Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 12

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274

USA > Georgia > Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II > Part 12

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).

Perhaps Colonel Absalom H. Chappell has correctly summarized the achievements of this unique Georgian in

141

CLARK'S GRAVE AT ST. ANDREW'S

the following paragraph. Says he: "During a long ca- reer he courted and acquired great enemies, both personal and official, and honorably illustrated if he did not aug- inent the name he inherited, leaving it more deeply im- printed if not higher enrolled on Fame's proud cata- logue." Governor Clark eventually died a victim of yellow fever. His wife soon followed him to the grave; and a few years later relatives erected the substantial shaft of marble which to-day stands over them on the lonely shores of St. Andrew's Bay, on the Gulf of Mex- ico. Thus passed away this great Georgian, whose rest- less spirit at last found rest.

The inscriptions on the monument are as follows :

On the north side: "John Clark, born February 28, 1766, died October 12, 1832. As an officer he was vigilant and brave; as a statesman, energetic and faithful; as a father and friend, devoted and sincere." On the south side: "John Clark, late Governor of Georgia, and Nancy Clark, his wife."

On the west side: "This monument was erected by their surviving children, Ann Campbell and Wylie P. Clark."

*We are indebted to Miss Lane for the following pathetic touch of romance in the none too joyful life of John Clark. Says she "About four miles from the hill on which the battle of Kettle Creek was fought, there lived an orphan girl, the step-daughter of a man named Weaver, and the youngest sister of Sabina Chivers, who married Jesse Mercer. John Clark loved this girl. There was opposition to the union; but as yet he knew not the meaning of the word defeat. He induced her to elope with him. It was his thought to take her to the home of a friend of his father's, Daniel Marshall, near Kiokee, but the weather was severe, and a snow storm set in. They were compelled to stop at a farm house where lived the mother of Major Freeman, related to a kinsman of the Hillyers. Miss Chivers was taken ill that night with congestion of the lungs, and died. In the absence of flowers the good woman of the house adorned the dead girl with bunches of holly, entwined them in her beautiful black hair and placed them in her clasped hands. Her grave they covered with the same beautiful crimson and green, upon which the snow gently fell. This was the first real sorrow in the life of John Clark, and many were to follow."- Newspaper sketch of Governor John Clark, by Miss Annie M. Lane, of Washington, Ga., Regent of Kettle Creek Chapter, D. A. R.

CHAPTER XII

Liberty Hall: The Historic Home of the Illustrious Confederate Vice-President

O VERLOOKING the little town of Crawfordville in the distance, there stands on the green slope of the hill, directly in front of Liberty Hall, a statue of the wondrous little giant among statesmen- Alexander H. Stephens. The mortal ashes of the Great Commoner sleep peacefully to the left of the monument. Nor is there a spot of ground anywhere on Georgia's wide bosom in which the ashes of Mr. Stephens could rest more fittingly than beneath the trees of Liberty Hall. For, here it was that in .life he always found balm when wearied with the feverish strife and turmoil of politics; and here it was that, in measures of abundance, seasoned with wisdom's salt, he dispensed a hospitality which has made his fireside fragrant among American hearthstones.

The monument to Mr. Stephens is an impressive struc- ture, measuring a total elevation of thirty-six feet. On three sloping blocks of granite, which form a secure foun- dation, there rises a handsome monolith, designed and executed by Theodore Markwalter, of Angusta. It is a work of art, embellished on each of the four sides with sculptured wreaths of laurel. The marble statue which surmounts this splendid pile was carved in Italy, from the finest quality of stone to be found in the most re- nowned of quarries. The figure represents Mr. Stephens in the characteristic pose of the orator. It portrays him in the prime of life, as he is supposed to have looked

143

LIBERTY HALL

when he delivered his great speech in Congress, on Jan- uary 15, 1855, at which time he contrasted Ohio and Geor- gia.

There was quite a strong sentiment in favor of de- picting Mr. Stephens as he was best known to the pres- ent generation, seated in his familiar roller-chair. But Dr. Beazley, his home physician, recalled a conversation with Mr. Stephens, in which the latter stated that he dis- liked to be pictured as an invalid; that he did not wish his countrymen to remember him as one who was maimed and crippled; that such an exhibition of his infirmities would only excite pity; and that he preferred to be re- called in after years as he looked when at his best. Of course, as soon as the views of Mr. Stephens were thus made known any thought of the invalid's chair as an appropriate memorial was instantly abandoned.

