USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia, Volume I > Part 33
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
2 See Wright's Memoir of Oghthorpe, Society, vol. i. p. 263. Savannah. p. 219. London. 1867. MDCCCXL.
320
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
vateers to prey upon Spanish commerce. He was surprised that a distant colony should have acquired a knowledge of a rupture with Spain, when Georgia, lying adjacent to Florida and there- fore in immediate peril, was still in ignorance of an actual or meditated declaration of war.
Returning to Savannah he there found dispatches announcing hostilities between England and Spain. On the 3d of October he assembled the freeholders under arms. At noon they all re- paired to the court-house. The magistrates in their gowns took their seats upon the bench, and Oglethorpe sat with them. He then addressed the multitude, acquainting the citizens of Savan- nah with the fact that, in the present emergency, they need entertain no fears of the Indian nations, all of whom had been brought into closer alliance by the recent convention at Coweta Town. Although the province lay open to the sea, English frig- ates would cruise along the coast for its protection, and additional land forces were expected. The instructions he had received from his majesty's Secretary of State in reference to the opening war with Spain were then communicated to them, and the inhab itants exhorted to activity, watchfulness, and bravery.
The address concluded, the cannons of the fort were dis- charged, and the freeholders "fired three handsome vollies with their small arms, as it were in defiance, without the appearance of any dread of the Spaniards." 1
Observing that the common, from which the trees had been cut, was now overgrown with bushes, and that the squares and some of the streets were filled with weeds, the general ordered the entire male population out on police duty and caused these spaces to be properly cleared and cleaned. By actual count he ascertained that there were then in the town about two hundred men capable of bearing arms. A plenty of bread and beer put them all in good heart.
And now the colony was called upon to mourn the demise of one of its best and truest friends, the venerable Tomo-chi-chi. His final illness was protracted, and he passed away in the full enjoyment of his mental faculties. The following letter conveys an interesting account of the last moments and sepulture of this noted Indian king : -
" SAVANNAH IN GEORGIA, Oct: 10, 1739.
" King Toma-chi-chi died on the 5th, at his own town, 4 miles from hence, of a lingering Illness, being aged about 97. IIe was
1 Stephens' Journal of Proceedings, vol. ii. p. 150. London. MDCCXLII.
.
0
321
DEATH AND BURIAL OF TOMO-CHI-CHI.
sensible to the last Minutes, and when he was persuaded his death was near he showed the greatest Magnanimity and Sedate- ness, and exhorted his People never to forget the favours he had received from the King when in England, but to persevere in their Friendship with the English. He expressed the greatest Tenderness for Gen. Oglethorpe, and seemed to have no Con- cern at dying but its being at a Time when his Life might be useful against the Spaniards. He desired his Body might be buried amongst the English in the Town of Savannah, since it was he that had prevailed with the Creek Indians to give the Land, and had assisted in the founding of the Town. The Corpse was brought down by Water. The General, attended by the Magistrates and People of the Town, met it upon the Wa- ter's Edge. The Corpse was carried into Percival Square. The pall was supported by the General, Col" Stephens, Col" Mon- taigut, M' Carteret, M' Lemon, and M' Maxwell. It was fol- lowed by the Indians and Magistrates and People of the Town. There was the Respect paid of firing Minute Guns from the Battery all the time during the Burial, and Funeral - firing with small Arms by the Militia, who were under arms. The General has ordered a Pyramid of Stone, which is dug in this Neighbour- hood, to be erected over the Grave, which being in the Centre of the Town, will be a great Ornament to it, as well as testimony of Gratitude.
" Tomo-chi-chi was a Creek Indian, and in his youth a great Warriour. He had an excellent Judgment and a very ready Wit, which showed itself in his Answers on all Occasions. He was very generous, giving away all the rich presents he received, remaining himself in a wilful Poverty, being more pleased in giving to others, than possessing himself ; and he was very mild and good natured." 1
Nearly a century and a half have elapsed since these funeral honors were paid, and the monument ordered by General Ogle- thorpe has never been erected. Even the precise spot where this Indian chief was interred has faded from the recollection of later generations. Neither street nor public square perpetuates his name, and his memory dwells only in occasional remem- brance. This should not be. Ingratitude is a grievous fault. May we not hope for the sake of her good name, in response to the wish of General Oglethorpe, and as an acknowledgment of
1 Gentleman's Magazine, vol. x. p. 129. ings, vol. ii. pp. 152, 153. London. Compare Stephens' Journal of Proceed- MDCCXLIL
21
.
