wauldhauer, Philip Howell, Isaac Young, Jenkin Davis, John Morel, 

John Elert, Charles McCay, Christopher Cramer. 

Parish of St. Philip.—Colonel Butler, William LeConte, William Maxwell, James 

Maxwell, Stephen Drayton, Adam Fowler Brisbane, Luke Mann, Hugh Bryan. 

Parish of St. George.—Henry Jones, John Green, Thomas Burton, William Lord, 

David Lewis, James Pugh, John Fulton. 

Parish of St. Andrew.—Jonathan Cochran, William Jones, Peter Tarlin, Lachlan 

Mclntosh, William Mclntosh, George Threadcraft, John Wereat, Roderick Mclntosh, 

John Witherspoon, George Mclntosh, Allan Stewart, John Mclntosh, Raymond 

Demere. 

Parish of St. David.—John Cuthbert Seth, William Williams, Sr. 

Parish of St.. Mary.—Daniel Ryan. 

Parish of St. Thomas.—John Roberts. 

Parish of St. Paul.—John Walton, Joseph Maddoek [declined to take his seat], 

Andrew Burns, R'obert Rae, James Rae, Andrew Moore, Andrew Burney, Leonard 

Marbnry.—"Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," by L. L. Knight, 

Vol. II. 

GUNPOWDEK FOK BUNKER HILL.—Perhaps it may have been too small an item for 

the historians of New England to chronicle, but the State of Georgia made a con 

tribution to the battle of Bunker Hill * which was deemed to be of very great value 

at the time to the cause of independence and which undoubtedly influenced in no 

slight degree the subsequent fortunes of the Revolution. On the 10th of May, 1775, 

there came to Savannah, by special courier, the first tidings of the battle of Lexing- 

ton. It stirred the patriots to the highest pitch of excitement, and some of the 

bolder spirits of the colony hastily devised a plan of action which was destined to 

startle the royal Governor. Near the eastern extremity of the town was the maga 

zine. It was built of brick and buried some twelve feet under ground. Within this 

subterranean vault there were large supplies of ammunition, which Governor Wright 

deemed it unnecessary to protect because of the substantial character of the struc 

ture. But he little suspected the resourcefulness of the Revolutionists. 

Though Georgia was still nominally within the British allegiance, the necessity 

of securing the contents, of this magazine for future operations became urgent; and 

Dr. Noble Wymberley Jones, Joseph Habersham, Edward Telfair, William Gibbons, 

Joseph Clay, John Milledge and several others, most of whom were members of the 

Council of Safety, organized themselves into a band and at a late hour on the next 

evening broke into the magazine and removed therefrom about 600 pounds of gun 

powder. Governor Wright soon caught wind of the affair and issued a proclamation offer 

ing £150 sterling for the arrest of the offenders; but the raiders were not betrayed. 

Some of the gunpowder was sent to Beaufort, S. C., for safe-keeping; and the rest 

was concealed in the garrets and cellars of the houses of the captors; but some of it 

was later on sent to Boston, where, in the battle of Bunker Hill, it illuminated the 

opening drama of hostilities.—Ibid., Vol. II. 

GEORGIA COMMISSIONS THE FIRST WARSHIP.—Another gunpowder incident is well 

authenticated. On the 4th of July, 1775, the Provincial Congress met in Savannah 

* '' History of Georgia,'' by Wm. B. Stevens, Vol. II. '' History of Georgia,'' 

by Chas. C. Jones, Jr., Vol. II.


to sever the tie of allegiance between the colony and the Crown; and, after choosing 

delegates to the. Continental Congress, in Philadelphia, the next step was to fortify 

the state against assault by providing the necessary sinews of war. To this end 

a. schooner was commissioned and put in charge of two stout patriots, Oliver Bowen 

and Joseph Habersham, who, it appears from subsequent events, were already in 

possession of information which promised to yield substantial results. 

Stone 

by Fraternal 

to;-' 'Kf ' ; Memo ry o' f 

;OLIVKR 

State of HlKxIe Iflarid j 

l|tyang'|roTn an 'honourable Stock :| 

departed this Life : ; J 

: ; "iTi tlie CQ* Year of his Age, 

\:Vi;.i5>ife:. ..''.. - f • .•••' 

•^vrxi::\ : ' :V ;;- ; :v> :';:' : -/ : ' : .--.'- .... , ' '• •• •. 

|f^ ;:'''-:; ;-' A Patriot of t^75» ";• • 

1 : : ne was among the iirft m tr«s St&te 

!••'; v/ho ftep«


participate in the haul. The Georgia schooner took a position beyond the bars and 

some distance in advance of the two barges, where it quietly lay in wait. On the 

fifth day, a vessel was sighted above the horizon. It proved to be Captain Maitland's 

ship, with the powder on. board, for which the patriots were looking, but the captain, 

observing the Georgia schooner, suspected at once some evil design, and, without 

trying to enter the river, he turned around and put back to sea. Instantly Captain 

Bowen started in pursuit. He was an experienced sailor, the schooner was com 

paratively light, and, under his skillful manipulation, it cut the waters like an arrow. 

The fugitive vessel was soon overtaken; and, with the help of the South Carolinians, 

the military stores on board were seized. 

Georgia's share of the prize was 9,000 pounds of powder, a quantity which was 

none too largo for her needs, in view of her exposed water front; but, importuned 

by the Continental Congress, she sent over half of the amount to Philadelphia to 

meet the needs of the northern colonies and to be distributed among the embryo 

armies which were then being organized to protect them. It has often been said to 

the disparagmeut of Georgia that she was the last of the original thirteen colonies 

to lower the English flag. But she was the youngest member of the sisterhood; she 

was in need of the mother country's protection against threatened troubles with 

the Indians; she possessed an excellent chief-magistrate in Governor Wright, and she 

bore.tho favorite name of the House of Brunswick. There was much to justify her 

in holding back until the last moment. But, having espoused the cause of freedom, 

it was in no sulky mood that she entered the struggle; and Georgia must be credited 

with the first capture -made by the first vessel commissioned for naval warfare in 

the Revolution. 

However, this was not the powder which Governor Wright was expecting from the 

British depot of supplies, in consequence of a letter addressed by him to General 

Gage some weeks earlier. The helpless condition of the province had induced the 

governor to send dispatches to General Gage and also to Admiral Graves, asking for 

immediate re-enforcements. But the letters were intercepted by good whigs who 

suspected the character of the contents and who, using the same envelopes, substi 

tuted fictitious enclosures, stating that the situation in Georgia was perfectly tranquil. 

Though the letters in due time reached the proper destination, there was naturally no 

response; and Governor Wright was puzzled for an explanation until years after 

wards, when he chanced to meet General Gage in London.—Ibid. Vol. II. 

TYBEE: FIRST CAPTURE OP REVOLUTION HEKE MADE.—On Tybee Island, at the 

mouth of the Savannah River, the first lighthouse on the Georgia coast was built 

under the supervision of Oglethorpe, in 1733. The present handsome structure is 

the tallest lighthouse between Charleston and St. Augustine. This was the scene 

of the famous capture made by the first vessel commissioned for naval warfare during 

the American Revolution. The boat was a converted schooner, officered by Com 

modore Oliver Bowen and Capt. Joseph Habersham. To meet the exigencies of the 

time, it was hastily put in commission, in 1775, and within a few days thereafter, 

off the coast of Tybee, 16,000 pounds of powder was captured, some of which was 

sent to Boston, where it was used in the battle of Bunker Hill. At Fort Screven, 

on Tybeo Island, the United States Government maintains a strong battery, the 

numerical strength of which at present is H officers and 460 men. One of the 

quaint sights of the island is Martelle Tower, a structure built by the Federal 

Government for defensive purposes, at the ôutbreak of the second war with England, 

in 1812. This fort is still the property of the "United States, but is no longer used 

except as a residence for officials. Tybee is today a great resort for lovers of the 

surf. It is the only island on the Georgia coast reached by direct railway connection, 

or to quote a Savannah rhapsodist '' the only spot in Georgia where the headlight 

of a locomotive engine casts its silvery beams on the rolling waves of the deep and 

dark blue ocean.''—Ibid. Vol. I. 

TONDEE 's TAVERN : THE CRADLE or LIBERTY IN GEORGIA.—On the northwest corner 

of Whitaker and Broughton streets, memorialized by a tablet of bronze, is one of the 

most faered spots in the City of Savannah. Bich in historic associations, it was 

here that the earliest protest of the colony \yas made against the oppressive measures 

of the English Parliament. Here the citizens of Savannah assembled in response 

to the first bugle call of patriotism. Here the Council of Safety held weekly meet-


ings on Monday mornings; and here, on July 4, 1775, assembled the Provincial 

Congress which formally severed the tie of allegiance between the colony and the 

Crown. In the spring of 1899 the Colonial Dames placed a tablet of bronze upon 

the building which occupies the site of Tondee's Tavern. The inscription thereon 

reads: 

"Stood, on this site, in colonial times, Tondee's Tavern, where 

gathered the ' Sons of Liberty.' Krected by the Georgia Society of 

the Colonial Dames of America," 

Peter Tondee, the owner of this famous hostelry, was a patriot of the most loyal 

pattern. According to tradition, he held the post of doorkeeper at the gatherings 

of the "Sons of Liberty," and, though his establishment was open to the public, 

on ordinary occasions, no one could enter the long room, when the patriots were to 

meet there, without first pronouncing the shibboleth of freedom. In front of the 

tavern, on June 5, 1775, was erected the famous liberty pole, which became the 

rallying center of the town; and from the porch Archibald Bulloch, then president 

of the Council of Safety, read the declaration of independence to the assembled 

populace, after which thirteen guns were fired from the old battery on Bay Street. 

Though little is known of the man who owned the tavern, beyond the fact that he 

was one of the patriotic band, his name is imperishably written among the immortals 

and his memory will be fragrant in Georgia to the latest generation.—Ibid. Vol. I.

CHAPTER II 

WHY GEORGIA WAS REPRESENTED ON THE SCROLL OF INDEPENDENCE BY 

ONLY THREE SIGNERS—AN EPISODE OF SINGULAR INTEREST—REV. 

JOHN J. ZUBLY, A MEMBER OF THE PRECEDING CONGRESS, DEVELOPS 

STRONG TORY SENTIMENTS—FORMERLY A PRONOUNCED WHIG—QUITS 

PHILADELPHIA WHEN HE LEARNS THAT THE COLONIES ARE BENT ON 

SEPARATION FROM ENGLAND—LETTER WRITTEN BY DOCTOR ZUBLY TO 

GOVERNOR WRIGHT Is DISCOVERED—RETURNING TO GEORGIA, THE 

CLERGYMAN SEEKS TO STEM THE TIDE TOWARD REPUBLICAN FREEDOM 

—GIFTED WITH RARE ELOQUENCE—PASTOR OF THE OLD INDEPENDENT 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH—Ma. HOUSTOUN, A DELEGATE TO THE CON 

GRESS OF 1776, RETURNS HOME TO COMBAT DOCTOR ZUBLY's TORY 

ARGUMENTS—MR. BULLOCH Is DETAINED IN GEORGIA BY His D OTIES AS 

PRESIDENT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL—GEORGIA'S THREE SIGNERS— 

GEORGE WALTON—LYMAN HALL—BUTTON GWINNETT—THE LAST- 

NAMED SIGNER KILLED IN A DUEL BY LACHLAN MC!NTOSH—DOCTOR 

ZUBLY's BANISHMENT AND DEATH—EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES. 

Why was Georgia represented on the Declaration of Independence 

by only three signers, when she was represented by five delegates in the 

Continental Congress of 1776? Though the youngest of the original 

thirteen colonies, she w.as not the least populous nor the least patriotic; 

and the comparatively small space which she occupies on the time-hon 

ored scroll of American liberty is wholly out of proportion to her recog 

nized importance in the sisterhood of imperial provinces. Tell it not in 

Gath; but the answer to this historical conundrum involves an episode 

of singular interest in the early history of the patriotic cause in Georgia, 

and shows how one of the very brightest of the lights of liberty suffered 

extinction. 

The Georgia signers were Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George 

Walton. But Archibald Bulloch and John Houstoun were also mem 

bers of the congressional delegation. Mr. Bulloch was detained in 

Georgia by official duties, being at the time president of the executive 

council and acting governor; and it was neither politic nor wise for the 

chief magistrate to leave the state when an outbreak of war was immi 

nent. Mr. Houstoun repaired to Philadelphia, but he was soon back 

again in Georgia for the purpose of combating the hostile influence of an 

ex-patriot who, having returned to the standard of the king, was at work 

in the field with perverted missionary zeal, seeking to prevent the drift 

toward separation and to extinguish the revolutionary flames which he 

* This chapter is reproduced from "Eeminiscences of Famous Georgians," by 

L. L. Knight, Vol. II. 

279


had helped to kindle. The political backslider in question was Rev. 

John J. Zubly. 

Doctor Zubly was the first pastor of the old Independent Presbyterian 

Church of Savannah, an organization which was not more wedded to the 

Shorter Catechism than to the principles of civil liberty, and which, in his 

toric harmony with Presbyterian traditions, proceeded at the first drum- 

tap to entwine the continental flag with the old blue banner of the kirk. 

The distinguished divine came from St. Gall, in Switzerland, and is said 

to have boasted an ancestry .whose strong Protestant bias readied back 

to forefathers who started the Swiss reformation under Zwingli. Not 

only a theologian and a scholar, but also an orator of marked attainments, 

he preached to large congregations in Savannah, and sometimes the. Es 

tablished Church was quite deserted on Sundays by parishioners who 

were eager to hear the eloquent dissenter. 

Against the oppressive measures of Parliament he inveighed with an 

emphasis which admitted of no doubtful interpretation. But he was not 

satisfied to hurl thunderbolts from the pulpit. He resorted to the 

pamphlet. Article after article dealing with the obnoxious acts of the 

British government came from the caustic pen of the bold preacher. He 

was prominent in.the meetings which protested against the Boston Port 

Bill; and, when the Provincial Congress met in Savannah soon after the 

Battle of Lexington, he was one of the delegates. Moreover, the Provin 

cial Congress immediately upon convening adjourned to the old Inde 

pendent Church to hear an eloquent sermon from Doctor Zubly; and he 

rose to the occasion, taking some text from the Pauline Epistles which 

dealt with the law of liberty. To show what striking figures of speech 

the learned doctor could use, he wrote to some English correspondent, 

about, this time, stating that if the colonies were bound together by ropes 

of sand, it should be remembered that sand and blood made an excellent 

cement. 

Naturally such an .eloquent voice was coveted for the continental coun 

cils in Philadelphia, and Doctor Zubly was elected together with Noble "W. 

Jones, Archibald Bulloch, Lyman Hall and John Houstoun to represent 

Georgia in the Continental Congress of 1775. At first he hesitated to 

accept the unsolicited honor because of the prolonged absence from Savan 

nah and the consequent relinquishment of pastoral work, which the duty 

of representing the colony in Philadelphia involved. However, Mr. 

Houstoun went before the congregation and explained the situation fully, 

and, being largely dominated by the Sons of Liberty, the old Independent 

Church, independent in name and independent in zeal for American 

freedom, consented to make the sacrifice for the sake of the patriotic 

cause. 

But, arrived in Philadelphia, Doctor Zubly began perceptibly to 

weaken. Seeing the Continental Congress bent upon immediate separa 

tion, he found that he was more Tory than Whig; and, to cap the 

climax, he declared from his seat that a republic was little better than 

a government of devils. This was strange language for one whose blood 

was derived from the free cantons of Switzerland; and Americans who 

live today peaceably and happily under the folds of the national flag, 

and who suggest no thought of pandemonium, can hardly be expected 

to applaud such an undemocratic sentiment. However, it must be said


in justice to Doctor Znbly that, while he had strongly advocated re 

sistance to the oppressive acts of Parliament, and had boldly stigmatized 

taxation without representation, he had not gone so far as to preach ab 

solute separation from the Crown of England. It was the plan of Doctor 

Zubly to seek redress of grievances within the limits,of urgent protest, 

but not to the extent of open revolt. He considered himself an English 

subject. But on. the other hand it must be said, in justice to those who 

were ready to dissolve the bonds of union, that, in upholding the prin 

ciples of the great charter, they, too, acquitted themselves like loyal 

Englishmen who bent-the knee in the true allegiance. 

Perhaps Doctor Zubly, like more than one reluctant patriot, might 

eventually have acquiesced in the majority sentiment; but an unfortu 

nate incident occurred in the progress of the session which served to 

bar him from future affiliation with the colonial patriots, even though, 

underneath the horns of his own altar he crouched among the penitents. 

Seeing that radical steps were to be taken, he undertook privately to 

communicate with Governor "Wright. He was divulging no star-chamber 

secret and betraying no public trust; but the watchword of the hour 

was liberty. In some way the designs of Doctor Zubly were discovered, 

and he was confronted with exposure on the floor of the Continental 

Congress. Realizing that his influence was destroyed and his useful 

ness ended in Philadelphia, he withdrew from the patriotic councils, and 

returned to Georgia. 

But Doctor Zubly was not to remain idle. Though he was powerless 

among the assembled lawmakers in Philadelphia, he was not debarred 

from appealing to the inhabitants of the colony; and he went before the 

people, resolved to cheek, if possible, the movement toward separation. 

Many communicants withdrew from the Independent Church. Some 

were converted by tie eloquent logic of the wily doctor, and some re 

tained membership only because of an inherent conservatism. He began 

to thunder again from the pulpit. He resorted once more to the 

pamphlets. But it was now to stem the republican tide. 

Another Provincial Congress was held early in the year following, 

but there was no adjournment to hear Doctor Zubly preach. Archibald 

Bulloch, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton and John 

HoTistonn were elected to the Continental Congress. It has already 

been stated that Mr. Bulloch was detained at home by reason of admin 

istrative duties. The others repaired to Philadelphia. But news at 

length reached the Quaker City to the effect that Doctor Zubly, instead 

of converting bad sinners, was converting good Whigs and that Georgia 

was apt to turn Tory unless the designs of the preacher were check 

mated. 

Times of excitement are always favorable to the reckless use of 

hyperbole; but, while the accounts were felt to be exaggerated, it was 

thought best to dispatch one of the members of the congressional dele 

gation to Georgia to combat the heretical doctrines o£ Doctor Zubly and 

to hold the colony to the formulas of the true faith. Upon Mr. Houstoun 

devolved the task; and, since he had gone before the congregation of 

the old Independent Church the year previous to ask that Doctor Zubly 

be allowed to represent the colony, he felt the responsibility of the 

commission. Like the epigrammatic Cffisar, he was soon able to say,


"Veni, vidi, vici." But lie reached the Continental Congress too late 

to participate in the momentous drama of signing the immortal protest 

against oppression. The bonfires had been kindled in the streets of Phil 

adelphia, and from the belfry of old Independence Hall the sweet siren 

of liberty had commenced to sing. 

It is sorely to be regretted that the name of this patriotic Georgian 

was not appended to the great charter of liberty, for he was no less 

wedded to the sacred cause than were the men whose names were in 

scribed upon the deathless roll of honor. He was in just desert if not 

in actual fact one of the Georgia signers. Mr. Houstoun was the son 

of old Sir Patrick Houstoun, a baronet whose conservative inclinations 

were so partial to the fence that he was denounced first by the Tory and 

then by the Whig government, perhaps unjustly by the latter; but he 

gave the patriotic cause two sons, John and William, whose knee-joints 

were too stiff with the starch of liberty to crook in obsequious homage 

to the king. Mr. Houstoun was twice governor, and died in 1796 well 

advanced in years. 

As for Doctor Zubly, he was banished from Savannah in 1777 and 

took refuge in South Carolina; but when the town fell into the hands 

of the British in 1778, he returned to Savannah and resumed pastoral 

work among the uncontaminated members of the flock who drank the 

king's tea. But he was not the same man. Broken in health, and in 

fortune, he failed rapidly and died in 1781 on the eve of the evacuation 

of the city by the British. Thus sank into ignominious eclipse one of 

the brightest luminaries that lit the gray horizon of the revolutionary 

dawn in Georgia. 

George Walton, who sprang from an old Virginia family, became 

the most distinguished member of the group of signers. He was twice 

governor, six times congressman, an officer in the Revolution, chief jus 

tice of the state, judge of the Superior Court and United States senator. 

Doctor Hall afterwards occupied the gubernatorial chair. He was an 

eminent physician from Connecticut, who early became the foremost 

champion of liberty in the parish of St. John, and who was sent by 

the parish as an independent delegate to the Continental Congress, be 

fore the colony at large was sufficiently aroused to demand representa 

tion. He lived at Sunbury, where Governor Wright located the head of 

the republican disaffection in Georgia, stating that it came from the 

Puritan settlers who had imbibed too freely the vicious principles of 

Oliver Cromwell. 

Button Gwinnett was an Englishman who became identified with 

the colony only four years before the Declaration was signed; but the 

short period of his residence in the colony only serves to lay emphasis 

upon his zeal in the cause. He, too, lived at Sunbury, but the thrifty 

little town which in the old colonial days was an enterprising commer 

cial center, sufficiently infused with the patriotic ardor to give two 

signers to the Declaration of Independence, is today numbered among 

the buried towns of Georgia, and as if the very memories of the Revolu 

tion had germinated upon the saeret spot, it sleeps enfolded in an 

evergreen mantle of bermuda. Soon after the war began, Mr. Gwinnett 

became involved in personal difficulties with General Lachlan Melntosh, 

growing out of the latter's appointment to the brigadier-generalship in

GEOBGIA AND GEOEGIANS 283 

preference to the former; and, chagrined at his subsequent defeat for 

governor, Gwinnett challenged Mclntosh, who was quoted to him as 

having expressed very great satisfaction with the result of the election. 

The combatants met at sunrise within the limits of the present City 

of Savannah, measured off twelve paces and fired. Both were wounded 

in the thigh. Gwinnett lingered nearly two weeks before death came to 

end the struggles of the unfortunate signer. Mclntosh recovered, but 

popular feeling in the state was such that, acting upon the advice of 

friends, he sought an assignment for the time being in another part of 

the .field. He returned soon after the fall of Savannah to aid in the re 

capture of the city. However, it was only to find that the smoldering 

fires of hostility were ready to break out afresh. Yet he lived to see 

the feudal spark extinguished and to represent Georgia in the Conti 

nental Congress. 

Though popular sentiment was against General Mclntosh, it was 

largely because of Mr. Gwinnett's prestige as one of the signers. The 

evidence shows that the latter was clearly the aggressor, and that when 

president of the executive council, he asserted his authority as eom- 

mander-in-chief of the army to the extent of ignoring General Mclntosh, 

especially in the ill-advised campaign which he himself organized for 

the reduction of East Florida. General Mclntosh was an able tactician. 

He distinguished himself under Washington, whose esteem and confi 

dence he possessed; and when the latter visited Georgia in 1791, General 

Mclntosh acted as special escort. He was president of the Georgia 

division of the Society of the Cincinnati, and was an unusually handsome 

man, tall and erect, with an impressive military carriage. It is said 

that in youth no Indian could compete with him in fieetness of foot. 

He belonged to the famous clan which John Moore Mclntosh planted at 

Darien, and which was characterized by all the robust traits which 

belonged to the parent stock in the distant highlands of Scotland. 

On the floor of the Continental Congress Georgia was represented 

from time to time by some of her ablest talent, and Dr. Lyman Hall 

was not required to sit alone for any great while in the austere councils 

at Philadelphia. Included among the delegates who, from first to last, 

represented Georgia in the Continental Congress, were Abraham Bald 

win, Nathan Bronson, Archibald Bulloch, Joseph Clay, William Few, 

William Gibbons, Button Gwinnett, John Habersham, Lyman Hall, 

John Houstoun, William Houstoun, Richard Howley, Noble W. Jones, 

Edward Langworthy, Lachlan Mclntosh, William Pierce, Edward Tel- 

fair, George Walton, John Walton, Joseph Wood and John J. Zubly. 

If one member of the group proved himself recreant to the high trust 

it must be remembered that even the apostolic band, at the communion 

table of the Last Supper, was darkened by the envious brow of an 

Iscariot, who marred the gentle brotherhood. But Doctor Zubly was 

neither an Iseariot nor an Arnold, and, without brooding upon the 

fallen meteor that forsook the trouble heavens, Georgia is content to 

rejoice in the fixed stars which, pure and bright and steadfast, illumi 

nated the stellar fields.

CHAPTER III 

UNDER A TEMPORARY CONSTITUTION, ARCHIBALD BULLOCH Is ELECTED 

PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF GEORGIA—FIRST REVOLU 

TIONARY PASSAGE AT ARMS—THE CONSTITUTION OF 1777—THE FIRST 

COUNTIES—A DICTATOR AUTHORIZED—BUTTON GWINNETT—FORT 

MORRIS—COLONEL MC!NTOSH'S BRAVE LETTER—THE CAPTURE OF 

SAVANNAH—THE CAPTURE OF AUGUSTA—THE VICTORY AT KETTLE 

CREEK—THE DEFEAT OF GENERAL ASH—THE SIEGE OF SAVANNAH. 

NOTES: WAR HILL—ELIJAH CLARKE—THE TORIES—NANCY HART.— 

FORT MORRIS—MEADOW GARDEN—THE CONSTITUTION OF 1777— 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY DURING THE REVOLUTION. 

(This chapter prepared by Charles Edgeworth Jones, Esq.) 

In the spring of 1776 a temporary constitution was devised for the 

province as the '' ground-work of a more stable and formal government;'' 

and by the terms of its provisions, Archibald Bulloch was unanimously 

elected president and commander-in-chief of Georgia. Some weeks prior 

to this event occurred the first revolutionary passage at arms within the 

borders of the nascent commonwealth. Quite a number of disabled rice- 

laden merchant vessels were lying at the Savannah wharves. When, 

upon the eve of leaving port, their departure had been effectually pre 

vented, through the unshipping of their rudders and the removal of their 

sails; and while in this incapacitated condition, the capture of these 

vessels was boldly planned by the British land and naval contingent, 

riding off Tybee inlet. The ascent of the Savannah River was, accord 

ingly, commenced, with, the result that one of the enemy's ships (the 

Hinchinbrooke, of eight guns) speedily grounded. Through the vigor 

of the concentrated fire of Major Habersham's riflemen, the crew of 

this armed schooner was quickly driven from the deck; and, but for the 

absence of boats, it would, undoubtedly, have fallen a prize to the 

patriots. 

Meanwhile, the British land forces had not been idle. On the night 

of March 2d, disembarking a contingent comprising some 200 or 300 

men, under the command of Majors Maitland and Grant, from a ship 

in Back River, and silently marching across Hutchinson's Island, early 

on the next morning, they took possession of the rice-laden vessels at 

anchor opposite the town. 

With such quietness had this movement been executed, however, that 

it was some hours before the municipal authorities became aware of what 

had transpired. So soon as the true state of affairs was known, Col. 

Lachlan Mclntosh, with 300 troops, hastily throwing up a breastwork 

284


on Yamacraw Bluff, there posted three four-pounder guns, which bore 

directly upon the shipping. But prior to opening fire, two officers 

(Lieut. Daniel Roberts and Capt. Raymond Demefe) were dispatched, 

to demand the immediate release of Captain Rice, and his boat's crew, 

who were by them detained as prisoners. The officers not returning, 

upon a renewal of the peremptory requirement for the liberation of the 

Americans, such an insulting retort was evoked, that fire was at once 

drawn from the Yamacraw breastwork. The reply was received, that 

if the most reputable envoys should be sent, the enemy would treat 

with them. Whereupon two officers (Captains Screven and Baker), with 

a small detail, repairing to the ship's side, made requisition for the 

.prompt restoration of their brethren. 

Such scant courtesy, however, was accorded the officers that one 

of them, infuriated, fired into the crew. This was evidently exactly what 

the foe wished, for, strange to say, a discharge of swivels came from the 

vessel, almost sinking the boat, and wounding one of the escort. At 

this, the envoys, surprised at this murderous breach of military etiquette, 

retired toward Savannah, balls speeding after them, until they were 

beyond gun-reach. The Yamacraw battery now took a hand in the affair 

and for several hours maintained a brisk cannonade, which was returned 

by the British troops on the merchant vessels. 

It being now decided that the shipping must be destroyed, the Coun 

cil of Safety called for volunteers for the accomplishment of that im 

portant object. The desired end was attained when the Inverness, 

loaded with rice and deer skins, was ignited and turned adrift in the 

stream. "Upon this," writes President Ewen, "the soldiers, in the most 

laughable confusion, got ashore in the marsh, while our riflemen and 

field-pieces, with grape-shot, were incessantly galling them. The shipping 

was now also in confusion. Some got up the river, under cover of the 

armed schooner, while others caught the flame, and, as night approached, 

exhibited a scene, as they passed and repassed with the tide, which at 

any but the present time, would be truly horrible, but now a subject 

only of gratitude and applause." "With the co-operative aid of the 

South Carolinians, the dislodgment of the enemy was at length consum 

mated ; three of the merchant vessels being burnt, six being dismantled, 

and two escaping to sea. Thus ended a martial episode which, while 

of comparative insignificance, was instinct with the spirit of the Georgia 

revolutionists. 

The republican constitution, as already referred to, was purely tem 

porary in its character, and was intended merely as the forerunner to 

a more satisfactory instrument. With a view to realizing the ideas of 

its framers, by the formulation of another and more complete consti 

tution, which would be thoroughly adapted to the needs of the embattled 

republic, a convention for that important purpose was, accordingly, con 

voked. The opening session of that distinguished body was held on the 

1st of October, 1776, and for four months and more were its noteworthy 

deliberations uniterruptedly continued, its interesting labors being con 

cluded on the 5th of the following February. In pursuance of the 

provisions of that admirable document, the parish system was abolished, 

and the sturdy counties of Chatham, Effingham, Burke, Liberty, Cam- 

den, Glynn, Richmond and Wilkes were installed in its stead. On the


22d of February, 1777, President Bullock received an additional mark 

of the public confidence, in his being requested '' to take upon himself 

the whole executive powers of government." Not long did he survive 

the bestowal of those dictatorial honors; death coming suddenly within 

a few days to end the useful life of this beloved patriot. Button Gwin- 

nett was, on the 4th of March, chosen to succeed him in the office of 

president. When, in the following May, he was an aspirant for the same 

position, he suffered a mortifying defeat at the hands of his fearless 

competitor, John Adam Treutlen—the first freely elected chief magis 

trate of the commonwealth. But grievous as was the former's disap 

pointment, it was destined to be of short duration, as a week later he 

fell in a duel with his malignant enemy, Gen. Lachlan Mclntosh. Thus 

died the brilliant and impulsive Button Gwinnett, one of the historic 

signers of the immortal Declaration of Independence, of whom much 

more might have been expected. 

The year 1778 was fraught with gloom for the Georgia Sons of Lib 

erty. For besides being, possibly, the darkest period in the American 

Revolution, the infant republic was fairly swarming with and overrun 

by the British soldiery. Late in November of that year, Colonel Fuser, 

with his vessels conveying some 500 troops, battering cannon, light ar 

tillery and mortars, anchored off Colonel's Island. Debarkation having 

been effected, the hostile array commenced its march against undaunted 

Sunbury. Contemporaneously with the land movement, the armed ships 

sailed up the Midway River, and took position in front of Fort Morris 

and opposite the town. WHth the exception of that fort, which was held 

by Col. John Mclntosh and 300 continentals, militia, and citizens, Sun- 

bury was unprotected. His dispositions being perfected, Fuser made de 

mand for the immediate surrender of the work, his communication soon 

evoking the following characteristic response: 

"Fort Morris, November 25, 1778. 

"We acknowledge we are not ignorant that your army is in motion 

to reduce this State. We believe it entirely chimerical that Colonel 

Prevost is at the Meeting House; but should it be so, we are in no degree 

apprehensive of danger from a junction of his army with yours. We 

have no property compared with the object we contend for which, we 

value a rush, and would rather perish in a vigorous defense, than accept 

of your proposals. We, Sir, are fighting the battles of America, and, 

therefore, disdain to remain neutral till its fate is determined. As to 

surrendering the fort, receive this laconic reply: Come And Take It. 

"I have the honor to be, Sir, 

"Your most obedient servant, 

"JOHN MclNTOSH, 

"Colonel of Continental Troops." 

Instead of accepting this manly invitation, Fuser soon afterwards 

raised the siege and retired. Subsequently, Sunbury fell into the hands 

of Gen. Augustine Prevost. The bold and patriotic answer of Colonel 

Mclntosh, however, is worthy of perpetual preservation. 

Late in December, 1778, the vessels conveying Lieut.-Col. Archibald 

Campbell's expeditionary force, specially designed for the capture of 

the capital of Georgia, made its appearance in the Savannah River. The


troops under his command consisted of his majesty's Seventy-first Regi 

ment of foot, of two battalions of Hessians, of four battalions of provin 

cials, and of a detachment of the Royal Artillery—in all comprising 

some 3,000 men. Landing, with slight opposition, at Girardeau's plan 

tation—then about l 1/^ miles from the town—on the 29th the battle 

for the retention of Savannah was fought, which culminated in a dis 

astrous defeat for the Americans. In this unfortunate affair, the Geor 

gians were heavy losers in every way. The loss of life was considerable, 

and a surprising number were taken prisoners; and, moreover, their 

valuable military accumulations fell into the hands of their victorious 

adversaries. Gen. Robert Howe was on this occasion charged with the 

defense of Savannah, and was severely criticised because of the un 

reasonably easy defeat. 

The British attention was now turned toward the capture of Augusta. 

Accordingly, about the middle of January, 1779, Colonel Campbell made 

his arrangements for putting that plan into execution. A thousand 

strong, he marched upon the place, .which was guarded fey General Wil- 

liamson, and a body of provincials. But though the partisan patriot 

leaders strove to stem the irresistible tide that appeared to be carrying 

everything .before it, through the seeming treachery of "Wiilliamson 

Augusta was surrendered to the enemy without a struggle. 

A month later, or on the 14th of February, 1779, a ray of light 

pierced the dark gloom of despondency, and new hopes were placed in 

the breasts of the indefatigable revolutionists by their brilliant victory 

at Kettle Creek. As a consequence of the great enthusiasm aroused by 

that splendid triumph, and the increased activity which was developed 

among the Americans in Upper Georgia, Colonel Campbell found it 

expedient to evacuate Augusta, This famous engagement was fought 

early on the morning of the eventful day. The combined forces of 

Colonels Pickens, Dooly, and Clarke were then in active pursuit of 

Colonel Boyd, who was intent upon a junction with the infamous Tory 

officer, Daniel McGirth, on Little River. 

As the patriots neared the camp of the Loyalists, who were seemingly 

unconscious of their coming, they devised an order of battle. A strong 

vanguard moved 150 paces in advance. The right and left wings, con 

sisting each, of 100 men, were, respectively, commanded by Colonels 

Dooly and Clarke; while the center, numbering 200 men, was led by 

Colonel Pickens. On their approach, the pickets fired and retreated. 

Hastily forming his line in rear of his encampment, Colonel Boyd pre 

pared to repel the assault. After acquitting himself with great bravery, 

he, with his immediate command, was overpowered and driven back upon 

the main body. In the retreat, Boyd fell, mortally wounded. Upon 

this, the enemy, abandoning horses, baggage, and munition wagons, fled 

through the swamp, and reformed on the high ground beyond. Here 

the conflict, which was measurably sanguinary, was renewed. At 

length, the Americans gained complete possession of the hill; and the 

Loyalists, routed at all points, rapidly withdrew from the scene of 

action. They left some seventy of their number dead upon the field; 

while seventy-five were included among their wounded and captured. 

On the part of the revolutionists, nine were slain and twenty-three


wounded. Colonel Clarke's. gallantry and military sagacity, on this 

occasion, were worthy of all praise. 

The defeat of General Ash, with his eight hundred troops, on Briar 

Greek, in the spring of 1779, is cursorily referred to. It was a most 

mortifying affair. Colonel Campbell resolved on his dislodgment, and 

for the effectuation of this, he utilized the services of 1,700 trained men— 

more than twice Ash's command. The battle was soon changed into 

an inglorious rout; the gallant conduct of General Elbert, and his con 

tingent, standing firm in the face of flying soldiers, redeeming the day. 

He fought until the means for prolonging the struggle had ceased to be 

available. The American loss in that engagement was 150, killed and 

drowned; and about 200 were wounded or captured: many of General 

Ash's force succeeding, by swimming, in escaping to South Carolina. 

The British casualties were only six killed and ten wounded. 

With the ratification of the treaties of May 1, 1779, with the French 

sovereign, it was thought by many that the situation would be materially 

relieved. On the 1st of September of the same year, Count D'Estaing 

made his welcome appearance on the Georgia Coast. So unexpected was 

his coming, that several English vessels were surprised and captured 

near the mouth of the Savannah River. Ten days later, his first debark 

ation was effected; 1,200 of his best troops being successfully landed 

.at Beaulieu. So eager was the Count to commence active operations 

that he decided to take the initiative, without awaiting the arrival of 

General Lincoln and his Americans. And so, on the 16th of September, 

he made formal demand on Gen. Augustine Prevost, commanding the 

British army, for the surrender of Savannah to the King of France. 

As a result of their correspondence, it was agreed that a truce of twenty- 

four hours' duration should be accorded. 

WAR HILL: WHERE THE FAMOUS REVOLUTIONARY BATTLE OF KETTLE GREEK WAS 

FOUGHT.—Eight miles west of Washington is War Hill, the scene of the famous battle 

of Kettlo Creek. Here, on St. Valentine's Day, February 14, 1779, a decisive victory 

by the Americans sounded the death-knell of Toryism in Upper Georgia. The ground 

on which this crucial engagement was fought has been acquired for memorial pur 

poses by Kettle Creek Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which 

patriotic organization, with the help of the United States Government, will furnish 

it with appropriate markers and preserve it for posterity as a monument to American 

valor. We quote the following description of the battle-ground from the pen of 

Miss Eliza Bowen, the accredited historian of Wilkes: "I have myself seen the 

battle-ground of Kettle Creek, which is on a plantation now belonging to Henry 

Slaton. There is a steep bluff on the south side of the creek, which is to this day 

called War Hill, by people living in the neighborhood. On the north side is a low 

meadow, beyond which, near the creek, is a swamp, part of which was then covered 

by a cane-brake. Boyd's men were killing bullocks and parching corn when they 

unexpectedly heard the firing of pickets.'' According to Miss Bowen, the Americans, 

in this engagement, were only 500 strong, while there were not less than 700 men 

under Colonel Boyd. On the eve of the battle, Elijah Clarke camped in the neigh 

borhood of what is- now the Jordan burial-ground near Clarke's Station, where 

several of the members of his family were afterwards buried. The old soldier 

eventually acquired large bodies of land on Kettle Creek, and today all the original 

deeds and titles run back to him. It is said that for years it was not unusual for 

parties who were on the tramp through this section to pick up musket balls, old 

bayonets, old gun-barrels and other odd and curious-relics, which recent hard rains 

had brought to the surface of the ground. As late as 1876 an old silver coin was 

found on the battlefield of Kettle Creek, which, according to last accounts, was owned 

by Henry Slaton.


Bishop Stevens, in Volume II of his authoritative work, gives an excellent account 

of the battle of Kettle Creek. Says he: * 

'' The enemy having effected a passage into Georgia, Pickens and Dooly, now 

joined by Colonel Clarke, resolved to follow; and they accordingly crossed the Savan 

nah on February 12, 1779, and camped the following night within four miles of the 

enemy. Forming the line of march in the order of battle, the Americans now pre 

pared once more, at a great disadvantage of numbers, to contest with the Tories 

for the supremacy of Upper Georgia. Much depended on this battle. If Boyd 

should be successful in driving back the Americans, under such men as Pickens and 

.Dooly and Clarke, he might rest assured that no further molestation, at least for a 

very long time, would follow, and all would yield to the British power; while, on 

the other hand, should the Americans be successful, it would not only crush the Tory 

power, already so galling to the people, but protect them from further insult, and 

give a stimulus to American courage, which a long series of disasters made essential. 

It was a moment big with the fate of Upper Georgia. 

"Boyd, with a carelessness evincing great lack of military skill and prudence, 

had halted on the morning of the 14th of February [1779 1], at a farm near Kettle 

Creek, in Wilkes County, having no suspicion of the near approach of the Americans, 

and his army was dispersed in various directions, killing and gathering stock, cooking 

and other operations. Having reeonnoitered the enemy's position, the Americans, 

under Pickens, advanced in three divisions: the right under Colonel Dooly, the left 

under Colonel Clarke, and the center led by the commander himself, with orders not 

to fire a gun until within at least thirty paces. As the center, led by Pickens, 

marched to the attack, Boyd met them, at the head of a select party, his line bein'g 

protected by a fence filled with fallen timber, which gave him a great advantage over 

the troops in his front. Observing this half-formed abatis, Pickens filed off to a 

rising ground on his right, and thence gaining the flank of Boyd rushed upon him 

with great bravery—the enemy fleeing when they saw the leader shot down before 

them. He was sustained in this charge by Dooly and Clarke, and the enemy, after 

fighting with great bravery, retired across the creek, but were rallied by Major 

Spurgen, on. a hill beyond, where the battle was again renewed with fierceness. 

'' But Colonel Clarke, with about fifty Georgians, having discovered a path leading 

to a ford, pushed through it, though in doing so he encountered a severe fire and 

his horse shot down under him, and, by a circuitous route, rose upon the hill in the 

rear of Spurgen, when, opening a deadly fire, the enemy, hemmed in on both sides, 

fled, and were hotly pursued by the victors, until the conquest was complete. For an 

hour and a half, under great disadvantage, and against a force almost double, 

had the Americans maintained the unequal contest, and, though once or twice it 

seemed as if they must give way, especially when the Tories had gained the hill, and 

were reinforced under Spurgen; yet the masterly stroke of Clarke, with his few 

brave Georgians, turned the scale, and victory, bloody indeed but complete, was 

ours." 

Capt. Hugh McCall, who was present at the battle of Kettle Creek, thus describes 

the death of the famous Tory leader. Says he: " After the action was ended, 

Colonel Piekens went to Colonel Boyd and tendered him any services which his 

present situation would authorize, and observed that, since his wounds appeared to 

be mortal, he would recommend those preparations which approaching death re 

quired. Boyd thanked him for his civilities and inquired the result of the battle. 

Upon being informed that victory was with the Americans, he observed that it 

would have been otherwise if he had not fallen. He said that he had marched from 

his rendezvous with eight hundred men, of which number one hundred were killed 

and wounded, or deserted at the Savannah. River; and that on the morning of the 

action there were seven hundred men under his command. He had the promise of 

Colonel Campbell that McGirth, with five hundred men, should join him at) Little 

Eiver, about six miles from the field of battle, on the same evening or on the ensuing 

day and he concluded by saying that he had but a few hours to live, and requested 

that Colonel Pickens would leave two men with him to furnish him with water and 

to bury him after lie died; also that Colonel Pickens would write a letter to Mrs. 

Boyd to inform her of his fate, and therewith send her a few articles which he had 

* William Bacon Stevens, in Vol. II, "History of Georgia," New York, 1847. 

Vol. 1—19


about his person. He expired early in the night; and his requests of Colonel Pickens 

were faithfully complied with.'' * From the standpoint of an eyewitness, Captain 

McCall further informs us in regard to this battle that Clarke and Dooly, who com 

manded the two wings, had 100 men each and that Colonel Piekens, who led the 

center, had 250 men, thus making the odds four to seven in favor of the British; 

but it was nevertheless ordained that victory should perch upon the American arms.— 

"Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. I. 

We are indebted to the thorough and exhaustive researches of Mrs. T. M. Green, 

of Washington, Georgia, for the most complete list which exists today of those who 

took part in the battle of Kettle Creek. It is a work of priceless historical value 

because it contains the names of Revolutionary ancestors from whom thousands of 

people today prominent throughout the South have sprung. Mrs. Gi'eene has put 

under tribute every source of information within her reach, including the official 

records of Wilkes County, the "Historial Collections and Statistics of Georgia" by 

White, the old newspaper files of the state, together with manuscripts, letters, 

scrap-books and diaries preserved by families in Wilkes County since the earliest 

times. The list is as follows: 

Elijah Clarke, John Dooly, Mieajah Williamson, Hugh McCall, George Dooly, 

Thomas Dooly, John Freeman, Daniel Freeman, Coldrop Freeman, Stephen Heard, 

Hallman Freeman, James Freeman, William Freeman, Barnard Heard, John Heard, 

JesSe Heard, Austin Dabney, James Williams, Samuel Whatley, Benjamin Wilkinson, 

Benjamin Hart, Morgan Hart, Nancy Hart, Nancy Darker, Elisha Wilkinson, John 

Nelson, —— Staples, Joe Phillips, Zaehariah Phillips, James Little, Andrew Pickens 

of South Carolina, Joseph Pickens, John Clarke, Owen Fluker, John Fluker, Will 

Pinker, R. Sntton, Wylie Pope, William Pope, Henry Pope, Burwell Pope, Richard 

Tyner, Absalom Bedell, Benjamin Catchings, William Downs, Henry Manadne, Scott 

Redden, Joseph Scott Redden, George Redden, Jacob McLendon, George Walton, 

a cousin of the Signers, Jesse Walton, John Walton, Nathaniel Walton, Robert 

Walton, Daniel Burnett, Ichabod Burnett, John Burnett, Richard Ayeock, Robert 

Day, Joseph Day, John Grorham, Dionysins Oliver, Daniel Coleman, John Coleman, 

Thomas Stroud, James McLean, Jacob Ferrington, William Bailey, John Glass, 

Thomas Glass, Charles Beddingfleld, William Harper, Robert Harper, John Crutch- 

field, Francis Triplett, James Alexander, John Candler, ——— Cade, ——— Bridges, 

Captain Anderson, Ambrose Beasley, Jeter Stubblefield, John Larnar, James Lamar, 

Zachariah Lamar, Basil Lamar, L. Williamson, ——— SaSold, ——— Finley, ——— John 

Hill, John Liudsey, William Morgan, William Terrell, John Colley, Nathan Smith, 

—— Marbury, —— Walker, ——— Combs, Stephen Evans, William Evans, John Evans, 

—— Cosby, ——— Foster, ——— Montgomery, James White, ——— Arnold, —— Truitt, 

—— Snow, John Chandler.—Ibid. Vol. I. 

ELIJAH CLARKE: THE BEDFORD FOKREST OF THE REVOLUTION.—Stern and relent 

less—a besom of destruction to the foes of liberty—Elijah Clarke was the most 

colossal figure of the Revolutionary war period in Georgia. He was only an un 

lettered man of the frontier; but he possessed the rugged elements of strength which 

made him a leader in times of great stress. When the tocsin of war sounded, the 

genius of command arose within him; and, without waiting to receive a commission, 

he gathered about him a band of sturdy woodsmen, like himself, whom he trained 

for combat in the verdant arenas of the forest. During the dark days of the struggle 

for independence when Toryism, drunk with power, unloosed the furies of war upon 

the state, it was to this singular man of destiny that the whole of the up-country 

turned for deliverance as if by a sort of common instinct; and he became' literally a 

pillar of fire in the wilderness. He gave the Tories no quarter; and backwoodsman 

though he was, his burly arm of strength was felt across the seas, where it planted 

the challenge of the Georgia forest on the very steps of the English throne. 

Little is known of the early life of Elijah Clarke. Beyond the fact that he was 

born in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, in 1733, there is nothing definite to be 

gleaned from the records. Equally silent is the voice of history in regard to his 

lineage, though he is supposed to have been of Scotch-Irish extraction. The family 

located in what is now Wilkes, on the lands purchased by Governor Wright, in 1773, 

' "History of Georgia," Vol. II, p. 399, reprinted, Atlanta, 1909.


from the Indians. Since there were no formal grants made at the time, the settlers 

were free to locate where they chose, but they were forced by the exigencies of frontier 

life to fortify themselves against dispossession by exhibiting shot-gun titles. The 

Indians learned to dread the austere North Carolinan long before his sword was 

unsheathed against the red-coats of King George the Third. 

It was»in command of a body of horsemen that this bold knight of the up- 

country first appeared upon the scene in the opening drama of hostilities with 

England. We find him at this time guarding some wagons which were loaded with 

supplies for the little army at Savannah. Attacked by Indians while crossing a 

stream, a severe contest ensued, but the skirmish ended in the flight of the savages. 

Not long after this encounter, he joined General Howe in the latter's ill-timed 

expedition against St. Augustine and was severely wounded in the disastrous fight 

which followed. He then returned to his home in the up-country, where the deep 

solitude of the forest seemed to hide him, until the invasion of Georgia by the 

British, when first Savannah and then Augusta lowered the patriotic flag. To com 

plete the subjugation of the state, a body of Tories under Colonel Boyd was dis 

patched to take possession of the forts on the frontier. 

But in the meantime Colonel Clarke was not idle. When word came of the fall 

of Savannah he knew what it meant. Georgia was soon to be overrun by her 

enemies. He was still nursing an old wound; but he no sooner heard the news than 

he reached for his sword which hung upon the walls of his cabin. At the same time 

he strapped his trusty) rifle across his shoulders. Then committing his loved ones 

to the eare of Providence, he mounted his horse and rode day and night over the 

country, gathering together his little band of patriots. At the head of his troops 

he then hastened to join Dooly and Piekens in bidding defiance to the invader. The 

two hostile armies met at Kettle Creek, not far from the present town of Washing 

ton, where, by the shrewd foresight of Elijah Clarke, in seizing a strategic point in 

the enemy's rear, the tide of battle was turned in favor of the Americans. Colonel 

Boyd was mortally wounded, his army annihilated, and Toryism in Georgia for a 

season at least overthrown. 

However, Colonel Innis, a Scotch loyalist, was soon dispatched to the frontier, 

giving rise to another series of engagements. For months, at the head of his little 

band of patriots, Clarke waged a guerilla warfare, spending most of his time in the 

swamps. He scarcely knew what it was during this period to sleep with a roof over 

his head. Often he was face to face with hunger. The weariness of exhaustion if 

not of discontent began to show itself in the haggard features of his troops. But 

in the end Innis was routed and, on to Augusta, Clarke led his victorious men of the 

woods. He knew that permanent peace could never come to the up-country until this 

stronghold was recovered. So, mustering strength for the decisive Wow, he hurled 

himself against the town. -Success was almost at hand. In fact, he was temporarily 

in possession, when the British garrison was unexpectedly re-enforced. The torture 

of Tantalus seized the backwoodsman at this sudden turn of affairs, but realizing the 

futility of further efforts in this direction, he withdrew to await future developments. 

It was at this critical moment when Toryism was again threatening Upper Georgia 

that Elijah Clarke collected the helpless women and children of the Broad River 

settlement, and, with the aid of Col. William Candler, conveyed them over the moun 

tains to the Watauga valley in the extreme northeast corner of Tennessee. This 

humane task having been successfully accomplished, he was soon back in the midst 

of the fighting. Though not in actual command, it was Colonel Clarke, at the head 

of his Wilkes riflemen, who won the day in the battle of Blackstocks in South 

Carolina, by skillfully turning the enemy's flank. Again wounded at Long Cane 

he had scarcely recovered before he was seized by an attack of small-pox. But he 

was nevertheless on hand at the siege of Augusta, where the final consummation of 

his dream was realized in the hoisting above the fort of the triumphant American 

colors. 

As a reward for his gallant services in the Revolution, the State of Georgia gave 

him a commission as major-general and a handsome grant of land. He was also 

chosen to represent the state in treaty negotiations with the Indians. Whenever 

there was trouble in Upper Georgia, the settlers turned instinctively to Elijah Clarke; 

and some few years later, at the battle of Jack's Creek, with his son, John Clarke,


then barely more than a lad, nevertheless a fighter and a veteran of the Revolution, 

he added another trophy of war to his belt of victories. 

Then came an episode in the career of Elijah Clarke which has somewhat eclipsed 

and darkened his fame as a patriot, viz., his effort to establish a trans-Oconee 

republic and his connivance! with foreign powers. But nothing in the way of real 

dishonor attaches to his motives even in these transactions, not withstanding the odor 

of treason which seems to invest them. He was an old soldier who had never cul 

tivated the grace of restraint and who had always commanded an independent body 

of troops, subject to no higher power than himself, and he merely sought in his own 

way to rid Georgia of the incubus of an Indian problem. The fact that two European 

powers made overtures to him is testimony -of the most pronounced character to his 

military genius. Misjudged by his friends and maligned by his foes, General Clarke 

retired to his home in Wilkes, where death eventually brought him "surcease of sor 

row. '' He died on January 15, 1799. His last will and testament is on record in 

the County of Lincoln; and, while there is no positive evidence in regard to the place 

of his burial, the local traditions point clearly to Lincoln, which was cut off from 

Wilkes soon after the decease of the old hero. 

Iron and velvet were strangely mixed in the character of this singular man. His 

life presents an enigma, in the solving of which the historians are at sea. He wag 

the very embodiment of gentleness in shielding the defenseless women and children 

of the Broad River District, but in dealing with the Tories there was no milk of 

human kindness in his breast. To the quality of mercy he was an absolute stranger ; 

and Shylock himself was not more remorseless in exacting Iris pound of flesh from 

the '' Merchant of Venice.'' He squared accounts with the Tories by pinning them 

to the letter of the Mosaic law—'' an eye for an eye and a tooth, for a tooth.'' But 

when we remember what he suffered at the hands of the Tories, who turned his family 

out of doors, who burned his home to ashes, who murdered an inoffensive son in the 

presence of his wife, and whose hands were red with the blood of babes in the 

cradle, we can hardly blame him for registering an oath to be revenged upon the 

perpetrators of deeds so foul in the face of heaven. Without training in the school 

of arms—an uneducated rustic—he was not unlike the great Confederate horseman, 

Gen. N. B. Forrest. In the opinion of not a few critics the latter was 'the foremost 

soldier of the Civil war; and there will be no one to challenge the statement that 

among the soldiers of Georgia in the American Revolution the stalwart form of the 

victor of Kettle Creek lifts by far the loftiest plume.—"Georgia's Landmarks, 

Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. I. 

THE TORIES : GEORGIA 's REIGN op TERROR.—In proportion to the population there 

were more Tories in Georgia than in any other state. Some of them were no doubt 

honest people, who really believed that the Americans were wrong in rebelling against 

the English government; but) many of them were mean and selfish men, who only 

wished to be on the strong or winning side. By the British subjugation of Georgia 

nearly all of the patriots of fighting age were driven out of the state, leaving their 

property and their helpless families behind, while the Tories remained unmolested 

at home. James Wright, the royal governor, came back from England and was. 

once more placed at the head of the Georgia government. 

By the 1st of February, 1779, the British were in almost complete possession of 

the state. The commander, Colonel Campbell, issued a proclamation calling on the 

people to take the oath of allegiance' to the King and Government of England. He 

promised that those who would take the oath should not be molested but declared 

that those who refused would be driven from the colony and what property they left 

would be confiscated. Frightened by this threat, a great many people took the oath 

and became British subjects; these people were called Tories. But many refused 

to take the oath because they would rather suffer banishment, or even death, than 

give up the heroic struggle for independence; these were called Patriots. So the 

people of Georgia were divided into these two parties, Tories and Patriots, and 

they hated each other with a bitter hatred. 

Soon after the fall of Savannah, a reign of terror was inaugurated. Between 

the British and the Tories, there was no end to the suffering inflicted upon the state; 

but the Tories were far worse than the British. They formed themselves into mili 

tary companies, which were nothing more than bands of ruffians. They roved over


the country on horseback and on foot, committing all sorts of outrages, robbing the 

people, burning houses, throwing old men into prison, insulting women, hanging 

every patriot soldier they could lay hands upon, sometimes even murdering children, 

and showing no mercy to any one who favored the American cause. In,; no other 

state were the Tories so wicked and cruel as in Georgia. They were even worse 

than the savage Indians, whom they employed to help them. 

The worst of these Georgia Tories was a man by the name of Thomas Brown. 

He had always been a Tory; and in the early days of the Revolution, he had made 

himself so obnoxious to the patriotic people of Augusta, where he lived, that one 

day a crowd of men dragged him. out of his office, and, stripping him to the waist, 

poured over his naked body a pot of soft tar, and then over the tar emptied a pillow 

case full of feathers, which stuck to the tar arid made poor Brown look like a "big, 

ugly, frizzled chicken. Thus tarred and feathered, they seated him in an open wagon 

drawn by three mules, and hauled him about the streets of Augusta, while a great 

crowd followed with hoots and jeers. After parading him for an hour or two they 

turned him loose with the warning that if he did not leave town within twenty-four 

hours they would kill him. For quite a while Brown kept his negro servant busy 

washing the tar and feathers from his body; then he put on his clothes, and, raising 

his right hand toward heaven, he took a solemn oath that he would be avenged for 

this great shame and outrage. He left; but many months afterwards he came back, 

and how well he kept his oath is a story written in blood! 

It was when Georgia fell into the hands of the British tha.t Brown came back, 

and soon he became the chief leader of the Tories in the state. He was a well 

educated, intelligent man, and possessed military skill, so that he was made a colonel 

in the English army, and was placed in command of Augusta, his old home. The 

force under him was composed of about half and half of Tories and Indians. His 

opportunity had now come. All of the Patriots of fighting age had left Augusta and 

were in the American army. Brown confiscated their property, threw their old gray- 

haired fathers and grandfathers into prison, expelled their helpless wives and children 

from home, and drove them 200 miles away into North Carolina. The sufferings 

along the journey were awful. Some of them died from exposure and exhaustion, 

and many were made invalids for life by the hardships endured on the dreadful 

march. 

In September, 1780, Gen. Elijah Clarke, with a small army of patriots, undertook 

to recapture Augusta. He succeeded in driving Brown's army out of the city, and 

they took refuge in a large building just outside of the town known as the White 

House. Brown had the doors and windows barricaded and bored holes in the walls, 

through which his marksmen, with long-range rifles, held the Americans at bay. 

The building was completely surrounded by the patriots, but General Clarke had 

no cannon with, which he could batter down the house, so he had to depend upon 

starving out the Tories. For four days and nights he held them besieged, till 

provisions were nearly exhausted, and every drop of water was gone. In one of the 

large upper rooms of the house lay forty poor, wounded Tories, with no medicines 

and no bandages or salves for their wounds and not a drop of water to appease 

their feverish thirst. Even in the American camp their shrieks of agony and their 

wild cries for "water! water! " could be plainly heard. Brown himself was severely 

wounded, shot through both thighs, and was suffering dreadfully; but he never gave • 

up. He had himself carried round from room to room in an arm-chair to direct 

and encourage his men, who were nearly crazed with exhaustion. General Clarke 

sent a flag of truce to the unsubdued officer and begged him in the name of humanity 

to surrender, but he positively refused. He was as brave and heroic as he was bad 

and cruel. 

At last, on the morning of the fifth, day, the relief for which Brown had been 

looking came. Colonel Cruger, with a large detachment of British regulars, sud 

denly appeared on the other side of the river, in response to a secret message which 

Brown had sent to him, on the day he left Augusta. General Clarke, knowing that 

he could not contend against this large force, withdrew his army and quickly re 

treated. He left behind him thirty wounded Americans who were unable to march, 

supposing, of course, that they would be treated as prisoners of war. He knew not 

then the cruel heart of Thomas Brown, though he afterwards learned to know it 

well.


Selecting thirteen of the wounded American soldiers, Brown caused them to be 

hanged from the high balustrade of the staircase in the White House, so that he 

might witness the dying agonies of these men as he lay on his couch in the hall 

below. And as each victim was pushed from the balustrade and fell with a dull 

thud at the end of the rope, Brown would utter a grunt of satisfaction. He turned 

the rest of the prisoners over to the tender mercies of the Indian allies, who, forming 

a circle around them in the front yard of the White House, put them to death by 

slow and fiendish tortures. 

When, in 1781, Augusta was at last captured by the Americans, Brown was taken 

prisoner. Knowing that if the soldiers could put hands on him they would tear 

the poor fellow limb from limb, the American commander had him carried down 

the river in a boat under a strong guard. It is strange that he was not court- 

martialed and hanged, a fate which he richly deserved. The Americans were too 

merciful to him. Brown was afterwards exchanged and rejoined the British army, 

and till the end of the war continued his fierce fighting and cruel work. After the 

war was over, realizing that he could not live in America, he took refuge in England, 

There, in the year 1812, he was convicted of forgery and thrown into prison, where 

he ended his infamous life in disgrace and ignominy. 

Colonel Gtrierson was another bad Tory, and Brown's right-hand man. They 

were two of a kind, companions in arms and companions in cruel deeds. Never was 

there joined together, in the commission of lawlessness, two men worse than Brown 

and Grierson, the Georgia Tory. Grierson, like Brown, was a colonel in the British 

army. Fort Grierson, at Augusta, was named for him. It was one of the strongest 

forts in Georgia, and around it, at the siege of Augusta, was fought one of. the 

bloodiest battles of the Revolution in the state. When Augusta was captured by the 

Americans, Grierson, like Brown, was taken prisoner. To save him from being 

mobbed by the soldiers, the American commander had him hidden away in.a little 

house some distance from town and placed a strong guard around him; but suddenly, 

about twilight, a soldier on horse-back galloped up and, before the guards knew what 

he was about, threw his gun to his shoulder, shot Grierson throw the window, and 

then, wheeling, galloped away. During the night, in dreadful agony, Grierson died 

of the wound. The man who shot him was supposed to be Samuel Alexander, the son 

of John Alexander, an old man seventy-eight years old, whom Grierson had treated 

with savage cruelty, when he and Brown held sway in Augusta. Young Alexander 

was never arrested or tried for the deed. 

Daniel McGirth was another notorious Tory of Georgia. Unlike Brown, he was 

an ignorant, uneducated man; and, unlike Brown, too, he started out as an ardent 

patriot. He was born and reared in South Carolina and was a good frontiersman, 

as active and lithe as a panther. He was also a fine horseman and a splendid shot, 

and was among the first to take up arms in the American cause. Somehow he 

drifted into South Georgia, where he belonged to the little band of patriots who 

so bravely resisted the invasion of the British from Florida. He acted as a scout 

and spy for the Americans, and he rendered them most important service. 

McGirth brought with him from South Carolina a thoroughbred horse, of which 

he was very proud. She was an iron-gray mare with a snow-white blaze in her fore 

head, and he called her Gray Goose. She was considered the finest horse in the 

American army, beautiful, intelligent, and swift as the wind. A captain in the 

American army took a great fancy to the animal and tried to buy her from McGirth, 

offering him a large price, but McGirth refused to part with her. This angered the 

captain, who, out of spite, mistreated McGirth in many ways, as an officer can mis 

treat a subordinate, if he chooses. McGirth was a high-spirited fellow. Irritated 

beyond endurance, he one day insulted the officer and raised his arm to strike him; 

but some one intervened and stopped the blow. Now, to strike a superior officer 

is a grave crime in the army, so McGirth was tried by court-martial and sentenced 

to receive ten lashes with a cowhide on his bare back three days in succession. The 

first whipping was administered and he was put into the guard house to await his 

second humiliation. The feelings of this high-spirited man can be imagined, as he 

paced up and down in his cell and brooded over the bitter shame to which he was 

being subjected. 

About twilight, as he was gazing through his prison bars, MeGirth spied Gray 

Goose, hitched to a tree not far away. He gave a low, peculiar whistle, and Gray


Goose, recognizing the signal, raised her beautiful head and uttered an affectionate 

whinny in response. This was more than he could stand. With a broken trowel 

which he found in his cell, he tore the masonry from around the prison bars; then, 

with almost superhuman strength, he pulled out one of the bars and, through the 

narrow crack, squeezed his long body and, rushing out, sprang on Gray Goose and 

dashed away. The guards called to him to halt, but he only shook his fist at them 

and yelled a dreadful curse, and plunged into the darkness on his fleet-footed steed, 

heedless of the musket-balls that whistled about his head. 

MeGirth's whole nature was seemingly perverted by the bad treatment which he 

had received. He deserted to the enemy and joined the British army, and from 

then to the end of the war fought ferociously against the Americans. Of course, 

the bad treatment which he received from the American officer was no excuse, but 

MeGirth was as unprincipled as he was brave and fierce. 

He was made a colonel in the British army and put at the head of a powerful 

Tory band, which for many months was the scourge of the state. He was a perfect 

ruffian in his manner of warfare. From the Florida line to Elbert County and over 

into South Carolina his name was a terror to the people. Many were the fearful 

stories told of MeGirth and his blaze-faced horse. A whole book might be written 

about his daring deeds and his inhuman cruelties. He was twice wounded, but was 

never taken prisoner. A big reward was offered for his capture, and thousands were 

trying to catch him and often had him in a tight place; but in every emergency he 

was saved by the fleet foot of his best friend, Gray Goose. 

After the war was over, he went to Florida, which was then owned by the 

Spaniards. For some oftense or crime there he was arrested and thrown into prison 

in the old fort of St. Augustine. After an imprisonment of five years he was 

released, but he was so weak and broken in health that he could barely drag himself 

back to his wife in his rude country home in Sutnter District, South Carolina. There 

he soon died in peace, and there he now lies buried.—"Stories of Georgia History," 

J. Harris Chappell. 

But there were some Tories of an altogether different pattern. Mr. John Couper, 

in a letter written when he was eighty-three years of age and dated St. Simon's 

Island, April 16, 1842, narrates an anecdote of the famous and eccentric Capt. Eory 

Melntosh, who was attached as a volunteer to an infantry company, at the time 

of the siege of Fort Morris. The company was within the lines which Colonel Fuser 

had thrown around the fort and the adjacent town of Sunbury. Early one morning 

when Eory had made free with mountain dew, he insisted on sallying out to summon 

the fort to surrender. His friends could not restrain him, so out he strutted, clay 

more in hand, followed by his faithful slave Jim, and approached the fort, roaring 

out: 

"Surrender, you miscreants. How dare you resist his Majesty's arms!" 

Col. John Melntosh, his kinsman, was in command of the fort, and, seeing his 

situation, he forbade any one firing, threw open the gate, and said: 

"Walk in, Mr. Melntosh, and take possession." 

"No," said Eory, "I will not trust myself among such vermin; but I order you 

to surrender." 

Just then a rifle was fired, the ball from which passed through his face, sidewise, 

under his eyes. He stumbled and fell backwards, but immediately recovered, and 

flourishing his sword retreated. Several shots followed. Jim called out: "Bun, 

massa, run, dey kill you.'' 

"Eun, poor slave," indignantly exclaimed Eory; "thou mayst run, but I come 

of a race that never runs.'' 

Jim stated ta Mr. Couper that, in rising from the ground, his master put his 

hand for the first time to one of his cheek-bones and, finding it bloody, he raised it 

to the other also; both were covered with blood. He backed safely into the lines.* 

NANCY HAKT'S BRAVE EXPLOIT.—Among the heroines of history an exalted rank 

must be assigned to the Boadicea of the Eevolution—Nancy Hart.t Born of the 

* White's '' Historical Collections of Georgia.'' 

t Nancy Hart's maiden name was Nancy Morgan. She came from North Caro 

lina, and is said to have been related to Gen. Daniel Morgan, of the Eevolution. Her 

husband, Capt. Benjamin Hart, came from Kentucky; and his brother, Thomas Hart, 

was the father-in-law of Henry Clay and the uncle of Thomas Hart Benton.


race of Amazons, she was one of the most courageous masterpieces of her sex; but 

for much of her prestige in. the war department she was indebted to an uuheroic 

blemish which would have kept Helen of Troy safe in Sparta, prevented the Trojan 

war and robbed the classic world of Homer's Iliad. Moreover, it would have ren 

dered an Egyptian queen as unattractive to the eyes of courtship as was ever an 

Egyptian mummy of the Hyksos dynasty; it would likewise have spoiled the Biblical 

legend of Queen Esther and mutilated the exquisite romance of Mary Queen of 

Scots. 

She was cross-eyed! 

Some one lias said that if Cleopatra's nose had been slightly tilted it would 

have changed the countenance of medieval times. It sounds suspiciously like Douglas 

Jcrrold. Certainly it is true that if the ill-starred Empress had been cross-eyed 

she could never have captivated the famous general who, lured by the fatal charm 

of beauty, scorned the plebian flowers of the Tiber to pluck the imperial blossom 

of the Nile; and equally is it true that unless the Georgia war-queen had been cross 

eyed she could never have held five British officers at bay with an old blunderbuss 

which might have hung fire when she tried to shoot. 

It was during the troublous days of Toryism in Upper Georgia that Nancy Hart, 

in an humble cabin of the backwoods, electrified the whole tragic theater of war with 

the story of her bold capture. "Up to this time, it surpassed anything in the entire 

Eevolutionary annals; and, calling across the sea to France, it challenged the 

prowess of the Maid of Orleans. Both Savannah and Augusta had become the 

strongholds of the British; and all the frontier belt had commenced to swarm with 

Tories, whose battle-cry was havoc. Gen. Elijah Clarke had recently transported 

most of the women and children of the Broad River settlement to the Holstou region 

of Kentucky, preparatory to waging direful warfare against the human wolves and 

jackals that infested the thickets of Upper Georgia at this period. But Nancy Hart 

had not traveled in the wake of the noted rifleman. She may have had some intima 

tion of the part which she was expected to play in the Tory extermination. At any 

rate, she was squared for action when the curtain rose upon the little drama which 

was destined to exhibit her feminine pluck in the most amazing degree, and to start 

her hitherto unheralded name upon the circuit rounds of Christendom. 

Suggestive as the situation was of danger for the live targets who shivered in 

front of the fowling-piece, it was also spiced with some flavor of humor to behold 

five Tory protectors of the realm terrorized by an undaunted edition of Georgia 

pluck, who, instead of wearing the spike-tail of the Continental army, wore the 

petticoat of the calico brigade. Given to bloody deeds of violence as the Tories 

were, they were like helpless babes in the wood as they stood before the flashing eyes 

of this war-shod Diana of the forest. They were naturally perplexed. Never before 

had they looked into the barrel of an old shotgun behind which were stationed such 

an infernal pair of optics. If red-hot coals had risen from the ground underneath 

and taken the place of eyeballs in the grim sockets above the cheekbone, they could 

not have flashed more defiantly the brimstone message of the lower world. It was 

undeniably an embarrassing moment; for each member of the squad thoixght in his 

consternation that she was aiming her buckshot at him, and, like an upright piece of 

lumber whose business it was to prop the ceiling, he stood riveted to the floor. 

At last one of them, recovering from the paralytic spell, ventured forward to 

wrest the weapon from her hand, but instantly as lightning he received the leaden 

charge into his bosom and fell lifeless upon the timbers. Before another member 

of the party could advance, she had snatched another musket and proceeded to hold 

herself in readiness for the second victim. But he was loath to approach, for it 

was evident at this stage of the game that the lady of the house knew how to shoot. 

She might appear to be looking in all directions, but she could see straight ahead. 

Succor now arrived. Captain Hart, having learned of the visit of the Tories, 

appeared upon the doorstep in good time to see his wife drilling the squad in defen 

sive tactics. But he reached the house none too soon. Time was now most precious. 

Another moment might have changed the whole aspect of things. Well it was, too, 

that the sturdy frontiersman brought substantial re-enforcements, for an ill-directed 

shot might have liberated some of tfye best blood of the colonies. As it was, with 

the aid of the stout muscles which the neighbors lent to the task of making the 

prisoners secure, the .entire bunch was captured, and in less than half an hour,


from the ends of good strong pieces of hemp, all of the Tories who survived the 

little drama in the backwoods cabin were left dancing in mid-air to the tune of 

Yankee Doodle. ____ 

Cunning strategy made possible the dramatic situation in which Nancy Hart was 

enabled successfully to defy the Tory band. She lacked none of the elements of 

Spartan courage, but, added to the dare-devil spirit of the enraged lioness, she also 

possessed unusual presence of mind. Under the guise of feminine simplicity, she 

induced the Tories to believe that she was art easy mark. It seems that the first 

demand of the visitors, who arrived rather early in the forenoon, was for something 

to appease the pangs of hunger. Breakfast had already been served, and Captain 

Hart having rejoined the frontier guard, she was attending to various household 

duties. But she stopped everything else to serve the travelers in the most obsequious 

stylo of the wayside tavern. Not by the least token did she exhibit the weakness 

of fear or betray the stratagem which was quietly lurking behind her shrewd eye 

brows. She disarmed them completely of all suspicion and urged them to feel 

perfectly at home while she prepared the utensils in the big open fireplace for 

dispensing warm hospitality to the unexpected arrivals. Lest she might appear to 

be lacking in courtesy to the strangers she also instructed the children, to look after 

the gentlemen., and busily she applied herself to the task of providing another meal. 

Finally when the Tories, having stacked arms, were beginning, like Jack Falstaff, 

'' to take their ease in their inn,'' she managed to engage them in an opposite corner 

of the room; and, falling back upon her own armory, she snatched an old fowling- 

piece from the wall and instantly leveled the weapon at the breast-plates of the 

surprised emissaries of John Bull. As she did so, she dispatched one of the young 

sters of the household to the place where Captain Hart could be found, urging him 

to hasten to the house at once with able-bodied help; and she also stationed her eldest 

daughter, Sukey, directly in the rear to fill the post of supply agent in the event 

another load of buckshot was required to keep the visitors bunched until re-enforce 

ments could arrive. Then followed in quick succession the events which have already 

been narrated. Captain Hart duly came upon the scene; the Tories were made 

secure, and Nancy Hart lowered her musket. Thus an unprotected woman in the 

danger-infested thickets of Upper Georgia during the darkest hour of the struggle 

for independence, had not only outwitted and outbraved the whole band of Tories, 

but had added another immortal name to the heroic roster of the Revolution. 

Though memorialized in the county which bears her name, there seems to be little 

certainty concerning the precise spot in which the heroine lies buried; but she needs 

no help from the device of bronze or marble to keep her memory ablaze about the 

hearthstones of the Georgia commonwealth. She has ever been the fireside favorite 

of the Georgia home. In the drama of the Revolution she claims the enthusiastic 

plaudits of the Georgia youngster above all the other characters. She outstrips 

Washington and overtops LaFayette and surpasses Sergeant Jasper; and, though 

only an ill-favored country dame, yet in childhood 's verdict, hers is the lustiest shout 

and hers the truest weapon of all the hurrying host whose quick-step answered 

the battle-cry of Lexington. 

Granting that her eyes were crossed, they were true enough to sentinel the Georgia 

forest in the hour of danger, and, like twin stars upon the morning sky, they were 

glorious enough to light the dawn of liberty. Wherever she lies buried it is hal 

lowed earth in which she rests. Even Westminster Abbey might sue to enshrine the 

ashes of this homely heroine of the Georgia backwoods, who, on the historic page, 

shares the austere company of seeptered sovereigns and receives the kneeling vows 

of subject princes from afar. It is enough to know that the courts of liberty are 

all the brighter for the luster which she lent to the annals of the Revolution; and, 

borrowing the beautiful illusion of the old Germanic myth, it is easy to imagine how 

the entrance to the great Valhalla must have swarmed with the spirits of the brave 

departed as the Georgia heroine mounted the immortal hill, and how the solitude of 

Jean d'Arc, unbroken through the lapse of seven centuries, must have brightened 

with the electrical announcement that Nancy Hart had come.—"Reminiscences of 

Famous Georgians," L. L. Knight, Vol. II. 

FORT MORRIS: THE LAST TO LOWER THE COLONIAL FLAG.—Occupying an eminence 

somewhat to the south of old Sunbury, on lands belonging to the Calder estate, are


still to be seen the ruins of the old stronghold which played such an important part 

in the drama of independence: Fort Morris. Large trees are today growing upon 

the parapets. Even the footpaths which lead to it, through the dense thickets, are 

obscured by an undergrowth of weeds and briars, bespeaking the desolation which 

for more than a century has brooded over the abandoned earth-works. But the 

massive embankments of the old fort can still be distinctly traced. It commands 

the entrance to the Midway River, from which, however, both the sails of commerce 

and the ironclads of war have long since vanished. 

To one who is in any wise familiar with the history of the Revolution in Georgia, 

it is pathetic to witness the wreckage which time has here wrought; but the splendid 

memories which cluster about the precincts, like an ever-green mantle of ivy, are 

sufficient to fire the dullest imagination. There is little hope for the Georgian who 

can stand unmoved upon these heroic heights. It was here that Gen. Charles Lee 

assembled his forces for the expedition into Florida. It was here that Col. Samuel 

Elbert, under executive orders from Button Gwinnett, embarked his troops for the 

assault upon St. Augustine. It was here that Col. John Mclntosh, refusing to sur 

render the fort to an overwhelming force of the enemy, sent to the British commander 

his defiant message: '' Come and take it! " 

But what invests the old fort with the greatest interest perhaps is the fact that 

when the State of Georgia was overrun by the British, consequent upon the fall of 

Savannah, it was the very last spot on Georgia soil where the old Colonial flag was 

still unfurled. Even an order from General Howe, directing an abandonment of the 

stronghold, was disregarded by the gallant officer in command, who preferred to 

accept the gage of battle. It was not until beleaguered and stormed and overrun 

by- superior numbers that it finally yielded to the terrific onslaught; and the next 

memorial erected by the patriotic women of Georgia should be planted upon these 

brave heights to tell the world that when Savannah and Augusta were both in the 

power of the British there was still waving from the ramparts of the old fort at 

Sunbury the defiant folds of an unconquered banner. 

It is safely within the bounds of historic inference to state that the famous earth 

works must have been constructed at some time prior to the Revolution. There was 

probably at least an excellent beginning made for the future stronghold on this 

identical spot. 

At any rate, the structure which came to be Fort Morris was erected chiefly 

by the residents of Bermuda, now Colonel's, Island, who, in building it, employed 

almost exclusively the labor of slaves. It was called Fort Morris, in honor of the 

captain who here commanded a company of Continental artillery raised for coast 

defense, on the eve of hostilities with England. The old fort was located about 350 

•feet outside the southern limits of Sunbury, at the bend of the river. Though an 

earthwork, it was most substantially built and enclosed fully an acre of ground. It 

was 275 feet in length on the water front. The two sides were somewhat irregular 

in shape and were respectively 191 and 140 feet in length. The rear wall was 240 

feet in length. The parapets were ten feet wide and rose six feet above the parade 

of the fort, while the superior slope of the embankment toward the river was twenty- 

five feet above high water. There were seven embrasures, each about five feet wide. 

Surrounding the pile was a moat ten feet wide at the bottom and twenty feet wide 

at the top. The sally port was in the rear or western wall. 

Says Doctor Stacy: "The guns have all been removed. One was carried to 

Hinesville when the place was first laid off sixty years ago, and has been often 

and long used on Fourth of July and other public occasions and may still be seen 

there in the court-house yard. Two of them were carried to Riceboro during the late 

war between the States, but no use was made of them. Two more were taken by 

Captain Lamar and, after being used as signal guns at Sunbury, were transported 

to Fort Bartow at Savannah and fell into the hands of the Federals. Two more 

were left lying half buried in the soil of the parade ground, and still another in 

the old field half way between the fort and the site of the town. These have all 

since been removed. At least the writer did not see them when he visited the spot. 

One of the two carried to Riceboro was removed by the late Col. Charles C. 

Jones in 1880 to his home on the Sand Hills near Augusta, and now adorns the lawn 

in front of the residence which has passed into the hands of his son, Charles Edge-


worth Jones. Like the one at Hinesville, it is undoubtedly genuine: one of the 

number which took part in the defense of Georgia soil in Revolutionary time.'' * 

During the War of 1812, the famous old fortification at Sunbury was remodeled 

by the'local committee of safety and called Fort Defense, but the name soon passed. 

Gapt. John A. Guthbert organized a company of citizens, some forty in number, while 

Gapt. Charles Floyd commanded a body of students, in readiness for an attack. But 

the enemy failed to appear.—"Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," L. 

L. Knight, Vol. II. ____ 

MEADOW GARDEN: THE HOME OF GOVERNOR WALTON.—With the single exception 

of old St. Paul's, the most ancient landmark of Augusta is Meadow Garden, the 

home of Gov. George Walton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence 

from Georgia. The structure itself is much older than the present edifice of St. 

Paul's, the latter having been built in 1819; but since the present church building 

o'ccupies the site of the original house of worship, it is consequently linked in asso 

ciation with the earliest pioneer days. Meadow Garden is situated on the banks of 

the Augusta Canal; and here, amid surroundings which suggest an era of industrial 

enterprise, with its ceaseless hum of spindles and with its mad rush after things 

material, this quaint old mansion preserves the antique look of the olden times. It 

is not known when the present building was erected; but Governor Walton was 

living at Meadow Garden in 1797, according to his own statement made in letters 

which have been preserved; and, moreover, it was from Meadow Garden that the 

old patriot, in 1804, was borne to his burial. The remains of Governor Walton were 

first interred in the Cottage Cemetery, on the old Savannah Road, some seven miles 

from Augusta; and here they rested until 1848 when the body was exhumed and 

placed under the monument erected to the signers, directly in front of the court 

house in Augusta, where today sleeps the illustrious citizen who held nearly every 

important office in Georgia's gift. 

There is not perhaps in the entire State of Georgia a shrine of historic memories 

more frequently visited by tourists. This is because it is one of the few homes in 

America whose connection with the Colonial period can be distinctly traced. It was 

here that much of the social life of two centuries ago centered. Its spacious hallway 

—its antique furniture—its open fireplaces—its atmosphere of dignified repose— 

these all bespeak the time when knighthood was in flower. It carries the imagina 

tion back to the days when the belles of Augusta danced the minuet—to the days 

when the powdered wig and the knee-buckle were worn by an old-fashioned gentry 

whose stately forms have vanished. The abodes of most of the signers of the 

Declaration of Independence have long since crumbled into dust. Time has not dealt 

kindly with them; but around the hearthstones of Meadow Garden still linger the 

recollections of an old patriot whose name is attached to the immortal scroll of 

freedom. 

It is not invidious to state in this connection that the credit for the restoration of 

Meadow Garden belongs to an Augusta lady whose unwearied exertions were devoted 

to the cause, without a moment's rest or relaxation, until success at! last crowned 

it—Mrs. Harriet Gould Jefferies. She first conceived the idea soon after joining 

the Daughters of the American Revolution, during the infancy of this patriotic 

order. The famous old landmark was rapidly falling into decay, when Mrs. Jefferies 

came to the rescue. The task of preserving it became literally her pillar of cloud 

by day and her pillar of fire by night. She first turned to the City of Augusta. 

But the commercial spirit was dominant in its councils. The town was deaf to the 

claims of its old Revolutionary patriot. She then turned to the National Society of 

the Daughters of the American Revolution. Here another defeat was encountered. 

But she retired from the contest only to renew the gage of battle. At the next 

annual meeting she won. The opposition was pronounced. Even the president- 

general was antagonistic; but the majority was on the side of Mrs. Jefferies. Thus 

the home of George Walton became the property of the National Society of the 

Daughters of the American Revolution. In due time the old Colonial mansion was 

opened to the public, its original features having been fully restored. The wisdom 

* James Stacy, in "History of Midway Congregational Church," pp. 232-238; 

Charles G. Jones, Jr., in Chapter on Sunbury, in "Dead Towns of Georgia."


of the purchase has been amply justified by results. It has become the depository 

of many precious relics and mementoes of the struggle for independence. Nor is the 

portrait of Mrs. Jefferies which hangs upon the walls accounted among the least of 

the treasures of Meadow Garden. In presenting it to the board of management, an 

eloquent address was made by the distinguished Mrs. S. B. C. Morgan, one of the 

charter members of the national organization.—'' Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials 

and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. II. 

THE CONSTITUTION OF 1.777.—The first constitutional convention of Georgia met 

in Savannah on the first Tuesday in October, 1776. .No journal of its proceedings 

is in existence, and no list of its members can be found. All that remains is the 

result of its labors—the Constitution of 1777, which was not finally adopted and 

promulgated until the 5th day of February! of that year. Many of its provisions 

still survive in the organic law of the state. 

The first article consists of the celebrated Maxim of Montesquieu concerning the 

separation of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, which 

is expressed in these words: "The legislative, executive and judiciary departments 

shall be separate and distinct so that neither exercise the powers properly belonging 

to the other.'' It was provided that the governor was to be elected by the Legisla 

ture, and an executive council was to be chosen by it out of its own members; the 

executive prerogative of pardon was limited by the denial of the right in the gov 

ernor to grant pardons and remit fines, leaving him only with the authority to 

reprieve criminals and suspend fines until the meeting of the assembly, when the 

granting or refusing of the pardon or the remission of the fine was to be finally 

determined by that body; and the power of appointing justices of the peace and 

registers of probate was exercised by the Legislature. It may be observed, however, 

that under this Constitution the governor was without a legislative function which 

has been conferred upon him by later Constitutions—that of the veto. Laws passed 

by the Assembly were referred to the executive council for their examination in 

order that they might propose alterations or amendments, but the council was 

required to return such laws within five days with their remarks thereon, and the 

final passage or rejection of the law rested with the Legislature. 

This Constitution contained no separate declaration or bill of rights, but the 

liberties of the people, in six most important particulars, were enclosed within 

constitutional bulwarks by provisions guaranteeing "the inherent privilege of every 

freeman—the liberty to plead his own cause;'' protection against excessive fines 

and excessive bail; the benefit of the Habeas Corpus Act; the freedom of the press; 

and the right of trial by jury. The freedom of religious belief a.nd '' the free exer 

cise of religion (not repugnant to the peace and safety of the State)" was guar 

anteed, and the church was practically disestablished by the provision that no persons 

unless by their consent should '' support any teacher or teachers except those of 

their own profession." 

Under the provincial government in Georgia, residence in the parish in which he 

desired to votq was one of the qualifications of an elector, but the franchise was 

limited to those who owned as much as fifty acres of land in the parish. The Consti 

tution of 1777 conferred the franchise upon "All male white inhabitants of the age 

of twenty-one years, and possessed in his own right of ten pounds value, and liable 

to pay tax in this State, or being of any mechanic trade, and shall have been resi 

dent six months in this State." 

The Constitution of 1777 was a constitution very nearly in the strict sense of 

that term; that is, its provisions were almost entirely fundamental and it contained 

little matter of a legislative character. The most notable exceptions were the pro 

visions for the stay of executions; the limitations upon court costs; and the pendency 

of eases in the Superior Court; the provision against the entailing of estates and the 

establishment of rules of inheritance. The Legislature was given the broad power 

'' to make such laws and regulations as may be conducive to the good order of the 

State; provided such laws and regulations be not repugnant to the true intent and 

meaning of any rule or regulation contained in this Constitution.'' But practically 

no limitations wore laid upon the legislative powers except as the subject matter of 

legislation was already occupied by the creation of the organic laws contained in the 

Constitution and by the provision for the separation of the legislative, executive and


judicial departments which we have seen the Constitution itself did not strictly adhere 

to, and such further limitations as were contained in the six provisions already 

referred to as constituting the "bill of rights of this Constitution. It provided that 

schools should "be erected in each county and supported at tiro general expense ol 

the State,'' as the Legislature should point out and direct. No provision was made 

by this Constitution for the creation of a state institution of higher learning, and by 

an act entitled "An Act for the more full and complete establishment of a public 

seat of learning," passed on January 27, 1785, there was created what is now the 

University of Georgia, the first chartered State University in America. 

The salaries of the public officers were left to be fixed by law. No limitations 

were laid upon the powers of taxation either as to amount or as to the manner of its 

exercise. A comparison with the Constitution adopted a century later will show how 

little comparatively the domain of legislation was encroached upon. Besides the 

largeness of its legislative powers, the Legislature performed other important duties 

of a political, administrative and judicial nature, such as the election of the governor 

and the appointment of the governor's council; the appointment of registers of pro 

bate and of justices of the peace; the admission of attorneys at law to practice before 

the courts of the state, their trial and suspension for malpractice, and the right to 

call every officer of the state to account.—"MeElreath on the Constitution," pages 

67-77. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY DURING THE REVOLUTION.—The government of the state 

continued to be administered by the president and the council of safety until the 

convening of the General Assembly and the organization of the government under the 

new Constitution. During the latter part of February, 1777, the president, Archibald 

Bullock, died, and Button Gwiniiett was elected by the council of safety as president 

and commander-in-chief to succeed him. The Constitution having been proclaimed, 

President Gwiniiett issued his proclamation ordering elections to bo held under the 

Constitution in all of the counties for members of a General Assembly to convene 

in Savannah on the 8th day of May, 1777. The elections were held in accordance 

with this proclamation, and the Legislature met at the time and place designated. It 

promptly entered upon the task of organizing the government by the election of John 

Adam Treutlen, governor; Noble Jones, speaker of the House of Assembly, and 

Jonathan Bryau, John Houston, Thomas Chisholm, William Holzeridorf, John Fulton, 

John Jones, John Walton, William Few, Arthur Ford, John Coleman, Benjamin 

Andrew and William Peacock, members of the executive council. This Legislature 

remained in session almost continuously until September, and enacted a number of 

laws uecessa.ry to put the government under the Constitution into operation, and to 

provide for the public defense. One of the first of these laws was "An Act defining 

Treason,'' aimed at) the '' Tories,'' who took sides against the state and aided or 

abetted its enemies in the war with Groat Britain. 

The second Legislature under the Constitution met in Savannah on the 6th day 

of February, 1778, and on the 10th day of that month elected John Houston, governor. 

The first act passed was a bill of attainder, approved on the first day of March, 1778, 

attainting Sir James Wright and 116 other persons of high treason, and declaring 

their estates, both real and personal, confiscate to the state. After Savannah fell on 

the 29th of December, 1778, Governor Wright returned and reestablished the royal 

government, and in March, 1780, writs of election were issued for the election of a 

Commons House of Assembly, returnable on the 5th of May. The election was accord 

ingly held and on the 9th of May the house was organized, although a constitutional 

quorum was not present, the governor and council deciding, '' That, from the neces 

sity of the thing, they should be taken as a house and proceed to business." The 

two principal bills passed by this house were "An Act to Attaint of high Treason 

the several persons hereinafter named, who are either absent from this province, or 

in that part of it which is still in rebellion against his Majesty, and to vest their real 

and personal estate in his Majesty, etc.," and "An Act to disqualify and render 

incapable the several persons hereinafter named, of holding or exercising any office 

of trust or; profit in the Province of Georgia." The first of these acts contained 

the names of twenty-four civil and military officers of the state, and the latter act 

contained the names of 151 officers and citizens who had espoused the cause of the 

republican government.


From the fall of Savannah, the republican government of Georgia for some time 

lead an uncertain and fugitive existence. Governor Houston and the executive coun 

cil withdrew to Augusta and summoned the General Assembly to meet in January to 

elect a governor, but within ten days the City of Augusta was taken by the British. 

After the abandonment of Augusta the Legislature met there, but did not have a 

quorum. However, like the Eoyal Assembly in Savannah, they organized in August, 

1779, and elected a new executive council and elected John Wereat as president of 

the council, and authorized him to act as governor. On the 4th of November he 

issued a proclamation, calling for a regular election on the first Tuesday in December 

for members of a General Assembly to meet in Augusta, in January, 1780, and 

authorizing the citizens of the southern counties which were under the occupation of 

the British to cast their votes for delegates wherever it might be most convenient for 

them to do so. 

A faction led by George Walton declared the election of Wereat and the council 

as "illegal, unconstitutional and dangerous to the liberties of the state," and not 

withstanding the executive council had issued heir writs of election for deputies to 

the assembly as provided by the Constitution, these malcontents called upon the 

people to choose delegates to an assembly to be convened in Augusta in November, 

1779. The friends of Walton met in Augusta on the 4th of November and elected 

him governor for the remainder of the year. Thus, in the most critical period of her 

history, when patriotism should have been united, the state had, for a month, two 

acting governors. The General Assembly met in Augusta on the 4th of January, 

1780. and elected Eichard Howley governor. On account of the defenseless condition 

of Augusta, the General Assembly designated Heard 's Fort, where Washington, 

Wilkes County, now stands, as the capital of the state, if it should be necessary to 

remove the seat of government from Augusta. The necessity arose within a month 

and Heard's Fort became the temporary capital of the state. When Augusta was 

recaptured, the capital was reestablished at that place, where the Legislature met in 

August, 1781, and elected Nathan Brownson governor. In January, 1782, the 

General Assembly met in Augusta and elected John Martin governor. When General 

Wright surrendered the City of Augusta and returned to England in May, 17S2, the 

governor and the General Assembly returned to that city, and it became again the 

seat of government. 

On the 4th of May, 1782, the Legislature passed an act entitled "An Act for 

inflicting penalties on, and confiscating the estates of such persons as are herein 

declared guilty of treason, and for other purposes therein mentioned," by which 

280 persons who had aided and abetted the royalists' cause were banished from the 

state on the pain of death if they returned, and their estates declared confiscate to 

the state. This and similar acts passed by the legislatures of other states in the heat 

of resentment at injuries and cruelties inflicted upon them were the occasion of the 

fifth article in the treaty of Paris, and served, when the passions of the times had 

somewhat cooled, to warn the people of the danger of such a power and contributed 

to the prohibition by the Federal Constitution of bills of attainder and the passage 

of ex post facto laws, and to the incorporation of similar prohibitions in the Con 

stitution of Georgia.—"MeElreath on the Constitution," pp. 78-81.

CHAPTER IV 

THE SIEGE OF SAVANNAH, CONTINUED—DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE DEFEAT 

—COLONEL WHITE'S GALLANT EXPLOIT,—SERGEANT JASPER—THE 

SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF AUGUSTA—NANCY HART—CORNWALLIS OVER 

THROWN AT YORKTOWN——GENERAL WAYNE ENTERS SAVANNAH——THE 

STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE ENDS—CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

NOTES: THE STORY OF AUSTIN DABNEY—COLONEL JOHN WHITE— 

EBENEZER IN THE REVOLUTION—GEORGIA JEWS IN THE REVOLUTION— 

GEORGIA PATRIOTS OUTLAWED BY THE TORY . GOVERNMENT—THE 

STEWART.-SCREVEN MONUMENT—THE DEATH OF GENERAL SCREVEN— 

HEARD's PORT. 

(This chapter prepared by Charles Edgeworth Jones, Esq.) 

Contemporaneously with the ill-advised acquiescence on the part of 

D'Estaing, oecurred his junction with General Lincoln and his Conti 

nentals. Unconscious of the impending tragedy, so soon to be enacted, 

the last-named were hilarious over their prospective triumph. While 

they were intent on this profitless rejoining, their antagonists were most 

active, and were bending their every effort toward supplying their exist 

ing deficiencies. Besides the cannon already in position around Savan 

nah, 100 more were now added; the warships being stripped o£ their 

batteries in order that the latter might be utilized for the armament of 

the earthworks. The protections of the southern, eastern, and western 

exposures of the town were also greatly strengthened; and such was the 

progress made, that before the truce had expired, and fire had opened, 

the British had constructed thirteen substantial redoubts, and fifteen 

gun batteries mounting eighty cannon, field-pieces being distributed at 

regular intervals. Furthermore, ships were sunk in the channel, above 

and below the beleaguered city; and, as a result, the hostile ascent of 

the stream was effectually precluded. With a view to increasing the 

numerical strength of the defenders, all troops were recalled from out 

lying posts. Lieutenant-Colonel Crugcr, with his contingent, being 

withdrawn from Sunbury, and Colonel Maitland, with his strong detach 

ment of 800 men, being summoned from Beaufort. Says Major McCall, 

in alluding to the circumstance: '' The acquisition of this formidable 

re-enforcement, headed by an experienced and brave officer, effected a 

complete change in the dispirited garrison. A signal was made, and 

three cheers were given, which rung from one end of the town to the 

other." 

On the receipt of Prevost's unfavorable response, the siege was at 

once resolved upon by the allied commanders, who, accordingly, made 

303


preparations for the thorough investment of the town. By the 23d of 

September, all their dispositions had ibeen perfected; and on the same 

day occurred the first skirmish between the opposing armies. During 

the night of October 1st, Colonel John "White, with the aid of five associ 

ates, achieved an exploit of a truly remarkable character; he. with a 

handful of comrades effecting the capture of a detachment of 111 British 

regular. On the midnight of October 3d, the bombardment of Savan 

nah was commenced; it being continued, irregularly, until the 8th. It 

was then decided by the allied chieftains to convert the siege into an 

assault. And so, plans were carefully concerted for a general attack 

on the British lines on the morning of the eventful 9th of October. It 

was ascertained by the foe that the principal onslaught would be directed 

against the Spring Hill redoubt, and the adjacent batteries, and, as a 

consequence, Colonel Maitland was placed, with his choicest, troops, at 

the point of greatest danger. 

The aggregate French force, to be identified with this historic affair, 

approximated 4,500 men; and was expected to form in three columns— 

two for assault, one for the reserve corps. The American contingent, 

participating, which could not have exceeded 2,100, was to be divided 

into two attacking columns; the weight of those allied armies being 

mainly concentrated upon the right of the British lines, where the Spring 

Hill batteries were located. The enemy's strength at this time was fairly 

estimated at 2,500; and they were intrenched behind practically impreg 

nable defenses. The death-dealing -works proved most fatal to the allied 

armies, they being hurled back from them, with a combined loss, in 

killed and wounded, of 1,150. The English casualties were reported as 

forty killed and sixty-three wounded. Thus ended this sanguinary and 

epochal siege, which occupies a lofty place among the conflicts of the 

American Revolution. 

With the failure of the allied armies to recapture Savannah, despair 

again resumed its sway over patriotic hearts. The little commonwealth 

was now in extremis, and the war-clouds looked most ominous. About 

this time, Nancy Hart, the Georgia heroine, arose, and showed the people 

that all the dauntless souls were not dead, and that there Was "life in 

the old land yet." She acted courageously, and she was a present 

inspiration for everybody to do the same. The gallant partisans became 

emboldened once more, and gave their attention to important enterprises. 

Augusta was now in the hands of the Loyalists, and its recovery seemed 

most essential. They, accordingly, took that project in hand. 

The siege and capture of Augusta began in May, 1781; and with that 

notable affair, General Pickens and Colonels Clarke and Lee were hero 

ically identified. Colonel Thomas Brown, the Tory, was in charge of the 

town, and his government of the place was high-handed and extremely 

obnoxious. At this time, two fortifications formed the principal defenses 

of Augusta.- Fort Cornwallis and Fort Grierson. The latter was named 

in honor of the Loyalist lieutenant-colonel, who commanded its garrison; 

and stood very nearly upon the spot now occupied by the Riverside Mills 

The location of the former was identical with that of St. Paul's church 

and cemetery. British regulars were stationed at Fort Cornwallis; while 

the tenure of Grierson was confided to militia. After a careful consid 

eration of the matter, it was resolved to drive Grierson out of his fort,


and either capture or destroy him in his retreat upon Cornwallis. To 

this end, arrangements were speedily made. So vigorous and repeated 

were the attacks, that Grierson, finding further resistance useless, decided 

to evacuate his position, and to escape, with his command, to Port Corn 

wallis. The scheme was a desperate one, but his men, nothing daunted, 

entered boldly upon its execution. In the hazardous attempt, the greater 

portion of the garrison was killed, wounded, or captured, its major being 

slain, and its lieutenant-colonel taken prisoner. Comparitively few of 

those in the fort succeeded in escaping. After the surrender, Colonel 

Grierson, in retaliation for his many enormities, was himself shot to 

death by a Georgia rifleman. 

The first step had been taken, but the most notable was to follow. 

The eyes of the republicans were now turned toward Fort Cornwallis, 

and plans were devised for its reduction. Behind the oaken ramparts 

of that fortress, Colonel Brown calmly awaited the enemy's approach. 

Brave and ingenious, he was always confident that a siege could success- 

fiilly be sustained. The levelness of the ground making it difficult to 

secure a platform high enough to render the only reliable field-piece in 

camp effective for casting projectiles within the fort, under the circum 

stances, it was deemed expedient to construct a "Mayham" tower. A 

contrivance of this sort had proven of signal service in the demolition of 

another fortification. 

The tower was at length built, in spite of frequent efforts on the part 

of the. besieged to interrupt the labors of the workmen. The interior 

of this tower, which was raised almost abreast the parapet of the fortress, 

was filled with fascines, earth, stone, brick, and every available material 

which was calculated to solidify the structure. Perched upon its lofty 

resting place, the six-pounder gun soon dismounted the two cannon of 

the fort, and raked its inner portions, which it commanded almost 

entirely. The fire of this gun was chiefly directed against the parapet 

of Cornwallis, fronting on the river. Toward that quarter it was pro 

posed that the main attack should be launched. Preparations were made 

for a general assault, at 9 A. M., on the 4th of June, 1781. Twice had 

Brown been called upon to surrender, without success. On the morning 

of the 4th, however, and before an a.dvance had been ordered, an officer, 

with a flag, was seen approaching from Cornwallis. He bore a message 

from Colonel Brown to General Pickens and Colonel Lee, the purport 

of it being that he desired to treat for a surrender. 

Negotiations were at once commenced, which culminated, on the fol 

lowing morning, in the proposal and acceptance of articles of capitula 

tion. These articles called for the immediate evacuation, by the British 

garrison—some 300 strong—of the fortress. The loss sustained by the 

English at the siege of Augusta was fifty-two killed and 334 wounded 

and captured; sixteen slain and thirty-five wounded represent the cas 

ualties as reported among the Americans who participated in that hotly 

contested affair. 

The capture of Augusta practically broke the backbone of English 

domination in Georgia, and foreshadowed the eventual triumph of the 

patriots. Upon the re-occupation of the town by the victorious repub-


licans, it again became the capital of the nascent commonwealth, and 

so continued, for the most part, to be regarded until the end of the Revo 

lutionary war. In January, 1782, came the welcome news that General 

Anthony Wayne had at length arrived on Georgia soil. The finale of 

the great martial drama was drawing rapidly to a close. With the over 

throw of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Va., October 19, 1781, had 

occurred a revolution in English sentiment, and the current of popular 

sympathy had begun to set strongly toward the patriots. When, in 

February, 1782, the British House of Commons resolved that'' the House 

will consider as enemies to the king and country all those who shall 

advise, or by any means attempt, the further prosecution of offensive 

war for the purpose of reducing the revolted colonies to obedience by- 

force," it was clear that the reward for what had so valorously been 

undergone would soon be forthcoming. 

Contemporaneously with the passage of that resolution, General 

Wayne was aggressively engaged in his Georgia campaign. Victorious 

at every point, he was steadily pressing his advantage, and the capture 

of Savannah was expected shortly to be added to his triumphant oper 

ations. The enemy, however, prevented this humiliation by their sur 

render of the town in July, 1782. Some weeks before, or on the 23d of 

May, 1782, a communication from Sir Guy Carleton, at New York, was 

received ordering the evacuation, not only of Savannah, but of the whole 

province; and so, Georgia's Revolutionary period, properly speaking, 

terminates. On the 30th of November of that year a treaty of peace 

between Great Britain and the United States (adopted at Paris) was 

officially signed; and the struggle, which had lasted since the 19th of 

April, 1775, was finished. 

Recapitulating, we find that one president of the Council of Safety, 

Hon. William Ewen; three presidents and commanders-in-chief, Hons. 

Archibald Bulloch, Jonathan Bryan, and Button Gwinnett; and ten 

governors, Hons. John A. Treutlen, John Houstoun, John Wereat, George 

Walton, Richard Howley, George Wells, Stephen Heard, Myrick Davies, 

Nathan Brownson, and John Martin, officiated, at different times during 

the Revolution, as chief magistrate 'of the little commonwealth. Condi-. 

tions, occasionally, were so peripatetic, that some of these worthies were 

able to serve for only a short period. They freely contributed their 

patriotic mead, however; and in the roster of executive heads they should 

be mentioned. Richard Howley and Nathan Brownson are recalled as 

members of the Continental Congress. Archibald Bulloch and John 

Houstoun should also be similarly referred to. George Walton will like 

wise be remembered as a signer of the Declaration of Independence. 

Governor Martin filled the closing months of the Revolution with his 

administration. When he was installed, he saw the rainbow of peace in 

sight, which promised rest to his battle-scarred people, after all of their 

strenuous endeavors. 

Aside from Hons. Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, Rev. J. J. 

Zubly, Noble W. Jones, Lyman Hall, Button Gwinnett, and George 

Walton, eight others, from Georgia, were, during the Revolution, com 

plimented with seats in the Continental Congress. They were as fol 

lows : Hons. Joseph Clay, William Few, Edward Telfair, Richard How-


ley, Edward Langworthy, John Walton, Nathan Brownson, and Joseph 

Wood. 

Five of the executive heads of Georgia were not so fortunate as to 

live until the conclusion of the historic struggle, and to enjoy its well- 

earned fruits. These were Hon. Archibald Bulloch, who died unex 

pectedly at his home; Hon. Button Gwinnett and Governor Wells, who 

fell, at different times, in duels; and Governors Treutlen and Myrick 

Davies, who were inhumanly murdered by the Tories. 

On the bank of the Savannah River, just behind St. Paul's Church, 

is a Celtic Cross memorial, marking the site of Fort Augusta, around 

which the little town was built in 1735. This was, probably, the exact 

location of Fort Cornwallis in the Revolution, and one of its identical 

cannon is mounted at the base of the above-mentioned monument. The 

very sight of this gun calls up martial memories, '' in the brave days of 

old,'' when the sturdy Georgia partisans heroically fought for home and 

country, and took as their inspiring motto, in the words of our sweet 

singer, Paul H. Hayne: 

"What strength to feel, beyond our steel, burns the Great Captain's 

eye." 

THE STORY OF AUSTIN DABNEY.—One of the finest examples of loyalty displayed 

during the period of the American Kevolution was furnished by Austin Dabney, a 

negro patriot. He came to Pike with the Harris family within a very short while 

after the new county was opened to settlement, and here he lies buried near the 

friends to whom in life he was devotedly attached. The story of how he came to 

enlist in the patriot army runs thus: When a certain pioneer settler by the name 

of Aycoek migrated from North Carolina to Georgia, he brought with him a mulatto 

boy whom he called Austin. The boy passed for a slave and was treated as such; but 

when the struggle for independence began, Ayeock, who was not cast in heroic 

molds, found in this negro youth a substitute, who was eager to enlist, despite the 

humble sphere of service in which he moved. The records show that for a few weeks 

perhaps the master himself bore arms in a camp of instruction, but he proved to be 

such an indifferent soldier that the captain readily agreed to exchange him for the 

mulatto boy, then a youth of 18, upon Aycoek's acknowledgement that the boy was 

of white parentage, on the mother's side, and therefore free. This happened in the 

County of Wilkes. "When the time came for enrollment, the captain gave Austin the 

sirname of Dabney, and for the remainder of his life Austin Dabney was the name 

by which he was everywhere known. He proved to be a good soldier. In numerous 

conflicts with the Tories in Upper Georgia, he was conspicuous for valor; and at the 

battle of Kettle Creek, while serving under the famous Elijah Clarke, a rifle ball 

passed through his thigh, by reason of which he ever afterwards limped. Found in 

a desperate condition by a man named Harris, he was taken to the latter's house, 

where kind treatment was bestowed upon him, and here he remained until the wound 

healed. Austin's gratitude to his benefactor was so great that for the rest of his 

life he considered himself in the latter's debt, and in many ways he befriended 

Harris, when reverses overtook him. He appears to have been a man of sound sense 

and to have acquired property, at the close of the Eevolution. He removed from 

Wilkes to Madison, taking the family of his benefactor with him. Dabney was fond 

of horse racing, and whenever there was a trial of speed anywhere near he was usually 

found upon the grounds, and he was himself the owner of thoroughbreds. He drew 

a pension from the United States Government, on account of his broken thigh, and 

the Legislature of Georgia, in the distribution of public lands by lottery, awarded 

him a tract in the County of Walton. The noted Stephen Upson, then a representa 

tive from Oglethorpe, introduced the measure, and, in terms of the highest praise, 

he eulogized Dabney's patriotism. There was some dissention among the white 

people of Madison over this handsome treatment accorded to one of an inferior race. 

It doubtless arose,' through envy, among the poorer classes. But Austin took no 

offense, and when an opportune moment came, he quietly shifted his residence to


the land given to him by the State of Georgia. He was still accompanied by the 

Harris family, for whom he continued to labor. It is said that he denied himself 

many of the comforts of life, in order to bestow the bulk of his earnings upon his 

white friends. He sent the eldest son of Mr. Harris to Franklin College, and con 

tributed to his maintenance while he studied law under Judge Upson at Lexington. 

It is said that when young Harris stood his legal examination in open court Austin 

Dabney was outside of the bar with the keenest look of anxiety on his face and that 

when the youth was finally admitted to practice the old negro fairly burst into tears 

of joy. He left his entire property to the Harris family, at the time of his death. 

The celebrated Judge Dooly held him in the highest esteem, and when the latter 

was attending court in Madison it was one of Dabney's customs to take the judge's 

horse into his special custody. He is said to have been one of the best authorities in 

Georgia on the events of the Eevolutionary war periods. Once a year Austin Dabney 

made a trip to Savannah, at which place he drew his pension. On one occasion— 

so the story goes—he traveled in company with his neighbor, Col. Wiley Pope. They 

journeyed together on the best of terms until they reached the outskirts of the town. 

Then, turning toward his dark companion, the colonel suggested that he drop behind, 

since it was not exactly the conventional thing for them to be seen riding side by 

side through the streets of Savannah. Without demurrer Austin complied with this 

request, stating that he fully understood the situation. But they had not proceeded 

far before reaching the home of General Jackson, then governor of the state. What 

was Colonel Pope's surprise, on looking behind him, to see the old governor rush 

from the house, seize Austin's hand in the most cordial manner, like he was greeting 

some long lost brother, drew him down from the horse, and lead him into the house, 

where he remained throughout his entire stay in Savannah, treated not perhaps as 

an equal, but with the utmost consideration. In after years, Colonel Pope used to 

tell this anecdote, so it is said, with much relish, adding that he felt somewhat 

abashed on reaching Savannah, to find Austin an honored guest of the governor of 

Georgia, while he himself occupied a room at the public tavern.—L. L. Knight in 

Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, Vol. I. 

COLONEL JOHN WHITE: HERO or THE GREAT OOEECHEE.—In December, 1778, the 

British captured Savannah.* In September, 1779, Count d'Estaiug with a force of 

about 1,700 men acting under instructions from the French government effected a 

landing at Beauiieu, and shortly thereafter was joined by General Lincoln. The 

purpose was to recapture Savannah by siege. General Provost, the British com 

mander, immediately summoned from all outposts every portion of his scattered 

command. Some reached the British lines in safety. But Captain French was not 

among this number. With 111 regular troops, accompanied by five vessels and their 

crews of forty men, he sought to join General Prevost, but interrupted in his attempt 

to enter Savannah by news of the investment of the town, took refuge in the Great 

Ogeechee Kiver, about twenty-live miles below Savannah, disembarked and formed 

a fortified camp on the left bank of that stream. 

Col. John White, of the Fourth, Georgia Battalion of General Lincoln's force, 

conceived a. brilliant plan for the capture of French's command. Accompanied only 

by Capts. George Melvin and A. C. G. Klholm, a sergeant, and three privates, a total 

force of seven men (some accounts state five), on the night of October 1, 1779, this 

daring band located the British camp on the Ogeechee and built many watch-fires 

at various points around it, placing the fires at such positions as to lead the British 

to believe that they were surrounded by a large force of Americans. This was kept 

up throughout the night by White and his force marching from point to point with 

the heavy tread of many when, accompanied by the challenge of sentinels at each 

point surrounding the British cam]), each mounting a horse at intervals, riding off in 

haste in various directions, imitating the orders of staff officers and giving fancied 

orders in a low tone. Anticipating the presence of the enemy, Captain French 

believed that he was entrapped by a large force. At this juncture Colonel White, 

unaccompanied, dashed up to the British camp and demanded a conference -with 

Captain French. 

"I am the commander, sir," he said, "of the American soldiers in your vicinity. 

If you will surrender at once to my force, I will see to it that no injury is done to 

yon or your command. If you decline to do this I. must candidly-inform you that 

• E. H. Abrahams: Article in the Savannah Morning News, July 4, 1909.

GEOBGIA 

AND GEOBGIANS 309 

the feelings of my troops are highly incensed against you and I can by no means 

be responsible for any consequences that may ensue.'' 

The bluff worked. Captain French at once fell into the trap and agreed to .sur 

render, as he thought it was useless to battle with the large surrounding force. At 

this moment Captain Elholm dashed up on horseback and demanded to know where 

to place the artillery. '' Keep them back,'' replied White, '' the British have sur 

rendered. Move your men off and send me three guides to conduct the British to 

the American post at Sunbury.'' Thereupon the five vessels were burned, the three 

guides arrived, and the British urged to keep clear of the supposed infuriated 

American army hovering about, marched off, while Colonel White hastened away, 

collected a force of neighboring militia, overtook the British led by his guides, and 

conducted them as prisoners to Sunbury. 