On the front of the monument appears the following inscription :

Born February 11, 1812. Member of the Georgia House of Representatives, 1836 to 1842; member of Georgia State Senate, 1842; member of United States House of Representatives, 1843 to 1859; retired from Congress, 1859; vice-president of the Confederate States, 1861 to 1865; United States Senator-elect from Georgia, 1866; member United States House of Repre- sentatives, 1873 to 1882; Governor of Georgia, 1882. Died in Atlanta, Sunday morning, March 4, 1883. Author of a Constitutional View of the War between the States and of a Compendium of the History of the United States. from their Earliest Settlement till 1872.

Underneath, on the pedestal, is inscribed :

ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS

On the rear of the monument, looking toward Liberty Hall, the following words are lettered :

The defender of civil and religions liberty. Ile coveted and took from the republic nothing save glory. Non sibi, sed aliis.

144

GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

On the left side of the monument appear the following extracts from the Augusta speech, delivered in 1859. The selections were made by two Georgians, who were bound by close ties to the illustrious dead-Hon. Horace M. Holden and Hon. Patrick Walsh. The extracts read :

I am afraid of nothing on earth, or above the earth, or under the earth, except to do wrong. The path of duty I shall ever endeavor to travel, "fearing no evil and dreading no consequences."'

Here sleep the remains of one who dared to tell the people they were wrong when he believed so, and who never intentionally deceived a friend or betrayed an enemy.

On the right side of the monument is inscribed the following tribute from the pen of Richard Malcolm John- ston, a life-long friend :

Throughout life a sufferer in body, mind, and spirit, he was a signal example of wisdom, courage, forti- tude, patience, forbearance, and unwearying charity.

In the decrepitude of age, called to be Governor of the State, he died while in the performance of the work of his office, and it seemed fit that having sur- vived parents, brethren, sisters, and most of the dear companions of youth, he should lay his dying head on the bosom of the people.

The funeral of Mr. Stephens in Atlanta was an occa- sion long to be remembered. It was held in the hall of the House of Representatives and was marked by the presence of General Toombs who, with tear-bedimmed eyes, and in a voice husky with emotion, bade farewell to his life-long friend. This was the last public appear- ance of the great Mirabeau. He survived Mr. Stephens by only two years. Following these sad obsequies, the body of the Great Commoner was placed temporarily in

145

LIBERTY HALL

the Cotting vault, in Oakland Cemetery, at the State capital; but, on June 10, 1885, a committee of citizens from the town of Crawfordville brought the remains from Atlanta to Liberty Hall for final interment in Geor- gia's soil. The casket was accompanied by an escort of distinguished Georgians, including Governor Henry D. McDaniel, ex-Governor James S. Boynton, Captain Henry Jackson and Georgia's two United States Senators, Joseph E. Brown and Alfred H. Colquitt. The body was met at the depot by an immense concourse of people, not- withstanding the dark clouds which overhung the after- noon sky.

Plans for holding the exercises on the lawn were abandoned, due to the inclement weather; and, in the auditorium of the Baptist Church, from the doors of which hundreds were turned away for lack of room, oc- curred the last solemn and impressive rites over the ashes of the illustrious dead. Hon. George T. Barnes, Congressman-elect from Georgia and president of the Stephens Memorial Association, delivered the principal address. Brief remarks were also made by Governor McDaniel and Captain Henry Jackson, after which the body was tenderly borne to the new-made grave on the lawn, and there committed finally into Georgia's keeping until the resurrection.

Eight years later-on May 24, 1893-with august ceremonies, the monument to the Great Commoner was unveiled on the green hillside, in front of Liberty Hall. There were no clouds in the soft vernal sky overhead. In every respect the day was an ideal one ; and the number of spectators in attendance was roughly estimated at 10,000. Long before sunrise, every country road leading into Crawfordville was alive with vehicles. Hundreds . of people came by rail.

Over the arched gateway, leading to the famous old mansion, were draped the national colors. Both the

146

GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

platform for the speakers and the front veranda of the Stephens home, displayed the patriotic emblems, thus attesting the broad statesmanship which characterized the Southern Confederacy's former Vice-President. On the platform a number of distinguished guests were as- sembled, representing every section of the State. Hon. Horace M. Holden, afterwards judge of the Supreme Court of Georgia, then a young man just entering the legal profession, gave an outline history of the move- ment. He also read a number of letters of regret. The president of the Memorial Association, Hon. George T. Barnes, having been detained in Washington, D. C., the vice-president, Hon. Patrick Walsh, introduced the orator of the day, Hon. Thomas M. Norwood, of Savannah, whose splendid address was a masterpiece of eloquence, characterized by deep emotional power, as well as by keen analytical insight.