322
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
the debt of gratitude she owes to this noted Indian, that Savan- nah, herself a living witness of the enterprise, courage, and taste of the founder of the colony of Georgia, a city which has ren- dered such conspicuous tribute to the memories of Greene, and Pulaski, and Jasper, and the Confederate Dead, will, at no dis- tant day, cause to be lifted up in one of her high places a suita- ble monument in just and honorable appreciation of the friend- ship and services of the venerable Tomo-chi-chi ?
Relying upon the promise made at Coweta, Oglethorpe, early in October, dispatched runners to the Indian towns requesting the chiefs of the Creeks and Cherokees to send one thousand warriors to the southern frontiers to cooperate with him against the Spaniards. Before leaving Savannah for Frederica he in- spected the arms, reviewed the militia, distributed ammunition, accommodated the differences existing among the civil officers, and granted letters of marque to Captain Davis whom the Span- iards had misused. The captain soon converted his sloop into a privateer mounting twenty-four guns.
For years had British trade with America suffered annoyance and loss from the Spanish guarda-costas. Under various and frivolous pretenses English merchantmen were seized and carried into Spanish ports where they were generally confiscated. The sailors on board were confined and subjected to cruel treatment. Redress was loudly demanded by the people of England, but Sir Robert Walpole, conscious of the advantages of peace to a com- mercial nation, sought to secure by negotiation that satisfaction which might properly have been demanded at the cannon's mouth. By the terms of the convention at Pardo, in January, 1739, Spain agreed to pay a sum of money by way of compensa- tion for the losses sustained by British subjects. With regard to the territory in dispute between Florida and Georgia it was ar- ranged that the governors of these respective provinces should allow matters to remain in statu quo until the boundaries were settled by commissioners to be named by both courts. This con- vention was unpopular in England. The neglect on the part of Spain to pay the stipulated sum at the appointed time furnished Walpole with a plausible pretext for declaring war. Admiral Vernon was appointed to the command of a formidable squadron in the West Indies, and Oglethorpe was ordered to annoy the Spanish settlements in Florida.1
Acting under instructions from the Duke of Newcastle, he had
1 See Wright's Memoir of Oglethorpe, p. 224. Loudon. 1867.
323
SPANISH OUTRAGE ON AMELIA ISLAND.
for some time abstained from establishing any new posts, and had not increased his fortifications on the southern frontier. So soon, however, as he heard that the stipulations of the convention had been violated on the part of Spain, lie renewed his exertions to place the colonies of Georgia and South Carolina in a strong posture of defense. Fortifications were repaired and reinforced. Vessels of war were detailed to guard the coast. A troop of rangers was advanced to prevent the Spanish horse from invad- ing the disputed territory. Indian warriors were summoned from the interior to act as scouts, and his regiment was put in fighting trim. Since the withdrawal of his outpost on St. George's Island in 1736, his most southerly outlook was on Amelia Island. There a scout-boat was stationed with a crew of sixteen men. To these the general afterwards added a sergeant's guard. As some of the seamen and soldiers had families, there were now residing on the island about forty persons, whose little settlement was protected with palisades and a battery of two or three guns.
On the 5th of November, 1739, the general set out for Fred- erica. Henceforth he was to see little of Savannah. His place was near the enemy, - his home upon the waters and in the forts which guarded the southern confines of the colony.
The first blood spilt was by the hand of the Spaniard. On the 15th of November intelligence was brought to Frederica that a party of Spaniards had recently landed in the night on Amelia Island. Concealing themselves in the woods, on the ensuing morning they shot two unarmed Highlanders who were in quest of fuel, and then, in the most inhuman manner, hacked their bodies with their swords. Francis Brooks, commanding the scout- boat, heard the firing and gave the alarm to the fort which was garrisoned by a small detachment from Oglethorpe's regiment. Although pursued, the enemy escaped, leaving behind them the proofs of their inhuman butchery.1
Informed of the outrage, Oglethorpe followed in the hope of overtaking and punishing its perpetrators. The effort proved futile ; but the general, by way of retaliation, swept the river St. John, landed on the Spanish main, drove in the out-guards,
1 In the account of this transaction con- tained in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1740 (vol. x. p. 129), it is stated that after they were shot the heads of these two Highlanders were cut off and their bodies cruelly mangled by the enemy. The perpetrators of this outrage consisted
of Spaniards, negroes, and Indians. See letter of General Oglethorpe to the Lieu- tenant-Governor of South Carolina, dated November 16, 1739.
