USA > Georgia > Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume I > Part 64
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
There were a number of Revolutionary soldiers who lived in Randolph. Some of these, with the ages to which they attained, were: Peter Bucholter, 77; Ezekiel Bryan, 75; John Brown, 77; Thomas Davis, 85; Richard Darby, 102; and a Mr. Love, 117. The last named patriot was for more than thirty years smitten with total blind- ness. Richard Darby's widow was alive in 1849 at the age of 105 years, and was good at this time for a 20 mile walk. Reuben Adams a veteran of the Revolution, lived in Randolph.
Hon. George W. Harrison, a former Secretary of State and a prominent figure in the public life of Georgia during the ante-bellum period, owned an extensive planta- tion in Randolph. He was the father of Mr. Z. D. Harri- son, the distinguished clerk of the Supreme Court of Geor- gia, and also of Mr. George W. Harrison, the well-known publisher. Brigadier-General Charles (. Crews, a gal- lant Confederate officer, lived at Cuthbert.
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Created by the State Constitution of 1777, from the Parish of St. Paul. Named for Charles Lenox, Duke of Richmond, a distinguished member of the House of Peers who opposed the policy of the government in taxing the English Colonies in America. At the coronation of George the Third he carried the scepter of England. On April 7, 1778, he moved an address to the King, in which he avowed his belief that the inde- pendence of the Colonies was already achieved and urged the recognition of the same by the Crown, in order to stop the further effusion of un- necessary blood. Augusta, the county-seat, named for the Princess Au- gusta, wife of the Prince of Wales, afterwards King George the Third of England. Richmond originally included in large part four other counties: Columbia, Jefferson, McDuffic and Warren.
Fort Augusta: 1736.
Page 113.
Early Days at the On the opposite side of the river
Trading-Post. from Augusta, near the present site of Hamburg, S. C., stood Fort Moore, a market-place for the Indian trade, and Fort Augusta
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was designed to keep within Georgia limits much of the traffic which was centralized at this point. It was not long before the volume of business grew to be quite large. Over in South Carolina, where negroes were allowed, there were numbers of plantations opened, and the corn consumed by the large caravans employed in the trade with the Indians was produced here. But competition breeds chicanery ; and notwithstanding the excellent rules made by Oglethorpe for regulating the traffic, there were grave abuses. Dr. George G. Smith does not give an optimistic account of things at Fort Augusta. Says he : "These Indian traders sent out their men to the towns of the various tribes, and in the spring season great crowds of Indians came with their ponies loaded with peltry to trade at the post for powder and lead, and especially for rum. There was a mean liquor known as tafia which was the main article of traffic. It was brought by Indian traders from the coast and traded for various kinds of products and for Indian slaves. The latter, taken by their enemies in war, were brought to Augusta to be sold, and were thence carried to Charleston to be shipped to the West Indies. The traders were oftentimes wretchedly dissolute. They lived shameful lives with the squaws. whom they abandoned without hesitation, when they grew weary of them."
Continuing, he says : "Augusta was not a place for a. quiet residence in those wild days. Two thousand ponies owned by the traders were loaded with goods in Charles- ton and with peltry at the fort, and kept the now almost deserted road to Charleston alive. As one now rides over the deep sands through which the old highway runs, he can bring before him the great train of Indian slaves doomed to a life worse than death, who had been bought and branded by the traders with a red-hot iron, and who were now to go in weary procession from Augusta to Charleston. There were great fortunes made in this In- dian slave-trade and in furnishing the Indians with rum and gunpowder; and it was to pay the debts due George Galpin and other traders that Sir James Wright secured
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from the Indians their cession of Wilkes, Oglethorpe. Elbert and Lincoln Counties. Augusta was not affected by the laws concerning negroes, and as far as rum was concerned it was the main article of traffic, but the rum was sold to the Indians and the slaves which she bought from them were captives secured in war."*
Two of the most important factors in the early growth of Augusta were Kennedy O'Brien, a merchant of the place, and Roger de Lacey, a noted Indian trader, both of whom were conspicuous for pioneer enterprise and public spirit.
Original Settlers. From a document published in London, in 1743, the township of Augusta-out-
side of the garrison-seems to have embraced only a small colony of Indian traders. The following purports to be a complete list of settlers at the fort:
Kennedy O'Brien, Thomas Smith, Messrs. Mckenzie and Frazier, John Miller, Thomas Goodale, Samuel Brown, Sanders Brown, Sanders Ross, A' Sadler, A. Taylor, William Clark, Henry Overstreet, Lachlan Mc- Bean, William Gray and William Calahern.
