USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > History of Savannah, Ga.; from its settlement to the close of the eighteenth century > Part 25
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As a corporation lawyer he stands without a superior in the State of Georgia, and the reports both of the Supreme Court of this Common- wealth and of the United States bear witness to his industry and profi- ciency in this branch of the profession. In illustration of his employ- ment in and conduct of civil causes of magnitude, we would cite the Tel- fair will case, which, having passed through the various legal tribunals of Georgia, received final adjudication at the hands of the Supreme Court of the United States.
General Lawton's professional reputation has been recognized by his brethren at large. He was one of the ten founders of the American Bar Association, and he has always exhibited the liveliest interest in the labors and welfare of that organization. In August, 1882, he delivered the annual address before that association, eulogizing the lives and ser- vices of James L. Pettigru, and Hugh S. Legare. At the same meeting he was elected president of the association, and the next year delivered the president's address. Both these addresses have been rendered into type, and were published with the proceedings of the association. He was also largely instrumental in organizing the Georgia Bar Association. Before that body he delivered the first annual address in August, 1884.
Among other noteworthy addresses of General Lawton may be men- tioned his eulogy upon the life, character, and services of General Robert E Lee, delivered in Savannah, Georgia, in January, 1871, at the request of the Common Council and citizens of that municipality: and his oration upon the occasion of laying the corner-stone of the new capitol of Geor- gia, in Atlanta, on the 2nd of September, 1885, pronounced by invitation of the General Assembly of Georgia then in session.
In the first he pays signal tribute to the virtues and the valor of the great Confederate Chieftain, proclaiming his "character so grand in its proportions, so complete in all its details, so exquisite in its finish, that when we contemplate it, like the visitor who first looks on the Cathedral of St. Peter, its very perfections, symmetry, and completeness obscure our capacity to appreciate its vastness."
In the last, after a historical sketch of the former capitols of Georgia, after presenting a vivid portraiture of the progress of the Commonwealth, the results of the war, and the dire calamities encountered during the period of reconstruction, with manly voice he "ventured to assert that
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the struggle was worth all it cost. Better that a people, groaning under conspicuous wrongs, should fight and be vanquished, than not to fight at all. In the one case the rebound will surely come, and the victor and the vanquished may meet face to face and reestablish their relations to each other with mutual respect ; while in the other case the feeling of degradation on the one side and of contempt on the other banishes all hope for the future.
" As Georgians we are also citizens of the United States and claim to be now as loyal to that great government as any portion of the Union, since we are no longer called upon to surrender our self respect, or to do violence to our most sacred sensibilities in making that claim. We are ready and willing to render service to defend her honor, to fight her bat- tles, to give every man of every section his just due. In that sense we know 'no North, no South, no East, no West.' But, thank Heaven! the time is past when any right thinking man of the North expects that we shall not love our own families and neighbors better than the stran- ger, our own City better than another, our own State best of all the thirty-eight ; that in a government covering such an area, with so many States and Territories differing in climate, production, origin, and other belongings, there must not also be material differences in habits, temper- aments, opinions, and utterances, not only to be tolerated but to be ap- preciated. Yes, my friends, they know and respect us for it; and while we join in good faith in the tribute paid to the great soldier of the United States recently borne to his tomb in Riverside Park with such displays and demonstrations as Roman Emperor never received, yet at our own homes, in the tenderer moments of our lives, we mourn the illustrious Sons of the South, who sleep in modest graves at Lexington, with a sor- row and a pride which are all our own."
This utterance is characteristic, and conveys an impression of the manliness of General Lawton, who never speaks with an uncertain voice, stultifies his record, or hesitates, on suitable occasion, to manifest his loyalty to the brave impulses and ennobling traditions of a Confederate past.
As a trustee of the University of Georgia, and as an officer of the Georgia Historical Society, he has long exhibited and still cherishes an
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intelligent and a practical interest in the conduct and prosperity of these institutions.