Another feature of the occasion was a poem from the pen of Chief Justice Logan E. Bleckley, read by Mr. Walsh.

At the proper signal, Miss Mary Corry, a great-niece of Mr. Stephens, drew aside the veil. There is a choice bit of romance in this connection. Within a few days after the unveiling, Miss Corry, whose sweet face beamed in the background of this historic scene, became the beau- tiful bride of Judge Holden. Subtler and finer cords than any which were seen by the vast throng of spectators were silently knitting two lives together ; and thus through the sombre woof of an occasion which touched many to tears ran the golden threads of Cupid's net.

The officers of the Stephens Memorial Association at the time of the unveiling were as follows: George T. Barnes, president; Patrick Walsh, vice-president; M. T. Andrews, local vice-president; W. O. Holden, secretary; W. R. Gurn, treasurer; A. G. Beazley, corresponding secretary; R. J. Reid, director; W. J. Norton, director ; J. N. Chapman, director; T. J. Harrison, director, and W. A. Legwin, director. The officers of the Ladies'

147

LIBERTY HALL

Auxiliary were : Mrs. James W. Asbury, president; Mrs. Casper Myer, vice-president; Mrs. W. J. Norton, treas- urer, and Mrs. A. G. Beazley, secretary.

To this list must be added also the name of Miss Mary A. H. Gay, of Decatur, Ga., a lady who, with the zeal of Peter the Hermit, canvassed the State from bor- der to border and for nine years gave to this monumental crusade an ardor of devotion which never once waned or wearied. It may be said in conclusion that the Mem- orial Association sought to accomplish three things, viz. : the purchase of Liberty Hall, the erection of the Ste- phens monument, and the establishment of a college to perpetuate the great statesman's deep interest in the cause of education. Two of these objects have already been successfully attained; but the third yet remains to be realized. There has never lived in Georgia a man of equal means who has defrayed the college expenses of a larger number of ambitious youths; and the State will owe the memory of the Great Commoner an unredeemed obligation until the Stephens High School at Crawford- ville is made a college, in honor of the illustrious sage of Liberty Hall.

On July 12, 1912, the deferred centennial exercises in honor of the great statesman's birth were made the occasion for giving a renewed impetus to the movement for establishing the proposed college at Crawfordville. Judge Henry Lumpkin and Hon. Thomas E. Watson, both of whom were among the speakers, subscribed $1,000 each to a fund to be used for this purpose. Miss Gay, of Decatur, contributed the copyright of her book, "Life in Dixie," which Mr. Watson agreed to advertise free of charge in the Jeffersonian; and citizens of the county pledged a sum of $10,000 for the proposed school. Judge Horace M. Holden was requested by the Stephens Chap- ter of the U. D. C. to present the matter to the State Convention of the U. D. C., a commission which he read-

148

GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

ily undertook. The result was a most enthusiastic en- dorsement of the enterprise by the Georgia Division. Mrs. W. D. Lamar, the State President, was furthermore instructed to urge co-operation on the part of the Gen- eral Conference, which was soon thereafter to meet in Richmond. On October 20, 1913, a horizontal tablet of marble was placed over the grave of the Great Com- moner by the historic Gate City Guard of Atlanta, an organization to which Mr. Stephens was warmly at- tached, and one of the first companies to enlist for the Civil War in 1861. Short addresses were made on this occasion by a number of well-known Georgians, among them Colonel Joseph F. Burke, a former captain of the company and organizer of the Old Guard, an hon- orary band composed of survivors; Hon. J. R. Smith. State School Commissioner M. L. Brittain, State His- torian and Compiler of Records L. L. Knight, Mr. Joseph A. McCord, Hon. George M. Napier and others.

This description of the Great Commoner's home is from the pen of his intimate friend and biographer, Richard M. Johnston, author of the famous "Dukesboro Tales." Says he: Liberty Hall is just beyond the vil- lage of Crawfordville, in a skirt of native forest. Large oaks and hickories, interspersed with many fine trans- planted trees and choice exotics, are scattered over an enclosure of about three acres, casting a delightful shade over a grassy lawn. The house is a spacious one, fur- nished with elegant simplicity; and, at the rear, sepa- rated by a piazza, are the owner's study and library, the latter more richly stored than is usual among Southern country gentlemen. His law library contains about fif- teen hundred volumes; his miscellaneous library about. five thousand, collected during many years, at a cost of more than sixteen thousand dollars.

