USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > A history of Savannah and South Georgia, Volume I > Part 46
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62
375
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
also wrote to each teacher in the city inviting every one of them "and the male department of your school" to be present at that time "to participate in the ceremonies in honor of the Pulaski Monument."
The ceremonies at that time were thus described by the Morning News of the next day : "The final act of the Commissioners of the Pulaski Mon- ument was consummated yesterday in the delivery of that chaste and elegant structure, the object of their labors and their pride, in all its beauty and perfectness, into the enstody of its future guardians, the Mayor and Aldermen of Savannah. The presentation was made at the base of the momnnent by Dr. R. D. Arnold. Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, in the presence of the Judges of the Supreme Court. a detachment of military under Capt. W. H. C. Mills. a number of other distinguished persons, and a large concourse of citizens. The address of Dr. Arnold was an impromptu effort. that duty having been previ- cusly assigned to Col. Win. P. Bowen who was taken ill in the morning. and found it impossible to leave his bed at the appointed hour-but, like other impromptu efforts of that popular orator, was most happily conceived and eloquently expressed.
"After a short and appropriate reply by the Hon. Edw. C. Ander- son, Mayor of the City accepting the trust and pledging hinself and his associates to protect and preserve it. the Commissioners with their invited guests adjourned to the Pulaski House, where a sumptuous colla- tion had been prepared. Here a few hours were spent in disenssing the comestibles provided, and in short. happy addresses and appropriate sentiments, delivered by Dr. Arnold, the Chairman, Mr. Robertson, the Treasurer, the Hon. John E. Ward, Judge Howard, Father O'Neill, Messrs. Alexander, Bryan, and others, of Savannah; and by Col. Hull, of Athens, Hon. Andrew J. Miller, of Augusta, and other distinguished guests.
"A novel and most happy idea was the collation prepared in the Square, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, for the pupils of the various schools of the City. Nearly five hundred covers were laid, and a perfect mountain of sweetmeats, cakes, fruit, and all those things most likely to tempt the appetite of the juveniles. These (ample as was the provision) were soon annihilated. and the .Boys of Savannah' gathered around the stand to listen to the words to be addressed to them by Dr. Arnold. At this time Col. Bowen stood at the side of the orator, but was too ill to address his little friends.
"It was a beautiful sight to see the neatly dressed scholars, with their white satin badges and silk banners of various designs, marching with their several teachers at their head around the Square, into the places assigned them by the order of the ceremonies. This was altogether a most happy idea, and the scene was one which will be long and fondly remembered in maturer years by the little participants. in the happiness which the Commissioners must have felt as they imparted it to all who approached them on this memorable occasion.
THE NATHANAEL GREENE MONUMENT
No such imposing ceremonies were observed on the completion of the monument to General Nathanael Greene. It will be remembered that the
-
376
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
first monument, of which we are now to speak, was ereeted as the Greene and Pulaski monument. The time being near when its placing in posi- tion was an assured fact, the Georgian of March 28, 1829, published this statement: "The public will no doubt be gratified to learn that the memorial in honor of these distinguished patriots of the revolution, so long in contemplation but which appears never to have been forgotten by the committee entrusted with its erection, may soon be expected to be commenced. We understand that the committee, in preference to di- viding their resources between two monuments, distant from each other, and of inferior beauty and dimensions, have determined to erect one, dedicated to both the illustrious individuals intended to be commemor- ated; and we are gratified to state our belief that it will prove when completed a splendid monument to our city, creditable to the State by whom a large portion of the funds for its erection has been furnished and honorable to the public spirited citizens who by their personal exer- tions and their subscriptions have been engaged in thus. in some measure, liquidating the large debt of gratitude we owe two of the most distin- guished among the founders of our liberties.
"The monument will be erected in Johnson's Square, on the spot where LaFayette laid the corner stone for that of Greene during his visit to this City. The form of the obelisk has been chosen, the plan of which was furnished by the celebrated architect of Pennsylvania, Mr. Strickland-the material of the obelisk will be white marble from the quarry known in New York as 'Kane's Quarry,' being the same as that of which the front of the City Hall, at New York, is built, and will be furnished by Messrs. Matterson and Smith of New York. The founda- tion of the monument will be sunk eight feet, sixteen feet square at bottom, and ten feet by twelve at the top-the outside of the base to be composed of four large granite stones, of which material also the steps surrounding the pedestal will be erected. The altitude of the whole will be fifty feet.