Of medium height, with compact frame, active step, erect carriage, "and military bearing-with a massive head firmly set upon his broad shoulders, with a mouth indicative of determination, and an eye full of light and vivacity-courtly in address, frank and generous in intercourse,-with a strong, manly voice,-bold, nervous, and emphatic in public speech,- steadfast in his friendships,-possessing strong judgment and a nice sense of equity,-hospitable at home,-independent, high-toned, public-spirit- ed, and never a careless observer of passing events,-tender and true in his domestic relations,-and with a genuine religious sentiment vitalizing his daily walk and conversation, General Lawton has long been recog- nized as a type of the Southern gentleman, as a citizen of the highest re- pute, as a leading member of the Georgia Bar, and as a prominent par- ticipant in the political councils of this Commonwealth. Of late his character and reputation have been known and honored by the Country at large. He is now crowning a life of labor with an age of ease.
He has a wife, and three children- Louisa F. the wife of Mr. Leon- ard C. Mackall of Philadelphia,-Nora, the wife of Henry C. Cunning- ham, esq., of Savannah, and Alexander R. Lawton, jr., who, at the Sa- vannah Bar, is following in the footsteps of his distinguished father.
TONES, COLONEL CHARLES C., JR., LL.D.1-Charles Colcock J Jones, jr., was born in Savannah, Ga., on the 28th of October, 1831. He comes of an old family, his ancestor in the male line having removed from England to Charleston, S. C., nearly two centuries ago. His great grandfather, John Jones, who was. the first of the family coming from South Carolina to Georgia, was a rice planter in St. John's Parish. Dur- ing the Revolutionary War he espoused the cause of the patriots, and, as a major in the Continental Army, fell before the British lines around Sa- vannah during the assault by the allied army under D'Estaing and Lin- coln on the 9th of October, 1779. On that memorable occasion he acted in the capacity of aide-de-camp to Brigadier-General Lachlan McIntosh.
Rev. Charles C. Jones, D.D., father of the historian. a distinguished
" From Alden's Literary Portraits. New York. 1889. Written by Charles Edge- worth Jones.
74
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Presbyterian divine, was, at the time of his son's birth, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, in the city of Savannah. Resigning his charge in November, 1832, he removed with his family to his plantation in Liberty county, Ga., where he devoted his energies to the religious instruction of the negroes. He was the apostle to that benighted people, and freely gave his time, talents, and money to their evangelization, and the improvement of their moral and religious condition.
Dr. Jones was a gentleman of liberal education, a wealthy planter, an eloquent pulpit orator, at one time Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the Theological Seminary at Columbia, S. C., and for some years occu- pied the position, at Philadelphia, of Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Domestic Missions. He was the author of several works on the relig- ligious instruction of the negroes, of a catechism specially prepared for their spiritual enlightenment, and of a history of the Church of God.
Colonel Jones' boyhood was spent at the paternal homes, Monte-Vi- deo and Maybank plantations in Liberty county, Ga. At the former --- which was a rice and sea-island cotton plantation on North Newport River-the winter residence was fixed, while the latter-a sea-island cot- ton plantation-located on Colonel's Island, lying between the island of St. Catharine and the main land, was the summer retreat. The region abounded in game and fish. An indulgent father generously supplied his sons with guns, dogs, horses, row-boats and sail-boats, and fishing tackle. As a natural consequence Colonel Jones, at an early age, became an adept with the fowling-piece, the rifle, the rod and the line. This out-door ex- ercise and these field sports laid the foundations for a fine constitution, and encouraged an ambition to excel in shooting, riding, swimming, fish- ing, and sailing. The opportunity thus afforded for enjoyment and manly diversions was exceptional, and the training then experienced produced a lasting impression. The civilization of the Georgia coast under the patriarchal system then existent was refined, liberal, and generous. The school was excellent for the development of manly traits.
The early studies of Colonel Jones were pursued at home, generally under private tutors; occasionally under the immediate supervision of his father. In 1848 he repaired to South Carolina College at Columbia, where his Freshman and Sophomore years were passed. That institu- tion was then in the zenith of its prosperity, being presided over by the
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Hon. William C. Preston, who was assisted by such professors as Dr. Francis Lieber and Dr. Thornwell. Subsequently matriculated at Nas- sau Hall, Princeton, N. J., in the junior class in 1850, Colonel Jones at once took high rank among his fellows and, graduating with distinction, received his A. B. diploma from this college in June, 1852.