The Spanish Hireling Detected, etc., pp. 50, 51. London. 1743.
324
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
and burnt three outposts. Marching in the direction of St. Au- gustine he ravaged the country. For three days he remained in this locality collecting cattle and endeavoring to provoke the enemy to combat. At one time the Spanish horse, attended by negroes and Indians, appeared, but upon being attacked retreated precipitately and took shelter within their forts. He also dis- patched Lieutenant Dunbar up the river, with a force, to surprise Forts St. Francis and Picolata. Landing at night he attempted to carry the latter, but after an effort of several hours, finding that the fort could not be reduced without the aid of artillery, he withdrew.
On new year's day, 1740, Oglethorpe, taking a detachment of his regiment and accompanied by Captains Mackay and Des- brisay, Lieutenant Dunbar, Ensigns Mackay, Mace, Sutherland and Maxwell, Adjutant Hugh Mackay, the rangers, the Chick- esas under the command of Fanne Mico, Captain Gray, the Uchce king and his warriors, Hewitt, Hillispilli and Santouchy with their Creek gun-men, Mr. Matthews and Mr. Jones, conveyed in a periagua, thirteen boats, and a privateer sloop, ascended the Alata (or St. John's) River and surprised and burnt Fort Pico- lata. He then invested Fort St. Francis de Papa, planting four pieces of cannon for its reduction. Although the enemy at first refused to surrender, and briskly returned the infantry fire di- rected against the tower, the second discharge from the artillery evoked a cry for quarter. At the time of its capitulation this fort was armed with two pieces of cannon, one mortar, and three swivel guns. The situation of this fortification was impor- tant, being within twenty-one miles of St. Augustine, in the midst of a territory well stocked with cattle and horses, and com- manding the ferry across the river to Picolata. In carrying this post General Oglethorpe narrorly escaped death from a can- non shot. Deeming it too valuable a point to be abandoned, he strengthened its defenses and occupied it with a garrison.1
In his dispatches to the trustees the absence of an adequate supply of scout-boats is earnestly deprecated. Although the French had attacked the Carolina Indians, although the Span- iards had thus inaugurated their hostile demonstrations against Georgia, and although they seemingly were preparing to put into execution their threat " to root the English out of America,"
1 For full details of these incursions, ruary, 1740. Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, vol. iii. pp. 105-108. Savannah. 1873.
see letter of General Oglethorpe to Colo- nel Stephens, dated Frederica, Ist Feb-
325
ST. AUGUSTINE TO BE ATTACKED.
Oglethorpe thus writes : " We here are resolved to die hard and will not lose one inch of ground without fighting ; but we cannot do impossibilities. We have no cannon from the king, nor any others but some small iron guns bought by the Trust. We have very little powder, no horse for marching, very few boats, and no fund for paying the men but of one boat. The Spaniards have a number of launches, also horse, and a fine train of artillery well provided with stores. The best expedient I can think of is to strike first. As our strength consists in men, and as the people of the colony as well as the old soldiers handle their arms well and are desirous of action, I think the best way is to make use of our strength, beat them out of the field, and destroy their plantations and out-settlements, - in which the Indians, who are very faithful, can assist us, - and to form the siege of Augus- tine, if I can get artillery. It is impossible to keep this Prov- ince or Carolina without either destroying Augustine or keeping horse-rangers and scout-boats sufficient to restrain their nimble parties. I must therefore again desire you would insist for our having an establishment of four ten-oared boats to the south- ward and one at Savannah, as well as a train of artillery, some gunners, and at least 400 barrels of cannon and 100 barrels of musquet powder, with bullets proportionable.
" I am fortifying the town of Frederica, and I hope I shall be repaid the expences; from whom I know not. Yet I could not think of leaving a number of good houses and merchants' goods, and what is much more valuable, the lives of men, women, and children in an open town, at the mercy of every party, and the inhabitants obliged either to fly to a fort and leave their effects, or suffer with them."
1
CHAPTER XXI.
OGLETHORPE PREPARES FOR AN ADVANCE UPON ST. AUGUSTINE. - AID IN- VOKED AND RECEIVED FROM SOUTH CAROLINA. - SIEGE OF ST. AUGUS- TINE. - OGLETHORPE'S COTTAGE NEAR FREDERICA. - DESCRIPTION OF FREDERICA IN 1740. - VILLAGE OF ST. SIMON. - MILITARY POSTS ON THE SOUTHERN FRONTIER. - VILLAGE OF BARRIMACKE. - EFFICIENT SER- VICES RENDERED BY INDIAN ALLIES.