Nine days after this remarkable exploit, Colonel White was severely wounded a.t 

the assault upon Savannah made at the Spring Hill redoubt. He succeeded in making 

his escape from the British, but the wounds received so much impaired his health 

that he was obliged to retire from the army and died soon afterwards in Virginia.* 

KBENEZEE IN THE REVOLUTION.—The Salzburgers were slow to side against Eng 

land. It was perfectly natural for them to feel kindly disposed toward the country 

whose generous protection was extended to them in days of persecution; but they 

were also the sworn enemies of tyranny, whether at home or abroad. When the 

question of direct opposition to the acts parliament was discussed at Ebenezer in 

1774 there arose a sharp division of sentiment. Quite a number of the inhabitants 

favored "passive obedience and non-resistance." But the majority refused tamely 

to submit. At the Provincial Congress, which assembled in Savannah on July 4, 

1775, the following Salzburgers were enrolled from the Parish of St. Matthew: 

John Adam Treutlen, John Stirk, Jacob Casper Waldhaur, John Floerl and Chris 

topher Cramer. As a community, the Salzburgers espoused the cause of the Revolu 

tionists, but, headed by Mr. Triebner, some of them maintained an open adherence 

to the Crown. Between these parties there sprang up an angry feud, in the midst of 

which 'the Rev. Mr. Habenhorst, "who exerted his utmost influence to curb the 

dominant passions, crowned his long and useful life with a saintly death.'' 

* The account of this remarkable capture is taken from White's "Historical Co\- 

lections of Georgia,'' and accepted by that historian as correct. It is corroborated 

by a manuscript furnished that author by the Hon. Robert M. Charlton, giving' a 

sketch of the life of Col. White. 

Capt. Hugh MeCall, one of the earliest of Georgia's historians, on page 60 of 

Vol. II of his history, mentions briefly the occurrence accepting the foregoing state 

ments as true. 

C. C. Jones, Jr., in his "History of Georgia," Vol. II, page 390, also mentions 

this statement as true. 

In Vol. II, page .180, of the "Historical Magazine and Notes and Queries," is 

found an article communicated by I. K. Teft, in which the author corroborates the 

foregoing facts by an order then in his possession, given by Maj. William Jackson 

upon certain vcndue masters for $500.00 "in the cause of the captors and claimants 

of the vessels taken in Ogeechee River by Colonel White, being his fees in said cause." 

Dr. David Ramsey, writing in October, 1784, or five years after his remarkable 

exploit, in his "History of the Revolution in South Carolina" (p. 242, Vol. II), 

records as facts the details above outlined. This is substantial proof of its trust 

worthiness. 

Colonel White was survived by a widow and one daughter. The widow married 

Thomas Gordon, of Philadelphia. The daughter, Catherine P., first married William 

Limbort, and upon his death married a Mr. Hayden. Mrs. C. P. Haydeii died in 

Savannah in January, 1866, leaving most of her property to St. John's Church. 

The will is recorded in Book M. P. 211, of the ordinary's office. The writer has in 

his possession the papers of Mrs. Hayden, and among them are several military orders 

drawn by Colonel White, a copy of Mr. Teft's communication, with notations thereon 

by Mrs. Hayden, and a letter from the widow of Colonel White, written to Gov. John 

Houston in 1789, requesting him to recover for her a house and lot in Savannah owned 

by he" late husband, and which had, through mistake, been confiscated as British 

property.—E. H. Abrahams.


Situated on the direct line of travel, Ebenezer was destined to play an important 

part in the approaching drama of hostilities. The account which, follows is con 

densed from "Dead Towns of Georgia": "Three days after the capture of 

Savannah by Colonel Campbell, a strong force was advanced, under the command 

of Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland, to Cherokee Hill. On the following day—January 

2, 1779—Ebenezer was occupied by the British troops. They at once threw up a 

redoubt within a few hundred yards of Jerusalem Church and fortified the position. 

The remains of this work are said to be still visible. As soon as he learned of the 

fall of Savannah, Mr. Treibner hastened thereto, proclaimed his loyalty, and took 

the oath of allegiance. The intimation is that he counseled the immediate occupation 

of Ebenezer and accompanied the detachment which compassed the capture of Ms 

own town and people. Influenced by him, not a few of the Salzburgers took the oath 

of allegiance to England and received certificates guaranteeing the royal protection. 

Prominent among those who maintained adherence to the rebel cause were: John 

Adam Treutlen, afterwards governor; William Holsendorf, Col. John Stirk, Secre 

tary Samuel Stirk, Capt. Jacob Casper Waldhaur, who was both a magistrate and 

a soldier; John Schnider, Kudolph Strohaker, Jonathan Schnider, J. G-otlieb Schnider, 

Jonathan Eahn, Ernest Zitthauer, Joshua Helfenstein, and Jacob Helfinstein." 

Mr. Strobel draws a graphic picture of the situation at this time. Says he:* 

The citizens of Ebenezer were made to feel severely the effects of the war. The 

property of those who did not take the oath of allegiance was confiscated and the 

helpless sufferers were exposed to every species of insult and wrong. Besides, some of 

the Salzburgers who espoused the cause of the Crown became inveterate whigs, placed 

themselves at the head of marauding parties, and committed the most wanton acts of 

depredation, including arson itself. The establishment of a line of British posts 

along the western bank of the Savannah River to check the demonstrations of the 

rebel forces in South Carolina, made it a kind of thoroughfare for British troops in 

passing through the country from Savannah to Augusta. To avoid the rudeness of 

the soldiers who were quartered among them and to escape the heavy tax upon the 

scant resources which remained to them, many of the best citizens abandoned the 

town and settled in the country districts. Those who remained were forced almost 

daily to witness acts of cruelty perpetrated upon American prisoners of war; for 

Ebenezer, while in the hands of the British, was the point} to which most of the 

prisoners were brought, thence to be taken to Savannah. It was from this post that 

a number of prisoners were being carried southward, when the two Sergeants, Jasper 

and Newton, rescued them at Jasper Spring." 

"There was one act performed by the British commander which was peculiarly 

trying and revolting to the Salzburgers. The fine brick church was converted into 

a hospital for the accommodation of the sick and wounded and was afterwards 

desecrated by being used as a stable for the horses. The records were destroyed, 

targets were made of different objects, and even to this day the metal swan bears 

the mark of a musket ball. Often, too, cannon were discharged at the houses. But 

the Salzburgers endured these hardships and indignities with fortitude; and though 

a few of them were overcome by these severe measures, yet the mass of them remained 

firm.'' 

According to Colonel Jones, t the establishment of tippling houses in Ebenezer, 

during the British occupation, corrupted the lives of not a few of the once sober 

Germans.- Says he: "Indications of decay and ruin were patent before the cessa 

tion of hostilities. Except for a brief period, during the siege of Savannah, when 

the garrison was summoned to assist in defense of the city against the allied army, 

Ebenezer remained in the possession of the British until a short time prior to the 

evacuation of Savannah, in July, 1783. In advancing toward Savannah, General 

Wayne established his headquarters in the town. As soon as the British forces were 

withdrawn, the Tory pastor, Triebner, betook himself to flight and found a refuge 

in England, where he ended his days in seclusion." 

It was an altered scene upon which the poor Salzburgers looked when the refugees 

began to return to Ebenezer at the close of the Eevolution. Many of the homes had 

been burnt to the' ground. Gardens once green and fruitful had been trampled into 

desert places. Jerusalem Church had become a mass of filth, and the sacred edifice 

* '' Salzbnrgers and Their Descendants,'' pp. 203-207, Baltimore, 1855. 

t"Dead Towns of Georgia," p. 39, Savannah, 1878.


was sadly dilapidated. But the Germans set themselves to work. Fresh life was 

infused into the little community upon the arrival of the Rev. John Ernest Bergman, 

a clergyman of pronounced attainments. The parochial school was revived, the popu 

lation began to increase, the church was substantially rebuilt, and much of the 

damage wrought by the British was in the course of time repaired. But the lost 

prestige of the little town of Ebenezer was never fully regained. The mills remained 

idle. The culture of silk was revived only to a limited degree; and, after a brief 

interval of growth, the old settlement began visibly to take the downward path. 

GEORGIA JEWS IN TEE REVOLUTION.—It was Israel Zangwill who coined the fine 

aphorism that since the time of the Exodus' freedom has spoken with the Hebrew 

accent. Though wedded to pursuits of peace, the Jews of Georgia were not slow to 

resent the oppressions of England. The spirit of liberty burned int the hearts of 

these gentle people and overmastered the commercial instinct. Mordecai Sheftall, 

born in Savannah, December 16, 1735, became one of the most zealous of the patriots. 

The royal proclamation which appeared in the Georgia Gasette, of July 6, 1780, pro 

scribed him as a " Great Rebel," in a list which included the signers of the Declara 

tion of Independence and two generals. When the theater of war shifted to the 

South, in 1779, Mordeeai Sheftall was commissioned by the Provincial Congress to 

fill the office of Commissary General of Issues for the State of Georgia. His son, 

Sheftall Sheftall, became his deputy, and together they furnished supplies to the 

soldiers. The large sums of money received and disbursed by them show that to 

the fullest extent they possessed the confidence of the state authorities. 

When Savannah fell into the hands of the British in 1779, the Sheftalls were 

captured, put on board a prison ship, and transported to Antigua in the West Indies. 

At first they were consigned to a common jail where they suffered great privations 

and indignities, but they were afterwards released on parole. With other prisoners 

of war, they were brought at a later period to Sunbury. Here, in a most singular 

manner, the charter of the Union Society was saved from extinction. It was pro 

vided in the charter that unless a meeting was held annually for the election of 

officers, the charter itself was to "be forfeited. Mordecai Sheftall remembered this 

provision. With three of his fellow-prisoners, who, by a fortunate coincidence, hap 

pened to be members of the Union Society, he managed to hold a meeting1 before 

the time limit expired. This took place under a tree which is said to have been the 

birth-place of the first Masonic Lodge organized in Georgia. By virtue of this timely 

rescue, the tree became known as Charter Oak. When exchanged, Mordeeai Sheftall 

was appointed by the board, of war in Philadelphia, a flag master to carry funds 

and provisions to General Moultrie for the destitute inhabitants of Charleston. It 

is needless to say that he faithfully performed the trust. 

After the Revolution, he was the victim of shameful ingratitude. From his own 

private resources, he had spent large sums of money for the support of the Georgia 

troops. When there were no funds on hand, he went into his own pocket for the 

necessary means; but most unfortunately when the British entered Savannah the 

commissary was sacked and many of his vouchers destroyed. Impoverished by the 

war and broken in health, due to his prison life, he applied to the general govern 

ment for reimbursement of expenditures; but the demand was not honored. Some 

time in the '50s—more than half a century later—his heirs presented a claim to the 

Legislature of Georgia; but the watch-dogs of the treasury managed to pigeon-hole 

the resolution. To quote the terse comment of Mr. Abrahams: "Ingratitude is not 

confined to individuals." 

The old patriot died at his home in Savannah on July 6, 1797, and was buried 

in the old Jewish cemetery which his liberality had set apart to the people of his 

race. The year before he died, his fellow citizens of Chatham honored him with a 

seat in the General Congress which convened at Louisville, then the capital of the 

state. Sheftall Sheftall practiced law in Savannah until 1848. As long as he lived 

he continued to wear Colonial knickerbockers; and because of his peculiar style of 

dress which he refused to alter, in conformity with popular taste, he was called 

"Cocked-Hat Sheftall." On the occasion of the visit of President Monroe to 

Savannah in 1819 he was an honored guest at the banquet. Dr. Moses Sheftall, his 

son, became an esteemed citizen of Savannah, a surgeon in the Chatham Eegiment, 

and a judge of the Inferior Court. When Washington became chief magistrate of 

the nation, in 1789, Levi Sheftall, then president of the Hebrew Congregation, of


Savannah, addressed him a letter of congratulation to which he replied at some 

length, speaking in the highest terms of the part taken by the Jews in the struggle 

for independence and praying that the same wonder-working Deity who had delivered 

them of old from the hand of the oppressor might continue to water them with the 

dews of heaven. 

It is not the purpose of this sketch to do more than trace the beginnings of the 

Jewish colony in Georgia. But true to the heroic precedents furnished by the race in 

Revolutionary times, the descendants of the old patriots of Hebrew blood were prompt 

to enlist in 1861; and not a few of them made gallant soldiers. The last official 

order of the Confederate Government was issued to a Jew—Maj. Raphael Moses; 

and there were few Georgia regiments in which men of Israelitish stock were not 

enlisted. The famous Straus family of New York was identified with Georgia from 

1854 to 1856. One of the members of this household, Oscar S. Straus, became United 

States Minister to Turkey, holding this office under three separate administrations. 

He was also the first American citizen of Jewish parentage to hold a portfolio in the 

cabinet of a President of the United States. Isidor and Nathan Straus, his elder 

brothers, became wealthy merchants of the metropolis, men of wide sympathies for 

the unfortunate, and of many noble philanthropies. The former of these, Isidor, 

perished at sea, on board the ill-fated Titanic, in 1912.—L. L. Knight in Georgia's 

Landmarks, Memorials and Legends, Vol. I. 

GEORGIA PATRIOTS OUTLAWED BY THE TOBY GOVERNMENT.—On July 6, 1780, soon 

after the fall of Savannah, an act was passed by the Tory Legislature and signed 

by the royal governor, James Wright, condemning the "wicked and unprovoked 

rebellion" against his Majesty in the Province of Georgia, and disqualifying certain 

parties mentioned therein. At the same time full amnesty was offered to all who 

should hasten to enroll themselves under the royal banners, by taking the oath of 

allegiance to the House of Brunswick. The outlook was dark for the patriotic cause, 

but even in this despondent hour there were few to desert the colors. The following 

civilians and soldiers were by name declared to be specially obnoxious to the Crown 

of England. The list is now Georgia's cherished roll of honor: 

1. John Houstoun, rebel governor. 

2. John Adams Treutlen, rebel governor. 

3. Lachlan. Melntosh, rebel general. 

4. George Walton, member of rebel congress, 

5. William Stephens, rebel attorney-general. 

6. John McClure, rebel major. 

7. Joseph Clay, rebel paymaster-general. 

8. N. Wymberley Jones, speaker rebel assembly. 

9. Mordecai Sheftall, chairman rebel P. com. 

10. William O'Bryan, rebel treasurer. 

11. John Wereat, rebel counsellor. 

12. Edward Telfair, member of rebel congress. 

13. Edward Davies, member of rebel assembly. 

14. Samuel Elbert, rebel general. 

15. Seth John Cuthbert, a rebel major. 

16. William Holsendorf, a rebel counsellor. 

17. Bieha"-d Howley, a rebel governor. 

18. George Galphin, rebel sup. Indian affairs. 

19. Andrew Williamson, rebel general. 

20. John White, rebel colonel. 

21. Nehemiah Wade, rebel treasurer. 

22. John Twiggs, rebel colonel. 

23. Wm. Pew, rebel counsellor. 

24. Edward Langworthy, rebel delegate. 

Wm. Glaseock, rebel counsellor. 

Robert Walton, rebel com. of forfeited estates. 

27. Joseph Wood, Jr., clerk to the rebel assembly. 

28. ———— Piggin, rebel colonel. 

29. Wm. Hornby, distiller. 

30. Pierce Butler, rebel officer. 

•31. Joseph Wood, member of rebel congress.


32. Eev. Wm. Peircy, clerk. 

33. Thomas Savage, planter. 

34. Thomas Stone, rebel counsellor. 

35. Benjamin Andrew, president of the rebel council. 

30. John Baker, senior rebel colonel. 

37. Wm. Baker, rebel officer. 

38. Francis Brown, planter. 

39. Nathan Brownson, member of rebel congress. 

40. John Hardy, captain of a rebel galley. 

41. Thos. Morris, rebel officer. 

42. Samuel Miller, member of rebel assembly. 

43. Thos. Maxwell, planter. 

44. Joseph Woodruff. 

45. Joseph Oswald, planter. 

46. Josiah Powell, planter. 

47. Sanmcl Saltus, a eommitteeman. 

48. John Sandiford, planter. 

49. Peter Tarling, rebel officer. 

50. Oliver Bowen, rebel commodore. 

51. Lymau Hall, member of rebel congress. 

52. Andrew Moore, planter. 

53. Joshua Inman, planter. 

54. John Dooly, rebel colonel. 

55. John Glen, rebel chief justice. 

56.. Richard Wyley, president of the rebel council. 

57. Adam Fowler Brisbane, rebel counsellor. 

58. Shem Butler, rebel assemblyman. 

59. Joseph Habersham, rebel colonel. 

60. John Stirk, rebel colonel. 

61. Raymond Demere, rebel clo. general. 

62. Ohas. Odingsell, rebel captain. 

63. Wm. Peacock, rebel counsellor. 

64. John Bradley, captain rebel galley. 

65. Joseph Reynolds, bricklayer. 

66. Rudolph Strohaker, butcher. 

67. Chas. Cope, butcher. 

68. Lewis Cope, butcher. 

69. Hepworth Carter, rebel captain. 

70. Stephen Johnston, butcher. 

71. John Mclntosli, Jr., rebel colonel. 

72. James Houston, surgeon. 

73. James Habersham, merchant. 

74. John Habersham, rebel mayor. 

75. John Milledge, Jr., rebel assemblyman. 

76. Levi Sheftall, butcher. 

77. Philip Jacob Cohen, shopkeeper. 

78. John Sutcliffe, shopkeeper. 

79. Jonathan Bryan, rebel counsellor. 

80. John Spencer, rebel officer. 

81. John Holmes, clerk. 

82. William Gibbons, the elder, rebel counsellor. 

83. Sheftall Sheftall, rebel officer. 

84. Philip Minis, shopkeeper. 

85. Coshman Polock, shopkeeper. 

86. Eobt. Hamilton, attorney at law. 

87. Benj. Lloyd, rebel officer. 

88. James Alexander, rebel officer. 

89. John Jenkins, rebel assemblyman. 

90. Sam Stirk, rebel secretary. 

91. Philip Densler, yeoman. 

92. Henry Cuyler, rebel officer. t


93. Joseph Gibbons, rebel assemblyman. 

94. Ebenezer Smith Platt, shopkeeper. 

95. Matthew Griffin, planter. 

96. Peter Deveaux, gentleman. 

97. Ben Odingsell, rebel officer. 

98. John Gibbons, v. master. 

99. John Smith, planter. 

100. Wm. Le Conte, rebel counsellor. 

101. Charles Fr. Chevalier, rebel counsellor. 

102. Peter Chambers, shopkeeper. 

103. Thos. Washington, rebel officer. 

104. Elisha Maxwell, planter. 

105. Thos. Maxwell, Jr., rebel mayor. 

106. "Wm. Gibbons, the younger, planter. 

107. Wm. Davis, rebel officer. 

108. John Graves, yeoman. 

109. Charles Kent, rebel counsellor. 

110. John Bacon, mariner. 

111. Nathaniel Saxton, tavernkeeper. 

112. Philip Lowe, rebel oflieer. 

113. Samuel Spencer, mariner. 

114. John Winn, Sr., planter. 

115. Deveaux Jarrat, rebel assemblyman. 

116. Samnel West, gentleman. 

117. Josiah Dupont, planter, 

118. James Pugh, planter. 

119. Frederick Pugh, planter. 

120. James Ray, planter. 

121. James Martin, planter. 

122. John Martin, rebel sheriff. 

123. Thos. Pace, rebel officer. 

124. Benj. Fell, rebel officer. 

125. Dionysius Wright, planter. 

126. Chesley Bostick, shopkeeper. 

127. Littleberry Bostick, planter. 

128. Leonard Marbury, rebel officer. 

129. John Sharp, planter. 

130. James Harris, planter. 

131. Henry Jones, rebel colonel. 

132. Hugh McGee, rebel captain. 

133. John. Wilson, gentleman. 

134. George Wyche, rebel officer. 

135. Wm. Candler, rebel officer. 

136. Zoehariah Tena, planter. 

137. Wm. Mclntosh, rebel colonel. 

138. David Bradie, surgeon. 

139. Andrew McLean, merchant. 

140. Sir Patrick Houstoun, baronet. 

141. MeCartin Campbell, merchant. 

142. James Gordon, planter. 

143. John Kell, gentleman. 

144. John McLean, planter. 

145. John. Snider, planter. 

146. John Elliott, rebel officer. 

147. Thomas Elliott, rebel officer. 

148. Bichard Swinney, yeoman. 

149. Hugh Middleton, rebel officer. 

150. Job Pray, mariner. 

151. Josiah MeLean, planter. 

MIDWAY: THE STEWARI-SCKEVEN MONUMENT.—In the center of the historic old 

churchyard at Midway stands a magnificent obelisk of marble, erected by the United


States Government, at a cost of $10,000, to two distinguished Revolutionary patriots, 

both residents of Midway: Gen, James Sereveu and Gen. Daniel Stewart. President 

Woodrow Wilson, who married a daughter of Midway, and ex-President B'oosevelt, 

a descendant of GeneraJ Btewart, boti seat letters which were read at &e ceremonies 

of unveiling. The shaft is fifty feet in height and thirty feet square at the base, 

with the following inscriptions splendidly cast, in relief, on beautiful copper plates., 

and set into the pure white marble: 

UNITED STATES SENATOR JOHN ELLIOTT 

GEN. JAMBS SCKEVEN 

GEN. DANIEL STEWART 

HISTORIC SHRINES IN OLD MIDWAY CHURCH YARD 

(North Face.) 

1750 1778 

Sacred to the Memory of BRIGADIER-GENERAL JAMES 

SCREVEN, who Fell, Covered with "Wounds, at Svmbury, Near this 

Spot, on the 22nd Day of November, 1778. He Died on the 24th 

Day of November, 1778, from the Effects of his Wounds.* 

(East Face.) 

Reared by the Congress of the United States as a Nation's 

Tribute to BRIGADIER-GENERALS JAMES SCREVEN and 

DANIEL STEWART. 

* General Sereven fell mortally wounded about a mile and a half south ol! Midway 

Church. This point is fully ten miles distant from Suubury. Consequently, it is 

difficult to understand this variation on the momiment. We are indebted to Hon. H. 

B. Folsom, of Montgomery, Georgia, for a, description of this obelisk, together with 

the inscriptions.


(South Face.) 

1759 1829 

Sacred to the Memory of BRIGADIER-GENEBAL DANIEL 

STEWART, a Gallant Soldier in the Revolution and an Officer 

Brevetted for Bravery in the Indian Wars. 

(West Face.) 

(The west face is fittingly adorned by a copper relief representa 

tion of Midway Church, as perfect as skill and enduring copper can 

make it. No inscription whatever.) 

THE DEATH OP GEN. JAMES SCREVEN.—On the morning of November 22, 1778, 

Gen. James Sereven fell mortally wounded within a mile and a half of Midway 

Church. At the head of twenty militia, men he had just come to the support of 

Col. John White, who was expecting battle at this point with the enemy under 

Colonel Prevost, the latter having entered the settlement by way of Bast Florida. 

The British officer was in. command of 100 regulars and was re-enforced by the 

Tory leader McGirth, whose force consisted of 300 Indians and refugees. Both 

sides, by a singular coincidence, agreed upon the same skirt of woods for the 

purposes of an ambuscade. They also arrived upon the ground almost simul 

taneously, and, in the firing, General Sereven was struck. According to Colonel 

Jones he was killed after falling into the hands of the enemy, who were thus guilty 

of an act repugnant to civilized warfare.* 

The same account is substantially given by David Ramsay. In the latter's 

"History of the Revolution in South Carolina" appears this statement: "General 

Sereven received a wound from a musket ball, in consequence of which he fell from 

his horse. After he fell, several of the British came up and, upbraiding him for 

the manner in which Captain Moore of Browne's Bangers had been killed, discharged 

their pieces at him." 

Judge Charlton, in his "Life of Major-General James Jackson," after referring 

to Doctor Ramsay's statement, says: "My notes and memoirs afford me an account 

somewhat different. They inform me that the General was on feet reconnoitering 

on the left flank of the enemy's position on Spencer's Hill. On this spot an 

ambuscade had been formed and he fell in the midst of it." 

Benjamin Baker, who was for twenty-seven years clerk of the Midway Church, 

supports the latter view. In his '' Published Records,'' he says: '' Sabbath morn 

ing, 22nd. Our party retreated yesterday to the meeting house, where, a recruit of 

some hundreds joined them with some artillery, and some of our party crossed the 

swamp, and coming near a thicket where they expected an ambuscade might probably 

occur, Colonel James Sereven and one more went forward to examine. The Colonel 

and one Continental officer and Mr. Judah Lewis were shot down. The Colonel had 

three wounds, the other two were killed. A flag was sent and brought off the 

Colonel. Monday 23rd. We hear the Colonel still lives." 

This account is probably correct. It emanates from the locality in question 

and was written on the very day of the battle. 

McCall relates that Colonel White sent a flag to Colonel Prevost by Maj. John 

Haborsham requesting permission to furnish General Sereven with such medical aid 

as his situation might require. The American doctors were permitted to attend 

him, but his wounds were found to be of such a nature that they conld not save him. 

In the published correspondence Colonel Prevost apologizes for the alleged act of 

ono of his rangers in shooting General Sereven after he was disabled. 

The gallant officer was taken first to the vestry house of Midway Church, thence 

to the residence of Johii Winn, some two miles off, and finally to the home of John 

EHiott. Sr., where lie died. He was borne from the enemy's ground by a detachment 

of eight men, furnished by Colonel Prevost. The burial of General Sereven took 

'""History of Georgia," Vol. II, p. 306, Boston, 1.886. The citations which 

follow have been furnished by T. F. Sereven, in a sketch prepared for "Men of 

Mark in Georgia," Vol. I, pp. 296-297, Atlanta, 1906.


place in the cemetery adjacent to Midway Church. This brave conduct was recog 

nized by both state and national governments, his two surviving daughters were 

each granted 1,000 acres of land by the Legislature of Georgia, while the 

United States Congress, after the lapse of more than a century, has still further 

honored his memory in the handsome memorial shaft which he is soon to share at 

Midway, with his illusfaioxis companion in arms, Gen. Daniel Stcwart. 

SEVEN or GEORGIA'S COUNTIES NAMED FOR LIBERTY'S SONS.—Perhaps the most 

eloquent attestation of the part played by the Midway settlement in the drama of 

the Revolution is to be found in the fact that seven counties of Georgia bear names 

which can be traced to this fountain-head of patriotism. 

1. Liberty. This name was conferred by the Constitution of 1777 upon the 

newly created county which was formed from the old Parish of St. John. It was 

bestowed in recognition of the fact that the earliest stand for independence was here 

taken by the patriots of the Midway settlement^ whose flag at Fort Morris was the 

last to be lowered when Georgia was overrun by the British, and whose contributions 

to the official lists of the Revolution were manifold and distinguished. 

2. Screven, formed December 14, 1793, was named for Gen. James Screven, a resi 

dent of Sunbm'y, who fell mortally wounded, within a mile and a half of Midway 

Church, on November 22, 1778, and who lies buried in Midway Graveyard. 

3. Hall, created December 15, 1818, and named after Lyman Hall, a resident of 

the Midway District, who was the first delegate sent from Georgia to the Continental 

Congress and who was afterwards a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a 

governor of Georgia. 

4. Gwinnett, established December 15, 1818, was called after Button Gwinnett, 

whose home was on St. Catherine's Island, but business affairs connected him with 

Sunbury, who was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a governor of 

Georgia. 

5. Baker, constituted, December 12, 1825, was named for Col. John Baker, of the 

Revolution, one of the early pioneer settlers of St. Jolin 's Parish. 

6. Stewart, organized December 30, 1830, was named for Gen. Daniel Stewart, an 

eminent soldier both of the Revolution and of the Indian wars. He was a native 

of the district, a member of Midway Church, and an ancester of ex-President Theo 

dore Roosevelt. He sleeps in Midway burial-ground. 

7. Bacon, created by legislative act, during the session of 1914, in honor of the 

late United States .Senator Augustus 0. Bacon, whose parents repose in the little 

cemetery adjacent to Midway Church. 

HEARD 's FOKT.—According to the local historian of Wilkes,. the first settlement 

on the site of the Town of Washington was made by a colony of immigrants from 

Westmoreland County, Virginia, headed by Stephen Heard, a pioneer who afterwards 

rose to high prominence in public affairs. Two "brothers accompanied him to Georgia, 

Ba.rnard and Jesse, and possibly his father, John Heard, was also among the colonists. 

It is certain that the party included Benjamin Wilkinson, together with others whose 

names are no longer of. record. They arrived on December 31, 1773, and, on oVcw 

Year's day following, in the midst of an unbroken forest of magnificent oaks, they 

began to build a stockade fort, which they called Fort Heard, to protect the settle- , 

ment from Indian assaults. 

The Hoards were of English stock but possessed landed estates in Ireland. It is 

said of John Heard that he was a man of explosive temper, due to his somewhat 

aristocratic blood and that, growing out of a .difficulty over tithes, in which he used 

a pitch-fork on a minister of the Established Church, he somewhat hastily resolved 

upon an ocean voyage, in order to escape the consequences. 

Between the Indians and the Tories, the little colony at Hoard's Tort was sorely 

harassed during the Revolutionary war period. There were many wanton acts of 

cruelty committed when the tide of British success in GcoTgia was at the flood. 

Stephen Heard's young wife, with a babe at her breast, was at this time driven 

out in a snow storm, to perish without a shelter over her head. His brother, Maj. 

Bernard Heard, was put into irons, taken to Augusta, and sentenced to be hanged, 

but fortunately on the eve of the siege he made his escape, and to-ok an active part 

in the events which followed. It is said that among the prisoners rescued from the.


hands of the British was his father, John Heard, an old man, who was on the point 

of exhaustion, from hunger. 

In the spring of 1780 Heard's Fort became temporarily the seat of the state 

government in Georgia. Stephen Heard was at this time a member of the executive 

council; and when Governor Howley left the state to attend the Continental Congress, 

George Wells as president of the executive council succeeded him, while Stephen Heard 

succeeded George Wells. The latter fell soon afterwards in a duel with James Jack 

son, whereupon Stephen Heard, by virtue of his office, assumed the direction of 

affairs. It was a period of great upheaval; and, to insure a place of safety for the 

law-making power when Augusta was threatened, Stephen Heard transferred the 

seat of government to Heard's Fort, in the County of Wilkes, where it remained 

until Augusta was retaken by the Americans. 

On the traditional site of Heard's Fort was built the famous old Heard House, 

which was owned and occupied for years by Gen. B. W. Heard, a descendant of 

Jesse Heard, one of the original pioneers. It stood on the north side of the court 

house square, where it was afterwards used as a bank and where, on May 5, 1865, 

was held the last meeting of the Confederate cabinet. Thus an additional wealth 

of memories was bequeathed to Hoard's Fort, an asylum for two separate govern 

ments pursued by enemies. 

On April 25, 1779, the first court held in the up-country north of Augusta was 

held at Hoard's Fort. There were three justices: Absalom Bedell, Benjamin Catch- 

ings and William Downs. To this number Zachariah Lamar and James German were 

subsequently added. Col. John Dooly was attorney for the state. Joseph Scott 

Redden was sheriff, and Henry Mauadue, clerk of the court. For several years the 

tribunal of justice was quartered in private dwellings. It was not until 1783 or later 

that the county boasted a jail, and, during this period, prisoners were often tied with 

hickory withes, OT fastened by the neck between fence rails. Juries often sat on logs 

out of doors while deliberating upon verdicts. It is said that when Tories were 

indicted, even on misdemeanors, they seldom escaped the hemp. Says Doctor Smith: * 

'' Even after the war, when a man who was accused of stealing a horse from General 

Clarke was acquitted by the jury, the old soldier arrested him and marched him to a 

convenient tree and was about to hang him anyhow, wlien Nathaniel Peudleton, a 

distinguished lawyer, succeeded in begging him off." 

WASHINGTON.—On the site of Fort Heard arose in 1780 the present town of 

Washington: the first town in the United States to be named for the commander-in- 

chief of the American armies in the Eevolution. It was not until 1783 that Wash 

ington was formally laid off; but the records show that during the year mentioned it 

took the name of the illustrious soldier. Next in point of age to Washington, 

Georgia, comes Washington, North Carolina, a town which was founded in 1782, 

two full years later. 

*"The Story of Georgia and the Georgia People," by Dr. George G. Smith, 

pp. 137-138, Atlanta, 1900.

CHAPTER V 

SAVANNAH'S REVOLUTIONARY MONUMENTS—THE GREENE MONUMENT IN 

JOHNSON SQUARE—THE PULASKI MONUMENT, IN CHIPPEWA SQUARE— 

THE BRONZE STATUE OF SERGEANT JASPER IN MADISON SQUARE— 

THE SPRING HILL REDOUBT—JASPER SPRING. 

During the visit of General Lafayette to Savannah, in 1825, the 

old palladin of liberty was asked to take part in laying the corner 

stones of two monuments to be erected in the "Forest City," one to the 

memory of Gen. Nathanael Greene, in Johnson Square, and one to the 

memory of Count Pulaski, in Chippewa Square. He yielded assent; 

and on March 21, 1825, the corner-stones were duly laid in the places 

designated, General Lafayette acting in association with the Masonic 

lodges. Subsequently donations were received for the erection of these 

monuments. The sum desired was $35,000, for the raising of which the 

Legislature authorized a lottery; but, the enterprise languishing after 

a few years it was decided to erect only one shaft, to be dedicated in 

common to the two illustrious heroes. 

Accordingly, the first monument erected, a shaft of granite, fifty feet 

in height, was called the "Greene and Pulaski" monument, and for 

twenty-five years it continued to honor the two heroes jointly, though it 

bore no inscription. Finally, in 1853, funds having been raised suf 

ficient to carry out the original plan, the monument in Johnson Square 

became the "Greene" monument, and a shaft to Count Pulaski was 

erected elsewhere. However, it was not until 1885 that it bore an 

inscription. The Georgia Historical Society then took the matter in 

hand, and, with the aid of the city authorities, raised the money needed 

for the tablets. Both made of bronze, the one on the south side por 

trays, in bas relief, the full length figure of General Greene, while the 

one on the north side reads thus: 

"Major-General Nathanael Greene, born in Rhode 

Island, 1742, died in Georgia, 1786. Soldier, patriot, and 

friend of Washington. This shaft has been reared by the 

people of Savannah in honor of his great services to the 

American Revolution." 

On November 14, 1902, the remains of General Greene having been 

found in the Graham vault, after long search, in the old Colonial 

burial ground, were re-interred with impressive ceremonies under the 

Greene monument. The ashes of his son, George "Washington Greene, 

were likewise committed to the same receptacle. Directly over the spot 

319


MONUMENT TO GEN. NATHANAEL GBEENE IN SAVANNAH


which marks the last resting-place is a wreath of bronze, there placed 

by Savannah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and 

unveiled at the time of re-interment. 

Though it was designed originally that the monument to Count 

Pulaski should stand in Chippewa Square, the corner-stone, on Octo 

ber 11, 1853, was relaid in Monterey Square; and, on January 9, 1855, 

the superb structure was dedicated with impressive ceremonies. It is 

fifty feet in height; a column of solid marble resting upon a base of 

granite and surmounted by a statue of the goddess of liberty, holding a 

wreath in her outstretched hand. On each of the four corners of the 

base is chiseled an inverted cannon, emblematic of loss and mourning. 

The coats-of-arms of both Poland and Georgia, entwined with branches 

of laurel, ornament the cornices, while the bird of freedom rests upon 

both. Pulaski, on an elegant tablet of bronze, is portrayed in the act 

of falling, mortally wounded, from his horse, at the time of the famous 

siege; and the whole is a work of consummate art. It was executed in 

Italy at a cost of $18,000 and was considered at the time one of the most 

elegant memorials in America. The inscription on the monument reads: 

"Pulaski, the Heroic Pole, who fell mortally wounded, 

fighting for American Liberty at the siege of Savannah, 

October 9, 1779." 

Underneath the monument, soon after the laying of the corner-stone, 

were placed what at the time were supposed to be the remains of the 

gallant foreigner. These, having been exhumed at Greenwich, on Augus 

tine Creek, the traditional place of Pulaski's burial, were placed beside 

the corner-stone, in a receptacle specially designed for them. The con 

formity of the remains to such a man as Pulaski, ascertained upon an 

anatomical examination by medical experts, decided the commissioners 

to place the remains beneath the structure. [However, there are some 

who insist that Pulaski was buried at sea and that his' real ashes are 

entombed between Savannah and Charleston.] To Maj. William P. 

Boweii belongs the chief honor of the project which culminated in the 

erection of the monument. Dr. Richard D. Arnold was the chairman of 

the commission. 

Among the numerous articles deposited in the corner-stone was a 

piece of the oak tree from Sunbury, under which General Oglethorpe 

opened the first Lodge of Free Masons in Georgia, and under which also, 

in 1779, the charter of the Union Society, of Savannah, was preserved 

and Mordecai Sheftall, then a prisoner of war, was elected president. 

It was the contribution of Mrs. Purla Sheftall Solomons. Col. A. R. 

Lawton, afterwards General, was in command of the various military 

organizations at the time of the relaying of the corner-stone. Robert E. 

Launitz, of New York, was the designer of the monument, and Robert 

D. Walker, the sculptor. Richard R. Cuyler officiated in the Masonic 

rites. 

On February 2, 1888, in Madison Square, .near the handsome new 

DeSoto Hotel, was unveiled the superb monument to Sergeant Jasper.

THE PULASKI MONUMENT IN SAVANNAH 

oo 

to 

CO 

O 

W 

tel 

o


It is the work of the famous sculptor, Alexander Doyle, who at the age 

of thirty was the designer of more public monuments and statues than 

any other man in America, and who was credited with at least one-fifth 

of the memorials of this kind to be found within the Union. Surmount 

ing a pedestal of granite, the figure of Sergeant Jasper, heroic in size 

and wrought of bronze, is portrayed in the act of seizing the colors of 

his regiment. It reproduces the heroic scene of his martyrdom, on the 

Spring Hill redoubt, during the siege of Savannah. "With the flag in 

one hand, he raises his gallant sword with the other, to defend the em 

blem of his country's liberties. The inscription on the monument reads: 

"To the memory of Sergeant William Jasper, who, 

though mortally wounded, rescued the colors of his regi 

ment, in the assault on the British lines about the city, 

THE JASPER MONUMENT, SAVANNAH 

October 9, 1779. A century has not dimmed the glory of 

the Irish-American soldier whose last tribute to civil lib 

erty was his life. 1779-1879. Erected by the Jasper 

Monument Association.'' 

\ 

Grover Cleveland, President of the United States, enroute to Jack 

sonville, Florida, honored the occasion by a drive through the city, and 

General John B. Gordon was also among the distinguished visitors. In 

the membership of the Jasper Association were many of the foremost 

men of Savannah, including: John tannery, Peter W. Meldrim, John 

R. Dillon, John T. Ronan, J. J. McGowan, John H. Estill, George A. 

Mercer, W. 0. Tilton, Luke Carson, John Screven, Jordan F. Brooks, 

Jeremiah Cronin and J. K. Clarke. Though not as large as either the 

Greene or the Pulaski monument, it is quite as impressive, and from


the artistic standpoint is unexcelled by any memorial in the Forest City, 

whose monuments are world-renowned. 

Near the site of the present Central Railroad depot was the famous 

Spring Hill redoubt where Count Pulaski and Sergeant Jasper fell 

mortally wounded on October 9, 1779, during the ill-fated siege of 

Savannah. Superb monuments to these immortal heroes have been 

erected on Bull Street, the city's most beautiful thoroughfare. In 

addition, Savannah chapter of the D. A. R. has commemorated the 

heroic sacrifice which they made to liberty by placing a tablet on the 

hill. Miss Margaret Charlton, daughter of Judge Walter G. Charlton, 

of Savannah, and Miss Isabelle Harrison, a descendant of Colonel Isaac 

Huger, who planned the assault on Spring Hill redoubt, unveiled the 

tablet. On account of the distinguished part taken in the siege of 

Savannah by Count D'Estaing, the French government deputed a spe 

cial representative, Viscount Benoist d'Azy, an officer in the French 

navy, to attend the ceremonies. Monsieur Jtisserand, the French am 

bassador at Washington, and Governor Joseph M. Brown, of Georgia, 

made short addresses. 

On the old Augusta road, two miles above Savannah, is the scene of 

one of the boldest captures in the history of the Revolution: Jasper 

Spring. Here the brave Sergeant Jasper with the help of his comrade- 

in-arms, Sergeant Newton, rescued six American soldiers from the Brit 

ish officers who were taking them as prisoners of war from Ebenezer to 

Savannah. It was the work of stratagem; but there is not to be found 

in the annals of the war for independence a feat more courageous. The 

spring has ever since been called by the name of the gallant Irishman 

who later perished at the siege of Savannah. In 1902 Lachlin Mclntosh 

Chapter of the D. A. B. marked the site by placing here a beautiful 

memorial fountain to remind the wayfarer, while quenching his thirst, 

of the brave exploit with which this little spring is forever associated 

in Georgia's historic annals.

CHAPTER VI 

GEORGIA'S TERRITORIAL DOMAIN AS FIXED BY THE TREATY OF PARIS IN 

1783—EXTENDS TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON THE WEST AND TO THE 

ST. MARY'S RIVER ON THE SOUTH—AN ADDITIONAL STRIP ACQUIRED 

WEST OF THE CHATTAHOOCHEB, BELOW THE THIRTY-THIRD PAR 

ALLEL—SOUTH CAROLINA CLAIMS ALL THE TERRITORY OP GEORGIA 

SOUTH OF THE ALTAMAHA RIVER AS A PART OP HER ORIGINAL 

DOMAIN, NOT CEDED IN GEORGIA'S CHARTER—THIS CLAIM ABANDONED 

UNDER THE TREATY OF BEAUFORT, IN 1787—IMPOVERISHED CONDITION 

OF THE STATE AT THE CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION—BUT THE DOMI 

NANT SPIRIT OF THE ANGLO-SAXON ASSERTS ITSELF—IMMIGRATION 

FROM VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA INTO WILKES—GENERAL 

MAT.I-IEWS SETTLES A COLONY ON THE GOOSE POND TRACT—JOHN 

TALBOT ACQUIRES A LARGE GRANT—DR. LYMAN HALL BECOMES GOV 

ERNOR—HANDSOME ESTATES GRANTED TO REVOLUTIONARY HEROES— 

GENERAL NATHANAEL GREENE—GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE—MAJOR 

JAMES JACKSON—BOTH THE CREEKS AND THE CHEROKEES, HAVING 

SIDED WITH THE ENGLISH, FORFEIT LARGE TRACTS OF LAND. 

NOTES: GEORGIA'S FIRST NEWSPAPER—CHIEF JUSTICES UNDER THE 

CONSTITUTION OF 1777. 

Under the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, Georgia was left in nomi 

nal possession of all the territory for which her charter called. This 

embraced not only the fertile domain of coxintry between the Altamaha 

and the Savannah rivers, but a wide belt of territory extending from 

the headwaters of these streams westward to the Mississippi River. If 

a straight line be drawn on our present-day map from West Point, 

Georgia, to a point on the Mississippi where a tributary stream, called 

the Yazoo River, enters the Father of Waters, this line, corresponding 

roughly with the thirty-third degree of north latitude, will represent the- 

southern boundary of Georgia's western domain, as denned in the terms 

of her original grant from the Crown of England. 

But Georgia's territorial domain embraced at this time an additional 

strip of very great importance, extending in width along the Atlantic 

coast from Darien at the mouth of the Altamaha to St. Mary's, at a 

point where the Florida line touches the Atlantic Ocean. In length this 

strip extended to the Mississippi River. For years Spain had claimed 

this fertile zone to the south of the Altamaha; but, in 1763, having ceded 

Florida to England, her claims Avere no longer a standing menace and 

Georgia's southern frontier was, therefore, extended from Darien to 

St. Mary's. 

South Carolina regarded this extension with looks far from com- 

325


placent. She accordingly entered, a protest, claiming that Georgia origi 

nally had been, carved out of South Carolina and that all lands to the 

south of the Altamaha, not described in Georgia's charter, belonged not 

to Georgia but to South Carolina, this property having never left her 

possession. There was some basis in fact for this contention; but South 

Carolina agreed to abandon her claim at a conference between the two 

States, held at Beaufort, S. C., April 28, 1787.* 

But what of Georgia's territory to the west of the Chattahooehee 

River? When England, in 1763, acquired Florida from Spain, she 

divided her new province into two parts: East Florida, embracing a 

greater part of the peninsula, and West Florida, a strip extending along 

the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi River and bounded on the north 

by a line drawn from the Yazoo River eastward to the Chattahooehee. 

The territory north of West Florida to a point corresponding with the 

thirty-fifth parallel of north latitude was claimed by Georgia, under her 

royal grant. However, the Floridas did not long remain in England's 

possession. 

Taking advantage of conditions created by the Revolution, Spain 

sought to regain her lost possession. This she did; but only in part. 

; For, in the treaty of peace, under which Florida was ceded back to Spain 

in 1783, England fixed the northern boundary of this cession at the 

thirty-first parallel of north latitude, in consequence of which all the 

territory north of this line was ceded to the United States. But Spain 

became dissatisfied and refused to acknowledge the title of this country 

to the strip in dispute, embracing some two degrees of latitude in a strip 

reaching from the Chattahooehee to the Mississippi. Georgia also put 

in a claim to this territory, since it lay to the west of her own possessions, 

a claim which accorded with the policy of all the states, in asserting 

jurisdiction over lands to the west of them; but the United States 

authorities disputed Georgia's claim on. the ground that said strip had 

been acquired by the nation as a whole and that it belonged therefore to 

the Federal Government. 

Thus, for more than a decade subsequent to the Revolution, this West 

Florida boundary line remained a subject of contention; but in 1795 

Spain relinquished her claim to all territory north of the thirty-first 

parallel of north latitude, and once more Georgia asserted her claim to 

the entire region west of the Chattahooehee River. Matters were for a 

time quieted; but Spain was always a most unpleasant neighbor, and 

not until Florida was acquired by purchase from Spain in 1819 was the 

southern boundary line of Georgia definitely and finally settled. But 

when this time came she had already ceded her western lands to the 

Federal Government. 

Georgia, at the close of the Revolution, was left in a greatly impov 

erished condition. All of the important towns of the state were in 

ruins—Savannah, Augusta, Sunbury and Ebenezer. Her population 

Avas scattered. Agriculture was languishing. There were few negroes 

to till the fields, some having fled to other states, while not a few were 

* "Marbury and Crawford's Digest," pp. 662-667. Georgia was represented at 

this conference "by two commissioners, John Habersham and Lachlan Mclntosh.; 

South Carolina by three commissioners, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Andrew 

Piekens and Pierce Butler.


carried off by the royalists. Schools and churches were closed. There 

were no courts.and judges. Commercial operations had been suspended. 

It was a time of great heaviness, and to add to the prevailing distress 

there was an uprising of the Creek Indians. 

But the dominant spirit of the Anglo-Saxon asserted itself amid 

these trying conditions. The most helpless of all the colonies, Georgia 

was not discouraged, but turned her face hopefully and resolutely toward 

the sunrise of a new day. Nor was it long before streams of immigrants 

began to pour into the state from the northward, spreading out over the 

fertile Georgia uplands. Gen. George Mathews in 1783 settled a colony 

of Virginians in what was known as the Goose Pond tract on the Broad 

River. With him came the Gilmers, the Lumpkins, the McGhees, the 

Freemans, the Meriwethers and the Barnetts. John Talbot, a Virginian, 

also acquired at an early date extensive grants of land. Other bands of 

immigrants from the same state found homes on the Little River, some 

few miles further to the south and west. North Carolinians also began 

to come in large numbers, swelling the little communities in which Tar 

Heel settlers had already commenced to swarm on the eve of the Revolu 

tion. All of these settlements made between 1777 and 1783 were made 

in a region to which, under Georgia's first State Constitution, was given 

the name of Wilkes. From the forest stretches of this region, Colonel 

Elijah Clarke gathered his loyal band of partisans and marched to the 

overthrow of Toryism, in the famous battle of Kettle Creek. Gathering 

up the defenseless women and children of the Broad River district, 

Colonel Clarke had first taken these to a place of refuge beyond the 

mountains in Tennessee; and then returning to Georgia he had waged 

a relentless warfare against the enemies of Georgia, to whom all this 

part of Georgia was known as the "Hornet's Nest." Governor Wright 

had obtained these lands by cession from the Indians, in satisfaction of 

certain debts due to traders, the first cession having been made in 1763, 

the second in 1773; but as a penalty for having sided with the British, 

the Indians, as we shall see later, were forced to yield two large addi 

tional tracts to the whites. 

In 1783, Dr. Lyman Hall became governor. His administration was 

signalized by an act of confiscation, under which Georgia took possession 

of all lands, tenements, chattels, and other property interests belonging 

to those persons who had given help to England during the Revolution. 

When Georgia was in the hands of the British, in 1782, Governor 

"Wright, acting for the king, had confiscated the property of all who 

were then in resistance to the crown. Turn about, therefore, was only 

fair play. Governor Wright's property brought $160,000. Many who 

had served the state were handsomely recompensed. Gen. Nathanael 

Greene, for his part in redeeming Georgia from British domination, was 

given a magnificent estate on the Savannah River, containing some 2,100 

acres, formerly the home of Lieutenant-Governor John Graham; while 

a similar estate was bestowed upon Gen. Anthony Wayne, who had par 

ticipated in the closing drama of hostilities on Georgia soil. Both of 

these illustrious soldiers became citizens of Georgia. General Greene was 

also given a handsome estate on Cumberland Island. North Carolina 

and South Carolina both gave estates to General Greene, but he preferred 

to reside at Mulberry Grove, his Georgia estate, near Savannah. Maj.


James Jackson, for his service to the state, was given a fine old royalist 

home in Savannah. 

Both the Creeks and Cherokees, as above stated, sided with the 

British during the struggle for independence. In consequence, there 

was a forfeiture of land to the state at the close of hostilities.* Governor 

Hall was a man of vision. He realized fully the importance of an edu 

cated electorate in the upbuilding of a great commonwealth and out of 

his recommendations to the Legislature grew not only our earliest town 

academies but, as we shall see later, our state university at Athens. 

GEORGIA'S FIRST NEWSPAPER: THE GAZETTE.—Twelve years prior to the battle 

of Lexington, the earliest printing press was installed in Savannah; and on April 

7, 1763, appeared the initial number of the Georgia Gazette, edited by James John 

son. It was the eighth newspaper to be published in tie colonies. Beyond the 

announcement of vital statistics, the arrival and departure of vessels in the harbor, 

and items relating to traffic, the little weekly sheet contained no local news. Accord 

ing to one authority, Savannah and Charleston exchanged brieflets in regard to each 

other: the Charleston editor would gather information about Savannah from visitors 

who came to trade in Charleston; and this he would publish in the Charleston paper. 

Two weeks later it would appear in the Georgia Gazette, and vice versa. 

But the local column was soon developed. The spirit of resistance to the oppres 

sive measures of the British Parliament bore fruit in news items, which were published 

at first hand. The earliest bugle call for the patriots to assemble in Savannah was 

sounded through the columns of the Georgia Gazette, on July 14, 1774. They were 

requested to meet at the Liberty Pole, in front of Tondee's Tavern, on July 27 

folio-wing, and the card was signed by the famous quartette of liberty: Noble 

Wymberley Jones, Archibald Bulloch, John Houstoun and John Walton, the brother 

of the signer. Though a large number responded at the appointed time, the Province 

at large was not represented, and another call was issued for August 10, 1774. At 

this time, in spite of the governor's solemn edict of warning, also published in the 

Gazette, they met together and took conservative but firm action. The strong 

influence of the governor and the effective Opposition of such pronounced Loyalists 

as James Habersham and Noble Jones alone kept the assemblage .from sending 

delegates at this time to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. 

Among the patriots who responded to the earliest summons were: John Glen, 

Joseph Clay, Noble Wymberley Jones, John Houstoun, Lyman Hall, John Smith, 

William Yovmg, Edward Telfair, Samuel Parley, John Walton, George Walton, 

Joseph Habersham, Jonathan Bryan, Jonathan Cochrane, George Mclntosh, William 

Gibbons, Benjamin Andrew, John Winn, John Stirk, David Zoubly, H. L. Bourquin, 

Elisha Butler, William Baker, Parmenus Way, John Baker, John Stacy, John Morel 

arid others.—"Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. II. 

GEORGIA'S EARLY CHIEF JUSTICES.—Under the constitution of 1777, provision 

was made for a Supreme Court—not in the modern sense, however—to consist of a 

chief justice, with three or more associates residing in the counties. On account 

of unsettled conditions, court was seldom, held during this period. The names of 

the associates have been lost, but the following is a correct list of the chief 

justices of Georgia under the first state constitution: 

John Glen .......................................... 1777-1780 

William Steveus ..................................... 1780-1781 

John Wereat ........................................ 1781-1782 

Aedanus Burke .....................................1782-1782 

Richard Howley .....................................1782-1783 

George Walton .....................................1783-1786 

William Stith ...................................... .1786-1786 

John Houstoun .....................................1786-1787 

Henry Osborne ;....................................1787-1789 

Compiled from the records. 

'Martrary and Crawford's Digest, Treaties at Augusta," pp. 603-606.

CHAPTER VII 

RICHMOND ACADEMY Is CHABTEBED—GEORGIA'S OLDEST EDUCATIONAL 

INSTITUTION—Two GREAT COUNTIES ORGANIZED OUT OF THE LANDS 

ACQUIRED FKOM THE INDIANS: WASHINGTON AND FRANKLIN—IMMI 

GRANTS INVITED TO OCCUPY THESE VIRGIN DISTRICTS—How THE 

LANDS WERE DISTRIBUTED—ORIGIN OF THE SYSTEM KNOWN AS HEAD 

RIGHTS—LAND OFFICE OPENED IN AUGUSTA—GRANTS OF LAND TO 

REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS—EACH WAS GIVEN 250 ACRES, EXEMPT ' 

FROM TAXATION, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 15 PER CENT, IF THIS EXEMP 

TION WAS WAIVED—ALL THE LANDS GRANTED UNDER THE OLD HEAD 

RIGHTS SYSTEM LIE EAST OF THE OCONEE RIVER—INCLUDE ALSO A 

STRIP OF LAND EAST OF THE OLD COUNTY OF WAYNE—COUNT 

D'ESTAING GIVEN 20,000 ACRES OF LAND—FRANKLIN COLLEGE, AMER 

ICA'S OLDEST STATE UNIVERSITY, Is CHARTERED—IN LIEU OF CASH, 

40,000 ACRES OF LAND AKE DONATED BY THE STATE—SAMUEL ELBEBT 

BECOMES GOVERNOR—THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT Is TRANSFERRED TO 

AUGUSTA, WHERE IT REMAINS FOR TEN YEARS—MEANWHILE A COM 

MISSION Is APPOINTED TO LOCATE A SITE FOR A PERMANENT CAPITAL— 

AN OLD BOUNDARY LINE DISPUTE BETWEEN GEORGIA AND SOUTH 

CAROLINA Is SETTLED—THE TUGALO RIVER Is ACCEPTED AS THE MAIN 

STREAM OF THE SAVANNAH, FROM THE MOUTH OF WHICH GEORGIA'S 

NORTHERN BOUNDARY Is DRAWN.—DEATH OF GEN. NATHANAEL GREENE 

—FUNERAL OBSEQUIES—His PLACE OF INTERMENT FOR YEARS AN 

UNSOLVED ENIGMA—THE ARTICLES. OF CONFEDERATION HAVING 

PROVED UNSATISFACTORY, A CONVENTION Is CALLED TO DEVISE A NEW 

FEDERAL CONSTITUTION—THE ANNAPOLIS CONFERENCE—THE CONTI 

NENTAL CONGRESS—GEORGIA'S DELEGATES FROM 1775 TO 1789. 

NOTES: MULBERRY GROVE—GEORGIA'S OLDEST NEWSPAPER—GEORGIA'S 

OLDEST MILITARY ORGANIZATION. 

Under the State Constitution of 1777, provision was made for the 

establishment, in each county, of schools to be maintained at the general 

expense. Accordingly, in July, 1783, while Governor Hall was chief 

executive, a charter was granted by the Legislature to Richmond Acad 

emy, an institution which survives to the present day as the oldest of 

Georgia's schools. For years the trustees of Richmond Academy directed 

the affairs of the City of Augusta. Likewise, in 1783, a charter was 

granted for an academy to be located at Waynesboro, in the county of 

Burke. It was • not until February, 1788, that the Legislature granted 

a charter for Chatham Academy in Savannah, but the history of this 

institution has been resplendent Math achievement. 

329


In 1784, John Houstoun was for the second time called to the execu 

tive helm. It was during Governor Houstoun's administration that the 

lands acquired from the Indians, under treaties made at Augusta, in 

1783, were organized into two great counties: Washington and Frank 

lin. At the close of the Revolution there were eight counties in Georgia, 

all of which were created, as we have seen, by the Constitution of 1777. 

These were: Chatham, Burke, Effingham, Richmond, Glynn, Camden, 

Liberty and Wilkes. There were now in all ten counties. 

Immigrants were invited to occupy these newly acquired lands. 

One thousand acres was fixed as the limit for each family, under the sys 

tem of distribution in vogue, all additional lands to be acquired by 

purchase at the rate of three shillings per acre.'* Lands were distrib 

uted at this time under what was known as the Head Rights system, 

according to which method of conveyance each head of a family settling 

in Georgia was granted 200 acres for himself, fifty acres for each child, 

and fifty acres for each negro owned by him, not in excess of ten. 

_ Moreover, he was allowed to select and survey a body of unoccupied land 

to suit his own inclination. 

Head Rights were first granted by the trustees, under royal authority 

received from King George II of England. During the administration 

of Governor Ellis there arose some dispute concerning titles to land 

made by the Lord Proprietors of South Carolina, some of these titles 

antedating Georgia's establishment. At one time, it will be remembered, 

Georgia formed a part of South Carolina; and, when her charter was 

surrendered back to the Crown in 1752, there was a disposition on the 

part of South Carolina to extend her jurisdiction over a part of Geor 

gia's domain, to the south and west of the Altamaha. Accordingly, 

Governor Ellis caused an act to be passed by virtue of which all persons 

holding any lands or tenements whatsoever within the said province of 

Georgia, by and under grants from the trustees, or by and under grants 

obtained since the surrender of Georgia's charter, were '' established and 

confirmed in the possession of their several and respective lands and 

tenements"; and such grants were "accordingly ratified and confirmed 

and declared to be good and valid to all intents and purposes whatso 

ever, against all persons claiming any estate or interest therein, by and 

under the said Lord Proprietors of Carolina or by and under any former 

grants obtained before the date of his majesty's charter to said trustees 

for establishing the colony of Georgia, any act, law, or statute to the 

contrary notwithstanding." t 

There was passed at Savannah, on June 7, 1777, an act for the 

opening of a land office, under which, as above stated, every white person 

or head of a family was entitled to 200 acres of land for himself, besides 

fifty acres for each child and fifty acres for each negro, not to exceed 

ten in number. Later, the amount of land which one could acquire 

under these Head Right grants was limited to 1,000 acres; but for a 

stipulated sum he could increase his grant if he so desired. The grantee 

was free to choose his Head Right from any unoccupied lands, but to 

* "History of Georgia," E. P. Brooks, p. 143. 

t Article by Philip Cook, secretary of state, on Head Bights and Land Grants 

of Georgia, published in the "Joseph Habersham Collections," Vol. I, pp. SOS- 

SOS.


avoid confusion and to perfect his titles he was required to make proper 

returns. 

Bounties to Revolutionary soldiers to be paid in Head Rights were 

first authorized 'by an act passed August 20, 1781, at which time to 

encourage patriotism each soldier who was able to exhibit to the Legis 

lature a, certificate from his commanding officer as to his faithful dis 

charge of duty, was to be given 250 acres of land, when the expulsion 

of the British was successfully accomplished. On February 17, 1783, an 

act was passed providing for a land court to be opened at Augusta, where 

all soldiers on presentation of certificates were to receive each 250 acres 

of land, under Head Right grants, to be exempt from taxes for a period 

of ten years. If the grantee chose to waive this exemption, he was to 

receive an additional 15 per cent of land, making his Head Right call for 

287y2 acres of land. 

Under the provisions of this act over 4,000 Revolutionary soldiers 

received Head Rights to land lying chiefly in the two new counties of 

Franklin and Washington. With only a very few exceptions, these old 

soldiers waived exemption and assumed the payment of taxes to 

begin at once. Thousands were induced to settle in Georgia by reason 

of the state's liberal policy. For years subsequent to the Revolution, 

they continued to locate in Georgia and numbers of these acquired land 

under the various lottery acts of a later period. All the Head Right 

lands in Georgia, north of the Altamaha, lie east of the Oconee River; 

all south of the Altamaha lie east of the old original County of Wayne. 

As we have already seen, Georgia, at the close of the Revolution, 

granted handsome estates to Gen. Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island and 

to Gen. Anthony Wayne, of Pennsylvania, both of whom had accepted 

the state's generous gifts and become citizens of Georgia. The Legis 

lature of 1794, in keeping with this policy of rewarding the state's 

benefactors, granted 20,000 acres of land to Count D'Estaing for his 

heroic devotion to the cause of liberty, especially as evinced in his 

gallant but unsuccessful effort to raise the siege of Savannah. Deeply 

affected by this recognition of his gallantry, the noble count, who was 

then suffering from a dangerous wound, wrote a letter of grateful 

acceptance to Governor Houstoun, in which he said: '' The mark of its 

satisfaction which the State of Georgia was pleased to give me, after I 

had been wounded, was the most healing balm which could have been 

applied to my pains." 

Georgia's great educational needs loomed before her far-sighted law 

makers at this time with colossal import, forming a pillar of cloud by 

day and a pillar of fire by night. Governor Hall, in his message to the 

Legislature of 1783, had stressed these needs and in response thereto the 

General Assembly had chartered two academies, one for Richmond and 

one for Burke. But the Legislature of 1784 went still further by making 

a grant of 40,000 acres of land, with which to endow a college or seminary 

of learning. This was the germinal inspiration of our State University 

at Athens originally known as Franklin College. The land thus granted 

by the State Legislature was located in the two newly created counties, 

viz., Washington and Franklin; and the proceeds arising from its sale 

were to be utilized in the erection of buildings and in the purchase of


needed equipment. But further discussion of this subject is reserved 

for a subsequent chapter. 

In 1785 Samuel Elbert became governor; and in 1786 Edward Tel- 

fair was again called to the helm of affairs. 

With the return of peace, Savannah had once more become the seat 

of government; but the spread of Georgia's population toward the foot 

hills necessitated a change of location. There were no good roads in 

those days and since traveling in stage coach or on horse-back was nec 

essarily slow, settlers in the newly acquired lands were reluctant to 

make so long and hazardous a journey. During the Revolution the seat 

of government had twice been shifted to Augusta, and in the summer 

of 1783 the Legislature had again met in that town, which, for temporary 

purposes at least, seemed to offer a convenient site, and accordingly, in 

1786, the capital of the state was transferred to Augusta, where it re 

mained continuously until 1796. Meanwhile, however, the Legislature 

of 1786 appointed commissioners to locate a permanent site for the 

state capital. It was to be located within twenty miles of Galphin's 

Old Town and was to be called Louisville. The commission appointed 

by Governor Telfair to locate a site was as follows: Nathan Brownson, 

William Few and Hugh Lawson. Ten years elapsed before this com 

mission finally completed its work. 

While Samuel Elbert was governor in 1785 an old boundary line 

dispute between Georgia and South Carolina reached an eruptive state. 

South Carolina contended that Georgia's northern boundary line should 

be run from the mouth of the Tugalo River, whereas Georgia contended 

that her northern boundary line should run. from the mouth of the 

Keowee. To increase the irritation produced by this issue, South Caro 

line again claimed all the lands in Georgia to the south of the Altamaha 

River. She finally appealed the matter for settlement to the Conti 

nental Congress, which body, in 1785, selected a court to hear both sides; 

but the two states in the meantime, having agreed to adjust the matter 

amicably, a conference was held at Beaufort, South Carolina, in 1787, at 

which time the Tugalo River was accepted by both states as the main 

stream of the Savannah River; and accordingly it was from the mouth 

of the Tugalo that Georgia's northern boundary line should be drawn. 

When the line was finally surveyed, it was found that a strip of terri 

tory twelve miles wide, extending westward to the Mississippi River 

belonged to South Carolina, but since this strip was of no practical 

value to that state, it was deeded by South Carolina to the Federal 

Government, by which it was deeded back to Georgia in 1802. As a re 

sult of the Beaufort conference, South Carolina also agreed to relinguish 

her claims to the region of country lying between Darien and.St. Marys.* 

On November 19, 1786, Gen. Nathanael Greene died at Mulberry 

Grove as the result of a sunstroke. The illustrious soldier had been a 

resident of Georgia for only two years. At the time the Legislature of 

this state conferred the Graham plantation upon General Greene, North 

Carolina voted him 25,000 acres of land on Duck River and South Caro 

line gave him an estate valued at £10,000 sterling on Edisto River. He 

chose to establish his residence at Mulberry Grove, even in preference 

*"Crawford and Marbmy's Digest," pp. 662-667. '


;> 

to the home of his birth in Rhode Island; and, on October 14, 1785, he 

left for Georgia, to become one of her honored and beloved citizens. 

Regarding- his life at Mulberry Grove, one of his biographers, WiL 

liam Johnson, says: * '' His time was altogether devoted to the educa 

tion of a charming family, the cultivation of his land, and the paternal 

care of his slaves. The intervals of his more serious employments were 

agreeably filled by a select library and by a spirited correspondence 

with his numerous friends, as well in Europe as in America; and he 

resigned himself, without reserve, to the enjoyments of his fireside and 

to the interchange of civilities with his numerous and wealthy neigh 

bors." In November, soon after his arrival, he writes: f "We found 

the house, situation, and out-buildings, more convenient and pleasing 

than we expected. The prospect is delightful, and the house magnifi 

cent. We have a coach-house, with stables, a large out-kitchen, and a 

poultry house nearly fifty feet long by twenty wide, parted for differ 

ent kinds of poultry, with a pigeon-house on the top, which will contain 

not less than a thousand pigeons. Besides these, there is a fine smoke 

house. The garden is in ruins, but there are still a variety of shrubs 

and flowers in it." 

Again, in the month of April following, General Greene writes: $ 

'' This is the busy season with us. We are planting. We have upwards 

of sixty acres of corn and expect to have one hundred and thirty of 

rice. The garden is delightful. The fruit-trees and flowering shrubs 

form a pleasing variety. We have green peas almost fit to eat, and as 

fine lettuce as ever you saw. The mocking birds surround us evening 

and morning. The weather is mild and the vegetable kingdom progress 

ing to perfection. We have in the same orchard apples, pears, peaches, 

apricots, nectarines, plums of different. kinds, pomegranates, and 

oranges. And we have strawberries which measure three inches round. 

All these are clever, but .the want of our friends to enjoy them with us, 

makes them less interesting." General Greene was destined never to 

see the fruit then blossoming at Mulberry Grove. 

On Monday, June 12, 1786, General Greene's presence was required 

at Savannah. He made the journey, accompanied by his wife, and vis 

ited the home of Maj. Nathaniel Pendleton, one of his aides during the 

war; and here, under the roof of his old friend, they passed the night. 

. On the next morning they started early for home, intending to spend 

the day at the house of Mr. William Gibbons. They arrived at the 

latter's plantation early in the forenoon and, after breakfast, the gentle 

men walked into the rice-field together, to view the progress of the crop, 

in which General Greene was much interested. The sun was intensely 

hot, but,General Greene had been too long a soldier to fear any danger 

from the warm southern sun. On the way home, in the evening, he 

complained of a severe pain in the head. It grew worse, and by Thurs 

day his forehead was very much inflamed and swollen. Major Pendle 

ton fortunately arrived on a visit, and, his apprehensions aroused by 

* "Win. Johnson's Life of Nathanael Greene," Vol. II, p. 418, 1822. 

t "The Remains of Major-General Nathanael Greene, a Report of the Special 

Committee of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, etc.," p. 79, Providence, 

Rhode Island, 1903. 

J Ibid., p. 79.


^ 

an obvious depression of spirits on the part of his old commander, who 

seemed loath t& join in the conversation, he urged him to consult a 

doctor. On the next morning the physician arrived, took a little blood 

and administered some ordinary prescription, but the inflammation 

increasing another physician was called into consultation. The disease, 

having now assumed an alarming aspect, it was decided to blister the 

temples and to let the blood freely; but it was too late; the head had 

swollen greatly, and the patient lapsed into a total stupor, from which 

he never revived. Early on the morning of Monday, November 19, 

1786, he died. 

Gen. Anthony AYayne, whose plantation was not far distant, hearing 

of the illness of his friend, hastened to his bedside, and was with him 

when the end came. In a letter addressed to Maj. James Jackson, he 

said: '' He was great as a soldier, greater as a citizen, immaculate as a 

friend. His corpse will be at Major Pendletoii's this night, the funeral 

from thence in the evening. The greatest honors of war are due his re 

mains. You, as a soldier, will take the proper order on this melancholy 

affair. Pardon this scrawl; my feelings are too much affected because 

I have seen a great and a good man die." When the news reached' 

Savannah, it produced overwhelming sorrow. Preparations were hastily 

made to do full honor to the memory of the distinguished man and to 

surround the obsequies with the dignity befitting his high rank and 

character. On Tuesday, the day after his death, the remains were taken 

by water to Savannah, thence to the home of Major Pendleton, which 

stood on Bay Street, next to the corner of Barnard Street, and close to 

the water's edge. In front of this house the militia, representatives of 

the municipality, members of the Society of the Cincinnati, and many 

persons in private and official life, received the body. Flags in the har 

bor were lowered to half-mast, the shops and stores in town were closed, 

and labor of every kind was suspended. At about 5 o'clock in the after 

noon, the funeral procession started from the Pendleton house to the 

Colonial Cemetery, belonging to Christ Church; the. artillery in Fort 

Wayne firing minute-guns as the long lines advanced; the band playing 

the solemn "Dead March in Saul." 

On reaching the burial ground, where a vault had been opened, the 

regiment filed to right and left, resting 011 arms until the funeral train 

had passed to the tomb. Then the Hon. William Stevens, judge of the 

Superior Court of Chatham County and Grand Master of the Masons, 

took his place at the head of the coffin, since there were no clergymen in 

the town at this time, and, with tremulous voice, read the funeral service 

of the Church of England. Then the body was placed in the vault; 

the files closed, with three general discharges; the artillery fired thirteen 

rounds, and, with trailed arms, all slowly and silently withdrew. Al 

though so large a number of people attended the funeral obsequies 

and participated in the deep grief which followed the death of this 

distinguished man, the place of his burial, due to a singular combina 

tion of circumstances, became in a little more than thirty years unknown 

to the local authorities and remained for over a century an unsolved 

enigma. 

On February 3, 1786, a new county was organized out of lands taken 

from AVashington, and in honor of Gen. Nathanael Greene, of the Revo-


lution, was called Greene. Most of its early settlers were veterans of 

the war for independence. 

There was held in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786, a conference out 

of which grew the call for a convention to organize a more stable govern 

ment. The Articles of Confederation had failed to meet the needs of the 

nation. As independent sovereignties, each of the original thirteen 

states was jealous of its own individual rights and powers; and with no 

cohesive force to unite them the nation was in imminent peril, not only 

from foes without but from dissensions within. The Continental Con 

gress was wholly powerless to deal with this awkward situation and was 

soon to be superseded by a new form, of government. But the details of 

this change are reserved for a subsequent chapter. Georgia, from first 

to last, was represented in the Continental Congress by the following 

delegates: Archibald Bulloch, 1775-1776; Lyman Hall, 1775-1777; John 

Houstoun, 1775-1777; Noble Wymberley Jones, 1775-1776, 1781-1783; 

John J. Zubly, 1775-1776; Button Gwinnett, 1776-1777; George Walton, 

1776-1779, 1780-1781; Nathan Brownson, 1776-1778; Edward Lang- 

worthy, 1777-1779; Edward Telfair, 1777-1779,1780-1783; Joseph Wood, 

1777-1779; Joseph Clay, 1778-1780; William Few, 1780-1782, 1785-1788; 

Richard Howley, 1780-1781; William Gibbons, 1784-1786; William 

Houstoun, 1784-1787; Abraham Baldwin, 1785-1788; John Habersham, 

1785-1786; and William Pierce, 1786-1787.* 

MULBERRY GROVE: THE GENERAL GREENE ESTATE WHERE THE COTTON GIN WAS 

INVENTED.—Fourteen miles above Savannah, on the south side of the river, stood the 

dignified old mansion of Gen. Nathanael Greene, surrounded by 2,170 acres of the 

best river bottom land in Georgia. Besides recalling the illustrious soldier, who 

ranks second only to Washington, the Mulberry Grove Plantation was the scene of 

.Eli Whitney 's great invention: the cotton gin. This was formerly the home of 

the royal lieutenant-governor, John Graham; but having been forfeited to the 

State of Georgia, it was given to General Greene in appreciation of his services, 

in expelling the British invader from Georgia soil. The estate was one of the 

finest in the neighborhood of Savannah, a statement sufficiently attested by the 

fact that the lieutenant-governor sought to recover the sum of £50,000 sterling, 

by way of indemnification. President Washington, on his visit to Georgia, in 

1791, stopped at Mulberry Grove to pay his respects to the widow Greene. 

The dwelling remained in an excellent state of preservation until recent years, 

when it was partially wrecked by a storm, after which it was not rebuilt. The 

site formerly occupied by the old homestead is now the property of Mr. Van E. 

Winckler.—'' Georgia 's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. I. 

GEORGIA'S OLDEST SURVIVING NEWSPAPER.—To the City o'f Augusta belongs the 

credit of possessing the oldest newspaper in Georgia: the Chronicle and Constitutional 

ist. It is the outgrowth of two very early sheets which were years ago combined: the 

Chronicle, founded in 1785, and the Constitutionalist, founded in 1799. Much of 

the history of Georgia has been reflected in the columns of this time-honored journal, 

and in those of the papers which united to form it; nor is it invidious to say that 

few organs of public opinion in the South have been so dominant in shaping plat 

forms and policies. The old Chronicle itself was formerly a compound. Back in 

tho '40s sometime, its owners purchased the Sentinel, a paper edited by Judge 

Longstreet, whose pen could be trenchant and caustic as well as playfully humorous. 

It was the era of polemics; and bitter beyond anything known to recent years 

were the acrimonious controversies of ante-bellum days. The olive-branch was 

unknown. Harsh words almost invariably ended in personal encounters, and 

quarrels over trifles were frequently adjourned to the field of honor; but the fear 

'Biog. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 26.


of bloodshed operated as no deterrent to men of Cavalier antecedants.—"Georgia's 

Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. I. 

GEORGIA'S OLDEST MILITARY ORGANIZATION.—On May 1, 1786, before the adop 

tion of the Federal Constitution, the martial enthusiasm of Savannah asserted itself 

iti the organization of the oldest military company in Georgia: the Chatham Artillery; 

and the initial appearance of the newly organized command was made some few days 

later at the funeral obsequies of the illustrious soldier, Maj-Gen. Nathanael Gfreene. 

On Independence Day following the company participated in the patriotic exercises; 

and, attired in full uniform, lent picturesque and dramatic interest to the occasion. 

Among the original members were several veterans of the Revolution; but, even in the 

faces of the youthful members, there glowed the defiant and intrepid spirit of '76. 

Capt. Edward Lloyd, a one-armed Revolutionary soldier, was the first commandant. 

The visit of President Washington to Georgia, in 1791, marked another important 

event in the life of the Chatham Artillery; and, so impressed was the nation's 

chief magistrate with the splendid appearance of the • organization that, when he 

returned to Philadelphia he ordered two handsome bronze field-pieces to be forwarded 

to the Chatham Artillery with the compliments of the President of the United States. 

These proved to be sis-pounders, both of which were trophies of war captured from 

the British; and, on one of them was inscribed these words: "Surrendered at the 

capitulation of York Town, October nineteenth, 1781. Honi soit qui mal y pense— 

G. R." It was cast in 1756 during the reign of George II; and, besides the inscrip 

tion, it bore the stamp of the imperial crown. Though no longer used in actual 

service the "Washington Guns" are still treasured among the most precious keep 

sakes and mementoes of the ancient organization. The Chatham Artillery participated 

in the War of 1812 and in the war between the states. When hostilities with Mexico 

began in 1845 the services of the company were offered to the United States Govern 

ment but they were not needed. 

During the first week of May, 1886, the centennial jubilee of the Chatham Artillery 

was celebrated. Visiting companies from various states of the Union enjoyed the 

lavish hospitality of Savannah; fetes and tournaments were held in compliment to 

the city's distinguished guests; and round after round of merriment imparted an 

endless charm of variety to the historic festival. Serious business of every kind 

was suspended. Old soldiers held reunions; the hatchet was buried; and both the 

blue and the gray met in fraternal converse around the same camp-fires. It will 

ever be a source oif the keenest satisfaction to the people of Savannah that they were 

privileged to entertain at this time the great leader of the los,t cause. He was then 

an old man, near the end of his long life of four score years; and it marked one of 

the very few occasions, after the war, when the recluse of Beauvoir consented to 

appear in public. With him was Winnie, the beloved and only "Daughter of the 

Confederacy,'' whose birth in the White House at Richmond, during the last year 

of the war, gave her this peculiar and exclusive title of honor.—"Georgia's Land 

marks, Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. I. 

GEORGIA'S OLDEST ORGANIZATION OF CAVALKT.—Emulous of the brave deeds of 

men like Screven. and Stewart and Mclutosh, the sons of these men and of those 

who fought with them, met together and organized—either in 1791 or in 1792—the 

Liberty Independent Troop. It survives to the present day—the oldest cavalry 

organization in Georgia. With the single exception of the Chatham Artillery, it is 

the oldest military organization of any kind: a distinction of which the county.may 

well be proud. In the various state tournaments which have been held from time 

to time, the Liberty Independent Troop has seldom failed to win the trophies. Its 

record in this respect is phenomenal. In 1845 another .company was organized in 

the upper part of the county, viz., the Liberty Guards, an organization which likewise 

exists today. To quote Doctor Stacy: "These companies have never failed to make 

the offer of their services when needed by their country, and they have won laurels on 

every knighted field."—"Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," L. L. 

Knight, Vol. I.

CHAPTER VIII 

THE OCONEE WAR—GROWS OUT OF CERTAIN INDIAN TREATIES NEGO 

TIATED BY THE STATE WITHOUT CONSULTING THE GENERAL GOVERN 

MENT—UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ALEXANDER MCGILLIVRAT, AN 

ARTFUL HALF-BREED CHIEF OF THE CHEEKS, THESE TREATIES ARE 

REPUDIATED—INDIAN DEPREDATIONS ON THE BORDER—THE CONTI 

NENTAL CONGRESS INVALIDATES Two OF THE GEORGIA TREATIES: 

GALPHINTON AND SHOULDER-BONE—DESULTORY WARFARE CONTINUES 

UNTIL WASHINGTON BECOMES PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES— 

THE TREATY OF NEW YORK—INDIANS GUARANTEED POSSESSION OF 

CERTAIN LANDS, INCLUDING THE TALLASSEE STRIP—THIS ANGERS 

GEORGIA AND BECOMES A SOURCE OF PROLONGED IRRITATION—UNREPRE 

SENTED AT THE CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK—THE WAR CONTINUES— 

BUT THE DEATH OF McGiLLivRAY AT LENGTH BRINGS HOSTILITIES TO 

AN END—THE TREATY OF COLERAINE IN 1795 RESTORES AN OLD 

FRIENDSHIP, THOUGH No LANDS ARE CEDED—THE MORAVIAN MISSION 

AT SPRING PLACE IN THE COHUTTA MOUNTAINS. , 

NOTES :—THE BATTLE OF JACK'S CREEK. 

We have reserved for the concluding chapter of this section an account 

of the Oconee war. Both of the treaties made at Augusta, in 1783, the one 

with the Creeks and the other with the Cherokees, were made without 

consulting the general government which, under the Articles of Confed 

eration, was given jurisdiction over Indian affairs. The Continental 

Congress of 1785, therefore, dispatched commissioners to these tribes, 

with instructions to make definite peace and, if possible, to obtain further 

cessions. The state also appointed commissioners to attend these nego 

tiations and to protest any measure which might seem to exceed the powers 

conferred by the Articles of Confederation.* In due time, the Creeks 

were invited to a conference at Galphinton, but only a small delega 

tion responded to this overture. The commissioners of the general 

government refused to negotiate a treaty under these circum 

stances and left for Hopewell, South Carolina, to keep an engagement 

with the Cherokees. But the Georgians, seizing the strategic opportunity, 

made a treaty with the chiefs on the spot, obtaining from them a cession 

in the name of the whole Creek Nation, to the region south of the Alta- 

maha River, called Tallassee.t According to the treaty of Galphin 

ton, a line drawn from the confluence of the Oconee and Ocmulgee 

rivers "to the most southern part of the stream called the St. Marys 

*" Georgia and State Bights, 

t Ibid., p. 40. 

U. B. Phillips, p. 40. 

337


river," was declared to be the rightful boundary line between the 

Indians and the whites. This treaty was formally signed on Novem 

ber 12, 1785. Georgia's two commissioners who negotiated it were: 

John Twiggs and Elijah Clarke.'* 

On November 3, 1786, at Shoulder-bone, in what is now the County of 

Hancock, a treaty was negotiated by Georgia commissioners, with a small 

delegation of Creeks, who assumed to act for the whole nation, under 

the terms of which agreement the Creek titles to all lands east of the 

Oconee were extinguished. On the part of the state, this instrument was 

witnessed by the following commissioners: John Habersham, Abraham 

Ravot, J. Clements, James 0 'Neil, John King, James Powell, Ferdinand 

0 'Neil and Jared Irwin. On the part of the Creeks it was signed by fifty- 

nine chiefs, head-men and warriors.! 

To these treaties, a large element of the Creeks were hostile claiming 

that, in each instance, the commissioners of Georgia had negotiated with a 

mere handful of chiefs who represented only a minority sentiment among 

the tribes to whom these ceded lands belonged. Moreover, it was claimed 

(by the Creeks with sound logic that both of these treaties were null and 

void, having been negotiated by the State of Georgia, when the treaty 

making power was vested in the Continental Congress. Plad there been 

a strong central government at this time, the treaties in question would 

undoubtedly have been abrogated and the Oconee war, with its train of 

horrors, would have been happily averted. 

The commanding spirit among the hostile Creeks at this time was an 

Indian half-breed named Alexander McGillivray, an artful leader to 

whose Indian craft was added a lot of Scotch shrewdness. During the 

colonial period, his father, Lachlan McGillivray, had made his appear 

ance in the Creek Nation as a trader, and had married an Indian princess, 

from which union Alexander McGillivray had sprung. 

McGillivray was a man of decided gifts, of a somewhat delicate mold, 

well-educated for one whose life was to be spent in a wilderness, among 

savage tribes. He was ambitious to shape the destiny of his people, but 

if some of his critics are not unduly biased, he was destitute of any great 

amount of physical courage and was careful always to keep his person 

ality in the background, while directing the hostile movements of his 

dusky warriors. To resist these treaties, he fired the whole Creek Nation. 

On investigation, the Continental Congress declared the treaties made 

at Galphinton and Shoulder-bone illegal; but it possessed no strong arm 

of authority with which to overrule the people of Georgia. Consequently 

the Creeks, finding themselves without recourse, began to make raids 

upon the white settlements and to convert the disputed border into a sav 

age inferno, red alike with the blood of slaughtered victims and with the 

fire of burning habitations. This long protracted series of bloody incur 

sions upon the white settlements has sometimes been called the Creek war, 

but to distinguish it from other troublous affairs with, these Indians it is 

perhaps best to call it the Oconee war. Despite the incessant bloodshed 

and havoc which followed, settlers at imminent peril to life continued to 

move over into these disputed lands, east of the Oconee, where they lived 

*"Marbury and Crawford's Digest, Treaty of Galphinton," pp. 607-608. 

t "Marbury and Crawford's Digest, Treaty of Shoulder-bone," pp. 619-621.


in log huts erected at intervals along the river. Desultory warfare is 

always most vexatious. Without decisive results, it makes existence a 

nightmare of uncertainty and- prevents any settled conditions or habits 

of life. When a new central government was formed with Washington 

at its head, the promise of a speedy cessation of hostilities, was offered, 

since authority in the realm of Indian affairs was then transferred to the 

Federal Government, with full power to act. But there was no immediate 

solution for this vexed problem. Washington was inclined to approve 

Georgia's contention, but his characteristic caution, re-enforced by a de 

sire to be absolutely just, caused him to send a confidential agent to Mc- 

Gillivray, with a message inviting him to a conference in New York. 

This invitation was accepted; and on August 7,1790, a compact known 

as the Treaty of New York was signed. Under this instrument the Creeks 

agreed for a monetary consideration to confirm the treaty at Shoulder- 

bone, ceding all lands to the east of the Oconee, but refused to recognize 

the treaty of Galphinton and insisted upon inserting in the new compact 

an article reserving the Tallassee country to the Creek nation. More 

over, the Indians were guaranteed possession of all remaining lands.* 

Here we find something entirely new. Nor was Georgia prepared 

quietly to acqruesce in any such perpetual guarantee of titles to savage 

tribes upon her soil. Says Mr. Phillips: t "The Georgians at once at 

tacked this article as an unwarranted stretch of the Federal power. 

James Jackson declared in Congress that the treaty was spreading alarm 

among the people of Georgia, and complained that it ceded away a great 

region which was guaranteed to the State by the Federal Constitution. 

The State Legislature adopted a remonstrance, in which the fear was 

expressed that the giving of such a guarantee by the central government 

would lead to the conclusion that sovereignty over such lands belonged to 

the United States; whereas said sovereignty appertained solely to the 

State of Georgia, not having been granted to the Union by any compact 

whatsoever. The discord over the unoccupied lands was due to oppos 

ing conceptions of the status of the Indian tribes. The theory of the co 

lonial governments had been that these tribes were independent commu 

nities with the rights and powers of sovereign nations. But public 

opinion was beginning to revert to the original European conception that 

the relations of the tribes to civilized nations were merely those of de 

pendent communities without sovereignty and without any right to the 

soil but that of tenants at will. The reorganization of the Government in 

1789 brought no change of Indian policy so far as concerned the central 

authorities. On the other hand, the State governments were growing 

more positive in their own views. * * * The frontier sellers did not 

stop with coldly disapproving the treaty. They hotly declared that they 

would permit no line to be marked out as a permanent boundary between 

Georgia and the Creek lands denied to her. Further trouble was made 

by a party of the Creeks dominated by Spanish influence. Frontier dep 

redations began again and continued spasmodically for several years. 

The Georgians became highly incensed at the Indian outrages, the more 

so because of the impossibility of deciding where retaliation should be 

* '' Marbury and Crawf ord 's Digest, Treaty of New York,'' pp. 621-625. 

t "Georgia and State Eights," TJ. B. Phillips, pp. 42-43.


made. A large number of the Creeks were known to be friendly, but 

exact knowledge of the attitude of each village could not be obtained." 

Georgia was not represented at the New York conference, to which 

treatment she was inclined to demur. Gen. Elijah Clark, of Revolution 

ary fame, resented so strongly this guarantee to the Indians that he 

illegally crossed the Oconee and sought to establish a settlement, but was 

forced to desist by the state authorities.* 

Since the Tallassee country still remained a bone of contention, the 

flames of war soon burst forth anew. Marauding expeditions against the 

white settlements increased in number to such an extent that Governor 

Telfair, then occupying the executive chair, proposed a chain of block 

houses reaching from Florida to North Carolina as a necessary means 

of defense to insure the safety of white settlers. Gen. John Twiggs, 

at the head of a militia force, 700 strong, was dispatched against the 

Creeks, but failure of supplies made the expedition abortive. Wash 

ington was urged to intervene; but he opposed a national declaration of 

war against the Creeks many of whom.1 were anxious for peace. Besides, 

such a course was more than likely to stir up strife among the Cherokees 

and bring on trouble with Spain. 

But the death of Alexander McGillivray, in February, 1793, caused an 

unexpected rift in the clouds which had long drooped heavily over the 

white settlements. The Creeks became disorganized. James Seagrove, 

an Indian agent, representing the United States Government, took up his 

residence in Georgia for the purpose of tranquilizing conditions. He suc 

ceeded in bringing about a friendly interview between Governor Mathews 

and a delegation of Creek chiefs, all of which may have had its effect in 

causing the Legislature to approach the Federal Government on the sub 

ject of treaty negotiations. 

On June 25, 1795, Washington appointed three commissioners to 

treat with the Creek Indians, in the hope of a satisfactory settlement. 

These commissioners were: Benjamin Hawkins, George Clymer and 

Andrew Pickens.t Coleraine, an Indian post, on the St. Mary's River, 

forty-five miles above St. Mary's, afterwards the site of Fort Piekering, 

was selected as the place for this important conference; and here, on 

June 29, 1796, a treaty of peace and friendship between the President 

of the United States and the Creek Nation of Indians was negotiated. 

This solemn document was signed by numerous kings, head-men and 

warriors of the Creek Nation and by all the commissioners representing 

the Federal Government. There were commissioners present from Geor 

gia, but they took no formal part in these proceedings. As soon as all 

was over, they protested in a formal manner against certain items. It 

was merely as onlookers delegated to keep a watchful eye upon the 

state's interests that they were present at these negotiations; but they 

typified a sentiment which was steadily growing more and more power 

ful in Georgia, a sentiment partial to extreme State Rights. Georgia's 

conservatism in the Federal Convention of 1787 was pronounced, as we 

shall see in a succeeding chapter. She needed the protection which 

only a strong central Government could give to her exposed borders. 

* See Chapter 5, Section III. 

t "Marbury and Crawford's Digest, Treaty of Coleraine," pp. 632-637.


But to be ignored entirely «by the Federal authorities in negotiations 

which vitally affected her welfare and to be forced into accepting 

guarantees offensive to her sovereignty, under which guarantees Indian 

titles to her soil had been confirmed, these were well calculated to arouse 

her consciousness of independent statehood and to transfer her alle 

giance from Federalism to Democracy. 

Under the Treaty of Coleraine no lands were ceded, but the Treaty of 

New York was ratified, leaving the beautiful Tallassee lands still in 

possession of the Creeks. Only a part of this territory was ceded in 

1802, and it was not until after the War of 1812 that Georgia finally 

obtained ^lndisp^^ted possession of all these lands to the south and west 

of the Altamaha River. 

But while the state was thus embroiled in constant warfare, with the 

Creeks a far happier picture invites our gaze as we conclude this chapter 

with a scene enacted in the peaceful land of the Cherokees. Spring 

Place, the coxinty seat of Murray, is associated with the early efforts of 

a quaint religious sect to evangelize the children of the forest. Here, in 

the beautiful heart of the Cohutta Mountains, in 1801, the Moravians 

established a mission, and began to labor for the spiritual uplift of the 

Cherokee Indians. Commissioned by the Society of United Brethren, 

Rev. Abraham Sterm, first penetrated the wilds of this mountain re 

gion during the latter part of the eighteenth century; and, though he 

pressed the matter with great vigor in the council of the nation, he 

was refused. On a similar errand, in 1800, he failed again; but David 

Vann, an influential chief of mixed blood, agreed to help him this time, 

and land was given him on which to start his experiment. In the course 

of time, opposition on the part of the other chiefs was withdrawn, and 

the mission began to prosper. Many of the Cherokees were eventually 

baptized and brought into the church. There was a manual school 

opened in connection with the mission at Spring Place. The first wagon 

built by the pupils was given to the chief who contributed the land to 

the mission. But he was severely criticized by his tribe for accepting 

this present. The objection was: "If we have wagons, there must be 

wagon roads; and if wagon roads, the whites will soon be among us.'' 

Another mission was established in 1821 at Oothcaloga. Both were in 

a flourishing condition, when removed to the "West at the time of the 

deportation. The Cherokee Indians loved the gentle Moravians, by 

whom they were never deceived or defrauded. 

THE BATTLE OF JACK'S CREEK.—On September 21, 1787, there was fought in a 

thick eane-brake, near the site of the pi-esent Town of Mbnroe, a famous engagement 

between a party of Creek Indians and a[ band of pioneer settlers. The principal 

actors in the drama, on the side of the whites, were distinguished veterans of the 

Bevolution, one of whom afterwards became governor of the state. The attack upon 

the enemy was made in three divisions. Gen. Elijah Clarke, the illustrious old hero 

of Kettle Creek, commanded the center; his son, Maj. John Clarke, led the left 

wing; while Col. John Freeman commanded the right. The story is best told in the 

language of the elder Clarke. Says he, in his report of the battle, dated Long Cane, 

September 24, 1787: "I had certain information that a man was killed on the 

17th of this month by a party of six or seven. Indians and that on the day before, 

Colonel Barber, with a small party was waylaid by fifty or sixty Indians and wounded, 

and three of his party killed. This determined me ,to raise what men I eould in the 

course of twenty-four hours and march with them to protect the frontiers; in which


space of time I collected 160 men, chiefly volunteers, and proceeded to-, the place 

•where Colonel Barber had been attacked. There I found the bodies of the three 

men mentioned above, mangled in a shocking manner, and after burying them I 

proceeded on the trail of the murderers as far as the south fork of the Ocmulgee 

where, finding that 'I had no chance of overtaking them, I left it and went up the 

river till I met with a fresh trail of Indians, coming toward our frontier settlement. 

I immediately turned and followed the trail until the morning of the 21st, between 

II and 12 o'clock, when I came up with them. They had just crossed a branch called 

Jack's Creek, through a thick crane-brake, and were encamped and cooking upon an 

eminence. My force then consisted of 130 men, 30 having been sent back on account 

of horses being' tired or stolen. I drew up my men in three divisions: the right 

commanded by Colonel Freeman, the left by Major Clarke, and the middle by myself. 

Colonel Freeman and Major Clarke were ordered to surround and charge the Indians, 

which they did with such dexterity and spirit that they immediately drove them from 

the encampment into1 the cane-brake, where, finding it impossible for them to escape, 

they obstinately returned our fire until half past four o'clock, when they ceased, 

except now and then a shot. During the latter part of the action, they seized every 

opportunity of escaping in small parties, leaving the rest to shift for themselves.'' 

White states that in this engagement there were not less than 800 Indians. They 

were commanded by Alexander McGillivray, a famous half-breed. 

Col. Absalom H. Chappell, in discussing General Clarke's account of the battle, 

makes this comment. Says he: " It is striking to read his report of this battle to 

Gov. Mathews. No mention is made in it of his having a son in the battle, though 

with a just paternal pride, commingled with a proper delicacy, he emphasizes together 

the gallant conduct of Colonel Freeman and Major Clarke, and baptizes the hitherto 

nameless stream on which the battle was fought, by simply saying that it was called 

Jack's Creek—a name then but justly bestowed by admiring comrades in arms in 

compliment to the General's youthful son on this occasion. Long after the youth 

had ceased to be young and the frosts of winter had gathered upon his warlike and 

lofty brow, thousands and thousands of Georgians used still to repeat the name of 

Jack Clarke, without prefix of either Governor or General and to remember him 

too as the hero of the well-fought battle of Jack's Creek.''—'' Georgia's Landmarks, 

Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, Vol. I.

SECTION III 

THE EARLY COMMONWEALTH PERIOD, OR THE BEGINNING 

OF A GREAT STATE

CHAPTER I 

GEORGIA THE FOURTH STATE TO RATIFY THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION— 

HER, REMOTENESS FKOM THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT ALONE DENIES HER 

THE FIRST HONORS—NEARLY A MONTH ELAPSES BEFORE A COPY OF 

THE NEW COMPACT OF UNION Is RECEIVED BY THE STATE AUTHORITIES 

—GEORGIA 's ACTION UNANIMOUS—THREE STATES, NEW YORK, RHODE 

ISLAND AND NORTH CAROLINA, AT FIRST REJECT THE INSTRUMENT 

BECAUSE IT INVOLVED A SURRENDER OF Too MUCH SOVEREIGN POWER 

—WHY GEORGIA FAVORED A STRONG CENTRAL GOVERNMENT—THE 

GREAT CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1787—WASHINGTON ITS 

PRESIDENT—AN ASSEMBLAGE OF MASTER-MINDS—GEORGIA'S DELE 

GATES—THREE GREAT COMPROMISES OF THE CONSTITUTION—GEORGIA, 

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, FAVORS AN UNEQUAL REPRESENTATION IN 

THE LOWER HOUSE, BASED UPON POPULATION—HER VOTE DIVIDED AS 

TO REPRESENTATION IN THE SENATE—THE EXISTING PARITY OF THE 

STATES DUE TO ABRAHAM BALDWIN'S VOTE ON THE CONNECTICUT 

COMPROMISE—AN EXCITING MOMENT—SLAVES TO BE COUNTED ON 

A BASIS OF THREE-FIFTHS IN FIXING A RATIO OF REPRESENTATION— 

GEORGIA MAKES AN UNSUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO SECURE A FULL COUNT 

OF SLAVES—THE STATE Is GIVEN THREE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE 

LOWER HOUSE—GEORGIA DEMANDS A CONTINUANCE OF THE FOREIGN 

SLAVE TRADE—Is SUPPORTED BY SOUTH CAROLINA IN THIS DEMAND— 

FORCES NEW ENGLAND TO SUPPORT A TWENTY-YEAR EXTENSION OF 

THE TRAFFIC—THE YEAR 1808 FIXED AS THE TIME WHEN THE IM 

PORTATION OF SLAVES MUST CEASE—DELEGATIONS FROM ALL THE 

STATES SIGN THE CONSTITUTION, RHODE ISLAND ALONE EXCEPTED— 

GEORGIA'S RATIFICATION ANNOUNCED BY A SALUTE OF THIRTEEN 

GUNS—THE AUGUSTA CONVENTION—ITS MEMBERSHIP—EFFECT OF 

GEORGIA'S ACTION UPON THE OTHER STATES. 

On January 2, 1788, Georgia formally ratified the Federal Constitu 

tion, declaring by this act her willingness to enter the proposed fed 

eration since known as the United States of America. But the consent 

of all the states was not obtained for two full years. Nor was it until 

March 4, 1789, that Congress met to launch the new Ship of State upon 

the political seas. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the Federal 

Constitution. Her remoteness from the seat of government alone denied 

her the first place. Nearly a month elapsed before a copy of the new 

compact of union was received by the state authorities. Otherwise her 

promptness would have made her the first state to ratify the great docu 

ment. The states preceding Georgia in the order of ratification were 

Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey—all grouped around the seat 

of government. Her own ratification was unanimous. But in most of 

345


the states sentiment was divided, including Virginia, where the great 

Patrick Henry was one of its opponents. 

There were numerous reasons for this opposition to the instrument. 

In the first place, the Constitution had been framed to meet divergent 

interests. It was a compromise, or rather a series of compromises, be 

tween conflicting theories and principles. All of the delegates them 

selves were not agreed. In fact, some of them had refused to sign the 

.compact. Consequently anything like unanimity among the states was 

not to be expected. Strenuous efforts were required to bring most of 

them into line; and three of the states—New York, Rhode Island, and 

North Carolina—actually repudiated the compact, on the ground that 

it involved a surrender of too much sovereign power to the general Gov 

ernment. But they were finally induced to ratify the instrument on 

the promise of certain concessions. This pledge was afterwards re 

deemed in a series of amendments submitted to the people by the First 

Congress. 

Rhode Island was so opposed to the idea of a central government 

that she sent no delegates to the convention. New York was finally 

brought into line through the powerful influence of Alexander Hamil 

ton. North Carolina was the seat of a Scotch-Irish population, stubborn, 

loyal, tenacious of conviction. She had framed a Declaration of Inde 

pendence, in 1775, hurling America's first challenge at the English 

throne; and she did not like the idea of relinquishing any of her rights. 

New York, seeing an opportunity to capture the seat of government, 

was the first of these states to relent. North Carolina entered the Union 

in 1789, Rhode Island in 1790, both after the Government had been 

launched. 

While the campaign for ratification was at its height in New York, 

three of the country's ablest statesmen, Hamilton, Jay and Madison, 

wrote a series of articles for publication, afterwards collected in a single 

volume, called '' The Federalist,'' perhaps the greatest work on the science 

of government ever written in America. 

The principle of State Sovereignty was clearly recognized and firmly 

held by all the states, but some were more willing than others to yield a 

part of this sovereignty for the sake of its resultant benefits in securing 

greater protection. The Articles of Confederation, under which the 

states had loosely banded themselves together since 1781, amounted to 

little more than a rope of sand. Indeed, these articles were merely called 

"a league of friendship." The cohesive element was entirely lacking. 

There was no principle of organic union existing between the states, no 

centripital force binding them together around a common center. To 

quote the words of Washington, the states composing the old federation 

were "thirteen independent sovereignties eternally counteracting one 

another.'' 

If the fruits of Yorktown were to be gathered—if the victories of the 

Revolution were to be utilized in the establishment of a great nation 

consecrated to the principle of human liberty—it was necessary for the 

states, in a spirit of concession, to come together and to discuss plans 

looking toward a more stable government. The problems of inter-state 

and of inter-national commerce, the possibilities of a foreign war, the 

necessity for providing adequate postal facilities, for establishing a


monetary system and for fixing a uniform standard of weights and 

measures, the demand for a central government in dealing with the In 

dian tribes and in fixing the boundary lines between states—these were 

some of the reasons which made it imperative "to form a more perfect 

Union." Until the Federal Constitution became operative in 1789 the 

Continental Congress was the sole governing power. There was no 

bicameral Legislature, with its House and Senate, no President, no 

Chief Justice, no courts of law. It is little wonder that a spirit of heav 

iness had commenced to brood upon the land. 

Georgia's conservatism made her friendly from the very start to a 

closer tie of union. It was because she felt the need of a strong arm to 

protect her that she was loath to lower the flag of England during 

the colonial period; and, for a like reason, she looked with favor at this 

time upon a strong central government, through which to secure her 

exposed borders. The Spaniards to the south and the Indians to the 

north and west were a constant menace. She possessed a vast territory 

but only a scant population. Moreover, as a result of the Revolution, 

she was left in a greatly enfeebled condition. 

When a communication was received, therefore, inviting her to send 

delegates to a convention to be held at Philadelphia, on May 14, 1787, 

she did not need to be coaxed. Two months in advance of the time set 

for the meeting—destined to become historic—her Legislative Assembly 

at Augusta passed an ordinance, on February 10, 1787, naming six dele 

gates to attend this convention, to wit: William Few, Abraham Baldwin, 

William Pierce, George Walton, William Houstoun, and Nathaniel Pen- 

dleton. Under the terms of this ordinance, it was necessary for at least 

two of these delegates to attend before the state could be officially 

represented. 

The great convention in Philadelphia, from the molds of which 

emerged a constitution, declared by Gladstone to be the wisest instrument 

ever struck from the brain of man, was called as the result of a con 

ference held at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786. This gathering at An 

napolis was called at the instance of Virginia, to discuss certain inter-state 

questions of a commercial character; but, under the leadership of Alex 

ander Hamilton, it was induced to extend its view over the general 

field of American political conditions.* It seemed to be an opportune 

time for stressing the federal idea in its broadest application. Conse 

quently a resolution was adopted recommending the appointment of 

delegates from each of the states to attend a convention in Philadelphia. 

This resolution was addressed to the Continental Congress and to the 

various state legislatures. As set forth in this resolution the convention 

was called "to devise such provisions as shall appear necessary to render 

the Constitution of the Federal government adequate to the exigencies 

of the Union." This plan was approved by the Continental Congress, 

. from which body an authoritative call was soon formally issued. 

Originally the time set for the convention to open was Monday, May 

14, 1787, in historic old Independence Hall, the birthplace of the im 

mortal Declaration. But stage coaches were proverbially slow and 

uncertain. Bad weather always impeded travel over country roads. At 

'Georgia and State Eights," IT. B. Phillips, p. 16.


any rate, it was not until nine days later that a quorum of states could 

be counted for the transaction of business. Accordingly, on May 25, 

1787, the regular sittings of the convention began, to continue for a 

period of four months. "Washington was elected its president. There 

were fifty-five members enrolled, and of these fifty-one took part in the 

debates, including Washington himself. These men were America's fore 

most intellects, among them Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Jay 

and Adams. Some of the delegates, however, were obstructionists, not 

in sympathy with the convention's work. This is evidenced by the fact 

that when the final draft of the Constitution was completed it was signed 

by only thirty-nine members. But so finished was the product wrought 

by these pioneers of government that in the years which have since 

elapsed only fifteen amendments thereto have been adopted, not one of 

which is at variance with its original genius and spirit. 

William Few was the only delegate present from Georgia when the 

convention opened. As we have already seen, two delegates were needed 

to give the state official representation. Georgia, therefore, was without 

a vote until Mr. Pierce arrived one week later. Mr. Houstouii reached 

Philadelphia on June 7th and Mr. Baldwin 011 June llth; but if either 

Mr. Walton or Mr. Pendleton attended the convention no disclosure of 

this fact is made by the records.* We have been taught to reverence our 

ancestors. But this is a bad showing, especially when we consider the 

vast importance of this body's Avork, in its bearing upon the whole future 

history of our nation. Such remissness at the present time would not 

be condoned. Perhaps there were obstacles in the way of which we are 

ignorant. At any rate, let us be lenient. 

Despite the existing inequality between the states as regards both 

population and area, the voting power of all the states was made equal. 

In other words, each state was entitled to one vote, a principle of repre 

sentation borrowed from the Continental Congress. Georgia at a subse 

quent period was to take a bold stand for State Sovereignty and even as 

early as 1823, when Troup was governor, she was to defy successfully 

the power of the United States. But in the Constitutional Convention 

of 1787 she used her vote constantly in advocating a strong central 

government.! Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Pierce both made speeches, ad 

dressing the convention to this effect on. the same day. Neither was an 

extremist. Each realized the dangers of centralization if pressed too 

far, but maintained the paramount wisdom of such a system if pro 

vided with proper safeguards and restraints. We are. not surprised to 

find that Mr. Baldwin was the most influential member of the delega 

tion. He was the first man in Georgia to grasp the state's great educa 

tional needs and to realize the part which an educated electorate was 

to play in the building of a great conmionwealth. Accordingly, in 

1784, he had drafted a charter for the University of Georgia, the oldest 

state university in America. 

From an old newspaper of the period, we learn that in the main 

there were three propositions for the convention to consider: (1) to 

combine the original thirteen states into three distinct republics, leagued 

* '' Debates on the Constitution,'' Jonathan Elliott. 

t '' Georgia and State Eights," U. B. Phillips.


together for common defense; (2) to abolish the various state legislatures 

and to form a National Government with legislative power lodged in a 

Congress, Assembly or Parliament; and (3) to retain the various state 

legislatures and to enlarge the powers of the central Government, giv 

ing Congress the right to revise laws made by the state and so adjusting 

state and Federal relations as to avoid friction.* Substantially, it was 

the last of these propositions which the convention adopted. 

Before there could be any agreement among the delegates, three 

great compromises were essential. 

1. First, the Connecticut Compromise. This was a compromise be 

tween the large and the small states. It was adopted as a substitute for 

Virginia's plan of government. The Virginia delegates favored a bi 

cameral Legislature, consisting of a Lower House to be elected by the 

people and an Upper House to be elected by the Lower House. To this 

proposal most of the smaller states objected, since it gave them no 

weight of influence in either branch. Thereupon the Connecticut Com 

promise was offered. In substance, this compromise provided for a 

Lower House to be elected by the people, and for an Upper. House in 

which all of the states should be equally represented. The larger states 

made a successful fight for representation in the Lower House based 

upon population, and it was largely to appease the smaller states that 

representation in the Upper House was made equal. 

Strange to say, Georgia, though the most sparsely settled of all the 

states, favored for the popular branch of Congress, a system of repre 

sentation based entirely upon population. Throughout the entire debate 

on this question she sided with the stronger states, as if in fact she were 

one of them, and seemingly at variance with her own interests.! This 

meant at least a temporary surrender of her equal voice in the Federal 

councils. It implied a willingness on her part, for the present at least, 

to accept disparagement at the hands of other states. But Georgia was 

looking to the future. She possessed a territory vast in extent, destined 

in time to become an empire within itself. The adoption of this prin 

ciple might involve some loss of prestige for a few years but in the end 

it would make Georgia the dominant member of an imperial sisterhood. 

This was a far-sighted policy. If Georgia had not in after years re 

linquished a part of her territory to form the states of Alabama and 

Mississippi, she would today be entitled to twenty-nine representatives 

in Congress, which would put her in the lead of Texas by thirteen 

members. Luther Martin, in a letter addressed to the speaker of the 

Maryland House of Delegates, thus explained Georgia's action in the 

Constitutional Convention of 1787. Said he: 

"It may be thought surprising, sir, that Georgia, a State now small 

and comparatively trifling in the Union, should advocate this system 

of unequal representation, giving up her present equality in the Federal 

Government and sinking herself almost to total insignificance in the 

scale; but, sir, it must be considered that Georgia has the most extensive 

territory in the Union, being as large as the whole island of Great 

* Georgia State Gazette or Independeut Register, July 21, 1787, published at 

Augusta, Georgia. 

t "Georgia and State Eights," IT. B. Phillips, p. 18.


Britain and thirty times as large as Connecticut. This system being 

designed to preserve to the states their whole territory unbroken and to 

prevent the erection of new states within the territory of any of them, 

Georgia looked forward to when, her population being increased in some 

measure proportional to her territory, she should rise in the scale and 

give law to the other states, and hence we found the delegation of Geor 

gia -warmly advocating the proposition of giving the states unequal 

representation.'' 

Georgia's delegation was far-sighted, but its inability to foresee a 

division of the state's imperial domain in consequence of the Yazoo 

fraud litigation may have kept it from weakening upon this proposition. 

Most of the members of the Constitutional Convention were agreed 

as to the necessity for creating a Senate to act as a conservative check 

upon the Lower House and to preserve a sort of legislative balance. 

But the method of electing senators elicited some debate. Mr. Pierce, 

who spoke on June 6th, thought that while members of the Lower House 

should be elected by the people, members of the Senate should be elected 

by the legislature—the former body to represent the states individually, 

the latter collectively. Mr. Baldwin, who spoke on June 29th, favored 

making the Senate representative of property interests. He, too, favored 

electing senators by the states. 

There was an exciting scene in the convention when the question 

was put as to whether each state should have an equal vote in the 

Senate. Says a well-known student of this period:* "Rhode Island 

having refused to take part in the convention, and New Hampshire hav 

ing no delegates present when the vote on the compromise was taken, 

there were only eleven States represented. The vote of the States was 

taken in this way: the delegates from each State took, a vote among them 

selves to determine the State's attitude, each State having one vote. The 

roll of States was then called, beginning with the oldest. Ten States had 

voted and the vote stood a tie when Georgia's turn came. It was a most 

critical moment. Georgia's vote was expected to be against the Connec 

ticut Compromise, as Georgia had consistently voted with the States 

desiring a strong national government. But one of the two Georgia dele 

gates then present, Abraham Baldwin, was convinced that failure to 

accept the Compromise might mean the disruption of the convention. 

He therefore refused to follow "William Few in voting against the 

Compromise and in this way divided the vote of Georgia." 

Mr. Baldwin's attitude towards the Connecticut Compromise may be 

explained, in a measure at least, by the fact that he was a native of the 

Nutmeg commonwealth. Fiske, the great historian, has paid this tribute 

to Mr. Baldwin: f "It was Abraham Baldwin, a native of Connecticut, 

and lately a tutor in Yale College, a recent emigrant to Georgia, who 

.thus divided the vote of that State and prevented a decision which would 

in all probability have broken up the convention. His state was the 

last to vote and the house was hushed in anxious expectation, when this 

brave and wise young man yielded his private conviction to what he 

'"''History of Georgia," E. P. Brooks, pp. 132-133. 

t '' Critical Period of American History,'' John ~Fiske, p. 251.


saw to be the paramount necessity for keeping the convention together. 

All honor to his memory!'' 

Thus, in the creation of our Federal Senate, we owe to Mr. Baldwin 

the principle which preserves the parity of the states. He had fought 

for unequal representation in the Lower House and had intimated his 

intention to support this principle for the Senate; but to prevent a 

threatened rupture of the convention, he changed his intention, divided 

the vote of Georgia, and caused the motion for an unequal representa 

tion in the Senate to be lost. 

2. The Compromise, as to a basis of representation, between the free 

and the slave states. One member for each 30,000 inhabitants was the 

ratio upon which the convention finally agreed. But the free states were 

not willing for slaves to be counted, in reckoning a state's population. 