Selecting the law as his profession, he went to Philadelphia, and, as a student, entered the office of Samuel H. Perkins, esq. After reading law here for about a year, he matriculated at Dane Law School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., from which institution he received in 1855 his degree of LL.B. While he was a member of that law school, Joel Parker, Theophilus Parsons, and Edward G. Loring were the professors. Besides taking his regular law course, he attended the lectures of Pro- fessor Agassiz, Mr. Longfellow, Dr. Wyman, Professor Lowell and Dr. Holmes.
Returning home in the winter of 1854, he entered the law office of Ward & Owens in Savannah, and was called to the bar in that, his na- tive city, on the 24th of May, 1855. In due course he was admitted to plead and practice in the Supreme Court of Georgia; in the Sixth Cir- cuit Court of the United States; in the District Court of the Confederate States; and in the Supreme Court of the United States.
During the second year of his professional life he became the junior partner of the law firm of Ward, Owens & Jones. When Mr. Ward went abroad as United States Minister to China, Mr. Owens retired from the firm, and the Hon. Henry R. Jackson, late United States Minister to Aus- tria, was admitted as a member. The firm continued to be Ward, Jack- son & Jones until Judge Jackson took his seat upon the bench as judge of the District Court of the Confederate States of America for the Dis- trict of Georgia. The business of this law firm was large and lucrative.
On the 9th of November, 1858, Colonel Jones married Miss Ruth Ber- rien Whitehead, of Burke county, Ga. He was married a second time on the 28th of October, 1863, to Miss Eva Berrien Eve, of Augusta, Ga., a niece of the late Dr. Paul F. Eve, of Nashville, Tenn. These ladies were grand-nieces of the Hon. John McPherson Berrien, attorney-general of the United States during General Jackson's administration, and afterwards United States Senator from Georgia.
In 1859 Colonel Jones was chosen an alderman of Savannah, and in the
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following year he was, without solicitation, nominated and elected mayor of that city-a position, writes Governor Stephens, seldom if ever before conferred on one so young by a corporation possessing so much wealth, population, and commercial importance. With the exception of this po- sition of mayor, he has never held public office in his life, or drawn a dol- lar of the people's money.
During the term of his mayoralty the Confederate Revolution was pre- cipitated, and many abnormal questions arose demanding for their solu- tion serious consideration and prompt decision. Colonel Jones was a secessionist, and it is believed that one of the earliest public addresses on the situation, delivered in Savannah, fell from his lips.
Declining a re-election to the mayoralty, he joined the Chatham Ar- tillery-Captain Claghorn-of which Light Battery he was the senior first lieutenant. He had been mustered into Confederate service with that battery as its senior first lieutenant, on the 31st of July, 1861, and re- mained on leave until his labors in the capacity of mayor were concluded. The Chatham Artillery was then stationed on the Georgia coast.
In the fall of 1862 the subject of this sketch was promoted to the grade of lieutenant-colonel of Artillery, P. A. C. S., and was assigned to duty as chief of artillery for the military district of Georgia. The assign- ment was important, and the command extensive, including some eight light batteries and nearly two hundred guns in fixed position. This command was subsequently enlarged so as to embrace the artillery in the third military district of South Carolina. His headquarters were estab- lished at Savannah.
Colonel Jones was brought into intimate personal and military rela- tions with General Beauregard, Lieutenant-General Hardee, Major-Gen- erals McLaws, Gilmer, Taliaferro, and Patton Anderson, and Brigadier- Generals Mercer, Lawton, and others. He loved and took a special pride in the artillery arm of the service, and preferred it to any other branch. In illustration of his partiality for this arm of the service it may be stated that at one time a commission of brigadier-general of infantry was tendered him, which he declined. The artillery, both light and heavy, in the military district of Georgia, was remarkable for its proficiency.
Colonel Jones was chief of artillery during the siege of Savannah in December, 1864, which he has so graphically described in his work on
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that subject, and figured prominently in the defence of the city. He was at one time in command of the field artillery on James Island during the siege of Charleston, and at another was chief of artillery on the staff of Major-General Patton Anderson, in Florida. Upon the fall of Savannah he was summoned by General Hardee to the position of chief of artillery upon his staff, and was included in the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston's army, which occurred near Greensboro, N. C., in April, 1865.
Late in December, 1865, Colonel Jones removed with his family to New York city and there resumed the practice of his profession, which had been interrupted by the war. His success in that new abode was gratifying, and he continued to reside there until his return to Georgia in 1877.