"The contract for the erection we understand has been taken by Mr. Scudder. It will be immediately commenced, and we are assured that it will be completed by the next anniversary of our independence."
The prediction as to the time of its completion was not verified, and the next information given on the subject was by the same paper, on the 3d of October following, when it was announced that "we feel gratified in being enabled to assure our readers, upon the very best authority, that the materials for this structure will be ready for shipment at New York on the 15th of the present month."
We next hear of this matter on the 17th of November, when the Georgian again said : "Abont twenty-four tons of the material intended for this structure arrived here from New York by the Statira; another portion will come by the Tybee, which is hourly expected, and the bal- ance by another vessel that was to have sailed with despatch." This was soon followed with the announcement. ten days later, that "The monument to the memory of Greene and Pulaski is now in such a state of forwardness as to render it very certain that it will shortly be com- pleted. Most of the pieces of which it is to be composed. and which are ent ready for putting up, have arrived from New York, and will
377
SAVANNAII AND SOUTH GEORGIA
-
no doubt be immediately erected. It will be a great ornament to the City, and we hope early measures will be taken for enelosing the square. The following are the dimensions of the moment as given by the artist in the New York Courier :- Its height is fifty feet, resting on a base twenty feet by eleven. The pedestal is 8 ft. 5 in. by 4 ft. 8 in, rising 13 feet, and surrounded by a cornice of one foot. From the pedestal a needle rises 26 feet which is 5. ft. 4 in. by 3 ft. at base. and 4 ft. by 2 ft. 3 in. at apex. The material is marble, and the needle is com- posed of only seven pieces, each of which weighs more than eight thou- sand pounds !"
BEAUTIFUL ROADS THROUGH THE PINES. TIFTON
The following is here quoted merely to show how and when the corner stones for two monuments laid by La Fayette in 1825 were re- moved. The Georgian, reviewing Le Vasseur's Vols. "La Fayette in America," said, in its issne of Thursday, December 3. 1829: " As the corner stones of the Greene and Pulaski monuments were yesterday removed, in the presence of the Committee, from the spots in which they had been laid by General La Fayette, to the foundation of the monn-
378
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
ment in the center of Johnson's Square, now being rapidly erected, the extracts relating to them will be considered interesting."
We get this exeellent description of the Greene monument from the Georgian of Saturday, February 6, 1830. being the last notice concern- ing its erection, and saying nothing as to any suggestion of its formal dedieation : "The Greene and Pulaski monument is at last completed. It is a simple obelisk of white marble, of the following dimensions. The base is 20 feet by 11. The pedestal 8 feet 5 inches by 4 feet 834, rising 13 feet and surrounded by a corniee of one foot. The needle is 5 teet 4 inches at the base and 4 feet by 2 feet 3 at the apex rising 36 feet. The pedestal is formed of 12 pieces, each 1 foot 7 inches in height, and the needle of seven pieces each 5 feet 134 in height, and weighing to- gether 56,000 pounds. The altitude of the whole 50 feet.
. "We have expressed no opinion of the structure during its progress, although we have heard a thousand. Yet, among those who, in its un- finished state, eondemned it, likening it to everything ludicrous, we be- lieve there are few who have not, since its completion, modified their opinions. At any rate, those in whose taste and judgment we rely have pronounced it a beautiful and appropriate strueture. That it might have been more extensive in its dimensions and imposing in its appear- ance none will deny; but because all the ideas of ardent imaginations have not been realized, it is not reasonable or just to condemn all that has been effeeted with limited means. In short, it is good as far as it goes, and that is as far as thie means for its erection would permit. We do not pretend to judge scientifically of the work, and as a matter of taste on the part of others we do not feel disposed to dispute what it is admitted is not to be disputed. Were we to urge an objection, and we mention it with perfeet referenee to those better informed, it would be to the extent of ground covered by the base, by which the height of the whole is diminished to the eye. We however feel no disposition to carp at the design or execution of the monument-on the contrary we think that the highest praise is due to the successful exertions of the committee. To our untutored eye it appears to be a beautiful ornament to the city, honorable to those by whose subscriptions it has been erected, and such we have no doubt will be the judgment of every unbiased individual who shall examine it. A railing to preserve it from the mischievous assaults of boys and negroes is required immediately; and the enclosure and improvement of the Square we trust will be eom- menced at an early day."