In a petition addressed to Governor Reynolds, dated August 30, 1756, setting forth the defenceless character of the settlement and the likelihood of Indian attacks, another list of early settlers is obtained. The subscribers to this document were as follows :
Patrick Clarke, John Rae, Isaac Barksdale, William Bonar, Daniel Clarke, Edward Barnard, William Cle- ment, Richard Johnson, David Donglass, Martin Camp- bell, Lachlan McGillivray, John Williams, John Spencer,
* George C. Smith in Story of Georgia and the Georgia People, pp. 28-30; John H. Logan in History of Upper South Carolina, p. 180 et seq.
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William Little, James McHenry, George Galphin, Robert Dixon, and Moses Nunez.
George Galphin, whose name appears in the foregoing list, was perhaps the first of the Indian traders to enter Georgia. He lived at Silver Bluff, on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, several miles below Augusta, and built a trading post of his own, at Galphinton, on the Ogeechee. Lachlan MeGilvray was the father of the noted half-breed chief of the Creek Indians, who gave Georgia so much trouble. As a rule, the Indian traders were Scotchmen.
Resolutions of Most of the residents of St. Paul's Protest. Parish were loyal to the Crown of Eng- land until the battle of Lexington; and when extreme action was taken by the radicals at Savan- nah, on August 10, 1774, in a set of resolutions which strongly hinted at independence, a vigorous protest was made by the settlers in the neighborhood of Fort Augusta. As a reason for non-cooperation, it was stated in this paper that the parish occupied an exposed position on the frontier and that, in view of an application which had recently been made to England for assistance, in case of an Indian outbreak, it would be hazardous to enter into such hasty action. Moreover, it was urged that Georgia had no hand in destroying any tea in Boston harbor, that it would be foolish for the Colony to make itself a par- taker in the consequences which were sure to follow, that more was to be lost than gained by being meddlesome, and that trouble could be found at home without looking for it in New England. The protest was signed by nearly every resident in the neighborhood of Augusta. At the same time a similar document was framed by the settlers in the vicinity of Wrightsboro, on the western border of the parish. Some of the signers were afterwards promi- nent on the roll of patriots. The list is of special interest because it gives the names of a number of the early set- tlers. Those signing the protest were as follows:
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James Grierson, afterwards a malignant Tory; William Goodyear, Robert Bonner, Amos Stapler, Charles Walker, Jolm McDuffie, Giles Til- lett, James Seymour, Thomas Pace, Richard Basley, Samuel Tullett, Wil- liam Redman, Joel Cloud, William Millar, Zachariah Lamar, Sr., Jacob Dennis, Littleberry Bostick Basil Lamar, James Few, Benjamin Webster, John Dooly, Barnard Heard, John Anderson, Edward Barnard, Andrew McClean, John D. Hammerer, James Hill, Robert Honey, Job Smith, William Barnard, William Mangum, John Chapman, Joseph Maddock, Jonathan Shell, Robert Mackey, William Candler, Devereaux Jarrett, Sherwood Bugg, Isaac Lowe, Peter Farris, John Henderson, Thomas Grierson, afterwards a noted Tory; John MeDonald and Francis Hancock. It will be observed that among the dissenters at this time were Colonel John Dooly and Colonel William Candler both of whom became officers of note in the Revolution.
Historic Old St. Paul's. Page 117.
Tomb of Gen.
Leonidas Polk.
Page 119.
Prehistoric
Memorials. Volume TI.
Fort Grierson. This temporary stronghold, named in honor of the British Lieutenant-Colonel who commanded the garrison, stood near the site now occupied by the Riverside Mills .*
Fort Cornwallis. Under this name Fort Angusta was en- larged and rechristened by the British officer in command, Colonel Browne. At the outbreak of the Revolution the fort became the possession of the Liberty Boys, who hauled down the British flag, and occu- pied the garrison for four years. On the fall of Savan- nah, Colonel Campbell marched up the river to Augusta and seized it in the name of the king, and, after holding it for two weeks, withdrew when he received the news of the battle of Kettle Creek. The Americans then oc-
* Charles Edgeworth Jones in an article on Augusta, printed in the Augustan for August, 1911.
LEONIDAS POLK D.D.
