USA > Georgia > A standard history of Georgia and Georgians > Part 63
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* Furnished by Mrs. John Statham Lowrey, State Historian, Daughters of the American Revolution, Dawson, Georgia.
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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 Ist 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
MRS. JOHN STATHAM LOWREY, 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 31% 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.
"63/4 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.
"734 miles to a creek. A reedy branch in the second mile-a small open branch in the sixth-neither of them difficult.
"1812 Miles to Cedar Creek.
"Ascending the dividing ridge between the gulf and Atlantic waters. the road continues on the ridge two miles, it then erosses 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.
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"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 415 miles below the Fort, crossing a creek in the second mile and a small thickety branch 14 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 1/4 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. 51% miles to another large creek on which Canards village is situated 314 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 614 miles to Echenoche Creek,-struck the creek 5 miles from its june- 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 412 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 11% 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 91% 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.
MRS. JOHN STATHAM LOWREY, Dawson, Ga.
State Historian, D. A. R.
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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 ealled 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 protee- 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 Jaekson, 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 William 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, reekoned at one time among the six most important towns of the powerful confederaey of Creeks. It was ealled by the Indians Che-haw or Che-raw, while an- other name for it was An-mue-eul-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 effeet 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 Florida during the Seminole war he stopped at this Indian village. Cheraw supplied the army with provisions. It also eared for the sick and wounded. Consequently when the town was wantonly and cruelly destroyed by a foree of Georgia troops, under Captain Wright, on April 23, 1818, there followed a great revul- sion of publie 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 William 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. O. 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 Americus, Georgia.
CHAPTER VII
FLORIDA'S PURCHASE FROM SPAIN NEGOTIATED BY JOHN FORSYTH, 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 WHILE 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 Seminoles. 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 sueceed 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 sueceed Hon. Charles Tait, whose term of office as United States senator expired in 1819.
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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 drastie 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 Ageney, 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 IIall 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 he 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.
GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS
DUNGENESS : ON THE SITE OF GEN. NATHANAEL GREENE'S OLD HOME PLACE STANDS THE PRESENT 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 enloginm: "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 enlminated in this tragic affair were as follows: "In the stirring times of 1812, Alexander Contee Ilanson, editor of the Federal Republican, strongly opposed the deelara- 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 oecu- pants from murder the authorities placed them in the old eity jail for protection. But the rioters forced themselves into the jail, attaeking Ilanson, 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 faets. 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 partieulars gathered from other sourees, 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 elimate might restore his failing health he sailed in 1813 for the West Indies. It was the cherished purpose 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.
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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 bronght 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.
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Leaving the old hero seated upon the log, young Phineas Nightin- gale-for this was the lad's name-hastened to the mansion, eommuni- cated the faet 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 ont of the carriage and in ascending the steps. Having received a most cordial welcome from the Shaws he exeused himself at once and retired to his room. Such was his extreme feebleness that he remained a recluse, emerging but onee 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 foree. The officers in both departments of the service ealled 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 eaged 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 ineidents 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 domestie, 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
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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.
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