USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > A history of Savannah and South Georgia, Volume I > Part 22
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in thick settled countries. * * * The number of Militia, say effective white men from sixteen to sixty years of age, according to the several returns made to me lately by the officers amount to two thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight in the whole Province, and the officers are all commissioned by the Governor. and obliged by the law of the Prov- ince to furnish and provide themselves with arms and ammunition and accoutrements of every kind. and to muster and exercise six times in the year, and as much oftener as the Governor may order and direct. And the Governor is empowered to order them out as occasion may require, to repel all enemies, invasions, insurrections, rebellions, etc."
THE FORTS
Wright then gave an account of the forts in the province, beginning with "Fort George on Cockspur Island, opposite to Tybee Island, being at the entrance of the River Savannah and a very necessary post as it is the key to our port and may command all vessels that come in or go out ; enforce due obedience to the laws of trade and our commercial laws, and, in case of war, prevent enemies' privateers from cutting out and carrying off our shipping or from coming up the river to plunder, etc. This fort was built in the year 1762, being mud walls faced with palmetto trees, but is now almost in ruins, for, as it stands on a point of land exposed to the easterly winds from the sea, it is very liable to suffer by the sea beating and washing against it when there is strong easterly winds. On the inside is a Caponiere which serves for officers apartments, and in lieu of barracks; it used to be garrisoned by an officer and ten men, but now it's almost in ruins. There is only an offieer and three men just to make signals, etc. I look upon this fort. or having a proper fort at this place to be of the utmost consequence. and shall propose building a new fort of tabby. but as our property is yet small and our taxes pretty high, I doubt much whether the Province can afford to go to the expense of building a proper fort. I am well informed that in South Carolina the Capt. of Fort Johnson (which is near the entrance of the harbor and answers the same purposes that Fort George is intended to do) is paid two hundred pounds sterling per annum by his Majesty out of the quit rents, and if his Majesty would be graciously pleased to permit that to be done here, it would be a great encouragement and inducement to the Legislature to raise and grant money for building a new fort.
"Fort Halifax in the town of Savannah, built in the years 1759 and 1760, made of plank fill'd in with earth, and four Caponiers, one at each corner: this is totally down, except two of the Caponiers, and in- deed would be of little use."
The next step in the progress of events leading to a separation of the English dependencies from the mother country and cansing excitement in Georgia was the passage of the Boston Port Bill. When the news of that legislation was received in Savannah, the spirit which had taken possession of the liberty loving people in the matter of the Stamp Act was revived, and it was with the deepest concern for the outcome of certain proceedings on their part that Sir James Wright wrote to Eng-
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land on the 25th of July, 1774, informing Lord Dartmouth that a publie meeting was called for the 27th, just two days after, and that he would "give a full account of the conduct and proceedings of the Liberty People here, as soon as I know for certain what they did." That letter was written on seeing the following notice in the Georgia Gazette of the 20th of July :
"The critical situation to which the British Colonies in America are likely to be reduced from the arbitrary and alarming imposition of the late acts of the British Parliament respecting the town of Boston, as well as the aets that at present exist tending to the raising of a per- petual revenue without the consent of the people or their representatives, is considered an object extremely important at this juneture, and par- ticularly calculated to deprive the American subjects of their constitu- tional rights and liberties as a part of the English Empire. It is there- fore requested that all persons within the limits of this Province do at- tend in Savannah, on Wednesday the 27th instant, in order that the said matters may be taken under consideration and such other constitu. tional measures pursued as may then appear to be more eligible."