Mictionary Bishop of the South West istEtSHOP of LOUISIANA and Liên Gần in the Army of the CONFERMATE STATES
THEis april toth 1900 Pine Mountain Đào # 14th 1861
TABLET TO GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK, IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, AUGUSTA.
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cupied it again for nearly fifteen months. On the fall of Charleston, it was abandoned by the patriots and once more occupied by the British troops under Colonel Browne. But there came another change of occupants on September 14, 1780, when the Americans made an assault upon the White House, about a mile and a half west of Fort Augusta. Hastening to the relief of his brother officer in distress, Colonel Browne left the fort vacant, and Colonel Clarke, in his absence, quietly took posses- sion. Four days later, Browne returned, and, the fates being against the Americans, for the time at least, Colonel Clarke yielded the post without resistance. Says Dr. Williams: "Three times, therefore, had the Americans captured the fort and three times had the British retaken it, yet not a gun had been fired, not a life had been lost. It seemed as if the old spell of peace was still upon the little fort."
Following the experience at the White House, Colonel Browne realized the necessity of strengthening his de- fences. At a conference of officers and engineers it was decided to build a fortification which should include both the church and the burial ground; and so well was the work done that when Colonel "Light Horse Harry" Lee came to attack the stronghold he found it "judiciously constructed, well finished and secure from storm." Lord Cornwallis, having been appointed commander-in-chief of the Southern Department of the Revolution, in the sum- mer of 1780, Colonel Browne, in his honor, called the enlarged fortification Fort Cornwallis. Though the origi- nal name of the fort passed, it was less an extinction than an evolution. Expressed in the technical terms of mili- tary science, the fort had become a fortress. The same guns were used to defend it, much of the old work still stood, and the same parapet wall bounded it upon the north side, where it fronted upon the river. It was the old fort strengthened and enlarged .*
* The Story of St. Paul's By Dr. Chauncey C. Williams.
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Tory Barbarism: As stated above, this famous old land-
The White House. mark was situated about a mile and a half below Augusta, on the Savannah River. According to the compass, it was almost due west, the stream at this point making quite a bend. The White House was owned or occupied by a man named Seymour. It was called the White House probably for the reason that it was rare at this time in Upper Georgia for a house to possess a coat of white paint. The locality was other- wise known as Mckay's trading post. It occupied a strategic point, but was fortified somewhat hastily by the British, who, on the approach of Colonel Clarke, entered the building and made it secure with guns brought from Fort Grierson. On September 14, Colonel Clarke under- took to storm it, but the re-enforcements on which he relied failed to appear and the results were disastrous. Quite a number of his men were taken prisoners; and some of them, in defiance of the rules of civilized war- fare, were hanged from the stairway, while the British commander gloated over the scene of brutality.
Fort Galphin. According to Colonel Charles C. Jones, this fort was situated on the left bank of the Savannah River, about fifteen miles below Augusta. It consisted of the handsome brick residence of George Galphin, the famous Indian trader, surrounded by a stockade. The English called it Dreadnaught; and the eminence on which it stood was known as Silver Bluff. Galphin sympathized with the Colonies, and when Au- gusta was taken by the enemy, Fort Galphin appears to have shared the same fate. At any rate, it was in the pos- session of the enemy on the eve of the famous siege. On being informed that quite a lot of Indian presents and firearms were at the fort Colonel Clarke communicated the intelligence to his superior officers, Pickens and Lee, and together they undertook to reduce the stockade before Browne could thwart the plan of capture. The enterprise
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was successful. Though defended with vigor the fort yielded to the persistent fire of the Americans; and, be- sides salt enough to supply the whole army, an important item in time of war, they took one hundred and twenty-six prisoners, with an abundance of military stores, includ- ing arms, ammunition, and blankets .*
Augusta Becomes On the fall of Savannah in 1778, Au- the Capital : 1786-1796. gusta became the de facto capital of Georgia. Governor Houstoun im- mediately betook himself to this place, where he summoned the General Assembly to meet him; but ten days later the town was occupied by the British. During an interval when the Americans were again in possession, the Legislature met here on January 4, 1780, and elected Richard Howley, to the office of Governor, but straightway adjourned to meet at Heard's Fort, in the county of Wilkes. After peace was declared, Savannah became once more the seat of Government; but in 1786 Augusta was made the State Capital and, for a period of ten years, until 1796, it continued to enjoy this distinc- tion. The chief-executives who held office in Augusta were Edward Telfair, George Matthews, George Handly and George Walton. It was while Augusta was the State Capital that President Washington visited Georgia in 1791. He was met by Governor Telfair with an escort of horse and was royally entertained during his visit. The old State House in Augusta stood on the east side of Mc- Intosh street between Broad and Ellis.