His plan for inaugurating offensive operations having been approved by the home authorities, ascertaining that the galleys which had been guarding the St. John's River and the upper coast of Florida had been withdrawn and sent to Havana for reinforcements and supplies, and learning that the garrison at St. Augustine was suffering for lack of provisions, General Ogle- thorpe deemed it a fitting season to attempt the reduction of that town and the expulsion of the Spaniards from the province of which it was the capital.
Admiral Vernon was instructed to demonstrate against the Spanish possessions in the West Indies, while Oglethorpe con- ducted all his available forces against the seat of Spanish domin- ion in Florida. The assistance of South Carolina was urgently invoked, but the authorities at first would not acquiesce in the feasibility of the enterprise.1
1 In a letter dated Frederica, December 29, 1739, General Oglethorpe explained to the Carolina authorities his designs against St. Augustine, and the assistance he desired to receive from that province. A requisition was therein made for twelve eighteen-pounder guns, with two hundred rounds of ammunition for each piece, one mortar with proper complement of powder and bombs, eight hundred pioneers, either negroes or white men, and the requisite tools, " such as spades, hoes, axes, and hatchets, to dig trenches, make gabelines, and fascines." Vessels and boats sufficient to transport the artillery, men, and provis- ions, and six thousand bushels of corn or rice to feed the thousand Indians who
were to unite in the expedition, were also demanded. He desired that as many horsemen as could be collected should, un- der the guidance of Mr. McPherson or Mr. Jones, eross the Savannah and rendezvous at the ferry on the " Alata " River, from which point they would be conducted into " Spanish Florida." It was suggested that fifty good horsemen might be raised at " l'urrisburg," and that four months' pro- visions for four hundred men of his regi- ment should be contributed, and boats suf- ficient to transport them. Of artillery on hand the general reported thirty-six coe- horns and about eighteen hundred shells. In addition to the four hundred men drawn from his regiment, and the Indians
327
OGLETHORPE PREPARES TO INVADE FLORIDA.
A rapid movement being regarded as essential to success, Gen- eral Oglethorpe repaired to Charlestown to urge early and potent cooperation. As a result of the conference which there ensued, the legislature, by an act approved April 5, 1740, agreed to con- tribute a regiment of five hundred men, to be commanded by Colonel Vanderdussen, a troop of rangers, presents for the In- dians, and three months' provisions. A large schooner, convey- ing ten carriage and sixteen swivel guns and fifty men under the command of Captain Tyrrell, was also furnished for the expe- dition. Commodore Vincent Price, with a small fleet, pledged his assistance.
On the 1st of April General Oglethorpe published a mani- festo, in which, recognizing Alexander Vanderdussen, Esq., as colonel of the Carolina regiment, he empowered him for the space of four months to hold regimental courts-martial for the trial of offenders. At the expiration of that period all connected with that regiment were to be suffered to return to their homes. To the naval forces uniting in the expedition a full share of plunder was guaranteed. To the maimed and wounded, and to the wid- ows and orphans of such as might perish in the service, was promised whatever share of the spoils should fall to the lot of the general-in-chief. Indian enemies, if taken captive, were to be treated as prisoners of war, and not as slaves.1
The mouth of the St. John was designated as the point of rendezvous.
Runners were sent from the Uchee town to the Indian allies to inform them of the contemplated demonstration against St. Au- gustine and to request a concentration of their warriors at Fred- erica at the earliest moment. This done, the general returned at once to St. Simon's Island where he devoted himself to equip- ping his troops and collecting the requisite munitions of war.
Pausing not for the arrival of all his forces, and wishing to reduce the posts through which the enemy derived supplies from the country, General Oglethorpe, with four hundred men of his own regiment and a considerable band of Indians, led by Molo- chi, son of Prim, the late chief of the Creeks, Raven, war chief of the Cherokees, and Toonahowi, nephew of Tomo-chi-chi, on
whom he had engaged, he expected to be plete Collection of Voyages and Travels, able to arm and utilize for the expedition vol. ii. pp. 338, 339. London. 1748. about two hundred men of the Georgia See also The Spanish Hireling Detected, etc., pp. 52-57. London. 1743. colony, if arrangements could be made for paying and feeding them.