Some historians have included in the above between the words "do attend" and "'in Savannah" the words "at the Liberty Pole, at Tondee's tavern," but the reference to a liberty pole was evidently not in the original notice, as it can be clearly shown there was no such thing in Savamiah at that time. How those words crept into the account cannot be ascertained, and it is not the purpose of this writer to attempt an explanation ; but the facts are as follows :
SAVANNAH PUTS UP A LIBERTY TREE JUNE 2, 1775
Sir James Wright, in one of his letters to Lord Dartmouth, dated the 17th of June, 1775, said "It gives me much concern to acquaint your Lordship that on Thursday, the 13th instant, the Liberty Folks have assembled in the Town of Sav. and put up a Liberty Tree and a Flagg, and in the evening paraded about the Town I am informed to the num- ber of 300, some say 400." That Governor Wright made an error of eiglit days can easily be proved. The liberty pole was erected on Mon- day, the 5th, as stated in the following account of all that happened at that time given in the Georgia Gazette of Wednesday, June 7, 1775. "Last Friday night [June 2] the eannon on the battery at the east end of this town, consisting of 21 pieees, were spiked up and thrown down to the bottom of the bluff by persons unknown. Some of the inhabitants. assisted by the Commanders of several vessels and their people, had them brought up again. and some of them being drilled were fired as customary on Sunday ( being the Birth-Day of our most gracious Sov- ereign GEORGE the Third) at one o'clock, when his Excelleney the Governor, such of the members of his Majesty's Honourable Council as were in town, and a number of other gentlemen, repaired to the flag staff to drink his Majesty's health. On Monday his Excelleney gave a genteel entertainment at the Court-Honse to the members of the Council and Assembly, the Public Officers, Officers of the Militia, and several other Gentlemen, and in the evening there were illuminations as usual.
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"On Monday last [June 5] a considerable number of the Inhabi- tants of this town met, and having erected a Liberty Pole, afterwards dined at Tondee's Long Room. They spent the day with the utmost harmony, and concluded the evening with great decorum. Amongst many others the following toasts were drank at dinner, accompanied with a discharge of cannon placed under the Liberty Flag, viz.
"The KING. American Liberty. The General Continental Congress. Unanimity and Firmness to America. No Taxation without Representa- tion. A speedy Reconciliation between Great Britain and Ameriea upon constitutional principles. The Earl of Chatham. The Protesting Lords. Mr. Burke, Governor Johnstone, and the rest of the worthy members of the Ilouse of Commons who distinguished themselves in favour of America. The Lord Mayor and Citizens of London. Mr. Haneock. Dr. Franklin. Mr. Dickinson. The Sons of Freedom in every part of the globe."
Let it be remembered that the raising of a liberty pole in Savan- nah was in the month of June. 1775. The matter now under discussion, namely. the meeting of the inhabitants of the Province to consider the effects of the Boston Pert Bill, was in the year 1774; but we make this digression in order to show the mistake on the part of some writers in mentioning a liberty pole in connection with the ineident of July 27, 1774, when the erection of the pole took place nearly a year afterwards. Governor Wright was mistaken when, in relating that ineident, he plaeed it on Thursday the 13th of June, 1775, the fact being that the 13th was Tuesday, and he was also mistaken in saying it was on the 13th ; as the full aecount in the Georgia Gazette proves it was on Monday, the 5th. The notice of the meeting of July 27, 1774, made no reference to any particular place in the town where such meeting was to be held, and it was with a signature or signatures. as we will now see. It has been stated that the advertisement was inserted in the Gazette of the 20th, and it is unfortunate that no copy of that issue ean be found. It is not included in the files in possession of the Georgia Historical Society, but a thorough search has bronght to light a communication of one sign- ing himself EUGENIUS, dated August 20, and appearing in the paper of September 7, reviewing the faets concerning the meeting of July 27. quoting in full said advertisement, saying it appeared in the issue of July 20, and that it was an anonymous advertisement. It did not eon- tain the words "at the Liberty Pole, at Tondee's tavern," but, as already shown, it simply "requested that all persons within the limits of this Province do attend in Savannah on Wednesday the 27th instant." It is unaccountable therefore, how the words "at the Liberty Pole, at Ton- dee's tavern" ever crept into aecounts of that meeting, or that the statement was ever made that the notice was signed by Noble Jones, Arehibald Bulloch, John Houstoun, and John Walton. An account of that meeting in the Gazette of August 3d. shows it was held at the Exchange. The liberty pole was, as we now see, creeted in June, 1775, but the notice we are now considering was an affair of nearly a full year previous, and to that affair, namely. the consideration of the effects of the Boston Port Bill, we will now return.