LOCATING THE REMAINS OF NATHANAEL GREENE
In the course of this record we have outlined the facts connected with the burial of General Nathanael Greene and the belief that any effort, after the search in 1819 and 1820, to locate the spot where his body was interred would prove fruitless. There were many who. when the matter was discussed, expressed the opinion that his burial place would never be known. while a few thought it possible that the mystery would some day be solved. There were reasons for believing that the searches said to have been made were not very thorough, and, on a revival of the
379
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
discussion on the 28th of January, in the year 1901, the matter was brought to the attention of the Rhode Island State Society of the Cin- sinnati of which he was the first president, and that society then adopted the following resolutions.
"Whereas. after diligent inquiry, it is believed that full investiga- tion has never yet been made to ascertain definitely where the remains of Major-General Nathanael Greene. President of the Rhode Island So- ciety of Cincinnati were finally deposited after his decease at Mulberry Grove, near Savannah, Georgia, in 1786; and
"Whereas, it is believed that a thorough search of the four old burial vaults in the old cemetery now forming a part of Colonial Park in Savannah, Georgia, will determine whether the remains are deposited in one of the said vaults, as believed by persons well informed in matters of local history, or at a certain place in the said old graveyard, as in- sisted by, a venerable citizen of the State of Georgia, who has for seventy years been a member of the Chatham Artillery Company which acted as escort at Major-General Greene's funeral, such insistence being based on statements made to him by former members of said artillery organiza- tion who had assisted at said funeral; and
"Whereas, it is particularly appropriate that the Society of Cinein- nati in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations should do whatever may be necessary towards ascertaining the burial place of its first president, the great patriot and soldier who, next to Washington. aided so potentially in securing the independence of the United States:
"Resolved, by the said society. that one hundred dollars are hereby appropriated for the purpose of making the proposed inquiry.
"Resolved, that the following committee be appointed and respeet- fully asked to accept said appointment, to do all that is needful to carry out the intent of the above resolution to wit:
"Hon. Asa Bird Gardiner, LL. D., President of the Rhode Island Cincinnati ;
"Mr. Philip D. Daffin, Chairman of the Savannah Park and Tree Commission ;
"Hon. Walter G. Charlton, President of the Society of Sons of the Revolution in the State of Georgia ;
"Hon. George A. Mercer, President of the Georgia Historical So- ciety ;
"Alfred Dearing Harden. Esq., member of the South Carolina So- ciety of the Cincinnati ;
"William Harden. Esq .. Secretary of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of Georgia and Librarian of the Georgia His- torical Society."
The members of the committee named in the resolutions all consented to serve, and. on the first of March Colonel Gardiner reached Savan- nah and consulted them before entering upon the search which began after the receipt of the following communication from the mayor of the city whose consent to the search had been solicited.
"SAVANNAH, GA., March 1. 1901 .- Messrs. William Harden, Alfred Dearing Harden and Walter G. Charlton, City-Gentlemen: Replying to your communication
.
380
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
of this date, requesting permission to open and examine certain vaults in the Colonial Park, for which no living representatives of former owners can be found, permis- sion is herewith given, subject to the consent of the Park and Tree Commission, to open the said three vaults, provided no representatives of the owners can be found in the city or state, and that the vaults be restored after the examination to their former condition.
"Very respectfully, "HERMAN MYERS, Mayor."