Meadow Garden :
The Home of Gov.
George Walton.
Page 122.
* History of Augusta by Charles C. Jones, Jr .. and Salem Dutcher; History of Georgia for Schools by Lawton B. Evans; etc.
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
On January 2, 1788, the Federal Constitution was ratified at a State Convention held in Augusta. John Wereat was made president. The delegates were as fol- lows :
John Wereat, William Few, James McNeal, William Stephens, Joseph Habersham, Edward Telfair, H. Dodd, George Mathews, Florence Sullivan, John King, James Powell, John Elliott, James Maxwell, George Handley, Christopher Hillary, John Milton, Jared Irwin, John Rutherford, Joshua Williams, Joseph Carmichael, Henry Carr, James Seagrove, James Webb, Henry Osborne and Robert Christmas.
Where the Southern One of the most famous of Au- Presbyterian Church was Organized. gusta's ecclesiastical monuments- second in point of interest only to Historic St. Paul's-is the ancient house of worship occupied by the congregation of the First Presbyterian church on Telfair street. This re- ligious body was organized in 1804 by Rev. Washington McNight. Divine services were first held in St. Paul's church, this property having been forfeited to the State at the close of the Revolution and for a term of years leased to the Presbyterians. The grave of Dr. McNight is in the church yard of St. Paul's near the south wall of the old edifice. On May 17, 1812, the present structure occupied by the First Presbyterian church was formally dedicated. Dr. John R. Thompson was the first pastor. From 1858 to 1870 the church was served by Dr. Joseph R. Wilson, the father of the present Chief-Executive of the United States. Here on Dec. 4, 1861, during the pastorate of Dr. Wilson, the first General Assembly of the Southern Presbyterian church convened with Dr. Benjamin M. Palmer, of New Orleans, as Moderator. On the beautiful church lawn may be seen the grave of a former pastor, Dr. Robert Irvine, who served the church from 1872 to 1881, after the departure of Dr. Wilson for Columbia, S. C. The grave of Dr. Irvine is adorned by a
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superb memorial statue of the lamented divine, who was one of the most eloquent men of his day in the Presby- terian pulpit.
The Old Twiggs . Ten miles below Augusta, near the line
Buriel Ground. of the Central of Georgia, at a point reached by driving a mile into the country from Allen's Station, is the private burial ground of the noted Twiggs family of this State. Here lie buried two illustrious soldiers, father and son: General John Twiggs, a hero of the Revolution, for whom Georgia has named one of her counties; and General David Emanuel Twiggs, a veteran of the War with Mexico, who achieved in the struggle a military prestige which made him second only to the great Winfield Scott. On the tomb- stone of the old Revolutionary patriot is this inscription :
Major-General John Twiggs. Born 5th of June, 1750. Died 29th March, 1816. Aged 65 years, 10 months, and 24 days.
The elder Twiggs was one of the great partisan lead- ers of the first war for independence. With the famous Elijah Clarke, he chiefly bore the brunt of the struggle in Upper Georgia, where his name was a synonym of terror to the Tories. An account of some of his exploits will be found in another part of this work. The inscrip- tion on the tombstone of the younger Twiggs is as fol- lows:
In memory of General D. E. Twiggs. Born in Augusta, Ga., 1790. Died in Augusta, Ga., 1862.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Gen. Twiggs re- signed his commission in the United States army and
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returned to Georgia. He was at this time the senior Major-General and the logical successor to Gen. Winfield Scott in command of the American forces. But there was no thought of hesitation on his part. With him duty out- weighed ambition. The Confederate government com- missioned him a Major-General and he was stationed at New Orleans. But his health began to fail, necessitating his return to Augusta, where the end soon came.
For his gallant services in the Mexican War, Gen. Twiggs was awarded three magnificent swords, one from Congress, one from the State of Georgia, and one from the city of Augusta. The sword presented to him by Congress was richly jewelled and sheathed in a scabbard of solid gold. On quitting New Orleans, in 1862, Gen. Twiggs left these trophies of his valor in the care of a lady friend, who was powerless to keep them from form- ing a part of Gen. Butler's choice collection of souvenirs, when the city was captured by the Federals. They he- came the property of the United States government, and it was not until 1889 that the swords were finally restored to the family of the brave Georgia officer. Gen. Twiggs was born on the estate where his ashes today lie buried. He was a nephew on the mother's side of the famous Gov- ernor David Emanuel, whose sister Ruth married the elder Twiggs. The old plantation is today the property of Judge H. D. D. Twiggs, of Savannah, a lineal descend- ant of the old Revolutionary patriot.