In answer to that summons for a meeting on the 27th of July, 1774,
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a goodly number of inhabitants, we are told, met at the Exchange, but some accounts say at the Watch House.# in Savannah, and Mr. John Glen was called to the chair. Following the organization of the meeting letters and resolutions sent by committees of correspondence in Boston, Philadelphia, Annapolis, Williamsburg. Charlestown, and other places, were read and acted on. A large committee was appointed to prepare resolutions along the same lines as those passed by the northern colonies expressive of the sentiment of the people who considered the measures proposed by Great Britain as uncalled for and unjust. On that com- mittee were John Glen. John Smith. Joseph Clay, JJohn Houstoun, Noble Wymberley Jones. Lyman Hall, William Young, Edward Telfair, Samuel Farley, George Walton, Joseph Habersham, Jonathan Bryan, Jonathan Cochran. George McIntosh, Sutton Bankes, William Gibbons, Benjamin Andrew. John Winn, John Stirk, Archibald Bulloch. James Sereven, David Zubly. Henry Louis Bourquin. Elisha Butler. William Baker, Parmenus Way. John Baker, John Mann, John Bennefield, Jolin Stacy and John Morel. In considering the resolutions. it was decided that, as persons residing in distant portions of the province who might be in sympathy with the meeting but had not time to respond to the call could not co-operate in any action that might be taken, it would be wise to postpone action so as to allow such persons to be present should they so desire, and the meeting therefore was adjourned until the 10th of August, at which time delegates equal in number to the repre- sentatives eleeted to the general assembly would be recognized, and notices were sent promptly throughout all the parishes to that effeet.
GOVERNOR WRIGHT FORBIDS PUBLIC MEETING
Governor Wright. fearing the effect of such a meeting, called a meet- ing of his council at which a motion was made to expel Mr. Jonathan Bryan from the body. as his name appeared on the committee, but that gentleman, according to Hugh MeCall, "with patriotic indignation, in- formed them in a style peculiar to himself for its candour and energy, that he would 'save them the trouble,' and handed his resignation to the governor." The council, wisely concluding that nothing short of a proclamation from the governor would tend toward checking the design of the leaders of the opposing party, determined to resort to that method, with the hope that it would cause some at least to pause and consider the danger involved in the proposed action, and the following paper was promulgated :
"By his Excelleney Sir James Wright, Bart., Captain General of his Majesty's Province of Georgia, Chancellor, Vice Admiral, and Or- dinary of the same: Whereas I have received information that on Wednesday the 27th day of July last past. a number of persons, in consequence of a printed Bill or Summons issned and dispersed through- out the Province by certain Persons unknown, did unlawfully assemble
* It seems probable that the Exchange and Watch House were names used for one place.
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together at the Watch House in the Town of Savannah under colour or pretense of consulting together for the Redress of Grievances or imaginary Grievances, and that the Persons so assembled for the pur- poses aforesaid, or some of them are, from and by their own authority, by a certain other Hand Bill issued and dispersed throughont the Province, and by other methods, endeavoring to prevail on his Majesty's liege subjects to have another meeting on Wednesday the 10th instant similar to the former and for the purposes aforesaid, which summonses and meetings must tend to raise fears and jealousies in the minds of his Majesty's good subjects :
"And whereas an opinion prevails and has been industriously propa- gated that Summonses and Meetings of this nature are constitutional and legal: in order therefore that his Majesty's liege subjects may not be misled and imposed upon by artful and designing men I do, by this Proclamation, by and with the advice of his Majesty's honorable Council, issue this my Proclamation notifying that all such .Summonses and calls by Private Persons and all Assemblings and Meetings of the People which may tend to raise fears and jealousies with his Majesty's subjects under pretense of consulting together for redress of Public Grievances, are unconstitutional, illegal and punishable by Law.
"And I do hereby require all his Majesty's subjects within this Prov- ince to pay due regard to this my Proclamation as they will answer the contrary.
"Given under my hand and the Great Seal of his Majesty's said Province, in the Council Chamber at Savannah, the 5th day of August in the 14th year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George III. in the year of our Lord 1774.
JAMES WRIGHT. By his Excellency's command. THos. MOODIE, Dep : Sec: God save the King."