Of the pleasure and profit which he derived from his sojourn in that great city, and of the broad and lasting influence exerted upon his intel- lectual life, there can be no question. His association with the literary characters and societies of the metropolis was most agreeable. The scope of his intellectual vision was enlarged, and his aspirations were elevated. He there enjoyed opportunities for study and literary research which he could not elsewhere have so conveniently commanded. Among the proofs of the literary labor there performed we may refer to his historical sketch of the Chatham Artillery during the Confederate Struggle for Independ- ence (1867); Historical Sketch of Tomo-Chi-Chi, Mico of the Yama- craws (1868); Reminiscences of the Last Days, Death, and Burial of Gen- eral Henry Lee (1870); Casimir Pulaski (1873); Antiquities of the South - ern Indians, particularly of the Georgia Tribes (1873); The Siege of Sa- vannah in 1779, etc. (1874); The Siege of Savannah in December, 1864, etc. (1874); Sergeant William Jasper (1876); and a roster of general offi- cers, heads of departments, senators, representatives, military organiza- tions, ete., etc., in the Confederate service during the war between the States (1876.)
Returning with his family to Georgia in the spring of 1877, Colonel Jones fixed his home at Montrose, in Summerville, near Augusta, Ga .. where he still resides; his law office being in the city of Augusta.
Since his return to his native State, aside from his professional labors, he has not been unmindful of his historical researches and literary pur suits. Among his later publications may be mentioned his Life and
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Services of Commodore Josiah Tattnall (1878); Dead Towns of Georgia (1878); De Soto's March through Georgia (1880); Memorial of Jean Pierre Purry (18So); The Georgia Historical Society : its Founders, Pa- trons, and Friends (ISSI); The Life and Services of ex-Governor Charles Jones Jenkins (1884); Geographical and Historical Sketch of Georgia (1884); Sepulture of Major-General Nathanael Greene, and of Brigadier- General Count Casimir Pulaski (1885) ; The Life, Literary Labors, and Neglected Grave of Richard Henry Wilde (1885); Biographical Sketch of the Honorable Major John Habersham of Georgia (1886) ; Brigadier- General Robert Toombs (1886); The Life and Services of the Honorable Samuel Elbert, of Georgia (1887); The English Colonization of Georgia (1887); Negro Myths from the Georgia Coast (1888) ; Address delivered at Midway Meeting-house, in Liberty county, Ga., (1889); and lastly, and more particularly, his History of Georgia (1883): a work of which the historian Bancroft remarked that it was the finest State history he had ever read, and that its high qualities fairly entitled its author to be called the Macaulay of the South. This history consists of two volumes, the first dealing with the aboriginal and colonial periods of Georgia, and the second being especially concerned with the Revolutionary epoch, and a narrative of the events which culminated in the independence of the colony and its erection into the dignity of a State. The volumes to which we refer represent the best work of Colonel Jones in the historical vein, and embody results which required years of painstaking study and deep reflection to compass. In like manner his Antiquities of the Southern Indians, particularly of the Georgia tribes, illustrates the chief fruits of his labors in the field of archaeology.
In addition to the publications to which we have alluded, Colonel Jones has printed addresses and discourses upon a variety of topics, prominent among which are his oration upon the unveiling and dedica- tion of the Confederate Monument in Augusta, Ga. (1878), his funeral oration pronounced at the capital of Georgia over the honorable Alex- ander H. Stephens, late governor of the State (1883); and his address en - titled the Old South (1887). In this connection also we may mention the addresses which he has delivered before the Confederate Survivors' As- sociation of Augusta, Ga .- an organization of which he is president, which was founded and has been perpetuated largely through his instru-
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mentality, and which is among the oldest associations of this character in the South. These annual addresses commenced on the 26th of April, 1879-the first anniversary of the association-have been regularly con- tinued to the present time. Including a special address upon Post Bel- lum Mortality among Confederates, they number eleven in all. They are for the most part historical in their character, and constitute calm and impartial studies of military events connected with Georgia annals dur- ing the war between the States. Among the topics discussed are Mili- tary Lessons inculcated on the Coast of Georgia during the Confederate War (1883); General Sherman's March from Atlanta to the Coast (1884) ; The Battle of Honey Hill (1885) ; and the Evacuation of Battery Wag- ner and the Battle of Ocean Pond (1888). The last is perhaps the most noteworthy of the series, and contains a description of a bombardment which for vividness and picturesqueness of detail should take rank among the best specimens of word-painting in our language. 1
Colonel Jones' literary labors during the year 1888, in addition to the two publications already considered, embrace two historical addresses, and . Memorial Histories of the cities of Savannah and Augusta, Ga., dur- ing the eighteenth century.