On the other hand, the slave states insisted upon an inclusion of slaves. 

Says Mr. Brooks :* "A similar question had arisen during the war. 

Money for the army had been raised by requisition on the States in pro 

portion to their population. At that time the North had maintained 

that the slaves were persons, and that the South's pro rata of money 

should be reckoned on the whole population, white and black. The South, 

on the other hand, had claimed that slaves were property only and not 

persons. It is clear that self-interest colored the views of both sections 

at both times. The dispute had been settled by counting a slave as three- 

fifths of a person in estimating the population for purposes of taxa 

tion; and now, in 1787, this former compromise was adopted, both as 

to representation and direct taxation; so that until the Civil War, in 

estimating the number of representatives from the South in Congress, 

the negroes helped to swell the Southern representation." 

Under this apportionment, Georgia was given three members. South 

Carolina, with a much larger -population at this time, was allotted five 

members. Neither state was satisfied with the manner in which slaves 

were to be counted. Each fought to increase its strength in the Lower 

House; but without success. Georgia was not entitled even to three mem 

bers on a strict application of this rule, but she was allowed this num 

ber since her rapid growth in population would justify it before the 

Constitution could be put into effect. An effort was made to equalize 

power between the North and South; but the North was given a slight 

advantage in the number of seats. 

3. The Compromise, between State and Federal systems as to gov 

ernmental control over commerce, especially in relation to an abolition 

of the foreign slave trade. As we have already noted, slaves were not 

allowed in Georgia under the rule of her trustees; but when the colony 

in 1752 was relinquished to the Crown it became a slave-holding colony 

and her support thereafter was given to an institution which she had 

formerly condemned. In common with South Carolina, she possessed 

at this time important interests in slave property and expected to in 

crease her employment of slave labor as her industries expanded and her 

population multiplied. To quote the same authority above cited: t "All 

the States except South Carolina and Georgia desired to prohibit the 

*"History of Georgia," B. P. Brooks, p. 135. 

t'' History of Georgia,'' B. P. Brooks, p. 136.


importation of any more negroes from Africa. The New England 

States were very anxious to give Congress the control over comniei ;e. 

The South, opposed to making an unreserved surrender in this matter, 

advocated requiring a two-thirds vote of both houses before any measure 

affecting commerce should become law. They feared that the New 

England States would get a monopoly of the carrying trade; would 

impose ruinous freight rates for transporting rice and indigo to Europe; 

and would enact tariff legislation hostile to the interests of purely 

agricultural States. Here was good material for a compromise. New 

Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut voted to prolong the slave 

trade for twenty years; and Georgia and South Carolina supported 

congressional control over commerce." 

To bring matters to a focus, it was contended by Georgia's delegates 

that, if the importation of slaves were not allowed, Georgia would un 

doubtedly refuse to ratify the Constitution. South Carolina made a 

similar contention. In arguing the case for Georgia, Mr. Baldwin was 

candid enough to admit, however, that if left to herself Georgia would 

probably put a stop to the trade. Says Mr. Phillips: * " From this 

prophecy which was fulfilled in a decade and from other side-lights on 

the subject, we doubt if the prohibitory clause would have lead to the 

rejection of the Constitution by Georgia." But the North was forced 

to yield rather than put the instrument in jeopardy of rejection, and 

incidentally of a serious loss to its commerce. Accordingly a compro 

mise was reached designating the year 1808 as the time for all importa 

tion of slaves to cease. If any were imported in the meantime, a tax of 

$10 per capita was to be imposed. But Georgia did not wait until 1808 

to prohibit the foreign slave traffic. She inserted a clause to this effect 

in her state constitution of 1798, ten years before the time was up. 

On September 17, 1787, the convention ended its deliberations, after a 

session of four months. The great instrument destined to become the 

fundamental law of a new nation was then engrossed and signed by the 

various state delegations. Rhode Island alone took no part in shaping 

the compact of Union. Only two of Georgia's delegates appear to have 

signed the instrument: Abraham Baldwin and William Pew, though 

Georgia had gained substantially every point for which she had cpn- 

tended. Straightway the new Constitution was transmitted to the Conti 

nental Congress which, in a resolution adopted September 28th, directed 

its transmission to the various state legislatures, with an accompanying 

letter, said Constitution to be ratified by the people of each state in con 

vention assembled. 

It happened that, on the arrival of this communication in Georgia, 

our law-makers were in session at Augusta. Following its publication in 

the Georgia Gazette, on October 13th, a convention was called by formal 

resolution to meet in Augusta. This convention was to be held on Decem 

ber 27th, and was to decide the fate of the new Constitution, so far at least 

as Georgia's ratification or rejection was concerned. Pursuant to call, 

this convention met at the time and place specified. Hon. John "Wereat, 

an illustrious patriot, at one time governor of the state, was made its 

president. To the office of secretary, Isaac Briggs, Esq., was elected. All 

' Georgia and State Eights," U. B. Phillips, p. 20.


of the delegates were not present when the convention assembled, but 

those who attended first and last and who signed the instrument formally 

attesting its ratification were: James Powell, John Elliott and James 

Maxwell, from Liberty; Henry Osborne, James Seagrove and Jacob 

"Weed, from Camden; Edward Telfair, Dr. Todd and George Walton, 

from Burke; George Handley, Charles Hillery and John Milton, from 

Glynn; Robert Christmas, a Mr. Daniel and a Mr. Middleton, 

from Greene; George Mathews, Florence Sullivan and a Mr. King, from 

Wilkes; and Jenkin Davis, Nathan Brown and Caleb Ho well, from 

Effingham. There appear to have been no delegates present from either 

Franklin or Washington counties. John Wereat signed the ratification 

as president and also as delegate from Richmond. Isaac Briggs was also 

from this county; but the name of any other delegate from Richmond is 

not to be found in the records. 

Journalism as exemplified by the Georgia Gazette at this time was 

neither an exact science nor a fine art. Its lack of enterprise in dealing 

with one of the great history-making events of the state is exasperating. . 

We look in vain for any synopsis of these debates upon which hinged the 

destiny of a commonwealth. But the editor is considerate enough to 

keep us in no suspense as to his own mental state in announcing the 

result. Says he:* "We have the pleasure to announce to the public 

that on Wednesday last the convention unanimously ratified the Federal 

Constitution." This bulletin sounds more like the marriage announce 

ment of a runaway couple than it does like the proclamation of a great 

fact destined to reverberate in Georgia's history down to the last syllable 

of recorded time. But this same alert newspaper informs us that just 

as the last name was signed to the ratification a party of Colonel Arm 

strong's regiment quartered in Augusta proclaimed the joyful tidings 

opposite the court house by a salute of thirteen guns. 

There were only two other states whose action in ratifying the Fed 

eral Constitution was unanimous. These were Delaware and New Jer 

sey. Georgia's importance as a state at this time, due«to her remoteness 

from the seat of government and to her scant population, was almost 

insignificant, but her prompt action in ratifying the. Federal Constitu 

tion, without a vote cast in oposition and without an amendment offered 

to the instrument, was an eye-opener to the nation and it produced a 

thrill of excitement even in far-away New England, f For a state on the 

extreme southern frontier to take such action was well calculated to put 

to blush those states in closer touch with Philadelphia. When Georgia 

startled the Atlantic seaboard by the announcement of her decision, nine 

states were poised in an attitude of uncertainty, some in fact openly 

hostile to the proposed compact of Union; and, in no small degree, was 

Georgia's influence felt at this critical moment in shaping the future of 

the nascent republic. 

* Georgia Gazette, January 5, 1788. 

t "History of Georgia," W. B. Stevens, II, p. 387. 

Vol. 1—23

CHAPTER II 

ORGANIZING THE NEW FEDERAL GOVERNMENT—WHEN THE ELECTORS 

MEET, GEORGE WASHINGTON, OF VIRGINIA, RECEIVES EVERY BALLOT 

CAST FOB PRESIDENT—MARCH 4, 1789, THE DATE SET FOR CONGRESS 

TO ASSEMBLE, BUT THE LAWMAKERS SLOW IN ARRIVING—NEW YORK 

THE TEMPORARY SEAT OP GOVERNMENT.—WASHINGTON'S INAUGURA 

TION TAKES PLACE ON APRIL 30, 1789—THREE STATES RELUCTANT TO 

ENTER THE UNION—RHODE ISLAND AND NORTH CAROLINA ENTP.R 

AFTER WASHINGTON'S INAUGURATION—GEORGIA'S FIRST UNITED 

STATES SENATORS : WILLIAM FEW AND JAMES GUNN—THREE REPRE 

SENTATIVES ALLOWED, BUT ONE Is LOST UNDER THE CENSUS OP Ir 90— 

JOSEPH HABERSHAM BECOMES POSTMASTER-GENERAL—INDIAN AF 

FAIRS CONSTITUTE AT THIS TIME THE NATION'S MOST SERIOLS PROB 

LEM—COL. BENJAMIN HAWKINS, OP NORTH CAROLINA, RELINQUISHES 

A SEAT IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, TO BECOME INDIAN AGENT 

WITH HEADQUARTERS IN GEORGIA—His FIRST IMPORTANT SERVICE IN 

NEGOTIATING THE TREATY OP COLERAINE—GEORGIA'S NEW STATE 

CONSTITUTION ADOPTED MAY 4, 1789—SOME OF T TIE MORE IMPORTANT 

CHANGES—THE OLD EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ABOLISHED—THE STATE 

SENATE OP GEORGIA Is CREATED—How THE Two HOUSES WERE TO BE 

CONSTITUTED—QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERSHIP—How THE GOV 

ERNOR WAS TO BE ELECTED—No CLERGYMEN ADMITTED TO MEMBER 

SHIP IN EITHER HOUSE—THE COUNTY UNIT PRINCIPLE—GEORGE 

HANDLEY GOVERNOR FROM 1788 TO 1789—THEN GEORGE WALTON Is 

ELECTED—HOLJJS OFFICE UNTIL THE NEW CONSTITUTION BECOMES 

EFFECTIVE — EDWARD TELFAIR INAUGURATED — GEORGIA 's FIRST 

THANKSGIVING DAY—DR. NATHAN BROWNSON, FIRST PRESIDENT OP 

THE STATE SENATE—CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS—GEORGIA'S EARLY 

REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS—GENERAL WAYNE AND MAJOR JACK 

SON, Two REVOLUTIONARY PATRIOTS, IN A BITTER CONTEST—THE 

FORMER UNSEATED—AFTERWARDS LEAVES .GEORGIA—IN 1793 MAJOR 

JACKSON SUCCEEDS WILLIAM FE.W IN THE FEDERAL SENATE—THE 

FEWS A NOTED FAMILY IN GEORGIA—Two NEW COUNTIES FORMED IN 

1790, COLUMBIA AND ELBERT. 

Preparations for launching the new government were all made by 

the Continental Congress. This body, into whose hands the supreme 

control of the nation had been entrusted since 1774, was fated to expire 

when the Federal Congress should meet on March 4, 1789, to inaugurate 

a President and to assume the law-making authority conferred upon it 

by the Federal Constitution. In the meantime, the first Wednesday in 

January was fixed as the time for choosing electors. These were to meet 

on the first Wednesday in February and the new Congress was to assem- 

354


ble on the first Wednesday in March to organize the government of the 

United States. When the electors met each placed on a ballot two 

names, whereupon George Washington, of Virginia, having received 

every vote cast, was declared the unanimous choice of the electoral college 

for President; and John Adams, of Massachusetts, having received the 

next highest vote, was named its choice for Vice-President. The date fixed 

for the assembling of the new Congress was Wednesday, March 4, 1789, 

and the place of meeting the city of New York. But the members were 

slow in arriving upon the scene. Fully a month elapsed before a quorum 

could be counted for the transaction of business, and it was not until 

April 30, 1789, that Washington took the oath of office as President. 

We have already observed that three states bitterly fought the new Con 

stitution. These were New York, Rhode Island and North Carolina, 

It was largely to conciliate the first-named state that New York was 

chosen as the temporary seat of government. Rhode Island did not enter 

the Union until late in the year 1789 and North Carolina not until 1790. 

To conciliate the dissatisfied states ten amendments to the constitu 

tion were proposed by the First Congress, all of which in due time 

became part of the fundamental law. 

Georgia's first United States senators were William Few and James 

Gunn. Her first representatives in the Federal Congress were Abraham 

Baldwin, James Jackson and George Mathews.* 

On August 7, 1790, in New York, a treaty was negotiated with the 

Creek Indians, at the instance of President Washington, under which, 

for a monetary consideration, the Indians agreed to validate the treaty 

of Shoulderbone and to relinquish all right and title to the ceded lands 

east of the Oconee. But we have already discussed this matter in a 

former chapter. 

Georgia's electoral support in 1793 was given to Washington, for 

whose re-election to the presidency there was a spontaneous demand from 

all sections. But for Vice-President she supported George Clinton, of 

New York, in preference to Mr. Adams. Georgia's presidential electors 

in 1793 were: Benjamin Taliaferro and William Gibbons from the 

state at large, and John King and Seaborn Jones from the two congres 

sional district.! 

As we shall see later, Georgia, under the census of 1790, lost one 

of her representatives in Congress. 

On February 25, 1795, during Washington's second administration, 

Joseph Habersham, of Georgia, was commissioned postmaster-general to 

succeed Thomas Pickering of Pennsylvania. J Colonel Habersham held 

this office until John Adams became President, He was a resident of 

Savannah, distinguished for his early devotion to the cause of liberty 

and especially for his prominence in two daring exploits, the raid on the 

powder magazine at Yamacraw and the arrest of Governor Wright. 

At this crisis in our history, one of the greatest problems of the 

nation concerned its Indian affairs. To conciliate the savage tribes was 

a matter of the utmost importance, requiring ability of a high order, 

knowledge of Indian character, experience in treaty negotiations, and 

"'"Biographical Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 30. 

f "Lanman's Biographical Annals of the United States Government," pp. 513-514. 

t "Biog. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 9.

356 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS , 

a firm but not an ungentle hand. These qualities were possessed in an 

eminent degree by Col. Benjamin Hawkins, late a senator from North 

Carolina. This distinguished man of affairs had long enjoyed the inti 

mate friendship and regard of "Washington and had frequently served 

on important commissions. Accepting an appointment from Washing-, 

ton as agent for all the Indian tribes south of the Ohio River, Colonel 

Hawkins, though a man of wealth, relinquished the comforts of civi 

lized life, renounced a political career of great promise and came to 

Georgia, where for more than twenty years, with his headquarters at 

the old agency on the Flint River, he dwelt among the Creek Indians, 

a devoted, lifelong and generous friend of these children of the forest. 

The first important service rendered by Colonel Hawkins as Indian 

agent was in negotiating the Treaty of Coleraine, in 1796, a transaction 

to which we have already alluded at some length. 

But let us retrace our steps. Before electing senators and represent 

atives in Congress, it was first necessary for Georgia to adjust her 

state constitution to changed conditions, to make it conform, in other 

words, to the Constitution of the United States. As early as January 30, 

1788, Georgia had prepared the way for this contingency. In a resolu 

tion, bearing the above date, the General Assembly had authorized the 

governor to call a convention 1 as soon as nine states had ratified the 

Federal Constitution. At the same time, three delegates were chosen 

from each county to constitute this convention, subject to the governor's 

call. Accordingly, when news was received in Georgia that New Hamp 

shire—the ninth state to ratify—had put the seal of her approval upon 

the new compact of union, Governor Handley, who was then occupying 

the executive chair, summoned these delegates previously named by the 

Legislature, to meet in Augusta on November 4, 1788. The Legislature 

was called to meet at the same time for the purpose of choosing presi 

dential electors.. This convention remained in session twenty days, 

formulating a state constitution, which was duly signed by all the dele 

gates. On motion, 500 copies were printed for distribution over the 

state. This constitution, however, was not to become operative until 

revised by another body called under a resolution of the General Assem 

bly to meet in Augusta on January 4, 1789. Pursuant to call, this 

second body met and proposed various alterations and amendments, all 

of which were then submitted to the Legislature. Thereupon a procla 

mation of these changes was ordered. At the same time, the governor 

was authorized to call a third convention, for the purpose of taking final 

action in regard to the proposed new form of government. Thus every 

step taken by Georgia in this crisis of affairs was characterized by great 

deliberation and thoroughness. It was only another expression of her 

conservatism as a state. On May 4, 1789, at Augusta, this convention 

met and, after remaining in session three days, adopted the constitu 

tion, without change, as reported by the second convention. It then 

waited upon the governor into whose hands the new instrument was 

placed, to be promulgated by him to the people of Georgia. 

Much briefer than the state constitution of 1777, this new docu 

ment was superior in every way to its predecessor, adopted amid the 

convulsions of a war with England and without the guiding light of 

established precedents. It may likewise be said that of all the constitu-


tions of the state it still holds the record for brevity. Unlike the con 

stitution of 1777, it contained no bill of rights, doubtless for the reason 

that slavery suggested an inconsistency, if it did not present an obstacle, 

to such a declaration of fundamental principles. .There was no bill of 

rights prefixed to the Federal Constitution of 1787, due to scrupulous 

objections on the part of delegates who thought it would not be in keep 

ing with the fact that slavery was still permitted to exist. But the 

state constitution of 1789, in lieu of a bill of rights, did not fail to 

emphasize certain well-established rights, such as religious freedom, 

freedom of the press, trial by jury and habeas corpus.'* 

Some of the changes wrought by the state constitution of 1789 were 

as follows: it abolished the executive council; it established a bicameral 

Legislature by creating a State Senate, with powers similar to those 

still exercised by this body; it retained the House of Assembly, to be 

called the House of Representatives, but heightened its qualifications for 

membership. There was to be one senator chosen for every three years 

from each county in the state; but representatives were to be chosen 

annually from each county as follows: Two from Camden, two from 

Glynn, four from Liberty, five from Chatham, two from Effingham, four 

from Burke, four from Richmond, five from Wilkes, two from Wash 

ington, two from Greene, and two from Franklin. 

Representatives were to be elected annually on the first Monday in 

October; senators on the first Monday in October of each third year. 

The Legislature was to meet annually on the first Monday in November. 

While a residence of only two years was requisite to entitle one to a 

seat in the House, he must also have been a citizen of the United States 

for seven years; and to qualify one for a seat in the Senate a residence 

of three years in the state was required, with citizenship in the United 

States of nine years. Says a recognized authority: f "This is the 

earliest instance where any such discrimination was made in a state con 

stitution, and is indicative of the national spirit which existed among the 

people of Georga at this time." 

Senators were required to be twenty-eight years of age and to own 

property valued at £200; representatives were required to be twenty-one 

years of age and to own property valued at £150. 

Under the state constitution of 1789, the governor was to be elected 

for a term of two years. The House of Representatives was to nomi 

nate by ballot three candidates and out of these the Senate was to elect 

one. All other elections were to be made in like manner. 

No clergyman of any denomination could be a member of the General 

Assembly, under the constitution of 1789. 

There was to be a Superior Court held in each county twice in each 

year. The General Assembly was to provide some mode for correcting 

errors. The office of chief justice was abolished. 

Militia officers and secretaries to the governor were all to be 

appointed. 

From an old issue of the Georgia Gazette, dated May 9, 1789, we get 

this item: "On Monday last (May 4) a third convention met in the 

* "Watldu's Digest of the Lands of Georgia," pp. 25-31. 

t '' Georgia and State Eights," II. B. Phillips, p. 22.


Town Hall to consider the alterations proposed by the convention of 

January last to the Constitution formed by the convention of 1788: 

and on Wednesday they finally adopted and ratified the new form of 

government to commence in October next. . . . The new form being 

an assimilation to the Federal Constitution, its notification and deposit 

was announced to the town by a discharge of eleven cannon, in honor 

of the federated States; when his Honor, with the President and mem 

bers of the Convention and the President and members of the Council 

repaired to the Government House and drank a glass of wine to its pros 

perity." Rhode Island and North Carolina were not yet in the Union, 

which accounts for the above reference to only eleven federated states. 

Says a well-known student of constitutional law:* "One of the 

most important features of this constitution was its organization of the 

legislative department so as to apply the county unit principle to the 

enactment of legislation. Under the former Constitution, the executive 

council voted by counties, but they did not act at all in the matter of 

legislation except in an advisory capacity. Under the new Constitution, 

the composition of the House of Representatives was, to a certain extent, 

based upon population, and in that body each county might have a 

diverse voice through the votes of its several members, but before pro 

posed legislation could be enacted into law, it had to pass the Senate in 

which each county had a single and equal voice without respect to 

population." 

Governor George Handley occupied the executive chair from Janu 

ary 1, 1788, to January 1, 1789, and witnessed the evolutionary process 

out of which grew the new state constitution. On January 1, 1789, he 

was succeeded by former Governor George Walton, a signer of the Dec 

laration of Independence, who had held this office during the Revolu 

tionary period. He was now called to the helm for a second time. The 

new state constitution went into effect in October, at which time Gov 

ernor Walton was succeeded by Edward Telfair, Georgia's first gov 

ernor to be elected after her entrance into the Federal Union. He 

defeated former Governor John Houstoun, with whom he tied on the 

first ballot, winning on the second. Governor Telfair was a wealthy 

Scotchman, with large interests in both Burke and Chatham. He held 

office until 1793, when former Governor George Mathews, a Federalist, 

living in the up-country, an uneducated man, but possessed of a strong 

native intellect, won the governorship. 

But to return. On November 26, 1789, shortly after Governor Tel- 

fair's induction into office, Georgia's first Thanksgiving day was ob 

served. At this time the state was called upon to join the Nation in 

offering thanks to a kind Providence for past favors and mercies. One 

of the first acts of the new Legislature was to invite Dr. Palmer, of the 

Richmond Academy, to preach a special thanksgiving sermon at 

St. Paul's. Upon this service the members decorously attended and 

on the day following they voted Dr. Palmer a resolution of thanks.for 

his excellent discourse. 

The first president of the State Senate of Georgia was Dr. Nathan 

Brownson, of Liberty County, a former governor. 

'' McElreath on the Constitution of Georgia,'' p.


The first speaker of the House of Representatives, under the new 

constitution of 1789, was Hon. Seaborn Jones, of Richmond. This body 

as the House of Assembly had existed since 1751. 

On December 8, 1790, the Legislature divided the state into three 

congressional districts, having been alloted three representatives in Con 

gress by the Federal Constitution of 1787. The counties composing 

these districts were as follows :* Chatham, Glynn, Effingham, Camden 

and Liberty, comprising the lower or eastern district; Burke, Richmond 

and Washington, the middle district; and Wilkes, Franklin and Greene, 

the upper or western district. James Jackson was chosen to represent 

the lower district; Abraham Baldwin, the middle district; and George 

Mathews, the upper district. These were Georgia's representatives in 

the First Federal Congress. If Georgia was represented during the 

early part of the session, her representatives must have been chosen on 

a general ticket, without regard to districts. 

To the Second Congress, which convened on March 4, 1791, Anthony 

Wayne was elected from the lower district; Abraham Baldwin from the 

middle district; and Francis Will is from the upper district, t Francis 

Willis succeeded General Mathews, who not long thereafter was called 

to the governorship. In the lower district, Gen. Anthony AYayne—the 

illustrious "Mad Anthony" of the Revolution—appeared on the face 

of the returns to have defeated Maj. James Jackson, the incumbent. 

Accordingly, he received a certificate of election. But Major Jackson 

filed a contest revealing the fraud by which his opponent had been 

elected, whereupon the seat was declared vacant. But a motion to seat 

Major Jackson resulted in a tie, which was decided against him by the 

adverse vote of the speaker. On returning to Georgia, Major Jackson 

caused articles of impeachment to be brought before the Legislature 

against Henry Osborne, judge of the Superior Court, for falsifying and 

forging the election returns of Camden County; and such was the weight 

of evidence adduced to sustain the charges that Judge Osborne was 

removed from office. 1 General Wayne, it seems, had unwittingly 

become the tool of Major Jackson's enemies. There is no evidence to 

show that he was a party to any corrupt transaction; and a contest was 

filed by Major Jackson more for the purpose of thwarting his foes than 

with any desire to unseat a gallant comrade-in-arms, especially since 

General Wayne, in 1782, had deputized him to receive the surrender of 

Savannah, which was then in the hands of the British. When a new 

election was ordered, Hon. John Milledge, a friend to both parties, was 

chosen to represent the lower district in Congress. 

Soon after this political episode, an Indian outbreak on the north 

west frontier of the nation led to General Wayne's appointment by 

President Washington as commander-in-ehief of the armies dispatched 

against these belligerent tribes of the forest. Resuming once more an 

active military life, General AYayne did not return again to Georgia; 

but, dying on the shores of Lake Erie, some four years later, he was 

taken for burial to his native town of Chester, in the State of Pennsyl 

vania. Georgia continued to venerate his memory, and some time later 

* '' History of Georgia," W. B. Stevens, II, p. 394. 

t "Biog. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 33. 

{ '' McElreath on the Constitution,'' p. 96.


created a new county to bear his name; but the town of AYaynesboro, a 

thriving community, the county-seat of Burke, had already testified to 

Georgia's admiration for this gallant soldier: the renowned hero of 

West Point. 

But while, under the Federal Constitution of 1787, Georgia had been 

allotted three representatives in Congress, it appeared from the Fed 

eral census of 1790 that the state's population did not entitle her to three 

members in this body, and much to Georgia's mortification, therefore, 

her representation in Congress was reduced from three to two members, 

at which figure it remained stationary for the next decade. When 

the Federal census of 1800 was taken it was found that Georgia's popu 

lation had doubled and accordingly in the Eighth Congress she Was 

allotted four representatives.* 

But, in the Third Congress (1793-1797), there were only two repre 

sentatives from Georgia: Abraham Baldwin and Thomas P. Carnes. 

There was no change in United States senators until March 4, 1793, 

at which time Major Jackson succeeded William Few. Senator Gunn 

continued to occupy his old seat.t Colonel Few had been an officer in 

command of partisan troops during the Revolution. Two other brothers, 

Benjamin and Ignatius, had also been officers; while a third brother, 

James, had been captured and executed without trial, near Salisbury, 

N. C., by Governor Tryon, in 1771. He was a leader of the famous 

Regulators, 3,000 of whom were engaged in a battle fought, May 16, 

1771, on Alamance Creek, with the king's troops. Capt. James Few 

has been styled the first martyr of American liberty, since the insurrec 

tion which culminated in blood on Alamance Creek marked the begin 

ning of the American Revolution. 

But returning to Col. Benjamin Few. He seems to have been bit 

terly fought by the Yazoo cabel of a later period because of an unsuc 

cessful bid offered by him, in association with other men of wealth, for 

some of the Yazoo lands. Defeated for the United States Senate, he 

removed to New York, where he became president of the City Bank, a 

member of the State Legislature, and alderman of the City of New York. 

He died on June 16, 1827, at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, where his ashes 

lie buried. 

Two new counties were created by the General Assembly at its ses 

sion in 1790; Columbia and Elbert. Columbia was detached from 

Richmond, with Appling as its county-seat. It contained the historic 

old town of Wrightsboro, famous for its Quaker colony, a town today 

marked by its tottering ruins and crumbling monuments; but once an 

abode of culture, gentleness and thrift. Here lived Col. AYilliam Cand- 

ler, with his kinsmen, the Fews; also the Carrs, the Whites, and other 

families whose names appear on the muster-rolls of the Revolution. 

Near the present line of McDuffie lived Capt. Thomas Cobb, patriot and 

centennarian, who reached the phenomenal age of 111 years, and became 

the progenitor of a numerous offspring. Capt. Cobb was not an ancestor 

of the Cobbs of Athens. But he was the grandfather of Hon. Thomas 

W. Cobb, a United States senator, for whom Cobb County was named; 

* "Bio'g. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 29, also p. 55. 

t "Biog. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 36.


and among his descendants was the late Henry W. Grady. The Cobbs 

of Athens arc descended from John Cobb, who is supposed to have been 

either a brother or a nephew of Capt. Thomas Cobb. In. another part 

of this county, on Kiokee Creek, was first planted the standard of the 

Baptist church in Georgia, by the celebrated Daniel Marshall. Here, too, 

lived the Crawfords; and here, on August 10, 1790, was born the great 

orator of South Carolina, George McDuffie. The new county, because 

of its distinguished part in the Revolution, was called Columbia; and 

its county-seat was named Appling for a well-known family in this 

locality from which in after years sprang Col. Daniel Appling, of the 

War of 1812. 

Elbert County was detached from Wilkes and named for Gen. Samuel 

Elbert, of the Revolution. Elberton was designated as its county-seat. 

The rich lands in this neighborhood were early settled by wealthy Vir 

ginia planters. This county contained the famous Broad River dis 

trict. In the angle of land which the Broad River forms by its conflu 

ence with the Savannah, may still be found the ruins of an old colonial 

stronghold, Port James, built to defend an old settlement called Dart 

mouth. William Bertram, the famous naturalist, who .was engaged at 

this time in studying Georgia's flora, visited the old fort in 1776, as the 

guest of its commanding officer. He describes it as a four-square stock 

ade, with salient bastions at each angle, surmounted by a blockhouse, 

and guarded by a number of swivel guns. These were planted one story 

higher than the curtains. The latter were pierced with loop-holes, 

breast high, and defended by small arms. The stockade of Fort James 

was an acre in extent. It enclosed a substantial house for the com 

mandant, quarters for the various officers, and barracks for the garrison. 

The entire force consisted of fifty rangers, each of them well mounted 

and armed with the following weapons: a rifle, two dragoon pistols, a 

hanger, a powder-horn, a shot-pouch, and a tomahawk. Three miles 

above Petersburg, this same noted traveler discovered an Indian 

mound.* 

In the neighborhood of Fort James was an old tobacco town known 

as Petersburg. It was once quite an important market for the up- 

country and was also a seat of culture, the home of Dr. W. W. Bibb, 

afterwards one of Georgia's United States senators and still later the 

first territorial governor of Alabama. Here, too, lived the Hillyers, 

the Caseys, the Walkers, the Watlrinses, the Popes, the Whites, the 

Coulters, and other prominent families. This county contained the old 

family seat called Heardmont, the home of Gen. Stephen Heard, who 

founded the town of Washington. It also contained the home of a still 

more famous resident: Nancy Hart of the Revolution. 

Elbert became in after years the seat of a famous rural community 

known as Ruckersville, founded by Joseph Rucker, a pioneer banker, 

merchant, planter and man of affairs; and in this neighborhood was 

born the gifted Georgia novelist, .Mrs. Corra White Harris, and the late 

distinguished jurist and gentleman, Associate Justice Joseph Rucker 

Lamar, of the Supreme Court of the United States. 

h '' Travels,'' pp. 321-322.

CHAPTER III 

DURING GOVERNOR TELF AIR'S ADMINISTRATION, PRESIDENT WASHINGTON 

VISITS GEORGIA—TRADITIONS OF His SOJOURN STILL FRAGRANT IN 

MANY HOMES—LEAVES PHILADELPHIA ON MARCH 21, 1791, FOR A 

SOUTHERN TOUR, ACCOMPANIED BY MAJOR JACKSON—REACHES GEOR 

GIA ON MAY 12—DIARY OF THE PRESIDENT'S VISIT, PRESERVED IN His 

OWN HAND-WRITING—NINE DAYS A GUEST OF THE STATE—How HE 

WAS GREETED AT SAVANNAH—FETES AND BALLS—LEAVES FOR 

AUGUSTA—EN ROUTE, HE STOPS AT WAYNESBORO—RECEPTION AT 

THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT—GIVES A NUMBER OF PRIZES TO THE BOYS 

AT THE RICHMOND ACADEMY—ONE OF THESE WAS AWARDED TO 

AUGUSTIN S. CLAYTON, AFTERWARDS A NOTED CONGRESSMAN AND 

JURIST. 

During Governor Telfair's administration an event occurred the 

delightful memories of which have lingered, for more than a century, 

like incense in a vase of roses: the visit of President Washington. 

Revered as the victorious commander-in-chief of the American armies 

in the great struggle for independence and as the first chief magistrate 

of a nation destined to take its place among world powers, the illustrious 

statesman and soldier was received with marked demonstrations of 

respect. Savannah and Augusta—the principal towns at which he 

stopped—are still fragrant with the recollections of his sojourn. Tradi 

tions cherished in many of the homes of our state tell of the brilliant 

rounds of social gaiety, of the rare old laces worn, of the rare old wines 

uncorked, of the splendid figure made by the Georgia Continentals on 

dress parade, of the festive scenes and gala events, associated with this 

visit from the nation's first citizen. Nor let us forget to mention the 

dazzling ballrooms where 

"bright 

The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men." 

Washington himself was a starched aristocrat; and to meet him all 

the tiaras of the commonwealth sparkled at these elegant receptions, 

all the ancient pedigrees were there, some of them reaching back to Eng 

lish manor-halls and French chateaus. Remembering how prone we 

are, in dealing with a remote past, to exaggerate the tinsel on our family 

crests and to impute an imaginary value to our ancestral heirlooms, 

some of the stories which have percolated down the years are, of course, 

subject to a liberal discount; but with all due allowance for the magni 

fying spell of time and distance, Washington's visit was an event singu 

lar in its uniqueness. It holds to this day a place apart, an isolated 

niche all its own, in the historic background; and for all time to come its 

influence will doubtless be felt upon our civic annals. 

362


President Washington left Philadelphia for his tour of the Southern 

States at 11 o'clock in the forenoon of March 21, 1791. Besides his 

coach, drawn by four horses, an equipage which he not inaptly styled 

his chariot, the outfit for this journey included a light two-horse wagon . 

which carried the baggage, four saddle horses, an extra horse, led by——- 

the bridle, provided for the President's convenience in the event he 

wished to ride horseback. He was accompanied by Major^Jackson, 

lately a representative from Georgia in the First Congress, who had 

either remained at the seat of government or else had made a special 

trip from Savannah to Philadelphia for the purpose of accompanying the 

President to Georgia. There were also five servants in attendance, 

to wit, a valet de chambre, a postilion, a coachman and two footmen. 

Washington's private fortune enabled him to travel in a manner almost 

regal in its ostentatious display. Moreover, he was not trained in the 

school of democracy which produced the great man of the people, 

Thomas Jefferson. His vast landed estates, increased by the handsome 

property acquired through his marriage to the rich Widow Custis, made 

him easily the wealthiest man. of his day in America, the foremost pluto 

crat as well as the first citizen of the land; and though called by the 

spontaneous voice of the people to govern a nation of pioneers he was 

in every sense of the word a born patrician. 

Soon after leaving Philadelphia the presidential party encountered 

rough roads. Travel was necessarily slow and little progress was made; 

but no serious mishap occurred to mar the pleasure of the trip. En 

route to Georgia, the President visited Wilmington, North Carolina, and 

Charleston, South Carolina, Wednesday night, May 11, 1791, he spent 

with Judge Heyward, on the east side of the Savannah River. From 

this point the narrative will be continued in the President's own lan 

guage, copied verbatim from the diary of his trip, the original of which 

is preserved in the Library of Congress, at Washington, District of 

Columbia. Here is the detailed record of his visit, entered with the 

greatest care in the President's own hand-writing. It will be observed 

that he did not fail to note how the ladies were dressed. 

"Thursday 12th. By 5 o'clock we set out from Judge Hey ward's 

and road to Purisburgh, 22 miles to breakfast. At that place I was met 

by Messrs. Jones, Coin, Habersham, Mr. John. Houstoun, Genl. Mclntosh 

and Mr. Clay, a comee. from the city of Savanna to conduct me thither— 

Boats also were ordered there by them for my accommodation; among 

which a handsome 8 oared barge rowed by 8 American Captns. at 

tended.—In my way down the River, I called upon Mrs. Green, the 

Widow of the deceased Genl. Green (at a place called Mulberry Grove). 

I asked her how she did—At this place (2 miles from Purisburgh) my 

horses and carriages were landed, and had 12 miles further by land to 

Savanna—The wind & tide being against us, it was 6 o'clock before 

we reached the city where we were received under every demonstration 

that could be given of joy & respect.—We were seven hours in making 

the passage, which is often performed in 4, tho the computed distance 

is 25 miles—Illums. at night. I was conducted by the Mayor & Wardens


to very good lodgings which had been provided for the occasion and 

partook of a public dinner given by the Citizens at the Coffee Room. 

"Friday 13th. Dined with the members of the Cincinnati at a public 

dinner given at the same place—and in the evening went to a dancing 

assembly at which there was about 100 well dressed & handsome ladies. 

"Saturday 14th. A little after 6 o'clock, in company with Genl. 

Mclntosh, Genl. Wayne, the Mayor and many others (principal Gentle 

men of the city) I visited the city and the attack & defence of it in 

the year 1779, under the combined forces of France and the United 

States, commanded by the Count de Estaing & Genl. Lincoln—To form 

an opinion of the attack at this distance of time, and the change which 

has taken place in the appearance of the ground by the cutting away 

of the woods, &c, is hardly to be done with justice to the subject; espe 

cially as there is remaining scarcely any of the defences—Dined today 

with a number of Citizens (not less than 200) in an elegant Bower 

erected for the occasion on the bank of the River below the Town— 

In the evening there was a tolerable good display of fire-works. 

'' Sunday 15. After morning service and receiving a number of visits 

from the most respectable ladies of the place (as was the case yester 

day) I set out for Augusta, Escorted beyd the limits of the city by most 

of the Gentlemen in it, and dining at Mulberry Grove the gest of Mrs. 

Green—lodged at one Spencer's—distant 15 miles. 

'' Savanna stands on what may be called high ground" for this Coun 

try—It is extremely sandy, wch makes the walking very disagreeable; 

& the houses uncomfortable in warm and windy weather, as they are 

' filled with dust whenever these happen—The town on 3 sides is sur 

rounded with cultivated Rice fields which have a rich and luxuriant 

appearance. On the 4th or backslide it is a fine sand—The harbour 

is said to be very good & often filled with square rigged vessels, but 

there is a bar below over which not more than 12 water can be brot 

except at sprg tides—The tide does not flow above 12 or 14 miles above 

the City though the River is swelled by it more than double that dis 

tance—Rice and Tobacco (the last of wch is greatly increasing) are the 

principal exports—Lumber & Indigo are also exported but the latter is 

on the decline, and it is supposed by Hemp & Cotton—Ship timber, viz. 

live Oak & Cedar is (and may be more so) valuable in the exptn. 

"Monday 16th. Breakfasted at Russells—15 miles from Spancer's— 

dined at Garnet's 19 miles further & lodged at Pierces 8 miles more; 

in all—42 miles today. 

"Tuesday 17th. Breakfasted at Spinners 17 miles—dined at Lam 

berts 13—and lodged at Waynesborough (wch was coming 6 miles out 

of our way) 14, in all 43 miles—Waynesborough is a small place but 

the Seat of Burkes County—6 or 8 dwelling houses is all it contains;— 

an attempt is making (without nmch apparent effect) to establish an 

academy at it, as is the case also in all the Counties. 

"Wednesday 18th. Breakfasted at Tulcher's, 15 miles from Waynes 

borough; and within 4 miles of Augusta; met the Governor (Telfair), 

Judge Walton, the Attorney Genl. and most of the principal Gentlemen 

of the place; by whom I was escorted into the Town & reed under a 

discharge of Artillery—the distance I came today was about 32 miles—


Dined with a large Company at the Governors, & drank tea there with 

many well dressed ladies. 

"The road from Savanna to Augusta is for the most part through 

Pine barrens; but more uneven than I had been accustomed to since 

leaving Petersburg, in Virginia, especially after riding about 30 miles 

from the City of that name; and here & there indeed a piece of Oak 

land is passed on this Road but of small extent & by no means of the 

first quality. 

'' Thursday 19th. Received & answered an address from the Citizens 

of Augusta;—dined with a large Company at their Court Ho—and went 

to an assembly in the evening at the Academy; at which time there were 

between 60 & 70 well dressed ladies. 

'' Friday 20th. Viewed the Ruins or rather small Remns of the Works 

which had been erected by the British during the War and taken by 

the Americans—Also the falls which are about 2 miles above the Town; 

and the Town itself.—These falls (as they are called) are nothing more 

than, rapids—They are passable in their present state by boats with 

skillful hands but may at very small expense be improved by removing 

a few rocks only to straighten the passage—Above them there is a 

good boat navigation for many miles; by which the produce may be & 

in some measure is transported—At this place, i. e. the falls, the good 

lands begin; & encrease in quality to the westward & no. ward. All 

below them except the interval lands on the Rivers and Rice Swamps 

which extend from them, the whole country is a Pine barren—The town 

of Augusta is well laid out with wide & spacious streets—It stands on 

a large area of a perfect plane but is not yet thickly built tho surpris 

ingly so for the time; for, in 1783 there were not more than half a 

dozen houses; now there are not less than—containing about—souls of 

which—are blacks. It bids fair to be a large Town being at the head 

of the present navigation & a fine country back of it for support, which 

is settling very fast by Tobacco planters—The culture of which article 

is increasing very fast and bids fair to be the principal export from 

the State; and from this part of it, it certainly will be so. 

"Augusta, though it covers more ground than Savanna, does not 

contain as many Inhabitants, the latter having by the late census be 

tween 15 and 1500 whites and about 800 blacks. 

'' Dined at a private dinner with Govr. Telfair today; and gave him 

dispatches for the Spanish Govr of East Florida, respecting the Counte 

nance given by that Governt to the fugitive Slaves of the Union:— 

wch dispatches were to be forwarded to Mr. Seagrove,- Collector at St. 

Marys, who was requested to be the bearer, of them, and instructed to 

make arrangements for the prevention of these evils, and if possible for 

the restoration of the property—especially of those slaves wch had gone 

off since the orders of the Spanish Court to discountenance this practice 

of recg. them. 

"Saturday 21. Left Augusta about 6 o'clock and takg leave of 

the Governor & principal Gentlemen of the place at the Bridge over 

Savanna River where they had assembled for the purpose I proceeded 

in Company with Coins Hampton and Taylor & Mr. Lithgow, a com 

mittee from Columbia (who had come to meet & conduct me to that 

place) & a Mr. Jameson from the Village of Granby on my Rout—Dined


at a house about 20 miles from Augusta and lodged at one Oden about 

20 miles further." 

To the foregoing extracts from Washington's diary, it need only be 

added that, according to traditional accounts, he was greeted upon his 

arrival in Savannah by a vast gathering of people assembled from all 

parts of Georgia, but chiefly from the settlements along the coast. On 

the journey from Savannah to Augusta, an escort of horse accompanied 

him; and to meet the distinguished visitor, on the outskirts of the latter 

town—then the capital of the state—Governor Telfair headed a com 

mittee of citizens, which included a signer of the Declaration of Inde 

pendence, Judge Walton, besides a number of prominent state officials. 

While at Augusta, he visited the famous Richmond Academy, where 

he was entertained by the students in a contest of declamation. Sev 

eral prizes were awarded by Washington as a result of this visit. 

He was so delighted with the exhibition that, obtaining the names 

of the young orators, he sent them each a handsomely bound book on 

his return to Philadelphia. One of these trophies, a copy of Sallust, 

inscribed with the President's autograph, was presented to Augustin 

Smith Clayton, afterwards a judge of the Superior court and a member 

of Congress. Washington's visit to Georgia lasted only a week; but 

after a lapse of more than a century we still find it a well-spring of 

perennial interest, one of those rare forget-me-nots of subtle aroma which 

tradition delights to preserve, a blooming immortelle of Georgia's his 

toric past.

CHAPTER IV 

LONGSTREET.'S EXPERIMENTS WITH THE STEAMBOAT—TWENTY YEARS IN 

ADVANCE OF FULTON.HE WAS SUCCESSFULLY APPLYING STEAM TO 

NAVIGATION ON THE SAVANNAH RIVER—PATENT GRANTED TO BRIGGS 

AND LONGSTKEET IN 1787——AN IMPORTANT HISTORICAL DOCUMENT—— 

STILL PRESERVED IN THE ARCHIVES OF GEORGIA—THE ONLY PATENT 

EVER ISSUED BY THE STATE FOR AN INVENTION—GRANTED' BEFORE THE 

ADOPTION OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION—DESCRIPTION OF LONG- 

STREET'S STEAMBOAT—How PBOPELLED—STRUGGLES AND MISFOR 

TUNES—LONGSTREET'S GRAVE IN OLD ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD OVER 

LOOKING THE SCENE OF His EXPERIMENTS ON THE SAVANNAH RIVER. 

At least twenty years before Robert Fulton became known to the 

scientific world as the inventor of the steamboat, "William Longstreet 

was making crude experiments with a steam propeller on the Savannah 

River, near Augusta. It was fully as early as the year 1787 when he 

first conceived the idea of applying steam as a motive power to naviga 

tion ; and, after tinkering all day, he would sometimes lie awake all night 

thinking of the wonderful engine which he felt sure would in time revo 

lutionize the commerce of the globe. The inspired prophets of the olden 

time could not read the future more distinctly than did William Long- 

street. He could see the ocean greyhounds plowing through the high 

seas. He could almost hear the screech of the steam whistle. 

On February 1, 1788, an act was passed by the General Assembly 

at Augusta conferring upon two inventors, Isaac Briggs and William 

Longstreet, exclusive patent rights for a term of fourteen years, to a 

steam engine, constructed by them for the purposes of navigation. There 

are certain things, in regard to this legislative act, which give it a 

peculiar interest to students of American history. In the first place, it 

constitutes the only patent ever issued by the State of Georgia. At this 

time, the Articles of Confederation were still in vogue, but within a few 

months a new central government was organized, under the Federal 

Constitution of 1787, after which the right to issue patents became a 

special prerogative of the United States. 

We must furthermore observe that the date of this patent is anterior, 

by nearly two full decades, to the successful experiments made by Robert 

Fulton on the Hudson River, in 1807. It was also the first patent for a 

steamboat ever granted. Just what part Isaac Briggs took in the con 

struction of this pioneer steamboat is unknown; but tradition credits 

William Longstreet with a series of experiments on the Savannah River, 

367


extending over a period of twenty years. The proposition at first ex 

cited only ridicule. As an indication of this popular attitude, the musty 

old volume in which the patent is,recorded in the secretary of state's 

office contains this entry, on the first page of the index: '' Briggs and 

Longstreet: Steam Nothing', 245." On the page thus indicated in Book 

"C," Bills of Sale and Deeds of Gift, this earliest patent for a steam 

boat is recorded as follows: 

"AN ACCOUNT OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND PRINCIPLES OF BRIGGS' AND 

LONGSTREET 's STEAM ENGINE, FOK THE EXCLUSIVE USE OP WHICH 

A PRIVILEGE WAS GRANTED TO THE INVENTORS, FOR FOURTEEN YEARS, 

BY AN ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE PASSED AT AUGUSTA, THE FlRST DAY 

OP FEBRUARY, 1788. 

'' This engine consists of a Boiler, two Cylinders and a Condenser, con 

structed in the following manner, viz.: 

THE BOILER 

"Consists of two metallic vessels, globular, or nearly so, placed one 

within the other, so as to leave a small interstice between, in which 

interstice the boiling water is contained. The inner vessel contains the 

fuel, the flame of which passes through a spiral flue winding round the 

outside of the outer vessel from the bottom to the top. The steam is con 

veyed by a pipe from the boiler into an interstice between 

THE TWO CYLINDERS, 

"Which are placed, horizontally, one within the other, from whence 

it is admitted alternately into each end of the inner cylinder, in which 

it impels a piston to vibrate both ways with equal force. It is also 

admitted alternately to pass from each end of the inner cylinder (all 

the communications, to and from which, are opened and shut by a single 

cock) by means of pipes into 

THE CONDENSER, 

"Which is a metallic vessel having a large surface in contact with 

cold water. The condensed steam or warm water is drawn out of it by 

a pump. 

"I. BRIGGS, 

"WM. LONGSTREET. 

"Recorded 30th Jan. 1789." 

When the renowned inventor, James Watt, in 1774, perfected a 

patent which embodied the essential features of the modern steam engine, 

an effort to apply its principles to navigation followed at once. Simul 

taneously, in various places, men with a genius for mechanics began to 

make experiments. James Rumsey, on the Ohio, in 1784, and John 

Fitch, on the Delaware, in 1785, both succeeded in obtaining definite 

and brilliant results. However, it may be gravely doubted if either of 

these pioneer inventors forestalled AYilliam Longstreet. The Georgian


was probably engaged in experimenting with his steamboat on the Sa 

vannah River, for some time before receiving his patent from the state, 

in 1788; and he continued for years thereafter to improve his invention, 

in the hope of making it commercially successful. There were still 

others who, at this early date, were active in this same line of endeavor. 

But, while they demonstrated the feasibility of steam navigation, they 

came short of the coveted goal. Dame Fortune eluded them at every, 

turn; and it was reserved finally for Robert Fulton, a New Yorker, with 

his little boat, the Clermont, on the waters of the Hudson River, in 1807, 

to overtake the fleet wings of the fickle goddess. 

Says a well-known historian, in speaking of the first crude experi 

ments of the Georgia inventor:* "Longstreet's boat, like other great 

inventions, was made sport of; indeed, it must have been a queer-looking 

craft. His idea was to have the boat propelled by a series of poles, so 

arranged on a shaft that as the shaft turned on its axis the poles would 

strike the bottom of the river and push the boat along. This was cer 

tainly very clumsy; but a boat of this kind was made and put on the 

Savannah River in 1806, and moved by steam power. Robert Fulton's 

boat, the Clermont, made its trial trip on the Hudson River in August, 

1807. He made use of paddle-wheels to strike the water instead of poles 

to strike the river bottom. Paddle-wheels were a great improvement, 

and Robert Fulton is called the inventor of the steam-boat. To him 

belongs the idea of paddle-wheels, while to "William Longstreet belongs 

the honor of having first made a boat run by steam power.'' 

But let us go back. It is by no means uncertain that William Long- 

street failed to inherit the money-making instincts of his Dutch ances 

tors, but devotion to his ideal kept him poor. To obviate unnecessary 

expense he constructed his boilers of heavy oak timbers girt about by 

strong iron bands, and managed to do most of the work himself. He 

was not successful at first, but year after year he toiled away at his task 

with an undiminished enthusiasm. 

The world eventually pays its debts, but ofttimes the first installment 

is paid in ridicule. Ever since the time of Noah the man who has built 

in advance of his generation has been obliged to encounter the sharp 

note of derision. Longstreet's repeated failures with the steamboat 

made him a target for the shallow wits of the neighborhood. The idea 

of making iron swim on the water in an age not given to miracles, at least 

of the Biblical sort, was treated as the vagary of an escaped lunatic; and 

his neighbors stood by and harassed him pretty much as the amused 

antediluvians did the old patriarch when he was building the ark. But 

nevertheless in both cases the craft floated. He was told that it contra 

dicted every law of reason to suppose that iron could be made to move 

about at will upon the water without oar or sail. In the local prints 

appeared frequent squibs dedicated to the persistent inventor; and one 

of them, which has floated down to the present time, showing how the 

near-sighted skeptics ridiculed the experiment, is cast in doggerel verse 

with frequent variations of the question: 

'' Can you row the boat ashore, 

Billy boy, Billy boy?" 

* '' History of Georgia,'' Lawton B. Evans, p. 167. 

Vol. 1—24


Such an assault was enough to undermine the patience of Job, even 

had the assailants confined themselves to prose; but, good-naturedly 

reminding his critics that his time to laugh would soon come, he con 

tinued to prosecute his labors with grim earnestness. However, if energy 

refused to lag, money sometimes gave out. Now and then he would have 

to turn his hand to other lines of work in order to replenish his funds. 

At one time he applied to Governor Telfair for state aid, and the letter, 

dated September 26, 1790, is still preserved in the executive archives. 

But the chief magistrate shared the prevailing infidelity and returned 

an answer in the negative. 

More than fifteen years now elapsed, but at last the time came when 

Longstreet could face his critics with an exultant smile of satisfaction. 

The triumph was belated, but none the less complete. Taking on board 

such of his' friends as could be prevailed upon to make the venture, he 

pointed his odd-looking little vessel toward the deep water, and the 

experiment now worked like a charm. First he moved with the current, 

and then, reversing the lever, he moved against the current, but in either 

case with equal ease ; and, after traveling several miles with his delighted 

passengers, he brought the craft safely to shore. The movement of the 

boat evoked the lustiest shouts from the spectators who now crowded 

about the dock to vote the returning hero a Roman triumph. Those 

who, fearing the boilers might explode, had gone out in skiffs to gather 

up the remnants, now came back soundly converted to the true faith. 

"William Longstreet had won. 

But the heralds were most too slow in proclaiming the news to 

Christendom. For, while the Georgia inventor was meeting with every 

kind of discouragement as he toiled away upon his rude engine in 

Augusta, another mechanical genius was in Paris experimenting with his 

submarine diver. It was Robert Fulton. He had been invited over to 

the French capital by the United States minister, Robert Livingston, and 

instead of being hampered by slender means or contemptuous slurs, he 

was warmly encouraged by the far-sighted Napoleon, who was then 

first consul of France. Fulton possessed what Longstreet lacked: 

influential friends at court, and unlimited resources. The favoring 

gales wafted him on to early success, and he was soon engaged in devis 

ing the famous steamboat with which his name has ever since been uni 

versally associated. Nevertheless the credit of the first real demonstra 

tion belongs to William Longstreet, for it was as early as 1806 that he 

successfully applied steam to navigation. But the fleet-footed Mercury 

was on the side of Robert Fulton. 

Too intent upon perfecting the invention to give any thought to the 

patent office in Washington, William Longstreet slept over his rights, 

but some of his friends in the year following were about to set out for 

the seat of government on his behalf, when the news came from New 

York that the trial trip of the Clermont on the waters of the Hudson 

had been successfully accomplished. Thus William Longstreet was 

thwarted of his well-earned reward; but, derided and belittled though 

he was, he barely missed being celebrated in song and story as the author 

of the colossal achievement which changed the whole method of ocean 

travel and which fairly illuminated the giant portals of the most won 

derful of all the centuries.


Other misfortunes crowded upon the hapless inventor. He shortly 

afterwards set up two large gins in Augusta which were propelled by 

steam. They worked admirably and promised handsome returns, but 

not long after completion they were destroyed by fire. Subsequently 

he erected at St. Mary's two steam mills, but they were both destroyed 

in the War of 1812. By this time the enterprise of AVilliam Longstreet 

was completely discouraged. Heartbroken over his repeated misfor 

tunes and disappointments, he was in some respects like the great Italian 

navigator who failed to link his name to the vast hemisphere which he 

had been the first to discover and who passed away in almost unknown 

obscurity at Valladolid, among the hills of Spain. The unrewarded 

inventor died in 1814, and though prevented, like Tantalus, from clutch 

ing the fruit which waved in the air just over him, full-orbed and 

golden, he must, nevertheless, be recognized as the ill-starred forerunner 

of Robert Fulton in the evolution of the modern steamboat. 

To conclude this desultory sketch, it only needs to be said that Wil 

liam Longstreet came of an old Dutch family whose household escutcheon 

was planted in New Amsterdam by an emigrant from the low country, 

one Dirk Stoffels Langestraat, who became the progenitor of an illus 

trious offspring. William Longstreet was an uncle of the celebrated 

humorist, Judge Augustus B. Longstreet, who wrote "Georgia Scenes." 

He was also the grandfather of a noted Confederate officer, Gen. James 

Longstreet, famous as "Lee's old War Horse." In the churchyard of 

historic old St. Paul's, at Augusta, facing a walk to the left of the ancient 

edifice, stands an old tombstone. It marks the last resting place of 

William Longstreet. His grave is on an eminence overlooking the scene 

of his famous experiments; and lettered upon the crumbling headstone, 

yellow with age, one with difficulty may decipher the following pathetic 

inscription: 

Sacred to the memory of A¥ILLIAM LONGSTKEET, who 

departed this life, September 1, 1814, aged 54 years, 10 

months and 26 days. "All the days of the afflicted are 

evil; but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast."

CHAPTER V 

THE COTTON GIN—How THE CURRENTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY, POLITI 

CAL AND ECONOMIC, WERE DESTINED TO BE AFFECTED BY THIS 

INVENTION—ITS EFFECT UPON THE SOUTH—PRIOR TO THIS TIME, 

COTTON AN UNIMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE INDUSTRIAL LIFE OF 

THE WORLD—ONLY 399 BALES EXPORTED FROM THE UNITED 

STATES IN 1791—SEA-!SLAND COTTON—UPLAND COTTON—ELI WHIT- 

NEY, A NEW ENGLANDER, IN 1793, A GUEST OF GENERAL GREENE'S 

WIDOW AT MULBERRY GROVE, NEAR SAVANNAH—CIRCUMSTANCES 

WHICH LED WHITNEY TO INVENT THE COTTON GIN—AN AUTHENTIC 

ACCOUNT—WHITNEY's SUBSEQUENT CAREER—ESTABLISHES A COTTON 

GIN IN WILKES COUNTY, Six MILES FROM WASHINGTON—KEEPS THE 

PROCESS OF GINNING A SECRET, BUT A MAN DISGUISED IN FEMALE 

ATTIRE ENTERS THE GINNERY AND MAKES IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES— 

EIVALS CLAIMANTS—LAW SUITS OVER PATENT. RIGHTS—WHITNEY 

REAPS LITTLE PROFIT OUT OF AN INVENTION A¥HICH WAS DESTINED 

TO FURNISH APPAREL FOR HALF OF THE HUMAN RACE AND TO RULE 

THE INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE GLOBE. 

NOTES : WHERE AN IMPORTANT BATTLE WAS FOUGHT. 

'' Behold, in endless sheets, unroll 

The snow of southern summer." 

Thus sang the poet Timrod. Half of the human race is today clothed 

with fabrics spun from the South's royal staple, cotton, a product far 

richer in its intrinsic value than the golden fleece for which Jason went 

in search. Today cotton rules an empire broader in extent than the one 

over which hovered the imperial eagles of Rome. But, without a modest 

device for separating the lint from the seed, invented by Eli Whitney, 

in 1793, cotton might still be an Ishmaelite of the fields, an utterly worth 

less weed, with no part to play in the world's affairs, with no value as a 

commodity in the world's market. 

Before the cotton gin was invented eight bags of cotton shipped to 

England in 1784 were seized on the ground that so much cotton could 

not be produced in the United States.* To quote the same authority 

from which we derive this statement, sea-island cotton was first raised 

on the coast of Georgia in 1786, the seed for this purpose having been 

obtained from the Bahama Islands. Two years later, Alexander Bissell, 

of St. Simon's, began to export sea-island cotton to England. The use 

of cotton, in the manufacture of cloth, on a somewhat crude scale, is 

credited by traditional accounts to a remote origin, but until compara- 

* "History of Georgia," L. B. Evans, p. 139. 

372

GEOBGIA AND GEOKGIANS 373 

tively recent times there were so many difficulties in the way of utilizing 

the plant with profit that its effect was hardly felt upon the industrial 

arts. It was first necessary to separate the lint from the seed, then to 

spin the fiber into thread, and then to weave the thread into cloth. Says 

an economic writer:* "All of these operations a hundred and fifty 

years ago were performed by hand, but in the eighteenth century Eng 

lish inventors made machines to do the spinning and weaving, with the 

result that one man could turn out as much cloth as had a hundred with 

the old hand methods. These inventions naturally created a great de 

mand for cotton, but the fact that a sMllful worker could remove the 

seed from less than a dozen pounds of cotton in a day stood in the way 

of further development. Several devices were invented to overcome 

this difficulty, but it was reserved for a young man named Eli Whitney 

to perfect the simple and efficient machine which is now used. This 

invention revolutionized the economic history of Georgia and the other 

Southern States." 

To separate the lint from the seed, in the case of sea-island cotton, 

was comparatively an easy matter, due to its long staple; but the culti 

vation of sea-island cotton was restricted to the sea-coast. It could not 

be grown on the uplands, where a short-staple variety of cotton was 

produced. For some time there had been in existence a machine for 

cleaning the long-staple cotton, but the short-staple or upland cotton 

had to be separated entirely by hand. This process was slow and tedious. 

It required a negro's entire time for a whole day to separate one pound 

of upland cotton. "Where a large crop was planted, therefore, it became 

a serious proposition to get it ready for the market, requiring more 

hands to separate it under the shed than to gather it in the field. As a 

result, there was little profit to be realized from the cotton crop, down 

to the beginning of the last century; and even as late as 1791 only 399 

bales of cotton were exported from all the United States.! The old 

spinning wheel played a fundamentally useful part in developing the 

cotton industry, but without some device for separating the lint from the 

seed, cotton could never have come to its coronation. It could never 

have been called king. To Eli Whitney's invention, therefore, cotton- 

owes its seat of honor among the sceptered royalties. 

One of the original cotton gins invented by Eli Whitney was for 

years in the possession of Judge Garnett Andrews, of Washington, 

Georgia. The old relic was a gift to the owner from Gov. Matthew 

Talbot, on whose extensive plantation, near Washington, not far from the 

present site of Smyrna Church, the first gin house in Upper Georgia, if 

not in the entire state, was erected. The old building still survives, in 

a fair state of preservation, though as late as 1903 it was used as a 

negro house. Miss Eliza F. Andrews, his daughter, retains the most 

vivid recollections of the old gin. During her girlhood days it occupied 

a place in the attic of the family homestead in Washington and many 

an hour was spent by her in the company of this quaint heirloom, when 

rainy weather kept the children indoors. The gin was eventually lost 

at an agricultural fair in Augusta, Georgia. The story told by Miss 

* "History of Georgia," B. P. Brooks, p. 211. 

t '' History of Georgia," L. B. Evans, p. 139.


Andrews is strictly authentic. It is the only account in existence which 

purports to give the inside facts of "Whitney's great invention. Judge 

Andrews and Mr. Phineas M. Nightingale, a grandson of Gen. Nathanael 

Greene, lived for years on adjoining plantations and it was from the 

latter that Miss Andrews received the account at first hand. 

Eli Whitney, it will be remembered, at the time of inventing the 

cotton gin, was a guest in the widow Greene's household. The story 

as recalled from memory by Miss Andrews was reduced to writing years 

later. It was also verified by a letter dated January 20, 1892, from Mrs. 

P. M. Nightingale, then an old lady in her eighty-second year but with 

her mental faculties unimpaired. The maiden name of Mrs. Nightingale 

was Mary King. She was a member of the noted family of New York 

state and a charming old gentlewoman. Miss Andrews, the author of 

the following account, is a lady of rare gifts, widely known in the 

realm of letters. Her father, Judge Garnett Andrews, was one 

of Georgia's most distinguished jurists. The author wrote her 

first account of the invention for the Scientific American, sometime in 

the early '70s, after which she published in the Augusta Chronicle, on 

September 20, 1905, an article on the part played by Mrs. Miller in 

Whitney's great invention. It is no exaggeration to say that the cotton 

gin deservedly ranks among the foremost achievements of modern times. 

It riveted the institution of slavery upon the South and became the ulti 

mate cause of the war between the states. Today more than half of 

the world's poptilation depends upon fabrics, the manufacture of which 

has been stimulated and developed by the cotton gin. Says Miss 

Andrews: 

"Eli Whitney, at the time of inventing the cotton gin, was a guest 

at Mulberry Grove, near Savannah, Georgia, the home of Gen. Na 

thanael Greene, of Revolutionary fame. After the death of the general, 

his widow married Phineas Miller, tutor to Gen. Greene's children, and 

a friend and college mate of WTiitney's. The ingenuity of the Yankee 

visitor, as exhibited in various amateur devices and tinkerings about 

the premises, inspired the family with such confidence in his skill that, 

on one occasion, when Mrs. Miller's watch was out of order, she gave it 

to Mr. AVhitney for repair, 110 professional watchmaker being within 

reach. Not long thereafter, a gentleman called at the house to exhibit 

a fine sample of cotton wool, and incidentally remarked while displaying 

the sample: ' There is a fortune in store for some one who will invent 

a machine for separating the lint from the seed.' Mrs. Miller, who was 

present, turned to Whitney and said: ' You are the very man, Mr. 

Whitney, for since you succeeded so well with my watch I am sure you 

have ingenuity enough to make such a machine.' 

"After this conversation, Mr. Whitney confined himself closely to 

his room for several weeks. At the end of this time he invited the fam-- 

ily to inspect his model for a cotton gin. It was constructed with wire 

teeth on a revolving cylinder. However, there was no contrivance for 

throwing off the lint after it was separated from the seed and it wrapped 

around the cylinder, thereby greatly obstructing the operation. Mrs. 

Miller, seeing the difficulty, seized a common clothes brush, applied it 

to the teeth, and caught the lint. Whitney, with delight, exclaimed:

RUINS OF AN OLD BARN NEAR WASHINGTON, WHERE ONE OP THE EARLIEST COTTON GINS 

WAS INSTALLED 

o 

W 

O 

o 

w 

g > 

Z 

02

376 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS . 

'Madam, you have solved the problem. With this suggestion, my ma 

chine is complete.' " 

The following letter from Mrs. Nightingale, widow of Phineas M. 

Nightingale, of Dungeness, corroborates in every particular the account 

given by Miss Andrews. It reads as follows: 

"Brunswick, Ga., January 20, 1892. 

"Dear Miss Andrews: 

" I am very sorry not to have been able to send an earlier response to> 

your letter about Mr. Whitney and the cotton gin. I do not remember 

much about the particulars of his visit to Savannah, but I am sure of a 

few things. Mr. Miller was the tutor of Mrs. Greene 's children and Mr. 

Whitney was his friend, and it was during his residence i.n Mrs. Greene's. 

house, near Savannah, that he undertook, at her suggestion, to invent a 

machine that would separate the sea-island cotton seed from the lint,, 

more rapidly and effectively than by hand, which was a very slow 

process. Mrs. Greene and Mr. Miller were the first persons to whom he 1 

displayed his model. It lacked one thing—a contrivance to throw off' 

the lint when separated from the seed. Mrs. Greene saw the want at 

once and, snatching up a clothes brush, she applied it to the teeth and', 

caught the lint. Mr. Whitney was delighted. 'Madam,' said he, 'with 

your suggestion, my machine is complete.' Mrs. Greene married Mr.. 

Miller and they built the Dungeness house, i. e., the original mansion 

finished in 1803. General Greene had.selected the site and made ar 

rangements for building before his death. With my kindest regards,. 

I am, Very truly yours, 

"MARY K. NIGHTINGALE." 

'' The important part thus played by a woman in the history of the- 

cotton gin is unknown, I believe, except as a family tradition, even in her 

own State. My father was also informed by a gentleman once connected 

with Whitney in business, that the latter obtained his first idea of the 

invention, from a machine used to prepare rags for making paper, which 

he saw on a wrecked vessel. Unfortunately for Mr. Whitney, the predic 

tion with regard to the fortune in store for the future inventor of the- 

cotton gin was not realized, for he was engaged in constant lawsuits, 

against infringements of his patent rights, and lived and died poor. As. 

a Georgian, I regret to say that his adopted State has never bestowed any 

substantial token of appreciation upon the inventor of a machine by 

which she has so largely profited. Tennessee, Alabama, and South Caro 

lina, manifested their appreciation of his merits by substantial donations,, 

while Georgia—with sorrow I write it—has been worse than silent, for 

her juries refused him verdicts to which the judges declared him en 

titled, against the violators of his patent. 

"So uncertain was the enforcement of the patent laws in those days, 

that Whitney resorted to the same expedient for the protection of his. 

rights that, in medieval times, used to invite charges of sorcery and 

witchcraft; I mean the expedient of secrecy. 

"About the year 1794 or 1795, Whitney established a ginnery at 

Smyrna about six miles from Washington, in Wilkes County, Georgia. 

This was one of the first, if not the very first cotton gin ever worked iru


the State. Together with his partner, a man named Durhee, he erected 

at this place a large cotton store house, which in 1870 served as a barn 

for Mrs. Tom Burdett. The gin house had narrow grated windows so 

that visitors might stand outside and watch the cotton flying from the 

gin, without observing the operations of the machines, which was con 

cealed behind a lower screen. On the occasion of a militia muster in 

the neighborhood, the rustic batallion was permitted to file through the 

house, while Whitney's gin was in operation, and see the flakes of cotton 

thrown off by the brushes, but no one was allowed to examine further. 

"Women were permitted by Whitney to enter his gin house and 

examine the machine, if they liked, as they *were not supposed to be 

capable of betraying the secret to builders—an opinion for which mod 

ern females of the strong-minded school, will no doubt bear him a. 

grudge—and not altogether without reason when we consider the ma 

terial assistance he received from a woman in perfecting his invention. 

This fact of the free admission of women was used to advantage by 

Edward Lyon, a smooth-faced youth residing at a distance, to gain ad 

mission to Whitney's establishment, disguised in female attire. He 

communicated the secret to his brother John, who immediately set to 

work and produced his improvement on Whitney's invention, in the 

shape of the modern saw gin. The saws were made for him by Billy 

McPerrin, an Irish blacksmith in Wilkes County, who died some twenty- 

five or thirty years ago. This was the first gin ever made. The saws 

were constructed in semicircles and fastened around the cylinder in 

pairs, so as to form complete circles when finished. 

"As early as 1797, a gin factory was established in 'Georgia by a 

man named McCloud, and Whitney's lawsuits against him were all un 

successful. An old gentleman who purchased a gin from McCloud told 

my father years later that even then it worked as well as new. It was. 

propelled by water, and ginned 2,500 pounds of seed cotton per day. 

Previous to this, the gin in ordinary use was an arrangement of two- 

wooden rollers, revolving in opposite directions, which preceded Mr. 

Whitney's invention. It was worked by hand, and ginned only from 

75 to 100 pounds per day, and a man had to be, constantly employed in 

turning rollers, the friction burnt out so fast. This machine is still 

used in ginning the best qualities of sea-island cotton, the advantage 

being that it does not cut the staple as the saw gins do. 

"The honor of having invented the first cotton gin is sometimes dis 

puted with Eli Whitney in favor of Mr. Bull, a gentleman from Balti 

more, who settled in Columbia County, Georgia, and introduced the 

saw gin there in 1795. He first used perpendicular saws, but afterwards: 

changed them for circular ones in imitation no doubt of Whitney and 

Lyon. Mr. Bull was an enterprising and ingenious man, and the first 

to introduce iron packing screws into this State.* Costing from $1,500 

. * Says Miss Andrews in a letter to the author: "The only iron packing screw 

of this kind I remeniber ever to have seen was still in use a few years ago on a 

plantation of Mr. Gabriel Toombs. I am inclined to think it was, if not one of 

those introduced "by Colonel Bull, at least made upon his model, "but for this I cannot 

vouch. I am trying to trace its origin, but without much headway, I fear. It Is- 

considerably smaller than the tall 01d wooden screws that were so common in my 

youth.''


to $1,800 these were so expensive that they were soon abandoned for 

the common wooden screw, now in general use on plantations. His 

invention of the perpendicular saw gin was—there seems to be no doubt 

—independent of Whitney's, though posterior to it, the latter having 

come into operation in 1793. Thus, though Eli Whitney failed to 

realize the profits of his invention, it seems clear that he must be left in 

undisputed possession of at least the barren honors." 

Cotton in 1800 brought 24 cents per pound. There was a great 

fever among the upland farmers for experimenting with the new plant. 

It was found that most of the land in. the rich Georgia midlands was 

admirably adapted to the cultivation of the short-staple cotton. All who 

could afford to do so began to purchase additional slaves and to acquire 

new lands. Thus an increased impetus was given to the state's develop 

ment. Prior to the advent of the cotton gin, slavery had come to be 

burdensome but the enlarged area of planting operations now endowed 

it with fresh vitality and made its continuance essential. Whitney's 

invention wrought a wonderfully stimulating effect upon the industrial 

growth of the South, especially in the cotton-producing states. It caused 

new towns and cities to leap into life, as if by magic, galvanized those 

already in existence, called for more negro labor in the fields, started 

New England to building factories, and enlarged the princely holdings 

of the southern planter, making his fertile acres baronial in extent; but 

it committed the South to the ruinous policy of cultivating a single 

crop; it put an end to diversification; and eventually it riveted upon the 

South an institution destined within a half century to precipitate a 

revolution and to rend a continent—the institution of slavery. 

WHERE AN IMPORTANT BATTLE WAS FOUGHT.—On October 17, 1793, the last 

engagement between the Chcrokees and the whites in Upper Georgia occurred near 

the forks where the Oostanaula and the Etowah rivers meet at Home. Human bones 

have been found in large numbers on this old battle-field. The fight here was occa 

sioned by an attack of the Ghero'kee Indians upon Knoxville. General Sevier pursued 

the savages across the Tennessee line in Georgia, destroying numerous towns and 

villages along the way and finally engaging them in desperate battle near the site 

of the present city of Borne. • So panie-stricken became the Indians, under the galling 

fire of the American guns, that they are said to have dug holes in the river bank, in 

which to secrete themselves. But they could not elude the wily Tennesseean; and 

these places of refuge became little more than catacombs, in which the fugitive 

Indian .found only a grave for his bones. General Sevier was supported in this 

expedition by Col. John Lowry, who was wounded in the arm while watering his horses 

at the ford of the Coiosawattee. Hugh L. White, afterwards a senator from Tennessee 

and a candidate for President of the United States, was in this engagement.—L. L. K.

CHAPTER VI 

GEN. ELIJAH CLARICE'S TRANS-OCONEE REPUBLIC—AN EPISODE OP Gov- 

ERNOE MA-THEWS' ADMINISTRATION—WEARY OP INCESSANT TROUBLES 

ALONG THE EXPOSED BORDER, GENERAL CLARKB ADOPTS A NOVEL 

COURSE—TAKES THE LAW INTO His OWN HANDS—His ORIGINAL 

PLAN, HOWEVER, WAS TO RECOVER LOUISIANA FOE PRANCE AND TO 

SEIZE FLORIDA—WON BY THE FRENCH EMISSARY, GENET, HE AC 

CEPTS A COMMISSION IN TPIE FRENCH ARMY—GENERAL CLARICE A 

MORTAL ENEMY OF SPAIN—WASHINGTON'S SUSPICIONS AROUSED— 

RESOURCES INADEQUATE, THE SCHEME PROVES ABORTIVE—BUT FIND 

ING HIMSELF AT THE HBAD OP ,AN ARMED FORCE, GENERAL CLARKE 

ENTERS THE TERRITORY OP THE INDIANS—SEEKS TO FORM AN INDE 

PENDENT NATION—PUBLIC CENSURE CONDEMNS GENERAL CLARKE— 

JUDGE WALTON 's CHARGE TO THE GRAND JURY OF WILKES—THE WAR 

DEPARTMENT TAKES A HAND—GENERAL CLARICE'S DESIGNS ARE SET 

FORTH IN A PROCLAMATION ISSUED BY GOVERNOR MATHEWS—GENERAL 

TWIGGS Is SENT TO ARREST GENERAL CLARKE—BOTH PATRIOTS OF 

THE REVOLUTION—GENERAL CLARKE VOLUNTARILY SURRENDERS—BUT 

No LEGAL ACTION Is TAKEN—THOUGH His REPUTATION WAS BE- 

PLVIMED BY THIS EPISODE ov His LAST DAYS, THERE WAS DOUBT 

LESS NO INTENT TO COMMIT AN ACT OP TREASON—COLONEL CHAP- 

PELL'S OPINION—BURIAL PLACE OF GENERAL CLARKE RECENTLY 

DISCOVERED. 

During- the .year 1794, when Governor Ma thews occupied the execu 

tive chair, there occurred in this state an episode to which the historians 

have seemingly attached little importance; but it possesses a flavor of 

intense human interest, if not a hearing of any great value upon the 

future course of events. We call it an episode because it ended iu fail 

ure; but had it succeeded there is no telling to what extent it might 

have influenced the current of history. Gen. Elijah Clarke, of the Rev 

olution, who at this time was well advanced in years but still full of 

the martial spirit, conceived the idea of organizing an independent 

government on the, west side of the Oconee River, in what was then the 

domain of the Creek Indians. 

General Clarke was undoubtedly a patriot. In the drama of inde 

pendence, he had played a most heroic part, having been chiefly instru 

mental in the overthrow of Toryism in upper Georgia; and if his fame 

.as a fighter was eclipsed in some measure by this exploit of his later life 

it was because the precise nature of his enterprise was not fully under 

stood by his critics. He contemplated nothing akin to treason. The 

collapse of Ms splendid scheme exposed him to consequences such as 

failure invariably entails; but in sheer justice to the stern old warrior 

379


it must be said that when the proper time came he fully expected to 

annex his republic to the State of Georgia. 

General Clarke was weary of incessant troubles along the exposed 

frontier. To put an effectual quietus upon the Indians and to solve by 

the sword a problem which was dark with menace to the peace of thou 

sands, became his fixed resolve; and, while it was born of a sudden 

impulse, it gripped him with the power of a divine inspiration. Trained 

in the use of weapons, he preferred, like a true frontiersman, to argue 

a disputed point by resort to arms rather than by appeal to reason. Be 

sides, during the unsettled period which followed the Revolution, force 

was still a greater power than law. 

But the entry of General Clarke upon the territory of the Indians 

formed no part of his original intentions. He sought in the beginning 

an altogether different object. "When the French emissary, Genet, came 

to this country, in 1794, to arouse popular hostility toward Spain, he 

found General Clarke a sympathetic listener. Moreover the latter, whose 

hatred of the Spaniards amounted to an obsession, was easily prevailed 

upon to accept a commission from France p.n a campaign, the declared 

purpose of which was to seize Florida and to recover Louisiana. As it 

happened, the resources granted him for this purpose were wholly in 

adequate, and the scheme itself proved abortive; but, finding himself at 

the head of an organized force, on the borders of Georgia, he east his 

eyes toward the fertile lands beyond the Oconee River; and, into the 

meshes thus invitingly spread by the tempter, General Clarke fell. 

There was no thought of treason to Georgia involved in this scheme 

of conquest. But he acted in an arbitrary manner, without consulting 

the state authorities, and in bold defiance of treaty agreements. Col. 

Absalom H. Chappell, an accurate historian, has given us a full account 

of the whole affair; and, while he does not uphold the general's course, 

he acquits him of- any wrongful intent. The following review of one of 

the most dramatic episodes in the history of our state is summarized from 

Colonel ChappelPs graphic account. After giving us a sketch of Alex 

ander MeGillivray, the wily half-breed chief, who commanded the Creeks 

at this time, he then turns to General Clarke. Says he: 

"On the civilized side [i. e., of the Oconee War], there was also a 

prominent representative character whom we should not overlook: a 

nobly meritorious yet unhappily, before the end of his career, a some 

what erring soldier and patriot—General Elijah Clarke. The very 

military reputation which he had brought out of the Revolution made 

him the man to whom all the upper new settlements looked as the most 

competent of leaders and the most fearless of fighters. There never 

failed to come trooping to him, at his bugle call, from field and forest, 

bands of armed men, at the head of whom he would repel incursions 

and pursue and punish the flying foe even in the distant recesses of his 

wild woods. To be forward and valiant in defending the settlements 

from the Indian tomahawk was, in those days, a sure road to lasting 

gratitude and admiration. 

'' But destiny, which had hitherto been his friend, began at length to 

be his enemy and to impel General Clarke into improper and ill-starred 

but not ill-meant courses. His first error was in lending himself to the 

schemes of the mischief-making French minister, Genet; his next in


setting on foot the Oconee Rebellion, as it was called—missteps, both 

of which, were owing rather to accidental circumstances at the particu 

lar time than to any intentional wrongdoing on his part. 

'' Genet was worthy to represent such a crew as the Jacobins under 

Robespierre; and he became drank with the wild unschooled spirit of 

liberty. Nowhere did he meet with more encouragement than in South 

Carolina, due to the Huguenot element in the south of the State. The 

strong feeling of French consanguinity added force to the universally 

prevalent sentiment of gratitude to France as our ally in the Revolu 

tion. General Clarke's strong and bold nature sympathized with 

France. Genet wanted to seize Florida and to recover Louisiana from 

the Spaniards. He therefore presented the matter to General Clarke. 

The latter was not a diplomat, but a frontiersman, who was more 

familiar with woods than with courts, and who saw nothing whatever 

in the way of international complications. He disliked Spain as much 

as he loved Georgia. She was the ancient enemy of his State. He sought 

to render a patriotic service—for which reason he accepted the com 

mission.* 

"Commissions for subordinate officers were likewise placed in his 

hands. He was .given money and means also, but in too limited an 

amount for so great an enterprise.. His authority was everywhere rec 

ognized by French emissaries, and from the Ohio to the St. Mary's, 

his orders were obeyed in the making of preparations. Men thronged 

to him from South Carolina and Georgia, fired by the splendor of the 

project and the renown of the leader. The points of rendezvous were 

principally along the Oconee. Nor did the Indians manifest any hos 

tility toward the adventurers, for they were ancient friends of the 

French, with whom they were allied in the French and Indian Wars. 

"But the enterprise never reached the stage where General Clarke 

was to stand forth, truncheon in hand, the avowed leader. Washington's 

administration was too strong and vigilant for Genet. Our obligations 

of neutrality toward Spain were fully maintained. The recall of Genet 

was demanded. Of course, the eonsecaiences were disastrous to General 

Clarke. He was left standing, blank, resourceless, aimless, on the Indian 

side of the wilderness." 

It was in these untoward circumstances that General Clarke, with 

his men, in May, 1794, began to bestow thought upon the Indian terri 

tory, where already they saw themselves quartered in arms. Nor did 

they think long before they took the overstrong resolution of seizing 

upon the country and of setting up for themselves an independent gov 

ernment.' No scruples or impediments deterred them. To a man, they 

regarded the country as lost to Georgia by the perpetual guarantee made 

to the Indians by the Treaty of New York. A written constitution was 

adopted. General Clarke was chosen civil and military chief. A commit 

tee of Safety was organized, with law-making functions. But whether 

a name was ever bestowed on the infant state or whether it expired with 

out baptism, no record or tradition remains to tell. Nor is there any 

* Stevens and White both state that he was commissioned a major-general in the 

E'rench. army, with a pay of $10,000, but neither of them cites the doeumeritary evi 

dence on which this statement is based.


copy of the constitution now to be found. But in the first volume of 

the "American State Papers on Indian Affairs" there is preserved a 

letter from General Clarke to the Committee of Safety, dated Fort 

Defiance, September 5, 1794, which places beyond doubt the adoption of 

the constitution and the other facts of organization.* 

'The new trans-Oconee Republic was too splendid a scheme for the 

petty numbers and resources of General Clarke's command. Stevens. 

in his history of Georgia, has mixed matters. He represents the Oconee 

war as eventuating in the French project, with which General Clarke 

became identified. On the contrary, it was the failure of the French 

project which led to the Oconee war. 

In justification of General Clarke V course may be pleaded the ani 

mosity which had long prevailed between the State of Georgia and the 

Creek Indians. The latter had been the allies of the British. In the 

Treaty of Augusta, in 1783, they had ceded the Oconee lands, but had 

refused to let Georgia enjoy them. They kept no faith; and, during 

the next year, not only raised the warhoop again, but rushed into an 

alliance with Spain. Later they were parties to another treaty, by 

which they ceded the Tallassee country, in the lower part of the state, 

only to repudiate it afterwards. Both at Augusta and at Galphinton, 

General Clarke had been one of the commissioners for Georgia. He 

was actuated less by the prevailing land-greed than by sagacious states 

manship, and he looked to a permanent preservation of peace with the 

Indians. Still another treaty had been signed at Shoulder Bone, in 

1876. Yet the war had not ceased. 

Such was the status of affairs when the new Government of the 

United States was launched in 1789 and "Washington called to the helm. 

It was barely a year thereafter that the Treaty of New York was con 

summated, abrogating the other treaties and buying peace at the price 

of a retrocession of Tallassee, in addition to a perpetual guarantee to 

the Indians, on the part of the United States, regardless of Georgia's 

paramount, rights. Yet the Indian did not keep even this treaty, because 

it did not concede to them everything else which they claimed. 

General Clarke was speedity overwhelmed by public censure and 

total discomfiture. National and state governments acted in concert 

against him and finally put him down. Governor Mathews, with his 

revolutionary laurels untainted at this time by the Yazoo fraud, thun 

dered at the obnoxious general, prompted by Washington, who preferred 

wisely to remain behind the scenes and to be neutral where the author 

ities of the states were adequate to deal with the local situations. Judge 

Walton also condemned him in charges to grand juries, though in lan 

guage of marked consideration and respect. These, however, were not 

sufficient. The next step was more decisive. The citizen soldiery were 

called out; and, to General Clarke's surprise, they promptly obeyed 

orders. As the storm thickened around him, there were none to come 

to his succor. Even his hosts of friends stood aloof. They could not 

*"American State Papers, Indian Affairs," Vol. I, pp., 500-501, Library of 

Congress, Washington, District of Columbia.


uphold him in violating the Treaty of New York, which the state was 

bound to respect. 

It redounds to General Clarke's honor, however, that he no sooner 

became aware of the great error in which he was entangled than he 

abandoned it, ere he had shed a drop of blood. He never expected to 

raise his hand against any foe save the hostile Indians and Spaniards. 

This explains his ready and absolute submission when, on being assured 

that neither his men nor himself would be molested, he struck colors and 

disbanded his followers and returned, chagrined, to his home in Wilkes, 

on the approach of Generals Twiggs and Irwin, under the governor's 

order, with a body of the state troops. 

In further defense of General Clarke it may be said that, with the 

Oconee River as a permanent guaranteed boundary between the State of 

Georgia and the Indians, it was clear to him that the state could never 

attain to much prosperity or importance, but must continue feeble and 

poor. Enlargement toward the west was what she needed to make her 

powerful. So he seized the opportunity which confronted him in 1794 

of making himself master of the trans-Oconee territory by means of the 

French resources and preparations, to which he had fallen heir. 

On July 28, 1794, at the suggestion of General Knox, secretary of 

war, Governor Mathews issued this proclamation: 

"Whereas, I have received official information that Elijah Clarke, 

Esq., late a Major-General of the militia of this State, has gone over 

the Oconee River, with intent to establish a separate and independent 

government on lands allotted to the Indians for hunting grounds within 

the boundaries and jurisdictional rights of the State of Georgia afore 

said, and has induced numbers of good citizens of the said State to join 

him in the said unlawful enterprise; and whereas, such acts and pro 

ceedings are not only a violation of the laws of this State, but tend to 

subvert the good order and government thereof, I have therefore thought 

fit to issue this proclamation, warning and forbidding the citizens of the 

said State from engaging in such unlawful proceedings, hereby strictly 

enjoining all persons whatsoever who have been deluded to engage 

therein immediately to desist therefrom, as they will answer the contrary 

to their peril; and I do hereby strictly command and require all judges, 

justices, sheriffs, and other officers, and all other good citizens of this 

State to be diligent in aiding and assisting to apprehend the said Elijah 

Clarke and his adherents, in order that they may be severally brought 

to justice." 

No sooner did Governor Mathews issue this proclamation against 

General Clarke than the latter reappeared in Wilkes and surrendered 

himself to the authorities; but after examining the laws and the treaties, 

both State and Federal, it was ordered by the court that Elijah Clarke 

be and is hereby discharged. The vote of the jury was unanimous. The 

effect was to embolden Clarke. Being pronounced guiltless of any of- 

fense, he recrossed the Oconee to his posts. 

Thereupon the President authorized the governor to embody the 

militia and to call into service the Federal troops, if necessary, in order 

to disperse the settlers. Lieutenant-Colonel Gaither, of the United States 

army, was on hand to co-operate. Before Governor Mathews, in accord-


ance with instructions, resorted to force, he once more tried the effect 

of negotiations and sent Generals Twiggs and Irwin to Fort Advance. 

Says General Twiggs, in his official report: "I proceeded to the 

unauthorized settlement on the southwest side of the Oconee and, on 

the presentation of Georgia's claim, read the letter from the War De 

partment, together with Judge Walton's charge to the Grand Jury of 

Wilkes and the law opinion of the attorney and Solicitor General. After 

a full explanation of the papers above recited, I entered into a friendly 

conference with him, pointing out the danger of the situation, but with 

out effect. Lastly, I ordered them to move within the temporary lines 

between us and the Creek Indians; but after an interview with his men 

he answered that he preferred to maintain his ground. Troops, both 

State and Federal, were therefore concentrated at Fort Fidius, on the 

Oconee, and such a disposition made of them that General Clarke, upon 

promise of General Irwin of immunity if he should vacate the post, 

marched out of the place and the State troops took possession of the 

works. On September 28, they were set on fire, together with Fort 

Defiance, and several other garrisoned places were completely demol 

ished." 

On October 12, 1794, the governor informed the Secretary of War 

that the posts were burnt and destroyed, and the whole affair happily 

terminated without loss of blood. 

Says the authority from whom we quote: "General Clarke was most 

unfortunate in these transactions of his last years. But because he fell 

into error, we cannot submit that his merits should be unduly shaded 

or shut out from view and his character transmitted to the future, 

aspersed with epithets of disparagement. He died, ranking to the last, 

among Georgia's most cherished heroes and benefactors. He was em 

phatically the Ajax Telamon of the State in her days of greatest trial. 

In weighing such a man—such a doer and sufferer for his country— 

indictments which might have crushed meaner persons are but as dust 

in the balance against the rich ponderous ore of his services, and we 

hasten to shed a tear on whatever may tend to soil his memory and to 

pronounce it washed out forever. Georgia has been blessed with many 

signal favors. But never has it fallen to her lot to have a son, native 

or adopted, whom she could more proudly boast and justly honor, or 

who has imprinted himself more deeply on her heart, than Elijah 

Clarke." 

To the foregoing accoiint of this affair, condensed from an article 

by Colonel Chappell, we need only to add that one of the counties of 

Georgia bears the name of this illustrious soldier of the Revolution. 

Athens, its county site, became the seat of the University of Georgia. 

On Broad Street, in the classic city, a handsome monument commemo 

rates the achievements of the elder Clarke.* But the grave of 

the general is still unmarked. Until recent years it was in fact 

* Erected by Elijah Clarke Chapter, Daughters of the American B'evolution. 

Athens, Georgia.


unknown. Some of the members of the Clarke family lie buried in 

Wilkes County, near the battlefield of Kettle Creek. General Clarke 

was a resident of this county and a commanding officer in this battle. 

But a number of counties were subsequently formed from Wilkes, in 

any one of which he might have been buried. It is a matter of record, 

however, that he owned an extensive plantation in what is today the 

County of Lincoln; and, during the year 1912 a well-known genealogist,* 

while engaged in making researches, discovered the old soldier's will in 

the ordinary's office at Lineolnton. So putting1 these two things to 

gether—the finding of his will and the fact of his residence—there is 

little room for doubt that somewhere on what is today known as the 

Oliver plantation the mortal ashes of General Clarke lie entombed. It 

is true that White, in his "Collections of Georgia" states that the widow 

Clarke, some twenty-eight years later, was buried beside her husband at 

Woodburn; and while there is no such place in Lincoln known at pres 

ent by this name, the same is equally true of Wilkes; and the probabil 

ity is that it was merely the name which General Clarke, after the fashion 

of the period, gave to his Lincoln county plantation. At any rate, there 

is every reason to believe that in this locality rest the ashes of General 

Clarke, the most illustrious of all the soldiers of Georgia in the Revo 

lution. 

* Miss Helen M. Presoott, Genealogist, Joseph Habersham Chapter, Daughters 

of the American "Revolution, Atlanta, Georgia. 

Vol. 1—25

CHAPTER VII 

GEORGIA IN RATIFYING THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION WAS NOT UNMINDFUL 

OF HER RESIDUARY RIGHTS—CLASHES WITH THE GENERAL GOVERN 

MENT—THE CASE OF CHISHOLM VERSUS GEORGIA Is FILED IN THE 

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT—EDMUND RANDOLPH, OF VIRGINIA, 

MAKES A STRONG ARGUMENT AGAINST GEORGIA AND Is SUSTAINED BY 

A MAJORITY OF THE BENCH, JUDGE IREDELL DISSENTING—JUDGMENT 

Is ENTERED AGAINST GEORGIA BUT REMAINS UNENFORCED—MEAN 

WHILE THE ELEVENTH AMENDMENT TO THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION 

Is RATIFIED, PUTTING AN END TO ALL LITIGATION AGAINST A SOVER 

EIGN STATE—GEORGIA'S VICTORY ONE OF PROFOUND AND FAR-REACH 

ING EFFECT—BUT ANOTHER SENSATION Is SPRUNG—THE YAZOO 

FRAUD—HISTORY OF A MOST DRAMATIC EPISODE—ALL FACTS CARE 

FULLY WEIGHED IN JUSTICE TO BOTH SIDES—COL. N. J. HAMMOND'S 

OPINION—PROBABLY AN EXAGGERATED AFFAIR—ONLY A REAL ESTATE 

TRANSACTION, TO WHICH SOME OF THE BEST MEN IN THE STATE WERE 

PARTIES—GOVERNOR MATHEWS APPROVES THE YAZOO PURCHASE— 

How HE CAME TO SIGN THE BILL—How THE VOTE STOOD—JAMES 

JACKSON RESIGNS His SEAT IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE TO FIGHT 

THE YAZOO SPECULATORS—TAKES His SEAT IN THE LEGISLATURE— 

FEELING RUNS HIGH—NUMEROUS DUELS FOUGHT—THE RESCINDING 

ACT—SIGNED BY JARED IRWIN AS GOVERNOR—BURNING THE RECORDS 

BEFORE THE STATE HOUSE DOOR—FlRE CALLED DOWN PROM HEAVEN 

—AN OLD LEGEND—JAMES JACKSON BECOMES GOVERNOR—WATKINS' 

DIGEST—GOVERNOR JACKSON'S IRE Is AROUSED BECAUSE THIS DIGEST 

CONTAINS THE YAZOO ACT—His VINDICTIVE COURSE—MARBURY AND 

CRAWFORD'S DIGEST—YAZOOISTS APPEAL TO CONGRESS FOR REDRESS 

—GEORGIA AVOIDS FURTHER TROUBLE BY CEDING HER WESTERN 

LANDS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT—TERMS OF THIS CESSION—OUT 

OF THESE LANDS ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI ARE CARVED—THE PROB 

LEM OF QUIETING THE YAZOO CLAIMS TRANSFERRED TO THE FEDERAL 

GOVERNMENT—JOHN RANDOLPH OBSTRUCTS THE YAZOOISTS—ATTI 

TUDE OF JEFFERSON—FINALLY IN 1810 THE YAZOO SALE Is HELD TO 

BE VALID—DECISION RENDERED BY CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN MARSHALL 

—MEANWHILE JAMES JACKSON DIES IN 1806 WHILE A SENATOR IN 

WASHINGTON—His DEATH THE RESULT OF WOUNDS RECEIVED IN 

DUELS. 

When Georgia ratified the Federal Constitution on January 2, 1788, 

with a unanimity of sentiment and with a promptness of action far-reach 

ing in its effect upon other states, she did not mean to imply by this 

attitude that she was careless of her residuary rights. The time was 

near at hand for Georgia to show exactly where she stood in this matter 

386


and to emphasize in a serious clash with the United States Government 

her retention of every attribute of sovereignty which she had not in 

express terms surrendered to the Federal Government. 

This forensic battle—for such it was—grew out of an issue involved 

in the celebrated case of Chisholm versus Georgia before the Supreme 

Court of the United States. At the August term of the Supreme Court 

in 1792, an action was brought by a Mr. Chisholm, of South Carolina, to 

recover a sum of money by suit against the State of Georgia.* Due 

notice was served by the United States marshal upon the State of Geor 

gia, through both her governor and her attorney-general. But these 

officers of the state refused to recognize the legality of the summons. 

They held that Georgia as a sovereign state could not be sued by a 

citizen, and consequently there was no legal representative to appear 

for her before the Supreme Court when the case was called. 

Mr. Edmund Randolph, who was then attorney-general of the United 

States, moved a postponement of the case until the February term, 1793; 

and it was so ordered. At this time a written remonstrance was filed 

by the State of Georgia, protesting against the exercise of jurisdiction; 

but in accordance with express instructions the lawyers presenting this 

remonstrance made no arguments. Mr. Randolph, in requesting the 

court to enter judgment against the State of Georgia, launched into a 

profound discussion of the American system of government. He argued 

'-.hat while the states were sovereignties they might combine in govern 

ment; that they had actually so combined in the Articles of Confedera 

tion ; that, when these had proven ineffective, they had framed a Federal 

Constitution establishing a new order of things. Said he, in discussing 

further our form of government: "It derives its origin immediately 

from t.\e people and the people are individually under certain limitations 

subject to the legislative, executive and judicial authority thereby estab 

lished. The States are in fact assemblages of these individuals who are 

liable to process. I hold it therefore no derogation of sovereignty in 

the States to submit to the Supreme Judiciary of the United States." 

The court sided with Mr. Randolph. 

Chief Justice Jay and Justice Wilson both made strong arguments 

for the :.iational character of the system, established by the Federal 

Constitution in 1787. But Justice Iredell rendered a dissenting opinion, 

in which he supported the views held by Georgia's state officials. Said 

he: t " Every State in the Union, in every instance where its sovereignty 

has no', been delegated to the United States, I consider to be as com 

plete!;' sovereign as the United States are in respect to the powers sur 

rendered. The United States are sovereign as to all the powers actually 

surrendered. Each State in the United States is sovereign as to all the 

rowers reserved. It must necessarily be so, because the United States 

have no claim to any authority but such as the States have surrendered 

to them." Since the power to try suits against .a state had not been 

expressly given to the general government he argued that such a power 

was not possessed by the Supreme Court of the United States. 

* "United States Supreme Court Reports," Dallas, II, pp. 419-480; "Georgia and 

State Eights," IT. B. Phillips, p. 24. 

t '' Georgia and State Eights," TJ. B. Phillips, p. 25.


On December 14, 1792, while the case was still pending, the Legis 

lature passed a resolution declaring that litigation of this character 

"would effectually destroy the retained sovereignty of the States and 

would actually tend in its operations to annihilate the very shadow of 

State governments and to render them but tributary corporations to the 

government of the United States." To quote an eminent authority on 

constitutional law: "Here for the first time was announced the prin 

ciple that the primary allegiance of the citizen is to the State, not to 

the nation, and that other principle, equally far-reaching, that the State 

is the judge of the constitutionality of its own acts. These are the bases 

upon which the theory of State Sovereignty is reared.'' * Governor Tel- 

fair, in a message addressed by him to the Legislature, in the fall of 

1793, used language as strong as that contained in the resolution of 

1792. The idea of bringing suit against a sovereign state was not to be 

tolerated. 

Judgment was rendered against the State of Georgia at the Febru 

ary term of the Supreme Court in 1794. But Georgia had fully made up 

her mind to resist, realizing full well that no means of executing a 

judgment against a state was known to administrative law. Time was 

destined to vindicate her course. 

The Federal Government did not seek to enforce its judgment. Mean 

while a senator from Massachusetts introduced a bill into Congress for 

a constitutional amendment; while the legislatures of Massachusetts, 

Connecticut and Virginia all proposed amendments of a like character. 

In due time an act was passed by Congress making this change in the 

Constitution and its ratification was announced on January 8, 1798. 

Thus the judgment rendered against this state by the Federal Su 

preme Court, in the case of Chisholm versus.Georgia, lay unenforeed upon 

the court records until all such questions were finally removed from the 

cognizance of the court by the eleventh amendment to the Constitution 

of the United States. Says MeElreath: "Thus Georgia won the first 

great fight of the nation for State Rights and wrote her victory into the 

fundamental law of the nation.'' f 

But scarcely had the excitement incident to this litigation subsided 

before the state was stirred by a much greater sensation, viz., the Yazoo 

fraud. This issue was destined for years to disturb the peace of the 

state and to bequeath its memories of bitterness to remote generations. 

Governor Mathews had succeeded Governor Telfair at the executive 

helm and, though at first opposed to the Yazoo purchase, the stout old 

Federalist at length yielded to pressure, signed the bill alienating Geor 

gia's western lands for a small sum of money and unloosed upon the 

state a sea of troubles, from the effect of which it took her a quarter 

of a century to recover. 

Viewing the whole matter dispassionately and calmly at this late 

day it seems to us that entirely too much has been made of the Yazoo 

fraud, especially in its ethical aspects. But such was the odium which 

came in time to be attached to the whole affair that the one thing needed 

*"Fess: Political Theory and Party Organization in the United States," pp. 

27-28, quoted in "MeElreath on the Constitution." 

t "MeElreath on the Constitution," p. 90.


to render a man. obnoxious was to say that he was connected with the 

Yazoo fraud. For this revolution in public sentiment credit must be 

given to an individual who stood pre-eminent in the state at this time— 

the embodiment of its awakened conscience—Senator James Jackson. 

Divested of all the qualifying adjectives with which we are wont to speak 

of this transaction, it was nothing more or less than a deal in wild lands, 

with which some of the leading men of the state were connected. The 

Supreme Court of the United States adopted this view of the matter. 

Such was likewise the position taken by Hon. N. J. Hammond, in a 

strong paper read by him before the Georgia Bar Association at Warm 

Springs, on July 2, 1896. There never lived a man whose moral sense 

was more acute than Colonel Hammond's. He was not only a man of 

high character but a man of vigorous intellect, who had served the state 

as attorney-general and as member of Congress. In the national arena, 

Colonel Hammond was the recognized peer of men like John G. Carlisle 

and Samuel J. Randall. His paper before the Georgia Bar Association 

was read on the centennial anniversary of the Rescinding Act. He ap 

proached the subject, therefore, in an academic spirit. But Colonel 

Hammond, after carefully sifting and weighing all the evidence, was 

unable to escape, the conclusion that Senator Jackson, a consummate 

political strategist, was merely playing to the grandstand in the dramatic 

fight which he made upon the Yazooists. But more of this later. 

To obtain an adequate understanding of this dramatic chapter, we 

must go back to the Treaty of Paris. This instrument signed in 1783 left 

Georgia in nominal possession of an extensive area reaching back to the 

Mississippi River. But there were no white settlements in this western 

domain. Only a small portion of Georgia's territory lying east of the 

Oconee River was then occupied by the whites. There was quite a belt 

of land then known as British West Florida, but afterwards confirmed 

to Georgia, the titles to which were at this time disputed by Spain and 

also by the United States Government, as we have already seen in a 

former chapter. South Carolina likewise claimed these lands as a part 

of the territory described in her own charter. In fact the state's owner 

ship of all these western lands according to Mr. Phillips consisted 

merely of the right to take possession of them after extinguishing the 

Indian titles.* 

Moreover, these lands were of little value. It was long before .the 

days of the iron horse, of the electric telegraph, and of the various mod 

ern agencies of expansion. In fact, most of the states considered it a 

wise thing to rid themselves of trouble for the future by ceding to the 

general Government as early as 1787 all claims held by them to western 

lands. But Georgia was not willing to make an unqualified gift of her 

unoccupied domain. She offered to surrender a belt of territory 140 

miles in width, occupying the lower half of her territory west of the 

Chattahoochee. But conditions were attached to the offer. The state 

was to be confirmed in the ownership of lands which it did not cede 

and was to receive a reimbursement of $171,428, money expended in 

quieting the Indians. Congress rejected the offer of Georgia, but 

agreed to accept a cession, if all the lands west of the Chattahoochee 

* "Georgia and State Bights," U. B. Phillips, p. 29.


were offered and if the conditions were suitably modified. Later, 

Georgia saw fit to adopt this course. 

But for the present, without knowing exactly how she could turn 

these western lands to profit, she resolved at any rate not to relinquish 

them to the general Government. In 1789, four stock companies were 

formed for the purpose of acquiring these lands. They were called 

Yazoo companies, from the Yazoo River, which traversed a section of 

the territory sought to be purchased. The Legislature this year passed 

a bill, approved by Governor Walton, conveying to these companies 

2,500,000 acres of land in this state, for a total sum of $200,000. Indian 

titles were to be extinguished by the purchasers and all money was to 

be paid in two years. But the purchasers failed to comply with these 

terms and the agreement lapsed. 

But the fever for land speculation was rife among the people of 

the United States. In 1794 new companies were formed. These sought 

to buy a much larger area of land. But Governor Mathews was opposed 

to the transaction; and, when a bill was passed, he returned it with his 

veto. For a time, this obstacle delayed the Yazooists. But the objec 

tions of the governor were finally overcome and he agreed, if certain 

changes were made, to approve a sale of Georgia's western lands, if a 

majority of the Legislature still favored such a transfer. 

Accordingly, on January 7, 1795, an act was passed ceding to four 

companies 35,000,000 acres of land for $500,000. The companies re 

ceiving this grant were: the Georgia Company, the Georgia-Mississippi 

Company, the Tennessee Company, and the Upper Mississippi Com 

pany. Under the terms of this act a domain of territory was conveyed 

almost as large as the present area of the State of Georgia. Deeming 

the sale unwise, on grounds of public policy, William H. Crawford pre 

sented a petition to the governor, signed by numerous citizens of Colum 

bia County, Georgia. It is said that the governor's secretary—a young 

man named Urquhart—was so much opposed to the sale that when 

finally the bill was ready for signature ho .adopted a ruse. Making a 

pen, he first dipped it in oil and then gave it to the governor, hoping 

that when the ink failed to flow the governor would construe it as an 

omen and would thereupon refuse to proceed further. But the secre 

tary's strategem miscarried. Another pen was ordered and in due 

time the bill was approved. 

At once there arose an issue between the State of Georgia and the 

Federal Government. The former's right to cede these lands was 

traversed, in view of the latter's outstanding guarantees and obligations 

to the Indian tribes. President Washington, on receiving news of the 

Yazoo sale, transmitted copies of the act to Congress, requesting that it 

be made a matter of rigid investigation. 

But events were already transpiring in Georgia which were des 

tined to result in a speedy repudiation of the act. Gen. James Jack 

son, then a United States senator, relinquished the toga, returned to 

Georgia, and began a campaign which was soon to fire the state into a 

blaze of virtuous indignation. In a series of articles, over the pen 

name of "Sicillius," he violently assailed the act. These articles ap 

peared in the Savannah Gazette and in the Augusta Chronicle.* Blis- 

' Story of Georgia and the Georgia People,'' George Gr. Smith, p. 174.


tering charges of corruption were made against every one connected 

with the transaction. To show what a citadel of entrenched wealth 

and influence Senator Jackson opposed, it is only necessary to cite a 

few names. Some of the prominent citizens who held • stock in the 

Yazoo companies and who helped to finance the deal were: James 

Gunn, Senator Jackson's colleague in the United States Senate; Judge 

McAllister, Judge Nathaniel Pendleton, Thomas Glascock, Thomas 

Gumming, Ambrose Gordon, John B. Scott, John C. Nightingale, Wade 

Hampton, Zach Coxe, and a Mr. Maher. These names are all given in 

Watkins' Digest. 

Patrick Henry, of Virginia, and James Wilson, of Pennsylvania, 

were both connected with similar transactions. 

Some of the unsuccessful bidders who made an effort to buy these 

lands were: Gen. John Twiggs, ex-Governor John Wereat, Col. Wil 

liam Few and Hon. William Gibbons. These were all men of the high 

est character. In consequence of the feudal enmities engendered by 

this campaign, Senator Jackson was forced repeatedly into the field of 

honor. He fought duels with Robert Watkins, with William Gibbons, 

with a United States commissioner by the name of James Seagrove 

and with perhaps a number of others. Let us investigate the records to 

see how the vote stood in the Georgia Legislature. After a heated 

debate in both branches, the Yazoo Act passed the House by a vote of 

19 to 9 and the Senate by a vote of 10 to 8.* 

Those voting for the bill in the House were: T. P. Games, Mr. 

Longstreet, Mr. Gindrat, Mr. Lachlan Mclntosh (not the General), 

Mr. Gresham, of Greene, Mr. Mowbray, Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Moore, Mr. 

Howell, Mr. Musgrove, Mr. Hardin, Mr. Watkins, Stephen Heard, Mr. 

Worsham, Thomas Heard, Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. King, Mr. Rabun, and 

George AValker. Total, 19. 

Opposed to the bill in the House were: George Jones, David B. 

Mitchell, John Jones, Mr. McNeal, Clement Lanier, Mr. Shepherd. 

J. B. Maxwell, and two others. Total, 9. 

Those voting for the bill in the Senate were: Mr. King, Mr. Wright, 

Mr. O'Neal, Mr. Wylie, Mr. Walton, Mr. Hampton, Mr. Cauthon, Mr. 

Gresham, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Mann. Total, 10. 

Opposed to the bill in the Senate were: Mr. Milledge, Mr. Lanier, 

Mr. Morrison, Mr. Irwin, Mr. Blackburn, Mr. Pope, Mr. Mitchell, and 

Mr. Wood. Total, 8. 

Every member of the Legislature who voted for the bill was charged 

with bribery. To quote Dr. George G. Smith, not only a distinguished 

antiquarian but a devout Methodist preacher: "There was a color of 

truth to this .charge when it was found that all who voted for the sale 

did have shares of stock in the land company, except one man, Robert 

Watkins." But he further adds that the governor who signed the bill 

was never accused of being a participant in the profits. Nor was it ever 

proved, according to Doctor Smith, that a. single member of the Legis 

lature voting for the bill had not paid a fair price for his stock. 

Feeling ran high. Governor Gilmer narrates an occurrence which 

shows how bent the people were upon punishing the offenders. An indig- 

* Ibid., p. 172.


nation meeting was held in Oglethorpe County soon after the famous 

Yazoo Act was passed, and one of the citizens on his way to the court 

house stopped by to get a friend. He chanced to meet him at the gate, 

and, seeing that he carried a rope, he inquired: 

"What is that for?" 

'' That is to hang Musgrove with,'' he replied; and he looked Span 

ish daggers as he delivered himself of this information. 

But Musgrove, who was one of the offending members of the Legis 

lature of 1795, escaped the noose. He managed to catch some wind of 

what was intended, and in this way succeeded in eluding Judge Lynch. 

The crowd at the courthouse, .however, was more than ready to dispatch 

him; and he was lucky to have found an asylum. In May, 1796, a con 

vention of the people condemned the sale and urged the next Legisla 

ture to rescind the obnoxious act. Senator Jackson's relentless opposi 

tion inspired this action. It was also the ,chief factor in arousing the 

state into a frenzy of excitement. The Yazoo sale became the dominant 

issue in Georgia at this time, overshadowing every other question before 

the people. To rescind the obnoxious act became the objective of a 

most relentless crusade. On this issue, Jared Irwin, a Scotch-Irishman, 

born in North Carolina, who was both a patriot of the Revolution and a 

man of spotless reputation, became a candidate for governor. On this 

issue, a State Legislature was chosen with an overwhelming preponder 

ance of its members opposed to the sale, including James Jackson him 

self, who took his seat in the House as a member from the County of , 

Chatham. 

In February, 1796, the newly elected State Legislature passed its 

famous Rescinding Act, to which Governor Irwin's signature was duly 

attached, declaring null and void the Act of 1795 and repudiating in 

toto the Yazoo sale. It was then decided to commit to the flames every 

record, document and paper in any wise connected with this transaction. 

There is, perhaps, nothing more dramatic in Georgia's history than 

the scene enacted in front of the old capitol building, in Louisville, when 

the records of the Yazoo conspiracy were burned. The traditional 

accounts of this affair are somewhat variant. We will first give the 

story which is told by Doctor White.* Says he: "This was executed in 

a solemn manner. Tradition informs us that when the public func 

tionaries were assembled in the State House Square, in Louisville, to 

commit the registers of dishonor to the flames, a venerable old man, 

whose head was whitened with the frosts of four-score winters, unknown 

to any present, rode through the multitude, and made his way to the 

officers of the government. Alighting from his horse, he commenced 

an address, in which he stated that he had been led there by a desire 

to see an act of justice performed; that he did not think that earthly 

fire should be employed to manifest the indignation which the occasion 

required, but the fire should come from heaven. With his trembling 

hands, he took from his bosom, whilst a deathlike silence prevailed 

amidst the throng, a burning glass; and, applying it to a heap of papers, 

the conflagration was completed. Meanwhile the old man retired unper- 

ceived, and no traces of him could afterwards be found." 

'White's Statistics of Georgia," p. 347, Savannah, 1849.