MEETING HELD
Whatever effect the proclamation may have had upon some of the persons at whom it was aimed may never be known, but a large num- ber treated it with no regard whatever, and the meeting, a large one we are told, was held this time at Tondee's tavern in Savannah, at the time appointed, when the following resolutions, prepared by the con- mittee, were, as therein stated, without dissent. adopted :
"Resolved, nemine contradicente, That his Majesty's subjects in America owe the same allegiance. and are entitled to the same rights, privileges, and immunities with their fellow subjects in Great Britain. "Resolved, nemine contradicente, That as protection and allegiance are reciprocal, and under the British Constitution correlative terms, his Majesty's subjects in America have a clear and indisputable right. as well from the general laws of mankind, as from the ancient and estab- lished customs of the land so often recognized, to petition the Throne upon every emergency.
"Resolved, nemine contradicente, That an Act of Parliament lately passed for blockading the port and harbour of Boston is contrary to our idea of the British Constitution: First, for that it in effect deprives good
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and lawful men of the use of their property without judgment of their peers; and secondly, for it is in the nature of an ex post facto law, and indiscriminately blends as objects of punishment the innocent with the guilty; neither do we conceive the same justified upon a principle of necessity, for that numerous instances evince that the laws and executive power of Boston have made sufficient provision for the punishment of all offenders against persons and property.
"Resolved, nemine contradicente, That the Act for abolishing the Charter of Massachusetts Bay tends to the subversion of American rights; for besides those general liberties, the original settlers brought over with them as their birthright particular immunities granted by such Charter, as an inducement and means of settling the Province : and we apprehend the said Charter can not be dissolved but by a volun- tary surrender of the people, representatively declared.
"Resolved, nomine contradicente, That we apprehend the Parlia- ment of Great Britain hath not, nor ever had, any right to tax his Majesty's American subjects; for it is evident, beyond contradiction, the constitution admits of no taxation without representation; that they are coeval and inseparable; and every demand for the support of gov- ernment should be by requisition made to the several houses of repre- sentatives.
"Resolved, nemine contradicente, That it is contrary to natural jus- tice and the established law of the land, to transport any person to Great Britain or elsewhere to be tried under indictment for a crime committed in any of the colonies, as the party prosecuted would thereby be de- prived of the privilege of trial by his peers from the vicinage, the in- jured perhaps prevented from legal reparation, and both lose the full benefit of their witnesses.
"Resolved, nemine contradicente, That we concur with our sister colonies in every constitutional measure to obtain redress of American grievances, and will, by every lawful means in our power, maintain those inestimable blessings for which we are indebted to God and the Constitution of our country -- a Constitution founded upon reason and justice and the indelible rights of mankind.
"Resolved, nemine contradicente, That the Committee appointed by the meeting of the inhabitants of this Province on Wednesday, the 27th of July last, together with the deputies who have appeared here on this day from the different parishes, be a general committee to act. and that any eleven or more of them shall have full power to correspond with the committees of the several Provinces upon the Continent ; and that copies of these resolutions, as well as all other proceedings, be trans- mitted without delay to the Committees of Correspondence in the re- spective Provinces.'
At the same meeting a committee was appointed "to receive sub- scriptions for the suffering poor in Boston." The gentlemen composing that committee were William Ewen, William Young, Joseph Clay, John Houstoun, Noble Wymberley Jones. Edward Telfair. John Smith, Sam- . uel Farley, and Andrew Elton Wells. As the result of that action the
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people of Savannah and of St. John's Parish contributed five hundred and seventy-nine barrels of riee to help in feeding those people. *
THE LIBERTY BOYS
A most interesting study of the transactions of this period, if we had time to devote to it. would be the standing of the members of the various families prominent in the meetings held to give expression to the views of the people on the events transpiring. Such an investigation would show that father and son, in a number of instances, were directly opposed to each other, and families were otherwise divided. Thus, while the Hon. James Habersham was a member of the royal couneil and as long as he lived, loyal to England's cause, his sons were prominently connected with the "Liberty Boys." and the same was the case with Col. Noble Jones and his son Noble Wymberley Jones, Edward Telfair, from first to last, stood firm in defense of the rights of the colonies while his brother William was equally an adherent to the interests of the crown. It is a remarkable fact that in the short space of one month in the year 1775, three of the governor's couneil died. In a letter to Lord Dartmouth, written October 14, Sir James Wright mentioned the fact that "last week Mr. Clement Martin, one of the council, died." On the 10th of July he wrote that "Mr. Habersham is gone to Philadelphia for the recovery of his health," and on the 1st of November he penned these words: "Ten days ago I had an account of the death of Mr. Habersham, one of his Majesty's Council and See- retary of this Province." And after writing that letter on the 1st of November he kept it open, adding a postseript on the 3d, stating that "last night Mr. Jones, one of the Council and Treasurer of this province, died."