The attention of the committee was specially directed to four "vaults in a row, located at a right angle to Oglethorpe avenue," formerly South Broad street. The one nearest the street was first opened, and was found to be that of Col. Richard Wylly, deputy quartermaster-general of the Continental Army in the Revolution, whose coffin was found with the plate on it. For some reason, not stated. the second vault, next to that of the Wyllys, was supposed to be that of the Jones family of which Capt. Noble Jones "the trusted lieutenant of Oglethorpe whose watchful eye and brave sword were ever instant for the protection of the infant-colony against the encroachments of the jealous Spaniards and the incursions of the restless Indians" was the first to set foot on Georgia soil. This vault was not examined in regular order, as the per- mission of owner, Mr. Wymberley Jones De Renne, had not then been obtained. Surprise was expressed when the third was opened and found entirely empty. The committee did not then know that they had really struck the Jones vault from which all remains had, years be- fore, been removed by Mr. George Wymberley Jones De Renne and placed in Bonaventure cemetery. After examining the fourth which was dis- covered to belong to the Thiot family "the committee then gave its final attention to the second vault in line which was opened at-the front, to permit workmen to enter, and a smaller opening was made through the rear brick wall to permit entrance of light and air. In the center of the vault were found probably a cart load of broken bricks, which had first to be removed." It was on the 4th of March that it was opened and the first thing to be found after the removal of the broken bricks was a coffin, well preserved. bearing a silver plate with the name of Robert Scott, and the date of his death, June 5, 1845, and it may be here stated that this discovery, a surprise to all present, led to the verification of the theory advanced at an early date in the investigation of the subject, that the family of General Greene, supposing that with the granting of the Mulberry Grove plantation title to the Graham vault in the old cemetery was also vested in the grantec, General Greene, buried him there.
After the finding of the Scott coffin the search revealed a mass of rotten wood and human bones mixed with the sand in the bottom of the vault among which was found a piece of metal badly corroded but resem- bling a coffin plate. Despite the corrosion the article evidently bore an inscription in which many persons to whom it was shown were sure they could distinguish the figures "1786." from which it was at once inferred by Colonel Gardiner, as he mentioned to an employee of the Park and Tree Commission, "that the coffin-plate of General Greene had been found." That man was Mr. Edward M. Keenan who, in his affidavit relating these facts made this statement: "That in the per-
381
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
formance of my labors for said committee I entered said vault in the Colonial Park in said city of Savannah on said 4th day of March. and that in order to examine the remains and debris in said vault I was sent to the city green-house at No. 608 Barnard street, near the corner of Huntingdon and Barnard streets for a sieve. Upon my return I was in- . formed by Colonel Gardiner that the eoffin-plate of General Greene had been found. I again entered the vault and after picking out the larg- est of the bones among the remains from which the plate had been taken the dirt and mold was sifted and among the partieles remaming in the sieve I found three metal buttons which were corroded; and when rub- bing off some of the green substanee on one of said buttons I dis- tinguished the faint outlines of an eagle, that among the bones removed were the rotted fragments of as many as three silk gloves the fingers of which were partially gone but the portions covering the palms of the hands were in a fair state of preservation and were sufficiently firm as to be shaken to remove the dust and mould with which they were cov- ered; that among the remains from which the coffin-plate of General Greene was found there appeared to be the bones of two persons. one much younger than the other, which faets I believe from the size of the bones."
.
Mr. Chas. C. Gattman, another employee assisting in the opening of the vault, made an affidavit as to his connection with the investiga- tion in which he stated "I further depose and say that alongside of the remains among which I found said piece of metal on which the figures 1786 appeared there was the remains of another hinnan skeleton which I believe to be those of a male person of the age of nineteen or there- abouts." To account for the bones of the second person it is only nee- essary to state that the eldest ehild of General Nathanael Greene, named George Washington Greene, was drowned in the Savannah river on the 28th of March, 1793, and his body was buried beside that of his father : and his age was eighteen years. The skull of the older person erumbled into dust soon after its diseovery, but not before measurements of it were taken from which no doubt remained that it was that of General Greene. In the report of the committee of the general assembly of Rhode Island completely covering the subjeet it is said that "measure- ments of the skull *
* corresponded to the details in Sully's original portrait of Major-General Nathanael Greene. and the state- ments made by the late Hon. Nathanael Greene and other members of the Greene family."