Though Doctor White narrates the foregoing legend, he does not 

vouch for it, and there is an atmosphere about the account which makes 

it savor of myth. The accepted version is this: After deciding to com 

mit to the flames the various documents involved in the Yazoo transac 

tion there was an adjournment of the Legislature to the area of ground 

directly in front of the State House, where the impressive ceremonial 

was planned to occur. In calling down the fire of heaven to consume, 

the mass of papers, a sun glass was used, but it was held in the hand 

of Governor Jackson himself. This version is corroborated by an old 

picture which Prof. Lawton B. Evans has reproduced in his "School 

BURN INS THE YAZOO ACT 

GOV.JARED IR.WIN SIGNED THE RESCINDING YAZOO ACT FEB. 13'J 1796 

AND THE YAZOO FRAUD PAPERS WERE BURKED BEFORE THE CAPITOL 

FED 15T" 17% GovlRWIN. STANDS JUST BEHIND Tl IE MESSENCEa WHO HOLDS 1SEBOTW 

History of Georgia," a picture based upon the recollection of Mr. Wil 

liam Fleming, of Louisville, who witnessed the affair. If we can 

imagine the picture before us—its features are these: The man with 

the burning-glass in his hands is James Jackson; next to him stands 

Thomas Glascock; then John Milledge. The man on the right is Wil 

liam Few, while Jared Irwin stands behind the messenger. David 

B. Mitchell stands behind Jackson, and Peter Early behind Few. Benja 

min Taliaferro, David Meriwether, and David Emanuel were also pres 

ent on this occasion. 

Without seeking to detract from the just merits of an illustrious 

Georgian, who is entitled to full credit for having thwarted the designs

394 ' GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 

of the speculators, Colonel Hammond, to whom we referred in the begin 

ning of this chapter, was clearly of the opinion that entirely too much 

had been made of this episode by historians, and that Senator Jackson's 

use of a sun-glass to call down fire from heaven was a fine theatrical 

performance, which, if not so intended, could hardly have been staged 

JAMES JACKSON 

Governor and United States Senator: An Implacable 

Foe of the Yazooists 

in ignorance of its political effect. Had the purchase price been $800,000, 

instead of $500,000, Colonel Hammond is inclined to believe that we 

would never have heard of a Yazoo fraud. 

Small as was the consideration involved in the transfer, he cites the 

fact that in 1625 the whole of Manhattan Island, on which New York 

is now situated, was purchased from the Indians for only sixty guilders, 

or less than $25; and he is disposed to think that the sale of the wild


western lands might not have been an unmixed evil, since the plan of 

having them colonized in large bodies offered superior advantages in 

some respects to the policy of dividing them into small parcels as re 

quired under the new constitution of 1798. To show further that the 

sum involved was in itself no indication of fraud, as land was then 

valued, he cites the mere song for which the whole vast Territory of 

Louisiana was acquired by President Jefferson in 1803 from the Emperor 

Napoleon. 

James Jackson became the popular hero. In 1798, he succeeded 

Jared Irwin as governor of the state. While occupying the executive 

chair, he refused to draw a warrant in favor of George and Robert 

Watkins, who had just completed a digest of the laws of Georgia, to 

which the state was a subscriber. This was the earliest compilation of 

Georgia's statutes. But the.Watkins Digest contained the forbidden 

Yazoo Act; and, though it carried the Rescinding Act also, it was still 

obnoxious to Governor Jackson. He, therefore, remained obdurate. 

Regarding the Yazoo Act as a usurpation, he did not wish to see it 

monumentalized. Because of Governor Jackson's unsparing opposition, 

the Watkins Digest was never given legislative adoption, though a small 

appropriation was afterwards voted. 

Capt. Horatio Marbury, then secretary of state, with two other 

commissioners, was subsequently'authorized to make a digest. William 

H. Crawford and George Watkins were named to assist him; but the 

latter, on account of his aggrieved feelings, declined to serve on this 

commission. Marbury and Crawford prosecuted the task alone; and in 

due time completed the undertaking. It is known to this day as "Mar- 

bury and Crawford's Digest of Georgia Laws." 

Governor Jackson, though devoid of fear, was not without vindict- 

iveness. He showed no quarter to his enemies. Pursuing an old grudge, 

he caused Colonel Watkins to be put under arrest and tried before a 

court-martial for having taken without the consent of the commander- 

in-chief—himself—certain old Indian guns belonging to the Augusta 

arsenal, with which Watkins armed Ms militia on muster day. AYhen 

Maj. John Berrien, a Revolutionary patriot, then treasurer of the state, 

was victimized by a dishonest clerk, who made way with some of the 

funds offered to the state by the Yazoo purchasers, Governor Jackson 

marked him for sacrifice. It was proof to his mind of complicity with 

the Yazooists. Major Berrien made the loss good. But Governor Jack 

son insisted on a trial of impeachment, the result of which was, of course, 

a vindication for the treasurer. 

But the Yazoo fraud did not become at once a closed incident. 

Growing out of the Act of 1796 to rescind the sale, there was no end 

of complications. Georgia stood by her guns and in the Constitution 

of 1798 wrote her repudiation of the sale'into the state's organic law. 

All money received for the land was order to be returned to purchasers 

or held subject to demand. 

Meanwhile Congress began to investigate the claims of Georgia to 

these western lands. It will be remembered that President Washington 

had addressed a communication to Congress on this subject. Protests 

from purchasers began to furnish an additional spur. Those who had 

bought these lands sought redress. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was


cited as showing that all lands lying westward of the fountain heads 

of rivers flowing into the Atlantic were reserved to the crown of Eng 

land and exempted from Georgia's grant. On the other hand, under 

the Treaty of Paris, in 1783, Georgia remained in undisputed posses 

sion of all her western lands, so far at least as England was concerned. 

But the Federal Government itself was a claimant to at least a part of 

this domain; and in 1798 Congress passed an act providing for a govern 

ment of the Mississippi Territory, without waiting for an expression 

of consent from the state authorities. Georgia filed a remonstrance to 

this action; but there was no redress. Finally to make an end of mat 

ters, Georgia was forced into ceding to the general government all of 

her western lands. The conditions of this grant which conveyed to the 

Federal Government a domain containing 80,000,000 of acres were as 

follows: 

1. Georgia was to receive from the United States Government out 

of the proceeds arising from a sale of these lands the sum of $1,250,000. 

2. All persons settled in this territory were to be given valid titles 

by the United States Government. 

3. These ceded lands were to constitute a public domain for the 

benefit of all the states, to be disposed of as other public lands. 

4. The Federal Government at its own expense was to extinguish 

for the use of Georgia all Indian titles' to the remaining lands unceded. 

This was to be peaceably done, and on terms just to all parties, but with 

the utmost dispatch consistent with these restrictions. 

5. These ceded lands were to be erected into a state and admitted 

into the Union whenever the requisite population of 60,000 inhabitants 

was reached. 

This treaty of cession was consummated on April 24, 1802, and out 

of the territory thus acquired were afterwards erected the states of Ala 

bama and Mississippi. 

Georgia was represented in this important transaction by the follow 

ing commissioners: Abraham Baldwin, James Jones, Benjamin Talia- 

ferro, and John Milledge. 

At the same time, the United States Government ceded to Georgia a 

twelve-mile strip, on her northern border, thus making the thirty-fifth 

parallel of latitude the state's boundary line on the north. 

Without delay, all money paid into the state treasury by the Yazoo 

purchasers was transferred to the United States Government, thus end 

ing Georgia's connection with the Yazoo litigation. 

It was further stipulated in the above agreement that a treaty was 

to be made with the Creek Indians at once, looking to a cession of land; 

and this promise was redeemed at Fort Wilkinson within a few months, 

at which time two bodies of land were acquired, one west of the Oconee 

River, and the other extending in a belt from the Altamaha River to the 

St. Marys. 

To quote Mr. Phillips, the chief immediate effect of this cession of 

Georgia's western lands was to place within the sphere of the Federal 

Government the whole problem of quieting the Yazoo claims. Georgia was 

relieved of this problem; but to the Federal Government it continued 

for years to be a source of endless contention. Congress was divided 

on the questio*n of giving relief to the Yazoo complainants. President


Jefferson did not think these claims valid but on grounds of policy fa 

vored some plan of conciliation. John Randolph, of Roanoke, took the 

ground that any interference by the Federal Government in the matter 

would constitute an infraction of the rights of Georgia; and in this con 

tention he was upheld by a majority sentiment. Georgia's delegation in 

Congress, led by the dauntless Troup, stubbornly fought the claims of 

the Yazooists. 

But, on February 16, 1810, Chief Justice John Marshall rendered 

a decision in the case of Fletcher versus Peck, in which the validity of 

the Yazoo sale was held. As a result of this decision the rights of claim 

ants were established. Randolph, with a majority behind him, still de 

layed matters but in 1814 an act was passed appropriating $5,000,000 

with which to quiet the Yazoo claims; and so at last this hideous night 

mare was ended. General Jackson, the relentless foe of the Yazooists, 

had been in his grave for eight years, dying, while a senator, at the seat 

of government. He passed away, on March 19, 1806, at the age of forty- 

nine, and his ashes lie entombed in the Congressional Cemetery, on the 

banks of the Potomac. Enfeebled by wounds received on the field of 

honor, Senator Jackson paid with his life the penalty attaching to his 

fiery crusade against the Yazooists; but he did not reckon with conse 

quences when Georgia's honor was at stake. Life's fitful fever o'er, here 

peacefully until the resurrection sleeps Georgia's modern Prometheus.

CHAPTER VIII 

LOUISVILLE BECOMES THE CAPITAL OF THE STATE IN 1795, WHEN THE 

YAZOO AGITATION Is AT ITS HEIGHT—How LOUISVILLE BECAME THE 

SEAT OF GOVERNMENT—GEORGIA'S FIRST PERMANENT CAPITAL— 

FEDERALS AND REPUBLICANS—PARTISAN POLITICS—GEORGIA AT FIRST 

INCLINED TOWARD FEDERALISM BUT ALIENATED BY SUIT OF CHISHOLM 

VERSUS GEORGIA IN THE SUPREME COURT—ALSO BY GOVERNMENT 

TREATIES MADE WITH THE INDIA-NS IN NEGOTIATING WHICH GEORGIA 

WAS UNREPRESENTED—FEDERALISM GRADUALLY DECLINES—NEW 

COUNTIES CREATED IN 1793—SCREVEN—OGLETHORPE—HANCOCK— 

MONTGOMERY—MC!NTOSH—BRYAN—WARREN—THE PINE BARREN 

FRAUDS—THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1795—LIST OF DELE 

GATES—DUE TO POPULAR EXCITEMENT, AN EARLY ADJOURNMENT Is 

EFFECTED—FEW IMPORTANT CHANGES—FOUR NEW COUNTIES CRE 

ATED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF 1796—BULLOCH—JACKSON—JEFFERSON 

—LINCOLN—GEORGE WALTON Is AWARDED THE TOGA BY APPOINT 

MENT TO SUCCEED JAMES JACKSON—THE LEGISLATURE OF 1796 

ELECTS JOSIAH TATTNALL—ABRAHAM BALDWIN IN 1799 SUCCEEDS 

JAMES GUNN—GEORGIA'S ELECTORAL VOTE IN 1796 CAST FOR JEFFER 

SON AND CLINTON—MEMBERS OF CONGRESS DURING THIS PERIOD. 

To complete the story of the Yazoo Fraud we have been obliged to 

anticipate ma-ny developments which have carried us beyond the period 

of Georgia's history to which this section is devoted. Let us now retrace 

our steps. While popular excitement over the Yazoo transaction was 

at its height, the seat of government was transferred from Augusta to 

Louisville, after having remained in the former town for a period of ten 

years. 

The celebrated Yazoo Act of 1795 was passed at the last session of the 

Legislature to meet in Augusta. 

The equally famous Rescinding Act was passed at the first session to 

convene at Louisville. 

At the close of hostilities with England the center of population in 

Georgia was found to be somewhere in the neighborhood of Galphinton, 

on the Ogeechee River; and such was the inconvenience experienced by 

residents of the up-country settlements in reaching Savannah, a town 

on the remote sea-board, that the desirability of transferring the seat 

of government to some point further inland became a topic of discus 

sion. 

On January 26, 1786, when the Legislature met in Augusta, the fol 

lowing commissioners were appointed to select a location: Nathan 

Brownson, William Few, and Hugh Lawson. They were instructed to 

find a site, '' most proper and convenient,'' for the end in view, whereon 

398


to erect public buildings; and, by way of further stipulation, was added 

the clause, "provided the same shall be within twenty miles of Gal- 

phin's Old Town." On fulfillment of these conditions, they were au 

thorized to buy 1,000 acres of land and to lay out a part thereof in a 

town, "which should be known by the name of Louisville." 

However, it appears that little progress was made toward putting 

this measure into effect for several years. There were various diffi 

culties to be overcome but finally in the Constitution of 1795 the new 

town was designated as the permanent capital. The demoralized condi 

tion of the state, due to the bitter hand-to-hand struggle with poverty, 

in the years which immediately succeeded the Revolution, was doubt 

less the chief cause for the delay. Says a local historian: * " The first 

Legislature, under the Constitution of 1777, assembled in Savannah. It 

assembled there partly because the royal governors had always lived 

there and partly because it was the largest town in the State. But 

Savannah was never officially proclaimed the capital. In December. 

1778, Savannah was captured by the British and from then until 

January, 1784, the Legislature met at Augusta, with the exception of 

two terms, one of which convened at Heard's Fort, in Wilkes county, 

and the other at Ebenezer, in Bffingham county. In January, 1784, the 

Legislature again met in Savannah. But the people in upper Georgia 

had now discovered the great convenience of having the capital in 

Augusta. Accordingly for the next two years there was constant agita 

tion. Hence the act in 1786 to appoint commissioners to lay off a town 

within twenty miles of Galphin's Old Town, and to see to the erecting 

of buildings for the use of the government. There were delays, due to 

the lack of funds and to the death of the contractor in charge of the 

work, and the buildings were not finally completed until March, 1796. 

The state-house then erected in Louisville was the first one ever erected 

by the state. It was near the center of the town, which was modeled 

upon the plan of Philadelphia, with broad streets running northwest and 

southeast, and northeast and southwest. The first session of the Legis 

lature was held in Louisville in 1796. It is not known exactly when the 

last session was held there, but a report of the Acts of the Legislature, 

printed in Louisville, in 1805, records an act passed at Louisville, De 

cember 2, 1804, 'to make the town of Milledgeville the permanent seat 

of government of this State and to dispose of a certain number of lots 

therein.' Louisville- must, therefore, have been the capital as late as 

1805, as it evidently took months at least to erect the buildings and to 

prepare the town of Milledgeville for the purpose. 

"When the capital was removed to Milledgeville, the state-house was 

turned over to the county of Jefferson. It was used for some years as 

the county court house but finally it became so dilapidated that it was 

necessary to replace it with another. This, in 1894, was in turn replaced 

by one of the handsomest court buildings in the State, at a cost of $50,- 

000. Louisville was not very prosperous after the capital was changed 

to Milledgeville, until the Louisville and Wadley Railroad was built 

about 1875, connecting the town with the Central. Ever since then the 

* William W. Abbott, Jr., in the October, 1910, number of the Georgian, a college 

magazine published at Athens, Georgia.


town lias been fairly prosperous, a statement attested by tlie fact that it 

supports two banks, has an oil mill and a guano mixing plant, and does 

a good mercantile business. The population of the town is about 1,500." 

To the foregoing resume it may be added that the Louisville Gazette, 

founded in 1796, was one of the pioneer newspapers of Georgia. The 

handsome oak press used in publishing the Gazette was bought in Eng 

land. It was afterwards sold to the Georgia Messenger at Macon. Ac 

cording to a local authority,* when the present courthouse was built 

an excavation was made which disclosed the foundation of the old state 

capitol; and by a singular coincidence, this corresponded exactly with 

the plans for the new edifice. 

Political sentiment, during Washington's administration, was 

broadly divided into two parties: Federalists and democrats. The lat 

ter in those days styled themselves republicans, but they were staunch 

followers of Thomas Jefferson, were opposed to the centralizing tenden 

cies of the Government, and were strong supporters of home rule. Fed 

eralism was never numerically very strong in Georgia; though a vigorous 

organization might have been effected, had the course of events been 

differently shaped. Georgia's need of protection predisposed her on 

entering the Federal Union to support a strong central government and 

inclined her to principles advocated by the federalists; but Georgia, 

became estranged from the party when the Federal Government began 

in 1790' to negotiate treaties with the Indian tribes on her soil—and to 

confirm, these tribes by solemn guaranties in the possession of certain 

lands without inviting her to participate in these conventions. The 

neighboring State of South Carolina was a stronghold of federalism; 

but while the rich Charlestonians, led by Pinckney, were pronounced 

federalists, the Savannah aristocrats led by Jackson, were staunch demo 

crats. Georgia's indifference to federalism was accentuated into a 

stronger feeling when a citizen of South Carolina sued the state. It will 

be remembered that in this famous case known as the suit of Chisholm 

against Georgia, the Supreme Court of the United States sustained Chis 

holm ; but the judgment was not enforced and in 1799 this issue was 

forever removed by the Eleventh Amendment to the Federal Constitu 

tion. The result of all this litigation was to make Georgia more than 

ever tenacious of her sovereignty and to put the emphasis of her politi 

cal creed upon State Rights. Consequently federalism in Georgia was 

short-lived. Gen. George Mathews, a federalist, was strong enough to 

secure the governorship twice, but he was a popular man in the up- 

country, independent of his politics. For years, there were a few scat 

tering federalists in Georgia, some of them men of means, but as a politi 

cal factor federalism ceased almost entirely to exist when democracy 

triumphed in Jefferson's election to the Presidency in 1802. 

Streams of immigrants pouring into Georgia during this decade rap 

idly increased the state's population. Most of these new settlers came 

from Virginia and North Carolina to occupy the virgin soil of Georgia's 

rich uplands. But some of them settled further to the South. When 

the Legislature met in 1793 there was a great demand for new counties, 

coming from settlers on the frontier belt. The counties created at this 

' Judge W. L. Phillips, of Louisville, Georgia.


session were: Screven, Oglethorpe, Hancock, Montgomery, Mclntosh, 

Bryan and Warren. 

To glance rapidly over these: Screven was laid off from Burke and 

Effingham and named for Gen. James Screven, an officer of the Revolu 

tion, killed in a skirmish at Midway Church. Jacksonboro was the 

original county-seat; but the seat of government was afterwards changed 

to Sylvania. Some of the settlers were men of ample means, who ac 

quired extensive tracts of land. 

Oglethorpe was laid off fr8m Wilkes and named for the illustrious 

founder of the colony, General Oglethorpe. Lexington, the county-seat, 

'was named for the famous town in Massachusetts which witnessed the 

opening fires of the Revolution. Lexington, Georgia, became one of the 

state's historic towns, a center of wealth, refinement and thrift in ante 

bellum days. Here was the home of Governor Gilmer, of the two Lump- 

kins, Wilson and Joseph Henry, of William H. Crawford, of Stephen 

Upson, of Thomas W. Cobb, and of many other noted men. Here we 

find the oldest Presbyterian church in the synod of Georgia, founded 

by Rev. John Newton, in 1785. Most of the early settlers of Oglethorpe 

came from Virginia and were tobacco planters who settled on Broad 

River. Some of these were men of wealth and, besides numerous slaves, 

brought many of the comforts of civilized life into this belt of the 

wilderness. 

Hancock was laid out from Washington and Greene, with Sparta 

for its county-seat, and was named for John Hancock, of Massachusetts, 

whose name headed the immortal scroll of independence. The early set 

tlers of Hancock were in the main Virginians, well-to-do people, like 

those who settled in Oglethorpe. Sparta derived its name from the 

Spartan characteristics of its pioneer inhabitants. This was in after 

years the home of Dr. W. W. Terrell, of Bishop George F. Pierce, of 

Judge Linton Stephens, and of other noted Georgians. Two schools1, iti 

this county were destined to acquire wide celebrity, one at Mount Zion 

and one at Powelton. The latter became the center of a strong Baptist 

community and the home in after years of Jesse Mercer and of Gover 

nor William Rabun. The famous Bemans taught at Mount Zion; and 

here at a later time Governor William J. Norteen began his career as 

a teacher. 

Mclntosh County was detached from Liberty and named for the cele 

brated Mclntosh family several members of which were prominent in 

the Revolution. It formed a part of the old original Province of St. 

John. Darien, its county-seat, was an old Scotch settlement, an account 

of which is elsewhere given. Quite a number of the early settlers of 

Mclntosh were of Puritan stock; but those in the neighborhood of Da 

rien all came direct from Scotland. 

Bryan was laid off from Effingham and Liberty and named for Jona 

than Bryan, one of Georgia's earliest colonial patriots. Some of the 

richest plantations on the coast occupied a strip of land in this county 

called Bryan's Neck. Here Senator Augustus 0. Bacon was born. The 

old Town of Hardwick has been identified as occupying a site on the 

south side .of the Ogeechee, fifteen miles inland. Fort Argyle, built in 

1733, as a bulwark against the Spaniards, stood on the west side of 

Vol. 1—28


the Ogeechee in what is now Bryan. Most of the early settlers of this 

county were of Puritan origin, belonging to the old Midway settlement. 

Warren was laid off from Richmond, Columbia and Wilkes and 

named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary patriot, who fell at Bun 

ker Hill. Warrenton was designated as the county-seat. Most of the 

county's early settlers were from Virginia. One of these, John Cobb 

or Cobbs, was an ancestor of the Cobbs of Athens. Here in after years 

was born the great Judge Lamar, author "Lamar's Digest" and father 

of the noted Federal jurist who bore the same odd name. Here was 

cradled also the great orator of secession, William L. Yancey, of Alabama. 

Montgomery was laid off from Washington and named for Gen. 

Richard Montgomery, an early martyr of independence, who fell on 

the heights of Quebec. Mount Vernon, the seat of government, was 

named for Washington's renowned home on the Potomac River. The 

original settlers of Montgomery were chiefly Scotch-Irish Presbyterians 

whose ancestors had been banished for adhering to the cause of the 

Stuarts. Most of them came directly from North Carolina and were 

.kinsmen of the men who in 1775 signed the Mecklenburg Declaration 

of Independence. 

But the rapid growth of settlements on the frontier belt of Georgia, 

while indicating a healthy increase of population and a wholesome infu 

sion of rich blood, exposed the state at this time to the avaricious greed 

of designing schemers, who resorted to down-right trickery in victimiz 

ing innocent settlers. To this period of the state's history belong the 

Pine Barren frauds. We need not concern ourselves with details; but 

in some way these sharpers obtained fictitious grants to immense areas 

of land, in the unsettled parts of Georgia, chiefly along the Oconee River, 

where the undulating hills were densely wooded with pines. These 

tracts are today embraced in Montgomery, Wheeler, Laurens, Emanuel 

and Johnson counties, all of which formed a part of the old parent 

County of Washington. We blush to record the fact, but, in some way, 

these land pirates, managed to acquire what seemed to be bona fide 

grants, to which the great seal of the state was affixed, conveying to 

them vast tracts of land, not one acre of which had been legally 

secured, not one acre of which belonged to them by right, but which rep 

resented in the aggregate over 7,000,000 acres, in the rich heart of 

the Georgia midlands. If any one is specially interested in this chapter 

of Georgia's history, we refer him to Absalom H. Chappell's little 

volume of "Miscellanies," a rare work now out of print but still to be 

found in old libraries. Of course, hundreds of conveyances .made at this 

time were perfectly legal, but so widespread was the mischief caused 

by these fraudulent land grants that all the large conveyances of 1794 

and 1795 were afterwards repudiated because of the suspicion of fraud 

which they aroused. According to Doctor Smith, as late 'as the year 

1899 men have appeared in Georgia with old grants to land which never 

existed. These grants were all supposed to be located in Washington, 

chiefly in what was afterwards Montgomery, Emanuel, Johnson and 

Laurens counties; but in the aggregate they represented more land than 

all the county contained. Whenever one of these spurious documents 

was brought to light it was promptly repudiated by the state and no 

lands were actually taken under them, but the speculators who had


secured the fraudulent patents sold them to parties ignorant of the true 

state of things and for years an earnest effort was made by defrauded 

purchasers of worthless script to secure some indemnity from the state, 

but without success.* 

But while the General Assembly did not convene at Louisville until 

1796, a convention called for the purpose of revising the state's funda 

mental law met at the new seat of government in May, 1795, amidst the 

general upheaval produced by the Yazoo Fraud. There was a provision 

made in the Constitution of 1789 for a convention of the people to be 

held within six years. It stipulated that in the general election of 1794 

three persons should be chosen from each county as members to a con 

vention "for taking into consideration the alterations necessary to be 

made in this Constitution, who shall meet at such time and place as the 

General Assembly may appoint." 

Accordingly delegates were chosen in 1794 to attend a convention 

at Louisville in May of the year following. Some of the counties, when 

this convention met, were not represented by a full quota of delegates. 

Glynn, in a sparsely settled district, sent only one member; while 

Liberty, though in a wealthy belt, does not seem to have been repre 

sented at all. However, there are no authentic records extant. It is 

not unlikely that Liberty's delegation was late in arriving. We can 

find nothing at this late day beyond a meagre newspaper account, giv 

ing a list of delegates who probably answered to the first roll call. This 

list is as follows: f 

Chatham—Josiah Tattnall, Jr., Thomas Gibbons, Noble W. Jones. 

Melntosh—Joseph Clay, John Wereat. These delegates did not live 

in Melntosh but were chosen by its electors to represent them. 

Burke—B. Davis, D. Emanuel, Thomas King. 

Elbert—L. Higginbotham, Stephen Heard, Wm. Barnett. 

Glynn—John Girardeau. 

Greene—David Gresham, Phil Hunter, ~W. Fitzpatrick. 

Richmond—John Milton, George Walker, Phil Clay ton. 

Screven—B. Lanier, Wm. Skinner, P. R. Smith. 

Warren—Levi Pruitt, John Cobbs, P. Goodwin. 

Washington—John Rutherford, George Franklin, R. Wilkinson. 

Wilkes—B. Catehings, Silas Mercer, D. Creswell. 

The convention organized by electing Dr. Noble Wymberley Jones, 

of Chatham, president. 

To quote Bishop Stevens, the principal contest was over the appor 

tionment of representatives among the counties. :!: The basis of repre 

sentation was adjusted somewhat; and several new counties having been 

formed, these were allotted representatives. The time for holding the 

annual sessions of the General Assembly was changed from the first 

Monday in November to the second Tuesday in January; all elections 

by the General Assembly were to be held in joint session; senators 

thereafter were to be elected annually instead of triennially; and Louis 

ville was to be the new seat of government. There was some discussion 

* "Story of Georgia ^nd the Georgia People," George G. Smith, pp. 176-178. 

t Story of Georgia and the Georgia People,'' George G. Smith, p. 178. 

t "History of Georgia," II, p. 407.


of the Yazoo Act, passed on January 7, 1795, at Augusta, but it was 

finally decided to refer the matter of its repudiation to the Legislature 

of 1796. No further changes were made. Political excitement was so 

intense that a majority of the members recognized the wisdom of leaving 

all further revision to a later convention to 'be held when normal condi 

tions were restored. Accordingly a convention was called to meet at 

the new seat of government in 1798, to which three delegates from 

each county were to be chosen in the general election of 1797. 

"When the Legislature of 1796 convened at Louisville, it was amidst 

the greatest upheaval known to the state since the days of the Revolu 

tion; but the nefarious Yazoo Act having been rescinded the work of 

creating new counties began afresh. At this time Bulloch, Jackson, Jef 

ferson and Lincoln were added to the growing list. Bulloch was laid off 

from Screven and Bryan, with Statesboro for its county-seat and was 

named for the distinguished Archibald Bulloch, an early colonial patriot, 

who died at the outbreak of the Revolution, while president of the execu 

tive council. He was an ancestor of ex-President Roosevelt. 

Jackson was detached from Franklin and named in honor of Senator 

James Jackson who at this session of the Legislature, having defeated 

the Yazooists, called down the fire of heaven to consume the records of 

this transaction. Jefferson, the county-seat of Jackson County, was 

named for the illustrious sage of Monticello. This little town was in 

after years the scene of experiments which resulted in the discovery 

by Dr. Crawford "W. Long of the anesthetic power of sulphuric ether: 

one of the greatest boons ever conferred upon suffering humanity. It 

opened a new era in surgery by putting an end to the terrors of the knife 

and by enlarging the area of surgical treatment. 

Jefferson was organized out of Burke and Warren and named for 

Thomas Jefferson, then a member of Washington's Cabinet. Louisville, 

its county-seat, was so called for Louis the Sixteenth of France. Louis 

ville was designated as the state's permanent capital and the future 

seat of government was located at this point by a commission chosen 

for this purpose in 1786. In the immediate neighborhood of Louisville 

were the homes of some of Georgia's most distinguished men at this time, 

including the Cobbs, the Whitakers, the Gambles, the Gunns, the Berri- 

ens, the Hardwicks, the Lawsons and the Wrights. Here Gen. Howell 

Cobb was born. This was also the birthplace of the second president 

of the Republic of Texas, Gen. Mirabeau B. Lamar. Most of the early 

settlers of this region, especially in the neighborhood of Galphinton, 

were Scotch-Irish. There was a trading-post at Galphinton before the 

outbreak of the Revolution, named for a pioneer Scotchman whose 

dealings with the Indians in colonial days extended over all this region. 

Lincoln was detached from Wilkes. It was named for Gen. Benjamin 

Lincoln of the Revolution, who, though not a Georgian, defended the 

soil of this state against British invasion. According to recent dis 

closures made by courthouse records, the celebrated Elijah Clarke lived 

in the upper edge of this county, in what was then Wilkes. The noted 

Col. John Dooly, of the Revolution, and the eccentric Judge John M. 

Dooly, of a later day, were residents of Lincoln; and in this county was 

born the late Dr. Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry, diplomat, educator and 

clergyman, whose effigy has been placed by his adopted State of Ala-

GEORGIA AND GBOEGIANS 405 

bama, in Statuary Hall, Washington, District of Columbia. Lincoln 

was also the home of Thomas W. Murray, a noted legislator. Judge 

Longstreet drew one of his best known sketches in "Georgia Scenes" 

from what he called "the Dark Corner of Lincoln," a descriptive phrase 

which has persisted down to the present time but which no section of the 

county is bold enough to claim. 

When James Jackson relinquished his seat in the United States 

Senate to fight the Yazooists, Governor Mathews named as his successor 

the revered George Walton. One of the signers of the Declaration of 

Independence, he had twice served the state as governor and once as 

chief-justice. He had also been a member of the great convention of 

1787 called to frame the Federal Constitution. Governor Walton was a 

federalist. His appointment by Governor Mathews under a temporary 

commission and his defeat by Josiah Tattnall before the Legislature, in 

1796, leave little doubt upon this point. 

Georgia in 1796 gave her four electoral votes to Thomas Jefferson 

for President and to George Clinton, of New York, for vice-president. 

Her electors chosen by the Legislature were: James Jackson and Charles 

Abercrombie, from the state at large; and John King and Seaborn 

Jones from the congressional districts.* At- this time, the President and 

vice president were chosen as follows: each state was required to vote 

for two candidates, a rule under which the candidate receiving the high 

est vote was declared to be elected President and the one receiving the 

next highest vote, vice president. 

Until 1799, Georgia's two senators were James Gunn and Josiah 

Tattnall. The former was succeeded in 1799 by Abraham Baldwin and 

the latter in 1801 by James Jackson, who -after holding the office of gov 

ernor resumed the toga. Mr. Baldwin became president pro tern of the 

Senate. Though a Yazooist, Senator Gunn retained his toga until 1801, 

when he retired from public life after a continuous service of twelve 

years in the Upper House of Congress. But his connection with the 

Yazoo sale has denied him any large place in Georgia's history. Before 

entering the Senate, Mr. Baldwin had served for ten years in the House. 

Elected to the First Congress in 1789, he relinquished a seat in the Fifth 

Congress to become a senator in the Sixth. His colleague from 1795 to 

1799 in the House was John Milledge. 

To the Sixth Congress, which began on March 4, 1799, James Jones 

and Benjamin Taliaferro were commissioned as Georgia's two repre 

sentatives. The former served for only one term. The latter was re- 

elected but resigned during his second term and was succeeded in 1802 

by David Meriwether. John Milledge, who was again elected to Congress 

at this time, resigned before his term expired to become governor of 

Georgia and was succeeded in 1802 by Peter Early. Thus, in the Seventh 

Congress, Georgia, while allotted only two seats, was served by four mem 

bers, each for a fractional term.f 

* "Lanman's Biographical Annals of the United States Government," pp. 513-514. 

t '' Biog. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911,'' p. 51.

CHAPTER IX 

THE GREAT CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1798—JAEED IBWIN ITS PRE 

SIDING OFFICER—ONE OF THE DELEGATES Is REV. JESSE MERCER, WHO 

MAKES A WINNING FIGHT AGAINST A CLAUSE IN THE OLD CONSTITU 

TION, EXCLUDING MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL FROM THE GENERAL 

ASSEMBLY—MEMBERSHIP OF THE CONVENTION—JAMES JACKSON'S 

PERSONALITY DOMINANT—THE SALE OF GEORGIA'S WESTERN LANDS 

DECLARED CONSTITUTIONALLY NULL AND VOID—BUT THE FEDERAL Su- 

.PREME COURT IN A DECADE THEREAFTER PRONOUNCES THE SALE VALID 

—OTHER INFLUENTIAL MEMBERS—ROBERT WATKINS—DR. GEORGE 

JONES—PETER CARNES—JONAS FOUCHE—ALL IMPORTATION OF 

SLAVES FORBIDDEN AFTER OCTOBER 1, 1798—IMPORTANT CHANGES— 

DIVORCES AT THIS TIME GRANTED BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE—BUT 

THE NEW CONSTITUTION PROVIDES THAT BEFORE ANY DIVORCE Is 

GRANTED A TRIAL BEFORE THE SUPERIOR COURT MUST FIRST BE HELD 

TO ADDUCE THE FACTS—THIS CONSTITUTION THE ONLY ONE ADOPTED 

AT A TIME WHEN THERE WAS NOT A VIRTUAL REVOLUTION OF THE 

GOVERNMENT—DESTINED TO REMAIN IN FORCE FOR MORE THAN SIXTY 

YEARS—A MASTERPIECE OF LEGAL WISDOM AND STATECRAFT—THE 

JUDICIARY ACT OF 1799'—OFFICIALS CHOSEN THEREUNDER—THE 

GREAT SEAL OF 1799—DESTINED TO REMAIN IN USE UNTIL 1815, A 

PERIOD OF 116 YEARS—ITS ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION—WHO DESIGNED 

THE GREAT SEAL OF 1799—IMPORTANT INFORMATION BROUGHT TO 

LIGHT—DEATH OF WASHINGTON—GEORGIA THE FIRST STATE TO NAME 

A TOWN IN His HONOR—THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1800. 

From the molds of the great Constitutional Convention of 1798 there 

emerged a product of inspired statesmanship, so wisely and so maturely 

considered by the strong body of law-makers who framed it—so plastic in 

its adaptability to the ever changing needs and conditions of the state 

—that for more than sixty years it constituted an overshadowing aegis 

under which our people lived in prosperity, happiness and content. It 

was finally superceded by the Constitution of 1861 adopted by the 

famous Secession Convention at its adjourned session in Savannah. But 

the new constitution was in essence the old Constitution of 1798, modified 

only in a few minor particulars to meet the requirements of a new con 

federation. 

Governor Jackson crowned with the laurels of his great victory in 

thwarting the Yazoo conspirators came to the executive chair only 3, few 

months before the convention met but this high office did not disqualify 

him from sitting as a delegate in this assemblage to which he had been 

chosen in the general election of 1797. Not only was Governor Jackson 

the most conspicuous figure on the floor of the convention but his was 

406 , '


likewise the most potential influence in remolding Georgia's Organic 

Law. There was hardly an important feature of the instrument upon 

which the impress of Governor Jackson's mind and character was not 

distinctly stamped; and in a double sense therefore the Constitution of 

1798 was the distinguishing glory of his administration. 

Georgia's first state constitution adopted in Savannah, on February 

5, 1777, was only a temporary makeshift. It was framed amid the con 

vulsive throes of a revolution the issues of which no one could clearly 

foreshadow. But it weathered the storm of war and rendered the state 

good service until Georgia's entrance into the Federal Union, when it 

was necessary to change the state constitution in conformity with the 

Constitution of the United States. Accordingly in 1789, at Augusta, 

a new state constitution was framed to the workmanship of which three 

separate conventions contributed; but it did not give entire satisfaction. 

Six years later, in 1793, the people once more assembled in convention 

to recast the fundamental law, this time in Louisville; but due to the 

general conditions of upheaval caused by the Yazoo Fraud only a few 

alterations were proposed. Nothing radical was attempted. It was 

deemed best to postpone for a season this important work to which an 

undivided interest was essential; and accordingly a new convention was 

called to which all unsettled issues were referred. 

Pursuant to call, there assembled at Louisville on Tuesday, May 8, 

1798, a body of lawmakers in which every important interest of the state 

was represented and to which every learned profession contributed. 

There were fifty-six delegates in attendance, representing twenty-one 

counties. Jared Irwin, who had lately served the. state as governor, was 

the presiding officer of this history-making convention. He shared with 

Jackson the honor of extinguishing the Yazoo Fraud; and to the famous 

Rescinding Act of which Jackson was the author his signature as gov 

ernor was attached. High and radiant, therefore, on Georgia's roll of 

honor shines the name of Jared Irwin. 

One of the delegates to this convention was the great Jesse Mercer; 

and it was due to his championship that a clause of the old constitution 

excluding ministers of the gospel from membership in either branch of 

the Legislature was abrogated. When it was proposed to put the same 

inhibition into the Constitution of 1798 Mr. Mercer proposed to amend 

by excluding also doctors and lawyers. This touch of humor was more 

effective than argument to show the manifest injustice of such a bar 

to ministers—the men of all others to whom we look when great moral 

issues are at stake or vital principles are involved. 

But the monumental character of this convention's work was such 

that each member's name deserves to be preserved in connection with 

this great instrument. The full list of delegates chosen to the State 

Convention of 1798 was as follows: * 

Bryan—Joseph Clay, J. B. Maxwell, John Pray. 

Burke—Benj. Davis, John Morrison, John Milton. 

Bulloch—James Bird, Andrew E. Wells, Charles McCall. 

Camden—James Seagrove, Thomas Stafford. 

Chatham—James Jackson, James Jones, George Jones. 

* '' Georgia and the Georgia People,'' George G. Smith, p. 179.


Columbia—James Simms, AY. A. Drane, James McNeal. 

Effingham—John King, John London, Thomas Polhill. 

Elbert—Wm. Barnett, R. Hunt, Benj. Mosely. 

Franklin—A. Franklin, R. Walters, Thomas Gilbert. 

Glynn—John Burnett, John Cowper, Thomas Spalding. 

Greene—George W. Foster, Jonas Fouche, James Nisbet. 

Hancock—Charles Abercrombie, Thos. Lamar, Mathew Rabun. 

Jefferson—Peter Games, Wm. Fleming, R. D. Gray. 

Jackson—George Wilson, James Pitman, Joseph Humphries. 

Liberty—James Cochran, James Powell, James Dunwody. 

Lincoln—Henry Ware, G. Wooldridge, Jared Grace. 

Mclntosh—John H. Mclntosh, James Gignilliat. 

Montgomery—Benjamin Harrison, John Watts, John Jones. 

Oglethorpe—John Lumpkin, Thos. Duke, Burwell Pope. 

Richmond—Robert Watkins, Seaborn Jones. 

Screven—Lewis Lanier, J. H. Rutherford, James Oliver. 

Washington—John Watts, George Franklin, Jared Irwin. 

Warren—John Lawson, A. Fort, Wm. Stith. 

Wilkes—Matthew Talbot, Benj. Taliaferro, Jesse Mercer. 

Since Governor Jackson's personality was in a sense the axis around 

which this great convention revolved we are not surprised to find in the 

Constitution of 1798 a paragraph declaring the sale of Georgia's west 

ern lands constitutionally null and void and repudiating the whole 

transaction. Moreover a concurrence of two-thirds of the members of 

the General Assembly was made requisite in future before any vote,, 

resolution, law or order could pass granting a donation in favor of any 

person. Section twenty-three, defining the boundaries of the state, also^ 

came from the pen of Governor Jackson; and he is credited with hav 

ing written in addition a part of the section establishing a new judicial 

system. 

Says Mr McElreath:* "Among the other prominent and influen 

tial members of the convention were: James Powell, of Liberty county, 

chairman of the committee of the whole house; Robert Watkins, of 

Richmond, who wrote section eighteen, article one, which provided that 

every senator and representative should, before taking his seat, purge 

himself of having been guilty of corrupt practice in securing his elec 

tion; Dr. George Jones, of Chatham, who wrote section seven, article 

four, concerning the promotion of the arts and sciences by the establish 

ment of seminaries of higher learning, thus embodying in the funda 

mental law the recommendation of Governor Lyman Hall to the Legis 

lature of 1783 and providing the permanent legal foundation upon 

which the State university was established at its present site in 1801 ; 

Peter Carnes, of Elbert, who wrote section eleven, article four, pro 

hibiting the importation of slaves after the first day of October, 1798;. 

Rev. Jesse Mercer, of Wilkes, who wrote section eighteen, article four, 

regarding religious freedom; and Jonas Fouche, of Greene, who wrote 

section eight, article three, which provides for the digesting and pro 

mulgation of the law." , 

Georgia, in the great Convention of 1787, called to frame the Fed- 

' McElreath on the Constitution,'' pp. 97-98.


eral Constitution, had insisted upon a continuance of the slave traffic 

and, with the help of South Carolina, had secured a compromise fixing 

the year 1808 as the time for the slave traffic to terminate; but in the 

State Constitution of 1798 we find Georgia of her own accord prohibit 

ing all importation of slaves after the first day of October, 1798.* 

As in the Constitution of 1789, so in the Constitution of 1798, there 

was no separate article known as a "Bill of Rights," but a number of 

fundamental principles usually found in such an article were asserted. 

There was to be one senator from each county, as under the old consti 

tution, but years later this section was modified and for a while the 

state was divided into forty-seven senatorial districts; then for a few 

years there was a reversion back to county representation; and finally 

in 1861 the state was divided into forty-four senatorial districts. 

Membership in the House was to be determined by population. 

Heretofore each county's representation had been constitutionally 

fixed. Now only the aggregate number of members was determined. 

Until a census could be taken, the new constitution fixed a temporary 

apportionment providing for sixty-two members; but whenever a new 

county was organized it was to be given representation on the same 

basis as those already organized. No county was to have more than 

four representatives nor less than one. Three-fifths of the slaves were 

to be enumerated in fixing a county's voting strength. 

The Legislature was to be elected annually and unless called to 

gether in extra session was to meet annually on the second Tuesday in 

January; but the date of meeting was afterwards changed to the first 

Monday in November. 

Property qualifications for membership were reduced by the new 

constitution and were still later entirely abolished. 

There were no material changes made in the powers of the governor; 

but the judicial power of the state- was vested: (1) in a Superior 

Court; (2) in such inferior jurisdictions as might be ordained by the 

Legislature; (3) in inferior courts for each county, and (4) in justice 

courts, of which there were to be two in each captain's district. Until 

this time, the inferior courts had existed only by statute. 

Divorces were granted at this time by the Legislature. But the Con 

stitution of 1798 provided that before any divorce was granted the par 

ties should first be given a trial before the Superior Court. . Thus, in a 

sense two verdicts were necessary to make the divorce final, the first by 

the court and the second by the Legislature. Eventually power was con 

ferred upon the courts to render both verdicts. 

To conclude this resume, we quote the following paragraph from Mr. 

McElreath. Says he: t "It is an interesting fact that the Constitution 

of 1798 is the only constitution ever adopted by the people of Georgia 

at a time when there was not a virtual revolution of the government 

itself. The Constitution of 1777 was adopted in consequence of the 

casting off of the state's allegiance to Great Britain and of the neces 

sity for setting up an independent government; that of 1789 on account 

of the abandonment of the Articles of Confederation and the adoption 

* '' Watkins' Digest,'' pp. 31-43. 

t "McElreath on the Constitution," pp. 114-115.


of the Federal Constitution; that of 1861, on account of the secession 

of the state from the Federal Union; that of 1865, 011 account of the 

fall of the Confederacy and the necessity for obtaining readmission 

into the Union; that of 1868, on account of the refusal of the Federal 

Government to readmit the State under the Constitution of 1865, mak 

ing the adoption of another Constitution a condition precedent; that of 

1877, when the people of Georgia resumed control of their own affairs, 

after the end of the Reconstruction era. The Constitution of 1798 and 

the present Constitution are the only ones which represent a settled 

condition of the state's organic law; the others represent temporary 

conditions and transitional periods. In many respects the Constitution 

of 1798 was the greatest of all the Constitutions which the state has 

had. It gave fuller force and power to the executive and judicial 

departments of the government than the earlier Constitutions and 

restricted the legislative branch far less than the later ones. * * * 

The Constitution of 1798 remained of force as the fundamental law of 

the state for sixty-three years—nearly one-half the entire period of 

the state's life—and was then repealed only because it was necessary 

to create a new government. , 

When the first Legislature met after the adoption of this new Con 

stitution an important legal reform was instituted in which Georgia led 

all the other states of the Union. In what is known as the great Judici 

ary Act of 1799 the General Asesmbly abolished special pleading, thus 

greatly simplifying court procedure and emancipating justice from 

many of the complicated technicalities and impediments of the English 

law. There are comparatively few states which have not since followed 

Georgia's example. But in an effort to establish a Supreme Court by 

statute the Judiciary Act of 1799 was less successful. It provided that 

the judges should meet annually at the seat of government for the 

purpose of making rules and while thus in convention they were re 

quired to settle such points as were reserved for argument and which 

required a uniform decision. But in 1801 this clause of the judiciary 

act was repealed. All points reserved for argument by the judges in 

convention at the seat of government were remanded back to the coun 

ties from which they had come, to be decided by the presiding judge. 

For reasons to be given later, Georgia possessed a deep-seated prejudice 

against a Supreme Court, nor was it until 1845—nearly half a century 

later—that her repugnance to such an establishment was finally over 

come. 

Under the Judiciary Act of 1799 Georgia was divided into three 

superior court circuits: the Eastern, the Middle and the Western. To 

each of these circuits eight counties were assigned. David B. Mitchell 

was elected judge of the Eastern Circuit; George Walton, judge of the 

Middle Circuit; and Thomas P. Carnes, judge of the Western Circuit. 

Two of these circuits had been in existence since the adoption of the 

State Constitution of 1789: the Eastern and the Western, the judges of 

which were to alternate in holding court. During this period the judges 

of these two courts were as follows: George Walton, 1790-1792; Henry 

Osborne, 1790-1791; John Houstoun, 1792-1796; William Stith, 1793- 

1793; George Walton, 1793-1796; William Stevens, 1797-1798; John 

Glen, 1798-1798; Thomas P. Carnes, 1797-1798.


The Middle Circuit had been in existence since 1797. 

William .Few was the first judge of the Middle Circuit, holding 

office until his successor, George Walton, formerly judge of the Western 

Circuit, qualified under the new State Constitution. 

Thus we find the beginnings of our present judicial system clearly 

defines in the great Judiciary Act of 1799. 

The Convention of 1798 authorized the adoption of a new Great 

Seal for the State but left the details of its design to be determined 

later. On February 8, 1799, the Legislature, acting under this authority, 

adopted a Seal which, for one hundred and sixteen years, was used in 

attesting important State papers, for the validity of which the Great 

Seal was required. In fact, it was used long after its imprint ceased 

to be legible. It consisted of two solid plates of silver, each of which was 

a quarter of an inch thick by two inches and a quarter in diameter. The 

Great Seal was kept by authority of law in the office of Secretary of 

State. According to the records, it was first used on July 4, 1799. The 

following description of the Great Seal is taken verbatim from the Code 

of Georgia.* 

The device, on one side, is a view of the seashore, with a ship bear 

ing the flag of the United States riding at anchor near a wharf, receiving 

on. board hogsheads of tobacco and bales of cotton, emblematic of the 

exports of this State; at a small distance a boat, landing from the inte 

rior of the State, with hogsheads, etc., on board, representing the inter 

nal traffic, in the back part of the same side a man in the act of plowing, 

and at a small distance a flock of sheep in different pastures, shaded by 

a flourishing tree; the motto thereon: "Agriculture and Commerce, 

1799." 

The device on the other side is three pillars, supporting an arch, 

with the word '' Constitution'' engraven within the same, emblematic of 

the Constitution, supported by the three departments of government, 

viz., legislative, judicial and executive—the first pillar having engraven 

on it " Wisdom,'' the second '' Justice,'' the third '' Moderation;" on the 

right of the last pillar a man standing with a drawn sword, represent 

ing the aid of the military in defense of the Constitution; the motto, 

"State of Georgia, 1799." 

When the great seal of the state was adopted, in 1799, tobacco fur 

nished the chief agricultural crop of the state and there were numerous 

warehouses erected for the inspection of the plant, but with the inven 

tion of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, cotton gradually gained the 

ascendency over tobacco, until the cultivation of the latter was finally 

discontinued. 

In an old issue of the Louisville Gazette, dated February 26, 1799, 

Governor Joseph M. Brown, during his second term of office, found an 

executive order, signed by Thomas Johnson, secretary to Governor James 

Jackson. It calls upon artists throughout the world to submit drawings 

for the proposed new great seal of the state, an outline sketch of which 

was furnished, in terms of the act approved February 8, 1799; and to 

supply an adequate incentive to genius, the sum of $30 was offered as 

a premium. It was further stipulated that the drawings were to be 

* Code of 1895, Vol. I, p. 66.

412 GEOBGIA AND GEOEGIANS 

lodged in the executive office at Louisville, on or before the 20th of April, 

1799. At the same time, it was ordered that proposals be submitted by 

the same date for making and engraving the device; and July 3, 1799, 

was fixed as a limit within which to complete the contract. 

Governor Brown was fortunate enough to procure copies of the 

Louisville Gazette for subsequent dates; and, in an issue of the paper, 

dated March 7, 1799, he found this paragraph, the statement contained 

in which throws an important side-light upon the history of the great 

seal. The paragraph reads as follows: 

'' We understand that the device approved of by the Governor for the 

Great Seal of this State was drawn by Mr. Sturges, the state surveyor- 

general. The most elegant drawing sent to the Executive Department 

was performed by Mr. Charles Frazer, of South Carolina, and which we 

are assured would have obtained the premium had he not through mis 

take placed all the figures on one side instead of making a reverse. This 

young artist we are informed is but sixteen years of age—his genius is 

great, and deserves encouragement. Several other handsome perform- ' 

ances were sent to the Executive." 

In a still later issue of the same paper, Governor Brown completed 

his quest for information in regard to the great seal by discovering the 

full name and title of the designer, in a card announcing his business 

—Daniel Sturges, surveyor-general. It is late in the day to bestow upon 

the designer of the Great Seal of Georgia the honor to which he is unde 

niably entitled. But justice often lags. The historic page is full of 

tardy recognitions; and, after the lapse of more than a century, Georgia, 

with the help of an honored governor, removes the dust which has long 

rested upon one of her brightest names. Hereafter let no one forget to 

honor this pioneer Georgian to whose artistic genius is due the Gre«t 

Seal of the Commonwealth. 

To use the great seal, wax was rolled out into thin wafers. Gilt paper, 

cut circular in form, the exact size of the die, with serrated edges, was 

next laid upon each side of the wax wafer; and, at the same time, rib 

bons were inserted between the wafer and the paper discs. This done, 

the wafer was then placed between the plates of the die and stamped 

tightly, leaving the devices imprinted on either side of the soft wax and 

revealed, like an engraving, on the gilded paper. This was then attached 

by narrow ribbons to the document of state, forming what is known as a 

wax pendant. 

The custom of attaching seals of this character to official documents, 

is extremely ancient, dating back to the earliest manuscript of record in 

the oldest states of the Union. Since then a method of stamping which 

cuts an impression in the paper to be attested has come into general 

vogue, and the use of the wax wafer by means of ribbons, in the manner 

above described, has become obsolete. Georgia until 1915 was the only 

state which still adhered to this antiquated custom, and the reluctance of 

our lawmakers to adopt the new method was only an expression of the 

conservative spirit which has always characterized the typical Georgian. 

As to the purposes for which the great seal is used, there is a lack of 

correct information even on the part of some who are supposed to be


well informed. It is not used on all papers, issuing from the secretary 

of state's office, but only on documents of an extraordinary character, 

such as charters, land-grants, and commissions to public servants, in 

cluding governors, state house officials, judges of the Superior Court 

and solicitors general. It is also used in attesting all interstate and in 

ternational documents. Every paper going out of the state, for which 

Georgia's official attestation is required, must carry the great seal; but 

for ordinary official transactions what is known as the seal of the sec 

retary of state is employed. 

Continuously until 1915 the great seal adopted at this time fulfilled 

the solemn purposes for which it was designed, but in the year above 

mentioned a new seal of the same design superceded this emblem of 

Georgia's sovereignty; and the old seal of 1799, in the presence of the 

secretary of state and by authority of the General Assembly was defaced 

by Governor Slaton. What remains of this old seal—two mutilated 

discs of silver—are still preserved as sacred relics of Georgia's historic 

past, in the secretary of state's office at. the state capitol. 

On December 14, 1799, the great Washington died at Mount Ver- 

non, his country-seat on the Potomac River. Profound sorrow was felt 

in Georgia, where the memories of his recent visit still lingered. On 

every hand the sables of grief were displayed and mass meetings were 

held at which appropriate resolutions were adopted. The first town in 

the United States to be named for the Father of His Country was 

Washington, Georgia, founded in 1782. 

Georgia's four electoral votes in 1800 were given to Jefferson and 

Burr. As we have already seen; each state was required at this time 

to vote for two candidates. The candidate receiving the highest vote 

was declared to be elected President, the one receiving the next highest 

vote, Yice-President, The contest of 1800 resulting in a tie, the elec 

tion was thrown into the national House of Representatives, ending 

finally in Jefferson's election as President, with Aaron Burr as Vice- 

President.

CHAPTER X 

GOVERNOR JACKSON, ON RELINQUISHING THE EXECUTIVE CHAIR, Is 

RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE—DESPITE A FIERY TEM 

PER AND A HOST OF POWERFUL ENEMIES, His POPULARITY WITH THE 

MASSES REMAINS UNDIMINISHED—JOSIAH TATTNALL Is CALLED TO 

THE HELM—ONE OF His FIRST OFFICIAL ACTS Is TO APPROVE A 

MEASURE RESTORING TO His FATHER AN ESTATE CONFISCATED BY 

REASON OP THE LATTER's LOYALTY TO ENGLAND DURING THE REVO 

LUTION——BONAVENTURE——TlIIS PROPERTY Is RESTORED IN RECOGNI 

TION OF THE SON'S PATRIOTIC DEVOTION TO LIBERTY—GOVERNOR 

TATTNALL's ILL HEALTH—SEEKS TO REGAIN His STRENGTH IN THE 

BAHAMA ISLANDS—DIES AT NASSAU—JOHN MILLEDGE BECOMES Gov- 

EKNOR—MEANWHILE, IN 1801, Two NEW COUNTIES ARE CREATED— 

CLARKE AND TATTNALL—FRANKLIN COLLEGE AT ATHENS Is OPENED 

TO STUDENTS—AMERICA'S OLDEST STATE UNIVERSITY—AN ACCOUNT 

OF ITS ORIGIN—ABRAHAM BALDWIN AND JOHN MILLEDGE, Two 

STAUNCH FRIENDS OF HIGHER EDUCATION—THE FORMER Is RECOG 

NIZED AS THE FOUNDER OF FRANKLIN COLLEGE—THE SENATUS 

ACADEMICUS—JOSIAH MEIGS—THE FIRST COMMENCEMENT EXER 

CISES—JUDGE EMORY SPEER, IN 1901, DELIVERS THE CENTENNIAL 

ORATION. 

Governor James Jackson relinquished the executive chair in 1801, 

after a turbulent administration. His enemies, some of whom were 

men of powerful influence in the state, did not lapse into inactivity 

upon his elevation to the official helm; nor did the old governor himself 

while occupying the executive chair forget his mortal hatred of the 

Yazooists. On more, than one occasion, as we have already noted, he 

displayed a vindictive spirit. But his popularity with the masses re 

mained unimpaired, and, on resigning the office of governor, he 

re-entered the United States Senate, this time succeeding his former col 

league, Senator Gunn. The latter's political career was at an end 

because of his complicity in the sale of the Yazoo lands. 

As chief magistrate of the state, Governor Jackson was succeeded by 

a revered patriot of the Revolution, Josiah Tattnall. The son of a 

stout old royalist, who bore the same name, he escaped from a school 

in England, where his father had placed him, and made his way back 

to America in time to lend a helping hand to the rescue of his native 

state from British domination. Bonaventure, the beautiful country- 

seat of the Tattnalls, near Savannah, had been confiscated by the "Whig 

government because of the elder Tattnall's pronounced Tory senti 

ments. He had refused to take up arms against the Crown of England 

and had left the state rather than draw his sword against Georgia. 

414


When the younger Tattnall came to the governorship, an act of belated 

justice was performed. In recognition of his own gallant part in the 

Revolution, the Legislature lifted the edict of outlawry which had kept 

his father in England for twenty years, restored to him the ancient 

family seat at Bonaventure and accorded to the old royalist full rights 

as a citizen. Too feeble to return to America, however, the elder Tatt 

nall remained in England; but the grateful son made due acknowledg 

ment when he came to approve the measure, adding thereto these 

words: "With lively expression of gratitude I affix my signature 

to this, act." 

Governor Tattnall had been a member of the Legislature of 1796 

and had supported the famous Rescinding Act. Some few days later, 

his colleagues in this body elected him to succeed James Jackson in the ; 

United States Senate. Again, after a lapse of five years, he was called 

to succeed this same illustrious Georgian in the office of governor. 

But ill health necessitated an almost immediate relinquishment of 

the executive helm. Resigning the governorship, he repaired to the 

Bahama Islands; but the change was made too late. After lingering 

for more than a year, he died at Nassau, New Providence, but his ashes 

were brought back to Georgia, to rest among the trailing mosses of his 

beloved Bonaventure. 

To succeed him as governor, the Legislature in 1802 elected John 

Milledge, of Augusta, a zealous champion of education, then serving a 

term in Congress. 

Meanwhile, the Legislature of 1801 created two new counties: Tatt- 

nal and Clarke. The first of these was named for Josiah Tattnall, then 

governor of the state. It was detached from Montgomery, in a fertile 

region of pines. Clarke was named for an illustrious soldier of the 

Revolution, General Elijah Clarke, of whom we have already spoken at 

some length. Its county seat, Athens, was the site of Franklin College, 

an institution whose doors were first opened to students in the fall of 

1801. With this great school the name of Governor Milledge is immor 

tally associated. 

To the credit of Georgia, be it said—though the youngest of the 

original thirteen states—that she heads the long list of American com 

monwealths extending state aid to higher education.*' Georgia was the 

first state in the entire Union to provide by legislative enactment for 

an institution of learning to be supported either in whole or in part 

by popular taxation and to be of college • rank. This step .was taken 

four years prior to the adoption of the Federal Constitution, when the 

states were still bound together by the loose Articles of Confederation. 

The close of the Revolution found the far-sighted lawmakers of Georgia 

looking toward the future. They reasoned that the success of repub 

lican government depended in the last analysis upon the intelligence 

of the people; and not only were leaders demanded to supply the vacant 

places in the ranks, but germinal centers of influence were needed 

to stimulate the development of thought. 

Accordingly, on February 25, 1784, an act was passed by the Legis- 

* These facts have been collated from an official volume entitled '' A Historical 

Sketch of the University of Georgia," by A. L. Hull, Atlanta, 1894.


lature, from which the legal conception of the University of Georgia 

may be said to date. 

The measure in question provided for the creation of two counties 

amid the virgin solitudes of the state to foe called, respectively, Washing 

ton and Franklin, both of which at the time of organization embraced 

extensive areas. It was furthermore provided that in each of these 

counties 20,000 acres of land should be set aside for the purpose of 

endowing a college, the land to be of the very best quality, and to foe 

subdivided into separate tracts or parcels, containing 5,000 acres each. 

The titles to the property were to be vested in the following well- 

known Georgians, who were authorized to take whatever steps were 

necessary to put the resolution into effect, to-wit: John Houstoun, 

James Habersham, William Few, Joseph Clay, Abraham Baldwin, and 

Nathan Brownson. In pursuance of the authority given to them by 

the Legislature these gentlemen proceeded to survey the lands. 

There were originally eight tracts. But one of these was eventually 

lost to the state when the boundary line dispute between South Caro 

lina and Georgia was adjusted. It was known as the Keowee tract 

and was for years a bone of contention. As soon as the surveys were 

completed, the Legislature passed a bill, approved January 27, 1785, 

providing in formal terms for the establishment of a public seat of 

learning; and this act—drawn by Abraham Baldwin—constitutes the 

charter of the University of Georgia. The first meeting of the trustees 

under this act was held in Augusta, on February 13, 1786, at which 

time the board consisted of the following members, to-wit: Abraham 

Baldwin, William Few, William Glascock, John Habersham, Nathan 

Brownson, Hugh Lawson, and Benjamin Taliaferro. Until the insti 

tution was formally launched, Abraham Baldwin was chosen to act as 

president. This position he held until 1801, due to the exigencies of 

the times. During this interval of fourteen years between the grant 

ing of the charter and the opening of the college, there was little for 

the trustees to do except to dispose of the lands in such a way as to 

accumulate a fund for the erection of the buildings. 

Unfortunately, at this early period, lands were cheap and rents 

uncertain. To show what lands were really worth at this time, Gov 

ernor Wilson Lumpkin informs us that his father, John Lumpkin, who 

received handsome grants of land from the state, in requital of his 

services in the Revolution, sold 400 acres at one time for a shot gun 

and an equal amount later for a saddle horse. Says Mr. Hull: "If 

this foe taken as a criterion, the munificent gift of the state was worth 

at the time it was made only fifty rifles and as many saddle horses, 

from which, however, twelve horses should be deducted for the 5,000 

acres lost." But impoverished by the Revolution there was nothing 

for. Georgia to give except lands, in which she possessed an imperial 

domain. 

On one of the tracts of land the trustees in 1798 laid off the 

town of Greensboro, at which time 1,000 acres were offered for sale or 

lease in the immediate neighborhood. 

Some of the trustees desired to locate the college at Greensboro, 

but there was difficulty in getting a quorum together; so the matter 

drifted.


Finally, a body called the Senatus Academicus was formed, con 

sisting of the governor, the judges of the Superior Courts, and the 

trustees, the duty of which body was to sit in review upon the action 

of the trustees, with power to confirm or to reject. On November 23, 

1800, the Senatus Academicus formally organized the university by 

the election of a president, at a salary of $1,200. Mr. Baldwin recom 

mended for this position Prof. Josiah Meigs, of Hartford, Conn., an 

old acquaintance whom he had met when a tutor at Yale. Final action 

was not taken by the board at this time, but Professor Meigs was elected 

professor 'of mathematics, with an intimation that he might be asked 

to take the presidency later on. The curriculum of studies embraced 

little more than the classic languages, re-enforced by mathematics, with 

perhaps an occasional lecture on mental and moral philosophy; but 

this small segment of the circle of knowledge represented the whole 

range of the liberal arts in pioneer days. 

Without delay the trustees were authorized to select a site for the 

proposed institution. 

Pursuant to these instructions, the trustees met and, after repeated 

ballotings, decided to locate the college somewhere within the limits of 

what was then Jackson, now Clarke County; and accordingly a com 

mittee consisting of John Milledge, Abraham Baldwin, George Walton, 

John Twiggs, and Hugh Lawson was appointed to choose a site for the 

buildings. During the summer months thereafter this committee met 

at Billup's Tavern on the Lexington road, and proceeded thence to 

visit a number of localities. At last, by a unanimous vote, they chose 

a site belonging to Mr. Daniel Easley, at Cedar Shoals, on the north 

fork of the Oconee River. The property in question was not embraced 

within the lands which belonged to the university, but it was purchased 

by Mr. John Milledge, who deeded the same to the university as a gift. 

There were 633 acres in this tract, beautifully situated on the heights 

above the river and thickly wooded with luxuriant forest trees. 

As an appropriate name for the locality which was to become the 

state's capital of culture, it was decided by the trustees to call the new 

seat of learning Athens. 

The institution itself was .called Franklin College in honor of Ben 

jamin Franklin, the New England philosopher and statesman, who, 

at one time had acted as agent for Georgia in adjusting Colonial affairs. 

While the Legislature's gift'of land to the university was valueless 

at the time, it eventually yielded to the institution an income of 

$100,000, in addition to which the donation made by Governor Milledge 

produced, first and last, something like $30,000, and proved to be the 

main dependence of the college at sundry times, when in dire distress. 

The greater part of the town was built upon the Milledge tract, thus 

providing the institution an income from the sale of lots; and in recog 

nition of the debt due to her earliest benefactor the university created 

the Milledge Chair of Ancient Languages, which still exists. 

On the arrival of Professor Meigs in Georgia the office of president 

was relinquished by Mr. Baldwin and at his direction the former was 

placed at the helm of affairs. Under the direction of Professor Meigs 

temporary buildings constructed chiefly of logs arose in the virgin 

wilderness; and these furnished the crude beginnings out of which 

Vol. I— 27


the present beautiful campus has flowered. In the fall of 1801 the 

college was formally opened for the reception of students. Professor 

Meigs-at this time not only acted in the capacity of president but con 

stituted within himself the entire corps of instruction. 

In addition to the clearing made for the campus, a street was laid 

out under the supervision of Professor Meigs, lots were staked, homes 

commenced, and other steps taken looking toward the evolution of the 

future town. The first settler to-locate in Athens was the Rev. Hope 

Hull, the founder of Methodism in Georgia. He came from Washing 

ton, in the county of Wilkes, where he had taught a select school for 

several years and where, with great unction of spirit, he had preached 

the doctrines of Wesley. If he was not at this time a member of the 

board of trustees he became one later and continued until the hour of 

his death to be the most loyal and steadfast friend of the college, be 

queathing his love for it to his children after him. In 1808, he offered 

to build on the campus a chapel forty by fifty feet in dimensions, if 

the board would give $100 for a belfry, a proposition which the trus 

tees accepted; and accordingly a chapel was erected by Mr. Hull which 

served the purpose for twelve years. At the same time, on the out 

skirts of the town, he built Hull's Meeting House—the fame of which 

reached up and down the whole range of the Alleghany Mountains. 

It was to meet immediate needs that the first temporary structures 

of log were built on the campus. As soon as funds could be provided 

the erection of permanent quarters was commenced. For this purpose 

a loan was negotiated from the state, to secure which mortgages were 

given to lands in Hancock. Luckily, at this time, a gift in cash of 

$1,000 was made to the university by James Gunn, Jr., of Louis 

ville, Georgia; and without delay the erection of the building after 

ward known as Old College was started, under the supervision of Gen. 

Jett Thomas. The first commencement exercises were held under a 

bush arbor, on May 31, 1804, at which time the degree of Bachelor of 

Arts was conferred upon the following graduates, ten in number, 

to-wit: 

Gibson Clarke, William H, Jackson, 

Augustin S. Clayton, James Jackson, 

Jeptha V. Harris, Robert Rutherford, 

Jared Irwin, . William Rutherford, 

Thomas Irwin, William Williamson. 

Gibson Clarke was a son of the old Revolutionary hero, Gen. Elijah 

Clarke. Augustin S. Clayton afterwards became a judge of the Supe 

rior Court and a member of Congress. The Irwin boys were sons of 

Gov. Jared Irwin. One of them became a doctor. The Jackson boys 

were sons of Gov. James Jackson. Of these, William H. Jackson was 

afterwards a trustee and a State Senator, while James Jackson was a 

professor in the college. Jeptha V. Harris became a trustee and a Con 

federate colonel. William Rutherford was the grandfather of Professor 

Rutherford, who long filled the chair of mathematics. 

Glancing at an old program of exercises, it appears that Augustin S. 

Clayton read a poem descriptive of the means by which the lands of 

the Oconee were obtained. His wonderful gift of satire seems to have


budded at an early period. He became the most brilliant of Georgia's 

ante-bellum statesmen in the use of the pen. Gibson Olarke was the 

valedictorian. It fell to the lot of William H. Jackson to deliver the 

salutatory address; Jeptha V. Harris pronounced an oration in favor of 

liberty; Robert Rutherford spoke on the dignity of man; James Jackson 

counseled a sentiment of gratitude to France; and "William Williamson 

dilated in praise of representative government. There was also a dia 

logue in which several members of the class took part. At commence 

ment, in 1901, the centennial anniversary of the formal opening of 

Franklin College was observed with impressive ceremonies, at which time 

the centennial oration was delivered by Judge Emory Speer, an alumnus 

of the institution. 

Today the University of Georgia is one of the greatest institutions 

in America. It includes the old original Franklin College, the College 

of Agriculture, the Lumpkin Law School, and the State Normal School, 

all of which are located at Athens; the Georgia School of Technology 

located in Atlanta; the Georgia College of Medicine located in Augusta; 

the Georgia Normal and Industrial College located at Milledgeville; the 

South Georgia Normal College at Valdosta; and the Industrial School for 

Colored Youth located at Savannah. The prophecy of President Meigs 

has been realized. Said he, in a letter to Governor Milledge in 1805: * 

"Your institution has taken a strong root and will flourish; and I feel 

some degree of pride in reflecting that a century hence, when this nascent 

village shall embosom a thousand of the Georgia youths, it will now and 

then be said that you gave this land and I was on the forlorn hope.'' 

* '' History of Georgia," L. B. Evans, p. 158.

CHAPTER XI 

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS AT THE CLOSE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CEN 

TURY—EPISCOPACY IN GEORGIA COEVAL WITH THE COLONY'S ESTAB 

LISHMENT—CHRIST CHURCH—THE DIVISION OP GEORGIA INTO 

PARISHES INDICATES ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH OF ENG 

LAND—THE WESLEYS BOTH EPISCOPALIANS—WHITEFIELD ALSO BE 

LONGS TO THE' ESTABLISHMENT—BUT THE ISSUES RAISED BY THE 

REVOLUTION WEAKEN THE TIE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE MOTHER 

CHURCH—PRESBYTERIANISM COMES INTO GEORGIA WITH THE SCOTCH 

HIGHLANDERS—FOUR CENTERS OF INFLUENCE—DARIEN, MIDWAY, 

SAVANNAH, AND A GROUP OF CHURCHES IN BURKE—THE PRESBY 

TERIAN POPLAR—REV. JOHN SPRINGER—THE FIRST. EVANGELIST TO 

BE ORDAINED IN GEORGIA—PIONEER PREACHER AND EDUCATOR—His 

FAMOUS SCHOOL—REV. JOHN NEWTON—ORGANIZES THE OLDEST 

CHURCH IN THE SYNOD OF GEORGIA—PRESBYTERIANISM A SPLENDID 

DISCIPLINE FOR PIONEER DAYS, BUT Too COLDLY INTELLECTUAL TO 

SUIT THE MASSES—THE LUTHERAN CHURCH AT EBENEZER—THE 

JEWS—CONGREGATIONALISM ENTERS THE STATE WITH THE MIDWAY 

PURITANS, BUT ITS OFFSPRING Is MAINLY PRESBYTERIAN—How EX 

PLAINED—METHODISM IN GEORGIA—ITS RAPID GROWTH—CAMP-MEET 

INGS RECALL THE ARCADIAN DAYS OF THIS DENOMINATION—PIONEER 

EVANGELISTS—THE FIRST METHODIST CHURCH BUILT IN WILKES— 

REV. HOPE HULL—THE BAPTISTS—KIOKEE CREEK WITNESSES THE 

FIRST IMMERSION—REV. DANIEL MARSHALL—His ARREST FOR 

PREACHING BAPTIST DOCTRINES—KIOKEE CHURCH ORGANIZED—THE 

CATHOLICS IN GEORGIA—DENIED ADMISSION UNTIL AFTER THE REVO 

LUTION—BISHOP KEILEY'S ACCOUNT—LOCUST GROVE THE CRADLE OF 

CATHOLICISM IN GEORGIA—THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF -SAVANNAH. 

Episcopacy in Georgia was coeval with the colony's establishment. 

The Church of England, to which Oglethorpe himself belonged, was its 

foster-mother. Though firm in her precepts, it was not with an 

ungentle hand that she rocked its cradle on the bluff at Yamacraw and 

gave it a religious impulse, an indoctrination, so to speak, in moral 

values, in spiritual ideals, and in reverence for sacred things, to which 

our whole subsequent life as a state has been one prolonged echo, re 

verberating even down to the present day. Georgia's relationship to the 

Church of England is shown in the earliest division of the province into 

parishes. Christ Church, at Savannah, is the state's oldest ecclesiastical 

organization, reaching back to the pious devotions held in Oglethorpe's 

tent, on the night of his arrival, when the little band of immigrants 

knelt for the first time beneath the stars of a new world. Rev. Henry 

Herbert, who accompanied these immigrants on the galley Anne, was 

420


the colony's first spiritual shepherd. The missionary zeal of the devout 

young Wesleys in preaching to the Georgia Indians and in planting at 

Savannah the world's first Sunday school—fifty years in advance of 

Robert Raikes—may have presaged the reform work of coming itiner 

ants; but the great movement known as Methodism was still to be 

organized. These emissaries of the Cross came to America as Episcopal 

divines, and what they here wrought for humanity's sake was wrought 

within the bounds of the Church of England. Whitefield was also an 

Episcopalian, with strong Calvinistic leanings. 

But the issues raised by the Revolution between the Crown and the 

colony, eventually weakened though it could not wholly, sever this tie. 

Georgia was loath to lower her colonial flag. She loved the historic 

island of which she was the youngest offspring, whose language she 

spoke, whose traditions she revered. She loved the established church, 

its splendid ritual, its noble history. But when, to gain her independ 

ence, she found herself at war with England, it was difficult for her 

to avoid a certain feeling of antagonism toward a church so intimately 

related to a kingdom against which her sword was drawn; and while 

fighting England political she began to relinquish England ecclesiastical. 

Consequently, it was not until years after the Revolution that Episco 

pacy began to revive. Even then its renaissance came by slow degrees. 

This was due in part to the fact that certain aristocratic elements 

ill-adapted it to pioneer conditions. Years were still to elapse before it 

was strong enough to form a separate diocese; but finally, in 1841, Dr. 

Stephen Elliott, of South Carolina, was consecrated its first spiritual 

head. Bishop Elliott was one of the choice spirits of all time. He came 

of a family illustrious for its scientific. attainments and was himself a 

man of broad scholarship, of ripe culture, and of spiritual vision. But 

having already discussed the beginning of the Episcopal Church, we 

cannot in this connection treat the subject further. 

Presbyterianism came into Georgia with the Scotch Highlanders. 

Efforts to connect Oglethorpe himself with this household of faith appear 

to rest solely upon the fact that, in his political sympathies, he was a 

Jacobite, friendly to the cause of the exiled Stuarts. In the absence of 

any positive proof as to his religious affiliations, there are numerous 

intimations which point to his connection with the established 

church. According to Dr. James Stacy,*- there were four centers of 

early Presbyterianism in Georgia: (1) The community at Darien, 

founded in 1735. John Mclntosh, sometimes called John Mohr Mcln- 

tosh, was the head or chief of a clan which settled at this point, on the 

upper bank of the Altamaha River; but the pastor of the flock was Rev. 

John McLeod. (2) The Midway settlement, in Liberty County, dating 

back to 1752. Though organized upon Congregational lines, the church 

at Midway became a center of Presbyterian influence in Georgia. With 

only two exceptions, it was served by Presbyterian ministers; and all of 

the churches to which it gave birth were of the Presbyterian faith and 

order. But a full account of the Midway settlement is elsewhere given. 

(3) The Independent Presbyterian Church, of Savannah, founded in 

1755. This is the oldest Presbyterian church in the state, the one at 

'History of the Presbyterian Church in Georgia," James Stacy, pp. 7-10.


Darien having been obliterated by the Spanish wars, and the church at 

Midway having ceased to exist as an active religious organization. But 

the Independent Presbyterian Church at Savannah is without organic 

connection with the Synod of Georgia. (4) In colonial times there was 

a group of Presbyterian churches in Burke County, on Brier and Beaver 

creeks. These afterwards united to form a single church in the town 

of Waynesboro. There was also a Presbyterian community at Queens- 

boro, on the Oconee River, a few miles to the south of the present town 

of Louisville, near the site of a trading post afterwards known as 

Galphinton. On the outskirts of the town of Washington, there still 

stands an immense poplar under which the first Presbyterian evangelist 

to be ordained in Georgia, Dr. John Springer, took the vows of ordina 

tion, on January 21, 1790. Georgia was then a part of the old Presby 

tery of Hopewell, in the Synod of South Carolina. This tree measures 155 

feet in height. The circumference of the trunk is 28 feet, its diameter 9 

feet, and the lowest branches are 50 feet from the ground, To state the 

size of the tree somewhat differently, it is said that a man on horseback 

stationed behind it is entirely screened from the view of persons on 

the side opposite. This famous old landmark in Wilkes is not only one 

of the largest but also one of the oldest poplar trees of the tulip-bearing 

variety in the United States. 

On January 21, 1790, the spreading boughs of this magnificent forest 

giant formed the roof of God's first Presbyterian temple in the county 

of Wilkes. At this time the Presbytery of South Carolina sent commis 

sioners to Washington for the purpose of ordaining Rev. John 

Springer, an educator of wide note in the early pioneer days. Either 

for the reason that enclosed quarters were not to be obtained in the 

town or -because the balminess of the surmner weather lured them into 

the open air, the Presbyters of South Carolina decided to hold the serv 

ices of ordination under the branches of the great poplar. It was quite 

the common thing in pioneer days to hold religious meetings out of 

doors. 

The statement is often made by partially informed people to the 

effect that the first Presbytery in Georgia was organized on this historic 

spot. No such body ever met here. The whole of the State of Georgia 

was at this time embraced in the Presbytery of South Carolina; and, 

while the commissioners from the other side of the river met to perform 

what was virtually an act of the Presbytery of South Carolina, they 

did not constitute a meeting of the Presbytery itself. The historic 

associations which belong to the Presbyterian poplar proceed from the 

fact that it witnessed the first ordination ever performed in Georgia 

under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church. There were ministers 

of this denomination in Georgia prior to this time, but they were 

ordained before coming into the state. 

Smyrna Church, a time-honored old house of worship, which stands 

in a grove of pines, on.the Augusta road, six miles from Washington, 

was organized by this early evangel of the frontier. 

John Talbot, the wealthiest land owner in Wilkes, was an elder in 

Smyrna Clrarch; and, beside him, in the little graveyard at this place, 

sleeps his distinguished son, Matthew Talbot, a former governor of 

Georgia.


Though a devout and faithful minister, Mr. Springer is best remem 

bered as an educator. At Walnut Hill, on the Mallorysville road, some 

four miles from Washington, he established a school of high character, 

which was known far and wide. Boys were sent to him from Augusta, 

when the old Richmond Academy there was flourishing in pristine 

vigor. John Forsyth, afterwards governor of Georgia, United States 

_ senator, and minister to Spain, was one of this number. Jesse Mercer, 

the great Baptist divine, also attended the school at Walnut Hill. Mr. 

Springer was at one time president of the board of trustees of the acad 

emy in Washington. He taught school in various places before com 

ing to Georgia and was recommended for work on the frontier by Gen. 

Andrew Pickens, an elder in the church at Long Cane, South Carolina. 

He was a native of Delaware and a man in the prime of life when 

ordained to the ministry under the Presbyterian poplar. He lived only 

eight years after entering upon his labors as a minister. Mr. Springer 

died soon after preaching the funeral sermon of Hon. John Talbot. On 

account of subsequent changes in boundary lines to property in this 

neighborhood, the grave of Mr. Springer is supposed at the present time 

to underlie the main highway. He was originally buried in his garden 

at Walnut Hill. Mr. Springer was a man of gigantic stature, weighing 

over 400 pounds. In this respect he was rivaled by only two men in 

Georgia at the time of his death.- Dixon H. Lewis and Sterne Simmons. 

It may be stated in this connection that the separate organized exist 

ence of the Presbyterian Church in Georgia began with the creation of 

the Presbytery of Hopewell on March 16, 1797, at Liberty Church, nine 

miles west of Washington. This church was afterwards removed. It is 

today represented by Woodstock Church in the county of Oglethorpe. 

But while Dr. Springer was the first evangelist to be ordained in 

Georgia, he was not the first evangelist to enter the state. We are now 

speaking of Presbyterians. This credit belongs to Rev. John Newton, 

who, in 1785, two years after the Revolution, organized the historic old 

Presbyterian Church of Lexington. This time-honored landmark is 

probably the oldest church in the Synod of Georgia.* The name by 

which the church at Lexington was first known was Beth-salem; and at? 

the time of organization it was located some two miles distant from the 

present site. Mr. Newton, who was the first Presbyterian minister to 

preach the gospel on the frontier belt of Georgia, served the church as 

pastor for twelve years. When he died, in 1797, he was buried in the 

old churchyard; but, one hundred years later, in 1897, his body was 

taken up and reinterred in the Presbyterian cemetery at Lexington 

Mr. George C. Smith, the.present clerk of the session, assisted Mr. New 

ton's grandson in accomplishing this removal. The original agreement 

between pastor and people, executed in 1785 when Mr. Newton first took 

charge, is still in the possession of the church. The munificent salary 

which the pastor was to receive, according to the terms of this contract, 

was fixed at fifty pounds and twenty shillings per annum. 

Mr. Smith is the custodian of a precioiis keepsake in the nature of 

a little book, containing the texts from which this pioneer divine 

preached while pastor of Beth-salem Church, from 1785 to 1797; and 

*Ibidv pp. 26-28.


he also treasures a record of baptisms, to which great value attaches. 

Both of these genuine relics of the early days of Presbyterianism in 

Upper Georgia were sent, through Mr. C. A. Rowland, of Athens, to 

the Jamestown Centennial Exposition, where they attracted much 

interest. 

It was at Lexington, in 1828, that the Presbyterian Theological Semi 

nary, now located at Columbia, South Carolina, was first established,- 

and the house in which this famous school of the prophets was organized 

was still standing in 1912—after the lapse of eighty-four years. 

Presbyterianism, with its rigid system of Calvinistic theology, was 

a splendid discipline for pioneer days. But allied to Scotch-Irish thrift, 

on the one hand, and to Huguenot exclusiveness, on the other, it en 

countered some difficulty in making its peculiar doctrine of election 

popular. Moreover, its style of preaching was coldly intellectual. It 

possessed little emotional warmth; and, notwithstanding the decline of 

Episcopacy, with the outbreak of the Revolution, the Presbyterians, 

while reaping a substantial harvest out of these conditions, still left a 

rich virgin field in which Baptists and Methodists at a later period were 

destined to gather golden sheaves. 

The Lutheran Church was planted in Georgia by the pious Salzburg- 

ers at Ebenezer in 1733. Here, at the outbreak of the Revolution, there 

was a strong church. Likewise, in Savannah, we find a congregation of 

Lutherans during the Colonial period. The Moravian Church was 

brought to Georgia in 1735 by a colony of Moravians, under the pious 

Dr. Gottlieb Spangenberg. These colonists made a settlement at Irene, 

between Savannah and Ebenezer. More than any other religious sect, 

the Moravians were successful to a'marked degree in missionary activi 

ties among the Georgia Indians. There are still to be found in Murray 

County the relics of an old mission established by the Moravians among 

the Cherokees, before the close of the eighteenth century; but like the 

Cherokees themselves, these gentle evangels of peace have long since 

disappeared. 

We have already given an extended account of the first settlement 

in Georgia made by the Jews. 

Congregationalism entered the state in 1752 when the Dorchester 

Puritans settled at Midway, on the rich alluvial bottom lands of the 

Georgia coast. But while the church at Midway was Congregational 

in form, it became a germinal center of Presbyterian activities; and 

not until a much later day did Congregationalism as such acquire a 

foothold in Georgia. But while the church at Midway became a nursery 

of Presbyterianism, unsurpassed not only for the number of its contribu 

tions to the Presbyterian pulpit but for the high intellectual and moral 

character of the men who bore its religious impress, this historic old 

plant was nevertheless a Congregational church. It was due entirely to 

environment that its fruitage was gathered by Presbyterians. As we 

have already seen, the church at Midway indoctrinated a community in 

which the Revolutionary fires were first kindled in Georgia; and from 

which governors, United States senators, congressmen, educators, scien 

tists, diplomats, missionaries and divines have sprung in numbers 

equaled nowhere in America by a community of like size and character. 

There is an explanation for this failure of Congregationalism to propa-


gate in Georgia as in New England. So closely allied in theological 

doctrine are Congregational and Presbyterian churches that the two 

orders seldom nourish in the same locality, and where Presbyterianism 

is strong Congregationalism is usually weak. 

To find the beginning of Methodism, we naturally go back to the 

Wesleys, from whom in after years this great religious organization re 

ceived its quickening impulse, but the "Wesleys at this time were only 

its forerunners. It was not until they returned to England that the 

Methodists ceased to be a religious society within the pale of the Epis 

copal Church and became an independent religious organization. Even 

Whitefield, who touched elbows with the Wesleys in this society of Meth 

odists at Oxford, was an out-and-out Calvinist, most decidedly at vari 

ance in his theology with the Methodists of a later day, whose creed was 

distinctly Arminian. It was not until after the Revolution that Meth 

odism acquired a foothold in Georgia. Eventually its clear note of 

evangelism, its emotional style of preaching, its freedom from all rit 

ualistic forms and ceremonies, and its broad invitation to converts, unre 

stricted by the doctrine of election, were destined to bring a multitude . 

of converts to its banners. But the history of Methodism in its pioneer 

days was a struggle for existence against seemingly overwhelming odds; 

and for years, like a fragrant flower of the wilderness, it blossomed in 

obscure places, ofttimes in deep forest solitudes, remote from towns 

and cities, where the Indian's tomahawk was still dripping with the 

blood of his slaughtered victims. What is today known as the Meth 

odist camp-meeting is a reminiscence, a memorial, so to speak, of these 

arcadian days of Methodism. 

Dr. James W. Lee, in a work of recognized authority, tells of how the 

Methodist Church started in Georgia. Says he: * 

'' Georgia was a state in which, at the close of the Revolutionary war, 

the Anglican Church was extinct. Savannah, which had been selected 

fifty years before as a center of Methodist religious life, was now noted 

for its godlessness. Indeed, so strong was the prejudice against Meth 

odism in this busy seaport that it was not until 1811 that a church was 

planted there. The new Methodism traveled across the South Carolina 

frontier with the settlers, who took up lands in the interior. The pioneer 

preachers were Thomas Humphries, a fine-looking man, who preached 

with great earnestness and power, and John Major, who, a constant suf 

ferer from ill health, was more pathetic in his address, and earned the 

name of 'the weeping prophet.' At the first conference held in the 

state, in April, 1788, ten members were present, and Asbury came south 

to preside. .Among the members were two notable men—Richard Ivy. 

who was appointed an elder at the Christmas Conference of 1784, and 

the Maryland carpenter, Hope Hull, a man of fine physique and great 

courage, who, notwithstanding the disadvantages of his early training, 

valued education next to religion, and succeeded in making good 'his 

deficiencies. He married the daughter of a prominent Georgian, became 

one of the board of trustees of the University at Athens, an institution 

to which he devoted much of his time and energies, and gained a high 

reputation as a powerful and persuasive pulpit orator, at home in ad- 

'Illustrated History of Methodism," Lee and Lucooek, pp. 307-308.


dressing educated audiences. He left descendants who became promi 

nent in education and politics in the state. 

"The first completed Methodist Church in Georgia was in Wilkes 

County, near Washington, and was known as Grant's meeting house. 

Here in 1789, the second conference met, Asbury again presiding. 

Thomas Grant was a Virginian of Scotch descent, whose people had be 

longed to the Presbyterian Church. The family migrated to North 

Carolina, and thence, in 1784, removed to Wilkes County in Georgia. 

During a long and useful life, this liberal-minded and pious man was a 

pillar of the church in Georgia, and the warm friend and benefactor of 

every traveling preacher. 

"At this conference Hope Hull was appointed to Savannah town, 

where, nearly sixty years before, the W.esleys had labored, none too 

successfully. The tradition of the 'meddling Methodists' unfortu 

nately lingered about the place, and he met with a hostile reception. The 

Calvinists, represented by able men in the Presbyterian and Baptist 

churches, were strongly intrenched in the town, and Hull found that he 

could not obtain a footing. It was not, indeed, until the year 1811 that 

the town of Savannah could boast of a Methodist society or meeting 

house. Methodism entered Georgia from the interior, and depended 

for its support on families like that of the Grants, who had moved south 

ward from Virginia or the Carolinas. The work in Georgia pretty much 

resembled that in Kentucky and elsewhere along the Indian frontier. 

There were no bridges and no turnpikes: in many counties not a pane 

of. glass was to be found in any of the houses; nor were there many 

saw mills to provide the material for frame houses. The men were hard 

working pioneers, who, dressed in hunting-shirts, went barefoot or wore 

Indian moccasins; the women dressed in the homeliest of homespun gar 

ments. Ignorant they were, but honest and simple-hearted, and ready 

to share their simple meals of lye hominy and venison with the travel 

ing preachers. He received no salary, for money was a commodity that 

was hardly existent in these remote parts. Some of the preachers, 

indeed, had not as much as five dollars in cash to spend during a whole 

" year. It was among the poorest of the Georgians that Methodism first 

planted itself, and the results were very modest for many years.'' 

Kiokee Creek, a small tributary of the Savannah River, in the upper 

part of Columbia County, furnished the sacramental waters in which the 

earliest Georgia Baptists were immersed. On January 1, 1771, Daniel 

Marshall, an ordained Baptist minister, sixty-five years of age, moved 

from Horse Creek, South Carolina, and settled with his family on Kiokee 

Creek, about twenty miles north of Augusta. He had organized two 

churches in South Carolina, and while residing at Horse Creek he made 

frequent evangelistic tours into Georgia, preaching with wonderful 

fervor, chiefly in groves. Says a work of recognized authority: * 

"We will gaze upon him as he conducts religious services. The scene 

is a sylvan grove, and Daniel Marshall is on his knees, engaged in prayer. 

While he beseeches the throne of grace, a hand is laid upon his shoulder 

and he hears a voice say: 

* '' History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia.'' Compiled by the Chris 

tian Index,


'' ' You are my prisoner!' 

'' Rising to his feet, the earnest-minded man of God finds himself con 

fronted by an officer of the law. He is astonished at being arrested under 

such circumstances, for preaching the gospel in the Parish of St. Paul; 

but he has violated the legislative enactment of 1758, which established 

religious worship in the colony according to the rites and ceremonies of 

the Church of England. He is made to give security for his appearance 

in Augusta on the following Monday, and is then allowed to continue the 

services. But to the surprise of every one present, the indignation which 

swells the bosom of Mr. Marshall finds vent through the lips of his wife, 

who has witnessed the whole scene. "With the solemnity of the prophets 

of old, she denounces the law under which her husband has been appre 

hended, and to sustain her position she quotes many passages from the 

Holy Scriptures, with a force which carries conviction. 

"One of the most interested listeners to her exposition was the con 

stable, Mr. Samuel Cartledge, who was so deeply convinced by the 

inspired words of exhortation which fell from her lips that his conver 

sion was the result; and, in 1777, he was baptized by the very man whom 

he then held under arrest. After the interruption caused by the inci 

dent above described, Mr. Marshall preached a sermon of great power, 

and before the meeting was over he baptized, in the neighboring creek, 

two converts, who proved to be relatives of the very man who stood secur 

ity for his appearance at court. On the day appointed Mr. Marshall 

went to Augusta, and after standing a trial was ordered to desist; but 

he boldly replied in the language of, the Apostles, spoken under similar 

circumstances.: 

" 'Whether it be right to obey God or man, judge ye.' 

"It is interesting to note that the magistrate who tried him, Colonel 

Barnard, was also afterwards converted. Though never immersed, he 

was strongly tinctured with Baptist doctrines, and often exhorted sinners 

to flee from the wrath to come. He lived and died in the Church of Eng 

land. Following this dramatic episode, Mr. Marshall does not seem to 

have met with further trouble; but the outbreak of the Revolution soon 

suspended religious activities. 

"Daniel Marshall was born at "Windsor, Conn., in 1706, of Presby 

terian parents. He was a man of great natural ardor and holy zeal. 

For three years he buried himself in the wilderness and preached to 

the Mohawk Indians near the head waters of the Susquehanna River. 

"War among the savage tribes led him to remove ultimately to Virginia, 

where he became a convert to Baptist views. He was immersed at the 

age of forty-eight, his wife submitting to the ordinance at the same time; 

and then, after preaching for several years in the two Carolinas, he came 

to Georgia, settling on Kiokee Creek at the time above mentioned. 

"Though neither learned nor eloquent, he possessed the rugged 

strength of mind which fitted him for pioneer work, and he knew the 

Scriptures. From his headquarters on Kiokee Creek he went forth 

preaching the Gospel with great power. By uniting those whom he had 

baptized in the neighborhood with other Baptists who lived on both sides 

of the Savannah River, he formed and organized Kiokee Baptist Church, 

in the spring of 1772; and this was the first Baptist Church ever consti 

tuted within the limits of Georgia.


"The Act incorporating the Kiokee Baptist Church was signed by 

Edward Telfair, Governor; Seaboard Jones, Speaker of the House, and 

Nathan Brownson, President of the Senate. It is dated December 23, 

1789, seventeen years subsequent to the actual time of organization. The 

first meeting house was built where the town of Appling now stands. 

Daniel Marshall became the pastor. He served in this capacity until 

November 2, 1784, when he died in his seventy-eighth year. Abraham 

Marshall, his son, continued his work. 

"When this pioneer minister moved into the State, he was the only 

ordained Baptist clergyman within its bounds; but he lived to preside 

at the organization of the Georgia Association, in the fall of 1784, when 

there were half a dozen churches in the State, hundreds of converts, and 

quite a number of preachers. His grave lies a few rods south of Appling 

Court House, on the side of the road leading to Augusta. He sleeps 

neither forgotten nor unsung, for every child in the neighborhood can 

lead the stranger to Daniel Marshall's grave." 

On December 23, 1789, the pioneer Baptist Church in Georgia was 

incorporated by an act of the Legislature under the name of "Anabap 

tist Church on the Kioka,'' with the following trustees: Abraham Mar 

shall, William Willingham, Edmond Cartledge, John Landers, James 

Simms, Joseph Ray and Lewis Gardner.* 

Georgia during the colonial period, was an asylum exclusively for 

oppressed Protestants. Consequently, it was not until a full decade 

after the Revolution that even the smallest beginning was made in 

Georgia by the Church of Rome. The first house of worship to be erected 

by Catholics in Georgia arose in 1796 on the frontier belt of Wilkes 

County, not far from the site of the present Town of Washington. Our 

authority for this statement is the Right Rev. Benjamin J. Keiley, 

Bishop of the Catholic See of Savannah. Says he: t " The cradle of 

Catholicity in Georgia—so far as regards the first building for divine 

worship—was at Locust Grove, in what was then the county of Wilkes. 

Near the close of'the eighteenth century a few Catholics came from 

Maryland and settled at Locust Grove. Their reason for leaving Mary 

land was no credit to their neighbors. They were visited at irregular 

intervals by priests, but in 1799 a French priest, Rev. Mr. Sonze, came 

from San Domingo, and remained for some time. He erected the first 

chapel for Catholic service in Georgia. In 1821 Bishop England visited 

Locust Grove, at which time the old log church was taken down and a 

frame building erected. Father O'Donoghue was pastor until Decem 

ber, 1822, when Rev. Patrick Sullivan was appointed by Bishop England. 

Excellent schools were established by these Catholic colonists, and our 

great commoner, Alexander H. Stephens, received there his early train 

ing. Father Peter Whelan, the farmer-priest, as he was called, was 

pastor at Locust Grove for eighteen years. Locust Grove suffered from 

the stories of the wondrous fertility of the Mississippi Valley and most 

of the colonists left only to meet disaster, failure and death in what 

was then the Far West.'' In 1801 an act was passed by the Legislature 

incorporating the Catholic Church of Savannah. Its charter members 

* "Marbury and Crawford's Digest," p. 143, 

t "Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," Knight, II, pp. 1053-1054.


were: Don Emanuel Rengil, Thomas Dollghan, Thomas Callaghan, 

John Shaw, Francis Roma, Bartholemew Coquillon and John Moquette 

Montalet. These were declared to be a body corporate, styled the Trus 

tees of the Roman Catholic Church of the City of Savannah.* 

' Clay ton's Compilation," p. 10.

CHAPTER XII 

SOCIAL CONDITIONS AT THE CLOSE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY—GEOR 

GIA'S EXPANSION BI-FOCAL—MOST OF THE STATE'S WEALTH AND CUL 

TURE CENTERED IN THE COAST SETTLEMENTS—How THE RICH 

PLANTERS LIVED—LORDS OF THE LOWLANDS—SPLENDID ESTATES— 

EXTENSIVE LIBRARIES—HANDSOME CARRIAGES—LARGE BODIES OF 

RIVER BOTTOM AND SEA-!SLAND LANDS CULTIVATED BY SLAVES—UPPER 

GEORGIA—THE VIRGINIANS—THE NORTH CAROLINIANS—TOBACCO 

RAISING—SPORTS AND PASTIMES—LITTLE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN 

THE UP-COUNTRY AND THE COAST—RIVALRY BETWEEN THE TAR HEEL 

SETTLERS AND THE VIRGINIA COLONISTS GIVES RISE TO PARTY SPIRIT— 

BITTER POLITICAL FEUDS—THE GEORGIA CRACKER—How THE NAME 

ORIGINATED—GOVERNOR GILMER'S ACCOUNT OF UP-COUNTRY SETTLE 

MENTS, ESPECIALLY OF THE NORTH CAROLINIANS AT LONG CANE— 

OLD WILLS EXAMINED, SHOWING CONDITIONS OF LIFE ON THE FRON 

TIER—How JUSTICE WAS ADMINISTERED—LIFE IN BURKE—WAYNES- 

BORO, AN ARISTOCRATIC CENTER—LONGSTREET'S GEORGIA SCENES— 

JOHNSTON !S DUKESBORO TALES—POPULATION—EXPORTS—IMPORTS— 

THE BEGINNINGS OF A GREAT STATE—WITH THE ADVENT OF THE 

. NINETEENTH CENTURY, A NEW PERIOD OPENS. 

NOTES : OLD RUCKERSVILLE—THE MILITIA DRILL—THE OLD FIELD 

SCHOOL. 

To understand social conditions in Georgia at the close of the 

eighteenth century, we must recognize two distinct centers of develop 

ment, each of which, independent of the other, contributed its separate 

life-current and sent its individual pulse-beat throbbing into the Georgia 

wilderness—chiefly along the Indian trails. This bi-focal process of 

expansion was due to the fact that, opening to the ingress of settlers, 

there were two gateways by which immigrants could enter the state. 

One of these was at the ocean front, looking across a wide waste of waters 

to the Old World. The other, in what was then the far northeastern 

corner of the state, guarded the mountain trails which threaded the 

interlying valleys of the great Appalachians. 

As we have already seen, the Georgia seaboard was settled in the 

main by immigrants who came from the north of Europe. The original 

colonists sailed from England. Savannah, therefore, was an English 

settlement in the strictest sense of this term. Darien was settled by 

Scotch Highlanders. Frederica was a military stronghold. Ebenezer 

was settled by German Salzburgers. The Dorchester colonists at Mid 

way came by this water route from South Carolina. 

Most of Georgia's wealth and refinement at this time was concen- 

430


trated in these coast settlements. Savannah was the principal seat of 

culture. Some of the confiscated estates of the old royalists were 

baronial in extent, embellished with handsome driveways, fountains and 

statues and enriched with all the charms of English country -life, 

including a stately manor house, in which elegant portraits adorned the 

walls. On the rich sea-islands along the coast and on the rich alluvial 

bottoms of the mainland there were vast plantations, on. which slaves 

were employed in large numbers. These wealthy coast aristocrats owned 

extensive libraries, wore costly fabrics, planted 011 modern scientific 

principles, owned handsome family carriages in which they traveled in 

a sort of regal splendor, imported luxuries and dainties from abroad, and 

dispensed a hospitality whose counterpart was to be found only in the 

palaces of London. These lords of the Georgia lowlands educated their 

sons in Europe, stocked their wine-cellars with products of the rarest 

vintage, and gave even their humblest slaves a taste of life to which the 

greatest chief of the uplands was a total stranger. Malarial conditions 

on the coast, however, especially in the neighborhood of Sunbury, became 

such that in summer the planters were obliged to betake themselves to 

higher points further inland, and out of these retreats in after years 

grew large towns. 

But Upper Georgia was populated almost exclusively by immigrants 

who came from the western part of North Carolina and from the border 

counties of Virginia. These immigrants were sturdy pioneers, men of 

strong muscular frames and fearless spirits, well fitted for life on the 

perilous frontier. Wilkes County was the center toward which all the 

converging lines of immigration ran when this section of Georgia was 

opened to settlement just after the Revolution. Indeed, as early as 

1773, Stephen Heard had planted a colony of Virginians on the site of the 

present Town of Washington, where he built a rude pioneer fort, after 

wards called Fort Heard or Heard's Fort. Governor Wright had ac 

quired an extensive tract of land in this neighborhood under a treaty 

with the Indians, negotiated in the year above named. It was to Heard's 

Fort that the seat of government was shifted when Augusta fell into the 

hands of the British. John Talbot, a wealthy landowner from Virginia, 

also acquired an extensive grant of land in "Wilkes County at an early 

period, but it was not until after the Revolution that he migrated to 

Georgia. Then a tremendous influx of population began. Gen. George 

Mathews, afterwards twice governor of the state, purchased in 1784 what 

was known as the "Goose Pond" tract, on Broad River, where he planted 

a colony of Virginians, from which some of the most distinguished men 

of the state afterwards sprung. Included among the Virginia families 

in this district, some on the east side of the river in what is now Elbert, 

others on the west side in what is now Oglethorpe, were the Meriweth- 

ers, the Gilmers, the Taliaferros, the Barnetts, the Freemans, the Bibbs, 

and others. It is more than likely, however, that the first comers into 

Wilkes were North Carolinians and that a preponderating element of the 

population were from the Tar Heel State. Elijah Clarke, himself a 

North Carolinian, organized on the frontier belt of Wilkes a band of 

partisan rangers, at the head of which he waged a relentless warfare 

against the Tories. So rapid was the growth of population in Upper 

Georgia after the Revolution that, in 1790, when there were only 85,000


people living in Georgia, 31,000 of these resided in Wilkes. As a rule, 

the Virginians were better educated than the North Carolinians; they 

also possessed more of the comforts and luxuries of life; and they found 

congenial if not lucrative employment in raising tobacco, a plant which 

they had learned to cultivate in the Old Dominion. Prof. Lawton B. 

Evans has given us a glimpse into the life of these tobacco planters. 

Says he: "In the northern part of the State, a great deal of tobacco was 

raised. The tobacco, when cured, was pressed into huge and securely 

bound hogsheads. Around the tops of these hogsheads were pinned 

wooden felloes, which made a wheel at each end, and in the center of 

each head a large pin was inserted to serve as an axle. A hickory pole 

was split at one end to form shafts, which were fastened to the axle. 

Mules or oxen were hitched to the pole, and as they moved they drew the 

hogshead along. Many of these teams would go together for company, 

and the drivers were called tobacco rollers. A road known as the tobacco 

road begins in the upper portion of. the State and winds in and out 

until it reaches the Savannah river below the shoals in Richmond 

county. A peculiarity of this road is that nowhere is it crossed by 

water, this having been necessary to save the tobacco from injury by 

wetting. "When the river was reached, the hogsheads were placed on 

flatboats and floated to Savannah.'' * 

Life in the Georgia uplands was diversified at this time by all the 

sports incident to pioneer days, chiefly, of course, hunting and fishing. 

But carousals, frolics and dances made existence a dream in hours of 

relaxation. Fights between rowdies during court week were of constant 

occurrence, at which time, also, whiskey flowed freely with the cus 

tomary effects. Shooting for prizes and horse-racing were both favorite 

pastimes. "Whenever a contest of the former sort was held a beef was 

usually quartered to furnish the trophies. There were few books in the 

homes of these people, most of whom lacked even the rudiments of an 

education. 

Between the upcountry and the coast settlements there was little com 

munication except of a strictly business character; and in relation to 

each other they stood in almost polar contrast. But there were multi 

tudes of small farmers, in the lowlands of the state, scattered among the 

pine barrens to the south and west of Savannah, just as there were thou 

sands of well-to-do planters in the distant hill country, where the Georgia 

cracker built his cabin fires and tilled his scant acres of ground, t 

* '' History of Georgia,'' p. 192. 

t ORIGIN OF THE EXPRESSION—'' GEORGIA CRACKER. ''—Whence originated the ex 

pression "Georgia Cracker"? The antiquarian who will answer this conundrum with 

proof to satisfy the questioner will incur the gratitude of posterity for all time to 

come. In the "New International Encyclopedia" it is said that the term was 

derived from the custom of the poor whites in the mountainous districts of the 

South whose practice it was to crack the corn which they ate. Col. Richard Malcolm 

Johnston carries the genesis back to the time of the American Revolution when, 

among the followers of Gen. Francis Marion, in the guerilla warfare which he 

conducted in the Carolina swamps, there were a number of Georgia rangers who 

were unusually expert in handling the rifle, the crack of which was heard with great 

alarm by the British soldiers, who referred to the riflemen as "Georgia Crackers." 

Bill Arp theorizes that, when the thrifty Scotchmen, who lived about Darien, came 

in contact with the worthless elements of the upper country, they called them


During the Revolutionary period there were no class distinctions, 

except as these were implied in the terms Whig and Tory. But soon 

after the close of hostilities, we find the beginnings of social caste; and 

between Virginians and North Carolinians there came to be as much 

antagonism as between the uplanders and the coast planters. Indeed, 

the bitter partisan politics of Georgia's early days grew out of these 

differences. John Clarke, a North Carolinian, was supported almost as 

a unit by settlers from the Tar Heel State. On the other hand, "William 

H. Crawford, a Virginian, was followed with an unwavering loyalty by 

all who had emigrated from the Old Dominion. Between these two great 

leaders there was waged for years one of the bitterest fights known to 

Georgia politics. As a rule, the cultured aristocrats of the coast were 

allies in politics of the Virginia element, while the small farmers in 

the low country made common cause with the North Carolinians. 

Governor Gilmer, a Georgian, horn in the Broad River settlement, of 

Virginia parentage, has left us a racy account of how the North Caro 

linians lived. It must be taken, however, with some allowance of dis 

count, as the old governor was not without his full share of venom, in 

this day of feudal animosities. Says he: * " These North Carolina 

settlers lived upon game and the milk of the cattle carried with them in 

their emigration. Hogs, sheep, and poultry were not to be had except 

in the fewest numbers. It was a hard time when the breakfast of a 

family depended upon catching an opossum overnight or a rabbit in the 

morning. The range was so unrestricted that the cows often wandered 

away beyond returning or finding, so that the children had no milk to 

wash down their otherwise dry bread. The plow horses had to be turned 

on the wild grass to get their food. They strayed away beyond finding 

if their legs were not fastened together, so that the art of hobbling was 

as important as the blacksmith's. Bells were put upon them for the 

purpose of indicating their whereabouts, and then the Indians, if on the 

frontiers, carried them off. It was a long time before the children had 

more than one biscuit apiece on Sunday mornings. There were no tan 

neries or well-instructed shoemakers. Skins were hung in running 

streams till the hair could be slipped off, and then they were tanned in 

a trough. Most went without-shoes the greater part of the year. The 

first houses were log cabins with dirt floors and clapboard coverings. 

Toads and serpents were often found crawling over the floors. The 

rattle -of the rattlesnake and the cry of the panther often sent the chil 

dren home in a hurry when hunting the cows. After working all day 

"crackers" from an old Gaelic word which meant "idlers" or "boasters." But 

Lawton B. Evans, whose "School History of Georgia" is an excellent epitome of 

things Georgian, says that the term may easily have originated in the accomplish 

ments of the wagon-drivers of North Georgia. In the days which antedated the iron- 

horse, they developed the most marvelous skill in cracking the whip, making the 

reports sound like rifle-shots fired in quick succession. It will be seen from this 

digest of opinions that the authorities are somewhat at variance; but whatever may 

be the true parentage of the expression it came to be applied to the mountain whites 

who lived in North Georgia; and sometimes the term is applied to Georgians generally 

by people in other states when disposed to sneer or in speaking with the broad 

license of good-natured raillery. 

*" Gilmer's Georgians," pp. 178-179. 

Vol. 1—28


they sat around the hearth at night picking the lint from the cotton seed. 

Their only fruits were wild haws and grapes.'' 

Continuing his portrayal, Governor Gilmer adds: '' All work, little 

play, no fruit, poor eating, thin clothing, open houses, hard beds and few 

blankets, made children hardy or killed them. No novels, pianos, or 

idlness filled the heads of the girls with vain imaginings. The singing 

at the meeting houses of the primitive Baptists tempted few to attend 

for the sake of the melody. The great pleasure indulged in by the young 

people was dancing at night. The married women sought recreation from 

their six days' work by visiting their neighbors on Sunday. The men 

went to musters, shooting matches and horse races on Saturdays. House 

keepers treated their friends and their own families to a pudding when 

company came, and the man of the house drew forth his bottle of 

whiskey. The clothing of the girls was provided by their own weaving. 

Hollow trees provided cradles for their babies. The preacher and the 

school-master, the first to commence the onward march of civilization, 

were very slow in reaching outskirt settlements. Most who did were 

drunken Irishmen or dissolute Virginians, who found the restraints of 

society in the Old Country too binding for their comfort, and, there 

fore, moved to the new. It appears from the records in the Court of 

Ordinary of Wilkes County that five out of sixteen wills had the maker's 

mark put to them instead of their signature." 

Perhaps nothing will 'better serve to throw light upon social condi 

tions in Upper Georgia at the close of the eighteenth century than to 

examine some of the old wills. Doctor Smith has preserved a num 

ber of inventories, from which we get not only an insight into the prices 

paid for certain commodities at this time, but also an insight into how 

these people lived on the pioneer belt. Let us look at the following list: * 

One negro boy, £50; 1 bed, 7s.; 1 pail and 1 piggin, 4s.; 1 wash-tub, 

2 keelers, 4s.; 1 horse, £24; 1 saddle 00; 1 razor and 2,000 acres of land 

in Richmond County, £50; 1 old gray horse, 5s. 

Another appraisement shows: 

One sorrel mare, £6; 1 mare, £1; 1 horse, £3; 1 horse colt, £4; 6 head 

cattle, £20; 1 negro boy, £20; 1 negro girl, £30; 1 axe, frying-pan and 

pothook, 5s.; 1 linen wheel, 5s.; old pewter, 15s.; butter-tub, 2s.; 5 old 

feather beds, £5 ,• 1 pot, 10s. 

Another estate was: 

Four negroes, 3 ould basins, 7 plates, 1 frying-pan, 1 piggin, 1 earthen 

plate, 2 chairs, 1 table, 2 sides leather. 

Another was: 

Thirteen negroes, 6 horses, 7 sheep, 60 hogs, 23 cattle. 

And another: 

Sixty hogs, 8 sheep, 10 cattle, loom, knives and forks, flax wheel, 

turkey feather bed, 9 plates. 

In 1795 an inventory calls for: . 

Eleven negroes, 29 hogs, 1 still, 30 poiinds pewter. 

Up to this time the only well-furnished house is that of a physician 

in Washington, and the only library is that of Mr. William Rogers, a 

teacher. The condition of the roads and the difficulty of transportation 

'' Story of Georgia and the Georgia People,'' George G. Smith, p. 136.


forbade anything like the complete furnishing of any home, but, as is 

seen, a few years after the Revolution there was a great abundance of 

the necessaries of life. 

These inventories give a better insight into the domestic affairs of 

the first settlers than any general description. 

Concerning the mode of life prevalent at this time among the Vir 

ginians, Doctor Smith gives us this bit of information. Says he: "Imme 

diately after the Revolution, there was a large influx of Virginians who 

were in better circumstances and who brought with them from Virginia, 

in their large wagons, a supply of better furniture. As illustrative of 

this, we have the furniture of John Wing-field, or, as he is written, John 

Winkfield, who died in 1798. He had, besides a sufficient supply of 

plain household and kitchen effects, some articles mentioned in no 

other inventory up to that time. They were bacon, sugar, turkeys, a 

riding chair, some books, some lard, and some table-cloths. He had 

twentj^-seven negroes, the largest number reported up to that time. 

* * * These slaves and those of the low country planters were of a 

very different class. Though Africans by lineage, they were Virginians 

by birth. In looking over the tax-lists in Wilkes, there is not a slave 

holder who has over thirty negroes up to the beginning of the century, 

while on the coast there were not a few slave-holders who had largely 

over one hundred." * 

As to the difficulties sometimes encountered in administering justice 

at this time, Governor Gilrner says: '' Prisoners, in the absence of a 

jail, were bound with hickory withes and confined occasionally by put 

ting their heads between the rails of a fence and sometimes by putting 

them in pens." To this Doctor Smith adds: t "The Tories had little 

chance for fair trials. In 1779 seven were condemned at one court. 