Of course, the loyalists of the colony took steps to counteract the influence of the "Sons of Liberty," and to them the spirit manifested in the meeting of Angust 10th, was very distasteful. A card appeared in the Gazette of Wednesday, September 7, signed by James Habersham, Lachlan MeGillivray, Josiah Tattnall, James Hume, Anthony Stokes, Edward Langworthy, Henry Yonge, Robert Bolton, Noble Jones, David
* An interesting fact linked with this incident is the collecting of funds by the citizens of Boston, in January, 1865, when Savannah was evacnated by the Con- federate forces and occupied by Gen. Sherman's army, and the people of the former city contributed of their substance to the relief of the wants of their brethren of the latter city, when the committee of Boston's contributors feelingly allnded to this matter as follows: "The history of former days is not forgotten. It has been deepened by the later trials of our nation. We remember the earlier kindness and liberality of the citizens of Savannah towards the people of Boston in the dark colonial days. We recall the meeting held there on the 10th day of August, 1774, when a committee was appointed 'to receive subscriptions for the suffering poor of Boston;' as to which it is recorded. 'There are large donations of rice for the suf- ferers in Boston : and we had the meaus of sending it to them, with very little more trouble, much more would be collected and sent. Few have subscribed less than ten tierces of rice.' The rice was sent to New York, and sold there, and the proceeds, £ 216 08. 5d., were remitted to the Boston committee, and by them applied to the relief of the poor here."
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Montaigut and many others, commenting on those proceedings in this manner :
DISSENT TO RESOLUTIONS OF AUGUST 10, 1774
"On the 10th instant, a meeting was held at Savannah, to which several districts and parishes, partienlarly St. Paul's, one of the most populous in the province, sent no deputies; and although one Lord and another person attended as deputies from the parish of St. George. yet upwards of eighty respectable inhabitants of that parish sent down their dissent. Nor was the parish of Christ Church- represented at this meeting, unless the self appointed committee be considered as their representatives. The measure left an opening for any to appear at the meeting in the character of deputies who brought down an appointment as such, without any inquiry whether they were constituted by the ma- jority of the parish or not. Several artful falsehoods were thrown out to induee the parishes and distriets to send deputies. In the parish of St. George it was said that the Stamp Act was to be enforced; and in the parish of St. Matthew the people were told that nothing was in- tended but a dutiful petition to the king, as the father of his people; and to such lengths were matters carried that when some of the in- habitants of St. Matthew's parish discovered the deception, and desired that they might scratch out their names from the instrument appoint- ing deputies, it was refused them. Their adjournment from the 27th of July to the 10th of August was general, and therefore it was natural to suppose that the meeting would be held at the Vendue house, the same place as the first; for whenever it is intended that a future meeting of any kind shall be held at a different place than that which is usual. notice is always given of the alteration of the place of meeting, other- wise most of those who may be desirous of attending would not know where to go. In the present case none knew that the second meeting would be held at a different place than the first, except those few who were in the secret. But the important meeting of the 10th of August, in defence of the constitutional rights and liberties of American sub- jects was held at a tavern, and it was said twenty-six persons, with the door shut for a considerable time, undertook to bind them by resolution : and when several gentlemen attempted to join, the tavern-keeper, who stood at the door with a list in his hand, refused them admittance because their names were not mentioned in that list. Such was the conduct of these pretended advocates for the liberties of America. Several of the inhabitants of St. Paul's and St. George's, two of the most populous. have transmitted their written dissent to any resolutions, and there were gentlemen ready to present their dissent had not the door been shut for a considerable time, and admittance refused. And it is conceived that shutting the door and refusing admittance to any but resolutioners was calculated to prevent the rest of the inhabitants from giving their dissent to measures that were intended to operate as the unanimous sense of the province. Upon the whole, the world will judge whether the meeting of the 10th instant, held by a few persons in a tavern, with doors shut, can with any appearance of truth or deceney, be called a
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