This is probably the only mansion in the country where the domestic and social arrangements are entirely un-

149

LIBERTY HALL

affected by the sickness or health of the master of the establishment. Visitors come and go, partake of his hospitality, make themselves at home, whether or not he is able to receive them in person. Almost every train brings coming guests and bears away departing ones ; dinner is served at one o'clock; late visitors take supper and early ones breakfast; and as night trains are sure to bring one or more who take what sleep the time allows, the breakfast table always presents new faces. It was the habit of Mr. Stephens, during his latter years, to rise at nine, and after dressing to be rolled in his easy chair out upon the piazza, where he usually called for a game of whist, an amusement which had grown to be a habit with him and which helped to solace many an hour of suffering. The mid-day meal was the only one which he took in the dining room, at which time he sat at the head of the table. Dinner over, he engaged in conversa- tion, or played whist; and at seven he went to bed.

For many years, during court week, it was the habit of Mr. Stephens to entertain the entire visiting bar. As for the people of Taliaferro County, there was not a soul who did not feel at home in the house of Mr. Stephens, who was not free to enter it whenever he pleased and to remain an inmate as long as he liked. Though his per- sonal manner of living was of the simplest kind, it can easily be surmised that his personal expenses were quite burdensome; and besides the sums which he bestowed upon the education of young men, he expended much of his income in gifts of charity to the poor.

But little change, to the eye of the guest at least, was made in Liberty Hall after the war. The same servants were there, and the same order of domestic economy ; Harry was still at the head of outdoor affairs; Eliza, his wife, was still cook and laundress; and the children of these servants did the housework. When we drove out in the afternoon, Pluck, who had then, like his predeces- sor, Rio, become blind, and old Frank, were lifted into the carriage beside the master, from whom they could

150

GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

not bear to be separated. When night came, and Harry had put Mr. Stephens to bed, some newspapers were spread at the foot, on which Pluck mounted to sleep for the night. A small riding-whip was stuck under the mas- ter's pillow, with which he could repress any encroach- ments of his companion. Then the guest would read aloud until Mr. Stephens had fallen asleep, after which he retired to his own apartment.

When Mr. Stephens was absent from home, Harry re- mained at Liberty Hall, and took care of everything with the fidelity which always characterized him. The only alteration in his domestic arrangements was in the management of his plantation, which, after the war, he divided into a number of small farms, most of which were occupied by his former slaves. Old "Aunt Mat" and her husband, "Uncle Dick," both superannuated, re- mained with him as long as they lived. There was the same simplicity as before in everything, and the same freedom from constraint which induced him to give his home the name it bears: Liberty Hall.1

Better still is the picture furnished by another biogra- pher, who writes thus :2 Half-hid by the magnificent grove of oaks in which it stands, on an elevated hill, is the unpretentious mansion. There are eight rooms in the main building; and two more, with a wide veranda, have been built to the rear. From the front porch, a door opens into the hall or passage, its floor spread with oil cloth in mosaic, and without furniture, except for an iron hat- rack and a gigantic barometer. On the right of the hall is the parlor, its carpet of green, neat and cheerful, with arabesques in colors. The windows are without curtains, but have green shades frosted with gold. On the mantel is an engraving of the United States Senate, during the great speech of Daniel Webster, in 1830; there is also

1 R. M. Johnston and W. H. Browne, in Life of Alexander H. Stephens.

2 Henry Cleveland, in Life of Alexander H. Stephens.

151

LIBERTY HALL

a small bust of Senator Berrien; and a fine cast by Saunders, intended as a model for a statue of General Oglethorpe. Lastly, a cigar case, the much prized gift of a lady friend.

On the right and left of the fireplace are fine old family portraits. On the wall hang two medallions, one of Mrs. Steele, of the Revolution, offering a purse to General Greene; and one of Oglethorpe, with curly wig, looking like Milton, but the neck fractured. Besides there are a lithographı of Mr. Stephens himself and an excellent like- ness of his life-long friend, the superb Robert Toombs. Upon a small table is the large family Bible, which con- tains the usual entries, not only of members of the im- mediate household, but also of plantation servants ; and, resting upon a pillar of green and white marble, is a bust of the great statesman himself, among the very first executed by the young artist, J. Q. A. Ward. With the sofa, easy chairs, and other ordinary drawing-room fur- miture, these were all which met the eye upon entering the neatly papered room.