According to the records, one man was indicted for treason, hog-stealing, 

horse-stealing, and other misdemeanors. Even after the Avar, when a 

man who was accused of stealing a horse from General Clarke was ac 

quitted, the old soldier arrested him and marched him off to a conveni 

ent tree and was about to hang him anyhow, when Nathaniel Peiidleton, 

a distinguished lawyer, succeeded in begging the poor fellow off." 

Pioneer life in Greene, a county on the upper border, detached from 

Washington, in 1786, is pictured by Doctor Smith in the following para 

graph. Says he: J " The first settlers lived on the creeks and near the 

river, and for their own protection in close proximity to each other. A 

blockhouse was generally built at a convenient distance, and the families 

upon the approach of the Indians fled to it for protection. The men left 

their families in the blockhouse and went, into the fields to cultivate the 

corn patches from which they hoped to make their bread. Until the ces 

sation of the Oconee war there was constant peril and the immigration 

of people of means was small; but by 1790 there were five thousand four 

hundred and five people in the several counties then known as Greene, 

of whom one thousand three hundred and seventy-seven were negroes. 

* "Story of Georgia and the Georgia People," George G. Smith, pp. 137-139. 

t Ibid., p. 137. 

{ Ibid., p. 159.


There was constant apprehension of Indian forays and troops of soldiers 

were kept under arms. 

"In 1794 there was a troop of dragoons commanded by Captain 

Jonas Fouche, of which we have a roster in White's collections." 

Closely approximating the style of life found on the Georgia coast- 

was the comparative ease, elegance, and luxury in which some of the 

planters of Burke lived during this period. Governor Telfair owned 

extensive plantations in this county. The Town of Waynesboro was an 

aristocratic center, in one of the charming homes of which President 

Washington had been entertained on his visit to Georgia in 1791. To 

quote from this same authority on Georgia's early days:* "Nowhere 

was old Virginia life of a century gone by so reproduced as in Burke 

sixty years since. The large plantation was under the management of 

the overseer. The factor in Augusta or Savannah cashed the drafts of 

the planter and supplied his larder with such luxuries as he might desire 

from the city. His carriages and his horses were of the best order, and 

he supplied his library with the best books and periodicals. The wealth 

he enjoyed he had inherited, and he was often dependent upon the 

sagacity of others to keep it from leaving him. This was one kind, and 

the number was not large, of Burke county planters, and there were a 

few in all the neighboring counties of the same class. Then there were 

others much more numerous who had made their fortunes by hard work, 

and who, while they gave their children all that wealth could secure 

in the way of luxury, were themselves hard-working, close-trading men, 

who read no books and put on no style, but who knew how to manage 

negroes and make cotton. Then there was a class of poor plain people 

who lived in the pine woods, few of whom had any slaves. They lived 

in log cabins on small bodies of land, and lived by their own labor. They 

rafted ranging timber down the Savannah river,, made shingles in the 

cypress swamps, and raised some cattle and sheep. They had little to 

do with the wealthy people of the oak woods, and knew but little of them. 

There was no county in the State before the war began in which there 

was a worthier, more contented or more prosperous people than the 

people of Burke county. The wonderful cotton-producing quality of 

the land turned the county into one great plantation, except in the pine 

woods. Negroes increased in numbers, and men who began life with a 

few found themselves the owners of scores." 

But to return to the upcountry. One of the great difficulties of this 

early period was to secure competent instructors even in the rudi 

mentary branches of an English education. Governor Gilmer's first 

teacher was a vagabond sailor, "who used to whip the children on cold 

days for exercise." He turned out to be a thief and fled the country 

between two suns. If one desires to make a more intimate study of 

social conditions in Georgia, at this time, he is referred to Judge Long- 

street's delightful little volume entitled: "Georgia Scenes." Here he 

will find portrayed "The Militia Drill," "The Gander Pulling," "The 

Horse Swap," "The Shooting Match" and "The Village Fight" of a 

century ago. To the charming contribution made by Judge Longstreet 

to the literature of this period may be added the famous "Dukesboro 

* '' Story of Georgia and the Georgia People,'' George G. Smith, p. 131.


Tales," from the cultured pen of Richard Malcolm Johnston. Both of 

these writers have embalmed for us many rare phases of life in Georgia 

during this remote period. It was an era of transition, an era of great 

hardships and perils, an era in which good and bad were strangely 

blended; and at some of its inconsistencies we cannot suppress a smile. 

For example, whisky drinking was universal. Every one drank. In 

fact, the nearest approach to temperance at this -time was drinking in 

moderation. It was not in the least inconsistent for a church member 

either to distil corn whisky or to make peach brandy, if he produced a 

good article. Says Doctor Smith: '' One of the best men in Georgia, an 

enthusiastic and liberal Methodist, who, because he thought slavery was 

wrong freed all his slaves, but left his still to his son, who like himself 

was a Methodist class-leader." 

Georgia's population, at the close of the eighteenth century, as indi 

cated by the Federal census of 1800, was 163,000 inhabitants, showing 

an increase of 100 per cent in ten years. There were no large towns in 

the state. Savannah, the chief center of population, numbered 5,000 in 

habitants; and was practically the only seaport. Neither Brunswick 

nor St. Marys possessed much importance as ports of entry; while Sun- 

bury—once a rival of Savannah—was fast, disappearing from the map. 

Georgia's principal exports, most of which passed through the port of 

Savannah, were lumber, rice, indigo, corn, cotton, sago, naval stores, 

deer-skins, snake root, myrtle and live-stock. These were valued in 

round numbers at $1,750,000. Her imports were relatively of much 

less importance, consisting of produce from the "West Indies, dry-goods, 

wines, ciders and teas. These were consumed largely by the wealthy 

classes who lived in the tide-water region; and only a very small per 

centage of what was imported reached the upcountry where conditions 

of pioneer life prevailed. But the state's population was steadily in 

creasing. Streams of immigrants from the two Carolinas and from the 

border counties of Virginia began rapidly to pour into the state as new 

counties were opened for settlement, contributing fresh elements of 

strength to Georgia's population. 

Up to this point, we have discussed at some length the beginnings of 

a great state, dealing largely with fundamental things upon which the 

future growth of the commonwealth was to rest. We have shown how 

Georgia entered the Federal Union, how a state constitution was framed 

under which Georgia was to live contented for sixty-three years; how 

a great university was planted from whose fountain springs her intel 

lectual life was to be nourished; how a monstrous fraud was exposed 

and repudiated; how a great religious awakening shook her virgin 

solitudes, re-enforcing the moral weapons with which she was to fight 

the forces of evil; and now, having completed this task, we find ourselves 

at the portals of a new century, into whose unexplored depths fresh, 

paths invite us. 

HISTORIC OLD RTJCKERSVILLE : A' BUBAL OOMMTJNITY OF THE ANTE-BELLUM 

SOUTH.—On the banks of the Savannah Kiver, in the good old County of Elbert,. 

famous in ante-bellum days for its rich tobacco plantations and for its fine old 

colonial mansions, owned by wealthy settlers from Virginia, there flourished before


the war an aristocratic community, known as Buckersvillc. It was the birth-place, 

in after years, of Associate Justice Joseph E. Lamar, of the Supreme Court of the 

United States. Here, too, was born the brilliant novelist editorial writer, Mrs. Corra 

White Harris. Joseph Eucker, the chief potentate of the village, around whom the 

activities of this rural community, in large measure, centered was Judge Lamar's 

grandfather. Some idea of this unique character, and of the neighborhood in 

JOSEPH RUCKEE 

Ante-Bellum Financier and Planter 

which he lived, may be gleaned from the following account: Whoever writes of old 

Euckersville—the Ruckersville of ante-bellum days—to write intelligently, must 

speak of a whole community! Not those alone who lived within the confines of a 

small incorporated village of some 200 souls, but of the many who resided along the 

banks of the Savannah Eiver in the southeastern belt of Elbert County, Georgia. 

Socially, politically, and in all matters of religion, they were one large family; and 

it may be doubted if there existed, anywhere, just previous to the great Civil war, a


people so hardy, so independent, or with such lofty ideals of right living. When 

it is pointed out that in their business activities they were almost wholly agricultural, 

the volume of their prosperity is truly amazing. 

It was the fixed habit of these people to practice the Golden Rule. Obedience to 

the law of the land, was rigidly enjoined; and a man's word was his bond. To take 

advantage of another was regarded as beneath good morals, to get into lawsuits was 

to a man's discredit, and while the annals of the village reveal that here lived the 

preacher and the school master, the banker and the doctor, the merchant and the 

tailor, the wheelwright and the surveyor, yet no lawyer ever had the hardihood to 

hang out his shingle in Ruckersville, and when Ruckersville furnished a member of 

the Legislature for the county, he went from the ranks of those employed in 

agriculture. 

Many of the most familiar names in Middle Georgia may be traced back to 

Virginia, and to that tide of immigration which about 1786, began to flow southward 

from the Old Dominion, and, hence, it came to pass that Ruckersville, Virginia, and 

Ruckersville, Georgia, were both founded by members of the same family. When 

Peter Eucker, planter of St. Mark's Parish, Orange County, Virginia, died in 1742, 

he left a large off-spring. The Virginia village was named in honor of this family, 

and it fell to the lot of his great grandson, through Thomas, and Cornelius, and 

John, to name a village in Georgia, Ruckersville! This great grandson was Joseph, 

the son of John Rueker, and Elizabeth Tinsley, born on January 12, 1788. In his 

young manhood, he was fortunate enough to win the affections of Margaret Houston 

Speer, daughter of William Speer, who lived at Cherokee Falls, on the Savannah 

River. They were married in January, 1812, and settled on the head waters of Van's 

Creek. Early in life, Joseph evinced the strength of character, which marked him a 

leader among men. In later years he often said that he owed everything to his 

mother to whom he was a devoted son. 

In 1822, the Village of Ruckersville was incorporated, but no boundaries were 

fixed, and from that day until this, the name lias been applied not so'much to a town 

as to a large neighborhood. In 1827 Sherwood's Gazateer described it as containing 

ten houses, six stores and shops, an academy, and a house of worship for the 

Baptists. In 1849 it had 200 souls. This paragraph, quoted from a sketch of 

Joseph Rueker in the Cyclopedia of Georgia, will help us to form a picture of 

Ruckersville: 

"From our present standpoint there was little in the locality to commend it as a 

center of influence, or as the seat of a great estate. The land was young, roads 

were bad, markets there were none, and it was a four days journey to Augusta, the 

nearest approach to a city. And yet, in that secluded locality, remote from marts 

and markets, Joseph Rueker not only created a fortune great for his day and genera 

tion, but displayed such wisdom and executive ability and manifested such high 

traits of character as marked him as an extraordinary man." 

In this day of subdivided labor, it is difficult to appreciate the kind and variety 

of talent then required in the successful management and development of great landed 

estates at points distant from centers of trade and according to present standards, 

practically inaccessible for want of highways, railroads, and means of transportation. 

The successful agriculturist in every stage of the country's history has needed the 

highest order of judgment and forethought, and has necessarily been a man of 

affairs. But the successful planter at the early ante-bellum period required in the 

Southern States at least, a combination of talent, which would now thoroughly 

equip the master minds who control the colossal enterprises of the Twentieth Century. 

For such a planter had not only to be an agriculturist, but a manufacturer and a 

financier; and, above all, he had to know how to manage, care for, and develop 

men. In all these departments Joseph Eucker was conspicuous. The cotton industry 

was in its infancy, but even in this he made a marvelous success. Stock of all kinds, 

horses, mules, cows, goats and sheep, were raised. The cotton was to be ginned, 

and the ginnery and the press were supplemented by the spinning of yarn and wool, 

and the weaving of cloth. There were blacksmiths, wheelwrights, and carpenters, 

besides saw-mills to make the lumber for the quarters. This prince of planters had 

his own tan-yard, and tanners, his harness-makers and shoe-makers. Immense crops 

of wheat and corn were raised. Corn cribs abounded. There were also mills for 

converting grain into meal and flour. The management of these separate and

HOME OP JOSEPH EUCKEB AT OLD EUCKERSVILLE, GEORGIA 

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various industries was not the most difficult task. There were the slaves themselves, 

a large and heterogeneous body, a wholly irresponsible people, whose ancestors had 

only recently come from Africa. These had to be trained and taught, and how 

humanely and well this was done, by the old time planter, is shown by the conduct of 

these same slaves, when, during the war, discipline was necessarily relaxed and control 

partially suspended. 

Joseph Eucker lived the typical life of the Southern planter. Self-centered and 

independent, he lived at homo. He had little to buy and always something to sell, 

and his great crops of cotton were shipped in Petersburg boats down the Savannah 

to Augusta. The neighboring community was unusually prosperous. The Harpers, 

the Martins, the Hoards, the Whites, the Maddoxes, the Clarks, the Adamses, and a 

host of others, made a neighborhood ideal in its social and domestic charms. Joseph 

Backer's home especially, was the scene of a wide and generous hospitality—a social 

center which made its impress upon its inmates, and the memory of which abides to 

the third and fourth generation. lie was pre-eminently a good neighbor, counsellor, 

and friend, for he gave needed help at the right moment. Extremely dignified, 

grave and reticent, he was also open-handed and generous. In polities, a whig, he 

was one of the chosen friends, counsellors, and advisers of the great leaders of the 

party in that district so noted in state and national polities. He never sought 

political preferment, though always taking an interest in the questions of profound 

importance which then agitated the South. 

Living at a time when the country was experimenting with bank laws, he organized, 

and, as president, managed, with phenomenal success, the Bank of Kuckcrsville, 

under circumstances which would now provoke a smile. We cannot think of a bank, 

a moneyed institution, with hardly a human habitation in sight, surrounded by 

original forests. This institution was operated in a small, unpretentious frame 

building. Its doors and shutters were studded with nails at close and regular intervals 

to guard against the burglars' axe. It had a safe without time lock, opened with a 

key carried by the president. The furniture was of the plainest, but it issued bills 

which passed current par throughout the state. It throve and prospered, and with 

the assistance of the wealthy planters in the neighborhood, became a strong financial 

institution, contributing to the development and prosperity of that part of the state. 

In his old age, Joseph Eucker was a man of striking appearance, ruddy cheeks, 

snow-white hair, clear blue eyes. Dressed in the prevailing style, black broadcloth 

coat, cutaway to the waist line at the front, beaver hat, turn down collar and stock, 

and gold fob, he might have posed for the portrait of the ante-bellum planter, one of 

those who made the old South. 

His son-in-law, the late Eev. James S. Lamar, of Augusta, in an unpublished 

manuscript, has left us the following graphic pen picture of Joseph Eucker: 

"In manner and bearing Squire Eucker was simple and unpretentious, and by 

nature thoughtful, quiet and dignified. He enjoyed a good anecdote or story, and 

possessed a rich store of personal reminiscence, from which he was fond of drawing 

for the entertainment of others. He told his stories well, and, of course, like all 

genuine recounteurs, he sometimes repeated himself. It was his custom to go to 1 

Elberton on the first Tuesday in every month, when the principal men of the county 

would assemble in a sort of general meeting together, to attend the sheriff sales, to> 

transact business with each other, to laugh and talk and crack jokes, and especially 

to save the country by discussing politics. Among the leading citizens of the town 

or county at that time were such influential men as Major Hester, Major Jones, Mr. 

Pverton Tate, Mr. Lofton, the Mattoxes, the Harpers and the Burehes, Judge W. W. 

Thomas, and (during court week) Alexander H. Stephens, Eobert Toombs and Judge 

William M. Eeese. All of them were Squire Eucker's friends. 

"Squire Eueker's judgment was never known to fail him. Violently opposed to 

secession, when the final act came at Milledgeville, he said, pointing to one of his 

slaves: 'See that fellow. A year ago he was worth $1,500.00; today he isn't worth 

a silver thrip.' But he accepted the situation—helped to equip a company—took 

$30,000 of the first issue of Confederate bonds, at par. These bonds were lying in 

the old Bank of Athens, in the care of the late Albin Dearing, when the war was over; 

not a coupon had ever been clipped.'' 

'' The house was approached through a long avenue of cedars and box planted by 

Margaret, from which the place became known as Cedar Grove. The fine old trees,


the office, the flower garden, the kitchen garden, the well-house, the smoke-house, the 

kitchen, the buildings for house servants, and, not far off, the barns, the carriage 

houses, the quarters, presented a typical picture of the life of the ante-bellum 

planter who lived at home, making on his own acres all that was needed for those 

dependent upon him. For there, as in so many other similar places throughout the 

State, the tannery, the blacksmith-shop, the corn-mill, the flour-mill, the cotton gin, 

the spinning wheels, the looms and the wheelwright were an essential part of the 

plantation. It was a hive of industry, and it is not surprising that in time a name 

should be given to the little center, nor is it strange that it should have been named 

after the village in Orange County, Virginia, from which John Kucker had 

come in 1785. 

'' He was always called Squire Eucker. I well remember the first time I saw him. 

It was in the summer of 1856. He was dressed in the old-fashioned suit of broad 

cloth, a vest also of cloth, and a coat of the same material in the style called shad- 

belly—somewhat like the cutaways of the present day. He wore it unbuttoned—a 

watch chain with a heavy seal hanging from a fob, or watch, pocket. His neckcloth 

was then and always pure white. It was not a simple tie, but a sort of folded 

handkerchief, put on by laying the middle part against the throat, leading the ends 

back and crossing them, then bringing them to the throat to be tied together. The 

knot was plain. I am not sure that there was even a bow. 

He was polite, but very reserved. He seemed to be studying me. His conversa 

tion, so far as it was directed to ine, was mainly questions—chiefly about men and 

women and things in Augusta—Mrs. Tubman, the Cummiugs, the Claytons, the 

Gardiners, and Mr. Metcalfe—then about cotton and business prospects; but no 

human being could have told from any expression of his face what effect my answers 

had upon him, or what inference as to me he drew from them. Considering the time 

of the year and the purpose of my visit, I must say it was a little chilly. Presently 

supper came on—such a supper as only the Buckers could get up—and the conversation 

took a somewhat wider range. The family were book people—Dickens was the rage 

then, and I had read Dickens and Thackery, and had dipped into Cousin and various 

philosophers; and at that period of my life I could talk—an art which I have un 

fortunately lost. So that when the old gentleman found that I could hold my own 

with Elbert and others, and that all the family treated me with sincere respect and 

consideration, he seemed to thaw, little by little, concluding, I suppose, that I might 

turn out to be something in my way, if I was nothing in his." "Georgia's Land 

marks, Memorials and Legends," Vol. II, pp. 713-719, by L. L. Knight. 

THE MILITIA DRILL.—Following the Eevolution, each county in the state, to 

insure adequate protection, was divided into militia districts; and for more than 

half a century one of the dominant features of life in Georgia was the semi-annual 

or quarterly militia drill. On the all-important day set apart for these maneuvers 

the able-bodied men of the district were required to report for duty at a given time 

and place, with the requisite military accounterments; and while at first these 

exercises were serious affairs they eventually degenerated into mere travesties, at 

which many a shaft of ridicule was aimed by the writers of the period. The mirth- 

provoking character of these evolutions can hardly be realized at the present time. 

The election of a major-general, under the old militia system, was almost if not 

quite as important an event as the election of a United States Senator; and there 

was any amount of politics involved in the choice of some half-score of brigadiers. 

The militia district still exists as one of the state's political subdivisions but without 

the peculiar military significance which attached to it in ante-bellum days. To an 

article in Longstreet's "Georgia Scenes," supposed to have been written by Oliver 

H. Prince, afterwards a United States Senator, we are indebted for the following 

ludicrous description of one of the early militia drills in Georgia. Says this writer: 

"I happened, not long since, to be present at the muster of a captain's company 

in a remote part of one of the counties; and as no general description could convey 

an adequate idea of the achievements of that day, I must be permitted to go a little 

into detail, as well as my recollection will serve me. The men had been notified to 

meet at nine o'clock, 'armed and equipped as the law directs'; that is to say, with 

a gun and cartridge-box at least; but, as directed by the law of the United States,


\ 

'with a good fire-loek, a sufficient bayonet and belt, and a pouch with a box to contain 

no less than twenty-four sufficient cartridges of powder and ball.' 

"At twelve, about one third, perhaps one half, of the men had collected, and an 

inspector's return of the number present, and of their arms, would have stood nearly 

thus: 1 captain, 1 lieutenant; ensign, none; fifers, none; privates, present, 24, ditto, 

absent, 40; guns, 14; gun-locks, 12; ramrods, 10; rifle pouches, 3; bayonets, none; 

belts, none; spare flints, none; cartridges, none; horse-whips, walking-canes and 

umbrellas, 10. A little before one, the captain whom I shall distinguish by the name 

of Clodpole, gave directions for forming the line of parade. In obedience to this 

order, one of the sergeants, whose lungs had long supplied the place of a drum and 

fife, placed himself in front of the house, and began to bawl with great vehemence: 

'All Captain Clodpole's company parade here! Come, gentlemen, parade here,' 

says he; 'all you that hasn't got guns fall into the lower eeud.' 

"He might have bawled to this time, with as little success, as the sirens sung to 

Ulysses, had he not changed his post to a neighboring shade. There he was imme 

diately joined by all who were then at leisure; the others were at that time engaged 

as parties or spectators at a game of five and could not just then attend. However, in 

less than half an hour the game was finished, and the captain enabled to form his 

company and proceed with the duties of the day. 

" 'Look to the right and dress! ' 

"They were soon, by the help of the non-commissioned officers, placed in a 

straight line; but, as every man was anxious to see how the rest stood, those on the 

wings pressed forward for that purpose, till the whole line assumed nearly the form 

of a crescent. 

" 'Why, look at 'em,' says the captain, 'why, gentlemen, you are all a-crooking 

in at both eeuds, so that you will get on to me by-and-by! Come, gentlemen, dress, 

dress!' 

'' This was accordingly done; but, impelled by the same motives as before, they 

soon resumed their former figure, and so they were permitted to remain. 

'' ' Now, gentlemen,' says the captain, ' I am going to carry you through the 

revolutions of the manual exercise; and I want you, gentlemen, if you please, to pay 

particular attention to the word of command, just exactly as I give it out to you. 

I hope you will have a little patience, gentlemen, if you please; and, if I should be 

a-going wrong, I will be obliged to any of you, gentlemen, to put me right again, for 

I mean all for the best, and I hope you will excuse me, if you please. One thing, 

gentlemen, I caution you against, in particular, and that is this: not to make any 

mistakes, if you can possibly help it; and the best way to do this will be to do all the 

motions right at first; and that will help us to get along so much the faster; and I 

will try to have it over as soon as possible. Come, boys, come to a shoulder,' etc.'' 

"Georgia Scenes." Edition of 1894, pp. 160-167. 

THE OLD FIELD SCHOOL.—Very few people in this decade of the nineteenth 

century know anything of the old field school in the Georgia of the long ago. I will 

try here to give a faint conception of the one which I attended, and which was a 

fair specimen of its class. It was kept by a man named Tomson, who had come into 

the neighborhood from somewhere, to hunt for a school. Nobody, I suppose, examined 

him, or knew anything about his qualifications, character or antecedents. He was 

about forty years old, clean shaved, rather good looking and a little better dressed 

than the ordinary farmers. He went through the neighborhood with "Articles of 

Agreement," to be signed by the patrons, and without difficulty got up a large 

school, which was soon opened and running in the usual way. Geography and 

English grammar were not in the curriculum. Smiley's Arithmetic was taught with 

considerable success so far as "The Eule of Three." Beyond that it became a 

weariness to the flesh of both teacher and pupil; and when the cube root was attacked, 

it was found to be invincibly intrenched, and, as they "didn't see no use in it no 

how," it was deemed expedient to go back to the beginning of the book, and review. 

In the building of the schoolhouse, which was of long pine poles with the bark 

left on, two of the poles had been half cut away from end to end, and by bringing 

the cuts opposite each other, the long opening served as a happy provision for 

illuminating purposes. In front of this was a broad shelf reaching all the way and 

resting on stout pegs inserted with a slant into the log beneath. It was there that


I began my career as a writer, by laboriously making pot-hooks and other chirograph- 

ieal elements. At the opposite end of the house was a chimney, built also of logs 

wholly on the outside. It was very broad and deep. The opening into the house was 

about eight feet wide. The hearth was made of clay mortar, resting on common dirt 

or sand, firmly packed. The back and jams were secured against burning by a very 

thick lining of the same mortar. This chimney was doubly useful. In winter it held 

a large fire; and in summer it subserved important mathematical purposes. The 

cipherers were permitted to take their slates out of the school house, and sit around 

the outside, and in the angles of that vast projecting chimney. In the afternoons it 

was shady and very pleasant out there. And when I reached the point of being sent 

out for the first time, I felt that I had attained a higher grade in life, as well as in 

school. Like the other boys, I would work a sum or two, maybe in addition or 

subtraction, and then carry my slate inside to show it to the teacher. Ah, it was a 

grand thing—marching in there before all those boys and girls as a cipherer! 

Sometimes, after working my sums on one side of the slate, I would turn it over and 

indulge in my taste for art. The horses that I drew were something wonderful. The 

men were fairly good, though it must be admitted that their legs were very spindling, 

and their shoes much too large. My ladies were all in short frocks, and I regret to 

have to say that, though they were intended to be perfect beauties, their ankles were 

preternaturally small, and their feet altogether too big. But sometimes the creations 

of genius must be sacrificed upon the altar of duty. Art must yield to Science. 

And so hastily rubbing my pictures, I would rush in to show my sums. 

But I have not yet shown how the young idea was taught to shoot. To do this it 

will be necessary to go in and observe the processes of the school. The scholars leave 

home before sunrise and get to the schoolhouse a little after. They engage in plays 

of various sorts while waiting for the teacher, who, by the way, is cordially hated. 

Before a great while he is seen approaching, when immediately the girls, who have 

been carrying on at a high rate indoors, subside, and become as quiet as mice. The 

teacher, with a fresh and stout switch or two in his hand, which he has had the fore 

thought to cut from the wayside as he came, marches with a firm and steady step to 

the door, and calls out: "Boolcs! Boolcs! Come to bodies!" 

All that are outside hurry to get in, and presently the entire school is seated, some 

on the bench against the wall, where they can lean against the logs, the rest on long 

benches reaching from side to side across the room. Books are opened, places found, 

and in a moment comes the command, "Get your lessons." Now be it known, that 

in the brave boys of old, reading meant reading out, nor was spelling to be done in a 

whisper. Consequently, in order to get the lesson, whether it was spelling or reading, 

the process must go on aloud. This early morning study, however, was not in full 

voice, nor was it much subdued. It was the ordinary conversational tone. Imagine 

thirty scholars, and often there were many more, having perhaps, five or six different 

lessons, and even those having the same lesson would never all be conning the same 

parts at once—all spelling different words or reading all manner of different sen 

tences at one and the same time! Listen. Here is a girl that goes racing through a 

familiar lesson—"b-a ba k-e-r ker, baker;" "s-h-a sha d-y dy, shady;" a young 

reader over there is slowly and with difficulty making known that " Siie—fed—the— 

old—hen;" back yonder we hear, "i-m im m-a ma imma t-e te immate r-i ri immateri 

a-1 al immaterial i immateriali t-y ty immateriality;" and this boy reads: "I— 

like—to—play—in—the—shady—gro—g-ro-v-e—groove—I like to play in the shady 

groove"—and as much as he likes it, he will probably get a thrashing for it this 

time. Bepresenting the coming thus as if the parts came in succession one after 

another, laughable as it is, can, of course, give no adequate conception of their con 

currence and commingling—every man for himself, but all together. Meanwhile the 

teacher sits at his desk near the fire-place, possibly mending pens or working over a 

hard sum in vulgar Fractions. 

******** 

Our teacher, who, by the way, was never called teacher, but always "The school 

master," took part in most of the pastimes, and I think the big boys took a special 

delight in hitting him hard with the heavy ball and otherwise bringing him to grief. 

Of course, they "turned him out" whenever they wanted a holiday. He would want 

it too, but if he gave it, the loss in tuition would be his, whereas if it was forced from


him he would get pay for the day, as usual. He would, therefore, positively decline, 

with a great show of determination and bluster. 

But next morning he would find the doors securely barred and watchfully guarded. 

He would command and splutter, and threaten dire consequences, and we little boys 

would be sorely frightened, but as he remained obstinate, he would be seized by both 

legs, thrown over and securely held, and, not yet yielding, strong arms would lift him 

from the ground, and, holding his hands and feet as in a vise, would bear him, vainly 

struggling, down to the spring, and if he still held out, would duck him head and 

ears in the water. Commonly, however, the sight of the water would suffice, and with 

much apparent reluctance he would yield, but was not released until he had promised 

to inflict no punishment for this high-handed act. 

(Reproduced by special permission from an unpublished manuscript of the late 

Eev. James S. Lamar, D. D., LL. D., of Augusta, father of Justice Joseph E. Lamar, 

of the Supreme Court of the United States.)

SECTION IV 

THE PERIOD OP EXPANSION, OR GEORGIA IN THE PROC 

ESS OF GROWTH. 1802-1857

CHAPTER I 

WHEN THE NEW CENTURY BEGINS, GEORGIA PRESENTS A PICTURE OF 

PEACEFUL REPOSE, UNDER SETTLED CONDITIONS—THE TREATY OP 

FOKT WlLKINSON IN 1802—THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IN PARTIAL 

FULFILMENT OF ITS STIPULATED PROMISE, ACQUIRES LARGE BODIES OF 

LAND FROM THE INDIANS—THREE COUNTIES FORMED—BALDWIN— 

WILKINSON—WAYNE—JOHN MILLEDGE, GOVERNOR—THE LAND LOT 

TERY SYSTEM Is DEVISED—SUPERSEDES THE OLD SYSTEM OF HEAD 

RIGHTS—How THE LANDS A¥ERE DISTRIBUTED—THE NEW SYSTEM 

EXPLAINED—ITS ADVANTAGES OVER THE OLD—LOUISVILLE DEVELOPS 

MALARIAL SYMPTOMS—FAILS TO GIVE SATISFACTION AS A SEAT OF 

GOVERNMENT—POPULATION MOVING RAPIDLY TOWARD THE FOOT 

HILLS——MlLLEDGEVILLE, AT THE HEAD OF NAVIGATION ON THE OCONEB, 

CHOSEN AS A SITE FOR THE STATE CAPITAL—How THE TOWN STARTED 

—GEN. JETT THOMAS BUILDS THE NEW .STATE HOUSE—THE STRUC 

TURE NORMAN IN DESIGN—THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF 1804— 

INDIAN TREATIES OF 1804 AND 1805—DEATH OF JAMES JACKSON IN 

1806—JOHN MILLEDGE BECOMES UNITED STATES SENATOR—JARED 

IHWIN Is AGAIN MADE GOVERNOR—DEATH OF ABRAHAM BALDWIN— 

DR. GEORGE JONES SUCCEEDS HIM IN THE SENATE, UNTIL WILLIAM H. 

CRAWFORD Is CHOSEN BY THE LEGISLATURE—GEORGIA Is GIVEN FOUR 

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS UNDER THE CENSUS OF 1800. 

When the nineteenth century dawned upon Georgia its benignant 

rays awoke the promise of a long peace and kindled the outlook for a 

prosperous era, under settled conditions. All was quiet along the south 

ern border. The Treaty of Coleraine had produced a tranquilizing 

effect upon the Creeks who still retained possession of the Tallassee lands 

under a guaranteed title from the Federal Government. The Cherokees 

on the north were giving the white settlers no greater trouble than was 

incident to frontier life at the best of times. Cattle-stealing was per 

haps the worst offense 'to be laid at the door of the Cherokees. 

Georgia's population was steadily increasing. As a result of recent 

accessions of territory the frontier belt had been pressed still further 

back into the Indian's green arcadia; and, though it may not have been 

apparent to the savages themselves, it was nevertheless written in the 

Book of Fate that the ultimate outcome of this relinquishment of land 

would be the forfeiture by the red man of all this splendid heritage which 

for time immemorial had furnished the hunting grounds and held the 

tombs of his forefathers. Each year the whites were acquiring more and 

more of these Indian lands; and each year the dusky natives found them 

selves moving further and further westward toward the sunset. 

Vol. 1—29 

44:9


As we have already anticipated in a former chapter dealing with the 

Yazoo Fraud, Georgia in 1802 ceded her western lands to the Federal 

Government, in return for which the latter, in addition to certain mone 

tary considerations, agreed to extinguish all Indian titles to the state's 

remaining lands.* In partial fulfilment of this stipulation, three com 

missioners were appointed by the Federal Government to negotiate a; 

treaty with the Creeks at Fort Wilkinson, on the Oconee River, and, on 

June 16, 1802, a treaty was signed under which these Indians were to re 

linquish a part of the Tallassee country, lying south of the Altamaha and 

a tract between the Oconee and the Ocmulgee rivers. The commissioners 

who negotiated this treaty were: Benjamin Hawkins, James Wilkinson, 

and Andrew Pickens.t Some of the western or Upper Creeks were dis 

posed to make trouble over this relinquishment of lands belonging to the- 

Greek Nation; but Col. Benjamin Hawkins, who was then the resident 

Indian agent, with headquarters at the old agency on the Flint, suc 

ceeded in quieting these hostile tribes. 

When the Legislature met in November, 1802, John Milledge, a dis 

tinguished Revolutionary patriot and friend of education, was elected 

governor; and to accept this post of honor he resigned a seat in Congress. 

Out of the new lands acquired under the Treaty of Fort Wilkinson, 

the Legislature, on May 1, 1803, passed an act creating three great coun 

ties, Baldwin, AYilkinson and Wayne. The last named county was carved 

out of the Tallassee cession; to the south of the Altamaha, and was named 

for Gen. Anthony Wayne, of the Revolution, a former resident of this- 

state. The county-seat of the new county was named Waynesville. 

Baldwin and Wilkinson were formed out of the newly acquired belt 

of land between the Oconee and the Ocmulgee rivers. Baldwin was 

named for Abraham Baldwin, then a United States senator from Geor 

gia. Milledgeville, its county-seat, was named for John Milledge, then 

governor of the state. Wilkinson was named for Gen. James Wilkinson,. 

one of the United States commissioners who negotiated the treaty at 

Fort Wilkinson, a locality which was likewise named in his honor. Irwin- 

ton, the county-seat, was named for Governor Jared Irwin. 

When the lands in these newly created counties were opened to set 

tlement, a system of distribution known as the land lottery system was 

adopted by the Legislature in an act approved May 11, 1803. t Great dis 

satisfaction had resulted from the old head right system, in vogue since 

the Revolution, and heretofore described at some length. It gave the set 

tler an unrestricted power of selection, in consequence of which he in 

variably chose the best lands, leaving large unoccupied tracts. These- 

intcrmediate areas were slow in finding occupants and as a result settle 

ments were too isolated for safety. In the second place, due to the un 

settled character of the wilderness, it was a difficult matter to fix boun 

dary lines, and it frequently happened that grants conveying the same 

tract of land were issued to more than one settler, causing a tangle which' 

gave rise to numerous law suits. But, in addition to involving honest 

men in mistakes, it gave to unscrupulous persons an unlimited oppor- 

* See Chapter (7), Section III. 

t "Indian Affairs," I, p. 669. 

t "Claytou's Compilation," pp. 100-107.


tunity for graft. As we have already seen, in our discussion of the 

Pine Barren frauds, land speculators at one time acquired fictitious 

grants to 7,000,000 acres of land in Montgomery County, an aggregate 

greater than the county's total acreage, all of which they planned to sell 

and some of which they did sell to unsuspecting persons outside the state, 

entailing endless litigation. 

To explain the land lottery system adopted at this time as a substi 

tute for the old system of head rights: slips or tickets were prepared on 

which certain numbers were placed representing the land lots to be dis 

tributed. These were then put into boxes, together with a number of 

blanks. As set forth in the act those entitled to draw were: '' All free 

white males, twenty-one years of age or over, who had been residents of 

the State for twelve months.'' These were entitled to draw once. '' But 

every white male person having a wife, with one child or more under 

age; all widows having children under age; and all families of orphans 

under age, were entitled to draw twice.'' To prevent improper manipu 

lation, lists were carefully drawn in each county by legal officers. These 

were then sent to the governor, who ordered a drawing to be held under 

the supervision of five managers. Some inevitably drew blanks. To 

those who were fortunate, grants were issued, each bearing the gov 

ernor's signature, attested by the great seal of the state, which was 

stamped upon a wax pendant and attached to the deed by means of a 

ribbon. Each grant was also accompanied by a plot of the land con 

veyed. Within twelve months after receiving his grant, each person was 

required to pay into the treasury a nominal sum of $4 for every 100 

acres of land contained in his lot; and, on failure to comply with this 

requirement, he forfeited his titles to the land deeded. These lots 

varied in size. Those,in Baldwin and Wilkinson were 35 chains square 

and contained 2021/2 acres. Those in Wayne were 70 chains square and 

contained 490 acres. 

So effective did the land lottery system prove, that all the remaining 

lands of the state were from time to time distributed according to this 

method. The last distribution was made under the Cherokee Lottery of 

1832. All of the lands of the state lying west of the Oconee and north 

of the Altamaha were distributed under the land lottery system; and, 

in like manner all the lands south of the Altamaha and west of the old 

original County of Wayne. On the other hand, all the lands east of 

these dividing lines, were distributed under the head right system. 

Louisville, as a permanent site for the state capital, had failed to give- 

satisfaction. The locality was found to be unhealthful. Moreover, with 

the movement of population toward the foot-hills, there was a strong- 

demand for locating the seat of government at some convenient point in 

the uplands. Considerably more than one-half of the state's popula 

tion was now found in the middle belt. Georgia, having ceded to the 

Federal Government her western lands and having received in return a 

guarantee of the titles under which she held her remaining lands, this; 

seemed to be an opportune time for selecting a new seat of government;: 

and accordingly, in the Land Lottery Act of 1803, commissioners were 

authorized to locate a town at the head of navigation on the Oconee 

River. Sixteen land lots, or 3,240 acres of land, were allotted to the 

proposed new seat of government; and here, on the wooded heights, a

452 GBOEGIA AND GEORGIANS 

town was laid off: by the following commissioners, to wit: Littleberry 

Bostwick, A. M. Devereaux, George M. Troup, John Herbert, and Oliver 

Porter. It was an ideal site for a town, thickly wooded with oaks and 

hickories, in an area of splendid hills. On the eastern side of the town 

ran Fishing Creek, then a stream of transparent crystal, threading the 

virgin forest like a skein of silver. The new capital of the state was to 

be called Milledgeville, in honor of the distinguished governor who was 

then occupying the executive chair. It was a tribute alike to the popu 

larity and to the statesmanship of this great man that, while at the helm 

of affairs, his name should have been conferred upon the capital of his 

native state: an honor to be cherished by his children and by his chil 

dren's children to the latest generation. 

To Gen. Jett Thomas, a civil engineer, who had built the first struc 

ture on the campus at Athens, for Franklin College, was committed the 

task of erecting Georgia's new state house—an edifice of Norman design 

which remains to this day an imposing memorial of the ante-bellum 

period, surpassed by no other existing landmark in its wealth of historic 

associations. 

But, while the new state house was in process of erection, the Leg 

islature continued to meet in Louisville, where its last session was held 

in 1806. 

Milledgeville was thus given a double distinction. It was to be not 

only the county-seat of Baldwin County but the seat of government for 

all Georgia; and the state's wealth, refinement, influence, and power 

were soon to converge at this new center, destined for more than sixty 

years to give laws to a great commonwealth and to retain its honors as 

Georgia's capital. 

In 1804, while occupying a seat on the bench of the Middle Circuit, 

Hon. George Walton, the last surviving member of Georgia's immortal 

trio of independence, breathed his last, having been honored with almost 

every high and important office within Georgia's gift. 

On November 3, 1804, Col. Benjamin Hawkins, the resident Indian 

agent, negotiated a treaty with the Creeks, under which a body of land 

between the Oconee and the Ocmulgee rivers was acquired.*' 

In the presidential contest of 1804, Georgia cast six electoral votes. 

She supported in this contest, Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, and George 

Clinton, of New York. Her electors were Edward Telfair and James B. 

Maxwell, from the state at large; and David Emanuel, John .Rutherford, 

Henry Graybill and David Creswell, from the congressional districts.! 

On November 14, 1805, Henry Dearborn, then secretary of war, met 

six chiefs of the Creek Nation, in Washington, District of Columbia, with 

whom he negotiated a treaty under which the remaining lands between 

the Oconee and the Ocmulgee rivers were acquired. 4. Privileges were 

granted to establish forts, factories and trading-posts among the In 

dians; and a horse-path was to be maintained over which the safety of 

travelers was guaranteed. 

On March 19, 1806, United States Senator James Jackson died in 

* "Indian Affairs," I, p. 691. 

t "Lanman's Biographical Annals of the United States Government," pp. 515-516. 

t "Clayton's Compilation," p. 336; "Indian Affairs," I, 698.


Washington, District of Columbia, at the comparatively early age of 

forty-nine. It is said that his death was due to the debilitating effect 

of wounds received on the field of honor, most of them in consequence of 

his relentless opposition to the Yazooists. Never a robust man, his con 

stitution was greatly enfeebled by these numerous duels. Senator Jack 

son was buried in the Congressional Cemetery, on the banks of the 

Potomac. His grave is marked by a square block, resembling a bee-hive, 

and is not unlike many others erected by Congress within this same plot 

of ground to commemorate the services of senators and representatives 

who died in official harness and were here buried. As a memorial, it is 

most inadequate and Georgia owes it to the memory of this devoted 

patriot to reinter his ashes beneath a handsome shaft of marble in her 

own soil, AVith his expiring breath he is said to have declared that if 

his breast should be opened after death Georgia would be found let 

tered upon his heart. 

To succeed Senator Jackson, the Legislature, at an extra session held 

in June, 1806, elected Governor John Milledge, who was still occupying; 

the executive chair. Jared Irwin, who was then president of the Senate,, 

once more became governor, an office which he had already twice filled;: 

and when the Legislature met in November he was elected for a full 

term. 

Just one year after Senator Jackson's death, his colleague, the illus 

trious Abraham Baldwin, died in Washington, District of Columbia, on 

March 4, 1807. Hon. George Jones, of Savannah, was appointed to suc 

ceed him under a temporary commission; and, at the next session of the 

Legislature in November, Hon. William H. Crawford, of Lexington, 

then a member of Congress, was awarded the senatorial toga. 

Under the Federal census of 1800 Georgia was entitled to four mem 

bers in the National House of Representatives; but it was not until the 

Eighth Congress (1803-1805) that the new apportionment was put into 

effect. The state's four members at this time were: Joseph Bryan, Peter- 

Early, Samuel Hammond and David Meriwether.* Samuel Hammond,. 

near the close of the session, relinquished his seat in Congress to become 

territorial governor of Upper Louisiana. Georgia's four members in the 

Ninth Congress (1805-1807) were: Joseph Bryan, Peter Early, David 

Meriwether and Cowles Mead.t Joseph Bryan resigned in 1806 and was 

succeeded by Dr. Dennis Smelt. On December 24, 1805, Cowles Mead 

resigned and was succeeded by Thomas Spalding, as the result of a con 

test in which the latter was seated. Mr. Spalding resigned, however, for 

some reason, in 1806, and was succeeded by Dr. W. W. Bibb, for whom 

there were in store still higher honors. To the Tenth Congress (1807- 

1809), Georgia sent the following strong.delegation: W. W. Bibb, How- 

ell Cobb, Dennis Smelt, and George M. Troup. Captain Cobb was an 

uncle of the distinguished soldier and statesman who bore this same 

name at a later period. 

*"Biog. Gong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 55. 

t Ibid., p. 60.

CHAPTER II' 

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETS FOR THE FIRST TIME AT MILLEDGEVILLB 

IN 1807—Six NEW COUNTIES CHEATED—MORGAN, PUTNAM, LAURENS, 

JONES, TELFAIK AND RANDOLPH—THE LAST NAMED COUNTY CHANGED 

TO JASPER—REASONS FOR DISCARDING RANDOLPH—BOUNDARY LINE 

DISPUTE BETWEEN GEORGIA AND NORTH CAROLINA.—THE OCMULGEE 

CIRCUIT CREATED—PETER EARLY ITS FIRST JUDGE—ROBERT FULTON'S 

STEAMBOAT, THE CLERMONT, MAKES A SUCCESSFUL TRIP ON THE HUD 

SON—THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OP 1808—PULASKI COUNTY Is 

FORMED—GEORGIA'S DELEGATION IN THE ELEVENTH CONGRESS—JUDGE 

CHARLES TAIT SUCCEEDS JOHN MILLEDGE AS UNITED STATES SENATOR 

—DAVID B. MITCHELL BECOMES GOVERNOR—PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS 

BEGIN—GEORGIA'S EARLY ROADS—STAGE COACH DAYS—RIVER CHAN 

NELS ARE DEEPENED—TWIGGS COUNTY Is ORGANIZED—GEORGIA 's OLD 

EST BANK Is CHARTERED—THE BANK OF AUGUSTA—THE STATE 

AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY Is FOUNDED—CHARTER MEMBERS—GEORGIA'S 

FIRST COTTON FACTORY—NUMEROUS ACADEMIES CHARTERED—POWEL- 

TON—MOUNT ZION—GEORGIA'S POPULATION IN 1810—Six REPRESEN 

TATIVES IN CONGRESS—DR. W. "W. BIBB SUCCEEDS WILLIAM H. CRAW- 

FORD IN THE FEDERAL SENATE—THE LATTER Is MADE AMBASSADOR TO 

FRANCE—HONORED BY NAPOLEON. 

NOTE: MR. CRAWFORD AT THE COURT OF NAPOLEON. 

On the first Monday in November, 1807, the General Assembly met 

for the first time at the new seat of government in Milledgeville. Jared 

Irwin occupied the governor's chair; while Robert Walton, of Richmond, 

was president of the Senate, and Benjamin "Whitaker, of Jefferson, 

speaker of the House. Within four years a handsome edifice of brick, 

Norman in design, had been erected under the supervision of Gen. Jett 

Thomas, civil engineer and contractor. Occupying an eminence which 

came to be known as Capitol Hill, it presented an appearance of great 

impressiveness, with its beetling towers. Many of the state's leading 

families became identified with Milledgeville at this time, purchasing 

lots in the town and acquiring extensive plantations in the rich virgin 

lands just opened to settlement. 

Under an act of the Legislature', approved December 10, 1807, six 

new counties were created, some out of the recently acquired Indian 

lands, and some out of the large counties already organized, to wit: 

Morgan, Putnam, Laurens, Jones, Telfair, and Randolph. 

Two of these counties, Morgan and Putnam, were named for distin 

guished Revolutionary soldiers: Gen. Daniel Morgan, of Virginia, and 

Gen. Israel Putnam, of Connecticut. Laurens bore the name of a gallant 

454


South Carolinian, Col. John Laurens. Jones was named for Hon. James 

Jones, a former member of Congress and one of the state's three com 

missioners appointed to cede its western lands to. the Federal Govern 

ment. Telfair bore the name of an honored governor of Georgia, Ed 

ward Telfair; while Randolph was named for John Randolph of 

Eoanoke. 

Randolph was a great favorite in Georgia at this time, due to his 

prolonged fight in Congress against the Yazooists; but when in 1812 

he opposed the second war with England there was such a revulsion of 

feeling that the name of Randolph County was changed, to Jasper, in 

honor of Sergeant Jasper, of the Revolution, who fell mortally wounded 

at the siege of Savannah, while engaged in the rescue of his colors. 

Later, however, when Randolph again rode the popular wave, a new 

county was created on the western border to which Randolph's name 

was given. 

THE OLD STATE CAPITOL AT MILLEDGEVILLE 

Morgan was organized out of lands taken from Baldwin and "Wilkin- 

son; Jones out of lands acquired from the Creek Indians under the 

treaty of 1805; Putnam and Randolph out of lands taken from Baldwin; 

and Laurens and Telfair out of lands taken from Wilkinson. 

County seats were subsequently located in these various counties as 

follows: Madison, to be the county seat of Morgan, named for James 

Madison, of Virginia, then secretary of state, in Jefferson's cabinet; 

Monticello, named for Jefferson's home, in Albemarle County, Virginia, 

to be the county seat of Randolph, afterwards Jasper. Originally the 

county seat of Jones was called Albany, but the name was subsequently 

changed to Clinton, in honor of George Clinton, of New York. McRae, 

the county seat of Telfair, was named for a Scotch-Irish family to 

which many of the pioneer settlers belonged. Eatonton, the county 

seat of Putnam, was named for Gen. William Eaton, a soldier of fortune, 

who distinguished himself in the war with Tripoli. The original county 

seat of Laurens was Sumterville, but this site proving unsatisfactory 

Dublin was made the new seat of government, a town named for the


famous Irish capital. The man who donated the land for this purpose 

to the state was an Irishman, who claimed the privilege of naming the 

town, in return for his deed of gift. 

For several years a bone of contention between Georgia and North 

Carolina was the matter of locating exactly the 35th parallel of north 

latitude, recognized as the boundary line between the two states. In 

1806 surveyors representing both states, having failed to agree, Georgia 

in 1807 made a second effort to secure an adjustment, at which time the 

surveyor-general, re-enforced by two expert surveyors, with the .finest 

instruments to be secured, undertook to run the line; but North Carolina 

refused to take any part in these proceedings or to recognize the finality 

of the line fixed by these surveyors. The issue between the two states 

remained unsettled for several years when the line was finally established 

by commissioners under appointment from the Federal Government. 

The Legislature at this session created a new judicial circuit—the 

Ocmulgee—of which Peter Early became the first judge, an office which 

he held until his elevation to the governorship six years later. 

In August, 1807, the Clermont, a steamboat constructed by Eobert 

Fulton and operated by means of paddle wheels, made a successful trial 

trip on the Hudson. But as we have already seen, William Longstreet, on 

the Savannah, had already successfully applied steam to navigation by 

contriving a boat propelled by a series of poles, for which he had received 

a patent from the state in 1787. 

Georgia's presidential electors in the campaign of 1808 were: John 

Eutherford and David Meriwether, from the state at large; and John 

Twiggs, Christopher Clark, Henry Graybill and James B. Houston, from 

the congressional districts.* James Madison, of Virginia, and George 

Clinton, of New York, were given the state's six electoral votes. 

On December 15, 1808, an act was approved creating a new county 

to be called Pulaski, in honor of the gallant Polish nobleman who lost 

his life at the siege of Savannah. It was to be formed out of lands 

detached from the County of Laurens.f Hartford was subsequently 

designated as the county seat, a town which has long since disappeared 

from the map. It was located on the east side of the Ocmulgee Eiver, 

opposite the present Town of Hawkinsville. 

To the Eleventh Congress (1809-1811) Georgia re-elected all four 

of her representatives: Dr. W. ~W. Bibb, Howell Cobb, Dennis Smelt and 

George M. Troup. $ 

On November 14, 1809, John Milledge resigned his seat in the United 

States Senate and to succeed him, the Legislature, which was then in 

session, elected Judge Charles Tait,'of Elberton. 

This same Legislature chose David B. Mitchell to succeed Jared 

Irwin as governor. On assuming the duties of office, Governor Mitchell 

addressed to the General Assembly a strong document in which he 

stressed the importance of improving the public highways of the state 

and of opening new roads through the territory recently acquired from 

the Indians. An era had now arrived for inaugurating works of public 

*Lanman's Biog. Annals of U. S. Government, p. 516-517. 

t "Clayton's Compilation," p. 470. : 

t '' Biog. Gong. Directory,'' p. 68.


improvement. Travel was slow at best and good roads were needed for 

stages; also in the interest of the planters, some of whom were -forced 

to haul produce hundreds of miles to market. As a rule, Georgia's ear 

liest roads followed the old Indian trails; and, in some respects, especially 

in the upcountry, were no better. It was difficult for stages, containing 

some score of passengers, to cover more than twenty-five miles per day, 

while the journey to New York usually consumed two weeks. 

It was also necessary to deepen river channels and to remove all 

obstructions from the beds of streams. The Legislature of 1809 passed 

an act to clear the Savannah River. Both the large planter and the 

small farmer living along the water courses were largely dependent 

Upon these streams which they used for floating produce to market. 

Similar means were .also taken to open the Broad, the Ogeechee and the 

Oconee rivers, on each of which, settlements were rapidly increasing in 

number. 

On December 24, 1809, an act was approved creating the new County 

of Twiggs, for which purpose a large body of land was detached from 

Wilkinsoii. The new county was named for Gen. John Twiggs, of the 

Revolution. Marion, the original county seat, is today one of the lost 

towns of Georgia. 

With the Indian problem temporarily quieted, there was a marked 

revival of commercial enterprise throughout the state. To this period 

belongs the establishment of Georgia's oldest bank. On December 6, 

1810, an act was approved creating the Bank of Augusta.* Its capital 

stock was $300,000, divided into shares of $100 each, and of this sum 

$50,000 was reserved for the State of Georgia, subject to the approval 

of the law-making authorities. In the event the state became a stock 

holder in the bank, it was stipulated that the governor, treasurer, and 

comptroller-general, should be entitled, at each succeeding election, to 

name two members of the board of directors. As given in the bank's 

charter, the original board of directors consisted of the following stock 

holders: Thomas Gumming, its first president; John Howard, Richard 

C. Tubman, John McKinne, James Gardner, Hugh Nesbit, David Reid, 

John Moore, John Campbell, John Willson, Anderson Watkins, John 

Carmichael, and Ferdinand Phinzy. The charter was signed by Gov 

ernor David B. Mitchell, as governor, and by the presiding officers of 

the two law-making bodies: Hon. Jared Irwin, president of the Senate, 

and Hon. Benjamin Whitaker, speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Two weeks later, the Planters Bank of Savannah was chartered. But 

we read in the caption to this act that its purpose was to incorporate 

"the Planters Bank of the State of Georgia and to repeal an act passed 

December 5, 1807." t The bank may have failed to operate under its 

original charter, but, nevertheless, in its legal conception, it is an older 

institution than the Bank of Augusta. The incorporators of this bank, 

chartered December 19, 1810, were: Charles Harris, John Bolton, James 

Ward Stebbins, John P. Williamson, George Scott, William Mein, John 

M. Berrien, Andrew Low, John Gumming and Zachariah Miller. 

On December 6, 1810, the agricultural interests of the state received 

a wonderful stimulus from an act of the Legislature creating the Agri- 

* "Claytcm's Compilation," pp. 588-595. 

f'Clayton's Compilation," pp. 632-637.


cultural Society of Georgia, an organization which still exists after the 

lapse of more than a century and which in its manifold activities has 

been an untold blessing to the state. The charter members of this time- 

honored organization constitute a roll of honor. These were : * John 

Bolton, John Gumming, Thomas Young, Thomas Telfair, John M. Ber- 

rien, Curtis Bolton, Joshua E. White, Richard Richardson, Steele White, 

Ebenezer Stark, Nicholl Turn-bull, Noble W. Jones, Wm. Scarborough, 

Oliver Sturges, Benjamin Burroughs, Barna McKinne, Benjamin Mau 

rice, Charles Perry, Hugh Ross, Hanen Kimball, Joseph Carruthers, 

John Hunter, Henry Hall, Jabez Longworth, Jonathan Meigs, Wm. 

Woodbridge, John P. Williamson, James Dickson, David Williford, 

Stephen Martell, Wm. T. Williams, Richard M. Stites, John Anderson, 

John Eppinger, John Eppinger, Jr., Adam Cope, John G. Williamson, 

Wm. Taylor, Thomas Phelps, Jonathan Battelle, Charles Oddingsells, 

Robert G. Houston, Benjamin Ansley, Frederick Ball, George Woodruff, 

Francis Roma, John Lawson, Richard Wall, Archibald S. Bulloch, 

Lemuel Kollock, Hugh McCall, Gurdon J. Seymour, Wm. Mein, Edward 

White, Alfred Cuthbert, Henry Holcomb, Thomas Gardiner, John Craig, 

George Scott, Tobias V. Gray, James G. Almy, John Grimes, George 

Anderson, Wm. B. Bulloch, Wm. Gaston, John H. Deubell, James Bilbo, 

Robert Small, Thomas L. Malone, Thomas Mendenhall, James B. Read, 

Abraham Richards, Theodore A. Scheodde, Andrew Low, Richard F. 

Williams, George Harrell, Ralph May, Zachariah Miller, Calvin Baker, 

B. Ogden, Thomas Bourke, Samuel Barnet, George Jones, L. N. Alard, 

A. Devuillard, Thomas Dicheneaux, J. J. Coiron, J. J. Blanchard and 

N. Nazant. 

Georgia's pioneer cotton factory was chartered by the Legislature of 

1810. It was styled the Wilkes Manufacturing Company and was located 

near the present Town of Washington. Its incorporators were : Mat 

thew Talbot, Boiling Anthony, Benjamin Sherrod, Frederick Ball, Gil 

bert Hay and Joel Abbot, t It was chartered for the manufacture of 

cotton and woolen goods by machinery to be erected in Wilkes, with a 

capital stock of $10,000 to be increased to a sum not exceeding $50,000. 

There was also a factory established at this time in Morgan, on Little 

River. But neither enterprise prospered. These items possess a value 

chiefly as showing the wideawake activities of our people in these pioneer 

days. 

In 1810 a petition was presented to the Legislature, presumably by 

members of the Clark party in whose ranks there were few members of 

the legal profession begging the General Assembly to abolish "the most 

useless pest that ever disgraced civil society — the lawyers. ' ' t 

Quite a number of academies were chartered between 1810 and 1818 

two of which, the one at Powelton and the one at Mount Zion, both. 

located in Hancock, became widely famous in after years. Powelton was 

a strong Baptist center. Here the Georgia Baptist Association was 

organized and here William Rabun and Jesse Mercer lived at one time. 

Mount Zion was a Presbyterian neighborhood. Here the noted edu 

cators, Nathan and Carlisle P. Beman, taught, and, in after years, Gov- 

* ' ' Clayton 'a Compilation, ' ' pp. 585-587. 

t " Clayton 's Compilation," pp. 667-668. 

t "Georgia and State Eights," U. B. Phillips, p. 110.


ernor Wm. J. Northen became principal of the school. The Powelton 

Academy was incorporated November 23, 1815, with the following board 

of trustees: Wm. Rabun, Nicholas Childers, Thomas Cooper, Sampson 

Duggar, Archibald R. S. Hunter, James Crowder, Reuben T. Battle, 

John Veazy and Stephen Weston.* The academy at Sparta was estab 

lished December 17, 1818, with the following incorporators: Wm. G. 

Springer, John Lucas, Nicholas Childers, Charles E. Haynes and Thomas 

Haynes. f 

According to the census of 1810 Georgia's population was 250,000 

inhabitants. Her exports aggregated $2,500,000 in value, a net increase 

of $1,000,000 in ten years. Savannah was still the metropolis of the 

state, but with a population of only 5,000. Brunswick, Darien and St. 

Marys were beginning to develop some importance as seaports. Augusta 

was still a small town on the northern frontier, but with a growing trade. 

On the basis of population, Georgia was entitled to six representatives 

in the national House, but the apportionment was not made1 in time to 

affect her representation in the Twelfth Congress (1811-1813). To this 

Congress, Dr. W. W. Bibb, Howell Cobb, Boiling Hall and George M. 

Troup were elected. Mr. Cobb resigned in 1812 to accept a captaincy' 

in the regular army of the United States, when a rupture with England 

threatened a second war for independence. Mr. Cobb's successor was 

William Barnett. But in the fall of 1812 six representatives were chosen 

to the ensuing Congress (1813-1815), to wit: William Barnett, Wm. 

W. Bibb, John Forsyth, Boiling Hall, Thomas Telfair and George M. 

Troup. 

On March 13, 1813, William H. Crawford relinquished his seat in 

the United States Senate to become ambassador to France under an 

appointment from President Madison. To succeed him, Governor 

Mitchell appointed Wm. B. Bulloch, of Savannah, but when the Legis 

lature met in November, Dr. W. W. Bibb, then a member of Congress, 

was elected to the Senate, while Alfred Cuthbert was chosen to succeed 

Doctor Bibb in Congress. While abroad Mr. Crawford was the re 

cipient of a marked tribute from the Emperor Napoleon, a detailed 

account of which is given elsewhere in this work. J 

MR. CRAWPORD AT THE COURT OP NAPOLEON.—In a letter written to Maj. Stephen 

F. Miller by Col. George M. Dudley, son-in-law and biographer of Mr. Crawford, 

the following authentic account is given of a famous episode which occurred at the 

French Court in 1813. Says Colonel Dudley ("Miller's Bench and Bar of Georgia," 

Vol. I, Sketch of Mr. Crawford) : "Though Mr. Crawford has told us of the bow 

he made on his presentation to the Emperor Napoleon, his modesty prevented him 

from saying what special favors he received in return. We are indebted to his 

Secretary of Legation [Dr. Henry Jackson], for the following incident: So im 

pressed was the Emperor with his firm step, his lofty bearing, his tall, manly, and 

imposing figure, decorated for the first time in the court dress of the Empire that 

he avowed [on meeting the American Ambassador] that Mr. Crawford was the only 

man to whom he had ever felt constrained to bow and that on this occasion he had 

involuntarily bowed twice as he received the minister from the United States. The 

homage thus paid by the Emperor was said to be a rare if not an unprecedented 

occurrence at this court; and the Emperor himself was one of those who observed, 

upon looking at Mr. Crawford, that he was among the few distinguished men whose 

actual appearance more than realized what one anticipated before seeing them." 

* "Lamar's Compilation," pp. 4-5. 

t "Lamar's Compilation," pp. 22-23. 

1 See '' Georgia in the Realm of Anecdote, Wit and Humor.''

CHAPTER III 

THE WAR OP 1812—To SECURE FREEDOM UPON THE HIGH SEAS, THIS 

COUNTRY ONCE MORE ENGAGES IN A STRUGGLE WITH ENGLAND— 

AMERICAN SAILORS IMPRESSED ON BOARD ENGLISH WARSHIPS—GEOR 

GIA'S PART IN THE WAR Is CHIEFLY TO AID IN QUELLING A FRONTIER 

OUTBREAK OP THE CREEK INDIANS—TECUMSBH'S ELOQUENCE IN 

FLAMES THE FOREST—SOMETHING ABOUT THIS EXTRAORDINARY MAN— 

THE INFLUENCE OF COL. BENJAMIN HAWKINS IN RESTRAINING THE 

LOWER CREEKS—THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1812—GOVERNOR 

MITCHELL'S WAR MESSAGE—PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENDING GEOR 

GIA'S SOIL—$30,000 APPROPRIATED—AMELIA ISLAND INFESTED WITH 

LAWLESS CHARACTERS—FUGITIVES INTO EAST FLORIDA—GOVERNOR 

MlTCIIELL VISITS THE BORDER—DEMANDS A DISCONTINUANCE OF DEP 

REDATIONS—WISHES TO ANNEX FLORIDA, TO WHICH ENDS HE FAVORS 

ENCOURAGING THE REVOLUTIONISTS—BUT THE PROJECT FAILS— 

STOCKADE FORTS ON THE NORTHERN FRONTIER—THE FIRST REAL 

SKIRMISH—MASSACRE AT FORT MIMS—To AVENGE THIS HOLOCAUST 

A BODY OF GEORGIA MILITIA STARTS IN PURSUIT—UNDER A CALL FROM 

THE SECRETARY OF WAR, 3,600 TROOPS ARE MOBILIZED AT FORT 

HAWKINS—GEN. JOHN FLOYD PUT IN COMMAND—FROM THE STATE 

OF TENNESSEE MARCHES A BODY OF MEN AT THE HEAD OF WHICH 

RIDES ANDREW JACKSON. 

To secure freedom upon the high seas war was formally declared 

against England by the United States Government in 1812. But before 

treating of Georgia's part in this second war for independence we must 

explain the necessity for this renewal of hostilities with England. When 

Napoleon was at the height of his power in 1806 he sought to embarrass 

British commerce by closing all of the continental parts to England's 

trade, a drastic measure against which England retaliated by forbidding 

any vessel to enter the ports of France or those of her allies. Due to 

these edicts, American vessels trading with the countries at war, in 

curred the liability of capture, first by the one and then by the other. 

British naval officers, inspired by an old enmity, had more than once 

searched American vessels; but without stopping at this indignity they 

had even seized American sailors, impressing them into service on board 

English warships on the spurious claim that these sailors were British 

subjects. Such high-handed piracy was not to be countenanced, and 

accordingly this country in what was known as the Embargo of 1807 sus 

pended all commerce and forbade any vessel to leave its ports. To Geor 

gia especially this measure dealt a severe blow. .She was just beginning 

to export large quantities of cotton to Europe and from this trade her 

wealth was mainly derived. But the Legislature of 1807 in a patriotic 

460


address strongly supported the Government's action. Later an effort was 

made by England to force a direct trade with the cotton states, on the 

supposition that no real unity existed between these states, especially 

where selfish interests were involved. In January, 1809, an English war 

brig, the Sandwich, anchored off Tybee Island, at the mouth of the 

Savannah River. Disembarking, two British officers came in rowboats 

up the stream to purchase cotton, but only to meet an emphatic refusal. 

There was no cotton in Savannah for English buyers. These officers 

became insolent and even threatened to destroy the town, but they 

failed to secure any cotton. Returning to the brig, they soon put out to 

sea, but as a farewell salute emptied a charge of lead into a pilot boat 

lying in the harbor. 

Such an indignity made Georgia eager for war, and accordingly the 

Legislature of 1809 passed resolutions of protest, urging our Government 

to maintain its sovereign rights against the despots of Europe. 

But Georgia's part in the War of 1812 was chiefly to aid in quelling 

a frontier outbreak of the Creek Indians who became in this struggle 

the allies of the British. Anticipating an outbreak of war, England had 

secretly sent emissaries to this country to secure allies among the North 

American Indians. Tecumseh, a chief of the Shawnees, famed for his 

eloquence, became a convert to these emissaries, especially since, with 

a prophet's eye, he saw the doom of his race prefigured in the reddening 

clouds which lurng upon the sunset sky; and he, therefore, undertook to 

incite all the tribes between Canada and Florida to rise in an organized 

body against the white settlements. This was an adroit move on the part 

of England. Tecumseh, from his home in the far-away Northwest, came 

all the way to Georgia for the purpose of inciting the Muscogee Confed 

eracy to arms; nor did his fiery eloquence fail to exert a powerful influ 

ence upon the savage tribes. All accounts agree in ascribing to Tecumseh 

wonderful powers of oratory, in portraying him as a man. of splendid 

presence, and with a powerful voice, marvelous in its flexibility and 

compass, and with a tropical imagination. Tecumseh encountered little 

difficulty in arousing the hostile Upper Creeks, 011 the Alabama River, 

though it was mainly from the youthful hot-heads or Red-Sticks that he 

drew his adherents. The old men of the tribe counseled moderation. 

But to quote an authoritative account, "the Red Sticks listened readily 

to Tecumseh's teaching, .and when he left for his home in the distant 

North-west many were already dancing the war-dance of the Lakes.'' * 

Most fortunate it was for Georgia that at this time she possessed a 

strong tower of defense in the person of Col. Benjamin Hawkins, the 

resident Indian agent appointed to this office by Washington. For years 

this truly great and noble man had devoted his life with supreme un 

selfishness to the welfare of the Indians, and though he had occupied a 

seat in the American Senate he was nevertheless willing to bury himself 

in the heart of the wilderness, if by such a sacrifice he could serve his 

country in an hour of need and aid in uplifting the savage tribes of the 

forest. The Lower Creeks, who dwelt within the limits of Georgia and 

who came directly under the 1 influence of Colonel Hawkins, remained 

friendly to Georgia, and no persuasive arguments could induce them to 

' Life of Jackson," W. G. Brown, p. 47.


join the Creek insurrection. These Lower Creeks had made rapid prog 

ress in the agricultural arts, due largely to the tutelage of Colonel 

Hawkins, .and in fact had passed from savagery into semi-civilization. 

Indeed, in this respect, they were not far behind the Cherokees, who 

alone of all the Indian tribes in North America possessed a written alpha 

bet and governed themselves according to constitutional law. 

But the Upper Creeks were neither as civilized nor as peaceably 

inclined as were the Lower Creeks; they were at all times belligerent, 

and when to the fiery harangues of Tecumseh were added the prophecies 

of medicine men and soothsayers, who predicted victory for the British, 

with a promise of long life in the happy hunting grounds for the braves 

who fell in battle, these Upper Creeks were ready at a moment's notice 

to descend upon the white settlements in a sweeping avalanche of fire 

and blood. 

Amid the opening guns of the War of 1812 there occurred another 

presidential election. Georgia at this time cast eight electoral votes. 

She supported Mr. Madison for re-election as President and Elbridge 

Gerry, of Massachusetts, for Vice President. Georgia's electors in 1812 

were as follows -. from the state at large, Daniel Stewart and John 

Twiggs; district delegates, Henry Graybill, Oliver Porter, Charles Har 

ris, Henry Mitehell, John Rutherford and John Howard.* 

Governor Mitehell, when the Legislature convened in 1812, was ready 

with a vigorous war message in which he urged instant measures to 

defend Georgia's exposed frontier. He also urged all necessary precau 

tions for safeguarding the ocean front. Said he: f " These considera 

tions have induced me to press upon your attention a thorough revision 

of our military ]aws and [the need] of making provision for the pur 

chase of arms and ammunition. In the defense of our sea coast, it will 

not escape your attention, that artillery is of vast importance, and yet 

there is not a single company out of the City of Savannah in the whole 

of the First Brigade. This is no doubt owing to the great expense 

attending the equipment and support of such a corps, which hut a few 

are able to sustain. Permit me to recommend to your consideration the 

propriety of making some provision for the encouragement of this de 

scription of troops. 

"Knowing of no manufactory of Swords and Pistols within the 

State, my attention has been directed to other States for a supply of 

these articles, as contemplated by the act of the last session, for the use 

of the cavalry; but find the prospect of procuring them so remote and 

uncertain that I shall attempt to have the swords made at home and I 

am flattered with the hope of having this done in a style of workman 

ship superior to those imported for common use and at a much cheaper 

rate. The manufacture of them will commence immediately in this 

place, and will produce about five dozen every week. I shall use my 

utmost efforts to have the pistols made in the State also. These are 

objects which, in our present situation, claim the fostering care of the 

Legislature. 

"In the course of last summer the Secretary of "War of the United 

* '' Lanman >s Biographical Annals of the United States Government,'' pp. 517-518. 

t Senate Journal, 1812, p. 7.


States, by order of the President, called upon this State, under the au 

thority of an act of Congress, to detach from her militia three thousand 

five hundred [men], which has been done accordingly. These men thus 

detached are liable to be called into actual service whenever the Presi 

dent shall so direct, and ten companies of them have been called for 

and are now in the field where they are liable to be detained for six 

months. It is possible, nay, very probable, that many of those men 

now on duty have left families or relatives at home, whose principal 

dependence for support was upon their labor and whose little property 

may be at the mercy of a creditor for an inconsiderable debt. Some 

legislative provision in such cases would, in my opinion, be both reason 

able and just and may be done without impairing the just rights of 

others." 

To the recommendations made by Governor Mitchell the Legislature 

responded by appropriating $30,000, with which to erect forts on the 

frontier, arm soldiers, and fit out vessels for coast protection. There 

were quite a number of guns in the old statehouse at Louisville, then 

used as an arsenal. These were ordered at once to the new seat of gov 

ernment, there to be divided among the various military organizations. 

Swords and pistols were also provided with which to equip the cavalry 

troops; but these were not of the best workmanship. 

Governor Mitchell, in his message to the Legislature, called attention 

to a revolution begun in East Florida during the month of March. The 

Island of Amelia, on the Florida coast, had become a den of smugglers 

who, under the protection of Spain, sought to evade the laws of the 

United States. Besides, lawless characters on the mainland in East 

Florida were giving the state much trouble, crossing into Georgia, burn 

ing houses, stealing articles of value, and carrying off live stock. 

To protect the endangered ocean front, Governor Mitchell called for 

10,000 troops. At the same time he purchased 500 stands of arms 

for equipping the militia on the exposed southern frontier. President 

Madison, in response to an importunate appeal, ordered United States 

troops to Georgia, to act in co-operation with state troops. Governor 

Mitchell was instructed to use all efforts within his power to induce the 

revolutionists in Florida to consent to annexation. Reaching St. 

Mary's, on the border, Governor Mitchell addressed a letter to the 

governor of East Florida, telling him that the Indians under his pro 

tection must return stolen property, that the smugglers must leave 

Amelia Island, and that all outrages must cease at once. To this letter 

the Spanish governor returned an insolent reply, which he proceeded to 

re-enforce by an effort to disperse the American troops; but he failed 

to dislodge them. Meanwhile, however, the revolution in East Florida 

had collapsed, and with it had dissolved all hope of annexation. 

Governor Mitehell was not unmindful of dangers on the north, and, 

while safeguarding the coast, he was also careful not to expose Georgia, 

without some preparation for resistance, to an Indian uprising, likely 

to occur at any moment. On the upper frontier, where a constant state 

of dread prevailed among the settlers, he erected stockade forts, at 

distances of sixty miles apart. Each of these forts was 100 feet 

square, guarded by two blockhouses and enclosed within a stockade 

eight feet in height. There were three of these forts in Twiggs County,


three in Telfair arid four in Pulaski—all on its exposed northern and 

western border. 

Depredations were constant. But the first real skirmish occurred 

at Burnt Corn in Lower Alabama, where the Creeks repulsed an attack 

of badly organized frontiersmen. 

Fort Minis, 011 the Alabama River, witnessed the first horrors of an 

Indian massacre. On August 30, 1813, a body of Creeks numbering 

1,000 warriors made a descent upon the fort at high noon. It was an 

unexpected assault and before the little garrison could barricade its 

doors the Indians were upon them, with the dreaded war-whoop. No 

quarter was given, and in less than half an hour there was scarcely a 

man left to tell the woeful tale. Over 300 lives were brutally sacrificed 

in this bloody carnival. All who took refuge within the stockade for 

protection, including many women and children, perished. Says a 

well-known historian: * 

"At Fort Mims, near the point where the Alabama and Tombigbee 

form the Mobile, five hundred and fifty-three men, women and children 

were pent up in an ill-planned enclosure, defended by a small force 

under an incompetent though courageous officer named Beasley. On 

the morning of August 30, 1813, Beasley was writing to his superior, 

General Claiborne, that he could hold the fort against any number of 

the enemy. At that very moment a thousand warriors lay hidden in a 

ravine but a few hundred yards from the open gate of the stockade. 

Their principal leader was William Weatherford, 'the Red Eagle,' a 

half-breed of much intelligence and dauntless courage. At noon, when 

the drums beat the garrison to dinner, the Indians rushed to the attack. 

At the end of the hot August day there remained of the fort but a smol 

dering heap of ruins, ghastly with human bodies. Only a handful of 

the inmates escaped to spread the horrible news among the terrified 

settlers. Swift runners set off eastward, westward, and northward, for 

help. A shudder ran over the whole country. The Southwest turned 

from the remoter events of the war in Canada to the disaster at home. 

'The Creeks!' 'Weatherford!' 'Fort Mims!' were the words on every 

body 's lips.'' 

But this affair at Fort Mims was only the signal for a general up 

rising among the Indians. Both the Creeks on the west and the Semi- 

noles oil the south were involved in this murderous conspiracy against 

the white settlements. To avenge the frightful holocaust at Fort Mims, 

a body of Georgia troops pursued the red-handed demons into the swamp 

arid for seven days, without food or shelter, camped in the depths of the 

wilderness, exposed to hidden perils. But the Indians escaped. 

Meanwhile, under a call from the secretary of war, 3,600 Georgia 

troops were mobilized at Fort Hawkins, on the Ocmulgec River, directly 

opposite the present C. r of Macon. This was the strongest fortification 

011 the exposed frontier. It had been constructed in 1806, under the 

personal supervision of Col. Benjamin ITawkins, the Indian agent 

for whom it was named. Gen. John Floyd was put in command of 

these militia troops, much to the disappointment, it is said, of Gen. 

John Clark, who aspired to this position. At the head of a column of 

'Life of Andrew Jackson," W. a. Brown, 48-49.


Mississippi settlers, re-enforced by friendly Choctaws, General Claiborne 

marched into the wilderness. From East Tennessee, a body of men 

commanded by Gen. John Cocke started toward the Alabama line. 

But there was still another army on the move. It was composed of rifle 

men from West Tennessee and at its head—his arm in a sling and his 

shoulder too weak to bear the weight of an epaulet—rode an intrepid 

Scotch-Irishman, lean and lank, destined within a few months to make 

himself known to all the civilized world—Gen. Andrew Jackson.

CHAPTER IV 

THE HOSTILE CREEKS OR RED STICKS PROVE WILY FOES—DIFFICULTY OF 

PENETRATING INTO AN UNFAMILIAR WILDERNESS REMOTE FROM ANY 

BASE OF SUPPLIES—WHILE THE WAR Is IN PROGRESS, JUDGE PETER 

EARLY SUCCEEDS GOVERNOR MITCHELL AT THE HELM—ON His OWN 

INITIATIVE, GOVERNOR EARLY ADVANCES MONEY TO MOVE THE IDLE 

TROOPS AT FORT HAWKINS—THIS PROMPT ACTION DEMANDED BY NE 

CESSITY AND JUSTIFIED BY RESULTS—GENERAL FLOYD CROSSES THE 

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER—FORT MITCHELL—THE BATTLE OF AUTOSSEE 

—GENERAL FLOYD WOUNDED—THE BATTLE OF CHALLIBEE—THE 

CREEK INDIANS SUBDUED—ON AUGUST 9, 1814, THE TREATY OF FORT 

JACKSON Is SIGNED—COL. DANIEL APPLING—His GALLANT EXPLOIT 

AT SANDY CREEK—THE STATE OF GEORGIA AWARDS HIM A SWORD— 

DYING WITHOUT HEIRS, THIS TROPHY Is PRESERVED BY THE STATE— 

GENERAL JACKSON NEXT CROSSES INTO FLORIDA—ON THE TERRITORY 

OF SPAIN, I-!E THROWS DIPLOMACY TO THE WINDS—INTERNATIONAL 

COMPLICATIONS—THE BLACKSIIEAR ROAD—JACKSON DRIVES THE 

BRITISH FROM PENSACOLA AND STARTS FOR NEW ORLEANS WHERE, ON 

JANUARY 8, 1815, HE WINS A GLORIOUS VICTORY OVER THE SEASONED 

VETERANS OF PACKENIIAM—SOME OF THESE AFTERWARDS FOUGHT 

UNDER WELLINGTON AT WATERLOO—MEANWHILE THE TREATY OF 

GHENT Is SIGNED—THE WAR ENDS. 

NOTE : THE DEATH OF CAPT. SAMUEL BUTTS. 

With determined frontiersmen organized under such leaders, tiie 

suppression of the Creek uprising was only a question of time; but 

the hostile Red Sticks were moved by a stern hatred of the whites. They 

possessed both courage and endurance and they knew every trail 

through the swamps. There were few of the settlers who had ventured 

far into this forbidden stretch of wilderness, occupied by the Creeks; 

and it was not an easy matter for an army to move through an 

unbroken forest. More than one victory was scored by the invading 

columns; but each of the leaders was in turn forced to make a hasty 

retreat to his base of supplies; and without decisive results the year 

1813 drew to an end. 

Meanwhile Governor Mitchell, having completed his second term of 

office, Judge Peter Early, formerly a member of Congress, afterwards 

a judge of the Ocmulgee Circuit, was called to the executive helm. 

Judge Early was a native of Virginia, On the floor of Congress he 

had displayed abilities of a high order, reflecting luster upon himself 

and upon the state of his adoption; but while a man of thought he was 

likewise a man of action. In his inaugural address, delivered Novem- 

466


ber 5, 1813, he took advanced position. Money was needed to relieve 

the embarrassment of General Floyd's army at Fort Hawkins. Energy 

and dispatch in all things were characteristic of General Floyd; but 

unfortunately it was not in his power to control the commissariat of the 

army—it could not march. Through default of the Federal Govern 

ment in supplying promised funds, a dangerous, perhaps a fatal delay 

was taking place; and in this emergency Governor Early did not wait 

for the Legislature to authorize a loan from the state treasury, but un 

dertook on his own initiative to advance a sum of money, for the return 

of which the good faith of a United States officer was pledged.* He 

knew how important it was< to Georgia to crush the Indian uprising and 

how essential it -was for an army to be supplied with funds when a crisis 

in its operations was at hand. Consequently he drew his warrant for 

$80,000. Some criticized him for advancing the money. It was thought 

that he was incurring too much risk, that the Union might dissolve while 

the war was in progress and the money be lost; but to this stricture he 

replied: t "I hope no such rupture will come but if it does I have no 

desire that Georgia should survive the general wreck." Happily the 

Union was not dissolved and the money advanced by Governor Early 

was returned. 

"With a part of the money advanced, General Floyd built a line of 

block houses from the Ocmulgee to the Alabama River, to protect the 

northern frontier of the state. On the west bank of the Chattahoochee, 

two miles below the present City of Columbus, he built a stronghold, 

which he called Fort Mitchell. 1 Leaving here a strong garrison, he 

then marched rapidly by night into the heart of the Creek country, mov 

ing toward Autossee, one of the largest towns of the Creek Nation, 

located on the left bank of the Tallapoosa River. Gen. William Mcln- 

tosh, a chief of the friendly Creeks, accompanied him on this expedi 

tion. At daybreak, on November 29, 1813, Autossee was reached. Here 

an engagement immediately occurred. Simultaneously a movement was 

directed against Tallassee; and before 9 o'clock the kings of both towns 

were numbered among the slain. Nothing was left of these Indian set 

tlements when General Floyd withdrew his troops. He then returned 

to Fort Mitchell. The expedition consumed seven days; and though pro 

vided with rations for a shorter period he had marched over 120 miles 

and had achieved two signal victories over the Creek Indians. 

General Floyd, enfeebled by wounds received in these engagements, 

remained at Fort Mitchell until after the Christmas holidays. But, in 

January, 1814, having heard rumors of a concentration of the Upper 

Creeks at a town of some importance called Hat-le-wau-le, he dispatched 

a force of 1,500 men to attack this place; and, after a hard fought 

battle designated by historians as the Battle of Challibee, the Indiana 

were dispersed. Capt. Samuel Butts, a gallant Georgian, was among 

the slain. Following this engagement, General Floyd was ordered to 

Savannah, where he remained until the close of the war, guarding the 

state's ocean front. 

* '' Men of Mark," I, p. 93.' 

t "History of Georgia," L. B. Evans, p. 176. 

t "Men of Mark in. Georgia," I, pp. 94-95.


However, General Jackson continued his operations in the territory 

of the Creek Nation. Advancing, in March, with strong re-enforce 

ments, he won a decisive victory over the Red Sticks at Horse-Shoe 

Bend, on the Tallapoosa River, sometimes referred to as the Battle of 

Topekah. Hundreds of the surviving Creeks fled across the Florida 

line and took refuge among the Seminoles. On August 9, 1814, the 

victorious Tennessean assembled at Fort Jackson the vanquished chiefs 

who still remained in Alabama and there dictated terms of peace to the 

Creek Nation. As a result, Georgia acquired, under the terms of this 

treaty, an extensive area of land south of the Altamaha River, reaching 

from the western boundaries of the old original County of Wayne to 

the 'banks of the Chattahoochee River. Out of this vast tract more than 

a score of counties were afterwards organized; but it was first opened 

to settlement under the Lottery of 1820. 

Col. Daniel Appling, a native Georgian and a graduate of West 

Point, achieved renown in a distant state during the War of 1812. As- 

soon as hostilities began, he received orders to repair to Sackett's Har 

bor, in New York. He hastened northward without delay; and, in the 

Battle of Sandy Creek, on May 30, 1814, achieved the gallant record 

upon which his fame as a soldier today rests. The following account 

has been preserved of Colonel Appling's part in this engagement:* 

"Captain Woolsey left the port of Oswcgo, on May 28, in charge 

of eighteen boats with naval stores, destined for Sackett's Harbor. He 

was accompanied by Captain Appling, with one hundred and thirty 

of the rifle regiment and about the same number of Indians. They 

reached Sandy Creek on the next day, where they were discovered by 

the British gun-boats, and in consequence entered the creek. The rifle 

men were immediately landed and, with the Indians, posted in an am 

buscade. The enemy ascended the creek; but, in an effort to land a 

detachment upon the banks, an unforeseen difficulty was encountered. 

The riflemen from where they were concealed suddenly confronted the 

new arrivals and poured so destructive a fire upon them that, in ten 

minutes they surrendered to the number of two hundred, including two 

post Captains and two Lieutenants. On the part of the Americans but 

one man was lost. Three gun-boats were captured, besides several small 

vessels and equipments. After this affair, Appling was breveted Lieu 

tenant-Colonel." 

There were several other engagements in which this distinguished 

officer figured with equal credit. At the close of the war he returned 

to Georgia; and on October 22, 1814, the General Assembly passed a 

resolution in which "the heroic exploits of the brave and gallant Lieu 

tenant-Colonel Daniel Appling" were commended in the most enthusi 

astic terms. At the same time, the governor was requested to have pur 

chased and presented to this native son an elegant sword suited to an 

officer of his grade. But Colonel Appling, on March 18, 1818, at Fort 

Montgomery, died of an attack of pleurisy, before the above resolution 

was carried into effect. He left no children. At the ensuing session 

•of the State Legislature, a resolution was passed in which the General 

Assembly of Georgia assumed the guardianship of the young officer's 

* "White's Statistics," pp. 106-107.


fame. It was ordered further that the sword be purchased at once and 

deposited for safe keeping in the executive chamber. This was done; 

and for more than fifty years it was one of the treasures of the state 

capitol. In 1880, during the administration of Governor McDaniel, 

the General Assembly made the Georgia Historical Society of Savan 

nah the custodian of this priceless heirloom. 

Having brought the Creeks to terms, General Jackson turned his 

eyes still further southward. We next find him at Mobile, awaiting an 

attack from the British. But the latter had crossed over into West 

Florida, then a territory of Spain and had reached Pensacola, a town 

which Jackson had already asked for permission to attack. In default 

of an answer from Washington, he now threw diplomacy to the winds 

and with 3,600 men stormed the town, expelled the British from Pensa 

cola and drove the Creeks and Seminoles into the neighboring swamps. 

To join General Jackson at Mobile the general government in Octo 

ber called on Georgia for 2,500 militia. These troops were ordered to 

meet at Fort Hawking and were put under command of Gen. John Mc- 

Intosh. From this body of troops, Brigadier-General Blackshear was 

detached at the head of a column to subdue an uprising of Seminoles 

on the Flint River. At the same time, General Mclntosh, with the re 

mainder of the militia started for Mobile, instructing General Black- 

shear to join him there; but on reaching his destination General Black- 

shear found that the Seminoles had been effectually subdued, that the 

British had been driven from Pensacola and that General Jackson, 

marching over land, was then en route to New Orleans there to meet 

the Red Coats of England upon arrival. General Blackshear was then 

ordered to join General Floyd in Savannah; and it was on this march 

across the state that he blazed the afterwards famous Blackshear Road. 

Word received from General Floyd stated that the British were 2,000) 

strong, had pillaged the Town of St. Mary's and had withdrawn to- 

Cumberland Island; but on General Blackshear's arrival no sign of the 

enemy was to be found. 

Jackson's arbitrary conduct in foreign territory belonging to ai 

power with which we were then at peace was about to result in censure' 

from the President when he transferred his forces to New Orleans, there- 

winning on January 8, 1815, over the seasoned veterans of Packenham, 

a victory which instantly restored his popularity and caused the cabi 

net to drop its consideration of drastic measures with respect to his con 

duct at Pensacola, The Treaty of Ghent had already been concluded! 

between the two nations at war when General Jackson fought the Battle' 

of New Orleans; but this fact did not lessen the brilliancy of a triumph! 

won by him over soldiers who had been trained under the Iron Duke- 

and who later in this same year were to stand among Wellington's con 

quering legions at Waterloo. 

On January 26, 1815, news of the Battle of New Orleans was brought 

to Fort Hawkins by an Indian runner from Mobile. General Black- 

shear, en route to Savannah, received the tidings on February 4th, and' 

in return sent a letter by courier to General Floyd telling him that in 

celebration of the victory nineteen guns were fired at Fort Hawkins.,


To the American frontiersmen who achieved this victory at New 

Orleans and to the gallant Tennessean who led them, we offer an admir 

ing salute, for these men of the forest, trained only in the backwoods of 

America, had vanquished an army of veterans, trained by the one man 

in all Europe who was soon to defeat the great Napoleon. 

DEATH OF'CAPT. SAMUEL BUTTS.—Capt. Samuel Butts was a gallant officer of'the 

state militia. He lost his life in the battle of Challibee, on. January 27, 1814, 

while leading a fearless charge against the Indians. It was during the second war 

for independence, when the savage tribes on the frontier, instigated by the British, 

rose in arms against the whites. Maj.-Gen. John Hoyd, at the head of the state 

troops, undertook to complete his victory over the Indians in the battle of Autogsee 

by penetrating into the country of the Upper Greeks. News came to him that certain 

bands of savages had fortified a town on the Tallapoosa River, in what is now the 

State of Alabama and he was. marching thither. When the troops halted for the 

night within fifteen or twenty miles of the town, they went into camp only to be 

aroused before daybreak by the unexpected appearance of the Indians. To quote a 

writer of the period: "The darkness of the hour, the covert afforded the Indians 

by a thick forest of pines, the total want of breastworks, the surprise which the first 

yell of the savages occasioned, and the estimated numerical superiority of the enemy's 

force, were well calculated to put the courage of the militia to a severe test; but not 

a platoon faltered. In less than fifteen minutes every hostile Indian but the dead 

and dying had fled from the battle field.'' Captain Butts fell, in the thickest of 

the fight, shot through the abdomen, and the country lost a gallant soldier and a true 

patriot. Captain Butts was a native of Virginia, in which state he was born on 

November 24, 1777. But he came to Georgia in early life, settling first in Hancock 

and then in Jasper. He was for some time engaged successfully in mercantile 

pursuits; and when, at the outbreak of hostilities, the Legislature of Georgia advanced 

a sum of money to General Floyd with which to purchase needed supplies for the 

army, he placed this sum in the hands of Captain Butts, who promptly executed the 

commission.—'' Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," L. L. Knight, 

Vol. I.

CHAPTER V 

GOVERNOR EARLY's FAREWELL MESSAGE Is SOON FOLLOWED BY His 

DEATH—DAVID B. MITCHELL Is RECALLED TO THE HELM—THE LEGIS 

LATURE ADOPTS A LIBERAL POLICY TOWARDS SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS AND 

INSTITUTIONS FOR THE UNFORTUNATE—THE STATE PENITENTIARY AT 

MlLLEDGEVILLE—GEORGIA'S PENAL CODE UNDERGOES A REVISION— 

TRADERS FORBIDDEN TO BRING NEGROES INTO THE STATE TO SELL— 

CRUEL TREATMENT OF SLAVES Is FORBIDDEN—THE PRESIDENTIAL 

CAMPAIGN OF 1816—DR. "W. W. BIBB RESIGNS THE TOGA—BECOMES 

GOVERNOR OF THE TERRITORY OF ALABAMA—His TRAGIC DEATH— 

COLONEL PICKETT'S PEN-PICTURE—GEORGE M. TROUP SUCCEEDS DR. 

BIBB—JOHN FORSYTH LATER SUCCEEDS MR. TROUP—MEMBERS OP 

CONGRESS DURING THIS PERIOD—THE DEATH OF COLONEL BENJAMIN 

HAWKINS—ONE OF THE NOBLEST CHARACTERS IN THE HISTORY OF 

OUR STATE—His SELF-IMMOLATION—INFLUENCE OF COLONEL HAWK- 

INS OVER THE INDIANS—BURIED AT THE OLD AGENCY ON THE FLINT 

RIVER. 

NOTE : FORT HAWKINS, THE CRADLE OF MACON. 

Governor Early, in his fare-will message to the General Assembly, 

on November 8, 1815, congratulated the state upon the prospect of set 

tled conditions, following the recent war with England, in which suc 

cess had perched upon the banners of America. But he counseled har 

mony in the deliberations of the Legislature, since at this time it was 

a matter of vital importance for the people to be united in the work of 

rehabilitation. Said he: "If peradventure matters of discussion should 

arise, in which different opinions should prevail, let not passion assume 

the empire of reason. The former is not the road which leads to the 

Temple of Truth." 

On retiring from office, Governor Early was immediately elected to 

the State Senate, in which body he w.as serving at the time of his death, 

on August 15, 1817. He died at the early age of fifty, at a time when 

the state was in sore need of his abilities. Governor Early was buried 

on a bluff", at Scull Shoals, overlooking the Oconee River. His grave 

was on a part of the old estate formerly owned by his father, Joel 

Early, known as Early's Manor, one of the handsomest estates in upper 

Georgia. In the course of time, however, the grave in which Governor 

Early was buried became enclosed in a horse and cow lot; and from 

this neglected spot it was finally exhumed in 1915 and reinterred in the 

cemetery at Greensboro, Georgia. Governor Early's brother, Eleazer, 

471


was the author of one of the first maps of Georgia, published some time 

in the '20s.* 

Governor Mitchell, on assuming office, found the commonwealth in, 

a greatly reduced condition, due to the ravages of war, but he applied 

himself with zeal to the work of rebuilding. On recommendation of 

Governor Mitchell, a liberal policy was adopted in support of schools, 

libraries, hospitals and institutions for the poor; and to all these causes 

the Legislature voted generous appropriations. The spirit of the great 

Oglethorpe himself seemed to inspire the legislation of this period; for 

in addition to various other measures of an eleemosynary character an 

act was passed requiring the master to support in comfort his infirm 

slaves and in the event of his failure to do so the inferior courts were 

authorized to sue for a just amount and to collect the same, "any law,, 

usage or custom to the contrary notwithstanding.'' t Four years prior 

to this time an act had been passed establishing a tribunal for the trial 

of slaves, under which act, all slaves committing offences were to be 

accorded a trial by jury, before inferior court judges. 

As we have already seen, the Legislature of 1803 provided for a 

state penitentiary to be established at the seat of government; and the 

buildings for this purpose having been completed the Penitentiary Act 

was approved December 19, 1816. This act remained in effect until the 

close of the Civil war, when the state penitentiary was destroyed and,, 

in its place, due largely to the exigencies of the times, arose the convict 

lease system. Georgia's Penal Code underwent a radical revision at 

this time to adapt it to changed conditions. Under the Penal Code of 

1816, traders were forbidden to bring negro slaves into the state to sell 

and anyone violating this provision was subject to imprisonment for 

three years, besides a fine of $500 for each negro. J It will be of interest 

in this connection to note what the Penal Code of 1816 says on this sub 

ject: "Offences Relative to Slaves." We quote the following para 

graph: "Any person except emigrants, bringing, importing or intro 

ducing into this state, by land or water, any slave or slaves, with intent 

to sell, transfer, or barter such slave or slaves, such person shall be 

guilty of a high misdemeanor and, on conviction, shall be punished to- 

pay a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars for each negro, and to 

undergo imprisonment in the penitentiary, at hard labor, for any period 

of time not less than one year nor longer than three years, as the jury 

may recommend; and the fact of offering for sale, transfer or barter, such 

slave or slaves, within the term of one year after the bringing into this 

state of such slave or slaves, shall be sufficient evidence of the intent of 

such importation or introduction (though no actual sale, barter or trans 

fer be made) ; and every person so concerned or interested in bringing, 

importing or introducing such slave or slaves, shall be equally guilty 

as the principal and, on conviction, shall suffer the same punishment as 

before prescribed.'' ** 

* Judge George Hillyer, of Atlanta, Georgia, a kinsman, was chiefly instrumental 

in the removal of Governor Early's body to the cemetery at Greensboro, Georgia. 

t ''Lamar 'a Compilation,'' p. 802. 

t "Lamar 'a Compilation," p. 608. 

** Ibid., p. 608.


Cruel treatment of slaves was also forbidden. Section 37 of the 

Penal Code of 1816 reads as follows: "Any owner or owners of a slave 

or slaves, who shall cruelly treat such slave or slaves, by unnecessary 

and excessive whippings, by withholding proper food and nourishment, 

by requiring greater labor from such slave or slaves than he, she, or 

they are able to perform, by not affording proper clothing, whereby the 

health of such slave or slaves may be injured or impaired; every such 

owner or owners shall, upon sufficient information being laid before the 

grand jury, be by said grand jury presented, whereupon it shall be the 

duty of the attorney or solicitor-general to prosecute said owner or 

owners who, on conviction, shall be sentenced to pay a fine at the dis 

cretion of the court, and also be imprisoned, if the jury trying the 

offender or offenders shall think proper to recommend that additional 

punishment.'' * 

Georgia's eight electoral votes in the presidential campaign of 1816 

were given to James Monroe, of Virginia, for President, and to Daniel 

D. Tompkins, of New York, for vice president. The following electors 

were chosen this year: from the state at large, David Adams and Charles 

Harris; district electors, John Mcliitosh, John Clark, Jared Irwin, John 

Rutherford, Henry Mitchell and David Meriwether.f 

On November 9, 1816, Dr. W. "W. Bibb, Georgia's junior senator, 

resigned the toga in great mortification of spirit. He had voted for an 

act increasing the salaries of congressmen; and because of a strong 

protest aroused throughout the country he felt that he could not longer 

retain his seat. But President Madison, in recognition of his conspicu 

ous abilities, appointed him governor of the Territory of Alabama. He 

was the only man to hold this office; and in 1819, when Alabama entered 

the Union, he was called by the spontaneous voice of the people to be 

the first governor of the new state. During a violent thunderstorm he 

was thrown from his horse, receiving injuries from which he died, at 

Fort Jackson, Alabama, July 9, 1820. He was succeeded in office by his 

brother Thomas, a coincidence rare in the history of politics. 

Col. Albert J. Pickett, the noted pioneer historian of Alabama, 

was personally well acquainted with Doctor Bibb whose characteristics 

of person and manner he describes as follows. Says he: " Governor 

Bibb was five feet ten inches in height, with an erect but delicate frame. 

He was exceedingly easy and graceful in his bearing. His face bore the 

marks of deep thought and great intelligence. His eyes, of a dark 

color, were mild but expressive. Whether thrown into the company of 

the rude or the refined, his language was pure and chaste. No one ever 

lived, either in Georgia or Alabama, who was treated with a greater 

degree of respect by all classes. This was owing to his high moral 

character, unsurpassed honor, excellent judgment, and a very high 

order of talents. Entirely free from those patronizing airs which char 

acterize many of our distinguished men, he invariably treated the hum 

blest citizen with courtesy and respect. He was, however, a man of 

firmness, swaying the minds of men with great success, and governing 

by seeming to obey. In reference to his Congressional career, we have 

* Ibid., p. 609. 

t '' Lanman 's Biographical Annals of the United States Government, pp. 518-519.


often heard from the lips of many of his distinguished contemporaries, 

that the practical order of his mind, the wisdom of his views, and the 

peculiar music of his voice, contributed to render him one of the most 

effective of speakers.'' 

The Legislature was in session when Doctor Bibb resigned his seat 

in the United States Senate; and to succeed him in this high office, 

George M. Troup, of Savannah, formerly a member of Congress, was 

elected. 

To the Fourteenth Congress (1815-1817) the following delegation 

had been chosen in the fall of 1814: Alfred Cuthbert, John Forsyth, 

Boiling Hall, Wilson Lumpkin, Thomas Telfair and Richard Henry 

Wilde. Messrs. Cuthbert, Forsyth and Lumpkin afterwards became 

United States senators. Richard Henry Wilde was a great literary 

genius of whom we shall later speak more at length. Boiling Hall 

removed to Alabama, after completing his term, and was not again 

identified with Georgia. Mr. Cuthbert resigned in 1816 and was suc 

ceeded by Zadoc Cook.* 

To the Fifteenth Congress (1817-1819) the following representatives 

were chosen in the fall of 1816: Joel Abbot, Thomas W. Cobb, Zadoc 

Cook, Joel Crawford, John Forsyth and Dr. William Terrell. 

Mr. Forsyth, before completing his term, was chosen to succeed 

George M. Troup, in the United States Senate, the latter having resigned 

the toga. Hon. Robert Raymond Read, of Augusta, was chosen to suc 

ceed Mr. Forsyth. 

On June 16, 1816, Georgia sustained a severe loss in the death of 

Col. Benjamin Hawkins, who, as Indian agent for the Federal Govern 

ment, had been a resident of Georgia for sixteen years, with head 

quarters first at Fort Hawkins, on the Ocmulgee, and afterwards at Fort 

Lawrence, on the Flint. Colonel Plawkins was a native of North Caro 

lina and a man of rare accomplishments. As early as 1780 the Tar Heel 

State commissioned him as general agent to obtain both at home and 

abroad all kinds of supplies for her troops. Successful in this trust, she 

sent him repeatedly to the Continental Congress; and, when North Caro 

lina, after some hesitation, entered the Union, under the new Federal 

Constitution, he became one of the state's first senators, serving from 

1789 to 1795. Washington's friendship for Colonel Hawkins was born 

amid the perilous days of the Revolution, when as a member of his staff 

the cultured North Carolinian had made his acquaintance with the 

French language of great help to Washington, in the latter's correspond 

ence with the French officers. There were few men in the army with the 

educational advantages of Colonel Hawkins. Reared in .affluence, he 

received instruction from the best tutors. But it was not alone the 

cultivated intellect but the robust character of Colonel Hawkins to which 

Washington was attracted; and for few men did he entertain .a warmer 

friendship or a more exalted admiration than he did for the gallant 

North Carolinian. 

It is somewhat anomalous that a man of such culture, equipped 

*"Biog. Cong. Directory, 1774-1911," p. 81.


to represent his country in the highest and noblest spheres of useful 

ness, should have found employment for his talents in a wilderness, 

among savage tribes. But whilst he was still a member of the Conti 

nental Congress, he had shown a peculiar fitness, a rare aptitude, for 

Indian negotiations; and in this connection let it be said that it required 

no ordinary gifts to meet the demands of such a service and to render 

justice alike to the white man and to the Indian. Nor was the life to 

which Colonel Hawking was called as Indian agent without its far-reach 

ing effect upon his country's political fortunes. At the close of the 

Revolution, the adjustment of relations with the various Indian tribes 

became a matter of the greatest interest; and Congress appointed Colonel 

Hawking one of the commissioners plenipotentiary to open friendly 

relations with the four great southern tribes, the Creeks, the Cherokees, 

the Choctaws, and the Chickasaws. With the last three tribes the com 

missioners succeeded in negotiating satisfactory treaties, whereby they 

placed themselves under the protection of the United States Govern 

ment and gave to Congress the sole power of regulating trade with them. 

The attempt to conciliate the Creeks, however, failed, due to entangle 

ment with Spain by virtue of the treaty of Pensacola and to difficulties 

with Georgia. Finally, however, in the treaty of New York, in 1790, 

by a master stroke of Washington, the Creeks put themselves in like 

relation to the Government. 

Thus it became a matter of the utmost importance to cultivate these 

Indians. Washington fixed his eyes on the long-known and well-tried 

North Carolina senator as the fittest man to take charge of the well ad 

vanced work of conciliation and to crown it by becoming the permanent 

agent. His family—one of the most influential and numerous in the 

state—opposed his accepting this appointment. Every inducement on 

the part of friends and relatives was brought to bear upon him in vain. 

He recognized in the appointment an imperative call of duty; and, like 

the great Hebrew law-giver, he put behind him the allurements of 

wealth and power and turned his face toward the wilderness. Nor was 

it his own flesh and blood whom he undertook to lead but an alien race 

of hostile savages. He looked upon the work as his mission. He gave 

to it the best there was in him. He not only accepted the appointment 

but he made its life-long duties a labor of love and a source of high 

moral and intellectual enjoyment. 

His master-stroke was the treaty of Coleraine, negotiated in 1796. 

It was the much-needed supplement to the treaty of New York and it 

laid the basis for happy and harmonious relations. He studied the 

country and the people and accomplished himself in all knowledge per 

taining to both; and here the advantages of early education bore fruit. 

He surrounded himself with books; and, in his self-decreed, official exile, 

he labored with his pen, telling posterity of the people among whom he 

lived. Most of his manuscripts perished in the burning of his home 

after his death; but enough were rescued to attest the importance of 

the work, and these have been confided to the Georgia Historical Society, 

in Savannah. Says Colonel Chappell: "The interest which they once 

excited has long since become extinct, with the melancholy fortunes


of the rude people to which they relate; yet it may be that, when ran 

sacked and studied hereafter, in distant times, they will furnish to some 

child of genius yet unborn both material and inspiration for an immortal 

Indian epic of which the world will not tire." 

Under the pro-consular sway of Colonel Hawking the Creek Indians 

for years enjoyed an unbroken peace among themselves and with the 

people of Georgia. Much was done to encourage them in the arts of 

civilization. They were taught pasturage and agriculture, and these 

supplanted in a measure dependence upon hunting and fishing as chief 

sources of food. He sought to win them by example as well as by pre 

cept. He brought his slaves from North Carolina, .and, under the right 

conceded to his office, he cultivated a large plantation at the agency, 

making immense crops, especially of corn. He also reared great herds 

of cattle and swine, and having thus ,an abundance he was enabled to 

practice habitually toward the Indians a profuse though coarse hos 

pitality and to bind them to him by loyal ties of friendship. The sanctity 

with which the Indians throughout the nation regarded his cattle was 

pronounced. "Whatever bore his mark or brand was absolutely safe. 

Milk was measured by barrels and churned by machinery, and great 

were the outcomes; yet not more than enough for his vast hospitality to 

whites and Indians and his regal munificence to his negroes. Says Col 

onel Chappell: '' Plad the great pastoral bards of antiquity not sung 

and died before his day they could have seized upon these scenes and 

celebrated them in strains more wonderful than anything to be found 

in the charming bucolics which they have left us." 

But at length there arose adverse influences so powerful that it was 

impossible for Colonel Hawkins with all his weight of authority among 

the Indians to maintain peace in the nation. The War of 1812 began 

to stir the embers. Great Britain, through her numerous emissaries 

among the Indians, by liberal supplies of arms, and by other means at 

her command, had been fomenting hostility among the northwestern 

tribes, toward the United States; and, succeeding along the border, she 

next directed her attention to the southern and western tribes. The 

eloquence of the famous Indian warrior Tecumseh was enlisted; and 

since he was himself of Creek lineage he succeeded in arousing the resi 

duum of suppressed enmity and in kindling the hostile fires. Still it 

speaks in attestation of the influence of Colonel Hawkins that a large 

portion of the Creek territory, viz., the rich domain between the Ocmul- 

gee and the Chattahoochee, was never the seat of war. 

This exemption was due to the fact that the official residence' of 

Colonel Hawkins, having been first on the Ocmnlgee, opposite Macon, 

and afterwards on the Flint at the place still called the "Old Agency," 

his personal influence was here much greater than further to the west ; 

and the Indians within this belt became the fast friends and allies of 

the whites. For the purpose of protecting them the friendly warriors 

organized themselves into a regiment of which Colonel Hawkins became 

the titular head but he never took the field in person, deeming it wiser 

to place the actual command upon the noble chief, "William Mclntosh. 

Like McGilliyray, the latter was only of the half-blood in the civilization 

of lineage but he was of the whole blood in the loftier and finer traits 

of character. The result was that the few hostile Indians scattered


throughout this belt merged themselves into the belligerent elements on 

the upper tributaries of the Alabama. There they stood at bay and 

fought and fell in many a battle under the blows of Old Hickory. 

Eventually in 1814, at -Fort Jackson, near the confluence of the Coosa 

and the Tallapoosa rivers, Jackson received the absolute surrender of 

the crushed nation. The spirit of the Creek Confederacy was broken. 

Colonel Hawking was profoundly saddened by the fate of those whom 

he had long cherished as his children. Undoubtedly it hastened his 

death. 

Even the three great friendly chiefs, Big Warrior, Little Prince, and 

General Mclntosh were cut to the heart by the stern demands from 

Washington City, dictating the terms of peace and marking the narrow 

bounds of the vanquished savages. How much was taken from them and 

how little was left to them, constitutes one of the most pathetic events 

in our Anglo-American and Indian annals. Big Warrior, regarded as 

one of Nature's great men, perhaps the ablest of Indian statesmen, up 

braided Colonel Hawkins for having persuaded him and 'so many of his 

chiefs to be neutral in the war against his people. For years after 

ward the. story used to be told of how the big tears stood in the eyes 

of the aged Indian agent as he listened in silence to a reproach which 

he did not deserve but which he was powerless to answer.* 

Buried on an eminence of land, overlooking the waters of the Flint, 

at the old Indian Agency, in Crawford County, Colonel Hawkins today 

sleeps in an unmarked grave; but steps have been taken looking toward 

the erection of a monument on this hallowed spot. For years the burial 

place of Colonel Hawkins was unknown. But recently, a gentleman, 

Mr. N. F. Walker, while strolling over his uncle's plantation, in Craw- 

ford County, chanced by the merest accident to come upon the old pa 

triot's grave. It was found in the midst of a clump of bushes. The walls 

of the tomb above ground had commenced to crumble and detached' 

brick lay in confused heaps upon the ground. The ravages of time, 

re-enforced by long neglect, had made it a pathetic spectacle; but the 

identity of the grave has been well established by evidence. Since the 

burial-place was discovered the Daughters of the Revolution have made 

it an object of reverent care; but the United States Government owes it 

to the memory of this pure patriot who, for the sake of his country, 

lived and died among the savage Indians, to erect above his ashes a 

monument which will serve to keep his name in green remembrance; and 

when the shaft is built let it contain an inscription similar to the one 

which follows: "Here lies the body of Colonel Benjamin Hawkins, a 

soldier of the Revolution, a friend of Washington, a Senator of the 

* Big Warrior was so named on account of his great size. Says Colonel Chappell: 

"He was the only corpulent full-blooded Indian I ever saw, yet he was not so corpu 

lent as to be unwieldly or ungainly. In fact, his corpulency added to the magnifi 

cence of his appearance. In person, he was to a high, degree grand and imposing. 

Tus-te-nug-gee Thluc-co was his Indian name. Colonel Hawkins first met him at 

Coleraine in 1796, and they were great friends down to the treaty of Fort Jackson. 

He was probably the most enlighted and civilized man of the full Indian blood 

which the Creek Nation ever produced. He cultivated a fine plantation, with seventy 

or eighty negroes, near Tuekabatehee, where he lived in a good house, furnished in a 

plain but civilized style, and was a man of wealth."


United States, a scholar and a man of letters. As a mediator of peace, 

in a time of great national peril, he abandoned the delights of civilized 

society and, for sixteen years, dwelt among savage tribes. To him be- 

Icngs the crown of life, for he was faithful even unto death." 

FOKT HAWKINS : 1806.—This frontier stronghold occupied the site of what is 

now East Macon. As soon as the lands lying between the Ocmulgee and the Oconee 

rivers were acquired by treaty from the Indians, a portion of the ground adjacent 

to the former stream and known as the Ocmulgee .old fields, was reserved by the 

general government for purposes of defense, and here in 1806 arose Fort Hawkins. 

It was named in honor of the famous Indian agent, Col. Benjamin Hawkins, who 

himself selected the site on an eminence near the river. One hundred acres were 

reserved for the fortifications which consisted of two large block houses surrounded 

by a strong stockade. It was built of posts of hewn timber fourteen feet long and 

fourteen inches thick, sunk in the ground four feet, and with port holes for muskets 

in alternate 1 posts. The area enclosed within the stockade numbered fourteen acres. 

According to Doctor Smith the area in question was an abode of the ancient Mound 

.Builders, a race concerning which there are only the vaguest traditions.* Either 

at or about the time of the erection of the fort there was also established in this 

immediate vicinity a trading post, around which in the course of time developed a 

village. The fact that it soon possessed two taverns and several stores is proof of 

the commercial activities which began at an early day to center at this-point. On 

Swift Creek, a small tributary of the Ocmulgee, Roger McCall and Harrison Smith, 

two sturdy pioneer settlers, built homes, the former erecting a sawmill near his place, 

from which he derived substantial profit. The settlement boasted a printing press 

owned by Simri Rose, from which the first newspaper published in Central Georgia 

was issued on March 16, 1823, called the Georgia Messenger. Here at Fort Hawkins, 

on the extreme western frontier of the white settlement, was to be found the nucleus 

of an important town long before the future metropolis, on the opposite side of the 

Oemulgee commenced to stir under the creative touch which 

'' gives to airy nothing 

A local habitation and a name." 