The remains were placed in two boxes and were deposited in the safe deposit vault of the Southern Bank of the State of Georgia to await the public re-interment of them at a later date. The coffin-plate was delivered to Gen. L. P. DiCesnola, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, who had it properly cleaned, when the lettering on it appeared distinctly in these words
"NATHANAEL GREENE Obit June 19 1786 Ae 44 Years."
-
,
382
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
It was subsequently presented to the Georgia Historical Society, and is now hanging, framed, in the society's library.
The attention of the general assembly of Rhode Island was called to the fact that the remains of General Greene had been found. and that body adopted measures to have those remains suitably re-interred. It was desired that they be carried to Rhode Island and placed under a monument in the city of Providenee ereeted in memory of that dis- tingnished character. The legislature "Resolved that two members of the senate and three members of the house of representatives be and they hereby are appointed a joint special committee to inquire into and ascertain the desirability of securing within the state of Rhode Island a permanent resting place for the remains of Gen. Nathanael Greene." Messrs. Horace F. Horton and James E. Bannigan were appointed from the senate and Messrs. Frank T. Easton, J. Stacy Brown, and Harry H. Shepard from the house, but by a subsequent resolution Francis W. Greene, of the house, was added to the committee, and Mr. Edward Field was made secretary. The last named was very active in the matter of the final disposition of the remains, and a better appointment could not have been made. The action of the Rhode Island legislature will be best understood by the reader when the following paper adopted at the January session, 1902, is considered :
"Whereas, The people of Rhode Island have learned, with profound satisfaction, that the remains of Major-General Nathanael Greene, who died at his plantation, at Mulberry Grove, in the State of Georgia, on the 19th of June, 1786, have recently been discovered in a vault in Colonial Park, formerly one of the ancient cemeteries in the City of Savannah, Georgia ;
"And Whereas, the people of Rhode Island, recognizing the eminent serviees which Nathanael Greene gave to the cause of liberty during the struggle for American independence, desire to show its appre- ciation of his great genius as a military commander and his sterling worth as a citizen, and to pay its tribute to the memory of so distin- guished a son of Rhode Island when those remains are finally committed to earth.
"Be it therefore Resolved. That the joint special committee of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island, appointed to take into consideration the permanent location of the remains of General Na- thanael Greene within the State, be and is hereby authorized to take such aetion as may be necessary to ascertain the wishes of the descend- ants of General Greene as to the place of final interment of those hon- ored remains, and in the event that the descendants of General Greene desire to have his remains buried within this State, said committee is hereby directed to report the faet to the General Assembly forthwith, in order that suitable provision may be made for the ceremonies therefor and for an appropriate memorial to mark the place of such interment ; but in the event that the descendants of General Greene desire to have his remains finally buried elsewhere than within this State, then said committee is hereby anthorized to make such arrangements as may be suitable and proper in order that the State of Rhode Island may be represented at such interment and may do full honor to the memory of its distinguished son.
383
SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
"Resolved, That the sum of two thousand dollars be and the same hereby is appropriated to defray the expenses of said committee, includ- ing the making of said inquiries of the descendants of General Greene, and provisions for the representation of the State at his burial, in case such burial shall be without the State; and the State Auditor is hereby directed to draw his orders from time to time upon the General Treas- urer for so much of said sum as may be necessary, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, upon the receipt of proper vouchers approved by the Governor."
A letter of inquiry was sent to each of the descendants of the General, twenty-three in all, to which eighteen replied. With three exceptions they expressed the hope that the re-interment be in Savannah. An "Association of Patriotic Societies" was formed in that city, to take charge of the re-interment, pledged to raise the funds for that purpose, and the 14th of November, 1902, was appointed as the time. The gov- ernor of Rhode Island and the committee from the legislature of that state were invited to be present, as were also descendants of General Greene. By agreement, a reception for Gov. Charles Dean Kimball was held during the session of the United States courts in the Government building at half past ten o'clock, on the morning of the 14th, when the Hon. Emory Speer, judge of the district court delivered an address of welcome, and Governor Kimball responded. In the afternoon the ceremonies connected with the re-interment were observed, and the re- port of the Rhode Island legislative committee thus mentioned the matter :
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.