Opposite the parlor is the dining-room. It contains an extension table, an ancient sideboard, a silent clock on the mantel-piece, before whose modest face no hands are held, and a frozen traveler watched by St. Bernard dogs, displayed upon the fire screen. Next a pantry. Then a bed-room, carefully reserved for an occasional vis- itor. There is another bedroom next to the parlor. The upper rooms, four in number, are neatly furnished and kept for the guests, male and female, who often come and are always made to feel at home. In the back passage there is always a cedar pail of pure cold water; and, connecting the two rooms built to the rear, with the main building, runs a wide veranda, with massive square pil- lars. The first of the rear rooms is the library, fifteen by twenty feet. Many rare books belong here, but numbers of them are in the hands of borrowers. Numerous trunks contain the accumulated letters of a lifetime ; and a bronze bust of Daniel Webster looks gloomily down from a shelf over the inner door.

152

GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS

Next is the sanctum sanctorum. If the visitor come in winter, a light tap is given at the door, and a quick but pleasant voice bids him enter. All is open in sum- mer. There is a neat carpet of flowered green, and a low French bedstead draped in white. The walls, too, are white. There is a bureau and a mirror, besides a cot- bed for the waiting-boy, Tim. Over the mantel is Brady's imperial photograph [of Mr. Stephens], taken in 1855. It is flanked on the right by "Faith at the Cross," a picture given to him while at Fort Warren by a much valued lady friend; on the left by an embroidered watch-stand and a pair of lamps. Then a bookcase, with broken glass, and bundles of paper in great seeming disorder. But the owner can readily find what he wishes, and be- fore the confusion incident to the late war, no statesman kept such perfect order among so many various papers. There is a little round-top writing table, with eyelet press. Papers and scraps are on it, but still more are in the little table drawer, and the mind of the owner is an index to them all, if they are not disturbed; and any disturbance greatly annoys him. At the court-house is his old office, and another library, to which, however, he seldom goes.

On the worsted hearth-rug of this room, in winter, and on the grass in the yard, in summer, lounges a huge brown mastiff named Troup. Near this large specimen of the canine species is usually to be seen a little black terrier, with a chronic growl; he is called Frank. Some- times a restless yellow pup intrudes, but he is generally sent away with the proper rebuke from his grave seniors. He bears the appropriate name of Sir Bingo Binks, one of the characters of Sir Walter Scott [St. Ronan's Well]. Rio, the famous poodle dog, for years the favor- ite pet and companion of the great statesman, both at home and abroad, has had, since 1863, a dreamless sleep in the garden. The red clay mound, which marks the spot of his burial, still awaits the tablet for which an appropriate epitaph was once written :

153

LIBERTY HALL

Here rest the remains Of what in life was a satire on the human race And an honor to his own- A faithful dog.

On the left of the fireplace of the room, in winter, and on the veranda in summer, is generally seen the owner of the premises: a man known from the St. Lawrence to the Rio Grande. The face is so kind it is almost handsome; and many years of high thought and patient suffering have given it the peculiar look of the maturely good which is almost beautful. He now weighs ninety- two pounds, but weighed only eighty-four when he began to practice law.

CHAPTER XIII

The Last Order of the Confederate Government

O N May 5, 1865-the same day on which the final meeting of the Confederate Cabinet was held in the old Heard House, at Washington, Ga .- Major WV. F. Alexander, assistant to the Quartermaster-General, issued the last order of the Confederate government to Major Raphael J. Moses, by whom it was promptly exe- cuted. The story is best told in the language of Colonel Isaac W. Avery, a recognized authority on the events of the war period. Says he: "We now come to the last official writing ever issued by the Confederate adminis- tration. The paper is both intensely interesting and touchingly pathetic. As historic a curiosity as the world affords is this last flicker of a mammoth revolution. Such thoughts cluster around it as would make a grand epic. It is a short document, written on paper manufactured in those days, a yellow, coarse, porous material, itself a significant symbol of Confederate times. As an ordinary document of everyday life, it would be valueless. It merely directs the payment of $10,000 of gold bullion and the receipt written on the order testifies to the hon- esty and promptness of the disbursing officer of a great shattered government. But as the last order of the Con- federacy it possesses an interest and a poetry which will grow with time. By some curious chance the receipt comes first. Then follows the order, indicating that it was one transaction. We give the order first :

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.

Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II, Part 12

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933 Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co. Number of Pages: 1274

Author: Knight, Lucian Lamar, 1868-1933
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga. : Byrd Printing Co.
Number of Pages: 1274