MACON: THE METROPOLIS OF MIDDLE GEORGIA.—But the doom of Port Hawkins 

• was sealed by the fates. In 1821, an extensive tract of land was obtained by treaty 

from the Creeks at Indian Springs. It included the fertile area between the 

Ocmulgee and the Flint rivers; and from this newly ceded domain was carved 

the County of Monroe. Besides embracing the territory on the west side of the 

Ocmulgee it was made to include Fort Hawkins, on the east side; and two years 

later the lower part of Monroe was organized into Bibb. Immediately there began 

to arise on the bluff opposite Fort Hawkins a town destined to supersede the latter. 

The situation was ideal. Commanding the head of navigation on the Ocmulgee, an 

extensive plain, luxuriantly wooded with oaks and poplars extended back to an 

amphitheatre of rugged hills. The town chosen as the county seat of the new 

county was called Macon, in honor of Nathaniel Macon, of North Carolina. Four 

acres were reserved for public buildings, while the area adjacent thereto was divided 

into forty town lots. 

FORT HAWKINS : THE CRADLE OP MACON.—One of the special features of the 

sixteenth annual conference of the State Daughters of the American Revolution in 

Macon was the unveiling by Nathaniel Macon Chapter of a handsome marble tablet 

on the site of old Fort Hawkins—the birthplace of the present City of Macon, 

and the most important stronghold on the Georgia frontier in pioneer days. Fol 

lowing an elegant repast at the Hotel Dempsey, over which the newly elected state 

regent, Mrs. T. C. Parker, most graciously presided, the visiting daughters and 

invited guests, promptly at 3 o 'clock, on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 17, 

1914, were conveyed in automobiles to the site of the old fort, some three-quarters 

* Dr. George G. Smith, in "Story of Georgia and the Georgia People," p. 536, 

Atlanta, 1900.


of a mile from the town center. It was vmdearneath a cloudless sky and on an 

afternoon balmy with the breath of opening spring-time that the following program 

was rendered: 

Invocation. 

Song, "The Red Old Hills of Georgia," by the school children. 

•Remarks by tlie state regent, Mrs. S. W. Foster, introducing the orator of the day. 

Address, by Hon. Lucian Lamar Knight. 

Song, "Georgia," by school children. 

Benediction, 

On an eminence overlooking the City of Macon and the sinuous bed of the Ocmul- 

gee Eiver, the site of old Fort Hawkins commands a prospect unsurpassed in the state 

for magnificence of view. But nothing today remains of the ancient stronghold 

which once stood upon these heights, except a few broken fragments of rock. The 

handsome memorial tablet is a work of art. Chiseled into the polished face of the 

tablet is a sculptured design of the old fort as it looked when first built in 1806, 

while underneath is inscribed in large letters: '' Fort Hawkins.''

CHAPTEE VI 

GOVERNOR MITCHELL APPOINTED TO SUCCEED COLONEL HAWKINS AS 

INDIAN AGENT—RESIGNS THE EXECUTIVE CHAIK—WILLIAM RABUN, 

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, TAKES THE OATH OF OFFICE AND Is 

SHORTLY THEREAFTER ELECTED BY THE LEGISLATURE FOE A FULL 

TERM—His ADMINISTRATION Is DISTURBED BY AN UPRISING OF THE 

SEMINOLES—KINSMEN OF THE GEORGIA CREEKS—THE WHOLE OF 

UPPER FLORIDA AN ASYLUM FOR LAWLESS CHARACTERS, RUNAWAY 

SLAVES, FREE-BOOTERS AND MURDERERS—THE SEMINOLES REFUSE TO 

SURRENDER THESE CRIMINALS TO THE GEORGIA AUTHORITIES—MAJOK- 

GENERAL GAINES, IN COMMAND OF A BODY OF UNITED STATES TROOPS, 

ARRIVES ON THE BORDER—BUT FINDS THE SITUATION DIFFICULT— 

His FORCE INADEQUATE—INDIANS ATTACK A PASSING BOAT—FORT 

SCOTT—FORT GAINES—GENERAL JACKSON EN ROUTE TO FLORIDA— 

DOES NOT STOP AT THE BORDER—INVADES THE TERRITORY OF A 

POWER WITH WHICH THIS COUNTRY Is AT PEACE—SACRIFICES 

DIPLOMACY TO THE STERN DEMANDS OF A CRITICAL SITUATION—EXE 

CUTES Two BRITISH SUBJECTS-—ARBUTHNOT AND AMBRISTER—MATTERS 

STILL FURTHER COMPLICATED—THE SECRETARY OF WAR FAVORS A 

COURT-MARTIAL—BUT JACKSON'S POPULARITY WITH THE MASSES Is 

INCREASED—IN THE END SPAIN CEDES FLORIDA TO THE UNITED 

STATES—GENERAL JACKSON'S MARCH THROUGH GEORGIA, KNOWN AS 

THE JACKSON TRAIL—PLACES AT WHICH HE STOPPED—CONTROVERSY 

BETWEEN GENERAL JACKSON AND GOVERNOR RABUN RELATIVE TO AN 

INDIAN VILLAGE, CHEHAW, DESTROYED BY STATE TROOPS—THIS VIL 

LAGE BELONGED TO A TRIBE OF FRIENDLY INDIANS—ITS DESTRUCTION 

A MOST UNFORTUNATE BLUNDER. 

To succeed Colonel Hawking as Indian agent for all the tribes south 

of the Ohio River, President Monroe appointed Governor David B. 

Mitchell, who was then occupying the executive chair. Governor 

Mitchell, on account of his long experience in dealing with the Indians, 

seemed to be the logical man for this important work; and, resigning the 

governorship, on November 4, 1817, he entered at once upon his duties 

as resident agent. William Rabun, president of the Senate, thereupon 

took the oath as governor and was duly elected within a few days there 

after by the Legislature for a full term of two years. 

Governor Rabun's administration was disturbed by a sanguinary 

uprising of the Seminoles on the state's southern border. These Indians 

were kinsmen of the Georgia Creeks, and for years they had been making 

predatory raids upon the property of settlers in the lower part of the 

state. Since the overthrow of the Creeks at Horse Shoe Bend, in 1814, 

when most of the scattered remnants took refuge among the Florida, 

480


Indians, these marauding expeditions had increased. In 1817 a band 

of Indians had stolen several hundred head of cattle from settlers in 

Camden, living just over the border line; and at Clarke's Mills, on the 

St. Mary's, some of these Indians, after murdering a woman and two 

children, had set fire to the dwelling and fled. 

But, in addition to this catalogue of complaints, the whole of upper 

Florida had become an asylum for lawless characters, runaway slaves, 

free-booters, murderers and criminals of every type, who, by crossing 

the border line into Florida—still a province of Spain—eluded the 

arresting officers. Efforts had been made to obtain a surrender of these 

criminals; but the Seminole Indians among whom they had taken-refuge 

refused to surrender them to the Federal authorities. Says Prof. 

Brown: * " Neg'ro slaves, escaping from American masters, had fled to 

the Spanish province in considerable numbers and a body of them had 

taken possession of a fort on the Appalachicola River, which had been 

abandoned by the British. To add to the disorder of the province, it 

was frequented by adventurers, some of them claiming to be there in 

order to lead a revolution against Spain, some of them probably mere 

free-booters. The Spanish authorities at Pensacola were too weak to 

control such a population, and Americans near the border were anxious 

for intervention. The negro fort was a center of lawlessness, and some 

American troops marched down the river, bombarded it, and by a lucky 

shot blew up its magazine and killed nearly 300 negroes. Trouble arose 

with the Indians also, and Fowltown, an Indian village, was taken and 

burned.'' 

According to this same authority, a British officer, Colonel Nichols, 

at the head of a small force, had remained in Florida for some time, 

following the close of hostilities with England, and had done a number 

of things to stir up the Indians there against the Americans across the 

border. Maj.-Gen. E. P. Gaines, in command of a body of United States 

troops, marched to the Flint River, under orders from General Jackson; 

and, on arriving there sent a friendly message to the Indian chief. But 

these overtures were treated with silent contempt. Thereupon a detach 

ment of troops was dispatched to the opposite side of the river, where 

a fusillade at once began, the Indians firing upon the soldiers, who, in 

turn, fired back, until the Indians, retreating,, fled into the interior. 

Four warriors were left behind on the field. Having resolved upon a 

pursuit of the savages, General Gaines ordered Colonel Arbuckle, with 

300 Georgia militia, to overtake the Indians. These, hiding themselves 

in the swamp, fired upon the Georgians, not one of whom, however, was 

hurt. But a subsequent ambush was more successful. At this time, 

1,000 Indians, under cover of the trees, attacked a passing boat, with the 

result that every man on board was either killed or taken prisoner. On 

one occasion the Indians penetrated as far as Fort Scott, where several 

persons were murdered, and it was even feared that the savages might 

try to reach Fort Gaines. Neither of these strongholds was any too 

securely garrisoned. General Gaines was a desperate fighter, but was 

not equal to the performance of miracles. His force was small and his 

supplies were limited. Altogether, the situation was ominous of danger. 

* "Life of Andrew Jackson," p. 89. 

Vol. I—SI'

482 GEORGIA-AND GEORGIANS 

But General Jackson himself was soon en route to Florida. Impa 

tient for an opportunity to drive out the Spanish, Jackson had written 

to President Monroe in 1817: "Let it be signified to me through any 

channel that the possession of Florida by the United States would be 

desirable and in sixty days it will be accomplished." * But when this 

letter came to hand, President Monroe was ill, and for some reason the 

general's letter was not answered for a year. Jackson, however, in some 

way, managed to get the impression that he was secretly, if not openly, 

supported by the authorities in Washington. His orders in 1818 were 

to take command in Georgia. But there loomed before the mind of 

General Jackson a more ambitious object. Accordingly, he began to 

move southward, bent not so much on subduing the Seminoles as on 

taking Florida from the Spaniards. 

Early in March, 1818, we find Jackson on the border. Though Flor- 

.ida was at this time a province of Spain, the Tenneseean did not hesitate 

to invade the territory of a power with which his own government was 

at peace. Nor did he stop short of reducing two of its most important 

towns, St. Mark's and Pensacola. His pretext was that the Seminoles 

had received aid from these towns, both of which were disturbing cen 

ters. To suppress lawlessness on the border, it was necessary to adopt 

vigorous measures; and there was no other way of getting at the root 

of the trouble, to General Jackson's mind at least, save in a sacrifice of 

diplomacy to the stern demands of a critical situation. Spain was 

unable to police her territory or to keep the Indians in control. Conse 

quently, there was only one alternative, if the Seminoles were to be 

crushed, viz., to invade Florida. While on the peninsula, Jackson or 

dered the execution of two British subjects, Alexander Arbuthnot and 

Robert Ambrister, both of whom were charged with inciting the Indians. 

There was no positive proof to this effect, but Jackson felt that he could 

not afford to take chances. Here he gave offense to another country with 

which we were then at peace—England. John Quincy Adams was the 

only member of President Monroe's cabinet who undertook to defend 

Jackson's course in Florida. All the others criticized it severely; and 

John C. Calhourt, the secretary of war, favored a court-martial. Em 

barrassing diplomatic entanglements, of course, followed Jackson's im 

petuous conduct; but in the end both England and Spain were quieted. 

There had been, in fact, but little fighting in Florida; what there was 

fell almost entirely to the friendly Indians, and not an American soldier 

was killed.! As a result of the first Serniriole war, Jackson was more 

than ever a popular hero; and there was little criticism of his conduct 

on the floor of Congress. Moreover, the Spanish government, finding 

the possession of Florida an embarrassment, under existing conditions, 

was willing to negotiate for its relinquishment; and, in 1819, as we 

shall see later, this rich peninsula was annexed to the United States. 

General Jackson's march through Georgia, en route to subdue the 

Florida Seminoles, has been the subject of much controversy and of no 

little erroneous speculation; but as traced by official documents on file 

in the War Department at Washington, the Jackson trail ran through 

* '' Life of Andrew Jackson," W. G. Brown, p. 90. 

t "Life of Andrew Jackson," W. G. Brown, p. 90.


the Cherokee nation down to Fort Hawking, on the edge of territory 

belonging to the Creeks, thence along the Ocmulgee River to Hartford, 

thence in a southeasterly direction to Fort Early, and thence in an 

almost direct line south to Fort Gadsden. Jackson left Nashville, Tenn., 

on January 20, 1818. He arrived at Fort Gadsden, on March 25, 1818. 

But the details of the journey are given more at length in the following 

extracts: * 

' JACKSON'S GEORGIA TBAIL 

Extracts from letters written by Gen. Andrew Jackson to the secre 

tary of war. State papers—Military affairs. 

"Nashville, Jan. 20, 1818.—I will leave this on the 22d instant for 

Fort Scott, via Fort Hawkins." 

"Fort Hawkins, Feb. 10th, 1818.—I reached this place last evening, 

when 1 learned, by sundry communications received from Brevet Major- 

General Gaines, that the Georgia militia, under General Glasscock, had 

all returned home, leaving the frontier in a very exposed situ 

ation." . . . 

"Hartford, Ga., Feb. 14th, 1818.—I arrived at this place on the 

evening of the 12th, and here met with General Gaines."... 

"Fort Early, Feb. 26, 1818.—The Georgia detachment marched from 

their encampment, near Hartford on the 19th instant. . . . The 

excessive rains have rendered the roads so bad that I ordered the troops, 

on their march here, to take their baggage on the wagon horses, and 

abandon the wagons; this facilitated their march to this place, which 

they reached today; and eleven hundred men are now here without a 

barrel of flour or bushel of corn." . . . 

"Fort Gadsden, March 25, 1818.—At seven o'clock p. m. on the 9th 

instant, I reached Fort Scott, with the brigade of Georgia militia nine 

hundred bayonets strong, and some of the friendly Creeks who had 

joined me on my march a few days before. ... I assumed the com- 

inancl on the morning of the 10th, ordered the live stock slaughtered and 

issued to the troops with one quart of corn to each man, and the line of 

inarch to be taken up at 12 meridian. Having to cross the Flint River, 

which was very high, combined with some neglect in returning the boats 

during a very dark night, I was unable to move from the opposite bank 

until nine o'clock on the morning of the llth, when I took up my line 

of march down the east bank of the river for this place. . . . On 

the morning of the 14th I ordered the boats down the river to this place, 

whilst I descended by land, and reached here without interruption, on 

the 16th." ... 

"By some strange fatality, unaccountable to me, the Tennessee vol 

unteers have not yet joined ine; they promptly left their homes, and 

through the inclement weather reached Fort Mitchell, where I ordered 

them supplies, and where Col. Hayne, who led them met my instructions 

to pass by Fort Gaines, where he would get a supply of corn that 

would enable him to reach Fort Scott; but the idea of starvation had 

stalked abroad, a panic seems to have spread itself everywhere, and 

he was told that they were starving at Fort Gaines and Fort Scott, and 

he was induced to pass into Georgia for supplies." . . . 

* Furnished by Mrs. John Statham Lowrey, State Historian, Daughters of the 

American Revolution, Dawson, Georgia.


Extract from James Gadsden's report (topographical engineer). 

"From Hartford Gen. Jackson moved with the Georgia brigade and 

was reinforced on his march to Fort Scott by about six hundred friendly 

Creeks." . . . 

The following information is the result of a search through .the 

Andrew Jackson papers in the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.: 

"On the evening of Feb. 4th, 1818, Jackson reached Jackson County, 

Ga. Feb. 9th p. m. he reached Fort Hawkins. Feb. 13th he was at 

Hartford. Feb. 20th he encamped at Creek, four miles south of Hart 

ford. Feb. 23d he was at Fort Early. Feb. 27th he was encamped 

at Creek one mile south of Fort Early. March 1st he encamped near 

the Chehaw village. On March 6th Colonel Arbuckle addressed a letter 

to Jackson at Chicasawhache, near Flint river. 

"On March 8th Arbuckle's letter to Jackson addresses him as near 

Ft. Hughes, Flint river." 

The above is the result of several years' research made by 

MBS. JOHN STATHAM LOWBEY, 

State Historian, D. A. R., 1914-1915. 

Itinerary, of General Jackson's Army, Captain Hugh Young 

(Assistant Topographical Engineer). 

"From Hartford to Fort Early. 

'' Hartford, in the present Pulaski county, on the Ocmulgee—not ford- 

able. Thence 3% miles to a creek. Crossed a small creek in the first 

mile. The creek at the end is a branch of the Ocmulgee. When we 

crossed it the water was greatly over the banks, presenting a river of 

150 yards in width, but in common stages is not more than 25 feet wide. 

"6% miles to an other creek. Cross a branch in the sixth mile. The 

creek at the end runs also at the foot of a flinty hill—it is fordable at 

common stages of water, but was over the south banks when we crossed 

and had to be bridged. 

"7% miles to a creek. A-reedy branch in the second mile—a small 

open branch in the sixth—neither of them difficult. 

"18i/2 Miles to Cedar Creek. 

"Ascending the dividing ridge between the gulf and Atlantic waters. 

. . . the road continues on the ridge two miles, it then crosses the 

hollows of Flint. From the ridge the route is through flat pine woods 

for six miles—crossing one small but miry creek—generally fordable. 

Thence to Cedar Creek—down which the road runs for three miles. 

Cedar Creek rises E. S. E. from Ft. Early and enters Flint six miles 

above the Fort. When we crossed it the rains had swelled it into a 

formidable river. Where the old road crosses it the swamp is almost 

impervious and the creek at high water impassable. But at the ford 

below the banks are open, and although miry, the army was enabled, 

by felling trees over the deeper parts of the stream, to cross in one 

night.


"6 Miles to Fort Early, . . . 

"Fort Early is situated on the east side of Flint River, on a high 

hill. The general course of the road from Hartford to Fort Early is 

S. S. to the distance of 41 miles. 

"From Fort Early to Fort Scott. 

''From Fort Early the path runs through sand and pine to the Flint 

which it intersects 4% miles below the F'ort, crossing a creek in the 

second mile and a small thickety branch % mile further—Thence to the 

crossing place. The Flint, at the ferry, is a hundred and eighty yards 

wide. From the crossing place the path goes up the river % mile to a 

place where the open pine woods is near the bank but separated from it 

by a bayou with a deep rapid current and a width of 20 yards. This 

had to be bridged. 

"From Flint to Chehaw Town, . . . 

"The Chehaw village was situated on Mucollee Creek eight miles 

from where it enters Flint. It consisted of 15 to 20 cabins with a large 

council house in the center which, on our arrival, was decorated with 

the white flag. 

"There are two bayous between the creek and high ground, one of 

which is not fordable in freshets. 5% miles to another large creek on 

which Canards village is situated 3*4 miles above the point where we 

crossed it. The creek is 90 ft. wide. From this point the route lies 

for 25 miles through the finest body of land I had seen since leaving 

Monticello, Ga. Foul Creek is three miles from Canards Creek. On 

the south side are the remains of an ancient and very large town, large 

trees are growing on innumerable little mounds disposed with some 

regularity and on which the houses were probably built 18 miles from 

Foul Creek there is a small Indian Village situated among some hand 

some branches and ponds with good land under cultivation. 

"Four miles from this point the fertile country terminates, thence 

G 1/^ miles to Echenoche Creek,—struck the creek 5 miles from its junc 

tion with the Flint—its general course S. 30 E. Echenoche, at the 

crossing place, is 87 ft. wide—water 22 ft. deep—in summer 5 or 6. 

In 4^2 miles the road crosses another creek, a branch of Echenoche, 

entering near its mouth. 

"It is one-third the size of the main stream—fordable. Struck the 

river 1% miles further, the road going down the last creek. From this 

point the route continues down the river—generally in sight of it to 

Fort Scott. The path intersects the road from Fort Hughes 9~y2 miles 

from Fort Scott. Fort Scott is situated on the west bank of Flint 8 

miles above the mouth of the Chattahoochee." 

NOTE.—This data was obtained from the "War Department at Wash 

ington, D. C. A photograph of the original copy of the "Itinerary" 

can be obtained from this department. 

MBS. JOHN STATHAM LOWBEY, 

Dawson, Ga. 

State Historian, D. A. R.


During the administration of Governor Rabun there arose quite a 

heated controversy between himself and Gen. Andrew Jackson, then in 

command of United States forces against the Florida Seminoles. An 

Indian village called Chehaw, in what is now the County of Lee, had been 

destroyed by Captain "Wright, a Georgia officer, in violation of orders 

from Governor Rabun; and, since the village had been promised protec 

tion by General Jackson on the ground of friendship for the whites, the 

latter wrote an offensive letter to Governor Rabun holding him to 

account for the affair; but Governor Rabun, who was in no wise to 

blame for the unfortunate blunder of Captain Wright, scathingly replied 

to General Jackson, giving him a dose of the King's English, which he 

vividly recalled thirty years later when an old man. Autograph letters 

containing the whole correspondence are today in the possession of Mrs. 

Governor AVilliam J. Northen, a relative. Before completing his term of 

office, Governor Rabun. was seized with a malady which terminated 

his life while an occupant of the executive mansion. 

Near the present Town of Leesburg may be found what time has 

spared of this once populous Indian community, reckoned at one time 

among the six most important towns of the powerful confederacy of 

Creeks. It was called by the Indians Chc-haw or Che-raw, while an 

other name for it was Au-muc-cul-la. The site of this old Indian town 

was formerly marked by an immense live-oak, which is said to have been 

nine feet in diameter and to have measured 120 feet from tip to tip. 

The tree fell to the ground years ago but the spot on which it grew is 

still clearly defined by a circle of oaks which have sprung from the 

acorns. Under it the Indians held council-meetings. 

There is also a tradition to the effect that the first session of the 

Superior Court in the newly created County of Lee was held under 

this forest giant. 

Forty Indian warriors from Cheraw were in Andrew Jackson's army, 

and when the great soldier was en route to jFlorida during the Seminole 

war he stopped at this Indian village. Cheraw supplied the army with 

provisions. It also cared for the sick and wounded. Consequently when 

the town was wantonly and cruelly destroyed by a force of Georgia troops, 

under Captain Wright, on April 23, 1818, there followed a great revul 

sion of public sentiment. The enormity of the offense was pronounced 

at the time to be without a parallel in the annals of war. It also gave 

rise to a spirited controversy between Gen. Andrew Jackson and Gover 

nor AVilliam Rabun. 

But the old Indian settlement has not- been forgotten. The fidelity 

of the loyal tribe of red men who perished here has been memorialized 

by a handsome granite boulder, erected on the site of the old Indian 

village.* 

On September 23, 1818, George M. Troup, whose health had been 

none too good since assuming the toga, relinquished his seat in the 

United States Senate, and was succeeded by Hon. John Forsyth, of 

Augusta, then a member of Congress. Mr. Forsyth was succeeded by 

Hon. Robert Raymond Reid, a fellow-townsman. 

* The plot of ground on which the boulder stands was donated by the owner, 

Mrs. 0. M. Heath. On June 14, 1912, with impressive ceremonies, the boulder was 

unveiled by the Council of Safety Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 

of Arnericus, Georgia.

CHAPTER VII 

FLORIDA'S PURCHASE PROM SPAIN NEGOTIATED BY JOHN FORSYTE, OF 

GEORGIA, WHO RESIGNS His SEAT IN THE FEDERAL SENATE TO ACCEPT 

AN APPOINTMENT TO MADRID—MAJ. FREEMAN WALKER SUCCEEDS 

MR. FORSYTH—AT THE SAME TIME, JOHN ELLIOTT Is CHOSEN AS 

JUDGE TAIT'S SUCCESSOR—GEN. ANDREW JACKSON, THE FIRST TERRI 

TORIAL GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA—INDIAN CESSIONS—AN EXTENSIVE 

AREA, IN Two PARCELS, Is CEDED BY THE CREEKS IN 1818—Two. 

LARGE BODIES OF LAND ACQUIRED FROM THE CHEROKEES IN 1817 AND 

1819—SETTLED UNDER THE LOTTERY ACT OF 1820—OUT OF THE 

CHEROKEE LANDS FIVE COUNTIES ARE FORMED : WALTON, GWIN- 

NETT, HALL, HABERSHAM AND RABUN—OUT OF THE CREEK LANDS 

THREE COUNTIES ARE FORMED : EARLY, APPLING AND IRWIN—COM 

MISSIONERS SUCCEED IN RUNNING A BOUNDARY LINE BETWEEN TEN 

NESSEE AND GEORGIA—WILSON LUMPKIN RUNS THE FLORIDA LINE— 

LIGHT HORSE HARRY LEE DIES AWHILE ON A VISIT TO DUNGENESS ON 

CUMBERLAND ISLAND—His LAST DAYS—AN ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER— 

BURIED AT DUNGENESS, His BODY WAS EXHUMED NINETY-FIVE YEARS 

LATER AND TAKEN TO VIRGINIA FOR REINTERMENT.—THERE LAID TO 

REST BESIDE His RENOWNED SON, ROBERT E. LEE—DR. MOSES 

WADDELL BECOMES PRESIDENT OF FRANKLIN COLLEGE—THE FORTUNES 

OF THIS INSTITUTION AT A Low EBB UNTIL DR. WADDELL ARRIVES— 

His CAREER AS AN EDUCATOR—THE STEAMSHIP SAVANNAH CROSSES 

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IN 1819, ESTABLISHING A WORLD'S RECORD— 

DEATH OF GOVERNOR RABUN WHILE OCCUPYING THE EXECUTIVE 

CHAIR—PRESIDENT MATHEW TALBOT, OF THE STATE SENATE, SUC 

CEEDS HIM UNTIL THE LEGISLATURE ELECTS JOHN CLARK. 

Florida continued to be a thorn in Georgia's side, despite the pacifi 

cation of the Semiiioles, until 1819, when the entire peninsula was 

acquired from Spain at a cost of $5,000,000. John Forsyth, of Georgia, 

negotiated this purchase, under an appointment from President Monroe. 

Though he had just taken his seat in the United States Senate, he 

promptly relinquished the toga to become minister to Spain, primarily 

for the purpose of negotiating this treaty of cession. He remained at 

Madrid until 1821. As a diplomat, Mr. Forsyth possessed few equals; 

and it was due largely to the skill with which he handled the delicate 

issues involved in this treaty with Spain that he subsequently held the 

office of secretary of state under two separate administrations. 

To succeed Mr. Forsyth as United States senator, the Legislature 

elected Maj. Freeman Walker, of Augusta. At the same time, Hon. 

John Elliott, of Sunbury. was chosen to succeed Hon. Charles Tait, 

whose term of office as United States senator expired in 1819. 

487


On the annexation of Florida to the United States in 1821, President 

Monroe commissioned Gen. Andrew Jackson as its first territorial gov 

ernor. Jackson was the man to organize a stable government in Florida. 

Moreover, the demands of poetic justice were satisfied by his appoint 

ment; for whatever may be said in criticism of his course in 1818, it 

was largely due to the drastic measures which he then adopted that 

Spain was willing to relinquish the peninsula. 

Governor Rabun's administration was signalized by important ces 

sions of land obtained from the Indians. Great dissatisfaction having been 

caused by the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814, due to its lack of result 

ing benefits to Georgia, the government finally induced the Creeks, under 

a treaty negotiated at the Creek Agency, January 22, 1818, to relinquish 

1,500,000 acres of land, in two parcels, one between the Appalachee and 

the Chattahoochee, out of which Gwinnett and Walton counties were 

formed; the other constituting a neck of land between the Altamaha 

River and the northern boundary of the cession of 1814.- 

Two large bodies of land were also acquired from the Cherokees. In 

1817 these Indians ceded to the United States Government all the lands 

owned by them in Georgia east of the Chattahoochee River, out of which 

were organized the counties of Hall and Habersham. In 1819, the 

Cherokees made another cession, this time conveying a body of land 

between the Chestatee and the Chattahoochee rivers, out of which Rabun 

County was organized. 

All the lands acquired from the Indians since the Treaty of Fort 

Jackson in 1814, including the two cessions above mentioned from the 

Cherokees, were distributed under the Lottery Act of 1820. Out of the 

Cherokee lands five counties were organized, to wit: Walton, Gwin 

nett, Hall, Habersham and Rabun. Out of the Creek lands three coun 

ties were formed, to wit: Early, Appling and Irwin, but these counties 

as originally formed were of vast area, and out of them other counties 

were eventually created. Under the lottery of 1820 the lands of 

Telfair County, in what was formerly a part of Wilkinson, were also 

distributed.* 

Commissioners from Georgia and Tennessee met in 1818, at a point 

on Nickajack Creek, in the northwestern angle of the state, and, after 

several weeks, succeeded in running a boundary line to the satisfaction 

of all parties. 

During this same year, the boundary line between Georgia and Flor 

ida was surveyed by Wilson Lumpkin. 

On March 25, 1818, while visiting friends at Dungeness, on Cumber 

land Island, Gen. Henry Lee, the illustrious "Light-Horse Harry" of 

the Revolution, breathed his last, after a lingering illness of several 

weeks. General Lee was easily the foremost officer of cavalry in the 

first war for independence; and to his gallant blade Georgia owes a debt 

of gratitude which two centuries have not extinguished. At the head of 

an independent legion lie took part in the siege of Augusta and became 

an important factor, under General Greene, in the final expulsion of the 

British from Georgia soil. Later he wrote an exhaustive account of his 

operations in the Southern Department, a work of great value to his- 

'Prince's Digest," p. 550.

DUNGENESS: ON THE SlTE OF GEN. NATHANAEL GBEENE'S Ol/D HOME PLACE STANDS 

THE PBESENT HANDSOME CARNEGIE MANSION 

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torians, comprised in two rich volumes. He also became governor of the 

State of Virginia; and, on the death of Washington, pronounced upon 

his silent commander-in-chief the famous eulogium: '' First in war, first 

in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." * 

While taking the part of a friend, whom he was visiting at the time, 

in Baltimore, General Lee received injuries from the effects of which 

he never recovered. The circumstances which culminated in this tragic 

affair were as follows: "In the stirring times of 18l2, Alexander Contee 

Hanson, editor of the Federal Republican, strongly opposed the declara 

tion of war against England. Feeling ran so high among the war party 

that the newspaper office was attacked and the editors driven to George 

town. Later Hanson determined to return, and was accompanied by 

General Lee and other friends who volunteered to defend him. The 

residence leased by him in Baltimore was attacked, and to save the occu 

pants from murder the authorities placed them in the old city jail for 

protection. But the rioters forced themselves into the jail, attacking 

Hanson, General Lee, and seven others in the party. They were beaten, 

mutilated, and according to an account in Scharf's history, were thrown 

down the steps of the jail, where they lay in a heap for three hours. 

General Lee's constitution was wrecked." In the hope of regaining his 

health, the old soldier embarked for the West Indies, where he remained 

for something over four years; and it was while en route back to his 

home in Virginia that he was put ashore at Cumberland Island. 

General Lee did not expect to find here his old comrade-in-arms. The 

latter died at Mulberry Grove, near Savannah, more than thirty years 

prior to the time of General Lee's visit. The widow Greene, who after 

wards married Phineas Miller, was likewise in her grave. But there 

was living at Dungeness a daughter, Mrs. Louisa Shaw, by whom the 

old invalid was most graciously and gladly received; and here he re 

mained until the death angel released him from his sufferings. For the 

account which follows of the last moments of the old hero, we are 

indebted in the main to Col. Charles C. Jones, Jr., of Augusta, who 

obtained from an eye-witness, Mr. Phineas M. Nightingale, a recital of 

the facts. Mr. Nightingale was a grandson of General Greene and a 

member of the household at the time of General Lee's sojourn on the 

island. The story, with additional particulars gathered from other 

sources, is as follows: 

When the second war with England began, "Light-Horse Harry" 

Lee—the foremost survivor of the first struggle for independence— 

found himself an invalid, nursing an old wound. Thus prevented by 

physical disabilities from assuming an active command in the renewed 

contest, his disappointment only served to aggravate his condition. He 

chafed under this restraint; and, in the hope that a change of climate 

might restore his failing health he sailed in 1813 for the West Indies. 

It was the cherished ptirpose of the soldier, while in retirement, to 

revise his "Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department" and to 

prepare biographies of his two beloved commanders—Greene and Wash- 

* " To the memory of the man, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts 

of his countrymen.'' Eulogy on "Washington, December 26, 1799.


ington. Says Colonel Jones: * "It will ever be a matter of regret that 

he failed to compass the execution of this plan. To his Memoirs he 

would doubtless have imparted additional value and interest, but in 

their present form they possess the highest merit and constitute the 

best military record we possess of the heroic memories embraced within 

their scope. Lives of Washington and Greene have been carefully stud 

ied and well written; but for one I freely confess to the firm conviction 

that biographies of these heroes by their gifted and eloquent compatriot 

and friend would have far surpassed all others.'' More than four years 

were spent by General Lee in the mild climate of the sub-tropics. But 

the benefit which he derived from his long sojourn was only temporary • 

and he could do no writing while he here lingered among the ocean 

breezes. At length it became evident to the wan sufferer that the end 

was near at hand. Accordingly, toward the close of the month of 

January, 1818, he took passage in a schooner bound from Nassau to 

Boston, the captain—who proved to be also the owner of the vessel— 

agreeing to put him ashore at the south end of Cumberland Island. 

For this service the captain refused to accept compensation, esteeming 

it a privilege "to minister to the comfort and to respond to'the wishes 

of so distinguished a hero of the Revolution." 

It was early in the month of February, 1818, when, toward the hour 

of 4 o'clock in the afternoon, a grandson of General Greene, a lad some 

fifteen years old, who was amusing himself with boyish sports near the 

water front, observed a schooner which seemed to be approaching 

the private docks of Dungeness. Before reaching the wharf, however, 

the schooner came to anchor in the middle of the narrow channel, and a 

boat was lowered, into which a feeble old man was assisted by the captain 

and mate, who took seats beside him, and together they were rowed 

ashore by two sailors. The youth hastened forward to ascertain the 

object of this unexpected visit and to welcome the guest. General Lee 

• was tenderly lifted from the boat and brought ashore by the officers. 

He was plainly, almost scantily, attired. The sailors placed upon the 

wharf an old hair trunk in a dilapidated condition and a cask of Madeira 

wine. General Lee brought no other baggage with him. Beckoning 

the youth to his side, he inquired his name. Learning that he was a 

grandson of his old war comrade and that Mrs. Shaw was at home, the 

, strange visitor threw his arms lovingly around the lad, who, without 

knowing what it meant, returned the old hero's warm embrace. Then 

leaning heavily upon the stout arm of the youth, General Lee walked 

a short distance from the landing and sat upon a log, overcome by ex 

haustion. Too weak to proceed further, he bade the boy run at once 

to the house and to say to his aunt that an old friend and comrade 

of her father's—General Lee—was at the wharf and wished the car 

riage to be sent for him. "Tell her," he added, "that I am come pur 

posely to die in the house and in the arms of the daughter of my old 

friend and companion." 

* "Reminiscences of the Last Days, Death and Burial of General Henry Lee," by 

Charles C. Jones, Jr., Albany, New York, 1870.


Leaving the old hero seated upon the log, young Phineas Nightin 

gale—for this was the lad's name—hastened to the mansion, communi 

cated the fact of General Lee's arrival and delivered his message to the 

mistress of Dungeness. .The carriage was immediately sent to the land 

ing and in it General Lee and his little friend rode leisurely up together. 

When they arrived at the house, the old soldier was so weak that he 

had to be assisted both in getting out of the carriage and in ascending 

the steps. Having received a most cordial welcome from the Shaws he 

excused himself at once and retired to his room. Such was his extreme 

feebleness that he remained a recluse, emerging but once a day, and 

then only for a short walk in the garden. On these outdoor excursions 

he always sent for young Nightingale to accompany him. It was seldom 

that he dined with the family, his meals as a rule being served in his 

room. At last he was unable to partake of his customary stroll in the 

open air, and the painful- realization of the fact that he was a prisoner 

told unhappily upon the sensitive nerves of the high strung old aristocrat. 

There happened to be at this time in the harbor to the south of the 

island—pending negotiations for the annexation of Florida—a number 

of naval ships; while at Fernandina, on the Florida coast, there was 

stationed a land force. The officers in both departments of the service 

called in a body upon the distinguished guest. But as a rule, General 

Lee wished no one to enter his room. At times he suffered paroxysms 

of extreme agony and when these occurred at short intervals his exhi 

bitions of mingled rage and anguish were often something fearful to 

behold. To quote Colonel Jones, "it was the strong man wrestling with 

the frailties of the falling tabernacle—the brave heart chafing under 

the decadence of physical powers—the caged and wounded eagle beating 

against the prison bars and longing for the sunlight and free air, the 

lordly plumage and sturdy pinions of former days.'' At such times his 

groans would fill the house and wring the hearts of the anxious friends 

who watched at the bedside of the sufferer. Many of the important 

remedies which modern ingenuity and professional skill have since con 

trived were then unknown and the patient languished amid physical 

tortures which medical science, at a later period, might have materially 

mitigated. 

During his illness, the old hero was constantly attended by two 

of the best surgeons of the fleet. 

Some of the incidents which occurred at this time would be really 

amusing if they were not at the same time deeply pathetic. In moments 

of supreme agony, losing his self-control, General Lee would some 

times drive the servants from his presence and never afterward permit 

them to enter his room. At length an old domestic, formerly Mrs. 

Greene's favorite maid, was selected to wait upon General Lee. She 

was an esteemed and privileged family servant. But the first thing the 

old soldier did when she entered the apartment was to hurl his boot 

at her head and to order her out instanter. Entirely unused to such 

treatment, the negress, without saying a word, deliberately picked up the 

boot and threw it back at General Lee. The effect produced by this 

strange and unexpected retort was instantaneous. The features of the


stern old warrior -relaxed. In the midst of his pain and anguish a 

smile passed over his countenance, and from that moment until the day 

of his death he would permit no one except "Mom Sarah" to minister 

to his wants. 

General Lee's sojourn at Dungeness lasted two months. He breathed 

his .last on March 25, 1818, and was laid to rest in Georgia's bosom. 

As soon as the fact of his demise was made known, all the vessels in 

Cumberland Sound displayed colors at half mast. The funeral was 

attended by army and navy officers who were on duty at the mouth of 

the St. Mary's River, and by detachments from both wings of the coast 

defence. Minute-guns were fired from the flagship—the John Adams— 

while the body was being lowered into the tomb and at the close of the 

services at the grave, a salute was fired. Nothing was omitted in the 

way of formal honors, to show a nation's sorrow for the loss of an illus 

trious soldier and patriot. Sometime in the early '30s, two marble 

slabs, one to be put at the head and the other at the foot of the grave, 

were sent to Dungeness by Major Lee, the old hero's eldest son; and they 

were at once placed in position by Mr. Nightingale over the last resting 

place of "Light Horse Harry." 

Prior to the Civil war, the question of the removal of General Lee's 

body to Virginia, the state of his birth, was discussed by the Legislature 

in session at Richmond and commissioners to superintend the execution 

of the trust were duly .appointed. But the outbreak of hostilities shortly 

ensued; and nothing further could be done at this time. For years 

.after the war, the state was too harrassed by debt and too exhausted 

by the ravages of conflict, to undertake this labor of love. But in 1912 

another movement looking toward the transfer of the old soldier's body 

to Virginia was successfully launched, and within a few months there 

after the remains of "Light-Horse Harry" Lee., after having reposed 

for nearly a century in Georgia soil, were taken to Lexington, Virginia, 

there to repose in the chapel of Washington and Lee University beside 

the ashes of an illustrious son, Robert E. Lee. 

Difficulties of various kinds beset the early growth of Franklin Col 

lege. But the year 1819 marked a new era in the fortunes of this insti 

tution. Dr. Moses Waddell was in the summer of this year called by 

the board of trustees to take the presidency of Franklin College. Accept 

ing the board's invitation, Doctor Waddell removed at once to Athens, re 

linquishing his school in'the upper part of South Carolina. Before com 

ing to Athens, he had taught with great success and was considered one 

of the foremost educators of his day. His pupils included such men 

of eminence as John C. Calhoun, William H. Crawford, George McDuffie, 

Hugh S. Legare. Instantly the waning pulse-beat of Franklin College 

began to revive. New life was infused into the institution. • Doctor 

Waddell reorganized its faculty, raised its curriculum, increased its roll 

of students, and made it the crowning glory of a life already illustri 

ous with honor and usefulness. 

Georgia, as we have already seen, in the experiments of William 

Longstreet on the Savannah River, was a pioneer in applying steam as a


motive-power to navigation. Our state has never been given due credit 

for these experiments; but to the merchants of Savannah belongs an 

undisputed honor: that of having built the first steamboat to cross the 

Atlantic Ocean. On December 19, 1818, an act of the Legislature was 

approved by Governor Rabun, incorporating' "The Savannah Steam 

ship Company," composed of the following charter members: William 

Scarborough, A. B. Fannin, J. P. McKinnie, Samuel Howard, Charles 

Howard, John Haslett, Moses Rodgers, A. S. Bulloch, John Bogue, An 

drew Low & Co., Robert Isaacs, J. Minis, S. C. Dunning, J. P. Henry, 

John Speakman, Robert Mitchell, R. and J. Habersham, James S. Bulloch, 

Gideon Pott, "W. S. Gillett and Samuel Yates.* At a subsequent meeting 

of the stockholders, on February 25, 1819, the following persons were 

elected directors: William Scarborough, Robert Isaacs, S. C. Dunning, 

James S. Bulloch and Joseph Habersham. There was a ready sale for the 

shares of the company, due to the well-known character and high stand 

ing of the incorporators. Potts and McKinnie, of New York, were 

selected- by the company as agents to superintend the work of construc 

tion. It was strictly an American product. The hull of the vessel was 

built in New York, while the machinery was cast at Elizabeth, New Jer 

sey. Early in the spring of 1819, the City of Savannah, with streamers 

afloat, slipped from her moorings. 

Says a well-known writer: f On March 28, she. made her trial trip 

from New York to Savannah, receiving a most enthusiastic reception 

from hundreds of citizens, assembled upon the wharves to welcome her. t 

The vessel was commanded by Capt. Moses Rodgers, an experienced 

engineer. On May 20th, she sailed for Liverpool, according to the adver 

tisements, in ballast, without, however, any passengers. Just one month 

later she came to anchor in the harbor of Liverpool. The paddles were 

so made that they could be removed from the shaft, without difficulty, 

in twenty minutes. Approaching Liverpool, they were used with spec 

tacular effect to awe the British onlookers. With her sails set and her 

wheels plying, she steamed into the Mersey, "proud as any princess 

going to her coronation." 

Remaining in Liverpool for a month, visited by thousands, she then 

continued her way to St. Petersburg, where Captain Rodgers, with his 

novel craft, was received with every mark of respect and admiration. 

The 20th of November of the same year found her steaming into the port 

whose name she bore, with neither a screw, bolt, or rope-yard parted, 

according to her proud commander, notwithstanding much rough weather 

experienced. Later sold to a company of New York merchants, and 

divested of her steam apparatus, she was converted into a sailing packet 

between Savannah and New York, and was finally lost off the coast of 

Long Island. Unfortunately, as a financial venture, she was fifteen 

* "Lamar's Digest," page 523. 

t In the spring of 1819, President James Monroe visited Savannah, where he was 

en^tained by William Scarborough, at his palatial home on West Broad Street. 

For more than fifty years the handsome residence bore the marks of its former 

grandeur, but it was finally converted into a school for colored children. Mr. Monroe 

was present at the dedicatory exercises of the Independent Presbyterian Church. He 

also made a trip to Tybee, on fhe new steamship, the "City of Savannah."


years in advance of the times. In 1856, upon the opening of the Crystal 

Palace in London, the Allaire Works, in New York, exhibited the identi 

cal cylinder of the old steamship, the City of Savannah. The only 

known part of the steamship in existence, it is now on exhibition in the 

Crystal Palace, where the Savannah's log-book is also to be seen. 

Governor Rabuu, while intent upon the discharge of his duties as 

chief executive, was seized with a fatal illness, and, on October 24, 1819, 

at the executive mansion in Milledgeville, breathed his last. He was 

buried at his old home near Powellton, Georgia. The funeral of Gov 

ernor Rabun was preached by the distinguished Jesse Mercer. It was a 

MOUNT. PLEASANT 

The Old Home of Governor Talbot 

time when partisan politics invaded even the sanctity of the pulpit, and 

the good old doctor, in performing the last sad rites over the ashes of 

his friend, could not refrain from taking a shot at his enemies. Governor 

Rabun was a devout Baptist; and once each month, while governor, he 

went from Milledgeville to Powellton, to discharge his duties as clerk 

of the little country church to which he belonged. Matthew Talbot, who 

was president of the Senate at the time of Governor Rabun's death, at 

once took the oath of office, remaining at the helm of affairs until the 

General Assembly met in November, when a distinguished Georgian, for 

years a dominant factor in the politics of the state, was called to the 

executive chair: Gen. John Clark.

CHAPTBE VIII 

THE CODE DUELLO—GEORGIA ONE OF THE FIRST STATES TO EMPLOY THIS 

MODE OF ARBITRATION IN SETTLING DISPUTES BETWEEN GENTLEMEN— 

ALSO ONE OP THE LAST TO ABANDON THIS CUSTOM—ORIGIN OF THE 

DUEL—REASONS FOR ITS DOMINANCE IN GEORGIA, WHERE IT RULED 

PUBLIC LIFE DURING THE ANTEBELLUM PERIOD—To DECLINE AN INVI 

TATION TO THE FIELD OF HONOR MEANT OSTRACISM—IT OPERATED AS 

A BAB SINISTER TO PREFERMENT IN POLITICS—THE EARLIEST DUEL ON 

RECORD IN GEORGIA WAS FOUGHT BETWEEN BUTTON GWINNETT AND 

LACHLAN MC!NTOSH DURING THE REVOLUTION—THEY MEET ON THE 

OUTSKIRTS OF SAVANNAH—Two OTHER PATRIOTS FACE EACH OTHER 

ON HORSEBACK—Gov. JAMES JACKSON, AN INVETERATE DUELIST— 

His CONNECTION WITH THE YAZOO FRAUD EXPOSURE MAKES HIM A 

MULTITUDE OF ENEMIES—DUEL WITH GOVERNOR WELLS—HE ALSO 

FIGHTS ROBERT WATKINS AND THOMAS GIBBONS—COD. BENJAMIN 

TALIAFERRO MEETS FRANCIS WILLIS ON THE FIELD OF HONOR. 

NOTE : SAND BAR FERRY, A FAMOUS DUELLING GROUND. 

Georgia was one of the first states of the Union to find the duel * an 

effective instrument for the adjustment of differences between gentle 

men, she was also one of the last states to abandon a custom, perhaps, 

more honored in the breech than in the observance. At a time when 

party strife was most intense and bitter, it was an almost daily occur 

rence for men to cross swords or to exchange shots in personal encoun 

ters, but everything was done according to prescribed form and with 

punctilious regard for the Code of Honor. There was scarcely a public 

man in Georgia who was not credited with at least one duel, fought 

* ORIGIN op THE DUEL.—What is known as the Code Duello is supposed to have 

originated in the judicial combats of the Celtic nations. Trial by battle—or wager 

of battle—represented a crude form of justice to which the Lombards began to 

resort as early as the year 659 of the Christian era and. which, subsequent to the 

battle of Hastings, in 1066, was introduced into England by William the Conqueror. 

But the general practice of duelling to settle affairs of honor between gentlemen 

may be said to have commenced in 1527,. when Francis I, of France, issued a 

challenge to Charles V, of Germany, directing him to name his own time and place 

and to make his own choice of weapons with which to fight. 

The affair seems to have grown out of an abrogated treaty, in consequence of 

which the German Emperor sent a curt message to King Francis, through the latter 'a 

herald, declaring him to be not only a base violator of public faith but a stranger to 

the honor becoming, a gentleman. Incensed at this message, which he considered a 

wanton insult, the impetuous French sovereign instantly sent back the bearer with 

a cartel of defiance, in which he gave the lie to Emperor Charles and incidentally, 

by way of royal precedent, laid the foundations for the modern duel.—"Georgia's 

Landmarks, Memorials and Legends,'' Vol. II, pp. 1-2, by L. L. Knight. 

496


usually in the earlier stages of his career. If one refused to fight when 

challenged by a gentleman he was at once posted; and such an open 

disgrace meant social ostracism. Political honors were not awarded to 

cowards nor to those who, weighed in the balances of an imperious ^ ; 

custom, were found wanting in courage; and, for upwards of a hundred II 

years, the public life of this state was ruled with a rod of iron by that 

grim arbiter of destinies: the Code Duello. ... 

For the paramount sway of the duelling pistol in a state like Georgia P 

there were sound reasons. To begin with, the partisanship of the Revo 

lution entailed upon us a host of feudal animosities. It also engen^ 

dered the military spirit, to which life on the frontier gave constant 

exercise, through the ever-present dread of an Indian outbreak. Chil 

dren at play revelled in the use of toy weapons, with which they stormed 

imaginary forts and citadels. The long protracted warfare between 

Clark and Crawford, at a later period, divided the state into two hostile ' 

camps, in consequence of which there were personal wrangles and dis 

putes without number. 

Scores of the best families of our state traced descent from the nobil- || 

ity of England; and there was ingrained in the very nature of the aver 

age Georgian an inherent love of personal encounter, as old as the 

tilt-yards of the Norman Conqueror. While the main body of our popu 

lation was of English origin, there was an intermingling of two other 

strains in which the duel found a congenial soil: the Scotch-Irish, grim 

and silent, tenacious of personal opinion, untaught to yield an inch of 

ground; and the French Huguenot, fiery and impulsive, full of the mili- . i 

tary spirit, and prone, without thought of consequences, to seek the 

bubble, Reputation, at the cannon's mouth. Nor is it strange that in a 

state which knew little of the austere Puritan there should have flour 

ished an institution reflecting the love of swordsmanship, the relish 

for adventure, and the contempt of personal danger, which, from time 

immemorial, have been peculiar to the English Cavalier. 

The earliest duel of which there is any mention in the records of 

Georgia was the fatal encounter which occurred, on May 15, 1777, be 

tween Button Gwinnett and Lachlan Mclntosh.* It was just after the 

adoption of our first State Constitution and when the state was in the 

midst of preparations for an expected invasion by the British. Both 

combatants were zealous Whigs and men of the highest distinction in 

public affairs. Button Gwinnett had been one of the revered trio of 

patriots to sign the immortal scroll of independence on behalf of Georgia 

and had subsequently administered the affairs of the province as presi 

dent of the Executive Council. Lachlan Mclntosh was at this time the 

commanding officer of Georgia's first battalion of state troops and was 

destined to attain high rank as a soldier under Washington. The mis 

understanding between the two men grew out of a heated controversy 

in which they were both rivals for the same office: that of commandant 

* Jones: ' ' History of Georgia,'' Vol. II, p. 270; McCall: '' History of Georgia,'' 

Vol. II, pp. 331-335, reprint.


of the new battalion lately organized in Georgia for service in the Conti 

nental army. 

Mclnto'sh was the successful candidate. Later, on the death of Archi 

bald Bulloch, who was then president of the Executive Council, Gwin- 

nett succeeded to the helm of civil affairs in Georgia; and, while acting 

in this capacity, he planned an expedition against St. Augustine, which 

he expected to command in person, ignoring General Mclntosh. At the 

same time, in various other ways, he evinced his hostility toward his 

former rival and sought to magnify the civil at the expense of the mili 

tary department of the State Government. 

But the projected advance on St. Augustine failed to materialize. 

Moreover, in the first election for governor by the State Legislature, 

held on May 8, 1777, Gwinnett, an avowed candidate for the office, was 

defeated by John Adam Treutlen, who, by virtue of his election at this 

time, became the first governor of Georgia under the Constitution. 

Gwinnett was naturally chagrined at his defeat. On the other hand, 

Mclntosh was elated; and, with, the bluntness of the Scotch Highlander 

he not only expressed his gratification at the result but went so far as 

to denounce Gwinnett as a scoundrel, in the presence of the Executive 

Council. This open insult was more than the imperious nature of Gwin 

nett could endure and, chafing already under his disappointment, he at 

once challenged Mclntosh to mortal combat. 

Preliminaries were arranged and at daybreak next morning they met 

on the outskirts of Savannah. At a distance of only twelve feet apart, 

they exchanged pistol shots and both fell to the ground. It was dis 

covered on examination that each was wounded in the thigh. Mclntosh 

recovered. But Gwinnett's wound proved fatal; and, after lingering in 

great pain for twelve days, he expired: the first known victim in Georgia 

to the Code of Honor. 

Excitement in Georgia ran high. As a signer of the Declaration of 

Independence, Gwinnett was much revered by the people, notwithstand 

ing his impetuosity of temper. Dr. Lyman Hall, a former colleague in 

Congress, who signed the scroll of independence with Gwinnett, brought 

the matter before the Legislature and accused the judicial officers of 

criminal neglect in not ordering Mclutosh's arrest. At this critical mo 

ment, Mclntosh, of his own accord, surrendered himself to the civil 

authorities. 

But the Gwinnett faction was not appeased. In the face of a com 

mon enemy, Georgia was threatened with a serious division in her 

ranks. To avoid a rupture of the state, at a time when the cause of 

liberty called for a solid phalanx, Col. George Walton, of Georgia, and 

Col. Henry Laurens, of South Carolina, both members of Congress, act 

ing as friends of Mclntosh, obtained for him a command in the northern 

department; and thus an embarrassing situation was relieved. With his 

transfer .to the northern department, Mclntosh gradually rose to high 

rank and won by his gallantry the personal friendship and esteem of 

Washington. 

Later he returned to Georgia in time to participate in the defense of 

Savannah. There was no longer any feeling of animosity toward him


and at the close of the Revolution he re-established his home in Savan 

nah, where he was made president of the Georgia Society of the Cin 

cinnati. Gwinnett was an Englishman who came to Georgia only four 

years prior to the Revolution. He purchased St. Catharine's Island 

and became an extensive planter of rice and indigo. His home was just 

opposite the old Town of Sunbury, in the parish of St. John. 

Two of the most distinguished officers in command of Georgia's 

state troops during the Revolution were Col. John Baker and Maj. John 

Jones, both of whom were devoted patriots. But they came near shed 

ding each other's blood in a most spectacular fashion, while awaiting 

an expected encounter with the British soon after the fall of Savannah. 

As the result of a misinterpretation of orders they quarreled; and, one 

thing bringing on another, they agreed to settle the issue between them 

by fighting a duel on horseback. Accordingly they repaired to a grove, 

near old Midway Church, somewhat back from the traveled highway; 

but, when the hour for combat arrived, an officer whose uniform told 

that he was a brigadier-general suddenly appeared upon the scene of 

action. 

It was Gen. James Screven. Only a few moments before while 

seated in camp, a courier had brought him word of the affair; and, put 

ting spurs to his horse, he dashed like a bolt of lightning through the 

forest. Breathless with excitement, he arrived just in time; for the two 

men were already facing each other with deadly intent. Lifting his hand 

as he drew rein, he commanded them to desist; and then pleading the 

country's sore need he reminded the combatants that it was no time 

for brother officers to be seeking each other's life, when the cause of 

liberty was imperiled. 

High-spirited though both men were, they yielded to the importuni 

ties of General Screven, realizing the force of his argument. The spirit 

of patriotism prevailed over the mere desire for personal redress; and, 

shaking hands on the field of honor, the would-be duellists agreed to 

bury their quarrel there on the spot and to reserve their fire for the 

British Red-Coats, who were already beginning to swarm over Georgia 

like a plague of locusts. But strange are the ways of fate. Within a 

few months General Screven was shot from ambush near this same 

place, while engaged in reconnoitering. 

Old Governor James Jackson—illustrious in the annals of Georgia 

for his crusade of fire against the Yazoo conspirators—was the most 

inveterate duellist of his day. He was constantly on the war-path. 

Growing out of the spectacular part played by him in causing the 

famous Yazoo Act of 1795 to be rescinded, he was drawn at frequent 

intervals into affairs of honor, from few of which he escaped without loss 

of blood. For at least ten years, his life was literally a round of duels. 

When the Yazoo measure became a.law in 1795, the old governor 

was then serving his first term in the United States Senate. Incensed 

at what he considered the trickery by which this legislation was accom 

plished, he relinquished his toga of office and took his seat in the Legis-


lature of Georgia as a member from Chatham. The infamous measure 

in question conveyed to four separate and distinct land companies the 

whole of Georgia's western domain, in return for which the state was to 

be compensated in the sum of $500,000, or at the rate of 1% cents pel- 

acre, for 35,000,000 acres of land. Such a transaction was regarded by 

the old governor as a blot upon Georgia's escutcheon, and with impas 

sioned eloquence he sought to erase this iniquitous measure from the 

statute books. He accomplished his purpose. The Legislature of 1796 

rescinded the obnoxious act; and on the State House Square, in the 

solemn presence of the General Assembly, every record pertaining to 

the transaction was burned, with impressive ceremonies. It was on this 

occasion that Governor Jackson, by means of a sun-glass, called down 

the fire of heaven. Thus was Georgia's honor redeemed. 

But the old governor reaped a harvest of feudal enmities. His 

duelling-pistols were rarely ever cool. But so violent was the Jaek- 

sonian temper, that he did not always wait upon the tardy formalities 

of the Code. Occasions arose when he demanded satisfaction instanter. 

Writing to John Milledge, in a letter dated Savannah, March 8, 1796, 

he describes one of these extemporaneous encounters, in which he pro 

ceeded to bite his antagonist's finger.* On ordinary occasions the gov 

ernor was a great stickler for decorum. Hotspur though he was, booted 

and spurred for battle, he always bore himself with the urbanity of a 

Chesterfield. No one was ever more considerate of the rights of others. 

But whenever his own rights were invaded or whenever an insult was 

wantonly offered him, James Jackson was ready to fight at a moment's 

notice; and, under strong provocation, could employ with telling effect 

the weapons of primitive man. 

However, Governor Jackson's first duel antedated by some fifteen 

years the dramatic era of the Yazoo Fraud. Toward the close of the 

Revolution, he became involved in a controversy with Lieutenant-Gov 

ernor Wells, in consequence of which the two men met in deadly en 

counter some time during the year 1780. The latter lost his life in this 

exchange of shots. Governor Jackson—then a major in command of 

partisan troops—was severely wounded in both knees. If there were 

any eye witnesses to this duel, the details were never divulged, and tra 

dition is strangely silent upon the subject. Judge Charlton, the author 

ized biographer of Governor Jackson, says this: "We only know that 

they went upon the ground without seconds and fought at the desperate 

distance of a few feet." However, among the papers of Governor 

Jackson has been discovered a letter in which he laments the necessity of 

the duel, stating that it was imposed upon him "by the overbearing 

disposition of the lieutenant-governor." t But if the temper of Gov 

ernor Wells took fire any more readily than did Governor Jackson's, it 

must have been more explosive than nitro-glycerine. 

Perhaps the most inveterate political enemy of the old governor was 

Robert Watkins, of Augusta. Watkins was at this time one of the rec- 

* Charlton: "Life of Jackson," p. 162. 

t Gharlton: "Life of Jackson," p. 18, reprint.


.ognized leaders of the Georgia bar. He was a member of the Yazoo 

Legislature of 1795 and a supporter of the bill for the sale of Georgia's 

western lands, regarding this measure purely in the light of a real 

estate transaction. With his brother, George, he compiled the earliest 

Digest of Georgia Laws. 

But, most unfortunately, when the volume appeared, in 1800, it 

contained the obnoxious Yazoo Act, rescinded by the Legislature of 

1796; and Governor Jackson, who was then occupying the executive 

chair, refused to draw his warrant upon the treasury and in other ways 

put the seal of his official condemnation upon this earliest Digest of 

Georgia Laws. In vain Watkins expostulated. He showed that while 

his digest carried the obnoxious measure, it also carried the Repealing 

Act, the one counter-balancing the other. But the old governor was 

obdurate. He regarded the Yazoo Act as a usurpation and he did not 

wish to see it monumentalized upon the statute books.* 

Thus the issue was joined. On both sides there was much bitterness 

of feeling. At least three separate duels were fought between Governor 

Jackson and Robert Watkins. In the last of these encounters, the old 

governor was severely wounded in the right hip. He was lifted from the 

ground and, finding that he could still stand alone, insisted upon another 

exchange of shots. But the surgeon urged an examination. He pried 

into the wound and, fearing that the bullet might have entered the 

cavity, ordered a cessation of hostilities. With great civility, so it is 

said, Mr. Watkins helped to bear the wounded man from the field; 

whereupon, the old governor, who remained perfectly rational through 

out and who was not to be outdone in courtesy by his antagonist, was 

heard to observe: 

"Hang it, Watkins, I thought I could give you another shot." t 

Though a small appropriation was secured for the "AVatkins Digest," 

the book was never authorized. Capt. Horatio Marbury, then secretary 

of state, with two commissioners, was subsequently appointed to make a 

digest. William H. Crawford and George Watkins were chosen to 

assist him; but the latter, on account of his aggrieved feelings, declined 

to serve. Marbury and Crawford prosecuted the task alone and, in 

due time, completed the undertaking. It is known to this day as "Mar- 

bury and Crawford's Digest of Georgia Laws." 

Besides the formal encounters which took place between Jackson and 

Watkins, they met somewhat unceremoniously on certain occasions and 

engaged in fisticuff fights. One of these occurred soon after the Yazoo 

Act was rescinded, showing that the enmity between the two men ran 

back to the famous land speculation in which some of the most influential 

men of Georgia were involved. The difficulty occurred in Louisville, at 

the close of the legislative session. We quote this paragraph from a 

letter describing the affair.- '' This was done to bring on dispute. Flesh 

and blood of such texture as mine would not bear it (i. e., the provoca 

tion offered by Watkins), and the lie and stick involuntarily flew on 

* Shipp: '' Life of Crawford,'' pp. 38-39. 

t Butcher: '' History of Augusta,'' p. 227.


him." * In this encounter, Governor Jackson was stabbed in several 

places, and for a time his wounds were thought to be mortal. 

Thomas Gibbons, a lawyer of Savannah, who as early as the year 

1800 is said to have earned $15,000 per annum from the practice of 

law, an income equivalent to $60,000 at the present time, was frequently 

on opposing sides to Governor Jackson in civil litigation before the courts. 

He was also extensively engaged in land speculations. Consequently, 

there was little in common between the two men except a violent temper, 

the effect of which was to hasten them to the field. But they appear 

to have met only once, at which time three shots were exchanged be 

tween them, without effect. 

There is nothing in the records on which to base any positive state 

ment to the effect that Governor Jackson ever became involved in per 

sonal difficulties with General Gunn, but the latter was a notorious 

Yazooist and was a colleague of Governor Jackson in the United States 

Senate when the latter relinquished the toga to begin his fight against 

the speculators. If they did not meet on the field of honor, it is little 

short of marvelous. In the opinion of not a few commentators upon the 

subject, the Yazoo Fraud has been overworked by historians. Some of 

the leading men of the state were concerned in it on the ground that 

it was merely a real estate transaction; and when we remember that 

it was before the days of railway and telegraph communication, we must 

admit that Georgia's western lands were comparatively worthless. Even 

so pronounced a patriot as Patrick Henry headed one of the Yazoo com 

panies organized in Virginia. 

But Governor Jackson was undoubtedly sincere in his fight against 

the Yazooists, whom he regarded in the light of conspirators. No man 

was ever more inflamed with the ardor of a righteous indignation. But 

he paid the penalty. According to Thomas Hart Bentori, with whom he 

served in the United States Senate, his death, in 1806, was due directly 

to wounds received in a duel, the last of many caused by his opposition 

to the Yazoo Fraud. More than any other man in Georgia, Governor 

Jackson was distinguished for his prowess in personal combat; and he 

carried to his grave the scars of countless hostile meetings on the field of 

honor. __ 

Even the bench became infected by this homicidal mania. Col. Ben 

jamin Taliaferro, a comrade-in-arms of the fiery Jackson, was also a 

duellist, though he is credited—in the authentic records—with only one 

encounter. Colonel Taliaferro lived at a time when lawyers were scarce 

in Upper Georgia. He was not himself a disciple of Blackstone, but 

such was his reputation, throughout the County of Wilkes, both for 

sound business judgment and for strict probity of character that, layman 

though he was, the Legislature which rescinded the Yazoo Act elevated 

him to the bench and made him the first judge of what was then known 

as the Western Circuit. He was a man whose sense of decorum was 

unusually acute, but such was the ethical standard of the times with 

respect to duelling that his position on the bench did not prevent him 

from meeting Col. Francis Willis for a round of buckshot. 

' Charlton: "Life of Jackson," p. 161.


This was in 1796. Colonel Willis was a man of means. He was also 

a prominent Yazooist. Aggrieved by some decision adverse either to his 

political faction or to his personal interests, he challenged Colonel 

Taliaferro to a diiel, which the latter lost no time in accepting. The 

judge's aim was unerring; and, in the encounter which followed, Colonel 

Willis received a wound in his right breast, so near the vital center, 

that he declined a second shot. Colonel Taliaferro, in this engagement, 

used the old horseman's pistols worn by him when he belonged to Lee's 

Legion. 

SAND BAK FERRY: A FAMOUS DUELLING GROUND.—Four miles southeast of 

Augusta lies one of the most famous duelling grounds in. America: Sand Bar Ferry. 

It occupies both banks of the Savannah Biver at a point which in past years, before 

the old ferry gave place to the present model steel bridge, was well adapted by reason 

of its peculiar- environment to the purposes of a field of honor. Here, in the days 

gone by, personal combats without number have been fought under the Code Duello, 

Georgians resorting to the Carolina side and Carolinians betaking themselves to the 

Georgia side, each to adjust their differences accoi'ding to the only mode of arbitra 

ment which then prevailed among gentlemen. Happily this method of redress has 

long since passed. For more than a generation not a drop of blood has been spilled 

on the old duelling ground, and its hostile meetings are today recalled only by the 

gray-beards whose memories reach back to the old regime, when the duelling pistol 

dominated the public life of the South. But we are fortunate in finding for our 

readers an article which describes this noted resort of the duellist as it appeared 

forty years ago. It was written by Col. James T. Bacon, editoj of the Edgefleld 

Chronicle, who often visited the spot; and, without reproducing the article in full, 

its salient paragraphs are as follows: 

'' There is not a spot of greater interest in any part of our country than the 

secluded glade known in the history of the South, of South Carolina and Georgia, 

especially, as Sand Bar Ferry. A commonplace name enough, but attached to a glade 

or fairy ring set apart for the conventional duelling ground when the Code Duello was 

the first resort of gentlemen in settling personal difficulties. 

'' In some respects it would seem that this spot were fashioned for some such pur 

pose, so quiet, so perfectly secluded, so easy of access and at the same time so out 

of the way that a most bloody duel could be fought to a finish before authority from 

any point could arrive to interfere. 

"This historic duelling arena lies three miles southeast of the City of Augusta, 

over what was once a wheel-scarred and rugged road, heavy in places with fine sand, 

and again, marshy where it dipped into a bit of low land or struggled through a 

tongue of undrained swamp. The road lies along pleasant farm lands, and plume- 

like elms meet in leafy arches overhead. Now it runs deep into the heart of the dim 

swamp, now close along the margin of the rushing, muddy, turbulent Savannah, bor 

dered by thousands of the trailing water willow. 

'' This duelling ground lies on either side of the river. With the belligerents of 

the Carolina side, who wished to settle differences with leaden arguments, the fairy 

ring beneath the hoary moss-draped trees on the Georgia side was chosen as the scene 

of action. With those already in trouble on the latter side, the clean, firm sands of 

the wide river bank were preferred. On the Georgia side the famous spot might well 

be mistaken for the artificial work of man, fashioned with a view to the purpose which 

it served. The ground is as level as a dancing floor; a soft carpet of moss covers it, 

through which the vivid fruit of the partridge vine or ground ivy glows like the 

crimson stain of blood. All around tall cedars, feathery elms and towering gums, 

interspersed with a few black-boled pines, draped with long streamers of the funeral 

gray moss, shade the traveler from the too-ardent rays of the semi-tropical sun. 

"On the left the river runs, broadening out into wide shallows, the sand bars 

shoaling out from either bank, until at low water, or during the summer months, per 

sons standing on the further end of the bar could clasp hands across the bed of the 

then placid river. On the right a thick hedge of flowering juniper shuts off the view


of a mos.t prosaic object, a railroad trestle poised high, and spanning the river from 

bank to bank. On the Carolina side white chalk cliffs loom up, cut by a road that 

winds up and up until lost to sight over the high brow of the white bare hills. 

"It is a singularly quiet place, this famous Southern duelling ground; the natural 

face of which seems never to change. No sound breaks the stillness, but the occa 

sional flutter of the winged inhabitant of the bushes, the lap of the water over the 

sand bar's, or the grinding wheels of an occasional vehicle that has just been ferried 

over. 

'' Many of the lagoons have never been explored, and just how many there are 

cannot, seemingly, be ascertained. Dense canebrakes, absolutely as impregnable as a 

stone wall, shutting out daylight in their vicinity, cut off communication except where 

the tilled lands skirt them, or where a narrow and tortuous passage leads into the 

Savannah. It is a curious phenomenon that, however high the river rises, or however 

low it sinks, the waters in the lagoon remain the same—weird, ghostly, mysterious, a 

freak of nature in her most somber mood—spots of eternal mourning, mayhap for 

bygone transgressions—blots upon the fair face of nature beneath the ardent South 

ern sun. 

"But let us climb up to the top of the high white cliffs of Beech Island, cm the 

South Carolina side, whence spreads out the level duelling ground. The September 

moon is rising, and the silence is intense; almost palpable or tangible, as it were. 

The reddening gum leaves flutter in the lazy breeze—flurrying lightly over the moss 

with a sound that might be made by the ghostly footsteps of the things unseen. 

Even the bird voices seem far away and hushed; the moonlight filters through the 

whispering pines that complain in far-off hushed undertones; and standing there one 

feels as though civilization and the fret of life and the strife of man had been left 

many miles behind, and that the land in which it is always afternoon—if not black 

night—were well at hand. 

"Beeeh Island is a fair and blessed land, but there hangs a dark and bloody 

fringe along some of her borders."—"Georgia's Land Marks, Memorials and 

Legends." L. L. Knight. Vol.11.

CHAPTER IX 

BUT THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE DUEL WAS PEOM 1800 TO 1830 WHEN Two 

POWERFUL PERSONALITIES DIVIDED THE STATE INTO HOSTILE CAMPS: 

JOHN CLAEK AND WILLIAM 11. CRAWFORD—THESE STRONG PERSONALI 

TIES PORTRAYED—PETER VAN ALLEN, A CHAMPION OF THE CLARK FAC 

TION, FALLS BEFORE MR. CRAWFORD'S PISTOL—GENERAL CLARK AND 

MR. CRAWFORD EXCHANGE CARDS—DIFFERENCES ARE TEMPORARILY 

ADJUSTED—BUT THE FIRES BREAK OUT AGAIN—JUDGE TAIT'S CON 

NECTION WITH THE AFFAIR—GENERAL CLARK PRESENTS A MEMORIAL. 

TO THE LEGISLATURE ASKING FOR JUDGE TAIT'S IMPEACHMENT—THIS 

BRINGS MR. CRAWFORD TO THE FRONT ONCE MORE—DUEL AT HIGH 

SHOALS BETWEEN CLARK AND CRAWFORD—RULES UNDER WHICH THE 

DUEL WAS FOUGHT—MR. CRAWFORD Is WOUNDED—How JUDGE 

DOOLY, THE NOTED WIT, DECLINED A CHALLENGE, WITH HONOR—THE 

BEE GUM EPISODE—ON DECEMBER 12, 1809, DUELLING Is FORBIDDEN 

BY STATUTE BUT THE LAW REMAINS A DEAD LETTER—GENERAL 

FLOYD 's DUEL WITH THREE WEAPONS—DUEL BETWEEN GUMMING AND 

McDuppiE—JOHN FORSYTE WOUNDED BY A SWORD THRUST—DR. AM 

BROSE BABER—SURGEON IN THE BEALL-MITCHELL AFFAIR, HE AFTER 

WARDS FIGHTS A FATAL DUEL WITH THOMAS D. MITCHELL—DIES 

SUDDENLY AT THE BEDSIDE OF A PATIENT—DUEL BETWEEN GEORGE 

W. CRAWFORD AND THOMAS E. BURNSIDE—LAST DUEL FOUGHT IN THE 

SOUTH—SOME OF THE REDEEMING FEATURES OF THE CODE DUELLO. 

But the golden age of the Code Duello in Georgia was the period 

extending from 1800 to 1830, when the public life of this state was 

dominated by two powerful personalities: Gen. John Clark and Hon. 

William H. Crawford. Party spirit has never been more rancorous 

than during this period; and, indeed, to the feudal animosity between 

these two noted Georgians, making them the most inveterate personal 

and political enemies, some writers have even traced the; origin of par 

ties in Georgia. But this is not entirely accurate. During Ithe Revolu 

tionary period, our state was divided between the Whigs and Tories. 

For a score of years after the Federal Constitution was adopted, the 

republicans and the federalists were rival political parties in Georgia j 

and while the latter was never numerically very strong in this state,, 

due to the fact that some of its leaders were actively involved in the 

Yazoo transaction, it was nevertheless at one time sufficiently entrenched 

in the citadel of wealth to force Josiah Meigs from the presidency of 

Franklin College, on the ground that he was an extreme Jeffersonian.* 

At the close of the War for Independence, John Clark, with the 

; W. H. Meigs: ' ' Life of Josiah Meigs,'' p. 92. 

505


prestige of his gallant record as a soldier, became a dominant figure 

in the politics of Upper Georgia. When only fourteen years of age, he 

had fought by his father's side at Kettle Creek and later had won mili 

tary renown by his campaigns and forays against the Indians. The 

battle of Jack's Creek was so called in honor of John Clark, whose 

nickname among his intimate friends and comrades of the army was 

'' Jack.'' Trained in the exercise of arms, it is not strange that he should 

have carried his characteristics as .a fighter into the arena of politics; 

nor is it strange that the veterans who followed his distinguished father 

and who knew John Clark himself in the perilous days of battle should 

have remained his loyal supporters to the very last. 

Though not an educated man, at least in the academic sense, he was 

a man of strong intellect, rugged in character, somewhat blunt of ex 

pression, full of bold initiative, and with a rare capacity for leadership. 

According to Governor Gilmer, he possessed the temper of the clansman 

and was domineering and dictatorial; but Governor Gilmer was identi 

fied with the Crawford faction, few of whom could discover any virtue 

in John Clark. General Jackson, in the lower part of the state, was for 

years a stumbling block in the way of Clark's ambition, for the old 

governor did not approve of the latter's land speculations. 

But in the politics of Upper Georgia, John Clark was an imperious 

figure. Here he was on his native heath; and here the frontiersmen 

flocked to his standard like the Highland Clans to the horn of Roderick 

Dim. Here as a leader whose word was law and gospel, he exercised an 

unopposed sway until a new star began to loom upon the horizon just 

north of Augusta and a new political Warwick arose to divide with 

him the honors of public life, in the person of his future hated rival, 

William H. Crawford. 

Mr. Crawford was a man of titanic proportions. At the Court of 

France, in after years, his majestic figure caught the admiration of the 

great Napoleon, who impulsively declared that Mr. Crawford was the 

only man to whom he ever felt constrained to bow. Better educated than 

John Clark, he was a man of unusual culture for the times, a most 

effective public speaker, and a born leader of men. These qualities 

eventually made him United States senator, minister to France, secretary 

of the treasury, and, except for an unfortunate stroke of paralysis, might 

have placed him in the presidential chair of the nation. 

The settlers of Upper Georgia were at this time, in the main, either 

from Virginia or from North Carolina; and, according to ancestral bias, 

took sides in the political wrangles of this early period. As a rule, the 

North Carolinians attached themselves to Clark, while the Virginians 

allied themselves with Crawford, who likewise derived strong support 

from the aristocratic families of the Georgia coast. The elimination 

of Crawford became naturally the first strategic move of the Clark fac 

tion ; and to accomplish this end a duel offered the most convenient 

instrument and promised the most effective results. 

Mr. Crawford, unlike General Clark, possessed little knowledge of 

the use of arms. He was not a child of the camp. For this reason, his 

opponents argued that he would, in all likelihood, decline a challenge to


the field of combat. In fact, such a refusal to fight was exactly what 

his enemies wanted, since they could then post him as a coward and 

easily accomplish his political undoing. 

To put into effect this proposed plan of strategy, the first champion 

to represent the Clark faction and to test the .mettle of Mr. Crawford's 

arm was a young Elberton lawyer: Peter Lawrence Van Alien. Mr. 

Van Alien was by birth a New Yorker. lie came of an old Dutch fam 

ily of the Empire State and, on the authority of tradition, was a kins 

man by marriage to Martin Van Buren, the Sage of Kinderhook. Locat 

ing- in Georgia for the practice of law, he identified himself with the 

Clark faction and became solicitor-general of the western circuit. He 

was also a Yazooist and a federalist. Van Alien was a good speaker, 

witty and eloquent, and early in the year 1800 began hostile tactics 

against the opposite faction by bringing a petty suit against Judge 

Charles Tait, of Elberton, who was then Mr. Crawford's law partner 

and most intimate friend. In his speech to the jury, Van Alien assailed 

Judge Tait with merciless satire, and naturally the effect of this tirade 

was to nettle Judge Tait, who finally challenged him to fight. 

But Judge Tait was not the game for which Van Alien was hunting; 

and ,on the ground that the judge was not a gentleman and, therefore, 

beyond the pale of the code, he refused to meet him, expecting Mr. Craw- 

ford, of course, as Judge Tait's second, to take up the gage of battle' 

and to carry on hostilities. However, Mr. Crawford was loath to step 

into his principal's shoes, since the quarrel was not one of his own seek 

ing ; and on this .account he exposed himself to animadversion, incurring 

the well-meant criticism of many of his own faction. 

But circumstances soon goaded him into a change of mind. "While 

stopping at the "Willis Hotel, in Washington, Georgia, he chanced in an 

unexpected manner to encounter Van Alien, who grossly insulted him 

in the lobby of the hotel and challenged him to fight. According to the 

imperious standard of the times, there was no alternative for Mr. Craw- 

ford; and, rather than jeopardize his political fortunes by exposing 

himself to the charge of cowardice, he agreed to meet his antagonist. 

As to what followed, we quote an account of the duel from a well- 

known historical writer: "It was arranged that* Van Alien and Craw- 

ford should meet at Fort Charlotte, the famous old duelling ground, 

twelve miles below Petersburg, on the Carolina side. Crawford's bravery 

was not without stoicism, for he went to the place of meeting without 

the slightest preparation. He had borrowed a pair of old pistols to 

be used by him, and these he did not examine until the morning of the 

meeting, and in trying them, they snapped twice. On the first fire 

neither party was touched. Crawford afterwards stated to Judge Gar- 

nett Andrews that he was disconcerted on the first fire by an ugly grim 

ace made by Van Alien, and that on the second fire he drew down his 

hat brim so that he could not see it. On the second round both com 

batants again fired, and Van Alien was seen to fall mortally wounded. 

Crawford was unharmed.'' * 

Two years elapsed before Mr. Crawford was again asked to vindi 

cate his courage on the field of honor. This time it was John Clark 

* Shipp: "Life of Crawford," p. 49.


himself who stepped into the lime-light and became one of the principals. 

On the resignation of Judge Thomas P. Carnes from the judgeship of 

the western circuit, Judge Griffin, a brother-in-law of General Clark— 

both having married daughters of Col. Mieajah "Williamson—received 

from Governor John Milledge an ad interim appointment to the vacant 

seat. When the regular election was held by the State Legislature some 

time later, Judge Tait, a member of the Crawford faction, successfully 

opposed Judge Griffin for this office, though Judge Griffin was unques 

tionably a fine lawyer and a man of blameless reputation. Thereupon 

an acrimonious controversy ensued between General Clark and Mr. 

Crawford, growing out of the issues of the campaign. 

Smarting from the defeat of his candidate, General Clark called Mr. 

Crawford to task for certain pre-election statements made by him to 

the effect that he, General Clark, had influenced the grand juries of 

certain counties to recommend his brother-in-law. This brought forth 

a reply from Mr. Crawford. With pens dipped in vitriol both men 

indited bitter diatribes and branded each other with harsh epithets until 

finally Mr. Crawford, exasperated beyond control, challenged General 

Clark to a duel, which challenge was, of course, promptly accepted by 

the impetuous old warrior. 

Col. Thomas Flournoy, acting as second to Mr. Crawford, and Capt. 

Howell Cobb, serving in a like capacity for General Clark, arranged the 

details for the hostile encounter. As the place of meeting, a secluded 

spot was chosen on the Carolina side of the Savannah River, just below 

historic old Petersburg and some eleven miles from where Yan Alien,, 

two years previous, fell before Mr. Crawford's deadly fire. But the 

duel was never fought. At this stage of the proceedings, a number of 

disinterested friends besought Governor Milledge to intervene, urging- 

the value to the state of both men, whose deadly intent portended fatal 

results. 

With much difficulty Governor Milledge obtained the consent of 

both principals to the appointment of a board of arbitration, charged 

with adjusting the difficulties between them. Each belligerent was 

given the right to choose two friends to represent him, and these in turn 

selected a fifth arbitrator who was really to hold in his hands the balance 

of power. Jared Irwin, Abraham Jackson, James Seagrove, David B. 

Mitchell, and J. Ben Maxwell constituted this court of appeals; and, 

on December 12, 1804, a plan of arbitration was submitted to which 

both parties, without loss of prestige, yielded assent. 

But the hatchet was only temporarily buried. The smoldering fires 

of hostility began to leap into renewed flame ere the ink was dry upon 

the paper which both signed in apparently good faith. Still, more 

than a year elapsed before matters reached anything like a crisis. On 

February 24, 1806, Josiah Glass, a North Carolinian, appeared upon the 

scene in Georgia with a warrant for one Robert Clary, charged with the 

offense of stealing a negro. Judge Tait, in his capacity as a judge, was 

called upon to endorse this warrant, which he readily did as a matter 

of form, expecting a trial of the case to establish the facts. 

In a few days thereafter, while on the bench, he received a note from


Glass in which the latter stated that Clary was ready to make an affida 

vit in which there would be some startling revelations. After tea, on the 

evening of this particular day, Judge Tait, taking with him a Mr. Oliver 

Skinner, repaired to the room where Clary was held a prisoner in 

charge of Glass. Thereupon followed a long confession in which state 

ments were incidentally made involving Gen. John Clark, who it ap 

pears from this affidavit was charged with a land transaction for which 

the money paid in exchange was counterfeit. 

Judge Tait attached no importance to this affidavit, for the de 

ponent 's character was such that he could not be trusted; and while he 

was none too friendly with General Clark, he was above listening to a 

slanderous story in the mouth of a low criminal; so he informed Glass 

that the matter would not be prosecuted and need not be made public. 

But Glass nevertheless took a copy of the affidavit which, in some 

mysterious way fell into the hands o£ General Clark. The latter on 

ascertaining that the affidavit was taken at night, immediately jumped 

to the conclusion that a foul conspiracy was on foot to wreck him and 

that hack of this dark proceeding was his arch-enemy, William H. 

Crawford. 

Passion often beclouds the truth. As a matter of fact, Clary was 

an unprincipled fellow who, knowing the differences between Clark and 

Crawford, sought to help his own case, while under arrest, by trumping 

up a charge against General Clark; but Judge Tait was too just a man 

to give ear to what was manifestly a malicious fabrication. > 

Contrary to the general's past record, and at variance with his well- 

known fiery disposition, instead of inviting Judge Tait to meet him on 

the field of honor, he strangely enough presented a memorial to the 

State Legislature, asking for Judge Tait's impeachment. At this time 

Mr. Crawford was a member of the House from Oglethorpe, and 

naturally he espoused Judge Tait's cause. As chairman of the special 

investigating committee, he submitted a report to the House, in which 

Judge Tait's good name was upheld, with the further statement that 

no evidence could be found on which to base an impeachment. This 

report was supported by Mr. Crawford in an eloquent speech upon the 

floor. His powers of logic, of sarcasm, and of invective, were never 

heard to better advantage; and when a call of the roll was taken, on the 

adoption of the committee's report, there were only three votes cast 

in opposition, to fifty-seven in favor of exonerating Judge Tait. 

Thus the matter ended. General Clark was willing to let Judge 

Tait escape now that larger game was in sight; and taking offen.se at 

Mr. Crawford's partisan activities in Judge Tait's behalf, and especially 

at his speech before the House, he sent, him a challenge through his 

friend, John Forsyth. Mr. Crawford yielded compliance to this demand 

for satisfaction and êlected George Moore to arrange the details for the 

meeting. On account of engagements in the Federal Court, John 

Forsyth was prevented from acting as General Clark's second, where 

upon the latter chose Gilbert Hay, of Washington, Georgia, to fill this 

post.


High Shoals, on the Appalachee River, in what was then Indian 

Territory, was the site selected for the proposed encounter. Near the 

scene of this hostile meeting, three counties today converge, viz., Wal- 

ton, Morgan and Oconee. Before the duel took place, a code of rules 

was agreed upon by the seconds; and, on account of the light which 

these rules will serve to throw upon the history of the times, especially 

in showing how affairs of honor were conducted after the arrival of the 

combatants upon the scene of action, they are herewith reproduced in 

full, for the better information of those interested: 

Article 1. The pistols are to be smooth bore, and loaded with a 

single ball by the seconds of the parties, in the presence of each other 

and of the principals. 

Art. 2. The distance shall be ten yards, the parties facing. 

Art. 3. The seconds of each party shall place the pistol in the right 

hand of his friend, cocked, with the barrel as nearly perpendicular as 

possible, pointing up or down, and neither of the principals shall alter 

the position of the pistol until the word of command is given. 

Art. 4. The signal for a discharge shall be: "Make ready; fire,!" 

At the word "fire," each party shall discharge his pistol as near as 

possible after receiving the word; and should either party withhold his 

fire it shall be lost. 

Art. 5. A snap or a flash will be considered the same as a shot. 

Art. 6. Whenever the challenger shall express himself satisfied or 

shall receive a .wound, judged by the survivors mortal, or whenever the 

challenge'd shall have received a wound and expresses himself satisfied, 

then the contest shall cease. 

Art. 7. No conversation between the parties direct. 

Art. 8. To prevent the possibility of suspicion, relative to improper 

wearing apparel, each party shall submit to an examination by the sec 

ond of his opponent immediately before taking positions. 

Art. 9. Choice of ground and the word to be decided by lot. 

Art. 10. The seconds shall be properly armed to prevent a trans 

gression of these rules and the interposition of any other person. 

Art. 11. If either of the principals deviate from the foregoing 

rules, or attempt to take any undue advantage, either or both of the sec 

onds are at liberty to fire at him. 

Art. 12. If either party falls, no person except the surgeon shall 

be admitted until the opposite party leaves the ground.** 

On December 12, 1806, according to agreement, the parties met at 

the place appointed; but due to some little dispute between the seconds 

as to details of arrangement, an hour elapsed beyond the time set for 

the affair at high noon and it was 1 o'clock before- the belligerents 

were brought face to face. In the meantime, Mr. Crawford, keyed for 

combat, became restless and impatient. To quote his biographer, "he 

was temperamentally unfitted for a duellist," while Clark, on the other 

hand, "was a practiced fighter, thoroughly skilled in the use of weapons, 

and equally courageous." Quoting still further, from this same author 

ity, "The result was what might have been anticipated. Crawford 

swaggered to the peg with the same degree of carelessness that he was 

*Shipp: "Life of Crawford," p. 73.

G-EOBGIA AND GEORGIANS 511 

wont to exhibit when addressing a jury in Oglethorpe. His left arm 

was forgotten and heedlessly held unprotected by his body in a way to 

catch the ball of the rawest duellist. At the. first fire, Clark was un 

touched and Crawford's left wrist was shattered and the bones crushed 

in a way to cause him many weeks of excruciating pain. Clark was not 

satisfied and insisted that the shots be continued; but George Moore 

declined to allow his principal to proceed further, the terms of the 

agreement having been fully met.'' * 

With this decision the affair ended. But General Clark was not 

appeased. He still hungered for satisfaction; and no sooner was Mr. 

Crawford well enough to resume professional activities than he received 

from General Clark a second challenge to mortal combat, without any 

fresh grievance to warrant a renewal of hostilities. Mr. Crawford could 

now decline to meet him, without incurring adverse criticism or hazard 

ing his reputation as a man of courage. 

But the partisan warfare still continued between the loyal followers 

of the two men and, as time went on, the feudal inheritance was trans 

mitted from sire to son, with solemn abjuration. Georgia was divided 

into two hostile camps; and even churches, while preaching a gospel of 

forgiveness, insisted upon a sharp line of division. Perhaps an amusing 

anecdote will illustrate the temper of the times •. 

"To introduce the subject of politics in any promiscuous gathering 

was to promote a quarrel. A son of Erin, lately from Limerick, opened 

a bar-room in a village in Greene County, Ga. He endeavored by strenu 

ous neutrality, to catch the trade of both parties. After a week's trial, 

he gave it up in disgust. When describing this experience he said: ' As 

soon as a Crawford man would come in, he would at once inquire if 

this was a Crawford bar; and, faith, when I told him it was naither, he 

cursed me for a Clarkite and refused to drink. When a Clark man came 

in and I told him I was naither, he cursed me for a Crawfordite, 

and I sold not a gill to anyone. Faith, it pays to be a politician in 

Georgia.' " t 

Though General Clark did not call Judge Tait to the field of honor, 

as a result of the alleged conspiracy for which he sought his impeach 

ment by the Legislature he did visit him in a most spectacular manner 

and in a most literal sense, with the marks of his displeasure. The 

story is thus told: 

One day, in the summer of 1807, when Judge Tait, then an occupant 

of the Superior Court bench, was driving along Jefferson Street, in 

Milledgeville, General Clark came up, gracefully cantering on a hand 

some sorrel. The general always rode a fine horse, with best accoutre 

ments, and rarely failed to make .an impression. Whatever else might 

be said of him, John Clark was a born soldier, and he appeared to special 

advantage on horseback. Eiding up to Judge Tait, he engaged him in a 

brief conversation: 

"This is the first time I have seen you, sir," began General Clark, 

'' at least since your hasty departure from Louisville.'' 

"Yes," replied the judge, "I have not seen you since then." 

* Shipp: "Life of Crawford," p. 73. 

t Shipp: "Life of Crawford," p. 67.


"Tait," resumed the general, after a moment's pause, "under the 

cloak of judicial authority, you have sought to destroy my reputation, 

and for your infamous attempt to do so I shall give you the lash.'' 

Thereupon, before any reply could be made, General Clark came 

down with his riding whip upon the shoulders of the jurist, inflicting 

severe blows upon him with the aid of powerful muscles. On account of 

. his wooden leg, Judge Tait was no match for his irate antagonist. While 

the interview was in progress, Tart's horse took fright, but Clark kept 

along side of him until his wrath was appeased. 

For this attack upon a judge of the Superior Court, General Clark 

was duly prosecuted and, on conviction, was sentenced by Judge Early 

to pay a fine of $2,000 and to give security for his good behavior for a 

period of five years. However, this sentence was never put into effect. 

Governor Jared Irwin, an old comrade-in-arms, feeling that General 

Clark was an injured man, afterwards issued an executive order remit 

ting the fine imposed upon him by Judge Early and furthermore releas 

ing the old soldier from any and all other legal consequences attached 

to his rash conduct. As for Judge Tait, he afterwards became a United 

States senator, but eventually removed to Alabama where he spent his 

last days. 

"When Peter Van Alien fell at Fort Charlotte, before Mr. Crawford 's 

fire, the solicitorship of the "Western Circuit, made vacant by his death, 

was conferred by appointment upon a gentleman noted in the annals of 

Georgia for his Attic salt: Hon. John M. Dooly. Judge Dooly was after 

wards elevated to the bench, from which circumstance arose the title by 

which he was universally known. He was easily the greatest wit of 

Ms day in Georgia, a master of satire and as quick at repartee as chained 

lightning. Public speakers seldom, if ever, engaged with him in joint 

debate, for prudential reasons. Crowds thronged his courtroom when 

ever he appeared on the circuit; and if Charles Dickens could only have 

met this unique character, he might have improved upon the drolleries 

of Pickwick. 

On a certain occasion, when this same feud between Clark and Craw- 

ford was still alive, Judge Dooly became involved in a controversy with 

his predecessor upon the bench, Judge Charles Tait. As a result 

Judge Tait challenged him to mortal combat. There are several versions 

to this story, but, according to one of them, Judge Dooly accepted the 

challenge and actually appeared upon the scene of encounter, though 

he was notoriously opposed to shedding blood, especially from his own 

veins. 

General Clark was Judge Dooly's second, while Mr. Crawford, in a 

like capacity, served Judge Tait; and the affair was probably planned 

with the utmost seriousness by the friends of both parties. Now, it hap 

pened that one of Judge Tait's bodily infirmities was a wooden leg, 

and it was a knowledge of this fact which inspired Judge Dooly's singu 

lar feat of valor. At the appointed time, Judge Tait, with his second, 

Mr. Crawford, appeared upon the scene of action, where he discovered 

Judge Dooly sitting patiently alone upon a stump. In reply to an 

inquiry from Mr. Crawford, concerning the whereabouts of General 

Clark, with whom he wished to confer in advance of the duel, Judge 

Dooly replied:


'' Gen. Clark is in the woods looking for a bee-gum.'' 

"May I inquire," asked Mr. Crawford, "what use he intends to 

make of a bee-gum?" 

"I want to put my leg in it," replied Judge Dooly. "Do you sup- 

pt)se for a minute that I am going to risk a good leg of flesh and blood 

against Tait 's wooden stump ? If I hit his leg, he' can get him another 

one before tomorrow morning; but if he hits mine I may lose my life, 

certainly my leg; and to put myself on equal footing with Tait, I must 

have a bee-gum for protection. I can then fight Mm on equal terms." 

"Then am I to understand that you do not intend to fight Judge 

Tait?" inquired Mr. Crawford. 

'' Well,'' responded Judge -Dooly, '' I thought every one knew that.'' 

"Perhaps so," replied Mr. Crawford, "but you will fill a newspaper 

column in consequence of this day's business." 

" So be it,'' replied the judge, with an arch smile,'' I would rather fill 

a dozen newspapers than one coffin." 

There was nothing more to be said. Judge Tait was, of course, 

chagrined at this unexpected turn of affairs. He expected to humiliate 

Judge Dooly, even if he could not force him to fight; but Judge Dooly had 

cleverly managed the situation and, without putting his good legs in 

jeopardy, had come off the' victor. • Gallant Jack Falstaff himseljf 

could not have managed the affair with, keener strategy or with cooler 

discretion. 

Prior to December 12, 1809, there was no law on the statute books of 

Georgia forbidding the practice of duelling, though it was customary for 

belligerents to cross the state lines, to avoid indictment on the general 

charge of murder, in the event of fatal consequences. But the frequency 

of such affairs, involving men of the highest intellectual type and of the 

greatest public usefulness, eventually produced a revulsion of sentiment. 

The killing of Alexander Hamilton by Aaron Burr, perhaps more than 

any other event, served to call nation-wide attention to the imperative 

need of reform in this direction. It is hardly an exaggeration to say 

that not less than 1,000 duels were fought in Georgia in consequence of 

this feudal enmity between Clark and Crawford; and there were few 

households in the state which were not bereaved, either directly or indi 

rectly, by the countless sacrifices which were made during this period to 

appease the demands of this bloody Moloch. 

Consequently, on December 12, 1809, Governor David B. Mitchell 

signed a measure, passed by the General Assembly of Georgia, making 

it unlawful either to extend or to accept a challenge, or to be concerned 

in any way therein, either as principals or as seconds; and on conviction 

the offender was to be excluded from the right to hold any office of trust, 

honor, or emolument in this state.* Governor David B. Mitchell, whose 

signature as chief magistrate was attached to .this measure, himself fig 

ured on one occasion in an affair of honor. 

It was well enough to have such a law upon the statute books, in 

deference to humane public opinion. But for years it was practically a 

* "Olayton's Compilation," p. 529. 

Vol. 1—33


dead letter, and, to procure an acquittal from an average jury it was 

only necessary to show that the duel was fought in a decorous manner, 

according to the strict ethics of the Code of Honor. Here the law 

stopped. It required something more than a legislative enactment to 

uproot the traditions of chivalry in a land of Cavaliers. 

Perhaps the most famous of G-eorgia 's Indian fighters was Gen. John 

Floyd, who won renown on the frontier during the W.ar of 1812. Skilled 

in the exercise of arms, there was scarcely any sort of weapon, from 

a shot-gun to a bowie-knife, with whose effective use he was not familiar; 

nor was it solely with Indian warriors that this seasoned old regular 

engaged in hand-to-hand encounters. Down in Camden County, Georgia, 

where General Floyd spent most of his life and where he lies buried on 

one of his plantations, tradition credits him with having fought what in 

some respects was the most extraordinary duel of which there is any 

record in the bloody chronicles of the Code. 

His antagonist, a Mr. Hopkins, was equally skilled in the use of 

weapons, and equally fearless. It was Greek against Greek. As the 

challenged party, Mr. Hopkins claimed the right to choose weapons; but, 

instead of satisfying himself with one kind, he chose three—a most 

radical departure from the venerated traditions. To settle the grievance 

between them it was agreed to fire a round with shot-guns, at a certain' 

specified distance. In the event neither was killed or disabled in this 

exchange of shots, they were to approach several feet nearer with drawn 

pistols, and if both remained on foot after this second fire, they were to 

end the affair in a hand-to-hand grapple with bowie-knives, fighting till 

one or both should fall mortally wounded. 

On both sides, this program was commenced in deadly earnest. But 

General Floyd's antagonist, in either the first or second round, was so 

effectually disabled by loss of blood that resort to bowie-knives as a 

finality was abandoned. The incident suffices to show General Floyd's 

grim hardihood as a fighter. His characteristics in this respect were 

transmitted to his son, Gen. Charles L. Floyd, and to his grandson, 

Capt. Richard S. Floyd, both of whom are credited with affairs of honor. 

Hon.. Win. G. McAdoo, the present distinguished secretary of the treas 

ury in President Wilson's cabinet, and the latter's son-in-law, is a lineal 

descendant of General Floyd; and, while he has not emulated the prowess 

of his ancestor as a duellist, he has turned the fighting spirit of his 

family into industrial channels, with the result that he is today credited 

with one of the greatest achievements of modern times: the construc 

tion of the Hudson River tunnels. 

Hon. Bb. T. Williams, of Atlanta, a distinguished member of the 

Georgia bar, owns a duelling pistol which figured in one of the most dra 

matic episodes of Georgia's history prior to the Civil war. It is an old 

flint-and-steel weapon, made by Manton and Son, of London, famous in 

an earlier day for the manufacture of firearms used on the field of honor. 

The barrel is one of very large bore, inlaid with platinum and encircled 

by silver bands. The device for sighting is also of silver, while the 

powder pan is covered with a layer of platinum. From end to end, the 

pistol measures some eighteen inches in length. It is handsomely en-


graved, and when fresh from the laboratory of Manton and Son, must 

have been a work of art. The pistol was purchased by Colonel Williams 

years ago from an old locksmith of Augusta, by the name of Rogers.* 

According to legendary accounts, this grim relic of duelling days in 

Georgia figured in more than one tragic encounter; but the affair of 

honor to which its rust-covered cylinder unmistakably points, after a 

lapse of nearly 100 years, was a duel which occurred at Sister's Ferry, 

on June 8, 1822, between Col. William Gumming, of Augusta, and Hon. 

George McDuffie, of South Carolina, the latter of whom afterwards be 

came governor of the Palmetto State and United States senator. Colonel 

Gumming was a distinguished soldier of the United States in the War of 

1812. He held the rank of colonel in the regular army, but was adjutant- 

general of the army operating on the Canadian frontier and was severely 

wounded in one of the battles of that campaign. Having resigned from 

the army, after the war, he was subsequently offered a brigadier-gen 

eral's commission by President Jackson, but declined the appointment. 

At the outbreak of the Mexican war, in 1846, he was appointed a major- 

general in the United States Army, by President Polk, but declined this 

appointment also, mainly, 110 doubt, on account of his age, which was 

then about sixty. 

It is difficult to vouch for the circumstances at this late day, but as 

gleaned from newspaper accounts the duel originated in this wise: t An 

article, without signature, appeared in one of the Augusta papers, sup-, 

porting the claims of Mr. Crawford against those of Mr. Calhoun for 

President of the United States. This article provoked a salty reply 

.from a gentleman of South Carolina, whose name was likewise undis 

closed. The Georgia writer rejoined on the assumption that the South 

Carolina writer was Mr. McDuffie, which gentleman nettled by the 

strictures therein contained replied in the belief that his opponent was 

Colonel Gumming, a gentleman whose pen was famous in the contro 

versies of his time. 

Both men were mistaken. The affair proved to be a comedy of errors. 

But no explanation was made on either side and subsequent develop 

ments led to a challenge, which was promptly accepted. It is understood 

that a proposition to which Mr. McDufSe gave assent but to which Colonel 

Cummings demurred was made by mutual friends in the hope of a 

satisfactory adjustment; and, this effort failing, the details of the meeting 

were arranged by seconds after the usual custom. 

According to newspaper accounts, Colonel Gumming wished to fight 

in round-jackets or shirt-sleeves, but his antagonist suggested the conven 

tional frock coat. This dress was accepted. At the appointed hour, 

Colonel Gumming appeared upon the field in a suit of cotton; Mr. 

McDuffie came attired in silk. The combatants, facing each other at a 

distance of ten paces, exchanged shots. McDuffie's ball struck the ground 

about four paces from his own feet, while the bullet of his antagonist 

entered the former's back obliquely just below the short ribs and de- 

* This information obtained from Col. Eb. T. Williams in a personal interview, 

t Dr. E. J. Massey: '' Scrap-book."


fleeted. Only one round was fired, the surgeons agreeing that Mr. 

McDuffie was too severely wounded to continue the hostile interview. 

This wound eventually caused the great orator's death. As a reason 

why the bullet did not penetrate deeper, the Augusta Chronicle, some 

time afterwards, in giving a purported authentic account of the affair, 

made this statement: "Cumming's bullet was loaded for the side, not for 

the back; and for the resistance of common drapery, not for several 

folds of strong silk." * On the authority of Judge John B. O'Neill, in 

his "Bench and Bar of South Carolina," the wound received by Mr. 

McDuffie in this duel changed his entire disposition, embittered his life, 

and sent him a wreck to his tomb. 

John Forsyth was one of the ablest men of his day in the arena of 

national politics. While United States minister to Spain, he negotiated 

with Ferdinand VII for the purchase of Florida. He represented Geor 

gia in both wings of the Federal Congress and succeeded the dauntless 

troup in the chair of governor. Mr. Forsyth rounded his career in 

public life as secretary of war, holding his portfolio under two presi 

dents : Jackson and Van Buren. As an orator, he was superior, in the 

judgment of many, even to Judge Berrien, our American Cicero, with 

whom, in the famous Tariff Convention of 1833, he engaged in a grapple 

of argument lasting for three days. From this contest he bore off the 

laurels. 

But Mr. Forsyth, when a young man, came near losing his life in a 

duel which he fought with a Mr. "Williams, an affair in which the weapons 

used were small swords. Mr. Forsyth received a severe wound in the 

neck. When Gen. John Clark invited William H. Crawford to mortal 

combat, on the eve of the famous duel at High Shoals, it was Mr. Forsyth 

who, as the former's second, bore the challenge to Mr. Crawford; but 

the duties in the Federal Court prevented him from serving in this 

role when the duel occurred. The father of Mr. Forsyth, while holding 

the office of United States marshal for Georgia, was instantly killed in 

a difficulty with the noted Beverly Alien, whom he sought to arrest. 

His grave in the churchyard of old St. Paul's at Augusta, is marked 

by a tombstone, on which an account of the affair is inscribed. Alien 

succeeded in making his escape. 

One of the most distinguished of Georgia's ante-bellum physicians 

was Dr. Ambrose Baber; and there were few men in the state before the 

war who possessed a wider circle of friends or left a profounder impress 

upon public affairs. Doctor Baber was long a resident of Macon. 

Though an active practitioner of medicine, the fascinations of public 

life became a charm too powerful to be resisted, especially by one whose 

intellect and information, fitted him to adorn any station, t He repre 

sented this country at one time as minister to Sardinia. He also sat re 

peatedly in the State Senate of Georgia, and for some time prior to his 

death held the office of Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Georgia 

*Sabine: "Notes on Duelling," p. 242. Dr. R. J. Massey: Article in the 

"Sunny South." 

t Judge E. H. Clark: "Memoirs."


Masons. He was a power in politics. But among the other distinguish 

ing marks of this accomplished gentleman was his deadly aim with a 

pistol and his expert use of the sword. 

Doctor Baber was a duellist. His first connection with an affair of 

honor was in 1825, when he was present in the capacity of a surgeon 

at the famous duel fought between Hon. Thomas D. Mitchell and Maj. 

Robert A. Beall. Colonel Mitchell was allied with the Clark faction in 

politics and at the time of the duel was the newly elected solicitor-general 

of the Southern Circuit. He was a native of Laurens District, South 

Carolina, but studied law at Eatonton, Georgia, under Judge Eli S. 

Shorter, after which he settled at Hartford, Georgia, to practice his pro 

fession. Major Beall was residing at this time in Talbotton, Georgia, but 

afterwards removed to Macon, where he became the first mayor of the 

young town. At a later period in his life he also held a brigadier-gen 

eral's commission in the state militia. 

The difficulty between the two men grew out of a trivial remark 

made by Colonel Mitchell at the dinner table of a friend, to which re 

mark Major Beall took exception. As a result there sprang up between 

these gentlemen a quarrel which proved to be so persistent that a resort 

to weapons offered the only sane solution and accordingly they agreed 

to adjust matters between them by fighting a duel at Hamburg, South 

Carolina, just opposite the City of Augusta. Capt. Joseph Morgan, 

second for Major Beall, and Mr. John P. Booth, second for Colonel 

Mitchell, arranged the details. Two rounds were fired without effect, 

after which, mutual friends, a number of whom were present, intervened 

to prevent further hostilities. The courage of both men having been 

attested, a reconciliation was effected and the combatants shook hands 

on the field. 

Unfortunately, some comment upon the duel made by Doctor Baber, 

who attended as surgeon to Major Beall at Hamburg, South Carolina, 

was resented by Colonel Mitchell. The latter subsequently published 

a card which gave offense to Doctor Baber, who, after a brief controversy 

on the subject, demanded of Colonel Mitchell the satisfaction due a 

gentleman under the code. The challenge was accepted, and rifles, at a 

distance of ten paces, were selected as the weapons. In the spring of 

1826, the parties met at Hamburg, South Carolina, the scene of the 

former duel; and, on the second fire, Colonel Mitchell fell, mortally 

wounded. The ball, penetrated the lungs causing almost instant death. 

Dr. Isaac W. Mitchell, a brother of the deceased, was present at the 

duel, acting in the capacity of surgeon, and attended upon the dying 

man in his last moments. It was a sad duty to perform, but the ordeal 

was soon over, and there were no pangs of lingering distress, thanks to 

the deadly work of the bullet. Doctor Mitchell was a life-long resident 

of Thomas County, Georgia, where he amassed a large property and 

died well advanced in years. Colonel Mitchell, at the time of his death, 

was still a young man, aged thirty-three, and unmarried. Exceptionally 

well equipped for his profession, he was a man of splendid talents, but


sensitive to a fault and inclined to be somewhat rash and dictatorial, 

especially when aroused by anger. 

Doctor Baber survived his hostile encounter with Cplonel Mitchell 

by twenty years, and was still in the prime of life when he came to his 

death in a most tragic and sudden manner. As narrated by Judge 

Richard H. Clark, the circumstances are these: Among the patients of 

Doctor Baber was a man with consumption, named Jarrell, in East 

Macon. On Saturday the doctor made for him a prescription which 

contained cyanuret of potassium. This drug consists largely of the 

elements of prussic acid, and if taken in too large a dose is a deadly 

poison. The prescription was put up by George Payne, then and now 

a prominent druggist of Macon and a most excellent man. Detecting 

the mistake, Mr. Payne, nevertheless, filled the prescription, but tied it 

to the valve and wrote the patient not to take it, that it was a killing 

dose, and to show the prescription, with his note, to Doctor Baber, when 

he arrived. The next morning early Doctor Baber made his accustomed 

visit and was disappointed and irritated that his patient had not taken 

the medicine the day before, as he directed. The dose was a teaspoonful. 

"To satisfy you there is no danger in it," said the doctor to the 

patient, on the impulse of the moment, '' I will take a double dose.'' 

Suiting the action to the word, he swallowed two teaspoonsful, stag 

gered to a chair, and in seventeen minutes, drew his last breath. The 

mistake was due to a misprint in the formulary used by Doctor Baber. 

Afterwards, due to the notoriety which this affair attained, the entire 

edition was called in and destroyed by the publisher, but no amends 

could restore the life of one of the most useful public men of the state. 

The excitement which prevailed throughout the City of Macon on the 

fatal Sunday morning which witnessed this tragic occurrence was most 

intense. It was Macon's dark Sabbath. 

On January 25, 1828, at Fort Mitchell, in the Creek Nation, on what 

is now the Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River, just below the 

present City of Columbus, occurred the famous duel between George W. 

Crawford and Thomas E. Burnside. Both principals were then tal 

ented young lawyers, residing at Appling, in Columbia County, Geor 

gia. The former was a kinsman of the renowned William H. Craw- 

ford and was himself destined to become scarcely less distinguished 

in the 'political history of Georgia. He served his state as governor and 

held the portfolio of secretary of war in the cabinet of General Taylor, 

after which.he presided over the historic secession convention, at Mil- 

ledgeville, in 1861. ' As a lawyer, he encountered few equals at the bar; 

and for his services in prosecuting the celebrated Galphin claim against 

the United States Government, he received a fee of $80,000. 

Burnside, who was fated to fall in this encounter on the threshold 

of what promised to be a brilliant career in public life, was an uncle of 

the noted Federal commander, Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, afterwards 

governor of Rhode Island and United States senator. 

The duel between Crawford and Burnside grew out of a newspaper

GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 519 f 

article published, without signature, in one of the Augusta papers, I 

criticizing Hon. Peter Crawford, a Whig. Peter Crawford was for : 

years prominent in Georgia politics and was at this time in very poor 

health. George W. Crawford, incensed at this attack upon his father -%\ 

by an unknown writer, demanded the authorship of this offensive card. if 

But the editor declined to disclose the writer's name. Col. D. W. Lewis, .4 

who was afterwards Governor Gilmer's private secretary, says that :K 

the writer of the article in question was a lady and that it was for 

this reason that Mr. Crawford's demand was refused. ?! 

However, Thomas E. Burnside assumed responsibility for the article, : 

whereupon he promptly received a challenge from George W. Craw 

ford to mortal combat. He seems to have been reluctant to fight, but 

at a time when, the Code Duello was in vogue, he well knew the conse 

quences to himself and to his political fortunes, should he refuse to meet 

his antagonist on the field. He, therefore, accepted the challenge and 

repaired at once to the scene of combat. But, on the night before the 

fatal meeting—perhaps with some premonition of the result in mind— 

he dispatched the following note to Mrs. Burnside: 

Port Mitchell, January 24, 1828. 

Dear Wife and Mother: 

Tomorrow I fight. I do it on principle. Whatever may be my fate, 

I believe I am right. On this ground I have acted and will act. I be 

lieve I shall succeed, but if I do not I am prepared for consequences. 

Kiss the children and tell them that if I fall my last thought was of : 

them. Yours most affectionately, ; 

THOMAS E. BURNSIDE. 

This pathetic fragment sounds not unlike the message which Alex 

ander Hamilton, on the eve of his fatal meeting with Aaron Burr, ad 

dressed to Mrs. Hamilton, on the subject of duelling. Nor was the ! 

fate of the two men dissimilar. Thomas E. Burnside fell mortally . 

wounded in the encounter which followed. His body was interred, with II 

every show of respect, in the private burial ground of Colonel Crowell, 

whose residence was not far from the spot on which the unfortunate 

man fell. More than two weeks elapsed before Burnside's family re- ;| 

ceived the sad news, which, when it finally came, after so long a period 

of suspense, almost cost Mrs. Burnside her life; but she rallied her ' | 

strength for the sake of her children and afterwards removed to Dahlo- %>' 

nega, Georgia, where she resided until her death. i: 

Burnside was held in high esteem by his countless friends and col 

leagues at the bar. He was a native of South Carolina, where he was 

born in 1794, and after settling at Appling for the practice of law, he 

represented Columbia County in the General Assembly of Georgia. The 

late Judge W. A. Burnside, for years a trustee of the North Georgia 

Agricultural College, was his son. 'Numerous tributes were paid to 

Burnside's character, and from these honors it may be inferred that 

he was a man of splendid parts. At Appling, a mass-meeting of his 

personal and political friends was held, over which Turner Clanton pre- I 

sided. There was also a meeting of the bar of his circuit at which reso- | :i 

lutions were adopted and a movement launched for erecting a monu- If 

ment.