He has thrice appeared in the capacity of editor : first in connection with his father, Rev. Dr. C. C. Jones' History of the Church of God (New York, 1867); again in the publication of the Acts passed by the General Assembly of the Colony of Georgia from 1755 to 1774, (Wormsloc, ISSI): and lastly in rendering into type and annotating the Transactions of the Trustees of the Colony of Georgia by Rt. Hon. John Percival, first Earl of Egmont (Wormsloe, 1886).
The truth is, while he has in no wise neglected his profession, or failed in the discharge of duties appurtenant to it, law has never been to him a very jealous mistress. For him history, biography, and archaeology have presented enticing attractions ; and in that direction has he made most of his "foot-prints on the sands of time." Governor Stephens bore testi - mony to this fact when he said: "He has not permitted the calls of his profession, however, to absorb all his time and energy. By a method-
' Since the publication of this sketch two additional Confederate addresses by Colo- nel Jones have been published : viz., Georgians During the War Between the States. [1889] and his Funeral Oration in Honor of President Jefferson Davis. [1889.]
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ical economy in the arrangement of business peculiar to himself, he has, even under the greatest pressure of office duties, found leisure to contrib- ute largely to the literature as well as science of the country by his pen."
In 1879 Colonel Jones visited Europe, and spent four months pleas- antly and profitably in England and Scotland and upon the Continent. While in England, where so much that is valuable and pertinent to the history of the American Colonies is preserved in the British Museum and the Public Record Office, he was enabled to make special researches and gather additional material for his History of Georgia.
Erect in carriage, six feet high, powerfully built, with broad shoul- ders surmounted by a massive head covered with a wealth of ringlets sprinkled with grey, with genial countenance, handsome features, and a lofty brow overhanging a pair of penetrating blue eyes, Colonel Jones is at once a man of commanding presence, and the soul of courtliness and grace. Eloquent in utterance, wise in counsel, decisive in action, public- spirited, liberal to the extent of his means, with a charity and sym- pathy as broad as the race, high-toned in sentiment and act, and noble and generous in his impulses, he presents an attractive portrait of unself- ishness and earnest devotion to duty, challenging the respect and confi- dence of all. To charming conversational powers, social qualities of a high order, and an affable address, he unites varied and comprehensive knowledge, a retentive memory, a mind open to all impressions, and an interest in everything savoring of intellectual development. His energy and activity are never more apparent than when engaged upon any liter- ary composition. He then works with great rapidity, seldom revising or reading his MS. until it is finished. In proof of this assertion we may instance his Siege of Savannah in December, 1864, which was written in seven evenings; the two volumes of his History of Georgia, which, ex- clusive of the preliminary study involved, were prepared at odd intervals during seven months; and his Memorial Histories of Savannah, and Au- gusta, Ga., which were begun and completed within less than two months. While possessing the ability of rapid composition, he also has that other desirable attribute of excellent chirography. His penmanship is fault- less, and his bold, flowing hand is not only legible but very attractive.
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Colonel Jones has twice been complimented with the degree of LL.D., and is a member of various literary societies both in this country and in
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Europe. His Antiquities of the Southern Indians was the work which first brought lim prominently before the attention of European scholars, and introduced him to scientific circles abroad. Since its publication he has been generally regarded as the leading authority upon the subject of which he therein treats. Alluding to his archaeological work, it may be mentioned that his first important contribution to the literature of his State-Monumental Remains of Georgia (Savannah, 1861)-belongs to this department of his writings. Other works of his in the same field are his Indian Remains in Southern Georgia (Savannah, 1859); Ancient Tu- muli on the Savannah River (New York, 1868); Ancient Tumuli in Georgia, (Worcester, Mass., 1869), and Aboriginal Structures in Georgia, (Washington, 1878.)
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