USA > Georgia > A standard history of Georgia and Georgians > Part 20
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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 than 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.
RECOLLECTIONS OF GEORGE WHITEFIELD .- Urged by the letters of Wesley, the Rev. 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- quenee, 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 hold 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 Calvinistic Methodism of Great Britain; but such was the moral unity of both parties, the Arminian and the Calvinistic, 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 Vol. 1-9
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of his labors, he prepared the way for Wesley's itinerants. Abel Stephens, LL. D., 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 aet 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 Whitefield, 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 OF 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 THIE 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 FIRST TO GREET IIIM ; 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 bonndary 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 vexations 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
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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.
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 onee to petition Parliament for a grant of men, munitions and money, with which to proteet the provinee 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 forees 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-eommis- sioned officers. Later, a company of grenadiers was added. The manner in which this regiment was raised will indicate its seleet 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 eountry 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 eadets with the promise of promotion as vacaneies 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
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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, numhering 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 coneen- 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.
+ Stephens' Journal, Vol. I, pp. 294-295.
# History of Georgia, by Charles C. Jones, pp. 261-262.
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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 eannon 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 Creek 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 unapproached by any of his neighbors. Complaints had been made to the trustees of Causton's conduet 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 Records.
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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 REGIMENT .- 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 peenniary 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 Record 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, Lient-Colonel.
James Mackay, Ensign.
Wm. Cook, Major.
Wm. Folsom, Ensign.
Hugh Mackay, Captain.
John Tanner, Ensign.
Richard Norbury, Captain.
Alex. Herron, Captain.
John Leman, Ensign. Sandford Mace, Ensign.
Albert Desbrisay, Captain.
Hugh Mackay, Adjutant.
Philip Delegall, Senior Lieutenant.
Edward Dyson, Clerk and Chaplain.
Philip Delegall, Junior Lieutenant.
Thomas Hawkins, Surgeon.
Raymond Demere, Lieutenant.
Edward Wansall, Quartermaster.
George Morgan, rank not stated.
George Dunbar, rank not stated. Will Horton, Ensign.
CHAPTER XVI
WHILE OGLETHORPE 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 FROM 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 OF 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 COWETA 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.
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