According to Col. "W. P. Price, this duel between Burnside and 

Crawford caused great excitement in Georgia and, more than any other 

personal conflict, it led the people of this state to make a crusade against 

duelling and to demand reform in the method of seeking satisfaction for 

aggrieved honor. Governor Crawford always deplored the unfortunate 

affair and, down to the day of his death, expressed the tenderest solici 

tude for the bereaved widow and children, whose helpless condition he 

caused. On more than one occasion it is said that he substantially 

befriended them, by seeking the help of intermediate parties, without 

letting his own name be given, and for more than one act of kindness 

from an unknown friend the family was indebted to George "W. 

Crawford. 

But the Code Duello has passed. There is not a state in the Union 

nor a country on the globe in which the practice has not been condemned 

by public sentiment, crystallized into forms of law; and even in France, 

where the custom originated, its expiring gasp has at last been heard. 

On this side of the water it has slept the sleep of the dead for a score 

of years; and, except in the literature of a former time, its baleful effect 

upon our civilization is no longer seen or felt. In some respects, it was 

not an unmixed evil. It made men observant of the proprieties of 

speech, knowing full well the responsibility which attached to words. 

It protected the weak against the strong; and it safeguarded the honor 

of woman. There was no place for cowardice under a code which put 

an iron emphasis upon manly virtue and which served to revive, in many; 

of its finer phases, the heroic age of knighthood. But, when everything 

to the credit of duelling has been said and written, it still remains 

that for sheer destructiveness, its only rivals in the world's modern 

life have been pestilence and war. No arithmetic can count the graves 

it has dug, compute the hopes of happiness it has dashed to the ground, 

or number the hearthstones over which it has hung the pall of a pre 

mature desolation. But the fates have kindly intervened. With re 

morseless irony it has come to pass that, for this writer of epitaphs, an 

epitaph has at last been written; that, for this insatiate archer, there 

has come at length an arrow whose point has found the pulsing heart- 

center of life; and that, goaded by the nightmare of its own hideous 

dreams, this murderous custom has at last fallen underneath its own 

fire on the field of honor. 

LAST DUEL FOUGHT IN THE SOUTH.—On August 10, 1889, perhaps the last duel 

fought in the Southern States, according to the strict ethics of the field of honor, 

occurred in Alabama, near the Georgia state line, between J. E. Williamson and 

Patrick Calhoun, both of whom were captains of industry and railway magnates 

interested in. southern rehabilitation. The former, since deceased, was then president 

of the Eome, Chattanooga and Columbus Kailroad, with headquarters in Eome; while 

the latter, a direct lineal descendant of the Great Nullifier of South Carolina, was at 

this time attorney for the West Point Terminal Company, with offices in Atlanta. It 

was a bloodless affair.—"Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends," Vol. II, 

p. 44. 

^m

CHAPTEE X 

JOHN CLARK BECOMES GOVERNOR—HE DEFEATS MR. TROUP AFTER A 

HEATED CAMPAIGN IN 1819^—CHARACTERISTICS OF THE Two CANDI 

DATES CONTRASTED—MR. TROUP A LEADER OF THE CRAWFORD PARTY, 

TO WHICH GENERAL CLARK HAD LONG BEEN A BITTER OPPONENT— 

GENERAL CLARK Is SUPPORTED BY THE UPCOUNTRY SETTLERS AND BY 

THE SMALL FARMERS IN THE LOWLANDS—MR. TROUP Is SUPPORTED BY 

THE ARISTOCRATS OF THE COAST AND BY THE PROFESSIONAL ELEMENT 

—GEORGIA IMPATIENT FOR A EEMOVAL OF THE INDIANS—BOTH THE 

CREEKS AND THE CHEROKEBS STILL liOLD LARGE BODIES OF LAND— 

, GOVERNOR CLARK, AN OLD INDIAN FIGHTER, Is IN SYMPATHY WITH 

THIS FEELING—CONGRESS Is MEMORIALIZED BY THE STATE LEGISLA- 

TURE—ON JANUARY 8, 1821, A TREATY Is NEGOTIATED WITH THE 

CREEKS AT. INDIAN SPRINGS—SOMETHING ABOUT THIS HISTORIC Lo- 

CALITY, A FAMOUS RENDEZVOUS OF THE BED-SKINS, AFTERWARDS A 

POPULAR . HEALTH RESORT—LANDS ACQUIRED BETWEEN THE 

OCMULGEE AND THE FLINT—PARCELS EXCBPTED—OPENED TO SETTLE-. 

MENT. UNDER THE LOTTERY ACT OF 1821—FIVE NEW COUNTIES 

FORMED—DOOLY, FAYETTE, HENRY, HOUSTON AND MONROE—GOVER- 

NOR CLARK Is RE-ELECTED IN 1821 AFTER A SECOND HEATED CON- 

TEST—MAJ. FREEMAN WALKER RESIGNS FROM THE UNITED STATES 

SENATE ON ACCOUNT OF ILL-HEALTH, AND Is SUCCEEDED BY NICHOLAS 

WARE—BOTH ELEVATED TO THE SENATE FROM THE MAYOR'S CHAIR 

OF AUGUSTA—AN EXTRAORDINARY LEAP—GEORGIA IN THE SIXTEENTH 

CONGRESS—THE SOUTHERN JUDICIAL CIRCUIT Is CREATED—THOS. W. 

HARRIS ITS FIRST JUDGE—SLAVERY BECOMES A DISTURBING FACTOR IN 

AMERICAN POLITICS—THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE OF 1820—GEORGIA 

GAINS A NEW CONGRESSMAN—THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF 1820 

—FOUR NEW COUNTIES F'ORMED IN 1822—DEKALB, PIKE, CRAWFORD 

. AND BIBB—THE FLINT CIRCUIT Is CREATED, WITH ELI S. SHORTER ON 

THE BENCH—UNITED STATES SENATOR WARE DIES IN NEW YORK— 

THOMAS W. COBB Is AWARDED THE TOGA—RICHARD HENRY WILDE 

SUCCEEDS MR. COBB. 

NOTES : THE MC!NTOSH RESERVE—THE MC!NTOSH TRAIL. 

But to resume our narrative. The death of Governor Rabun, on 

October 24, 1819, as we have already seen, brought Matthew Talbot to 

the helm of affairs. Mr. Talbot, as president of the Senate, became gov 

ernor by virtue of his office and entered at once upon his duties as chief 

magistrate; but he did not enter the race as a candidate to succeed Gov 

ernor Rabun. The latter's death having occurred within a few weeks of 

the time set for his retirement, there were already two strong candidates 

521


in the field. One of these was Gen. John Clark'. He stood at the head 

of the great political faction known by his name as the Clark party and 

was a man of powerful influence in the state at this time, especially 

among the uplanders. Opposed to him was George M. Troup, who had 

lately resigned his seat in the United States Senate. Mr. Troup belonged 

to the Crawford party, an organization whose leader was the great Wil 

liam H. Crawford. As a young man, Mr. Troup had been a protege of 

old Governor James Jackson, of Savannah. On the death of Jackson in 

1806 Mr. Troup assumed the leadership of the Crawford party in South 

Georgia; and when Mr. Crawford withdrew from state politics he be 

came the recognized champion of the entire aristocratic element. So 

uncompromising a fighter was Mr. Troup—so pronounced his convic 

tions on public issues—so bold his advocacy of State Rights—that the 

faction to whose leadership he was called at once took his name and 

became known as the Troup party of Georgia. 

Mr. Troup had served for eight years in Congress (1807-1815), and 

for two years in the United States Senate (1816-1818), when he entered 

the race for governor; and he possessed some prestige, therefore, in 

national politics. General Clark was not unknown in military circles 

outside the state as a soldier who had served his novitiate in the Revolu 

tion, under an illustrious father and who had later achieved some note 

as an Indian fighter, but his reputation was in no sense national. Mr. 

Troup was a man of culture, eccentric perhaps, but well educated. Gen 

eral Clark, on the other hand, could lay claim only to the rudiments of 

an education. He was far more skillful with the sword than with the pen: 

But he was a man of hard common sense and of strong will power. Mr. 

Troup was an aristocrat, stiff as a poker in his manners, peculiar in his 

style of dress, pompous, haughty, almost imperious, in his personal bear 

ing. General Clark was a plain man of the people, blunt of speech, but 

honest, outspoken and fearless, Governor Gilmer to the contrary not 

withstanding. The frontiersmen looked upon General Clark with an 

awe akin to veneration. In the upcountry his word was law. Every 

old soldier was his sworn friend and every man who came from North 

Carolina or whose ancestors came from North Carolina was a supporter 

of General Clark by virtue of this fact. Moreover, the small farmers in 

the lower belt were also allied with the Clark faction. It will be remem 

bered that in a former chapter of this work we discussed at some length 

the earliest division of the state into parties. One of these was composed 

largely of Virginians who followed Crawford; while the other was made 

up chiefly of North Carolinians who adhered to the Clarks. 

These contrasted characteristics will serve to throw some light upon 

the campaign of 1819. It was a stubbornly contested fight; and, though 

the stump speaker had not arrived as yet in Georgia, the partisan editor 

was on hand and wielded a rancorous pen in the bitter controversies of 

this period. 

Georgia was becoming impatient for a removal of the Indian tribes. 

Eighteen years had elapsed since the cession of 1802, at which time the 

state had relinquished its western lands to the Federal Government with, 

the express understanding that all Indian titles to the remaining terri 

tory were to be extinguished. Several bodies of land had been acquired 

from both the Creek and the Cherokee Indians; but in each instance


these lands had been acquired by direct purchase. The Creeks still 

held 10,000,000 acres of land in Georgia, having ceded an equal amount, 

while the Cherokees still retained 6,000,000 acres, having ceded only 

1,000,000. These unceded lands lay north of the Chattahoochee and west 

of the Ocmulgee. 

General Clark had been an Indian fighter. His anxiety to rid the 

state of these savage tribes was well known. At any rate, within a month 

after his inauguration as governor a memorial was addressed to Con 

gress by the State Legislature urging a removal of the Indian tribes to 

lands west of the Mississippi River. 

This memorial brought results. On January 8, 1821, a treaty was 

negotiated with the Creeks at Indian Springs by two commissioners rep 

resenting the United States Government: Daniel M. Fo'rney, of South 

Carolina and David Meriwether, of Georgia.* Under the terms of this 

treaty, all the remaining lands of the Creek Indians between the Ocmul 

gee and the Flint rivers, extending as far north as the Chattahooehee, 

were ceded by the Creeks for a stipulated sum, of which it was agreed 

that $250,000 was to be used in compensating citizens of Georgia for 

property taken from them by the Indians. The excepted parcels of land 

still retained by the Creeks under this treaty were: (1) 1,000 acres of 

land around the springs; (2) 640 acres on the Ocmulgee River, includ 

ing the improvements of Mclntosh; and (3) a tract of land around the 

agency, to be retained by the United States Government, however, until 

the agency was discontinued. There were three commissioners present, 

on the part of the State of Georgia, to wit: J. Mclntosh, David Adams, 

and Daniel Newman, but none of these signed the agreement. 

Some information in regard to this noted place of rendezvous for the 

Creek Indians, afterwards a famous health resort for the whites, will 

be of interest in this connection: f 

During the year 1792, when this locality was a wilderness, Douglas 

Watson, a scout employed by the United States Government to inspect 

the frontier, came to Georgia, and, while passing through this neighbor 

hood, happened upon a little spring in a dense cane brake. "What he 

took to be the smell of gunpowder guided him to the spot; but when 

he learned that it was from a fissue in the rocks that this peculiar odor 

of brimstone proceeded he quickly left the neighborhood, in superstitious 

dread of consequences. However, the magic waters were in time dis 

covered by other travelers and soon there began to flock to Indian 

Springs a multitude of health-seekers. It is said that the medicinal 

virtues of Indian Springs were known to the savages from the earliest 

times. In 1800, Gen. "William Mclntosh, the famous Creek Indian chief, 

here erected a cottage, so it is said, where he usually spent the winter 

months. Subsequently, according to local tradition, a Mr. Allison built 

here a double log cabin. These were the earliest structures erected in 

the neighborhood, and both were destroyed by fire. In 1823, General 

Mclntosh and Joel Bailey, erected the first hotel. The building still 

* "Indian Affairs," Vol. II, pp. 248-249. 

t Our authority for these statements is an address delivered ,by Judge J. H. 

Lumpkin, July 1, 1911, at Indian Springs, Georgia, on the occasion of a tablet unveil 

ing by the D. A. E.


stands in excellent preservation and is today known as the Varner 

House. There are still to be seen, on the doors and mantels, some fine 

specimens of hand-carving, done, it is said, with a pocket knife in the 

hands of General Mclntosh. The famous chief was well known to the 

guests who frequented the establishment. His two wives were both re 

fined and handsome women of the full Indian blood. 

In what is known as the Lottery Act of 1821, passed at an extra ses 

sion of the State Legislature, these newly acquired Creek lands were 

erected into five counties, to wit, Dooly, Fayette, Henry, Houston, and 

Monroe.* 

There was another sharp contest for the governorship before the 

Legislature in 1821. Governor Clark was a candidate for re-election and 

opposed to him was his old antagonist, Mr. Troup. Feeling was bitter 

on both sides. Those who supported the governor were called Clarkites. 

Those who favored the rival candidate were called Troupers. There was 

apparently an even division of sentiment among the legislators. Amid 

breathless excitement a ballot was taken, the result of which was a major 

ity of two votes for Governor Clark. 

Mr. Troup's disappointment in sustaining a second defeat at the 

hands of his old rival was keen. This feeling was likewise shared by 

his friends. But there was no abandonment of the fight, except for the 

moment. Plans were laid for another campaign in 1823, at which time 

the Troupers were to win. 

It devolved upon the Legislature of 1821 to elect a successor to Hon. 

Freeman Walker, whose resignation as United States senator was ten-, 

dered at this time. Though still comparatively a young man—not yet 

forty—Major Walker was in precarious health; and he lingered for only 

a few years after relinquishing- official responsibilities. Dying in 1827, 

he was interred in the family burial plot, today enclosed within the 

grounds of the Arsenal, on the Sand Hills, near Augusta. Richard 

Henry Wilde, the poet-statesman, wrote a magnificent epitaph for his 

tomb. 

Major Walker was Augusta's first mayor. He was filling this office 

when elected to the United States Senate; and by a singular coincidence 

his successor in the office of mayor likewise became his successor in the 

United States Senate. This was Hon. Nicholas Ware, upon whom the 

Legislature of 1821 conferred the toga. The mayor's chair of Augusta 

seemed to be a stepping-stone to political honors in the nation. Even for 

such a leap to be made once was a circumstance sufficiently rare to elicit 

comment; but for such a leap to be made twice in succession made it 

appear as if the fates were juggling with Georgia's politics. 

Georgia was represented in the Sixteenth Congress (1819-1821) by 

the following members: Joel Abbot, Thomas W. Cobb, Joel Crawford, 

John A. Cuthbert, Robert R. Reid and William Terrell. 

Two of these: Joel Abbot and Robert R. Reid, were re-elected to the 

Seventeenth Congress (1821-1823). The new members of the delegation 

were: Alfred Cuthbert, George R. Gilmer, Edward F. Tattnall, and 

Wiley Thompson. Mr. Cuthbert was elected to succeed his brother John, 

* For additional particulars in regard to these counties, see the section of this 

work on Georgia Miscellanies.

G-EOBGIA AND GEORGIANS 525 

a member of the preceding Congress. Judge Reid's career in Congress 

ended with the expiration of his term in 1823. Saddened.by the death 

of his wife, he seemed to lose all interest in public affairs. He also 'be 

came indifferent to his law practice. Finally, however, accepting a 

Federal judgeship in the Territory of Florida, he left this state, to be 

identified no more with its political fortunes. 

In 1819 the Southern Judicial Circuit was created by an act of the 

Legislature and to preside over the courts of this circuit Judge Thomas 

W. Harris was elected. 

Long to be remembered in the annals of Savannah was the year 1820. 

Besides witnessing a disastrous fire, in which over 400 buildings were 

reduced to ashes, entailing a loss of $4,000,000, it sustained a devastating 

scourge of yellow fever, to which thousands fell victims. 

Slavery at this time became a disturbing factor in American politics. 

Since the Ordinance of 1787 excluding slavery from all the territory 

of the nation, west of the. Mississippi and north of the Ohio, there had 

been no legislation seriously affecting its status. But, on the question of 

'admitting Missouri, a grave sectional issue was sprung. Congress, of 

course, was powerless to interfere with slavery in the states. It was 

free, however, to enact laws for the territories and to fix the terms on 

which these territories could enter the Union. At this time there was 

an even balance of power between the states, eleven of which were slave 

and eleven free. Missouri had adopted a constitution favoring slavery; 

and there was strong opposition at the North to admitting Missouri as a 

slave state for the obvious reason that such action would destroy the ex 

isting equilibrium. But the matter was finally compromised in 1820 by 

creating a state out of the domain of Massachusetts to be called Maine 

and to be admitted as a free state. With this off-set Missouri was 

then admitted as a slave state. But the free soilers gained a deci 

sive victory in a proviso attaching to the Compromise of 1820, under 

which no other slave states could be formed out of the Louisiana Pur 

chase north of the southern boundary line of Missouri, corresponding to 

latitude 35° 30'. This imposed a limit to the further expansion of 

slavery and foreshadowed its early loss of power. But the admission of 

Texas in 1845 added a vast realm to the Southwest, thus restoring the 

balance. Georgia's increasing wealth in slave property made the Com 

promise of 1820 one of absorbing interest to her people, but it did not 

affect her holdings, except in so far as it threatened an ultimate over 

throw of the slave system, through its gradual loss of power. 

Georgia's support in the presidential campaign of 1820 was given 

to President Monroe. The following electors were chosen at this time: 

from the state at large, Oliver Porter and John Graves; district electors, 

Henry Mitchell, John Rutherford, John Mclntosh, John Forster, David 

Meriwether and Benjamin .Whitaker.* 

Under the census of 1820 Georgia gained an extra congressman but 

the new apportionment did not become effective until 1823 when the 

following delegation was chosen to the Eighteenth Congress (1823- 

1825) : Joel Abbot, George Carey, Thomas W. Cobb, Alfred Cuthbert, 

John Forsyth, Edward F. Tattnall and Wiley Thompson. 

*Lanman.'s "Biographical Annals of the U. S. Govt.," pp. 519-521.


Four' new counties were created by the Legislature of 1822: * De- 

Kalb, Pike, Crawford and Bibb, all of which were created out of the 

counties formed in 1821 from the newly acquired Creek lands. These 

counties having rapidly filled with settlers, new counties were demanded. 

Macon, the county-seat of Bibb, soon became one of the important towns 

of the state. It was located on the opposite side of the Ocnmlgee River 

from old Fort Hawkins.f 

Also at this session, the Flint Judicial Circuit was created with Judge 

Eli S. Shorter as its first presiding officer. 

On September 24, 1824, Nicholas Ware, United States senator from 

Georgia, died while on a visit to New York, whither he had gone for 

medical treatment soon after taking the oath of office. His remains 

were interred under the annex to Grace Church, in the City of New 

York, where they still repose. To succeed Mr. Ware as United States 

senator, the Legislature elected Hon. Thomas W. Cobb, of Greensboro, 

then a member of Congress. Hon. Richard Henry Wilde, of Augusta, 

was chosen to succeed Mr. Cobb in the Eighteenth Congress. 

MclNTOSH EESERVE.—What is known as the Mclntosh Reserve is an area of land 

one mile square situated in a bend of the Chattahoochee Elver, between Carroll and 

Goweta Counties, where it occupies both sides of the stream. The old home of 

General Mclntosh stood on the Carroll side of the river in the extreme southern 

part of the county, and was reached by the famous trail, a branch of which ran 

through the reserve. Here General Mclntosh was murdered by a band of the Upper 

Greeks in 1826. His last resting place is unmarked; but in a grave somewhere in 

this neighborhood, overlooking the tawny waters of- the Chattahoochee, the brave 

chief lies buried.—"Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends." L. L. Knight. 

Vol.. II. 

MclNTOSH TRAIL.—Beginning at Fort Hawkins, opposite the site of the present 

City of Macoii, the Mclntosh trail ran almost due west to the Old Indian Agency 

on the Flint, thence northward following the valley of this stream to a point three 

miles north of the present Town of! Senoia, where it divided, one branch running 

eastward by way of Indian Springs to Augusta, the other running westward by way 

of Newnan to Talladega, Alabama, and thence to the French villages along the 

Mississippi. Portions of the trail still exist in well defined country roads, but some 

of the connecting links are difficult to trace by reason of topographical changes. 

Andrew .Jackson, during the second war with England, marched his troops over this 

trail to New Orleans, where he won his celebrated victory on January 8, 1815. Near 

Senoia, where the trail diverged, General Mclntosh built a fort the ruins of which 

can still be* seen. The town which later arose in this vicinity was named for an 

Indian princess famed throughout the forest for her beauty. She belonged to a 

tribe known as the Gowetas or Lower Creeks, of which General Mclntosh was the 

chief. Mrs. E. H. Hardaway, of Newnan, regent -of Sarah Dickinson Chapter, 

D. A. K., is perhaps the foremost authority in the state on the Melntosh trail, a part 

of which she has succeeded in tracing with wonderful minuteness of detail.—Ibid., 

Vol. II. 

* Acts 1822, pp. 23-26. 

t For additional information in regard to these counties, see section on Georgia 

Miscellanies.

CHAPTER XI 

GEORGE M. TEOUP WINS THE GOVERNORSHIP IN 1823, DEFEATING MATTHEW 

TALBOT, THE CLARK CANDIDATE—THE BALLOT STANDS EIGHTY-FIVE TO 

EIGHTY-ONE—GREAT EXCITEMENT IN THE LEGISLATURE—JESSE MER- , 

CER Is OVERJOYED—THE LAST ELECTION OF A GOVERNOR BY THE LEGIS- 

. LATURE—AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION Is ADOPTED MAKING 

THE OFFICE ELECTIVE BY THE PEOPLE—GOVERNOR TROUP SOUNDS AN 

UNEQUIVOCAL NOTE FOR A REMOVAL OF THE INDIANS—CONGRESS Is 

AGAIN MEMORIALIZED—THE GOVERNOR ALSO ' ADDRESSES A VIGOROUS 

COMMUNICATION TO GEORGIA'S SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES IN 

CONGRESS—NEXT, IN 1824, HE TRANSMITS A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO THE 

LEGISLATURE ON THIS SUBJECT—THE COMPACT OF 1802 RECALLED— 

THINGS BEGIN TO LOOK SERIOUS—ALARMED BY THE MENACING TONE 

OF GOVERNOR TROUP 's MESSAGE, THE CHEROKEES SEND A DELEGATION 

TO WASHINGTON—PROGRESS MADE BY THESE INDIANS IN THE ARTS OF 

• PEACE AND IN THE SCIENCE OF GOVERNMENT—MEMORIAL ADDRESSED 

BY THE CHEROKEES TO CONGRESS—PRESIDENT MONROE Is FRIENDLY 

TO THE INDIANS—His ATTITUDE Is RESENTED BY GEORGIA—THE MAT 

TER REFERRED TO CONGRESS—BUT ACTION Is DELAYED PENDING .THE 

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1824—NEW . COUNTIES CREATED—DE- 

CATUR, WARE, UPSON, THOMAS, BAKER, LOWNDES AND TALIAFERRO. 

George M. Troup finally won the governorship in 1823. But not 

without a spirited contest. Governor Clark, having filled this high office 

for two consecutive terms, was not a candidate f or - re-election; but the 

Clark party had put a candidate in the field and political excitement was 

at fever heat when the Legislature met in November to elect a governor. 

Hon. Matthew Talbot, of Wilkes, was the candidate supported by the 

Clark faction. Mr. Talbot was a native of Virginia and a man of large 

means. He had served repeatedly in the State Legislature and was occu 

pying the president's chair in the Senate, when the death of Governor 

Rabun in 1819 brought him temporarily to the helm of affairs. Having 

stepped aside for General Clark at this time, the latter was now ready 

to pay a political debt by supporting Mr. Talbot. 

On March 6,1823, a ballot was taken, the result of which stood: Troup 

eighty-five, Talbot eighty-one. Says Mr. Phillips:* "It so happened 

that when 162 ballots had been counted the tally stood 81 to 81, with 

four votes still in the hat. These proved to be all for Troup, and the 

house went wild. A picturesque figure was that of Jesse Mercer, who 

staggered out, overcome with joy, loudly praising heaven that he had 

lived to see the day. This old man was for many years a prominent 

'Georgia and State Eights," pp. 102-103. 

527


clergyman of the Baptist Church in Georgia. He mixed politics with 

his gospel to such .an extent that he never failed to carry his county 

overwhelmingly for Crawford or Troup. Governor Lumpkin lays 

at his door many of the votes cast against him in his numerous cam- 

REMNANTS op GOVERNOR TROUP 's OLD HOME PLACE, "VALDOSTA" 

paigns, saying that although the Baptist Church was not a unit in poli 

tics, yet Mercer always carried the bulk of its members for the Troup 

candidates.'' 

This was.the last election of a governor by a State Legislature in 

Georgia. 

On December 17, 1823, an act was passed to amend the constitution


of 1799, so as to place the election of a chief magistrate directly in the 

hands of the people. This legislation has been attributed to the Clark 

faction. As amended, the constitution provided for the governor's elec 

tion "by persons qualified to vote for members of the General Assem 

bly, on the first Monday in October, in the year of our Lord, 1825, and 

on the first Monday in October, in each second year thereafter.'' * This 

amendment having been authorized by two successive legislatures became 

a part of the organic law. As we shall see later, Governor Troup was 

not only the last chief executive to be elected by the State Legislature 

but also the first to be elected by the people at the ballot box. 

Governor Troup was scarcely installed in office before he sounded 

an unequivocal blast telling exactly where he stood on the Indian ques 

tion. On December 22, 1823, he addressed the following letter to Geor 

gia's senators and representatives in Congress. Said he: 

"Executive Department, Georgia. 

"MiHedgeville, 22d Deer., 1823. 

*' Gentlemen: 

"In communicating to you the accompanying memorial, approved, 

as I believe, unanimously, by both Branches of the Legislature, I have 

nothing to add, but the expression of my wishes that you will without 

the least delay (first obtaining, if you can, a recommendation from the 

President) submit it to the Congress, and disdaining as you see it does 

the language of petition will demand of them the appropriation neces 

sary to extinguish the whole of the Indian Claims within the acknowl 

edged limits of the State of Georgia. Forbearing the language of menace 

as long as it ought to be forborne, you will in the last resort distinctly 

state, that Georgia, will be no longer answerable to the Union, for any 

consequences 'which may result from the protracted denial of justice to 

her. Respectfully, 

"G. M. TROUP. 

"The Honbl. Senators and Representatives from the State of Georgia 

in the Congress of the United States, Washington City.'' 

Two months later, on February 25, 1824, he addressed a special com 

munication to the General Assembly on this subject, reciting the obli 

gations assumed by the Federal Government, under the compact of 

1802, to extinguish all Indian titles. As set forth by Governor Troup, 

Georgia had ceded to the Federal Government 50,000,000 acres of land 

for only $1,250,000; but she had done so with the distinct understanding 

that her remaining territory was to be confirmed in her possession. 

Twenty-one years had elapsed, but the Indians were still encumbering 

the Territory of Georgia. Millions of dollars had been spent by the 

Government in satisfying the unjust demands of Yazoo claimants, but 

only a paltry bagatelle in meeting the solemn obligations assumed under 

the compact of 1802. Governor Troup's message closed with this par 

agraph : 

"I recommend to you, therefore, that you address yourselves once 

more and for the last time to the justice of the United States, in language 

but respectful, and insist on: (1) a liberal appropriation of money to 

* Acts, 1823. 

Vol. I— 34


extinguish the Indian claims to all lands within our territorial limits; 

and (2) commanding instructions to her agents, whoever they, may be, 

that what of right ought to be done, shall be done." 

In due time a memorial was sent to Washington by the Georgia 

Legislature urging immediate action. 

Things were beginning to look serious. Realizing that blood earnest 

ness characterized these Georgia demands, all of which were grounded 

upon solemn pledges made by the Government in the compact of 1802, 

an effort was made by the Federal authorities in 1824 to obtain another 

cession of land from the Creeks, but these Indians refused to cede an 

other foot of land within the borders of Georgia. Big "Warrior, the chief 

of the Creek Nation, remained obdurate, stating that his people had 

already been too easily persuaded. He also informed the Government 

that at a great council of the Creek Nation held at Broken Arrow, in 

Alabama, it had been decided to hold no more treaties with the whites. 

Meanwhile, the Cherokees in the upper part of the state finding the 

Troup administration bent upon bringing the Government to terms, like 

wise began to take alarm. The Cherokees were well advanced in the arts 

of civilized life, including even manufactures. 

As we shall see later, they possessed a written alphabet and not a 

few of them owned slaves. There were several strong leaders among the 

Cherokees, gifted with rare powers of eloquence, if not with a genius for 

statecraft. To protest in advance against any line of policy unjust to 

the Cherokees, these Indians sent a delegation to Washington composed 

of the following half-breeds, all of them men of talent: John Ross, 

George Lowrey, Major Ridge, and Elijah Hicks. These commissioners, 

on April 16, 1824, addressed a strong communication to the Senate of 

the United States. It ran as follows: 

"Communicated to the Senate, April 16, 1824. 

'' To the Senate of the United States in Congress assembled: 

"We, the undersigned delegation from the Cherokee Nation, now on 

a visit at the seat of Government of the United States, on matters of vast 

import, as will appear by the President's message of the 30th of March 

last, and its accompanying documents, humbly beg leave to submit before, 

your honorable body a few remarks, which we are bound (as we believe) 

to make, under a sense of duty to our nation, as well as to ourselves. 

It is with unfeigned regret and pain we discover the sentiments which 

are expressed by the Governor of Georgia, in his letter to the Secretary 

of War of the 28th of February last; and, also, those expressed by the 

Georgia delegation in Congress to the President of the United States, on 

the 10th of March last. We cannot but view the design of those letters 

as an attempt, bordering on a hostile disposition towards the Cherokee 

nation, to wrest from them, by arbitrary means, their just rights and 

liberties, the security of which is solemnly guarantied to them by these 

United States. As you have a full view of the subject before your hon 

orable body, it is not our purpose to be superfluous; therefore, we will 

take occasion to assert, under the fullest authority, that all the senti 

ments expressed in relation to the disposition and determination of the 

nation.never again to cede another foot of land, are positively the pro 

duction and voice of the nation; and what has been uttered by us, in


the communications which we have made to the Government, since our 

arrival in this city, is expressive of the true sentiments of the nation, 

agreeably to our instructions, and that not one word of which has been 

put into our mouth by a white man. Any surmises or statements to the 

contrary are ill-founded and ungenerous. We forbear to animadvert on 

the aspersion pointed at our chiefs by the pen of the Georgia delegation; 

it is but a subterfuge. The Cherokees are informed on the situation of 

the country west of the Mississippi river; and there is not a spot out 

of the limits of any States or Territories thereof, and within the limits 

of the United States, that they would ever consent to inhabit, because 

they have unequivocally determined never again to pursue the chase, as 

heretofore, or to engage in wars, unless by the special call of the Gov 

ernment, to defend the common rights of the United States; and as a 

removal to the barren waste bordering on the Rocky Mountains, where 

water and timber are scarcely to be seen, could be for no other object 

of inducement than to pursue the buffalo, and to wage wars with the 

uncultivated Indians in that hemisphere. Imposing facts! We speak 

from the experience which has been so repeatedly realized, that such a 

state of things would inevitably be the result, were the Cherokees to emi 

grate to that country. But such an event will never take place. The 

Cherokees have turned their attention to the pursuits of the civilized 

man; agriculture, manufactures, and the mechanic arts, and education, 

are all in successful operation in the nation at this time; and, whilst 

the Cherokees are peacefully endeavoring to enjoy the blessings of civ 

ilization and Christianity 011 the soil of their rightful inheritance; and 

whilst the exertions and labors of various religious societies of these 

United States are successfully engaged in promulgating to them the word 

of truth and life, from the sacred volume of holy writ, and under the 

patronage of the General Government, they are threatened with re 

moval or extinction. This subject is now before your honorable body 

for a decision. We appeal to the magnanimity of the American Con 

gress for justice, and the protection of the rights, liberties, and lives of 

the Cherokee people. We claim it from the United States, by the 

strongest obligation which imposes it upon them—by treaties; and we 

expect it from them under that memorable declaration, 'that all men are 

created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain 

unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit 

of happiness.' 

"We, therefore, in behalf and under the highest authority of the 

Cherokee Nation, have hereunto affixed our signatures, at Washington 

City, this 15th day of April, 1824. 

'' JOHN Ross, 

"GEO. LOWREY, 

'' MAJOR RIDGE, his X mark, 

"ELIJAH HICKS." 

Commissioners within a few weeks were dispatched by the. United 

States Government into the Cherokee Nation, .bearing a large quantity of 

provisions with which to conciliate the Indians. These commissioners 

were: James Meriwether and Duncan G. Campbell. But only a very 

few of the chiefs came to the place of meeting—Calhoun Town. Even


these were silent, refusing to accept anything of the commissioners, dis 

daining to enter the tents in which the latter held camp, and remaining 

outside with arms folded, in a downpour of rain. Before leaving the 

nation, these commissioners visited Chief Hicks, who gave them a' patient 

hearing and then finally asked if they would give the Cherokees $2 per 

acre. To this the commissioners returned a negative answer. 

"Very well, then," said Hicks, "we know its value. As for the claims 

your people have against us, i. e., for property carried off by the Indians, 

we can pay them without selling our land.'' 

President Monroe was not in sympathy with Georgia's demand. At 

any rate he declined to take any radical action. During this same year 

he sent a message to Congress in which he said: "The Indian titles 

are not affected in the slightest circumstance by the compact [of 1802] 

and there is no obligation to remove the Indians by'force." To this con 

tention, Governor Troup replied in a characteristic letter. Congress was 

more considerate of Georgia's just claims; and after much discussion a 

committee was appointed to report on the obligations involved in the 

compact of 1802. This committee's report was most emphatic to the 

effect that the Federal Government was bound by the terms of this agree 

ment to take immediate steps looking toward a removal of the Indians. 

But another presidential election was approaching. Nothing was done, 

therefore, at this time, pending a change of administrations. 

Between 1823 and 1825 several new counties were created. ' In 1823 

Decatur County was organized out of Early. In 1824, "Ware was formed 

from Irwin, while a new county called Upson was formed from Craw- 

ford and Pike. In 1825, Thomas County was formed out of Decatur 

and Irwin; Baker was detached from Early; Butts was organized out 

of Henry and Monroe; Lowndes was erected out of Irwin; and Taliaferro 

was formed out of lands belonging to five counties, to wit: Greene, Han 

cock, Oglethorpe, "Warren and Wilkes, a circumstance which accounts 

for the local name formerly given to this region: Five Points.

CHAPTBE XII 

THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF 1824 OPENS—WILLIAM. H. CRAWFORD, 

OP GEORGIA, A CANDIDATE—ONE OP THE STATE'S MOST ILLUSTRIOUS 

SONS—WHILE THE CAMPAIGN Is IN PROGRESS, MR. CRAWFORD Is 

STRICKEN WITH PARALYSIS—THE ELECTION Is THROWN INTO THE 

HOUSE OF' REPRESENTATIVES—JOHN QUINCY ADAMS Is NOMINATED 

AND ELECTED—JOHN MACPHERSON BERRIEN CHOSEN TO SUCCEED 

JOHN ELLIOTT IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE—THE AMERICAN 

CICERO—GEORGIA'S DELEGATION IN TPIE NINETEENTH CONGRESS—THE 

INDIAN PROBLEM ONCE MORE EMERGES—THE CHEEKS IN COUNCIL 

AT BROKEN ABROW REFUSE TO CEDE ANY MORE LANDS—BUT, UNDER 

THE LEADERSHIP OF GEN. WILLIAM MC!NTOSH, THE GEORGIA TRIBES, 

KNOWN AS LOWER CREEKS, EXPRESS A WILLINGNESS TO EMIGRATE TO 

THE WEST—ON FEBRUARY 12, 1825, A TREATY Is SIGNED AT INDIAN 

SPRINGS—INCIDENTS OF THE MEETING—ALL THE INDIAN LANDS BE 

TWEEN THE FLINT AND THE CHATTAHOOCHEE ARE ACQUIRED—THE 

UPPER CREEKS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH A DECREE OF THE NATION, RE 

SOLVE TO AVENGE THE CESSION—THE MURDER OF GENERAL MC!NTOSH 

—WHEN GEORGIA ATTEMPTS TO SURVEY THE CEDED LANDS AN ORDER 

Is RECEIVED FROM PRESIDENT ADAMS TO DESIST—BUT GOVERNOR 

TBOUP STANDS FIRM—THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ENTERS INTO A 

NEW TREATY WITH THE CREEKS WHICH GOVERNOR TROUP REFUSES 

TO RESPECT—STATE SOVEREIGNTY Is BOLDLY MAINTAINED—AN 

EVENTFUL CLASH BETWEEN STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS—GEN. 

E. P. GAINES Is SENT TO GEORGIA WITH AN ARMED FORCE TO INTIMI 

DATE THE STATE AUTHORITIES—BUT GOVERNOR TROUP WINS—THE 

ISSUE Is FINALLY ADJUSTED IN A TREATY NEGOTIATED AT THE OLD 

AGENCY ON THE FLINT, NOVEMBER 15, 1827—HOPO-ETH-LEYO-HOLO'S. 

SPEECH BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEETING AT INDIAN SPRINGS—GOVER 

NOR .TROUP RE-ELECTED IN 1825—AN EVENTFUL CAMPAIGN—THE. 

FIRST POPULAR ELECTION FOR GOVERNOR—JOHN CLARK GOES DOWN 

IN A FINAL TRIAL OF STRENGTH—APPOINTED INDIAN AGENT, HE; 

TAKES UP His RESIDENCE IN WEST FLORIDA WHERE HE DIES OF YEL 

LOW FEVER—His GRAVE OVERLOOKING ST. ANDREW'S BAY. 

Georgia's first candidate for presidential honors entered the'cam 

paign of 1824 in the person of William H. Crawford. Though a native- 

of Virginia, Mr. Crawford had been a resident of Georgia since his boy 

hood days. As we have already learned, in preceding chapters, he had1 

been for twenty years a dominant figure in Georgia politics, having led 

the faction to which Gen. John Clark was opposed. Entering the United 

States Senate in 1807, the leadership of the Crawford party in Georgia 

devolved upon George M. Troup. Six years later, he relinquished the 

533


toga to become ambassador to France and while abroad, as we have seen, 

he received tribute honors from the great Napoleon. Returning to 

America, he held for a short time the portfolio of war in President Madi 

son's cabinet, after which, under both Madison and Monroe, he remained 

continuously at the helm of the treasury department. 

Mr. Crawford was a recognized power in national politics. As early 

as 1822 a caucus of democratic members in the two houses of Congress 

nominated him for president; but when the campaign opened there were 

three other candidates in the field. These were: John Quincy Adams, 

Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay, all of whom were democrats like Mr. 

Crawford, but the friends of these candidates had declined to go into the 

caucus. Mr. Crawford's prospects of success were brightening every 

moment when a sudden attack of paralysis dashed his political hopes to 

the ground. It is said that an improper use of lobelia, prescribed by an 

incompetent physician, was the cause of Mr. Crawford's unfortunate 

illness. The time for holding the election was near at hand; and while 

the exact nature of the malady was not generally known it was correctly 

surmised that Mr. Crawford was an ill man. Nevertheless, under all the 

circumstances, he polled an amazing vote. There was a deadlock in the 

electoral college, in consequence of which it became necessary for the 

House of Representatives to decide the contest; and chiefly through Mr. 

Clay's influence, so it is claimed, John Quincy Adams was elected. Mr. 

Crawford recovered his health sufficiently to render the state useful serv 

ice on the Superior Court bench; but neither in mind nor in body was 

he ever quite the same man upon whom Napoleon had looked with an 

admiration akin to awe, nor did he ever again figure in national politics. 

He died in 1834 and was buried at Woodlawn, his plantation near the 

Town of Lexington. Under a massive horizontal slab, which has well 

stood the test of time, though yellow with age, all that is mortal of this 

great Georgian rests in the soil of his adopted state. Peace to his 

slumbers! 

Georgia warmly supported Mr. Crawford in the presidential contest 

of 1824. Her choice for vice president was Martin Van Buren, of New 

York. The electors chosen at this time were nine in number, to wit: from 

the state at large, Elias Beall and William Matthews; district electors, 

Thomas Gumming, John Mclntosh, John Floyd, John Rutherford, John 

Harden, William Terrell and Warren Jordan.* 

To succeed John Elliott whose term of office as United States senator 

expired on March 4, 1825, the General Assembly elected John MacPher- 

son Berrien, of Savannah, whose eloquence in this high forum caused him 

in after years to be styled "the American Cicero." Judge Berrien was 

a native of New Jersey. It was at the old Berrien homestead, near Prince- 

ton, that Washington had issued his farewell address to the American 

Army in 1783. Judge Berrien's father—the gallant Maj. John Berrien 

—had been a soldier of the Revolution and, after coming to Georgia, had 

filled the office of state treasurer. On his mother's side, Judge Berrien 

was a MacPherson; and an uncle for whom he was named, Col. John 

MacPherson, had served on General Montgomery's staff at Quebec. 

Georgia's delegation in the Nineteenth Congress (1825-1827) was as 

*Lanman's "Biog. Annals of the U. S. Govt.," pp. 521-522.


follows: George Carey, Alfred Cuthbert, John Forsyth, Charles E. 

Haynes, James Meriwether, Edward F. Tattnall, and Wiley Thompson. 

We now return to the Indian problem. Due to the unfriendly atti 

tude of the Indians, both Creeks and Cherokees, all negotiations for two 

years had been fruitless. At a council of the Creeks held at Broken 

Arrow, in 1824, the Indians had refused to listen to any proposition from 

the Federal Government. But President Monroe, before retiring from 

office, decided to make one more effort toward settling this vexed ques 

tion. Accordingly he invited the chiefs of the Creek Nation to a con 

ference at Indian Springs, there to meet with commissioners from the 

United States Government, on Monday, February 7, 1825. These^ com 

missioners were: Duncan G. Campbell and James Meriwether, both 

Georgians. 

But the hostile Alabama Creeks refused to attend in any large num 

bers; and while there were many chiefs, head-men and warriors present 

these came chiefly from the southeastern area of the Creek Nation, an 

area included within the borders of Georgia. These Lower Creeks were 

led by Gen. William Mclntosh, a man of the highest character, and a 

cousin to Governor Troup, whose mother was a Mclntosh. Opposition 

by the Alabama Creeks to any cession of the Georgia lands was based 

upon the contention that these lands formed a part of the Creek ; Nation 

as a whole and the consent of the entire nation was needed to make any 

cession of land, however fractional, perfectly valid. On the other hand, 

the Georgia Creeks, recognizing the inevitability of a final surrender to 

the whites, were willing to treat with the Government for a relinquish- 

ment of lands within the borders of Georgia; and since they were the 

ones chiefly concerned they saw no reason for hostile interference on the 

part of the Alabama Creeks. 

General Mclntosh, chief of the 'Cowetas or Lower Creeks, was the 

principal actor in this historic drama at Indian Springs. His warm 

friendship for the people of Georgia had been evinced in more than one 

crisis of affairs but within the next few months it was destined to cost 

him the forfeiture of his life, at the hands of savage foes. With the 

clear foresight of a statesman, General Mclntosh realized only too well 

how the bitter warfare between the two races in Georgia was to end. 

Consequently he urged upon his people the course which was finally 

adopted. It not only meant peace but it meant an exchange of land, in 

fair equivalent, acre for acre, with an additional sum of $400,000. Be 

sides, it meant the avoidance of unnecessary bloodshed; and the new 

home west of the Mississippi River was to be an undisturbed possession. 

To the arguments of Mclntosh, the Lower Creeks listened; but the 

Upper Creeks, who resided chiefly in Alabama, demurred. They per 

sisted in looking upon Mclntosh as a traitor to- the nation, and in 

criminal league with the whites. But the counsels of the latter pre 

vailed ; and at Indian Springs, on February 12, 1825, occurred the final 

deliberations which resulted in the formal relinquishment of the Geor 

gia lands by the Creek Indians. 

But, in affixing his signature to the treaty, William Mclntosh signed 

his own death warrant! * 

* See Death of Mclntosh, in section on Georgia in the Realm of Anecdote, etc.


Judge Lumpkin, of the Supreme Court of Georgia, thus narrates 

what occurred at this eventful meeting: * " 0-poth-le-yoholo, as 

speaker of the nation, on behalf of Big Warrior, head .chief, made an 

impassioned speech in reply to the commissioners, declaring that no 

treaty could be made for a cession of the lands, and inviting them to 

meet at Broken Arrow (the seat of the general council) three months 

later. He and his followers then went home. On February 12th a treaty 

was signed by the Mclntosh party, dealing, however, only with the lands 

in Georgia. The government agent for Indian affairs witnessed the 

treaty and attested it, but the very next day wrote to the Secretary of 

War a letter severely criticising it. Charges were freely made that he 

was actuated by personal and political hostility to Governor Troup. 

Nevertheless, the treaty was ratified. It provided for an exchange of 

the remaining Creek lands in Georgia for a like quantity of land of 

equal quality west of the Mississippi river, and that the time of the re 

moval of the Indians should not 'extend beyond the first of September 

of the next year.' Great excitement arose among the Indians opposed 

to the treaty, and it was declared by them to be void, on the ground that 

Mclntosh and his followers had no authority to make it. Charges and 

counter-charges were made. Mclntosh and his party, were threatened 

with death." 

"As soon as the treaty was ratified, Governor Troup wrote a letter 

to Mclntosh, as head chief of the Cowetas, asking permission to survey 

the ceded territory. Mclntosh summoned his chiefs, and permission was. 

given to make the survey. The Indians who opposed the sale were 

greatly enraged. A general council condemned Mclntosh to death. A 

body of men undertook to carry out the. sentence. They went to his 

house, in what is now Carroll county, and about three o'clock in the 

morning of April 30 (or some say May 1) 1825, set fire to it. They 

shot him and another Indian (though he defended himself as best he 

could), and dragged him and his comrade out and scalped them. The 

scalp of Mclntosh was suspened on a pole in a public square of Ocfuskee. 

They also killed his son-in-law Hawkins. 

"Feeling ran high. The legislature ordered the survey of the ceded 

territory to proceed. John Quincy Adams, who had become President, 

directed Governor Troup to stop the survey, because of the hostile atti 

tude of the Indians. Governor Troup refused, declaring that 'Georgia 

owned the soil, and had a right to survey it.' The President threat 

ened to have the surveyors arrested, but the governor ordered them to 

proceed, indicating a purpose to protect them from interference. 

Finally the President proposed to refer the treaty to Congress, and the 

survey was suspended, not as admitting any right of the President or 

Congress to stop it, but as a matter of comity, as Governor Troup said. 

"In 1826 the Federal Government, desiring to pacify the Indians, 

entered into a treaty with thirteen chiefs of the Creek nation, declaring 

the treaty of 1825 canceled, and making a new treaty, the result of which 

was to leave in possession of the Indians a large tract of the land 

(amounting to about 300,000 acres) which had been ceded under the 

* Extract from an address delivered at Indian Springs on February 12, 1912, 

when a tablet was unveiled by Piedmont Continental Chapter, Daughters of the 

Eevolution.


treaty of 1825, postponing the giving up of possession of the lands ceded, 

and allowing twenty-four months for the removal of the Indians. The 

representatives in Congress from Georgia entered a protest, and Gover 

nor 1 Troup refused to recognize the new treaty, and ordered the sur 

veyors to proceed. He declared that the vested rights of Georgia could 

not be thus taken from her. The Indians complained. Correspondence 

followed, and finally the Secretary of War informed the Governor that 

the surveyors must be kept off the lands, and threatened that, if the 

Governor refused to stop them, military force would be used. This 

brought from the doughty Governor a vigorous answer, in which he 

said: ' From the first decisive act of hostility, you will be considered as 

a public enemy, and with less repugnance, because you, to whom we 

might constitutionally have appealed for protection against invasion 

are yourselves the invaders, and, what is more, the unblushing allies of 

savages whose cause you have adopted.' Strong words from a Governor 

to a Secretary of War. But that was not all. The Governor promptly 

ordered the Generals of the Sixth and Seventh Division of the Georgia 

militia to hold these commands in readiness to repel any invasion of the 

state. Matters were reaching an acute stage when Congress was guided 

by conservative counsels and recommended the acquirement of all the 

lands held by the Creeks in Georgia. The chiefs and the head men 

agreed. Whereupon the Creeks were paid about $28,000 in money and 

given a lot of blankets; and it was agreed that certain sums should be 

expended for schools. Thus was the danger of an armed clash between 

Georgia and the United States averted." 

Seventy-five years after the dramatic incident a,bove narrated, the 

members of Piedmont Continental Chapter of the Daughters of the 

American Revolution performed an act of belated justice to the memory 

of the brave chieftain. On the well-known rock, near the Varner House, 

which marks the site of the famous compact of agreement, they unveiled 

on July 1, 1911, a tablet of bronze which bears the following inscription: 

"Here on February 12, 1825, William Mclntosh, a 

chief of the Creek Nation, signed the treaty which ceded 

to the State of Georgia all the Creek lands west of the 

Flint river. For this act he was savagely murdered by 

a band of Indians who opposed the treaty. Placed by the 

Piedmont Continental Chapter of the D. A. R., A. D. 

1911." 

Judge Joseph Henry Lumpkin, of the Supreme Court of Georgia, 

delivered the principal address. 

To the foregoing summary of facts by Judge Lumpkin, it may be 

added that two officers of the United States Government were dispatched 

to Georgia by the Federal authorities in Washington: Maj. T. P. An 

drews, to inquire into the charges made against Crowell; and Gen. 

Edmund P. Gaines, to represent the military arm of the administration. 

• Both came with preconceived opinions and proceeded to work hand in

VAENEE HOUSE 

Where the Famous Treaty of Indian Springs Was Signed in 1825 

en 

CO 

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tel 

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glove with the Indian agent. But Governor Troup was not intimidated. 

It was in the controversy which ensued that Georgia's rock-ribbed chief- 

magistrate sounded the famous note of defiance: '' The argument is ex 

hausted. We must stand by our arms!" The final treaty to which 

Judge Lumpkin refers was concluded at the old Agency on the Flint, 

where, on November 15, 1827, the disaffected Upper Creeks, for the sum 

of $27,491, agreed to relinquish the remaining Creek lands within the 

state limits. Eighty-four chiefs and head men were parties to this sur 

render. John Cromwell and Thomas L. McKinney signed the compact 

on behalf of the United States Government; and one of the most 

dramatic chapters in the history of Georgia was brought to an end. 

Out of the land acquired by the state, under the treaty of Indian 

Springs, which in the last analysis proved final, the Legislature of Geor 

gia created five great counties, viz., Carroll, Coweta, Lee, Muscogee and 

Troup from each of which others were subsequently formed. 

Hop-o-eth-le-yo-ho-lo, the the representative of Big Warrior, the chief 

of the Upper Creeks, attended the council meeting at Indian Springs. 

He was the silver-tongued orator of the tribe, and, on this occasion, was 

aroused to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, in opposition to the proposed 

relinquishment of the Creek lands. Several speeches were made by him 

in the course of the proceedings; and, when the treaty was finally 

signed, he leaped upon the large rock to the south of the Varner House, 

and gave vent to his indignation in the following fiery outburst. Said 

he: 

'' Brothers—The Great Spirit has met here with his painted children 

of the woods and with our palefaced brethren. I see his golden locks in 

the sunbeams. He fans the warrior's brow with his wings and whispers 

sweet music in the winds. The beetle joins his hymn and the mocking 

bird his song. You are charmed. Brothers, you have been deceived. A 

snake has been coiled in the shade, and you are running into his mouth, 

deceived by the double-tongue of the pale-face chief Mclntosh and drunk 

with the fire of the pale-face. Brothers, the hunting grounds of our 

fathers have been stolen by our chief and sold to the pale-face, whose 

gold is in his pouch. Brothers, our grounds are gone, and the plow of 

the pale-face will soon upturn the bones of our fathers. Brothers, are 

you tame? Will you submit? Hop-o-eth-le-yo-ho-lo says no!" Then 

turning to Mclntosh who was standing with the commissioners at a win 

dow, some few feet distant, he exclaimed: "As for you, double-tongued 

snake, whom I see through the window of the pale-face, before many 

moons have waned, your own blood shall wash out the memory of this 

hated treaty. Brothers, I have spoken." 

Governor Troup announced himself a candidate for re-election while 

popular excitement was at its height, following the Treaty of Indian 

Springs. The prospect of acquiring all the remaining Creek lands with 

in the borders of the state was -well calculated to arouse the enthusiasm 

of the people. It was also a trophy for the Troup administration. As 

we have already observed, an amendment to the state constitution had


been adopted, making the office of governor elective, by a direct popular 

vote. Anxious to measure strength with his old antagonist in a contest 

of this character, General Clark once more became a candidate for this 

high office. The new law changing the method of election had emanated 

from the Clark party in the State Legislature.* There was good reason, 

therefore, to expect that, in a contest before the people, the Troup party 

would be worsted; and, under ordinary circumstances, such might have 

been the result. But Governor Troup's vigorous Indian policy had made 

him strong with the people living on the exposed frontiers as well as 

with .those residing in towns and cities. "Troup and the Treaty" be 

came the battle cry of his followers in a campaign the memories of which 

lingered for more than a generation. Says Mr. Evans: "All the old 

party strife broke out anew. Every argument was used to affect the 

election; bitter hatred sprung up even in families and among friends, f 

Churches were rent asunder by political discussions. Scarcely a day 

passed without its bloody toll. Newspaper controversies were bitter. 

Quarrels, begun on street corners or in hotel corridors, frequently led to 

duelling pistols on the Field of Honor. It was an era of polemics. The 

election was held in October. But there were no telegraph wires in those 

days to announce the result and it was not until the Legislature met in 

November to canvass the returns that the issue was definitely and finally 

settled. Governor Troup was re-elected over his opponent by a major 

ity of 682 votes. However, the Clark party organized the Legislature;. 

and had the contest been left to the General Assembly, as in former 

elections, General Clark would have been the next governor. J 

This was General Clark's last contest for public honors in Georgia.. 

Embittered by the result, he accepted from President Jackson the post 

of Indian agent, which made him virtually the custodian of the public- 

lands of Florida. It was not an office to which any great honor attached,, 

but the salary enabled him to live in comfort and to extend hospitality 

in a style to which he had long been accustomed. Besides, he still re 

tained extensive holdings of real estate in Georgia. - Perhaps Col. 

Absalom H. Chappell has correctly summarized the achievements of 

this unique Georgian in the following paragraph. Says he: " During; 

a long career he courted and acquired great enemies, both personal and 

official, and honorably illustrated if he did not augment the name he 

inherited, leaving it more deeply imprinted, if not higher enrolled, on 

Fame's proud catalogue." 

Governor Clark took up his residence in West Florida, on St. An 

drew's Bay, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Here, on October 15, 

1832, he died of yellow fever. His wife soon followed him to the grave; 

and a few years later relatives erected a substantial shaft of marble- 

which today rises above them on these lonely shores. The Daughters, 

of the American Revolution have already taken steps looking toward a 

reinterment of General Clark's body in the soil of his native state, and 

there is at least a likelihood that the old hero will soon sleep with the- 

nation's dead at Marietta. 

* Georgia Journal, February 24, 1824. 

t "History of Georgia," Lawton B. Evans, p. 205. 

} Georgia Journal, December 27, 1825.


On the authority of Governor Gilmer, we find it stated that General 

Clark eventually forgave all his enemies, with the single exception of 

William H. Crawford, against whom his old feeling of bitter personal 

animosity continued down to the last hour; and had it been within his 

power he would doubtless have emulated the example of Michael An- 

gelo, who, in depicting the scene of the last Last Judgment, on the walls 

of the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican at Rome, immortalized the features 

of his enemies by giving them to the demons in hell. 

OEIGIN or THE MUSKOGEES.—It was the commonly accepted belief among the 

Muscogee or Creek Indians that the original home seat of this powerful family of 

red men was among the mountains of ancient Mexico. At any rate, when Hernando 

Cortez, in command of his adventurous army of Spaniards, landed at Vera Cruz, in 

1519, and pressed toward the interior of the country, he found the Muscogees form 

ing an independent republic to the north of the Aztec capital. The English name 

of Creeks was given to them, because of the vast number of small streams which 

watered the new lands in which they dwelt. 

According to White, Le Clerk Milfort, a highly educated French gentleman, who 

came to America in 1775, visited the Creek nation after making a tour of the New 

England Colonies. He formed the acquaintance, while at Coweta Town, of the cele 

brated Alexander McGillivray, the great chief of the Muscogee Indians. Delighted 

with this cultured half-breed, who was a most extraordinary man, he determined to 

make his abode in the nation. He afterwards married McGillivray's sister and, in 

course of time, became grand chief of war, in which capacity he conducted a num 

ber of expeditions against Georgia. He also wrote, at leisure moments, while a resi 

dent of Coweta Town, an important historical treatise on the Creeks, which he after 

wards published in France. Pickett, in his excellent history of Alabama and Georgia, 

has translated from his work an interesting account of the Muscogee Indians. 

THE VARNEE HOUSE.—Recently a movement to purchase the historic Varner House 

at Indian Springs was launched by Piedmont Continental Chapter of the D. A. R. 

Mrs. A. H. Alfriend, on behalf of the chapter, brought the matter before the State 

Convention at Marietta in 1912, at which time the initial steps were taken looking to 

an ultimate acquisition of the famous old tavern. The identical counter on which 

General Mclutosh affixed his signature to the treaty still stands in the office of the 

Varner House, preserved intact.

CHAPTER XIII 

LA FAYETTE'S VISIT TO AMERICA—MARKED HONORS BESTOWED UPON THE 

ILLUSTRIOUS PATRIOT AND SOLDIER—REACHES SAVANNAH ON MARCH 

. 19, 1825—AN IMMENSE CONCOURSE PRESENT TO GREET THE. PALADIN 

OP LIBERTY—MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS IN LINE OF MARCH—VETERANS 

OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE STILL IN LIFE EMBRACED BY AN OLD 

COMRADE-IN-ARMS—GOVERNOR TROUP'S ADDRESS OP WELCOME DELIV 

ERED ON YAMACBAW BLUFF—LA FAYETTE NEXT VISITS MILLEDGEVILLB 

RECEPTION AT THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT—THE BANQUET—EPISODES 

OF THE RECEPTION—AN EXPLOSION—ITS FATAL RESULTS—MACON Is 

NEXT VISITED—How THE OLD SOLDIER WAS ENTERTAINED—LAFAY 

ETTE'S LAST STOPPING PLACE AT THE OLD CREEK AGENCY ON THE 

FLINT. 

NOTES: THE VARNER HOUSE—ORIGIN OF THE MUSCOGEES. 

Within a few weeks .after the last treaty at Indian Springs was signed 

and while relations between state and Federal governments were strained 

almost to the point of breaking there occurred an event of a far more 

pleasing character and for a time at least Georgia forgot her troubles 

with the Indians in doing- honor to the great and good La Fayette who, 

in the spring of 1825, became her venerated guest on his second and last 

visit to America. Though now an old man bent with the weight of nearly 

four score years, the aged knight of liberty was anxious to revisit the 

scenes of his early life in the New World and to meet the surviving 

comrades of his youth. Traditions still linger of the stately balls and 

magnificent receptions held in honor of the illustrious nobleman. 

La Fayette reached Savannah on Saturday, March 19, 1825. There 

was much uncertainty as to the exact moment when the noted visitor 

was expected to arrive; but stages and packets were all crowded with 

passengers, especially from the South. To quote a local historian: * 

"The Light Dragoons from Liberty County, under the command of 

Captain W. M. Maxwell and the Darien Hussars, commanded by Cap 

tain Charles West, had reached town on the preceding Tuesday. At half 

past five o'clock on Saturday morning, by a signal from the Chatham 

Artillery, the various organizations were warned to repair to the several 

parade grounds. The line was formed at eight o'clock, after which, 

there being no appearance of the boat, arms were stacked and the troops 

dismissed until the arrival. The first tidings of the welcome vessel were 

announced by. the Exchange Bell, and almost at the same moment the 

*"Historical and Picturesque Savannah," Adelaide Wilson; "Historical Eecord 

of Savannah," Lee and Agnew. 

542

THE OWENS HOME IN SAVANNAH, WHERE GENERAL, LA PAYETTE WAS ENTERTAINED IN 1825 

02 

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volumes of smoke which accompanied her was perceived over the land; 

she was then about twelve or fifteen miles off, but rapidly approaching. 

The troops were immediately formed and marched to the lower part of 

Bay Street, where they were placed in position on the green in front of 

the avenue of trees. It proved to be an ideal day. About nine o'clock 

the mists dispersed, the skies became clear, and a gentle breeze arose, 

blowing directly up the river, as if to add speed to the vessel which was 

to land the distinguished visitors upon our shores. 

"As the steamboat passed Fort Jackson she was boarded by the 

Committee of Reception, and the General was addressed by the chair 

man, George Jones, Esq. The boat now approached in gallant style, 

firing by the way, while a full band of music on board played the Mar 

seillaise Hymn and other favorite French and American airs. At the 

anchorage a salute was fired by the Revenue Cutter Gallatin, under the 

command of Captain Matthews, and General La Fayette was assisted to 

the first barge, accompanied by the committee, the other boats being 

occupied by the remainder of the suite. At the docks were assembled the 

leading dignitaries and officials of the State; deputations from the Hi 

bernian, St. Andrew's and Agricultural Societies, all bedecked with 

badges; besides a multitude of citizens. The Savannah Volunteer Guard, 

in honor of the Nation's guest, wore the Revolutionary cockade. As the 

General placed his foot upon the landing place, a salute was fired by 

the Chatham Artillery, in line on the bluff, with four brass field pieces, 

one of which was captured at Yorktown. He was here received by 

William C. Daniel, Esq., Mayor' of the city, amid cheers from the as 

sembled spectators. 

"On arriving at the top of the bluff, he was presented to Governor 

Troup, by whom, in the most cordial manner, he was welcomed to the 

soil of Georgia. La Fayette replied in feeling terms, and was then intro 

duced to several Revolutionary soldiers, among whom were General 

Stewart, Colonel Shellman, Eb. Jackson, Sheftall Sheftall and Captain 

Rees. The eyes of the old General sparkled. He remembered Captain 

Rees, who proceeded to narrate some incident. "I remember," said 

La Fayette, taking the captain's hand between both of his own, and, with 

tear-filled eyes, the two men stood for a moment, absorbed in the recol 

lection of youthful days. The officers of the brigade and of the regi 

ment were then introduced, after which the procession moved as pre 

scribed in the arrangement of the day, and about half-past five o'clock 

in the afternoon he arrived at the lodgings assigned to him, at Mrs. Max 

well's, where Governor Troup also was lodged. During the passage of 

the procession, windows and doors everywhere were crowded to excess; 

and the expression of feeling displayed by all was most enthusiastic, 

from the highest to the lowest. He was saluted by the ladies with the 

waving of handkerchiefs; which he returned by the repeated and con 

tinued inclination of the head in acknowledgment. At sundown, another 

salute was fired by the Marine Volunteer Corps.'' 

Governor Troup, in extending Georgia's formal welcome to the great 

paladin of liberty, said: '' 'Tis little more than ninety years since the 

founder of this State set Soot upon the bank on which you now stand.


Today four hundred thousand people open their arms and their hearts 

to receive you. Thanks to the kind providence which presides over 

Imman affairs, you were called to the standard of independence in the 

helplessness of the American Revolution and you have graciously been 

spared that in your last days the glory of an empire might be reflected 

upon your countenance, amid the acclamation of millions. For you the 

scenes which are to come will be comparatively tranquil; the waters 

no longer turbulent but placid. No more dread of dungeons; no more 

fear of tyrants for you. Oh, sir, what consolation it must be to one 

who has passed through seas of trouble to know that between you and 

them are the countless bayonets which guard the blessings of freedom! 

Welcome, General! Friend of .Liberty, welcome! Thrice welcome to 

Georgia!" 

At Milledgeville, in honor of the great soldier, a public dinner was 

given on the capitol grounds .and a grand military ball was held at night 

in the capitol building, and scores of the most prominent people in the 

state were present to participate in the festivities. General La Fayette 

was accompanied by his son, George Washington La Fayette, and by his 

secretary, Colonel Lavoisier. Some eight or ten visiting companies were 

on hand. The marshals of the day were John S. Thomas and R. L. 

Buchanan. The military organizations were under the chief command 

of General Daniel Newman, of the state militia, who made quite an 

impressive appearance in his handsome regimentals. Says Maj. Stephen 

H. Miller,, who commanded one of the visiting companies: * 

"Wishing to show ourselves and to get a glimpse of the nation's 

guest, the writer's company, the La Fayette Volunteers from Twiggs, 

organized for the occasion, marched into town and halted opposite the 

Government House, where General La Fayette was quartered. Our Cap 

tain went in and was introduced by Governor Troup; then the Captain 

introduced the three Revolutionary veterans, William Duffel, John 

Shine, and1 Charles Raley, to General La Fayette, who, on seeing Father 

Duffel, cordially embraced him, saying, ' I remember you well; you were 

one of my bodyguard, and helped to carry me from the field when I 

was wounded at Brandywine; I am happy to see you.' 

tffc^fc^fc^^&^fc^fe^fc^f? 

"Two tables, each about one hundred yards long, with cross-tables 

of fifty feet at the ends, were covered with barbecue, roast beef, bread 

and other edibles. 

'' At the upper end, in the center, General La Fayette, with Governor 

Troup on one side, and Colonel Seaborn Jones, his aide, who was master 

of ceremonies, on the other side, of the Nation's guest. Governor Troup's 

staff, including Colonel Henry G. Lamar, Colonel Samuel T. Bailey, 

Colonel Samuel A. Bailey, Colonel Yelverton P. King, Colonel John W. 

A. Sanford, and perhaps others, were arranged at the same end of the 

table, all taking part in the administration of order, in the proper ob 

servance of etiquette, and some of them reading the regular toasts pre 

pared by the Committee of Arrangements. 

'' The author was within seeing and hearing distance of the General. 

His son, George Washington La Fayette, was also pointed out. The lat- 

* "Bench and Bar of Georgia," Stephen H. Miller. 

Vol. 1—35


\ 

ter's head was bald; and the father's wig gave him the advantage in 

youthful appearance. Colonel Lavoisier, the author could not identify. 

There was quite an array of public characters present, men known in 

the history of Georgia, among them, General John Clarke, formerly 

Governor of Georgia. 

'' The appetite being satisfied with strong meat, next came the wine, 

bottles of which, with wine glasses, were distributed on the tables so 

that every one could have a share. Then a proclamation was made by 

Colonel Jones, 'Gentlemen, fill your glasses for a toast from General 

La Fayette.' Thereupon the Apostle of Liberty, the companion and 

bosom friend of Washington, rose to his feet, and in broken English, 

which all heard with delight, he gave 'The Georgia Volunteers: the 

worthy sons of my Eevolutionary brethren.' Cheer after cheer re 

sounded, the music struck up ' Hail to the Chief,' the cannon uttered its 

loud rejoicing, .and soon all was quiet again. 

" 'Prepare for a toast from Governor Troup,' was the next order; 

and, with solemn, distinct enunciation, our Julius Caesar of a Chief 

Magistrate gave forth, 'A union of all hearts to honor the Nation's guest, 

a union of all heads for the country's good.' Again the air was rent 

with cheers, the band played a national march, and the cannon fairly 

jarred the square. 

"The next order was, 'Prepare for a toast from General Clarke.' 

Until then the author had never seen this celebrated party leader. In 

response to the call, a tall, bony man, with an open, honest face, rose at 

the table and, in a shrill voice, gave ' Count Pulaski, the gallant French 

man who fell at Savannah,' and we emptied our glasses in honor of the 

French Count, as though history had not been contradicted by the state 

ment. [Count Pulaski was a native of Poland.] General,La Fayette 

must have esteemed it a special compliment to himself for such renown 

to be transferred to France in the presence of such an assemblage of 

witnesses. Whether the mistake was accidental or otherwise, it did not 

detract in the slightest degree from the valor or integrity of General 

Clarke. At most it only signified that his youth was spent in fighting 

the battles of his country, instead of being enervated within the walls 

of a college. 

"It should be remembered that before the military retired from the 

square they were formed into line, and General La Fayette, leaning on the 

arm of Governor Troup, walked along a little lame, and shook hands 

with every man, officer and private, Colonel Jones officiating in the in 

troduction. The author was mentioned to him as 'Sergeant M———,' 

and the response was, 'Sergeant M———, I am very glad to see you.' 

This joy was expressed to all, and was more than reciprocated by all 

the volunteers. The hand of General La Fayette had been grasped—that 

was glory enough then. It is still a pleasant remembrance, but thirty 

years of hardship in the camp of life have rather tended to prove, to 

the author at least, that glory is not communicated in so easy and simple 

a manner." 

While the banquet to General La Fayette was in progress two very 

sensational events occurred on the Capitol lawn, and there might have 

been a panic had it not been for the calm demeanor of Maj.-Gen. Daniel 

Newnan, who was in chief command of the troops. The first episode


was the sudden swooning of Maj. James Smith, of Clinton, on discov 

ering that he had been robbed of his pocketbook, which contained 

something like $5,000 in bills. The other was still more serious. The 

shirt-sleeves of the man whose duty it was to load the cannon had 

caught on fire; and, without being aware of the fact, he put his hand 

into the large cartridge box for another round, when the fire was com 

municated to the powder, and the whole lump, containing not less than 

twenty to thirty pounds, instantly exploded, blowing the poor man 

several feet into the air and severely wounding two others who were 

standing near the cannon. There was a general rush of people to the 

spot. Major Miller, who was present, says that he can never forget 

the appearance of the poor man who was most injured. His body was 

literally burnt to a black cinder; and his agony was inexpressibly 

great. He died within a day or two, but the others, after much suffer 

ing, recovered. This melancholy affair hastened the close of the 

festivities. 

From Milledgeville, La Fayette next proceeded to Macon, some 

twenty-five miles distant, by stage. This was the last town which he 

visited in Georgia. Two of the governor's aides, Henry G. Lamar and 

Thaddeus G. Holt, both residents of Maeon, acted as an escort to the 

city's guest of honor, who was accompanied by his two traveling com 

panions, Colonel Lavoisier, his secretary, and George "Washington 

La Fayette, his son. Says an old account: * 

"On March 30, 1825, a signal gun announced his approach to Macon, 

whereupon the ladies and gentlemen proceeded to form in line on 

Bridge Street, near the ferry. He dismounted from his carriage and 

was received by the committee appointed and by the commissioners of 

the town. On ascending the bluff he was welcomed in behalf of the 

citizens by James S. Frierson, Esq., to whom the General replied 

* * *: A procession was then formed and he was conducted to 

his quarters at the Macon Hotel, afterwards the old Wayside Inn, at 

the foot of Mulberry Street. While the procession was moving a na 

tional salute was fired. Soon after his arrival he was waited upon by 

the ladies who were individually introduced to him, after which came 

the citizens, to whom he gave a cordial grasp of the hand. He was 

then waited upon at his quarters by the brethren of Macon Lodge, 

Number 24, and addressed by Worshipful Master Ambrose Baber, of the 

Lodge, to which the General replied. He remained about two hoursv 

and a half, during which time, in company with a large number of 

citizens he partook of an excellent dinner prepared by Mr. Stovall. 

The following toast was given by Edward D. Tracy: 'Our illustrious 

guest, the friend of our country, of liberty, and of men.' To which 

the General responded: 'The town of Macon; may its prosperity con 

tinue to be one of the strongest arguments in favor of republican insti 

tutions.' Very soon after dinner he bade an affectionate adieu to the 

ladies and gentlemen around him and resumed his carriage, whereupon 

another salute was fired. He was accompanied by the committee, by 

the commissioners of the town, and by a number of our citizens on 

horseback, for several miles on his way, and stopped for the night at 

the Creek Agency on the Flint River." 

' Historical Record of Macon,'' John C. Butler, pp. 76-80.

CHAPTEE XIV 

NEW LANDS ACQUIRED AT INDIAN SPRINGS OPENED TO SETTLEMENT 

UNDER THE LOTTERY ACT OP 1826—FIVE GREAT COUNTIES FORMED— 

LEE, MUSCOGBE, TROUP, COWETA AND CARROLL—THE CHATTAHOOCHEE 

CIRCUIT Is FORMED—"WALTER T. COLQUITT ITS FIRST JUDGE—GOV 

ERNOR THOUP'S ADMINISTRATION CLOSES AMIDST TRIUMPHANT PLAU 

DITS—DUE TO His SUCCESSFUL INDIAN POLICY AND TO His BOLD CHAM 

PIONSHIP OP STATE RIGHTS—JOHN FORSYTE SUCCEEDS MR. TROUP AS 

GOVERNOR—DIPLOMAT, STATESMAN AND ORATOR—THE PRESIDENTIAL 

CAMPAIGN OF 1828 PUTS ANDREW JACKSON IN THE WHITE HOUSE— 

CALLS MR. BERRIEN INTO THE CABINET AS ATTORNEY-GENERAL— 

GEORGE M. TROUP SUCCEEDS MR. BERRIEN IN THE FEDERAL SENATE— 

OLIVER H. PRINCE AWARDED THE TOGA AS SUCCESSOR TO THOMAS W. 

COBB, RESIGNED—SEVEN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS—NEW RULES OF 

ELECTION ADOPTED—NEW COUNTIES CREATED—HARRIS, MARION, 

MERIWETHER, TALBOT, RANDOLPH AND HEARD—GEORGE R-. GILMER Is 

ELECTED GOVERNOR IN 1829, DEFEATING JOEL CRAWPORD—PARTIES 

SOMEWHAT DIVIDED IN THIS ELECTION—TROUBLES WITH THE CHERO- 

KEE INDIANS—GOVERNOR GILMER's MESSAGE—AN ACT PASSED EX 

TENDING GEORGIA'S JURISDICTION OVER THE CHEROKEE LANDS—GOES 

INTO EFFECT JUNE 1, 1830—THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD BRINGS MAT 

TERS TO A CRISIS—THE WHITES COVET THESE INDIAN HOLDINGS, SUP 

POSED TO CONCEAL FABULOUS TREASURES. 

NOTES : VILLA RICA—GOLD DISCOVERED. 

Five great counties were created out of the lands acquired from the 

Creek Indians under the last treaty at Indian Springs, to wit: Lee, 

Muscogee, Troup, Coweta and Carroll. These were organized tinder an 

act approved December 11, 1826, which act provided for a distribution 

of lands in these counties according to the lottery system which had been 

in vogue for more than twenty years. It was most appropriate that 

two of the counties should have been given names commemorative of the 

Creek Indians—Muscogee and Coweta. The former of these names com 

memorated the nation at large; the latter was a memorial to the Lower 

Creeks, a tribe of which Gen. William Mclntosh was the head. Troup 

was most fittingly named for Georgia's courageous governor, then occu 

pying the executive chair. Lee and Carroll were named for distin 

guished Revolutionary patriots, the first "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, 

whose ashes then reposed at Dungeness; the second for Charles Carroll 

of Carrollton, who lived to be the last survivor of the immortal band 

who signed the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776. 

548


The Legislature of 1826 also created the Chattahoochee Circuit, of 

which Hon. Walter T. Colquitt became the first judge. 

Governor Troup's administration closed amidst triumphant plaudits. 

Its vigorous'Indian policy had resulted in a final relinquishment of all 

the Creek lands within the state. Moreover, it had sounded the death- 

knell of the once powerful Clark party, whose discomfited leader was 

soon to become a resident of the State of Florida under an appointment . 

from the Federal Government. Having occupied the executive chair 

for two successive terms, Governor Troup declined to stand for re-elec 

tion. Thereupon the Troup party chose as its candidate for governor 

the brilliant John Forsyth of Augusta. Mr. Forsyth was then a mem 

ber of Congress, where his prowess in debate and his superb oratory 

made him one of the recognized leaders of the national House. Mr. 

Forsyth's career in Congress had been interrupted by an appointment 

from President Monroe as United States minister to Spain; and while 

at Madrid he had successfully negotiated for the purchase of Florida. 

To oppose Mr. Forsyth for governor the Clark party ch


supported Andrew Jackson, of Tennessee. The other, advocating a 

system of internal improvements, a protective tariff, a national bank 

and a broad construction of the Constitution, called themselves national 

republicans, and supported Mr. Adams for re-election. The extreme 

radical wing of the party, led by General Jackson, consisted of those 

who cared little for ancient traditions and who wished to see in the 

. White House one who represented a new order of things. The aristo 

cratic or conservative wing of the party adhered to Mr. Adams. These 

looked upon Jackson, though laureled with the victory of New Orleans, 

as a plebeian and a backwoodsman, better fitted to guard the frontier 

against Indian encroachments than to occupy the presidential chair of 

the nation. Webster and Clay belonged to this camp, each of them 

supporting Adams for re-election; and out of this anti-Jackson revolt, 

for such it undoubtedly was, arose the old whig party of ante-bellum 

days. 

In the campaign of 1828, Jackson defeated Adams for President. 

At the same time, John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, his running 

mate, was elected vice president. Mr. Adams was not popular in 

Georgia, on account of his attitude toward the Indian problem. Geor 

gia's nine electoral votes, therefore, were given in this campaign to 

General Jackson. The electors chosen at this time to cast the vote of 

the state were: From the state at large, John Rutherford and William 

Terrell; district electors, Robert R. Reid, Seaton Grantland, David 

Blackshear, Augustin S. Clayton, Solomon Graves, John G. Maxwell, 

and Oliver Porter.* For vice president, two of Georgia's votes were 

given to John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, while seven were cast for 

William Smith, likewise a South Carolinian. 

On entering the White House, President Jackson appointed Hon. 

John MacPherson Berrien, of Georgia, then a United States senator, 

to a seat in the cabinet, conferring upon him the attorney-generalship. 

To succeed Judge Berrien as United States senator, the Legislature 

of 1829 elected the stout apostle of State Rights, ex-Governor George M. 

Troup. Meanwhile, Hon. Thomas W. Cobb, having relinquished the 

toga, was succeeded by Hon. Oliver H. Prince, of Macon. Mr. Cobb 

died two years later, on February 1, 1830, while judge of the Ocmulgee 

Circuit. 

Georgia, in the Twentieth Congress (1827-1829) was represented by 

a strong delegation, to wit: John Floyd, Tomlinson Fort, George R. 

Gilmer, Charles E. Haynes, Wilson Lumpkin, Wiley Thompson, and 

Richard Henry Wilde. 

The Legislature of 1825 having divided the state into seven con- 

1 gressional districts, the new law went into effect at this election. Mem 

bers of Congress, however, in each district were still to be elected by 

the entire state. Separate elections by each district of its own repre 

sentative did not come until a later day. But under this new law no 

two congressmen could be chosen from the same district; and while each 

voter was allowed to vote for seven candidates, each of these was to 

represent a separate district.! Says Mr. Phillips: t "The object of 

*Lanman's "Biographical Annals of the TJ. S. Govt.," pp. 322-523. 

t Georgia Journal, December, 1825; January, 1826. 

t "Georgia and State Eights," TJ. B. Phillips, p. 109.


this law was to give the Clark party a better chance for representation 

in Congress. All of the best-known men in the state lived in the eastern 

counties and were of the Troup party; but after the passage of the act 

a certain number of candidates from the west were guaranteed elec 

tion, while these were most likely to be of the Clark faction." It will 

be remembered that while Governor Troup was successful in the popu 

lar election of 1825, the Legislature of this year was organized by the 

Clark party, hence this new law, the design of which was, by a sort of 

gerrymander, to capture new strongholds. But there was a sound basis 

in right for the new law, which remained of force upon the statute 

books. Though an effort had been made to preserve a balance between 

the various parts of the state, in the matter of representation in Con 

gress,- still it was difficult to secure this result always on a general 

ticket. 

Several new counties were created between the years 1827 and 1830. 

These were: Harris, Marion, Meriwether and Talbot, laid off in 1827; 

Randolph, in 1828; and Heard, in 1830. It will be remembered that 

some twenty years prior to this time a county had been named for John 

Randolph of Roanoke; but the great Virginian, by his attitude toward 

the War of 1812, had given offense to the people of Georgia, in conse 

quence of which the old county of Randolph in 1812 underwent a re- 

christening and became the new county of Jasper. But Randolph, 

having regained his popularity in the state, was again honored in 1828.* 

Not only in national politics, but likewise in state politics, the year 

1828 witnessed a disintegration of old parties. The leaders of the old 

Troup organization divided in this election, one wing advocating for 

governor, George R. Gilmer, of Lexington, then a member of Congress, 

the other endorsing Joel Crawford, of Early County, formerly a resi 

dent of Milledgeville'. As between the Troup forces, there was almost 

an even balance; but the old Clark party was sufficiently strong to hold 

the balance of power, and its fragments uniting in support of Mr. 

Gilmer gave him the election. But Mr. Gilmer had never been an 

ardent admirer of General Clark nor one of his political disciples; and 

after becoming governor he felt under no obligations to return any 

favors which an opposing faction had shown him while seeking its own 

interests; and steps were at once taken by these malcontents to circum 

vent the possibility of his re-election, a conspiracy in which they 

succeeded. 

But, in the meantime, Governor Gilmer found other problems upon 

his hands in dealing with the Cherokees. These Indians in 1827 had 

adopted a written constitution, claiming independence as one of the 

distinct nations of the earth. Governor Forsyth, who was then in office, 

had protested to,the President against the erection of a separate gov 

ernment within the limits of a sovereign state. During the month of 

November, 1828, he addressed a message to the Legislature, strongly 

urging the passage of an act to extend the laws of Georgia over the 

Cherokee territory, but before putting such a law into effect he sug 

gested that the President be given an opportunity to confer with the 

* For additional particulars in regard to these counties, see section entitled 

'' Georgia Miscellanies.''


Indians in regard to a western emigration. Following this line of 

policy, the Legislature passed an act, December 20, 1828, extending 

Georgia's jurisdiction over the Cherokee domain. All white persons in 

this territory became at once subject to the laws of Georgia, and, after 

June 1, 1830, all Indian residents therein were likewise to recognize 

the sovereignty of Georgia. At the same time all laws enacted by the 

Cherokee nation were to become null and void. The frequency of 

crimes committed in the Cherokee nation made it all the more impera 

tive for Georgia to take this action. 

Thus matters stood when Governor Gilmer was inaugurated. The 

Cherokees, unlike the Creeks, were peaceably inclined and were rap 

idly embracing both the civilization and the religion of the whites, as 

we shall see in a subsequent chapter. For years, the chief complaint 

lodged against the Cherokees was that, in refusing to sell a foot of 

ground, they acted as one man and stood as firm as a granite rock. 

Until 1828 only moderate efforts had been employed to induce the 

Cherokees to vacate these lands and only small cessions had been ob 

tained from time to time. But in the year above mentioned an event 

occurred the effect of which was to fire the cupidity of the white set 

tlers to possess these lands; and what was at first only a normal desire 

became all at once an inordinate passion. Men in great bodies began to 

rush northward impelled by some strange power hitherto unknown as a 

factor in Georgia's expansion. This was the discovery of the yellow 

metal around the sources of the Chattahooehee. What sealed the doom 

of the Cherokee nation and started the drift of Georgia's population 

with a tremendous impetus toward the valleys of the Blue Ridge, was 

the lure of Mammon. But to many a disappointed settler it sang the 

fatal song of a golden siren. 

VILLA RICA—GOLD DISCOVERED.—It was the discovery of gold in 1826 that gave 

to the oldest town in Western Georgia the musical Spanish name by which it is today 

known: Villa Eiea, or "city of riches." The treaty at Indian Springs was no 

sooner ratified than numbers of settlers began to spread themselves leisurely over the 

fertile area of country to the west of the Ohattahoochee River; but when the tidings 

went forth that in the upper part of the new country there were rich deposits of gold 

the feverish influx of population began to resemble an ocean swell. Villa Bica 

became a sort of Klondyke, to which the argonauts of the period rushed with pick 

in hand to unearth the fortunes which they here expected to find. But the yellow 

metal did not exist in sufficient quantities to satisfy the general expectation. It was 

profitably mined by some of the new comers, wlio were fortunate enough to strike 

rich veins, but most of the gold seekers were, disappointed and in time drifted to 

other localities. There was no market or railroad nearer than Augusta, Georgia. 

At first the mining industry was carried on by means of panning the dirt from the 

surface of the earth in tin or copper cans, but eventually this crude process yielded 

to more approved methods. Three years after the discovery of gold in Carroll, the 

yellow metal was found to exist in much larger quantities, in the neighborhood of 

Dahlonega, and the center of mining operations in Georgia shifted toward the north, 

but not a few of the mines in the neighborhood of Villas Rica were worked with 

profit until the time of the Civil war, netting substantial dividends to the owners. 

In 1862, the Georgia Pacific Railway, now the Southern, reached the place where 

Villa Rica now stands, and gradually the old town disappeared.

CHAPTER XV 

GOVERNOR GILMER's ADMINISTRATION WITNESSES A DRAMATIC SPECTACLE 

ON THE CHEROKEE BORDER—THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD CAUSES A RUSH 

OF POPULATION INTO THIS REGION—LAWLESSNESS PREVAILS—THE 

CHEROKEES—PREHISTORIC MOUNTAINEERS OF THE'SOUTHERN APPA 

LACHIANS—RAPID GROWTH OF' THE NATION—SEQUOYA'S ALPHABET 

—THE CHEROKEE CONSTITUTION—BUT THE EXTENSION OF JURISDIC 

TION OVER THE TERRITORY BLIGHTS THE SPLENDID FUTURE OF THESE 

INDIANS—THE CHEROKEES APPEAL TO WASHINGTON—PRESIDENT 

JACKSON, HOWEVER, Is A FRONTIERSMAN—HE FAVORS A REMOVAL OF 

THE RED MEN TO THE WEST—COMPLIES WITH THE DEMANDS OF GOV 

ERNOR GlLMER FOR A WITHDRAWAL OF FEDERAL TROOPS FROM THE 

CHEROKEE BORDER—THE EXECUTION OF GEORGE TASSEL—GOVERNOR 

GILMER DEFIES THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT—MISSIONARIES 

ARRESTED IN CHEROKEE GEORGIA—FOUND IN THE TERRITORY WITH 

OUT LICENSE—SOME OF THEM FOMENTERS OF STRIFE—WORCESTER 

AND BUTLER DEFY THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE AND SUFFER IMPRIS 

ONMENT—SEEK REDRESS FROM THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES—THE 

OTHER PRISONERS AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY 

OFFERED BY GOVERNOR GILMER—WHILE THE CASE Is PENDING, IM 

PORTANT EVENTS OCCUR—UNDER THE CENSUS OF 1830 GEORGIA GAINS 

A NEW CONGRESSMAN—NINE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS—MEMBERS OF 

CONGRESS DURING THIS PERIOD—Two NEW COUNTIES CREATED— 

RANDOLPH AND SUMTER—THE GEORGIA MEDICAL COLLEGE AT AUGUSTA 

Is CHARTERED. 

Governor Gilmer's administration witnessed a dramatic spectacle on 

the Cherokee border. The law enacted on December 20, 1828, was not 

to go into effect for eighteen months. Its validity even then might be 

questioned, since the Cherokees held these lands by an ancient title if 

not by a divine right; and there was hardly an acre of ground among 

these mountains which was not consecrated to them by the bones of 

dead ancestors. Certainly these lands were sacred to the Cherokees 

for eighteen months. But men whose veins are fired by the gold fever 

are seldom disturbed by ethical considerations. The spirit of adven 

ture, the promise of untold wealth, the golden spur of fortune, these 

render them indifferent even to legal barriers; and under the sway of 

such a maddening impulse men will risk life, defy danger, commit 

crime, all for the promised gold of an elusive El Dorado. 

But let us trace briefly the circumstances leading up to this climax. 

The Cherokees were the prehistoric mountaineers of the Southern 

Appalachians. According to standard authorities, the name is derived 

from "Chera," a word signifying "fire." The prophets of the nation 

553


were called "men of fire," in recognition of the divine unction received 

by them from the Great Spirit. These Indians at the beginning of the 

Revolution occupied an area of country embracing 40,000 square miles. 

It constituted a great forest empire, extending from the Blue Ridge 

on the east to the Cumberland range on the west, and from the Ohio 

on the north to the Georgia and Alabama midlands on the south. Most 

of the Cherokee towns, however, at this early time were in the rich 

valley lands of what is now East Tennessee. 

Both the Creeks and the Cherokees sided with the British in the 

struggle for American independence. Consequently, as a result of this 

struggle, each was forced to relinquish an extended area to the whites. 

This drove a large number of Cherokees back into the Tennessee val 

leys; but some of the more warlike members of the tribe established a 

group of villages, five in number, under the protecting shadow of Look 

out Mountain, just south of the Georgia line; and these became known 

in after years as the Chickamauga Towns. Gen. Elijah Clarke led 

an expedition against these towns soon afterwards, and as a ruse for 

getting rid of him they promised great concessions. The wily fron 

tiersman obtained from them a signed agreement which he called a 

treaty, but its informal character was such that he could not legally 

enforce its provisions, having failed to have it validated by the proper 

authorities. 

In 1785, under the Treaty of Hopewell, the Cherokees agreed to 

recognize certain boundary lines, but there was no cession of land 

within the borders of Georgia. On Holston River in 1791 and at 

Philadelphia in 1793 the Treaty of Hopewell was confirmed. The 

Chickamauga Towns continued to give some trouble, but after 1795 

few of the Cherokees were seriously inclined to war. Those who pre 

ferred a savage life in the wilderness moved further to the West, but 

the bulk of the tribe chose rather to emulate the whites. For twenty 

years there was no disturbance of the Cherokees. This was due largely 

to the fact that the rich lands of the Creeks in Middle Georgia were 

better adapted to agriculture and were less remote from the white 

settlements. Consequently, these Creek lands were the first coveted. 

At one time most of Cherokee Georgia was occupied by Creek 

Indians, a fact memorialized in a host of names which are manifestly 

of Creek origin; but, to quote an old tradition, the Creeks, having 

wagered a large strip of land on the issue of a game of ball, lost this 

strip as a result of the contest. Just when the boundary line between 

the two tribes was altered is not a matter of authentic record, but the 

strip in question is supposed to have included the present areas of Cobb, 

Paulding and Polk counties. 

When Jefferson was President he suggested an Indian removal, and 

in 1809 a delegation of Cherokees visited the western lands, at the 

instance of the Federal Indian agent, Return J. Meigs. There was 

quite a strong sentiment in favor of migration at this time, but for some 

reason action was postponed. On July 8, 1817^ the Federal authorities 

secured a tract of land within the limits of Georgia and induced a 

number, of the Cherokees voluntarily to remove, giving them acre for 

acre, in exchange of lands. Subsequently, in 1819, an additional strip 

was acquired; but most of the soil vacated by the Cherokees lay in


East Tennessee. Under the treaties both of 1817 and of 1819, the head 

of any Cherokee family living in the ceded territory might, at his 

option, remain in possession of his home, together with 640 acres of 

land, to descend in fee simple to his heirs. But Georgia objected most 

strenuously to these provisions and gradually within the next few years 

all of the Cherokee family holdings in these ceded districts were 

purchased. 

Negotiations dragged until 1823 when George M. Troup came to the 

governorship. At this time an effort was made by President Monroe 

to negotiate a cession of land. Messrs. Duncan G. Campbell and James 

Meriwether were appointed commissioners to visit the Cherokee nation 

with this purpose in view, but the Indians stubbornly refused to cede 

an acre of ground. Later, as we have seen, a delegation of Cherokees 

was sent to Washington to register a solemn protest against any move 

ment seeking to dispossess the nation. President Monroe received this 

delegation with a diplomatic courtesy, the like of which was paid only 

to sovereign powers. 

At this time the eyes of the world were opened for the first time 

to the wonderful progress achieved by the Cherokee Indians of Georgia 

in the arts of civilization. Composing this delegation, there were four 

Indian half-breeds: John Ross, Major Ridge, George Lowrey and 

Elijah Hicks. These men were the very flower of the Cherokee nation, 

eloquent of speech, bold in action, self-possessed in manner, unawed 

even in the presence of the nation's supreme ruler. So impressed was 

President Monroe with this visit that in a message to Congress he 

refused to acknowledge any binding obligation resting upon the Fed 

eral Government to remove the Cherokee Indians. 

Thus encouraged, the deputation returned home. The capital of 

the Southern Cherokees was at this time located at New Echota, in 

what is now Gordon County, at the confluence of the Connesauga and 

Coosawattee rivers. According to a census taken in 1825 the nation's 

population was shown to be 13,563 Indians, 1,277 negro slaves, and 220 

whites. Some time in the '20s, a Cherokee half-breed, Sequoya, having 

invented an alphabet, there was set up at New Echota a printing press 

from which a newspaper was published. In a subsequent chapter this 

wonderful Cherokee alphabet will be discussed at some length. Such 

was the stimulating effect of Sequoya's invention that steps were taken 

to formulate a written constitution. The spirit of national self-con 

sciousness and of national independence was also aroused to an un 

wonted degree. On July 26, 1827, the Cherokees in convention assem 

bled, formally adopted a constitution. This instrument provided for a 

representative form of government, similar in character to that of the 

United States. It also asserted that the Cherokee nation constituted 

one of the sovereign and independent nations of the earth. To the 

high-sounding phraseology of this contention, Governor Forsyth entered 

an emphatic demurrer. He could not conceive of such a nation existing 

within the borders of Georgia—itself a sovereign and independent com 

monwealth of the American Union. Governor Gilmer, advancing a step 

further, urged the passage of a law extending the state's jurisdiction 

over all the Indian lands within its territorial borders. The Legisla 

ture passed this act on December 20, 1828, though its provisions were


not to go into effect until June 1, 1830. But, in the meantime, gold had 

been discovered on Duke's Creek and in the neighborhood of Dahlonega. 

Then followed a rush of adventurous argonauts into the forbidden land 

of the Cherokees. It is estimated that by the summer of 1830 there 

were at least 3,000 whites from various states digging gold at the sources 

of the Chattahoochee. To quote Mr. Phillips:* "The intrusion of 

these miners into the Cherokee territory was unlawful under the enact 

ments of three several governments, each claiming jurisdiction over the 

region. The United States laws forbade any one settling or trading on 

Indian territory, without a special license from the proper United States 

official; the State of Georgia had extended its laws over the Cherokee 

lands, applying them after June 1, 1830, to Indians as well as white 

men; and the Cherokee nation had passed a law that no one should 

settle or trade on their lands without a permit from their officials.'' 

Such was the impetuosity of this mad rush to the gold mines that 

all of these governments combined did not possess police power requi 

site to deal with the situation. However, Governor Gilmer was bent 

upon maintaining Georgia's sovereignty upon her own soil. Accord 

ingly, when the new law went into effect, he addressed a letter to 

President Jackson, telling him that Georgia had extended her jurisdic 

tion over the Cherokee lands arid asking him to withdraw the Federal 

troops from this quarter. 

General Jackson had been an Indian fighter. Consequently, his 

point of'view was entirely different from his predecessor's and he did 

not hesitate to reverse the policy of President Adams. Without a mo 

ment's delay, therefore, he complied with Governor Gilmer's request. 

It was at the instance of Judge Augustin S. Clay ton that Governor 

Gilmer wrote this letter to President Jackson asking for a withdrawal 

of the Federal troops. Judge Clayton's circuit—the western;—included 

a large part of the Cherokee domain. Nine citizens of Hall County 

had been brought before him by United States officers for trespassing 

on the Cherokee lands; and he did not feel like branding as criminals 

men whose only offense was that they had gone upon Georgia's soil. 

He, therefore, addressed a communication to Governor Gilmer, on June 

20, 1830, urging that he ask for a withdrawal of the troops. Hence 

the governor's letter to President Jackson. 

At a special session of the Legislature called in October, 1830, addi 

tional laws were passed for regulating the gold region. To prevent 

disorder at the mines a guard of sixty men was provided under an act 

of December 22, 1830. At the same time it was made unlawful for any 

Cherokee council or legislature to meet, except for the sole purpose 

of ceding land; and if any Cherokee official undertook to hold court, 

he was to be punished by imprisonment for four years. Moreover, any 

white person found in the Cherokee nation, after March 31, 1831, with 

out a license from the proper authorities, was to be deemed guilty of a 

high misdemeanor, and imprisonment in the penitentiary for four years 

was the penalty attached to such a violation of the Georgia laws. To 

procure a license it was necessary to take an oath of allegiance to the 

State of Georgia, 

' Georgia and State Bights," TJ. B. Phillips, pp. 72-73.


But we are moving too rapidly forward. Crimes were of frequent 

occurrence on the Indian lands and to check these lawless deeds an act 

was passed by the Legislature in 1829 in which power was given to 

the courts of adjacent counties to try all persons charged with com 

mitting crimes in the territory of the nation. This explains Judge 

Clayton's letter to Governor Gilmer. The Cherokees strongly objected 

to such an assumption of authority, asserting themselves to be an inde 

pendent power; and they even went so far as to retain one of the most 

distinguished lawyers of his day to represent them as counsel: Wil 

liam Wirt, of Maryland. Mr. Wirt, in a letter to Governor Gilmer, of 

June 4, 1830, suggested that the Supreme Court of the United States 

be asked to arbitrate the matter; but Governor Gilmer declined to 

entertain .this proposal, which he characterized as disrespectful to the 

commonwealth. Nevertheless, Mr. Wirt applied to the Supreme Court 

for an injunction to prevent the execution of the obnoxious Georgia 

laws. 

Meanwhile, the Cherokee country became the center of dramatic 

scenes. To execute the laws forbidding trespass on the Indian lands, 

there was need for an effectual application of force by the state gov 

ernment. The miners had defied the officers of the law and the 

gold-digging had continued. Thereupon Major Wagner, an officer of 

the United States army, marched into the Cherokee Nation with a com 

pany of soldiers from Charleston and Augusta and destroyed the camps, 

provisions and tools of the gold-diggers. Not a few of the trespassers 

themselves were arrested, but in lieu of imprisonment were taken to 

the nearest ferry and put across the Chattahoochee River. The Indians 

likewise were forbidden to mine for gold.* 

But an opportunity for testing the new law soon arose. To quote 

Mr. Phillips: t "Before the motion for injunction was argued, a case 

arose which the Cherokees thought might 'test the matter. George 

Tassel, a Cherokee Indian, had been convicted of murder in the Hall 

County Superior Court, and lay in jail under sentence of death. When 

a writ of error was carried to the United States Supreme Court, the 

State of Georgia was cited through its governor, December 12, 1830, 

to appear and show cause why the writ should not be decided against 

the state. Governor Gilmer, in a message of December 22, submitted 

the citation to the Legislature, stating in his own behalf: 'So far as 

concerns the executive department, orders received from the Supreme 

Court in any manner interfering with the decisions of the courts of 

this state in the constitutional exercise of their jurisdiction will be dis 

regarded, and any attempt to enforce such orders will be resisted with 

whatever force the laws have placed at my command.' The response 

of the General Assembly was a resolution requiring the governor to 

use all his legal power to repel every invasion upon the administration 

of the criminal laws of the state from whatever quarter. Said this 

resolution: "The State of Georgia will never so far compromit her 

sovereignty as an independent state as to become a party to the case 

sought to be made before the Supreme Court of the United States by 

* "History of Georgia," Lawton B. Evans, p. 220. 

t "Georgia and State Bights," pp. 75-77.


the writ in question.' The governor was authorized to send an express 

to Hall County to have the sheriff execute the laws without fail in the 

case of Tassel." * 

"On the day appointed for the hearing, counsel for the complainant 

filed a supplementary bill, citing as further grievance of the Cherokees 

that, in accordance with a resolution of the Georgia Legislature and in 

defiance of a writ of error allowed by the Chief Justice of the United 

States, the man called Corn Tassel, or George Tassel, had actually 

been hanged by the Georgia sheriff; that the Georgia Legislature had 

passed additional laws of an obnoxious character, providing for a sur 

vey preparatory to the disposition of the Cherokee lands, forbidding 

the exercise of powers under the authority of the Cherokee Indians and 

their laws, and authorizing the Governor to take possession of all gold 

mines in the territory; and that the Governor of Georgia had stationed 

an armed force of Georgians at the mines to enforce Georgia laws. 

No counsel appeared for the State of Georgia.' The opinion of the 

court, as rendered by Chief Justice Marshall, granted that the counsel 

for the plaintiffs had established that the Cherokee Nation was a State 

and had been treated as a State since the settlement of the colonies; 

but a majority of the court decided that an Indian tribe or nation in 

the United States was not a foreign State in the sense of the Constitu 

tion and could not maintain an action in the courts of the United States. 

The motion for injunction was therefore denied." 

But this decision did not make an end to trouble in the Cherokee 

Nation. There were a number of missionaries laboring among the In 

dians at this time who boldly defied the sovereignty of the state, not 

only by remaining in the Cherokee Nation without a license, but by 

making themselves perniciously active in political affairs. These mis 

sionaries fomented discontent and dissension among the Indians, and 

were largely instrumental. in creating a sentiment hostile to removal. 

We will let Mr. Phillips, who has specialized in this particular field of 

research, give us the particulars. Says Mr. Phillips: t 

"There were at this time resident among the Cherokees twelve or 

more Christian missionaries and assistants, some of them maintained by 

the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. These 

men were already suspected of interfering in political matters and 

would probably have been made to feel the weight of the law without 

inviting attention to themselves, but they did not passively await its 

action. .They held a meeting at New Echota, December 29, 1830, in 

which they passed resolutions protesting against the extension of the 

laws of Georgia over the Indians and asserting that they considered the 

removal of the Cherokees an event most earnestly to be deprecated. J 

After sufficient time had elapsed for the intruders to have taken their 

departure, if so disposed, the Georgia guard for the Cherokee territory 

arrested such white men as were found unlawfully residing therein. 

Among the number arrested were two missionaries, Messrs. Worcester 

and Thompson. On writ of habeas corpus, ,they were taken before the 

* "Nile's Register," Vol. 39, pp. 333-339. 

t " Georgia and State Rights," U. B. Phillips, 79-81. 

t "Georgians," Gilmer, p. 381; "White's Historical Collections," p. 139; the 

Athenian, January 25, 1831.


Superior Court of Gwinnett County, where their writ was passed upon 

by Judge Clayton. Counsel pleaded for their release on the ground of 

the unconstitutionality of the law of Georgia. The Judge granted their 

release, but did so'on the ground that they were agents of the United 

States, since they were expending the United States, fund for civilizing 

the Indians. Governor Gilmer then sent inquiries to Washington to 

learn whether the missionaries were recognized as agents of the Gov 

ernment. The reply was received that as missionaries they were not 

governmental agents, hut that Mr. Worcester was United States post 

master at New Echota. President Jackson, upon request from Georgia, 

removed Mr. Worcester from that office, in order to render him amen 

able to the laws of the state. The Cherokee Phoenix, the newspaper 

and organ. of the nation, expressed outraged feelings on the part of 

the Indians at the combination of State and Federal Executives against 

them. 

"The Governor wrote Mr. Worcester, May 16, advising his removal 

from the State to avoid arrest. May 28, Colonel J. W. A. Sanford, 

commander of the Georgia Guard, wrote each of the missionaries that 

at the end of ten days he would arrest them if found upon" Cherokee 

territory in Georgia. Notwithstanding their address to the Governor 

in justification of their conduct, they were arrested by the guard, the 

Rev. Samuel A. Worcester, the Rev. Elizur Butler, and the Rev. James 

Trott, missionaries, and eight other white men, for illegal residence in 

the territory. Tried at the September term of the Superior Court of 

Gwinnett County, they were found guilty and, on September 15, were 

each sentenced to four years confinement at hard labor in the State 

penitentiary. But a pardon and freedom were offered to each by the 

Governor on condition of taking the oath of allegiance or of promising 

to leave the Cherokee territory. Nine of the prisoners availed them 

selves of executive clemency, but Worcester and Butler chose rather 

to go to the penitentiary, intending to test their case before the Supreme 

Court.* 

"On the occasion of their second arrest the missionaries had been 

taken into custody by a section of the Georgia Guafd, commanded by 

a subordinate officer, Colonel Nelson. During the journey from the 

scene of the arrest to the place of temporary confinement the treatment 

of the prisoners was needlessly rough, extending in the case of Messrs. 

Worcester and McLeod to positive harshness and violence. These two 

clergymen complained to the head of their missionary board of having 

been put in. shackles, and other indignities. The State government 

condemned the severity of the guard, and ordered an inquiry into 

Nelson's conduct. That officer explained that his course of action had 

been rendered necessary by the unruly character of the prisoners. The 

controversy was practically closed by the retort of the Rev. Mr. 

McLeod that Colonel Nelson's statements were false and his conduct 

villainous." 

More than a year elapsed before the case was finally adjudicated 

before the Supreme Court of the United States. We must, therefore, 

*"White's Collections," p. 140; Georgia Journal, September 29, 1831; "Nile's 

Eegister," Vol. 40, p. 296, Vol. 41, p. 176.


leave for a subsequent chapter the continuation of this account, while 

we revert in the meantime to other matters. As disclosed by the census 

of 1830, Georgia's population was over half a million. On this basis 

Georgia was entitled to nine representatives in Congress, but it was 

not until 1833 that the new apportionment went into effect. Mean 

while, Georgia sent to the Twenty-first Congress (1829-1831), the fol 

lowing strong delegation: Thomas F. Foster, Charles E. Haynes, 

Henry G. Lamar, "Wilson Lumpkin, Wiley Thompson, James M. Wayne, 

and Richard Henry Wilde. Georgia's representatives in the Twenty- 

second Congress (1831-1833) were as follows: Augustin S. Clayton, 

Thomas F. Foster, Henry G. Lamar, Daniel Newnan, Wiley Thomp 

son, James M. Wayne, and Richard Henry Wilde. 

The Legislature of 1831, out of lands taken from Randolph, created 

a new county to be known as Stewart, in honor of Gen. Daniel Stew- 

art, of the Revolution, a native of Georgia. At the same time Sumter 

was detached from Lee and named for Gen. Thomas Sumter of South 

Carolina. 

Georgia's exports of cotton, in 1830, through the port of Savannah, 

aggregated 250,000 bales. The total value of the state's entire exports, 

for the same period, was $4,000,000, while her imported articles cost 

her only $400,000. The Georgia Medical College at Augusta—the 

state's oldest school of medicine—was incorporated under an act ap 

proved December 20, 1828, designating it as the Medical Academy of 

Georgia. The following names are mentioned in the act as the incorpo- 

rators of this pioneer institution: William R. Waring, John Carter, 

Lewis D. Ford, Igriatius P. Garvin, Benjamin A. White, Samuel Boy- 

kin, William P. McConnel, Walter H. Weems, William P. Graham, 

Thomas P. German, Alexander Jones, Milton Anthony, John J. Boswell, 

Thomas Hoxey, James P. Scriven, William C. Daniel, Richard Banks, 

Henry Hull, John Dent, Thomas Hamilton, Tomlinson Fort, Nathan 

Crawford, 0. C. Fort, and John Walker.* The founder of this insti 

tution was Dr. Milton Anthony, who lies buried within the college en 

closure, amid the scenes of his former activities. 

> Acts, 1828; pp. 111-112.

CHAPTER XVI 

DAHLONEGA—THE CENTER OP GOLD-MINING ACTIVITIES—UNTIL THE DIS 

COVERY OF THE YELLOW METAL IN CALIFORNIA, THE RICHEST GOLD 

MINES OF THE WORLD WERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF DAHLONEGA— 

THE NAME OF INDIAN DERIVATION—WHEN THE CHEROKEES ARE RE 

MOVED A MINT Is ESTABLISHED AT DAHLONEGA—JOHN C. CALHOUN, 

OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AN OWNER OF GOLD-MINING PROPERTY IN GEOR 

GIA—How GOLD WAS FIRST DISCOVERED IN THE NORTH GEORGIA 

HILLS—THE STORY TOLD BY BENJAMIN PARKS—ACCORDING TO 

PROFESSOR YEATES, AN EXPRESSION IMMORTALIZED BY MARK TWAIN 

WAS FIRST USED AT DAHLONEGA—"THERE'S MILLIONS IN IT!"—AN 

INCIDENT OF GOLD-MINING DAYS IN GEORGIA. 

NOTES •. EARLY GOLD MINING IN GEORGIA. 

Though, the first discovery of gold- in Georgia, according to White, 

was made on Duke's Creek, in Habersham County, in 1829, it is gen 

erally believed in Lumpkin County that the first discovery of gold in. 

this state was made some time previous to the above date, on the Calhoun 

property, three miles to the south of Dahlonega. Prof. S. W. McCallie, 

Georgia's present state geologist, makes this remark in connection with 

the claim. Says he: * "This early discovery is substantiated by living 

witnesses; but whether it antedates the find at Duke's Creek is an open 

question. It appears quite probable that the early discoveries followed 

each other, in such rapid succession, that it is now practically impossible 

to decide definitely the question of priority. However, at present, the 

best information seems to be in favor of Duke's Creek.'' If not the 

place where the yellow metal was first discovered in Georgia, it very 

soon became the center of the greatest mining operations in Georgia; 

and the mines at Dahlonega contained the largest deposits of precious 

ore known to the United States. 

It cannot be stated with any degree of precision when the Indian 

word "Dah-lon-e-ga," was first coined; but the meaning of it is "yel 

low money.'' Whether it was first applied by the Indians to the place, 

or whether it was used by them merely as an expression which caught 

the fancy of the white is equally problematical. The discovery of gold 

in North Georgia operated as a spur to hasten the departure of the 

Cherokees toward the West. It created an eagerness on the part of 

the white population to possess themselves of the red man's home 

among the mountains, and they began to call upon the Government, in 

the most imperious tones, to redeem the old agreement of 1802. The 

* '' Gold Deposits of Georgia,'' 1896, published by the State Geological Depart 

ment, Bulletin 4-A, pp. 274-275, Atlanta, 1896. 

Vol. I—36 

561


complications of the following years were only the .malarial symptoms 

of this same gold fever; and while the final outcome was divinely 

ordered in furtherance of wise ends, it was destined to leave a scar 

upon our history which time has not effaced. 

As soon as the removal of the Indians was accomplished, the United 

States Government, in 1838, established at Dahlonega a branch mint, 

which, continuing in operation, until 1861, coined 1,381,748 pieces of 

gold valued at $6,115,569. 

Benjamin Parks, by whom the yellow metal was first discovered 

on what afterwards became the property of the great John C. Calhoun, 

of South Carolina, was still living in the neighborhood of Dahlonega as 

late as 1894. During the summer of this year, P. J. Moran, the 

famous staff correspondent and editor of the Atlanta Constitution, 

visited the gold fields of Lumpkin for the purpose of preparing an arti 

cle for the press. Here he found Mr. Parks. The old man was ninety- 

four years of age, but his eyes still retained a glint of the old fire 

which lit them in his youthful days when he first discovered gold in the 

hills. The story which he gave Mr. Moran is substantially reproduced 

from the newspaper files of 1894. Said the aged argonaut,: 

"It was just by accident that I came across it. I was deer hunting 

one day, when I kicked up something which caught my eye. I exam 

ined it and decided that it was gold. The place belonged to Rev. Mr. 

Obarr, who, though a preacher, was a hard man and very desperate. I 

went to the owner and told him that I thought I could find gold on his 

place, if he would give me a lease of it. He laughed, as though he 

did not believe me, and consented. So a lease" for forty years was writ 

ten out, the consideration of which was that I was to give him one- 

fourth of the gold mined. I took into partnership a friend in whom 

I could confide. I went over to the spot with a pan, and, turning over 

some earth, it looked like the yellow of an egg. It was more than my 

eyes could believe. 

"The news went abroad. Within a few days it seemed as if the 

whole world must have heard of it, for men came from every state. 