For this letter in full, see Harris' Com-
1 See Harris' Memorials of Oglethorpe, pp. 378, 380. Boston. 1841.
328
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
the 9th of May passed over into Florida and, within a week, suc- ceeded in repossessing himself of Fort Francis de Papa,1 and in re- ducing Fort Diego,2 situated on the plains about twenty-five miles distant from St. Augustine. The latter work was defended by eleven guns and fifty regulars, besides some Indians and negroes. Leaving Lieutenant Dunbar and sixty men to hold this post, the general returned with the rest of his command to the place of rendezvous where, on the 19th of May, he was joined by Captain McIntosh with a company of Highlanders, and by the Carolina troops under Colonel Vanderdussen. The anticipated horsemen, pioneers, and negroes, however, did not come.
From the best information he could obtain, gathered from prisoners and otherwise, General Oglethorpe ascertained that the castle of St. Augustine at that time consisted of a fort built of soft stone. Its curtain was sixty yards in length, its parapet nine feet thick, and its rampart twenty feet high, " casemated underneath for lodgings, and arched over and newly made bomb- proof." Its armament consisted of fifty cannon, -sixteen of brass, - and among them some twenty-four pounders. The gar- rison had been for some time working upon a covered way, but this was still in an unfinished condition. The town of St. Augustine was protected by a line of intrenchments with ten salient angles, in each of which field pieces were mounted. In January, 1740, the Spanish forces in Florida, by establishment, consisted of the following organizations : 3-
1 Troop of Horse
numbering 100 officers and men.
1 Company of Artillery
3 Independent Companies of old Troops, each
2 Companies of the Regiment of Austurias, each
53
1 Company ¥
" Valencia,
1
¥
" Catalonia,
2 Companies "
" Cantabria, each
" Mercia, each
"
53
200
White Transports for labor
1 Company of Militia (strength unknown). Indians (number not ascertained).
100
100
53
53
53
2 Armed Negroes
200
1 The object of this fort was to guard banks' History and Antiquities of St. Au- the passage of the St. John's River and gustine, pp. 144, 145. New York. 1858. 2 This work had been erected by Don Diego de Spinosa upon his own estate. Its remains, with one or two eannon, are still visible. Idem, p. 144. maintain communication with St. Marks and Pensacola. It was a place of some strength, and the traces of the earth- work there thrown up may still be seen about a fourth of a mile north of the ter- 8 See letter of General Oglethorpe to the Lieutenant-Governor of South Caro- mination of the Bellamy road. Fair-
-
329
OPERATIONS AGAINST ST. AUGUSTINE.
It was General Oglethorpe's original purpose, as foreshadowed in his dispatch of the 27th of March, 1740,1 with four hundred regular troops of his regiment, one hundred Georgians, and such additional forces as South Carolina could contribute, to advance directly upon St. Augustine, and attack, by sea and land, the town and the island in its front. Both of these, he believed, could be taken " sword in hand." He would then summon the castle to surrender, or surprise it. Conceiving that the castle would be too small to afford convenient shelter for the two thousand one hundred men, women, and children of the town, he regarded the capitulation of the fortress as not improbable. Should it refuse to surrender, he proposed to shower upon it " Granado-shells from the Coehorns and Mortars, and send for the Artillery and Pioneers and the rest of the Aid promised by the Assembly ; 2 also for Mortars and Bombs from Providence." If the castle should not have yielded prior to the arrival of " these Aids," he was resolved to open trenches and conduct a siege which he reckoned would be all the easier, the garrison having been weakened by the summer's blockade.
About the time of the concentration of the Georgia and Caro- lina forces for combined operations against St. Augustine, that town was materially reinforced by the arrival of six Spanish half-galleys, manned by two hundred regular troops and armed with long brass nine-pounder guns, and two sloops loaded with provisions.
Warned by the preliminary demonstration which eventuated, as we have seen, in the capture of Forts Francis de Papa and Diego, the enemy massed all detachments within the lines of St. Augustine, collected cattle from the adjacent region, and pre- pared for a vigorous defense.
Apprehending that he might not be able to carry the town by assault from the land side, where its intrenchments were strong and well armed, unless supported by a demonstration in force from the men-of-war approaching the town where it looks to- ward the sea and where it was not covered by earthworks, and being without the requisite pioneer corps and artillery train for the conduct of a regular siege, before putting his army in motion General Oglethorpe instructed the naval commanders to rendez- lina, under date December 29, 1739. The 1 Spanish Hireling Detected, etc., pp. 59-61. London. 1743. Spanish Hireling Detected, etc., pp. 57, 58. London. 1743. Collections of the Georgia 2 Of South Carolina. Historical Society, vol. iii. pp. 108, 109. Savannah. 1873.
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.