George Basset, a patriot of '76, is buried in Richmond.
William Glascock's When the first Provincial Congress Tomb. met in Savannah, on January 18, 1775, to devise some plan of action, looking to a redress of grievances, Wliliam Glascock was a delegate from St. Paul's Parish. It was at this time that the celebrated boycott measure was adopted, putting an end to trade relations with the mother country; and a delegation was also named to represent Georgia in the
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Continental Congress. The famous act of proscription passed by the Tory Legislature, at Savannah, in 1780, denounced William Glascock as a "Rebel Counsellor." At the same time he was chosen Speaker of the House of Assembly, by the State Legislature which met in Augusta. He was one of the founders of the Richmond Academy and one of the first trustees of Franklin College. The old patriot is buried on his plantation below Augusta known as "Glascock's Wash," and the tombstone which marks his last resting place bears this two-fold inscription, with- out dates : "In memory of William Glascock, Esq." and "In memory of Elizabeth Glascock," his wife, who shared with him the vicissitudes of the long struggle for inde- pendence.
Thomas Glascock, his son, was a mere youth when he leaped into an immortality of fame at the siege of Savan- nah, in 1779, by plunging into a deadly fire of bullets to rescue the body of his gallant officer, the brave Count Pulaski. He was a Captain in the latter's famous Legion of Cavalry. He afterwards became a Brigadier-General in the Continental Army ; and under the administration of Washington served as United States Marshal for Georgia. his commission bearing date of June 5, 1794. He acquired large means, became a wealthy land-owner, and was a member of one of the companies to purchase the Yazoo lands in Mississippi. He regarded this deal purely in the light of a business investment. but it cost him some loss of popularity, due to the spectacular fight made against it by Governor Jackson. Land at this time on the remote frontier, when there were no railroads penetrating this region and when Indian tomahawks bristled from every bush, was little short of worthless, though the old Governor sought to make it appear that every square foot of this ground was worth a golden guinea. Subse- quent events did tend to give it this value; but no one foresaw at this time the coming of the iron horse. It may have been far-sightedness on Governor Jackson's part;
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but it was also clever politics. Gen. Glascock died at his . country place "The Mills," some few miles to the north of Augusta, at the age of 54; and here he lies buried.
Richmond Hill: The Six miles south-west of Augusta, Home of Governor near the old road leading to Louis- Schley. ville, was the plantation home of Governor William Schley. It was quite a noted place in the early days. The Governor called it Richmond Hill, after the county in which it was located. Here the former chief-executive reposes in the family burial ground, where his grave is marked by an old-fashioned tombstone. Governor Schley was the author of the famous digest of the early English laws of force in this State. He also represented Georgia in Con- gress and on the Bench; and after his death one of the counties of the State was named in his honor.
Treaties Made at Augusta.
Volume II.
Washington's On Wednesday, May 18, 1791, President
Visit. Washington arrived in Augusta. He was escorted to the city by Major Ambrose Gordon who, in command of an escort from the Richmond County regiment of militia, met him on the way, several days in advance. At the city gates, he was greeted by a deputation which included Governor Telfair, Judge Walton, General John Twiggs, and the various State officials. The city of Augusta was at this time the seat of government. Besides an address from Governor Telfair, on behalf of the State, there was also an address, from the citizens of Augusta, printed on parchment and signed by the following committee of citi- zens : George Walton, John Milledge, Thomas Cumming, Peter Carnes, and Seaborn Jones. To both addresses the
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distinguished visitor made appropriate responses. At 4 o'clock on Thursday afternoon an elegant dinner was tendered at the court house, on which occasion he re- sponded to a toast. In the evening he attended a ball which was given in his honor in the reception hall of the Richmond Academy, and on the day following he made a visit to this institution, during school hours, at which time he addressed the students and awarded a number of prizes. Augustine S. Clayton, afterwards a member of Congress, received at this time a copy of Sallust, suitably inscribed with the President's autograph. See Diary of Washington's Visit to Georgia, Volume II.
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