They came afoot, on horseback, and in wagons, acting more like crazy 

men than anything else.' All the way, from where Dahlonega now 

stands to Nucklesville, there were men panning out of the branches and 

making holes in the hillsides. The saddest man in the country was 

preacher Obarr, from whom I had leased the land. He thought the 

lease was a joke; but he now learned that it was something serious. 

One day he came to me and said: 

" 'Mr. Parks, I want your lease.' 

" 'But I will not sell it to you,' I replied. 

"'Why not?'he asked. 

" 'Well,' I answered, 'even if I were willing, it is now out of my 

power; for I have taken a partner, and I know he would never consent 

to it. I have given him my word and I intend to keep it.' 

" 'You will suffer for this yet,' said'Obarr menacingly, as he went 

away. 

"Two weeks later, I saw a party of two women and two men ap 

proaching. I knew it was Obarr's family, intent upon trouble. Know-


ing Obarr's fondness for litigation, I warned my men to be prepared 

for action, but to take no offensive step. 

" 'Mr. Parks,' were Obarr's first words, 'I want the mine.' 

" 'If you were to offer me ten times its value,' I replied, 'I would 

not sell it to you.' 

" 'Well, the longest pole will knock off the persimmon,' said he 

with an implied .threat. 

"At the same moment, Mrs. Obarr broke the sluice-gate to let out 

the water. There was a laborer in the ditch, and the woman threw 

rocks in the water, in order to splash him. Failing to make the man 

aggressive, she burst into tears; whereupon her son advanced to attack 

him. I caught him by the collar and flung him back. Then the party 

went off, swore out warrants against us, and had us all arrested. This 

was all done for intimidation, but it failed to work. The next thing I 

heard Was that Obarr had,sold the place to Judge Underwood, who, in 

turn, sold it to Senator John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina. Then I 

lost my fortune. Senator Calhouu wanted to buy my lease, and I sold 

it for what I thought was a good price. The very month after the sale, 

he took out 24,000 pennyweights of gold, and then I was inclined to 

be as mad with him as Obarr was with me. But gold mining is like 

gambling—all luck." 

According to the late Prof. "W. S. Yeates, who was at one time state 

geologist of Georgia, an expression which Mark Twain has made classic 

in two hemispheres originated at Dahlonega. Says Professor Yeates: 

'' One of the most active and enthusiastic spirits of the flush times was 

Dr. M. F. Stevenson, an amateur geologist and mineralogist, who was 

full of the belief that Georgia was one of the richest mineral States in 

the Union. When, in 1849, the miners around Dahlonega gathered to 

take action on the project of deserting the mines in Georgia and going 

in a body to the new fields of California, this earnest believer in Geor 

gia's great mineral wealth mounted the court-house steps in Dahlonega, 

and, addressing a crowd of about 200 miners, plead with them not to 

be turned by the stories of the wondrous discoveries in California, but 

to stick to the Georgia fields, which were rich in possibilities. Point 

ing to Findley. Ridge, which lay about half a mile to the south, he ex 

claimed: 'Why go to California? In that ridge lies more gold than 

man ever dreamt of. There's millions in it.' This last sentence was 

caught up by the miners and taken with them to California, where for 

years it was a by-word among them. It remained for Mark Twain, 

who heard it.in common use, in one of the mining camps of California, 

to broadcast it over creation by placing it in the mouth of his world- 

renowned character, Colonel Mulberry Sellers.'' * 

EAELT GOLD-MINING IN GEORGIA.—According to the testimony of not a few resi 

dents in this neighborhood, some of whom have passed the patriarchal limit of four 

score years, gold was found in Lumpkin County prior to the date given for its dis 

covery in White County, on Duke's Creek, in 1828. Mr. Eeese Crisson, one of the 

best-known of the practical miners who came to Dahlonega in the early days, was 

heard to say on more than one occasion that when he came to Dahlonega, in the 

above-named year, it was some time after the discovery of gold in this neighborhood. 

Mr. Joseph Edwards, a man of solid worth, still living at a ripe old age near 

'Gold Deposits of Georgia," Bulletin 4-A, pp. 274-275, Atlanta, 1896.


Dahlonega, corroborates this statement. He also was one of the early miners; and, 

on the authority of Mr. Edwards, gold had been discovered in Lumpkin for some 

time when he came to Dahlonega in 1828. At any rate, the discovery of gold brought 

an influx of white population into Cherokee Georgia, some mere adventurers, some 

possessed of the restless spirit of discontent, ever on the lookout for something 

strange and new, but most of them men of high character, anxious to develop the rich 

treasures hidden in the hills of this beautiful section of Georgia. The Indians were 

still here and must have known of the gold deposits, though perhaps ignorant of their 

value; hence the name "Taloneka," signifying "yellow metal." 

In 1836 the United States Mint was established at Dahlonega. Skilled workmen 

were brought from Philadelphia to put the mint into operation; and among the 

number who came at this time was the E'ev. David Hastings, a Presbyterian minister, 

whose cultured family imparted a tone of refinement to the rough mining camp and 

formed the beginning of Dahlonega's social and intellectual life. His grand-daughter, 

Miss Lida Fields, was a noted educator, whose popular history of the United States 

is still a standard text-book in the public schools. Gov. Allea D. Oandler, one of 

Georgia's most distinguished sons, was born near the old mint.—"Georgia's Land 

marks, Memorials and Legends." L. L. Knight. Vol. II.

CHAPTER XVII 

GOVERNOR GILMER DEFEATED FOR RE-ELECTION—WILSON LUMPKIN Is 

CALLED TO THE HELM—HE REFUSES TO OBEY A CITATION FROM THE 

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES—THE MISSIONARIES WIN, 

BUT THE VlCTOBY Is FRUITLESS—ANDREW JACKSON DECLINES TO 

ENFORCE THE JUDGMENT RENDERED BY CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL— 

His CHARACTERISTIC REMARK—WORCESTER AND BUTLER REMAIN AT 

HARD LABOR UNTIL RELEASED BY THE STATE AUTHORITIES ON THE 

CONDITIONS OF CLEMENCY FIRST OFFERED—WHEN THE INDIANS ARE 

REMOVED THE WHOLE OF CHEROKEE GEORGIA Is MADE INTO ONE 

COUNTY : CHEROKEE—LATER THIS EXTENSIVE ^ DOMAIN Is SUB 

DIVIDED INTO TEN COUNTIES: CHEROKEE, CASS, COBB, FLOYD, FOR 

SYTE, GILMER, LUMPKIN, MURRAY, PAULDING, AND UNION—JOHN W. 

HOOPER MADE JUDGE OF THE NEW CHEROKEE CIRCUIT—WALKER 

COUNTY CREATED IN 1833—POLITICAL SENTIMENT IN THE NATION 

BEGINS TO DIVIDE ON THE TARIFF—JOHN C. CALHOUN ENUNCIATES 

His FAMOUS DOCTRINE OF NULLIFICATION—CALLED FORTH BY THE 

LEGISLATION OF 1828—JACKSON AND CALHOUN BECOME POLITICAL 

ENEMIES—THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF 1832—JACKSON Is RE- 

ELECTED, DEFEATING HENRY CLAY—GEORGIA, THOUGH OPPOSED TO A 

PROTECTIVE TARIFF, SUPPORTS JACKSON—REASONS FOR GIVING HER 

VOTE TO OLD HICKORY—THE GREAT ANTI-TARIFF CONVENTION OF 

1832 AT MlLLEDGEVILLE—FORSYTE AND BERRIEN ENGAGE IN A JOINT 

DEBATE LASTING FOB THREE DAYS—ORATORY AT ITS HIGH TIDE— 

ONLY A PARTIAL VICTORY WON BY THE ANTI-TARIFF AGITATORS— 

SOUTH CAROLINA TAKES MORE RADICAL ACTION—COERCION Is 

THREATENED, BUT MR. CLAY'S COMPROMISE POURS OIL ON THE 

TROUBLED WATERS—POLITICAL CHANGES—THE STATE RIGHTS PARTY 

Is ORGANIZED—THE UNION PARTY Is ALSO LAUNCHED—TROUPERS 

AND CLARKITES DISAPPEAR—JUDGE KING SUCCEEDS MR. TROUP AS 

UNITED STATES SENATOR—HIRAM WARNER MADE JUDGE OP THE NEW 

COWETA CIRCUIT—JOHN FORSYTH BECOMES ATTORNEY-GENERAL IN 

JACKSON'S CABINET—ALFRED CUTHBERT SUCCEEDS HIM IN THE FED 

ERAL SENATE—THE METEORIC SHOWER OF 1833—THE STATE'S 

CENTENNIAL. 

Governor Gilmer was not re-elected to the executive chair in the fall 

of 1831. It will be remembered that, in the preceding campaign, there 

were two candidates of the Troup party in the field, and that, while the 

Clark party was declining in strength, it held the balance of power at 

this crisis and secured the election of Governor Gilmer by giving him a 

strong support. Alienated, however, by failing to receive due recogni 

tion from Governor Gilmer, the Clark party, in the election of 1831, 

565

566 GEORGIA • AND GEORGIANS 

supported Wilson Lumpkin. Mr. Lumpkin also received a strong sup 

port from the Troup faction, and was, therefore, elected. From 1827 

to 1831, Mr. Lumpkin had been a member of Congress, where he had 

been instrumental in securing an act for the removal of the Cherokee 

Indians.* But Governor Gilmer found consolation in defeat, for he 

was immediately returned to his old seat in the National House of 

Representatives. 

Governor Lumpkin, soon after his inauguration, submitted to the 

Legislature, on November 25, 1831, copies of a citation lately received 

from the Supreme Court of the United States to the State of Georgia. 

These directed the state, through its governor, to show cause why cer 

tain judgments rendered by the state court against Messrs. Worcester 

and Butler should not be set aside. Accompanying these papers there 

was a vigorous message from Governor Lumpkin in which he avowed 

his intention "to disregard all unconstitutional requisitions of whatever 

character or origin and to protect the rights of the State." t On Decem 

ber 26th, the Legislature adopted strong resolutions upholding Governor 

Lumpkin and justifying the state's policy with respect to an extension 

of its jurisdiction over the Cherokee Nation. 

To quote Mr. Phillips again: J " The hearing on the writ of error in 

Worcester's case came up before the Supreme Court during the course 

of the year 1832. The case was argued for the plaintiff by Messrs. 

Sergeant, Wirt, and B. W. Chester. The State of Georgia was, of course, 

not represented. * * * It was the opinion of the court that the 

judgment of the Georgia county Superior court ought to be reversed and 

annulled. The case of Butler versus Georgia, similar in all respects to 

that of Worcester, was in effect decided in the same manner by the opin 

ion rendered in Worcester !s case. The judgment for which the Chero- 

kees were so long hoping was thus finally rendered; but they rejoiced 

too soon if they thought that by virtue of it their troubles were at an 

end. 

"Governor Lumpkin declared to the Legislature, November 6, 1832, 

that the decision of the court was an attempt 'to prostrate the sov 

ereignty of this State in the exercise of its constitutional criminal juris 

diction,' an attempt at usurpation which the State executive would meet 

with the spirit of determined resistance. The unchanged attitude of 

Georgia boded ill for the hopes of the Cherokees. But the position of 

the Federal Executive rendered the situation desperate in the last de 

gree for those Indians who were still determined not to give up their 

homes. President Jackson simply refused to enforce the decision of the 

Supreme Court. He intimated that since John Marshall had rendered 

his decision, he might enforce it. Of course, the Chief Justice had no 

authority beyond stating what he thought right in the case. 

"Worcester and Butler remained at hard labor in the Georgia peni 

tentiary, and the Cherokee chiefs began at length to realize that no re 

course was left them against the tyranny of the State. As far as the 

two missionaries were concerned, they felt that their martyrdom had 

* "History of Georgia," B. P. Brooks, p. 204. 

t H-J, 1831. 

t "Georgia and State Eights," U. B. Phillips, pp. 80-82.


been sufficiently long, and adopted the course of conciliating the State 

in order to secure their liberation. They informed the Attorney-Gen 

eral of Georgia on January 8,1833, that they had instructed their counsel 

to prosecute their case no further in the Supreme Court. Appreciating 

the change in their attitude, Governor Lumpkin pardoned both of them, 

January 10, on the same conditions offered them some months before, 

and ordered their release from prison. Most of the people of Georgia 

approved of the pardoning of Worcester and Butler, but the Governor's 

action found many critics among the ultramontanists. The attacks upon 

Mr. Lumpkin grew so strong that in view of his prospective candidacy 

for a second term as Governor his friends saw fit to publish the various 

documents and considerations which had led to a release of the two 

missionaries." 

Having asserted jurisdictional rights over the Cherokee domain, it 

next devolved upon the state to make a survey of the Cherokee lands; 

and this course was urged upon the Legislature by Governor Lumpkin. 

Accordingly, under an act approved December 26, 1831, all the lands 

lying west of the Chattahoochee and north of the Carroll County line 

were divided into one great county to be known as the County of Chero 

kee.* 

But the next Legislature subdivided this area into ten counties, to 

'wit: Cherokee, Cass, Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, 

Paulding and Union. Cherokee memorialized the nation which was 

soon to be deported to the far West; Cass was named for Gen. Lewis 

Cass, of Michigan, then a greatly admired leader; Cobb was named for 

the late Senator Thomas W. Cobb, of Greensboro; Floyd commemorated 

the services to the state of Gen. John Floyd, of Camden; Forsyth and 

Gilmer honored two distinguished governors, John Forsyth and George 

E. Gilmer, the former of whom was also United States senator, minister 

to Spain, and secretary of the treasury, in two presidential cabinets; 

Lumpkin bespoke the state's admiration for its chief executive, then 

in office, Governor Wilson Lumpkin; Murray was given the name of 

a popular citizen of Lincoln County, Hon. Thomas W. Murray, for many 

years speaker of the Georgia House of Eepresentatives; Paulding was 

named for John Paulding, one of the captors of Major Andre; and Union 

was so named to commemorate the strong national sentiment which pre 

vailed among the Georgia mountaineers in the days of nullification. 

These lands were still occupied by the Indians but the surveyors were 

nevertheless ordered to proceed with the work of running the various 

county lines. We reserve a discussion of what followed for a subsequent 

chapter. 

This Legislature also created the Cherokee Judicial Circuit, of which 

Hon. John W. Hooper became the first judge. 

Under an act approved December 18, 1833, a new county was cre 

ated out of Murray and named Walker, in honor of the late Maj. Free 

man Walker, of Augusta, a former United States senator. 

Political sentiment in the nation was beginning to divide upon a new 

issue—the tariff; and its differentiating effect upon party alignments 

was strongly felt in Georgia. To encourage manufacturing enterprise 

* Acts, 1831, p. 74.


Congress in 1816 had imposed a tariff on certain articles imported from 

foreign countries, making these articles much dearer in price than 

articles of the same kind manufactured at home.* There was little op 

position for a decade at least to this protective measure, the design of 

which was to safeguard the nation's infant industries. But when the 

manufacturing interests of New England made powerful by this system 

of governmental favoritism began to acquire an increasing ascendency 

over Congress and to dictate legislation, the South began at the same 

time to assume a hostile attitude toward protection. Wholly an agricul 

tural section, the South had received no benefit whatever from these 

protective tariffs. On the contrary she had experienced resultant hard 

ships therefrom. 

In 1828, following the passage of a measure imposing a heavy pro 

tective tariff upon the people, John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, be 

gan to enunciate his famous doctrine of Nullification. He was at this 

time vice president of the United States, an office to which he had been 

elected in 1824, under President Adams; and he continued to hold this 

same high office, under President Jackson. But all friendly relations 

between Jackson and Calhoun were severed by the former's determina 

tion to enforce submission to the obnoxious act of 1828. 

Nullification, as defined by its great author, was the right of a state,, 

when dissatisfied with an unjust law, to declare such law of no effect 

within her borders. This doctrine was a natural outgrowth of Mr. Cal 

houn's theory of the American Government, to wit, that it was not a 

union of individuals but a league or compact between sovereign states, 

any one of which had a right to judge when the compact was broken. 

Meetings were held all over the cotton belt for the purpose of expressing 

popular opposition to the Tariff Act of 1828. 

Says Mr. Evans: " The people resolved to wear their own home 

spun rather than buy Northern -goods and to raise their own hogs and 

horses rather than buy from the west. In the Congress of 1828, many 

representatives from Georgia and South Carolina appeared dressed in 

homespun, which was woven on the looms of their own State." t Hon. 

John MacPherson Berrien resigned from President Jackson's cabinet 

because of his opposition to its protective policies. We are strongly 

tempted in this connection to discuss the rupture of President Jack 

son's cabinet, especially with reference to the somewhat dramatic role 

played by the famous Peggy O'Neill who during the Jackson adminis 

tration made a football of American politics and incidentally broke a 

President's cabinet into splinters. But strictly speaking this does not 

belong to the history of Georgia. J 

In a resolution approved December 271, 1831, the Legislature of Geor 

gia condemned the Tariff of 1828 as a violation of the Federal Constitu 

tion, inexpedient, oppressive, unequal, and destructive to the great lead 

ing interests of the South, pecuniary and political.** • 

* "History of Georgia," E. P. Brooks, p. 173. 

t "History of Georgia," Lawton B. Evans, p. 224. 

t For an account of this affair, the reader is referred to "Vol. II, " Reminiscences 

of Famous Georgians," by L. L. Knight, chapter on "Berrien, the American Cicero." 

** Acts, 1831, p. 312.


But South Carolina went still further and threatened to nullify the 

tariff law. Calhoun's fatal philosophy was beginning to bear fruit. 

Inevitably the protective tariff became a dominant issue in the presi 

dential campaign of 1832; but President Jackson was re-elected, defeat 

ing Henry Clay. Strange to say, he received Georgia's undivided sup 

port, consisting in this election of eleven electoral votes. But there were 

other grounds on which her support was based. General Jackson had 

subdued the Indian outbreaks upon her borders. He had defeated the 

seasoned veterans of Packenham in the great Battle of New Orleans. 

He had withdrawn the Federal troops from the Cherokee Territory, had 

revoked the appointment of Worcester as postmaster at New Echota, 

and had strongly advocated a removal of the Indian tribes to the West; 

and for these things Georgia could not forget him. The state's electoral 

vote this year was cast by the following electors: from the state at large, 

Beverly Alien and Henry Holt; district electors, Elias Beall, Henry 

Jackson, David Blackshear, William Terrell, W. B. Bulloch, John 

Whitehead, John Floyd, Wilson Williams and Steaton Grantland.* 

But opposition to the protective principle was by no means effectually 

suppressed. During the summer of 1832, at Athens, quite a number 

of prominent Georgians who were then attending the commencement 

exercises of Franklin College held a meeting on the campus and passed 

a resolution calling for an anti-tariff convention to assemble at Milledge- 

ville, in the fall of 1832, during the annual legislative session. 

Pursuant to this call, 131 delegates, representing sixty-one coun 

ties met at Milledgeville, on November 12, 1832. Ex-Governor George 

R. Gilmer was elected chairman. This convention will ever be famous 

for the great debate in which two of Georgia's most illustrious sons, 

Berrien and Forsyth, were pitted against each other in an argument 

which lasted for three days. We' quote the following account from the 

pen of an eye-witness to this historic encounter between two intellectual 

giants.t Says he: 

"On motion of Mr. [W. H.] Torrance, it was decided to appoint a 

Committee of Twenty-One, whose duty it should be'to report resolutions 

expressive of the sense of the Convention in regard to the best mode of 

obtaining relief from the Protective System, to report what objects 

ought to engage the attention of the Convention, and to suggest the most 

effective means of accomplishing the same. [Time was required for 

selecting this important committee; and consequently, after transacting 

a few minor matters, the Convention adjo.urned.] 

"On the second day, Mr. Forsyth moved that a committee of five be 

appointed by the President to examine and report at the next meeting 

by what authority the various persons present were empowered to act as 

delegates, the credentials which they possessed, etc. Mr. Torrance, in 

lieu thereof, moved as a substitute that a Committee of Elections be 

named to inquire into the right of any member to hold his seat, 

whenever the same should be contested. Both motions were laid on the 

table for the time being. The President then announced the Committee 

of Twenty-One, to wit: Messrs. Blackshear, Berrien, Forsyth, Cum- 

*Lanman's " Biographical Annals of the II. S. Govt.," pp. 533-535. 

t Miller's "Bench and Bar of Georgia," Vol. I, chapter on Berrien.


ming, Clayton, Cuthbert, Gamble, Reese, Spalding, Tate, Rockwell, Beall 

of Bibb, Taylor of Burke, Bailey, Warner, Dawson, Haynes, Gordon of 

Putnam, Clark of Henry, Janes and Harris. 

"On the third day Mr. Forsyth called up his resolution of the day 

before, and Mr. Berrien moved to amend. Thus began the battle royal 

between the giants. Perhaps on no other occasion in Georgia was there 

such an imposing display of' eloquence. Mr. Forsyth stood forth in the 

majesty of his intellect and the graces of his unrivaled elocution. For 

three days the Convention and the crowded galleries listened to the 

debate with rapt attention. All conceded the victory to Mr. Forsyth in 

the preliminary discussion. He seemed like a giant, bearing down all 

obstacles in his way. Mr. Berrien took the floor amid plaudits from the 

galleries. He waved his hand and shook his head gravely, his beaming 

face upward, to repress the demonstration in his favor. What delight 

he afforded all present by his polished style and sweet delivery may be 

imagined by those who have had the good fortune to hear this American 

Cicero. Other speakers participated in the discussion; but the author 

does not remember all of them, though a spectator. Col. William Gum 

ming, in point of dignity and force, called to mind a proud Roman 

Senator. Messrs. Clayton, Torrance, Rockwell, Cuthbert, Spalding, 

Beall, G. W. Gordon, Haynes and Alford were among the principal 

debaters. Gov. Gilmer made an argument with his usual zeal and abil 

ity on the main question, at another stage of the Convention. 

"On Friday, General Blackshear, Chairman of the Committee of 

Twenty-One, made a report, which was read to the Convention by Mr. 

Berrien. It emphasized State Rights, set forth the limited powers of 

the Federal Government, and declared the several tariff acts of Con 

gress, designed for the protection of domestic manufactures, to be un 

constitutional and void. It also recommended unanimity of action on 

the part of the aggrieved States of the South, and authorized the presi 

dent of the Convention to communicate the action of the body to these 

sister Commonwealths. 

"Mr. Forsyth offered a substitute for this report, denying the neces 

sity for any radical action of this kind in regard to the tariff, and sug 

gesting that the Legislature be asked to appoint delegates to a South 

ern Convention to discuss measures of relief, whenever the other States 

of the South were agreed in regard to the wisdom of this method of 

redress. 

'' The substitute was lost, but before a vote was taken in the Conven 

tion on the Report of the Committee of Twenty-One, Mr. Forsyth laid 

on the secretary's table a protest signed by himself and some fifty dele 

gates, all of whom then retired together from the Convention. The 

scene was very exciting, but it passed off quietly; and, after slight 

amendments, the report was adopted by a vote of 64 yeas and six nays. 

Two important committees were appointed—one to address the people 

of Georgia, consisting of Messrs. Berrien, Clayton, Gordon of Putnam, 

Beall of Bibb, and Torrance; and the other styled the Central Commit 

tee, consisting of Messrs. Torrance, Rockwell, John H. Howard, Samuel 

Boykin and James S. Calhoun, to take whatever steps were necessary 

to give effect to the measures adopted. 

"The author has dwelt freely on these topics for the principal reason


that the young men of the State should understand the condition of par 

ties, at a season of great peril to the Union; and also because the Con 

vention was anterior to the 'Ordinance of Nullification' in a sister State. 

No formal action was ever taken at the ballot-box to carry out the objects 

of the Convention." 

Thus it will be seen that only a partial victory was won by the anti- 

tariff agitators. The Legislature of Georgia, while opposed to the sys 

tem of protection, strongly disapproved of the tariff agitation. It also 

condemned the doctrine of Nullification as neither a peaceful nor a con 

stitutional remedy but on the contrary as tending to civil commotion and 

disunion. Georgia's extreme conservatism was emphasized in this reso 

lution. 

South Carolina was much more radical. Under the spell of Cal- 

houn's genius, she promptly espoused and boldly asserted the doctrine of 

Nullification; and impelled by the fiery temper of the Huguenots she 

hastened in 1832, when a new tariff law was enacted, to declare it null 

and void within her boundaries. This was followed by a convention of 

the people in which secession was threatened. Thereupon President 

Jackson issued his famous proclamation and Congress passed a Force 

Bill giving him power to send troops into South Carolina and to coerce 

her people into accepting these oppressive measures, of Congress. 

Georgia's indignation was now aroused. She recalled her own un 

happy quarrel with the Federal Government during the administration 

of President Adams, when the latter threatened to invade Georgia's soil 

with armed troops. South Carolina was now in a similar predicament. 

But Mr. Clay's famous Compromise Bill of this year poured oil upon the 

troubled waters. This reduced the tariff on a scale satisfactory to its 

opponents; and South Carolina thereupon rescinded her action in regard 

to Nullification. 

Party lines in Georgia underwent radical changes as the result of 

these disturbed conditions. Some of the prominent leaders in the Troup 

party, including John M. Berrien, George R. Gilmer, William H. Craw- 

ford, William C. Dawson, and Augustin S. Clay ton, held a convention 

at Milledgeville on November 13, 1833, and formally launched an organi 

zation called the State Rights Party of Georgia. Some, if not most 

of these, however, were opposed to so extreme a measure as Nullification. 

Of course, there were many who did not share in the prevailing hos 

tility to a protective tariff; and there were likewise many who, for the 

sake of tranquillity within the Union, were willing to subordinate this 

issue to higher considerations of patriotism. Senator Forsyth, an origi 

nal Troup man, was among this number. Moreover, the remnants of the 

old Clark party took refuge under this banner. At a later period these 

' styled themselves the Union party of Georgia. 

Thus the Troupers and the Clarkites disappeared from the field of 

Georgia politics. 

Meanwhile, however, in the fall of 1833, Wilson Lumpkin was re- 

elected governor, defeating Joel Crawford. During the same year, 

George M. Troup, the great apostle of state rights, whose health, never 

at any time robust, had suffered impairment, due to the strenuous activi-


ties of public life, relinquished his seat in the United States Senate and 

retired to his country-seat, Valdosta, in Laurens County, where his re 

maining days were spent. Here he lingered for more than twenty years 

but took no active part in public affairs. 

Judge John P. King, of Augusta, president of the Georgia Railroad . 

and one of the state's pioneer captains of industry, succeeded Mr. Troup 

as United States senator from Georgia. 

The Legislature of 1833 created a new judicial circuit—the Coweta 

—to preside over the courts of which Judge Hiram "Warner was elected. 

In after years Judge Warner became chief justice of the state. 

President Jackson, if bitter in his hatreds, was tenacious of his 

friendships. He remained true to his secretary of -war, Maj. John H. 

Eaton, of Tennessee, even though the latter's marriage to the notorious 

Peggy 0 'Neill became a national scandal, putting the whole of social 

Washington against his administration and eventually causing the 

famous rupture in 1831 of the Jackson cabinet. 

Judge Berrien, after relinquishing the attorney-generalship, resumed 

the practice of law in Savannah; but another Georgian was at this time 

signally honored by President Jackson. In 1834, John Forsyth, of 

Georgia, then a United States senator, was rewarded for his splendid 

championship of the administration, both on the floor of the Senate 

and in the great anti-tariff convention of 1832. Called into the cabinet 

as secretary of state, under President Jackson, Mr. Forsyth retained this 

exalted office with credit to himself and to the nation, under President 

Martin Van Buren. Dying at the close of his second term of office, he 

was buried in the Congressional Cemetery, at the nation's capital. 

Alfred Cuthbert succeeded Mr. Forsyth, in 1832, as United States 

senator. 

Two other events, of signal interest characterized the administra 

tion of Governor Lumpkin. One of these was the famous meteoric 

shower of 1833, an event giving rise to a body of traditions, all of them 

more or less exaggerated, dating back to the time "when the stars fell." 

The other was the centennial anniversary of Georgia's first settlement. 

On February 12, 1833, the birthday of the state was celebrated with 

great eclat. Meetings were held in Savannah, Augusta, Macon, Eaton- 

ton, and other towns of the state. One hundred years of existence had 

evolved the feeble Colony of Oglethorpe into a powerful commonwealth 

of the American Union; and while the future held in store for Georgia 

the fiery convulsions of a great Civil war its approaching storm-clouds 

were arched by an imperial rainbow.

CHAPTER XVIII 

WILLIAM SCHLEY, A CANDIDATE OP THE UNION PARTY, DEFEATS CHARLES 

. DOUGHEBTY FOE GOVERNOR—THE LATTER AN EXTREME ADVOCATE OF 

STATE RIGHTS—GEORGIA'S CONSERVATISM AT THIS PERIOD—ON DE 

CEMBER 29, 1836," A FINAL TREATY Is NEGOTIATED WITH THE CHERO- 

KEES UNDER WHICH THEY AGREE TO RELINQUISH ALL LANDS IN 

GEORGIA AND TO MIGRATE WESTWARD—EVENTS PRECEDING THIS COM 

PACT—Two PARTIES IN THE CHEROKEE NATION—THE RIDGE PARTY 

ADVOCATES REMOVAL—THE Ross PARTY OPPOSES REMOVAL—ELIJAH 

HICKS, A FRIENDLY CHIEF, Is KILLED BY THE HOSTILES—AT LAST 

THE EYES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARE OPENED TO THE NECES 

SITY OF REMOVING THESE TROUBLESOME RED-SKINS—PUBLIC SENTI 

MENT, HOWEVER, EXCEPT. IN GEORGIA, Is WITH THE INDIANS—Two 

YEARS ALLOWED THE CHEROKEES IN WHICH TO MIGRATE—BUT, FEW 

WILLINGLY DEPART—GENERAL SCOTT ARRIVES IN GEORGIA TO DIRECT 

THE REMOVAL—SUBSEQUENT EVENTS RESERVED FOR ANOTHER CHAP 

TER—THE CREEK WAR—HOSTILE RED STICKS BEGIN AN UPRISING 

ALONG THE CHATTAHOOCHEE—STILL UNRECONCILED TO THE TREATY 

OF INDIAN SPRINGS—GENERAL SCOTT ESTABLISHES ARMY HEADQUAR 

TERS IN COLUMBUS—THE ATTACK UPON ROANOKE—ITS DESTRUCTION 

BY FIRE—BOATS ON THE CHATTAHOOCHEE BURNED BY THE SAVAGES— 

CAPTAIN GARMANY'S NARROW ESCAPE—THE BATTLE OF SHEPHERD'S 

PLANTATION—EN ROUTE TO JOIN THE SEMINOLES IN FLORIDA, A PARTY 

OF CREEK INDIANS FIND THEMSELVES ENTRAPPED ON AN ISLAND IN 

BAKER COUNTY-, AND FEW OF THEM ESCAPE—THE BATTLE OF ECHO- 

WA-NOTCH-AWAYi—MAJOR JERNIGAN'S GALLANT EXPLOIT—END OF 

THE CREEK WAR—MEMBERS -OF CONGRESS DURING THIS PERIOD— 

RICHARD HENRY WILDE, DEFEATED FOR RE-ELECTION LEAVES THE 

STATE—BUT, DYING IN NEW ORLEANS, HE Is BROUGHT BACK TO 

GEORGIA FOR FINAL* SEPULTURE—His UNIQUE LITERARY GENIUS— 

AUTHOR OF "THE SUMMER ROSE"—JAMES M. WAYNE, OF GEORGIA, 

ELEVATED TO THE FEDERAL SUPKBME BENCH—THE PRESIDENTIAL 

CAMPAIGN OF 1836—GEORGIA SUPPORTS HUGH L. WHITE, OF TENNES 

SEE, IN PREFERENCE TO VAN BUREN—WILSON LUMPKIN SUCCEEDS 

JUDGE KING IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE—GEORGE R. GILMER Is 

AGAIN MADE GOVERNOR. 

Georgia's conservatism reasserted itself in the campaign of 1835 for 

governor. There were two candidates in the field at this time. William 

Schley was chosen by the Union party as its standard-bearer, while 

Charles Dougherty, a noted lawyer, was supported by the state rights 

party; but the former won in the popular election. Despite the disrup 

tive effects produced by the Force Bill, tranquillity once more prevailed, 

573 1


due to Mr. Clay's Compromise $• and there was little talk of Nullification. 

Once more Georgia felt the old ties of attachment binding her to the 

Union. 

The administration of Governor Schley witnessed a final treaty with 

the Cherokees, at New Bchota, on December 29, 1835, under which they 

peaceably agreed to a relinquishment of all the lands still occupied by 

them within the borders of the state. William Carrolland John F. Scher- 

merhorn were the commissioners on the part of the United States Gov 

ernment. It is sometimes called the Schermerhorn Treaty because it was 

in the main negotiated by the latter. But, leading up to this important 

transaction, there are just a few minor events which need to be discussed. 

On the issue of a westward migration, two rival parties were developed 

in the Cherokee Nation, one of which, headed by John Ross, its principal 

chief, opposed removal; while the other, headed by John Ridge, favored 

removal. At first sentiment was unanimous in opposition to any further 

relinquishment of lands. Biit seeing the inevitability of fate certain 

leaders among them, John Ridge, Major Ridge, Elias Boudinot, Elijah 

Hicks, and others, thought it best to cease all further resistance. These 

internal dissentions among the Cherokees were accompanied by numerous 

depredations on the borders. In 1834, a band of Cherokees robbed a 

smoke house belonging to a white man who.lived near the frontier line. 

Elijah Hicks, a friendly chief, who favored removal to lands west of the 

Mississippi, thereupon started in pursuit of the robbers, with only two 

followers. Overtaking the marauders, he severely upbraided them, 

whereupon one of the savages fired at him, inflicting a wound from 

which he died in two days. Nor was this the only murderous affair. 

In like manner, several other chiefs who favored removal were killed by 

the Indians. • 

At last the eyes of the Federal Government were opened to the neces 

sity of removing these troublesome people, a policy to which President 

Jackson was strongly committed. The Georgia Legislature by an act of 

December, 1834, authorized an immediate occupation of the Cherokee 

lands but allowed the Indians two years in which to remove. We will 

let Mr. Phillips conclude the Story of these negotiations. Says he:* 

'' President Jackson persisted in his attempts to persuade the Cherokees 

to remove in a body. Early in 1834 it was discovered that a treaty 

party was developing in the nation. This party sent a delegation to 

Washington, which signed a preliminary treaty looking to a cession, but 

John Ross, the principal chief of the nation, protested, May 29, 1834, 

with such a show of support by the great bulk of the nation that the 

treaty failed of ratification. The division among the Cherokee leaders 

had at length opened a way for the final success of Georgia's efforts. 

In February, 1835, two rival Cherokee delegations appeared in Washing 

ton, with John Boss at the head of the orthodox party and John Ridge 

as the leader of the faction in favor of emigration. John Ridge, Major 

Ridge, Elias Boudinot, and other chiefs, had finally come to see the 

futility, of opposition to the inevitable, and were ready to lead their 

people westward. The Ridge party signed a treaty of cession on March 

14, which required the approval of the whole Cherokee Nation before 

"Georgia and State Eights," ~D. B. Phillips, pp. 85-86.


coming effective; but in a council of the Cherokees, held at Running 

Waters in June, Ross succeeded in having the treaty rejected. 

"The maneuvering of the two factions in the following months en 

gendered ill-feeling among the Cherokees and strengthened the position 

of Georgia. In December, 1835, a council was called by the United 

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 

States commissioners to meet at New Echota. The meeting was a small 

one because of the opposition of the Ross party; but, on December 29, 

a treaty was signed with the chiefs attending which provided for the ces 

sion of all the remaining Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi River 

for $5,000,000 and lands'in the West. The Ross party protested against 

the treaty, but were not able to prevent its ratification at Washington. 

f


News of the definitive ratification served only to increase the discontent 

among the Indians. A confidential agent of the Secretary of War re 

ported, September 25, 1837, that upon investigation he found that the 

whole Cherokee Nation was irreconcilable to the treaty and determined 

that it should not bind them. 

"Public sentiment throughout the United States, especially among 

the opponents of the administration, became deeply stirred with sym 

pathy for the Indians. Within the halls of Congress, Webster, Clay and 

Calhoun were vigorous in their condemnation of the New Echota treaty.* 

President Van Buren was so influenced by this torrent of remonstrance 

and criticism as to suggest to the Governors of Georgia, Alabama, Ten 

nessee and North Carolina, on May 23, 1838, that an extension of not 

more than two years be allowed in which the Cherokees might move 

away. Mr. Gilmer, who had again become Governor of Georgia, replied, 

on May 28, that he could give the plan no sanction whatever. He fea.red 

that the suggestion was the beginning of another attack upon the sov 

ereignty of the State, and declared his determination to take charge of 

the removal in person, if the Federal Government should fail in its 

duty.f There was, however, to be no further contest. General Scott 

had already arrived in the Cherokee country to direct the removal. He 

issued a proclamation, May 10, 1838, that every Cherokee man, woman 

and child must be on their way West within a month. On May 18, John 

Ross made a last ineffectual offer to arrange a substitute treaty. The 

emigration was at once pushed forward, and, on December 4, the last 

party of the Cherokees took their westward march.'' 

But the story of how the Cherokees were finally removed under the 

lash is reserved for a subsequent chapter. Coincident with the final 

deportation of the Cherokees, there began on the western borders of 

Georgia a series of bloodly encounters with the Creeks. Numbers of 

these Indians still resided in Alabama; and, entering into a league with 

the Seminoles, they began to harass the exposed frontier of the state. 

Murders, depredations, and crimes of every sort were almost daily com 

mitted along the Chattahoochee. All the border settlements were panic 

stricken with alarm. Hundreds flocked to Columbus for protection. 

Others fled to towns further inland, including Milledgeville, Macon and 

Augusta. Not a few of these en route to secure places of shelter were 

murdered. But throughout the entire Creek Indian war Columbus was 

the storm center of operations due to its importance as a frontier town 

and to its exposed position on the edge of the wilderness. It soon began 

to bristle with bayonets and to swarm with gay and brilliant uniforms. 

General Winfield Scott established headquarters in Columbus. He 

was at this time in command of the American Army and, with the single 

exception of General Jackson, was the foremost soldier of his day. The 

people of Columbus also became familiar at this time with the tall mili 

tary figure of General Jessup, who remained in active command in Geor 

gia for some time after his superior officer left. Governor Schley, tak 

ing the field in person, also made his headquarters in Columbus. Volun- 

*Benton's "Thirty Years' View," Vol. I, p. 625; Eoyee's "The Gherokee 

Nation,'' p. 282. 

t Gilmer's "Georgians," pp. 240 and 538.


teer companies were formed in all parts of the state, but these were 

employed chiefly in protecting the border. General Scott, with his army 

of regulars, marched into the interior of the Creek Nation, then wholly 

within the bounds of Alabama, and, after several skirmishes forced the 

Creeks to sue for quarter. 

Georgia suffered severely in consequence of these border hostilities. 

On the night of May 15, 1836, a party of Indians—300 strong—made an 

attack upon Roanoke, a small village on the Chattahooch.ee, located in 

what is now Stewart, then Lee County, Georgia. Due to the lateness of 

the hour, all had retired for 'the night. The inhabitants, therefore, were 

taken completely unawares; and the first intimation of danger came 

to them in the fiendish yells of the savages who were even then upon 

them, some with weapons, others with blazing pine-knots ready to con 

vert the village into a mass of seething flames. Resistance was useless, 

though a brave effort was made to stay the savage onslaught. Nine 

whites and three blacks were killed, in the brief struggle which ensued; 

the rest fled only to look back in horror upon a reddening scene of de 

struction. 

These same Indians also burned a boat, the Georgian, lying at anchor 

near Roanoke, not a soul on board of which escaped except the engineer. 

They also attacked a boat, the Hyperion, while ascending the river. Some 

of the passengers, leaping into the water, swam to shore under cover 

of darkness, but many were killed. 

On June 9, 1836, a small body of troops under command of Captain 

Garmany came suddenly upon these savage fiends and engaged them in 

one of the bloodiest struggles of the war. Captain Garmany, in a hand 

to hand encounter laid three Indians upon the ground, but he fell 

severely wounded in the right thigh. The Indian who inflicted this 

wound then approached him with a drawn knife but the brave captain 

firing at an opportune moment killed the savage just in time to prevent 

the knife from piercing his own breast. Major Jernigan, with a small 

detachment of men, not exceeding thirty in number came to the assistance 

of Captain Garmany but the whites were still greatly outnumbered and 

in the end were forced to retreat. 

En route to join the Seminoles in Florida, these Indians marched into 

Baker County, murdered several families, and afterwards, • to the num 

ber of 300, hid themselves on an island in the center of a swamp; but 

here the militia of Baker County, surrounding the island, held -them in 

a cordon from which, in a final effort to escape many were killed leading 

behind them a number of riderless horses, besides numerous articles 

plundered from the whites. This defeat prevented a junction of the 

Creeks with the Seminoles in Florida.* 

During the month of July, at Echo-wa-notch-away, Major Jernigan's 

command again encountered a body of Indians, and, after a severe en 

gagement, routed the savages with much slaughter. The following ac 

count of the battle has been preserved by Doctor "White. Says he: t 

"On the 25th of July, 1836, at the Echowanotechaway Swamp, Major 

Jernigan had a sharp contest with the Indians. The enemy having the 

* "History of Georgia," Lawton B. Evans, p. 230. 

t White's '•' Collections of Georgia," pp. 591-592. 

Vol. 1—37


advantage of ground, and being superior in numbers, Major Jernigan 

ordered a retreat of one hundred and fifty yards, bearing his wounded 

before him, expecting that the Indians would renew the attack, which, 

however, they did not. The wounded were carried to Captain Staple- 

ton's house. The loss in the skirmish was three killed, and seven 

wounded. The battle lasted fifty minutes. The number of the enemy 

was estimated to be from two to three hundred. 

"On the 26th, Major Jernigan pursued them until sunset- when he 

was reinforced by a company from Lanahassee, commanded by Captain 

Galba Matthews, by Guilford's Company, a part of Captain Snellgrove's 

Company, Colonel Wood, Major Wills, and Captain Smith together with 

others, making his force amount to three hundred men. A council of 

officers was called, who requested Major Jernigan. to take the whole 

command, to which he consented. 

'' On the 27th, at sunrise, the line was formed, and the troops quickly 

put in motion. The trail was soon discovered, and about three miles 

below the camp, Major Jernigan's advance-guard, under Captain Moye, 

heard the savages crossing Turkey Creek, at its confluence with the main 

branch of the Echowanotchaway. The troops were marched to this spot,- 

and preparations made for battle. The advance-guard was ordered to 

proceed, and in crossing Turkey Creek, the Indians fired several scatter 

ing guns from thick cane-brakes, and appeared to be moving forward. 

The commands of Captains Matthews, Guilford, and Snellgrove were 

detached to a place on the eastern side of the main creek, and below 

Chumba and Turkey Creeks. Captain Clifton's Company was stationed 

on the trail which entered the swamp. The companies of Captain Still 

and Ball were marched across the creek. 

"Major Jernigan having thus arranged his force, and knowing that 

the Indians were below him, dispatched Captain Ball to inform the 

troops in the eastern side of the main creek that they would be required 

to approach the swamp; and as it was not probable that the Indians 

would attempt to escape at the point covered by Captain Ball's com 

pany, he was directed to blow the horn before he countermarched, to 

induce the enemy to believe that a station was kept there. In the mean 

time, the companies of Captain Ball and Clifton were united, and from 

each a guard was detailed. Captain Ball returned, and gave information 

of the arrival of General William Wellborn, of Irwinton. The General, 

on his march to join Major Jernigan's eastern division, was hooted at by 

the Indians in the cane-brake. He, however, reached the station with 

out being fired on, and by consent and request of the captains, com 

manded and led that division. As the time for action approached, sig 

nals were given to enter the swamp, which was accordingly done by a 

part of Captains Ball and Clifton's company. Precisely at eleven 

o'clock, signal-guns were fired for the whole body to be put in motion, 

and the march was immediately commenced. It was evident that the 

Indians were well prepared for battle, and would vigilantly guard their 

trail; and it being considered more than probable, from what had passed 

between them'and General Wellborn, that spies would be placed on the. 

eastern force, it was determined, if possible, to take the enemy by sur 

prise. The troops marched through Turkey and Chumba creeks, leaving- 

the Indian trail on their right. After marching about three hundred!


yards through mud and water, thickly set with cane, a man was ordered 

to ascend a tree, for the purpose of making discoveries, who reported the 

camp at a distance of three hundred yards, pointed out a noted forked 

pine as a land-mark, and also stated that he could discern spies watching 

their trail, and others keeping a look-out on General "Wellborn's division. 

Captains Ball and Clifton were directed to move forward, inclining to 

the left, in order to give them an attack broadside. The march was con 

tinued until the Indians could be heard talking. A halt was ordered 

by giving signs, and Colonel Wood dispatched, with others, to gain the 

rear of General Wellborn, and inform him where Major Jernigan was 

situated, the position of the Indians, etc. The messengers had not been 

absent two minutes before a brisk firing took place between General 

Wellborn and the savages. A charge was ordered with, the sound of the 

horn, and in thirty seconds from the fire of the first gun, the two com 

panies gained the hammock, and covered the entire line of the enemy. 

The firing from all quarters was heavy and, animated. The Indians 

fought with more desperation, and gave up the ground with more reluc 

tance, than in any battle previously had with them. The engagement 

lasted forty-five minutes, and ended about half past one o'clock. 

"After forcing them from their strong positions, two infant chil 

dren were heard to cry in the cane-brake. They were brought to the 

battle-ground. Major Jernigan's loss was three killed—Mr. Carter, of 

Irwinton, Ala., David Sutley, of Randolph, and John Cfocker, Jun., of 

Lumpkin. Thirteen were wounded. A part of those whose wounds were 

slight returned to their homes. The following is a list of the wounded: 

—E. Butler, ————— Frith, Thomas Shepherd, Willis Barton, William 

Hughes, Colonel Wood and William Hilborne, of Randolph; Lewis Wil 

liams, Richard Cannady, Captain Green, and B. Ball, of Stewart; Cap 

tain Jenkins and ————— Patterson, of Irwinton, Ala. The loss of the 

Indians was not ascertained. Eighteen were found dead, some of them 

three miles from the battle-ground," 

Nine congressmen were allotted to Georgia under the new apportion 

ment which became effective for the first time in the Twenty-Third Con 

gress (1833-1835). The state's delegation chosen at this time was as 

follows :• Augustin S. Clayton, John Coffee, Thomas F. Foster, Roger L. 

Gamble, George R. Gilmer, Seaborn Jones, William Schley, James M. 

Wayne and Richard Henry Wilde.* Mr. Schley, at the expiration of his 

term of office, was elected governor of Georgia. 

To the Twenty-Fourth Congress (1835-1837), Georgia sent: Jesse 

F. Cleveland, John Coffee, Thomas Glascock, Seaton Grantland, Charles 

E. Haynes, Hopkins Holsey, Jabez Jackson and George W. Towns.! 

General Coffee died while in office and to -succeed him, Hon. William 

C. Dawson, of Greensboro, afterwards a United States senator, was 

elected. General Coffee was a distinguished Indian fighter but was not 

the officer of this name, associated with Gen. Andrew Jackson in his 

campaign against the Creeks, afterwards the latter's law partner, in 

Nashville, Tennessee. These two John Coffees were first cousins, and 

were not, therefore, as many have supposed, identical. George W. Towns 

* "Biog. Cong. Directory,' 

t Ibid., p. 139. 

1774-1911, p. 133.


resigned his seat on September 1, 1836, and was succeeded by Julius C. 

Alford, of LaGrange. Richard Henry Wilde, defeated for re-election, 

soon afterwards left the state, to be identified no more with its political 

fortunes. Mr. Wilde was not only an eminent statesman, lawyer and 

advocate, but a poet of rare genius. His best known production, "My 

Life is Like the Summer Rose," was characterized by Lord Byron as 

the finest American poem. Rival claimants to its authorship were after 

wards repudiated, and to Mr. Wilde is now given the uncontested honor. 

He remained abroad for several years, residing most of the time in Italy, 

where he wrote in two volumes a critical work on the mad Italian poet, 

Torquato Tasso. Mr. Wilde spent his last days in New Orleans, where 

he died in 1848, but his remains were subsequently brought back to 

Georgia and, after resting for a number of years on the Sand Hills, 

near Augusta, were finally re-interred in the City Cemetery, at Augusta, 

where his companions in death are Paul H. Hayne and James R. 

Randall. 

President Jackson, in 1833, filled a vacancy on the Supreme Bench of 

the United States by appointing Hon. James M. Wayne, of Savannah, 

an associate justice of this exalted tribunal. No happier selection could 

have been made. Judge Wayne was an eminent lawyer, and was serv 

ing a term in Congress at the time of his appointment; but he was tem 

peramentally much better fitted for judicial labors than for pleading 

causes as an advocate before a jury. At any rate he remained on the 

Federal bench for a period of thirty-two years, and at the time of his 

death held the record for continuous service, with the single exception 

of Chief Justice John Marshall. Judge Wayne resigned his seat in Con 

gress to assume the ermine, but the appointment was made near the 

close of the term, for which reason his seat remained vacant until the 

next Congress. 

Georgia's support in the presidential campaign of 1836 was given 

to Hugh L. White, of Tennessee, the, state rights candidate, who lost the 

election, however, to Martin Van Buren, of New York. For vice presi 

dent, Georgia supported John Tyler, of Virginia. The state's eleven 

electoral votes were cast by the following delegation: from the state at 

large, George R. Gilmer and Thomas Stocks; district electors, John W. 

Campbell, Howell Cobb, Gibson Clark, William W. Holt, E. Wimberly, 

Ambrose Baber, Thomas Hamilton, David Meriwetlier and C. Hines.* 

In 1837 John P. King resigned his seat in the United States Senate and 

to succeed him the Legislature this year elected former 'Governor Wil 

son Lumpkin. During this same year also the people of Georgia recalled 

George R. Gilmer to the helm as governor. 

'Lanman's "Biog. Annals of the U. 8. Govt.," pp. 525-526.

CHAPTER XIX 

BUT. TO RETURN TO THE CHEROKEES—BEFORE THE FINAL DEPORTATION 

AN EVENT OF SINGULAR INTEREST OCCURS—JOHN HOWARD PAYNE'S 

VISIT TO GEORGIA—SKETCH OF THIS MAN OF GENIUS WHO WROTE 

"HOME SWEET HOME"—His SONG THE PRECIOUS HERITAGE OF AN 

ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD—COMES TO GEORGIA TO ASCERTAIN THE 

TRUTH CONCERNING THE CHEROKEES—WHILE ON A VISIT TO JUDGE 

HARDEN, AT ATHENS, HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH His DAUGHTER, MARY 

—-ENTERING THE TERRITORY OF THE INDIANS, HE Is IMPRISONED AT 

SPRING PLACE, IN MURRAY COUNTY, AS A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER— 

GENERAL HARDEN SOON PROCURES His RELEASE—BUT HE DOES 

NOT REGARD HIM WITH FAVOR AS A PROSPECTIVE SON-IN-LAW—Miss 

HARDEN REMAINS TRUE TO HER POET-LOVER—DYING, AT THE AGE OF 

SEVENTY-SIX, A COPY OF "HOME, SWEET HOME" Is SAID TO HAVE 

' BEEN BURIED WITH HER, BUT' THIS TRADITION Is QUESTIONED;—SHE 

DID, HOWEVER, POSSESS A MANUSCRIPT COPY OF THE POEM, WHICH, 

ACCORDING TO ONE WHO KNEW HER WELL, WAS DESTROYED WHEN 

DEATH APPROACHED—PAYNE'S SUBSEQUENT CAREER—DIES WHILE 

HOLDING A CONSULAR APPOINTMENT AT MOROCCO, AND Is BURIED IN 

NORTHERN .AFRICA—BUT His BODY Is EXHUMED IN 1883 AND 

BROUGHT TO AMERICA FOR FINAL REINTERMENT IN OAK HILL CEME 

TERY, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

But let us return to the Cherokees. Before the final removal of .these 

Indians to a region west of the Mississippi, afterwards known as Indian 

Territory, there occurred an incident of the most dramatic character in 

the Cherokee Nation, concerning which, however, only meagre accounts 

have been preserved in the records. Mention has already been made of 

the fact that, under an act of December 22, 1830, the Legislature of 

Georgia made it a penal offense for a white person to reside in the Chero 

kee territory in Georgia without a license from the state authorities, to 

secure which it was first necessary to take an oath of allegiance to the 

State of Georgia. John Howard Payne, the immortal author of '' Home, 

Sweet Home," though an innocent offender, fell under the ban of this 

law while on a visit to the state in 3-836r 

It is one of the ironies of fate that the poet from whose pen has come 

the best known lyric of the hearthstone was himself a homeless wan 

derer. With little knowledge of domestic happiness, he sang of home, 

not as a possession but as a want; and for more than thirty years he 

was fated to fill an exile's grave, on the distant shores of the Medi 

terranean. The absence of any strong domestic ties first led him, when 

a mere lad, to seek his fortune abroad. On returning to America,- after 

a lapse of two full decades, his wandering footsteps at length brought 

581


him to Georgia, where two experiences of a widely different character 

awaited him: a jail and a sweetheart. From the former of these bind 

ing spells he was soon released, through the prompt intervention of an 

influential friend. But, in gentle bondage to the latter, he remained a 

life-long prisoner. His heart underwent no change. As for the fair 

object of his affections, she retained her maiden name to the end of her 

days and, dying at the ripe age of seventy-six, carried to her grave in 

Ocoriee Cemetery, at Athens, an undimmed image of her poet-lover: the 

immortal author of '' Home, Sweet Home.'' 

The world has not forgotten the pathetic story of John Howard 

Payne. But the tendency to exaggerate has led a host of writers, eager 

for dramatic effect, into gross misstatements. Indeed, there are few, 

who, in sketching Payne's life, have not drawn more largely upon fancy 

for materials than upon fact. 

Payne was never at any time the shiftless, ne'er-do-well, or the 

penniless vagabond which he has often been made to appear by these 

caricature artists. Most of his life, it is true, were spent in bachelor 

quarters and among remote scenes.. He also lacked business acumen; 

but those upon whom nature bestows the divine afflatus are seldom mer 

chants or bankers. With the conveniences of an assured income, he 

was unacquainted; and the caprices of Fortune often entailed upon him 

financial embarrassment. On more than one occasion he knew what it 

was to be without a dollar in his pockets when creditors were clamorous. 

But he earned a fair livelihood. At times, his wares brought him a 

substantial recompense; and, while his money lasted, he was a Prince of 

Bohemians. During the last years of his life, he held an important 

consular position at Tunis, in Morocco. 

Born in the city of New York, on June 9, 1792, the early boyhood 

days of John Howard Payne were spent at East Hampton, on Long 

Island, where the old family homestead, a quaint two-story structure, 

with an attic built of cedar shingles, is owned and preserved as a lit 

erary Mecca, by Mr. Buek, of Brooklyn, a wealthy admirer of the poet. 

In summer, the cottage is charmingly covered with wisteria vines, con 

trasting with the silvery tones of color which nearness to the sea invari 

ably gives. Stretching away to the rear of the house is an old apple 

orchard; while, in the distance, can be seen the sand dunes of the North 

Atlantic.* The interior paneling of the house is said to have been. the 

work of a ship carpenter, trained in one of the navy yards of England. 

The building is heated by a huge central chimney, twelve feet in diam 

eter, in which is built a fireplace after the ample pattern of the Dutch. 

The house is furnished exactly as it was in the days of Payne's child 

hood, with quaint dressing tables, high bedsteads, old Windsor chairs, 

and other furnishings reminiscent of the Colonial period. It was doubt 

less a recollection of this early home beside the sea which, in after years, 

inspired his deathless anthem. 

But to go back. At the age of thirteen, when a clerk in a mercan 

tile establishment in New York, Payne began secretly to edit a weekly 

newspaper, devoted to the drama. Such precocity of genius induced 

the lad's father to plan for him a good education; but, while a student 

• James Callaway, in the Macon Telegraph, February 18, 1914.


at Union College, his prospects were suddenly disturbed by the elder 

Payne's failure in business. John Howard then decided to go upon the 

stage. His debut as an actor was made at the Park Theater in New 

York, on February 24, 1809, as Young Norval in the Douglass; and 

the success of his initial performance, both from a pecuniary and from 

an artistic standpoint, was such that he afterwards toured the New Eng 

land and Middle States. 

In 1813 he sailed for England; and from this time dates his pro 

tracted sojourn abroad. As an actor he was well received by the 

public; but, anxious to increase his earnings, he essayed theatrical 

management, with disastrous results. Due to his lack of business abil 

ity, he found himself frequently in financial straits. Fortune did not 

seem to favor him. In 1815, he published a volume of verse entitled, 

"Lispings of the Muse," from which his returns were only meagre. 

Better success attended him as a playwright. He produced a number 

of musical dramas, for one of which, an opera, entitled "Clari, or the 

Maid of Milan," he composed the world-renowned stanzas of "Home, 

Sweet Home." 

This opera was first produced at the Covent Garden Theater, in 

May, 1823. The music was adapted by Henry R. Bishop, from an old 

melody which caught Payne's fancy while visiting one of the Italian 

cities.* It is said that the song itself came to him, when, oppressed 

by debt, he wandered one day, in great heaviness of spirit, along the 

banks of the Thames River. During the first year it netted his pub 

lishers over 2,000 guineas. Payne himself derived little pecuniary profit 

from the song which was destined to make him immortal; but he lived to 

see it put a girdle of music around the globe, to charm alike the king 

and the peasant, and to become in literal truth the song of the millions. 

The original draft of "Home, Sweet Home," ran as follows: 

'Mid pleasures and palaces, though we may roam, 

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home; 

A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, 

Like the love of a mother 

Surpassing all other, 

"Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. 

There's a spell in the shade 

Where our infancy played, 

Even stronger than time and more deep than despair. 

An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain, 

O, give me my lonely thatched cottage again! 

The birds and the lampkins that came at my call— 

Those who named me with pride— 

Those who played at my side— 

Give me them, with the innocence dearer than all. 

The joys of the palaces through which I roam 

Only swell my heart's anguish—there's no place like home. 

'New International Encyclopedia," article on Payne.


Later Payne rewrote the poem. But in order to secure brevity he 

sacrificed poetic charm. The lines with which the public are today 

familiar hardly measure up to the original; but they are doubtless bet 

ter adapted to the air. Here is the poem as rewritten: 

'Mid pleasures and palaces, though we may roam, 

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. 

A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, 

Which, seek through the world, is ne 'er met with elsewhere. 

Home, home, sweet, sweet home! 

• There's no place like home! 

There's no place like home! 

An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain, 

0, give me my lo«wly thatched cottage again! 

The birds singing gaily that came at my call— 

Give me them—and the peace of mind dearer than all. 

Home, home, sweet, sweet home! : « . 



In 1832 Payne returned to New York. The question agitating the 

public mind at this time was the removal of the Cherokee Indians to a 

trans-Mississippi region. To one of Payne's fine poetic temperament, 

the idea of using force to drive these primitive inhabitants of the soil— 

these native Americans—into an unwilling exile was most repugnant. 

He thought of himself as an outcast and a wanderer; and it was only- 

natural for the man who wrote "Home, Sweet Home," to espouse the 

cause of those who were soon to be homeless, even though they were 

savage tribes of the forest. 

To ascertain the real'facts in regard to the Cherokees, Mr. Payne 

came to Georgia in J8S6",""on the eve of the famous deportation. It so 

happened that, at this time, Georgia was in a turmoil of excitement. 

Events were rapidly approaching a climax; and, in order to deal, on 

the one hand, with meddlesome interlopers whose purpose was to inflame 

the Red Men, and, on the other, with lawless characters escaping across 

the state line into Indian Territory, it was necessary for .Georgia to 

extend her jurisdiction, with a rod of iron, over the domain of the 

Cherokees, 

There were, at this time, among the Indians, two distinct parties, 

one of which, under Major Ridge, strongly favored removal as the 

wisest course for the nation to adopt. The other, headed by John Ross, 

strenuously opposed removal; and these were regarded as the sworn 

enemies of the state. Between the two factions there was war to the 

knife, deadly and bitter. When John Howard Payne came to Georgia 

he visited the Cherokee nation as the guest of John Ross, then as after 

wards, the principal chief. His object in making this visit was un 

known to the civil authorities; but his affiliation with John Ross put 

him at once under suspicion. He contemplated nothing sinister. His 

purpose was merely to gather information. But Tray was in bad com 

pany, at least, to Georgia's way of thinking; and, while visiting John


Ross, he was put under arrest and imprisoned at the old Vann house, 

at Spring Place, in what is now Murray County, Georgia. Capt. A. B. 

Bishop, who commanded the Georgia Guards at this place, made the 

arrest. He found the poet at Ross's home, near the head of the Coosa 

River. 

It is said that while imprisoned at Spring Place he heard the sol 

diers singing his familiar anthem, "Home, Sweet Home," and that, 

when he eventually satisfied his captors that he was the author of this 

renowned song, he received from them the most considerate treat 

ment.* Nevertheless, h,e was held a prisoner until his .release was 

finally procured by Gen. Edward Harden, of Athens, to- whom he had 

brought a letter of introduction. ' The historic site of the poet's impris 

onment at Spring Place is soon to be marked by the John Milledge 

Chapter of the D. A. R. 

As above stated, Mr. Payne, on coming to Georgia, brought with 

him a letter of introduction to an old citizen of Athens, Gen. Edward 

Harden. The latter was formerly a resident of Savannah; and, during 

the famous visit of La Payette to this country, in 1825, he entertained 

the illustrious: nobleman of France. General, Harden was typically a 

gentleman of the old school, courtly in his manners, refined and cultured, 

in fact, a man of letters, though his chosen profession was the law. 

Payne expected to stop at the public inn; but to this General Harden 

demurred, insisting that he become his guest for an indefinite stay. 

Thus it was that the author of "Home, Sweet Home," found him 

self an inmate of the famous old Harden home in Athens. The story 

that Payne caught the inspiration for his poem at this time is, of course, 

sheerest fiction, for more than twelve years had elapsed since the first 

rendition of the song in public. Equally imaginative is the yarn that 

on entering the door of his prison at Spring Place, he raised both hands 

in anguish above his head, exclaiming with bitter sarcasm, "Home, 

Sweet Home," and then proceeded to write the poem, in a moment of 

silent communion with the Muses. 

But while Payne did not write his poem in Georgia, he enjoyed the 

hospitality which General Harden lavished without stint upon friend 

and stranger alike; and there came into his life at this time an influ 

ence which, for the rest of his days, was destined to cast upon him the 

spell of a most subtle enchantment. He became acquainted with the 

general's lovely daughter, Mary. So fascinated was the poet with this 

gentle lady of Athens that the main purpose of his visit to Georgia was 

almost forgotten. The poor Cherokee became a secondary consider 

ation. Even his Yankee scruples against Southern biscuit were over 

come when he tasted one of the dainty products of Miss Mary's oven. 

Still, he did visit the Cherokee nation; and, it was while on this 

trip that his imprisonment at Spring Place occurred. On hearing of 

his predicament, General Harden hastened to his release. But the poet 

* Rev. W. J. Cotter, in the Wesleyan Christian Advocate.


was so mortified over the treatment to which he had been subjected 

that he lost no time in returning to the North, avowing his purpose 

never again to visit Georgia, without a formal invitation. To this 

resolution he adhered. However, there were some memories connected 

with his visit which he did not care to forget, and which, through the 

lonely days and nights succeeding his return to New York, continued 

softly to serenade him, to the music of his own "Home, Sweet Home." 

Between Miss Harden and Payne there doubtless passed a number, 

of letters. But one in particular deserves our attention. In a wild 

nutter of hope, he wrote to her, on July 18, 1836,, telling her that he 

could offer her naught save his hand and heart and entreating her to 

smile upon his suit. What her answer to this proposal of marriage 

was, no one knows. She was always silent upon the subject; but the 

fact remains that they were never married, though each remained loyal 

till death. Perhaps the old general himself barred the way. He knew 

that Payne was a rolling stone; and while he admired the poet's genius 

he may have doubted his ability to support a helpmeet. 

In after years, Payne was sent with a consular appointment to 

Morocco, by the United States Government. On the eve of his depar 

ture, Miss Harden requested of him an autographed copy of his 

renowned song, a boon which he promptly granted. In some myste 

rious manner, this copy disappeared at the time of Miss Harden's death, 

giving rise to the not unnatural presumption that it was buried with 

her; but her niece, Miss Mary Jackson, to whom the old Harden home 

in Athens was willed and who assisted in preparing the body of her 

beloved aunt for burial states that, for this supposition, there is no 

ground whatever. It is not unlikely that Miss Harden herself, when 

warned of approaching death, destroyed with her own hands what was 

never meant for the eyes of the idly curious. 

Payne, after leaving Morocco, returned to America but once in life. 

On this occasion, he received a wonderful tribute from the famous 

Jennie Lind, who, turning toward the box in which he sat, in a crowded 

theater, sang in the richest accents which have doubtless ever been 

heard on this continent, the familiar words of his inspired song. The 

great Daniel Webster was a witness to this impressive scene, the mem 

ory of which he carried to his grave at Marshfield. 

Soon after returning to Morocco, Payne died, on April 9, 1852, at 

the age of threescore years. He was buried at Tunis, where his body 

rested for more than three full decades, in a foreign exile, on the shores 

of North Africa. But finally, in 1883, through the efforts of the great 

philanthropist, Mr. W. W. Corcoran, of Washington, D. C., the ashes 

of the poet were brought back to his native land and reinterred in Oak 

Hill Cemetery, on the outskirts of the nation's capital. Here, under 

neath the same ground slab which marked his grave in Tunis, sleeps 

the gentle poet of the hearthstone. But overlooking the sacred spot 

there stands a more recent structure of pure white marble, reared by 

thousands of voluntary contributions. It is surmounted by a life-size


bust of the lamented bard and lettered underneath it is the following 

epitaph : 

JOHN HOWARD PAYNE 

Author of "Home, Sweet Home." 

Born, June 9, 1792. Died, April 9, 1852. 

"Sure, when thy gentle spirit fled 

To realms above the dome, 

With outstretched arms God's angels said: 

Welcome to Heaven's home, sweet home."

CHAPTER XX 

GEORGIANS SYMPATHIZE WITH TEXAS IN HER WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 

WITH MEXICO—COL. JAMES W. FANNIN, WHO, WITH ALMOST His 

ENTIRE COMMAND, PERISHED IN THE MASSACRE AT GOLIAD, WAS A 

NATIVE OF THIS STATE—MANY OF His MEN WERE GEORGIANS—AN 

ACCOUNT OP THIS BRUTAL MASSACRE OF 1836, PRESERVED BY HEN- 

DERSON YOAKUM, THE PlONEER HISTORIAN OF TEXAS—RECEIVING 

ORDERS TO DESTROY THE SPANISH FORT AT GOLIAD AND TO FALL 

BACK TO VICTORIA, HE DELAYS AN EXECUTION OF THIS COMMAND IN 

ORDER TO COLLECT THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF THE NEIGHBOR 

HOOD—OVERTAKEN BY GENERAL URREA, HE Is OBLIGED TO CAPITU 

LATE—PAROLES ARE PROMISED, BUT THE AMERICAN TROOPS ARE 

MARCHED TO GOLIAD AS PRISONERS OF WAR, AND. MASSACRED IN COLD 

BLOOD—FULL DETAILS OF THE AFFAIR—TEXAS ERECTS A MONU 

MENT TO THE VICTIMS OF THIS BRUTAL HOLOCAUST—UNVEILED IN 

1885—THE LONE STAR FLAG WOVEN BY A GEORGIA WOMAN—Miss 

JOANNA E. TROUTMAN PRESENTS TO THE GEORGIA VOLUNTEERS AN 

EMBLEM WHICH Is AFTERWARDS ADOPTED BY THE REPUBLIC OF 

TEXAS—FROM AN OLD COPY OF THE GALVESTON NEWS THIS STATE 

MENT Is VERIFIED—THE FLAG WAS FIRST UNVEILED AT VELASCO, ON 

JANUARY 8, 1836—CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE FLAG WAS 

PRESENTED—IN 1913, THE BODY OF MRS.-ViNsoN, FORMERLY Miss 

JOANNA TROUTMAN, WAS EXHUMED FROM ITS BURIAL PLACE IN 

GEORGIA AND TAKEN TO AUSTIN, TEXAS, FOR FINAL REINTERMENT— 

HER GRAVE TO BE MARKED BY A HANDSOME MONUMENT. • 

To the war for Texan independence, Georgia made some important 

contributions. Gen. Mirabeau B. Lamar, the victor of San Jacinto, 

afterwards the second President of the Republic of Texas, was a native 

Georgian. He edited for several years the Columbus Enquirer, a 

paper which he established; but following the death of his first wife 

he left Georgia for Texas, where an illustrious career awaited him, 

both on the field of battle and in the forum of statesmanship. He also 

achieved distinction as a poet and became the founder of the present 

school system of Texas. General Lamar was an uncle of the noted 

statesman and jurist, at one time a member of President Cleveland's 

cabinet, Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar. 

Col. James W. Fannin, who with almost his entire command per 

ished in the brutal massacre at Goliad in 1836, was also a native 

Georgian. Remo'ving to Texas in 1834, he raised a company at the out 

break of the war and hastened to join the army of General Houston. 

On the fall of the Alamo, Fannin received orders from his, commander 

to destroy the Spanish fort at Goliad and to fall back to Victoria. He 

588


delayed his retreat for some time, in order to collect the women and 

children of the neighborhood, whose lives were exposed to imminent 

peril. But he finally set out for Goliad with 350 men. 

En route to this point he was overtaken by General Urrea, at the 

head of 1,200 Mexican troops. There followed a battle which lasted for 

MIBABEAU B. LAMAB 

Soldier and Statesman, Second President of the Republic of Texas 

two days, during which time the Mexicans lost between 300 and 400 

in killed and wounded, and the Texans only about seventy; but Fannin, 

having been wounded in the engagement, was forced by the exigencies 

of the situation to surrender. He agreed to capitulate only on con 

dition that his troops should be paroled. But, instead of being s.et at 

liberty, they were marched to Goliad as prisoners of war, and, on 

March 27, 1836, in pursuance of orders said to have been received from 

589


Santa Anna, were, in the absence of General Urrea, massacred in cold 

blood. 

Four men to assist in the hospital and four surgeons, in addition to 

the women, received exemption from the bloody edict of death, besides 

which some few of the men who were fired upon afterwards escaped; 

but the rest were inhumanly butchered. Some two weeks before he 

was captured and put to death, Fannin wrote to a friend in the United 

States: "I have about four hundred and twenty men here, and if I 

can get provisions tomorrow or next day, I can maintain myself against 

any force. I will never give up the ship." 

Henderson Yoakum, the pioneer historian of Texas, gives the fright 

ful details of the tragedy at Goliad as follows.* Says he: '"The 

Texans now raised a white flag, which was promptly answered by the 

enemy. Major "Wallace and Captain Chadwick went out, and in a 

short time returned and reported that General Urrea would treat only 

with the commanding officer. Colonel Fannin, though lame, went out. 

assuring his men that he would make none other than an honorable 

capitulation. He returned in a short time and communicated the terms 

of agreement which he had made with Urrea. They were in substance 

as follows: 1. That the Texans should be received and treated as 

prisoners of war, according to the uses of the most civilized nations. 

2. That private property should be respected and restored, but the 

side-arms of the officers should be given up. 3. That the men should 

be sent to Copano and thence, in eight days, to the United States, or 

so soon thereafter as vessels could be secured to take them. 4. That 

the officers should be paroled and returned to the United States, in like 

manner. General Urrea immediately sent Holzinger and other officers 

to announce the agreement. It was reduced to writing in both English 

and Spanish languages, read over two or three times,, signed, and the 

writings exchanged, ' in the most formal and solemn manner.' The 

Texans immediately piled arms, and such of. 1 them as were able to 

march were hurried off to Goliad, where they arrived at sundown on 

the same day (the 20th). The wounded, among whom was Colonel 

Fannin, did not reach the place till the 22nd. At Goliad the pris 

oners were crowded into the old church, with no other food than a 

scanty pittance of beef, without bread or salt. Colonel Fannin was 

placed under the care of Colonel Holzinger, a German engineer in 

the Mexican service. So soon as Fannin learned how badly his men 

were treated, he wrote to General Urrea, stating the facts, and remind 

ing him of the terms of capitulation. 

"On the 23rd, Colonel Fannin and Colonel Holzinger proceeded to 

Copano to ascertain if a vessel could be procured to convey the Texans 

to the United States; but the vessel which they expected to obtain had 

already left port. They did not return until the 26th. On the 23rd, 

Major Miller, with eighty Texan volunteers, who had just landed at 

Copano, were taken prisoners and brought into Goliad by Colonel Vara. 

Again, on the 25th, Colonel Ward and his men, captured by Urrea, 

were brought in. The evening of the 26th passed off pleasantly enough. 

*"History of Texas, 1685 to 1845," by Henderson' Yoakum; embodied in 

"Wooten 'a '' Comprehensive History of Texas,'' "Vol. I, pp. 254-260, Dallas, 1898.


Colonel Fanning was entertaining his friends with the prospect of 

returning to the United States; and some of the young men who could 

perform well on the flute were playing 'Home, Sweet Home.' How 

happy we are that the veil of the future is suspended over us! At 

seven o'clock that night, an order, brought by special courier from 

Santa Anna, required the prisoners to be shot! Detailed regulations 

were sent as to the mode of executing this cold-blooded and atrocious 

order. Colonel Portilla, the commandant of the place, did not long 

hesitate to put it into execution. He had four hundred and forty-five 

prisoners under his charge. Eighty of these, brought from Copano, 

having just landed, were therefore considered as not within the scope 

of the order, and for the time were excused. The services of four of 

the Texan physicians—Drs. Field, Hall, Shackleford and Joseph H. 

Bernard *—being needed to take care of the Mexican wounded, were 

among those spared. So likewise were four others, who were assistants 

in the hospital." 

"At dawn of day, on Palm Sunday, March 27, the Texans were 

awakened by a Mexican officer, who said he wished them to form a line 

that they might be counted. The men were marched out in separate 

divisions, under different pretexts. Some were told that they were to 

be taken to Copano, in order to be sent home; others that they were 

going out to slaughter beeves; and others again that they were being 

removed to make room in the fort for Santa Anna. Dr. Shackleford, 

who had been invited by Colonel Guerrier to his tent, about a hundred 

yards southeastwardly from the fort, says: 'In about an hour, we 

heard the report of a volley of small arms, toward the river, and to 

the east of the fort. I immediately inquired the cause of the firing, 

and was assured by the officer that he did not know, but supposed that 

it was the guard firing off their guns. In about fifteen or twenty 

minutes thereafter another such volley was fired, directly south of us, 

and in front. At the same time I could distinguish the heads of some 

of the men through the boughs of some-peach trees and could hear their 

screams. It was then, for the first time, that the awful conviction 

seized upon our minds that treachery and murder had begun their 

work. Shortly afterward Colonel Guerrier appeared at the door of the 

tent. I asked him if it could be possible they were murdering our 

men. He replied that it was so, but that he had not given the order, 

neither had he executed it." In about an hour more, the wounded 

were dragged out and butchered. , Colonel Fannin was the last to suf 

fer. When informed of his fate, he met it like a soldier. He handed 

his watch to the officer whose business it was to murder him, and re 

quested that he have him shot in the breast and not in the head, and 

likewise see that his remains were decently buried. These natural and 

proper requirements the officer promised should be fulfilled, but, with 

the perfidy which is so characteristic of the Mexican race, he failed to 

do either! Fannin seated himself in a chair, tied the handkerchief 

over his eyes, and bared his bosom to receive the fire of the soldiers. 

As the different divisions were brought to the place of execution, they 

* Dr. Bernard has -written an exhaustive accoimti of the Goliad Massacre. 

Wooten's "Comprehensive History of Texas," Vol. I, Chapter X, Dallas, 1885.


were ordered to sit down with their backs to the guard. But a young 

man by the name of Fenner, in one of the squads, rose to his feet and 

exclaimed: 'Boys,' they are going to kill us—die with your faces to 

them, like men!' At the same time, two other young Texans, nourish 

ing their caps over their heads, shouted at the top of their voices, ' Hur 

rah for Texas!'" 

"Many attempted to escape; but the most of those who survived the 

first fire were cut down by the pursuing cavalry, or afterwards shot. 

It is believed that in all twenty-seven of those who were marched out 

to be slaughtered eventually escaped, leaving three hundred who suf 

fered death on that Sunday morning. The dead were then stripped 

and .the naked bodies thrown into piles. A few brushes were placed 

over them, and an attempt made to burn the bodies up, but with such 

poor success that the hands and feet, and much of the flesh, were left 

a prey to dogs and vultures! 

"Colonel Pannin doubtless erred in postponing for four days his 

obedience to the order of the Commander-in-Chief to retreat with all 

possible dispatch to Victoria, on the Guadalupe; and also in sending 

out Lieutenant-Colonel Ward in search of Captain King. But these 

errors sprang from the noblest feelings of humanity; first, in an attempt 

to save from the approaching enemy some Texan settlers at the mis 

sion of Refugio; again, in an endeavor to rescue King and his men 

at the same place; and finally to save Ward and his command—until 

all was lost save honor. The public vengeance of the Mexican tyrant, 

however, was satisfied. Deliberately and in cold blood he had caused 

three hundred and thirty of the sternest friends of TJ1 exas—her friends 

while living and dying—to tread the wine-press for her redemption. 

He chose the Lord's Day for this sacrifice. It was accepted; and God 

waited his own time for retribution—a retribution which brought Santa 

Anna a trembling coward to the feet of the Texan victors, whose mag 

nanimity prolonged his wretched life to waste the land of his birth 

with anarchy and civil war." * 

It is a well authenticated fact that the famous "Lone Star" flag of 

Texan independence was born on the soil of Georgia; and the beautiful 

emblem which was destined to win historic immortality at Goliad was 

designed by a young lady of Crawford county, Miss Joanna E. Trout- 

man. The following account has been condensed from a brief history 

* During the session of 1883, the Legislature of Texas appropriated the sum of 

$1,500 for a monument at Goliad to the victims of the brutal massacre of 1836. The 

citizens of Goliad raised an additional $1,700, and the City of Goliad donated a lot 

for the monument. The handsome shaft was unveiled in 1885. It is built of Italian 

marble, standing thirty-three feet in height, upon a base of granite, and contains the 

following brief inscriptions: On the north, the famous battle cry of San Jacintp, 

'' Eemember the Alamo! BeinembeJ1 Goliad! " On the west, '' Independence declared, 

March 2nd, A. D. 1836, consummated April 21st, A. D. 1836." On the south, at the 

bottom of the first section, "Fannin" is chiseled in raised letters, while higher up on 

the monument appear these words: '' Erected in Memory of Fannin and his Com 

rades. '' On the east, '' Massacred March 27th, A. D. 1836.'' There were a number 

of Georgians in Fannin's command, among them a distinguished young officer of 

Lawrenceville, Capt. James 0. Winn.


of the flag written by -Macon's pioneer historian, Mr. John C. Butler, 

who was thoroughly conversant with the facts, from the Georgia stand 

point and whose story is corroborated by an article found in an old 

copy of the Galvestori News. Says Mr. Butler: * . 

'' On November 12, 1835, a public meeting was held in Macon. Rob 

ert Augustus Beall, John Rutherford, and Samuel M. Strong were 

among the speakers who endorsed the claims of Texas. Lieutenant 

Hugh M. MeLeod, from West Point, addressed the meeting in a spirited 

appeal, pledging himself to resign his commission and to embark as a 

volunteer. He declared that what Texas needed was soldiers—not 

resolutions. 

"Captain Levi Eckley, commander of the Bibb cavalry, presided, 

with Simri Rose as secretary. Colonel William A. Ward, of Maeon,, 

proposed to form a company of infantry to enlist in the Army of Texas, 

whereupon thirty-two gentlemen came forward and enrolled as volun 

teers. On motion, the chair appointed General R. A. Beall, Colonel 

H. G. Lamar, Colonel T. G. Holt, James A. Nisbet, Esq., and Dr. Rob 

ert Collins, a committee to solicit subscriptions; and before the meet 

ing adjourned $3,150 was handed in to the committee, Dr. Collins 

paying in cash the greater part of the amount. 

"As the company passed through other towns' en route to Texas 

other recruits were added. At Knoxville, in Crawford County, Miss 

Joanna E. Troutman—afterwards Mrs. Vinson—a daughter of Hiram 

B. Troutman, made and sent a beautiful banner of white silk, with a 

blue lone star upon it, to Lieutenant McLeod to present to'the company 

at Columbus. The following is a copy of the letter acknowledging 

the receipt of the flag: 

COLUMBUS, GA., November 23, 1835. 

"Miss JOANNA: .... , 

"Colonel Ward brought your handsome and appropriate flag as a 

present to the Georgia Volunteers in the cause of Texas and Liberty. 

I was fearful from the shortness of the time that you-would not be able 

to finish it as tastefully as you would wish, but I assure you, without 

an emotion of flattery, it is beautiful, and with us the value is en- 

hance^d by the recollection of the donor. I thank you for the honor 

of being the medium of presentation to the company; and, if they are 

what every true Georgian ought to be, your flag will yet wave over 

fields of victory in defiance of despotism. I hope the proud day may 

soon arrive, and while your star presides none can doubt of success. 

Very respectfully your friend, 

Signed: HUGH McLEoo." 

'' This patriotic standard, made in Crawford County, by Miss Trout 

man, became renowned in the history of the gallant young republic as 

the first flag of the Lone Star State ever unfurled on Texas soil!! As 

they were not permitted to organize within the limits of the United 

States, Colonel Ward proceeded with his followers to Texas, where they 

were organized according to regulations. He gathered about one hun- 

* '' Historical Becord of Macon,'' John C. Butler, pp. 131-137. 

Vol. 1—38 : : 

1


dred and twenty men who were formed into three companies. These 

were then organized into a battalion, the officers of which were: Wil 

liam A. Ward, major; William J. Mitchell, surgeon; David I. Holt, 

quartermaster; and .Henderson Cozart, assistant quartermaster. The 

captains were: W. A. 0. Wadsworth, James C. Winn and Uriah J. 

Bullock 

"After several engagements with the Mexicans, the battalion joined 

the command of Colonel Fannin and formed a regiment by electing 

Fannin colonel and Ward lieutenant-colonel. The regimet numbered 

five hundred and was stationed at Fort Goliad. On March 13, 1836, 

the original battalion, under Ward, was sent thirty miles to the relief 

of Captain King who had thirty men protecting a number of families 

.in the neighborhood of a church at the mission of Refugio, On the 

arrival of the battalion, they found Captain King surrounded by a 

large force of Mexicans who disappeared on discovering that he was re- 

enforced. Afterwards, on leaving the mission, King, with his com 

mand, was captured and killed. 

"Re-enforced to the number of fourteen hundred men, the Mexicans 

then intercepted Ward, who retired to the church. Breast-works were 

made by the battalion of pews, grave-stones, fences and other things, 

and the fire of the Mexicans was resisted for two days, Jwith a loss to 

the enemy of one hundred and fifty men, and of only six to the Ameri 

cans. But the ammunition of the battalion was exhausted on the third 

day of the battle, when Colonel Ward was reluctantly forced to capitu 

late, signing the regular articles according to the rules of war. 

"It was stipulated that the battalion would be returned to the 

United States in eight days. Colonel Fannin, in the meantime, sent 

four different couriers to ascertain the cause of Ward's delay, each of 

whom was captured and shot by the Mexicans. The latter were again 

heavily re-enforced and advanced upon Fort Goliad. (See elsewhere 

an account of the massacre of Fannin's men, a large percentage of 

whom were Georgians.) Ward's battalion was included in this massa 

cre, having been brought in as prisoners of war. 

"From an old copy of the Galveston News the following account is 

taken: 'The flag of the Lone Star which was first unfurled in.Texas 

was borne by the Georgia battalion, commanded by the late .Lieutenant- 

Colonel Ward, who, with almost his entire command was massacred at 

Goliad, in the spring of 1836, in what is known as 'Fannin's Massacre,' 

he being next in command to the lamented Colonel James W. Fannin. 

The flag was presented to Colonel Ward's command as they passed 

through Knoxville, Crawford County, Ga., by the beautiful Miss 

Joanna E. Troutman. It was made of plain white silk, bearing an 

azure star of five points. On one side was the inscription in rich but 

chaste colors: 'Liberty or Death'; and, on the other, the patriotic Latin 

motto: 'Ubi Libertas Habitat, ibi nostra patria est.' " * 

"The flag was first unfurled at Velasco on January 8, 1836. It 

floated to the breeze from the same liberty pole with the first flag of 

'Where Liberty resides, there our country is."


Independence which had just been brought from Goliad by the valor 

ous Captain William Brown. What became of the flag of Independ 

ence we do "not know, but the beautiful star of azure was borne by 

Fannin's regiment to Goliad, and there gracefully floated from the 

staff. On March 8, 1836, an express arrived at Goliad from Washing 

ton, on the Brazos, officially announcing that the convention then in 

session had formally made solemn declaration that Texas was no longer 

a Mexican province but a free and independent republic. 

"Amid the roar of artillery, the beautiful 'Banner of the Lone 

Stas' was. hoisted to the top of the flagstaff, where it proudly streamed 

over the hoary ramparts and the time-shattered battlements of La 

Bahiav But just as the sun'set gun, was fired and the, usual attempt 

was made to lower the colors, by-some unlucky- mishap, the beautiful 

silfc banner became entangled in .the halyards and was torn to pieces. 

Only a small fragment remained adjusted to- the flag staff; and when 

Colonel Fannin evacuated Goliad to join General, Houston, in accord 

ance with received orders, the last remnant of the first 'Flag of the 

Lone Star' was still fluttering at the top of the staff from which first 

floated the flag of Texan Independence. 

"With the capture of Santa Anna, at the battle of San Jacinto, the 

silver service of'the wily commander was also captured, and some of 

the trophies • of victory,, including his massive forks and spoons, were 

forwarded by General Rusk to Miss Troutman, in token of the regard 

which-this; Georgia,lady had inspired in the stern, scarred patriots of 

the- Revolution.: On the meeting of the first Congress, the Flag of the 

•Lone Star'was! adapted as, the flag of the Republic and the seals of 

office ordered engraved;.with the star upon them. The public recogni 

tion of the maternity of-the first Flag of the Lone.Star as belonging- 

to Georgia was made, by General Memmican Hunt, the first minister 

from,.the.Republic of Texas, to the-United States." 

The State ofT Texas-will: erect a monument in the near future to 

the memory of the lamented Georgia woman who designed the "Lone 

Star" flag. During the month, of February, 1913, the remains of Mrs. 

Vinson, formerly Miss Joanna Troutman, were exhumed from a 

neglected little country graveyard near Knoxville, Georgia, and for 

warded to Texas, to be reinterred with public honors in the soil of the 

great commonwealth whose historic emblem she originated. The re 

moval of her body from Georgia to Texas was the result of an extended 

correspondence between Mrs. L. L. Brown, of Fort Valley, Georgia, 

and Governor 0. B. Colquitt, the present chief executive of Texas, a 

native Georgian. Miss Troutman was twice married, first to Solomon 

Pope, and second, to Green Vinson. She was a sister of the late John 

F. Troutman, Sr., of Fort Valley, Georgia.. The remains of Mrs. Vin 

son will repose in the State Cemetery at Austin, Texas.

CHAPTER XXI 

SEQUOYA'S WONDERFUL INVENTION-—THE CHEROKEE ALPHABET—IN 

THE OPINION OF LINGUISTIC SCHOLARS ONE OF THE GREATEST 

ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE HUMAN INTELLECT—DR. SCOMP's CRITICAL 

ANALYSIS—How SEQUOYA CAM'E TO DEVISE AN ALPHABET—ITS 

EFFECT UPON THE CHEROKEE NATION-—NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS 

PRINTED IN SEQUOYAN—BIBLBS AND HYMN-BOOKS—THE CHEROKEE 

ADOPT A NATIONAL CONSTITUTION—SEQUOYA'S GREAT AMBITION-— 

To PRODUCE A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE FOR THE INDIANS—WHEN AN 

OLD MAN HE GOES TO THE FAR WEST IN SEARCH OF A LOST TRIBE— 

DIES IN MEXICO. 

Sequoya, the noted Indian' half-breed, who invented the Cherbkee 

alphabet, lived at one time near the village'of Alpine, in Chattooga 

County, Georgia, not far from the present Alabama line. The first 

newspaper ever printed in Sequoyan characters was'edited and published 

at New Echota, in Gordon County, at the confluence of the Coosawattee 

and the Connasauga rivers. Sequoyai's invention marked the rise of 

culture among the Cherokees, the only tribe' 1 of Indians on the North 

American continent who possessed a written' language and -who boasted 

an organized national existence, founded upon constitutional law; In 

the opinion of linguistic scholars, the invention of Sequoya is one' of'the 

greatest achievements of the human,intellect. The celebrated red-wood 

trees of California, the most colossal giants of the American forest, 

have been christened the Seqlioias, in honor of thi§ : gifted Indian's won 

derful invention.* It is not an inappropriate tribute to the almost 

extinct race which produced the original occupants of the soil that the 

greatest of red-wood trees should commemorate the greatest of red men. 

Dr. H. A. Scomp, the author of the 'following article, was for years pro 

fessor of Greek, in Emory College, at Oxford, Georgia. He was later 

engaged to prepare a comparative dictionary of the Muskogee languages, 

under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D. C. 

Doctor Scomp was an eminent literary critic, and one of the foremost 

authorities of the day on the subject of Indian antiquities. 

"Perhaps the most remarkable man who has lived on Georgia 

soil,' was neither a politician, nor a soldier, nor an ecclesiastic, nor a 

scholar—but was merely a Cherokee Indian, of mixed blood. ' And, 

strange to say, this Indian acquired permanent fame, neither expecting 

it nor seeking after it. He himself, never knew the full measure of 

his claim to a place in the temple of fame; never knew the full value of 

his work, nor the literary chasm which he had bridged; never knew that 

* '' New International Encyclopedia,'' Vol. XVII. Article on the Sequoias. 

596


in his own little tribe he had solved a literary problem till then unsolved 

in all the realm of linguistic science. 

"Sequoya, or Sikwayi—known to the whites as George Guest, Guess 

or Gist, was born at Taskigi, Tennessee, a Cherokee town, probably about 

1760. He was the/fruit of one of those illicit connections so common 

among the more civilized tribes. Sequoya's paternal ancestor has been 

.variously surmised: by some he (Sequoya) was regarded as the son of 

a German-Indian trader; by others his father was thought to be an 

SEQUOYA,, AN INDIAN HALF-BREED WHO INVENTED THE 

CHEROKEE ALPHABET 

Irishman; while still others have held him to be the son of Nathaniel 

Gist, afterwards famous for his activity in the American Revolution. 

"We are not well advised as to Sequoya's part in the struggle for 

independence, nor in the later troubles of the Cherokees with the whites. 

We have strong reasons for supposing that in his heart he bore in those 

days little good will to his pale-faced kinsmen. At all events he owed 

nothing to English letters and little to the arts of civilization. 

"Sequoya spent his earlier years like most of his tribesmen in hunt 

ing and in peltry trading; until on one of his hunting trips he was by


accident injured and was thereafter a cripple for life. Thus debarred 

from active work, he was still able to make various and distant expedi 

tions in a search other than that for wild beasts. 

'' Even as a hunter Sequoya was noted for his inventive genius and 

extraordinary mechanical skill. He was, too, a craftsman in silverwork 

and indeed a kind of Indian Tubal-Cain in the fashioning of metals, 

His maiming had caused the development of his reflective, undeveloped 

mentality. Although totally unacquainted with letters, his quick ob 

serving powers very early made him conscious of the value of the art 

of writing and of the power of the printing press among the whites, 

although he had little love for the pale faces. What could the Cherokee 

do to appropriate to himself this wonderful power which Sequoya felt 

to be at the basis of the white man's civilization? 

"It would be a most interesting study to follow, if possible, the 

niental processes of this child of nature in his long quest of means to an 

end in working out his problem for his nation. He had no model for a 

guide, not even a blind Indian trace in the wilderness, for no predecessor 

had ever blazed a way which might serve even for suggestion. A real or 

a mythmie Cadmus had an immortality covering at least thousands of 

years, for bringing to Greece an alphabet representing sixteen ele 

mentary sounds—mere breathings or ejaculations, of the human voice, 

though severally representing nothing; But Sequoya had never heard 

of Cadmus, nor of his invention—if the first alphabet was really of 

Phoenician origin. 

"Hieroglyphs or hierograms—even had Sequoya ever dreamed of 

these—would not have answered his purpose. The ideograph, or idea- 

hierograph, could not work in Cherokee, for the Indian has never recog 

nized the abstract. Mere picture writing was too complicated for the 

needs of ordinary life, and practicality was Sequoya's gospel. Nor did 

the symbolic hieroglyph offer anything better. Thousands of symbols 

would be necessary to furnish expression for even a limited language 

and how could these ever be committed to memory by the people and 

made of any practical utility. If Sequoya ever thought of symbolism 

for his system, he doubtless soon gave up the idea. Phonetics seemed to 

offer something better, and to this field the Indian genius soon devoted 

his exclusive attention. 

"Happily, Sequoya knew nothing of ancient phonetics; he under 

took to deal with sounds, not with ideas. Had he undertaken, like the 

ancients, to represent ideas by symbols, it is very certain that he could 

never have reached his proposed end; could never have developed his 

idea; could never have found a workable system of character representa 

tion. Turning into the field of real phonetics, or abstract sounds divested 

of all connection with ideas or word-representatives—this wonderful 

child of the forest set himself to the task of counting up and calendar- 

izing—pardon the word—the separate sounds found in the Cherokee 

language. 

"These he reckoned at eighty-five in number. Arrived at this point 

his work was already, for the most part, accomplished. The inventing 

of eighty-five character-representatives for these eighty-five distinct 

sounds, was a much lighter task. But what infinite toil and research to 

examine all the words of his language with their constituent sounds


lectual, moral, or physical worth as a probable result of this devotion 

to their native weed, the chief of narcotics. 

"But Sequoya won at last. In 1821 the Cherokee council adopted 

the new syllabary, and the nation, with great .enthusiasm, set about to. 

learn it. In a few months thousands of them could read and write 

Sequoyan with facility. The Cherokee boy made no mistakes in his 

spelling.' His written language had no silent letters, no ambiguous 

sounds, to deal with. Sequoya was now in high feather among the 

people who had once derided him. 

"In 1822 he went to those Cherokees who had already settled be 

yond the Mississippi to teach these also the new system,- and the next 

year he established his permanent home with these western tribesmen. 

The practicability of the new system was soon put to the proof, for in 

1824 parts of the Bible were published in Sequoyan Cherokee, and in 

1828 the first North American Indian periodical—the Cherokee 

Phoenix—began to be published at New Echota, the Cherokee capital, 

near the present Rome in North Georgia. The Phoenix—published 

partly in English and partly in Sequoyan—ran until October, 1835,. 

when the general forced migration of the tribe to the trans-Mississippi 

brought about its suspension. Elias Boudinot was its editor. 

'' Several other periodicals at irregular intervals—The Cherokee 

Messenger, in 1844, published at the Baptist mission, Park Hill, I. T.f 

•and entirely in Cherokee; The Cherokee Advocate, in 1844, a weekly,, 

partly in English and partly in Cherokee; The Cherokee Almanac, an 

annual now of many years' standing, and various other current or per 

manent publications have since appeared. 

" Sequoya's worth was now appreciated by his people. In 1828 the- 

western Cherokees sent him to Washington to negotiate in their behalf 

with the government, and when the eastern and western Cherokees were 

united in their new home, he became a powerful factor in the organiza 

tion of the tribal government. 

"But he was still a dreamer and an idealist. The conception of a. 

common Indian language with a common grammar and a common sylla 

bary, took possession of his mind, and he visited many tribes searching- 

for these common linguistic elements for aboriginal uniformity. He 

probably never realized the need, as preliminary to his generalization, 

for individual and native investigators to do for their respective tongues, 

what he himself had done for Cherokee, viz.: to first reduce these dia 

lects to syllabaries with character representatives, out of which a large- 

system of common phonetics might be produced, though we fail to see 

how a common written language could have been the outcome.. 

"In China twenty totally different vernaculars have a common 

literary language; but this is due to a common system of word, or idea, 

representation, e. g., the ideographs for horse, cow, dog, etc., may be- 

universally recognized while the words severally expressing these 

ideas in the various dialects may be -widely different and mutually- 

unintelligible.


"But in a system of sound characters the ideas are wholly wanting, 

and unrelated to the sounds. Sequoya went in his old age in quest of a 

lost Cherokee tribe which, according to tradition, had settled some 

where in the west. In August, 1843, he died, near San Fernando, 

Tamaulipas, Mexico, the most extraordinary literary genius of perhaps 

all the ages. 

"It is curious to speculate upon the possible and the probable out 

come of Sequoya's remarkable invention, could it have had fair play, 

for two or three centuries among the Cherokees. What could it have 

accomplished alone and unhampered among these .tribesmen 1 To what 

degree of civilization might they have attained with their syllabary 

alone to help them in science and arts? Of course we must allow as 

preliminary its author's first acquaintance with the whites and the 

suggestion and the spur thus afforded to him, without which he would 

never have undertaken the creation of a literary system. But this much 

given, and then the permanent segregation of the Cherokees from the 

whites—what of the result? 

"Is it too much to suppose that the Cherokees would by themselves 

have reached a high stage of civilization? What has been the effect of 

a general knowledge of letters among the nations of the earth? Such 

peoples have uniformly attained to a high stage of advancement on 

every line. Nor need we suppose that the Cherokees would have fur 

nished an exception to this universal ethnic rule. But Sequoya's sys 

tem never had opportunity for full development. The English lan 

guage, the English school, the English book and periodical—held the 

Cherokee in their clasp. The pressure was too powerful to be resisted. 

But suppose the Cherokees with their syllabary left alone with the other 

tribes of the forest—they would undoubtedly have become the Athenians 

of this Western world, while the other red men would have been the 

'Barbarians,' despised by these American Hellenes." * 

Sequoya's wonderful invention produced an immediate effect upon 

Cherokee development. In the fall of 1824, John Arch, a young con 

vert, made a manuscript translation of a part of St. John's gospel, which 

was the first Bible literature in which the characters of the new alphabet 

were used. Hundreds of copies were made, and the work was widely dis 

seminated. Later David Brown completed a translation of the entire 

New Testament. Some two years after the new alphabet was com 

pleted, the Cherokee council, having decided to establish a newspaper, 

type was cast in Boston, under the superintendence of the noted mis 

sionary, Worcester, who, during the winter of 1827, contributed to the 

Missionary, Herald five verses of Genesis in the new syllabary, this 

being the first appearance in print. Early in 1828, the newspaper out 

fit arrived at New Echota, and the first number of the Cherokee Phoenix 

appeared on February 21, 1828. Elias Boudinot, an educated Cher 

okee, was the editor. The first printers were two white men, Isaac N. 

Harris and John F. Wheeler. 

* "The Library of Southern Literature," Vol. XVI, Atlanta, 1913.


It was in a log house that this pioneer newspaper of North Georgia 

was edited and published. The outfit was shipped from Boston to 

Augusta and transported two hundred miles by wagon. Such was the 

beginning of journalism in the Cherokee nation. After a precarious 

existence of some six years, the Phoenix was suspended, owing to the 

hostile action of the Georgia authorities; but its successor, the Advocate, 

arose in 1844 at Tahlequah, under William P. Ross. Bibles, hymn- 

books, school books, theological works, etc., were also printed in large 

numbers. Besides being the first newspaper published in North 

Georgia and the first newspaper in which the characters of the new 

alphabet were used, it was also the first newspaper owned and edited 

by the Indians of North America. Simultaneously with the decree 

establishing the national press at New Echota, the Cherokee national 

council, on July 26, 1827, adopted a constitution. John Ross was presi 

dent of the convention. The choice of principal chief fell upon Charles 

R. Hicks, a Moravian convert of mixed blood, but he was soon succeeded 

by John Ross, who became the great leader of the national party, in 

opposition to the policy of removal, and, first and last; amid the turbu 

lent times in Georgia and throughout the long period of unrest in 

Indian Territory, he remained steadily at the helm, a devoted servant 

of his people for nearly forty years.

CHAPTER XXII 

THE DEPORTATION OF THE CHEEOKEES—PROP. JAMES MOONEY, OF THE 

BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY, IN WASHINGTON, HAS WRITTEN AN EX 

HAUSTIVE ACCOUNT. OF THIS EPISODE BASED UPON RECORDS PRE 

SERVED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND INTERVIEWS HELD WITH AGED 

CHEROKEES IN THE INDIAN TERRITORY—How THE TRIBES WERE 

REMOVED—THE STORY TOLD IN DETAIL—SUFFERINGS OF THE INDIANS 

EN ROUTE—SOME DIE ALONG THE JOURNEY—ONE OF THE MOST 

PATHETIC CHAPTERS IN GEORGIA'S HISTORY—MAJOR RIDGE, JOHN 

RIDGE, ELIAS BOUDINOT AND OTHERS ARE MURDERED IN THE INDIAN 

TERRITORY—Ross Is ACQUITTED OF ANY COMPLICITY IN THE AFFAIR 

—AT LAST THE BREACH BETWEEN THE Two FACTIONS Is HEALED. 

To an eminent investigator, Professor Mooney, of the Bureau of 

Ethnology, in Washington, D. C., who has devoted his life to Indian 

researches, we are indebted for the following graphic account of the 

removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia. He makes no effort to 

soften the colors.. The story is most pathetic; and even at this late day 

some of the incidents cannot fail to melt the reader to tears. Says Pro 

fessor Mooney: 

"The history of this Cherokee removal of 1838, as gleaned by the 

author from the lips of actors in the tragedy, may well exceed in weight 

of grief and pathos, any other passage in American annals. Even the 

much-sung exile of the Acadians falls far behind it in the sum of death 

and suffering. Under the orders of General Winfield Seott, troops 

were stationed at various points throughout the Cherokee country, 

where stockade forts were erected for the purpose of corralling the In 

dians preparatory to removal. From these forts, squads of troops were 

sent out to search with rifle and bayonet every, small cabin hidden away 

in the coves of the mountains and to make prisoners of all the occu 

pants, however or wherever they might be found. 

"Families at dinner were startled by the sudden gleam of bayonets 

in the doorway and rose up to be driven with blows and oaths along 

the weary miles of travel leading to the stockade. Men were seized in 

the fields or along "the roads. Women were taken from their wheels 

and children from their play. In many cases, on turning for one last 

look as they crossed the ridge, they saw their homes in flames, fired 

by the lawless rabble who followed on the heels of the soldiers to loot 

and to pillage. So keen were these outlaws on the scent that in some 

instances they were driving. off the cattle and other stock of the In 

dians almost before the soldiers had started their owners in the other 

direction. Systematic hunts were made by the same men for Indian 

graves to rob them of the silver pendants and other valuables deposited 

603


with the dead. One of the Georgia Volunteers, afterwards a Colonel 

in the Confederate service, said: 'I fought through the Civil War. It 

has been my experience to see men shot to pieces and slaughtered by 

thousands. But the Cherokee removal was the cruelest work I ever 

saw.' 

"To prevent escape, the soldiers were ordered to surround each 

house, as far as possible, so as to come upon the occupants without 

warning. One old patriarch, when thus surprised, calmly called his 

children and grandchildren around him, and, kneeling down, bade them 

pray with him in their own language, while the astonished soldiers 

looked on in silence. Then rising, he led the way into exile. In an 

other instance, a woman, on finding the house surrounded, went to the 

door and called up the chickens to be fed for the last time, after which, 

taking her infant on her back and her two older children by the hand, 

she followed her husband with the soldiers. 

"All were not thus submissive. One old man named Charles was 

seized with his wife, his brother, and his three sons, together with the 

families of the latter. Exasperated by the brutality accorded his wife, 

who, being unable to travel fast, was prodded with bayonets to hasten 

her steps, he urged the other men to join with him in a dash for liberty. 

As he spoke in Cherokee, the soldiers understood nothing until each 

warrior sprang upon the one nearest and endeavored to wrench his gun 

from him. The attack was so sudden and unexpected that one soldier 

was killed, while the Indians escaped to the mountains. Hundreds of 

others, some of them from the stockades, also managed to escape from 

time to time and subsisted on roots and wild berries until the hunt was 

over. Finding it impossible to secure these fugitives, General Scott 

finally tendered them a proposition, through Colonel W. H. Thomas, 

their trusted friend, to the effect that if they would surrender Charles 

for punishment the rest would be allowed to remain until the matter 

could be adjusted by the government. On hearing of the proposition 

Charles voluntarily came in with his sons, offering himself a sacrifice 

for his people. By command of General Scott, Charles, his brother 

and his sons were shot near the mouth of the Tuckasegee, a detachment 

of Cherokee prisoners being forced to do the shooting in order to 

impress upon the Indians the fact that they were helpless. From these 

fugitives, who were thus permitted to remain, originated the eastern 

band of Cherokees. 

"When nearly 17,000 Indians had thus thus been gathered into 

the stockades, the work of removal began. Early in June several par 

ties, aggregating about 5,000 persons, were brought down by the troops 

to the old agency on the Hiawassee at Calhoun, Tenn., to Ross's Land 

ing, now Chattanooga, Tenn., and to Gunter's Landing, now Gunters- 

ville, Ala., where they were put upon steamers and transported down 

the Tennessee and Ohio to the further side of the Mississippi, where the 

journey was continued by land to Indian" Territory. The removal, in 

the hottest part of the year, was attended by such sickness and mor 

tality that, by resolution of the Cherokee national council, Ross and 

other chiefs submitted to General Scott a proposition that the Cher-


okees be allowed to move themselves in the fall, after the sickly season 

was ended. This was granted on condition that all should start by 

October 20th, except the sick and the aged. Accordingly, officers were 

appointed by the Cherokee council to take charge of the emigration; 

the Indians being organized into detachments averaging 1,000 each, 

with the leaders in, charge of each detachment and a sufficient number 

of wagons and horses for the purpose. In this way, the remainder, 

enrolled at about 13,000, including negro slaves, started on the long 

march overland in the fall. 

'' Those who thus migrated under the management of native officers, 

assembled at Rattle Snake Springs, about two miles south of Hiawassee 

River, near Charleston, Tenn., where a final council was .held, at which 

it was decided to continue the old constitution and laws in the new 

home. Tien the long procession of exiles was set in motion. Some 

went by the river route, but most over land. Crossing to the north 

side by a ferry, they proceeded down the river, the sick, the old, and 

the infants, with the blankets, cooking pots, etc., the rest on foot and on 

horse. The number of wagons was 645. 

"It was like the march of an army, regiment after regiment, the 

wagons in the center, the officers along the line, and the horsemen on 

the flank and at the rear. After crossing the Tennessee River, at Tuck 

er's Ferry, they moved toward Nashville, where the Cumberland was 

crossed. Thence to Hopkinsville, Ky., where the noted chief, White 

Path, who was in charge of one of the detachments, sickened and died. 

His people buried him by the roadside, with a box over the grave, 

and streamers around it, so that the others, coming on, might note the 

spot and remember him. Somewhere further along the march of death 

—for the exiles died by tens and twenties each day—the devoted wife 

of John Ross sank down, leaving him to go on with the bitter pang of 

bereavement added to heart-break at the ruin of his nation. The Ohio 

was reached at a ferry near the mouth of the Cumberland and the 

army passed through Southern Illinois, until the great Mississippi was 

reached, opposite Cape Girardeau, Mo. It was now the.middle of win 

ter, with the river running full of ice, so that several detachments 

were obliged to wait some time on the eastern bank for the channel 

to clear. 

"In talking with old men and women at Tallequah, the author 

found that the lapse of over half a century had not sufficed to wipe 

out the memory of the miseries of this halt beside the frozen river, 

with hundreds of sick and dying penned up in wagons or stretched 

•upon the ground, with only a blanket overhead to keep out the January 

blast. The crossing was made at last in two divisions at Cape Girar 

deau and at Green's Ferry, a short distance below, when the march 

was through Missouri to Indian Territory, the later detachments mak 

ing a circuit; through Springfield, because those who had gone before 

had killed off all the game along the direct route. At last the destina 

tion was reached—the journey having occupied six months of the.hard 

est part of the year. 

"It is difficult to arrive at any accurate statement of the number 

of Cherokees who died as the result of the removal. According to 

official figures those who removed under the direction of Ross lost over


1,600 on the journey. The proportionate mortality among those who 

previously removed under military supervision was probably greater. 

Hundreds died in the stockades and in the waiting camps, chiefly by 

reason of the rations furnished, which were of flour and other provi 

sions to which they were not accustomed. Hundreds of others died on 

arrival from sickness and exposure. Altogether, it,is asserted, possibly 

with reason, that over 4,000 Cherokees died as the direct result of the 

removal. On reaching Indian Territory, the emigrants at once set 

about building houses and planting crops, the government having agreed 

under the treaty to furnish them with rations for one year after arrival. 

They were welcomed by the Arkansas Cherokees, kinsmen who held 

the'country under previous treaties. These, however, being regularly 

organized, were not disposed to 1 be swallowed up by the governmental 

authority of the new comers. Jealousies developed in which the minor 

ity or treaty part of the emigrants, headed by Ridge, took sides with 

the old settlers, against the Ross or national party, which outnumbered 

the others nearly three to one; and then followed the tragic sequel." 

On June 22, 1839, Major Ridge, bis son, John Ridge, and Elias 

Boudinot suffered the penalty of having advocated the removal of the 

Indians to the West. It was in the midst of great political excitement 

that the three-fold act of murder was perpetrated, but the evidence 

shows that the whole affair was deliberately planned. The report made 

by the Indian agent to the secretary of war, two days after the occur 

rence, gives the following particulars: '' The murder of Boudinot was 

treacherous and cruel. He was assisting some workmen in building a 

new house. Three men called upon him and asked for medicine. He 

went off with them in the direction of "Worcester's, the missionary who 

keeps medicine, about three hundred yards from Boudinot's. When 

they were about half way, two of the men seized Boudinot and the other 

stabbed him, after which the three cut him to pieces with knives and 

tomahawks. This murder, having occurred within two miles of the 

residence of John Ross, his friends were apprehensive that it might 

be charged to his connivance, and at this moment there are 600 armed 

Cherokees around the dwelling of Ross assembled for his protection. 

The murderers of the two Ridges and Boudinot are certainly of the 

late Cherokee emigrants and of course adherents of Ross but I cannot 

yet believe that Ross has encouraged the outrage. He is a man of too 

much good sense to embroil his nation at this critical time; and besides, 

his character, since I have known him, which is now twenty-five years, 

has been pacific. Boudinot's wife is a white woman, a native of New 

Jersey, as I understand. He has six children. The wife of John Ridge 

is a white woman, but from whence or what family I am not informed. 

Boudinot was in moderate circumstances. The Ridges, both father and 

son, were rich." 

John Ross, the principal chief of the nation, does not seem to have 

been a party to the transaction, though it was doubtless in accordance 

with a law of the tribe, similar to the one~under which the brave chief 

of the Creeks, Gen. William Mclntosh, suffered death. Moreover, the 

national council afterwards declared the murdered men to have been


outlaws, and also pronounced null and void the treaty of New Echota. 

Jurisdiction over the Georgia lands was reasserted; but at this stage the 

United States Government interfered. Chaotic conditions prevailed 

for several months. At last, however, the breach was healed. At a gen 

eral convention in which both the Eastern and the "Western Cherokees 

were represented, together with both the Eidge and the Boss factions, 

the whole tribal connection was declared to be one body politic under 

the name of the Cherokee nation. On behalf of the Eastern Cherokees, 

the compact of agreement was signed by John' Eoss, principal chief, 

George Lowrey, president of the council, and Going Snake, speaker of 

the council, with thirteen others. For the Western Cherokees it was 

signed by'John Looney, acting principal chief,- George Guess, president 

of the council, and fifteen others. On September 6, 1839, Tallequah 

was made the capital of the nation. At the same time a new constitu 

tion was adopted by a convention composed chiefly of Eastern Chero 

kees, but it was finally ratified by the old settlers at Port Gibson, on 

June 26, 1840, an act which completed the reunion of the nation.*' 

* For the facts contained in this article the writer is indebted in the main to a work 

entitled '' Myths and Legends of the Cherokees,'' by James Mooney, of the Ethnologi 

cal Bureau, Washington, D. 0. The work is embodied in Vol. 118, House Documents.

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