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Upon Amelia Island, where the orange-trees were growing wild in the woods, were stationed the Highlanders with their scout-boats. They had a good plantation upon which they raised corn enough for their subsistence, a little fort, and "a stud of horses and mares." 1
" Nowhere," remarks Mr. Spalding,2 " had mind, with the limited means under its control, more strongly evinced its power. And it will be seen hereafter that it was to the great ability shown in the disposition of these works that not Georgia only but Carolina owed their preservation ; for St. Simon's was des- tined soon to become the Thermopyla of the Southern Anglo- American provinces." Besides compassing the improvement of
1 See An Impartial Enquiry into the Memoir of Oglethorpe, p. 264. London. State and Utility of the Province of Geor- 1867. gia, etc., p 53. London. 1743. Wright's
" Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, vol. i. p. 258. Savannah. 1840.
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
and garrisoning his defensive works along the southern frontier with the men of his regiment, Oglethorpe kept in active service considerable bodies of Indians whose mission was to harass the Spaniards in Florida, annoy their posts, and closely invest St. Augustine. So energetically did these faithful allies discharge the duty assigned them, and so carefully did they watch and thoroughly plague the garrison and inhabitants of St. Augustine, that they dared not venture any distance without the walls. Adjacent plantations remained uncultivated. Within the town, food, fuel, and the necessaries of life became so scarce that the Spanish government was compelled to support the population by stores sent from Havana. To the efficient aid of his Indian allies was Oglethorpe on more than one occasion indebted for the con- summation of important plans. It would not be an exaggeration to affirm that to their friendship, fidelity, and valor was the colony largely beholden not only for its security, but even for its preservation. "If we had no other evidence," writes Mr. Spald- ing, "of the great abilities of Oglethorpe but what is offered by the devotion of the Indian tribes to him, and to his memory afterwards for fifty years, it is all-sufficient ; for it is only master minds that acquire this deep and lasting influence over other men."
HE THITEM TER
CHAPTER XXII.
OGLETHORPE RENEWS HIS DEMAND FOR MEN-OF-WAR AND MILITARY STORES. - SCURRILOUS ATTACKS UPON OGLETHORPE AND THE TRUSTEES' SERVANTS. - SPANISH FORCES CONCENTRATED FOR THE SUBJUGATION OF GEORGIA. - ATTACK UPON ST. SIMON'S ISLAND, AND ITS HEROIC DE- FENSE CONDUCTED BY OGLETHORPE. - NARRATIVES OF THIS IMPORTANT AFFAIR. - OGLETHORPE'S COUNTER BLOW DELIVERED AGAINST FLORIDA. - DESCRIPTIONS OF FREDERICA IN 1743. - OGLETHORPE'S DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND. - HIS CHARACTER, SUBSEQUENT CAREER, AND DEATH.
THERE was a lull in the storm, but the skies were still over- cast. In the distance were heard ominous mutterings portending the advent of another and a darker tempest. Anxious, but calm, Oglethorpe scanned the adverse skies and prepared to breast their fury. On the 12th of May, 1741, he reports to the Duke of Newcastle the arrival, at St. Augustine, of a reinforcement of eight hundred soldiers, and informs the home government of a settled determination on the part of the Spanish authorities to invade the provinces of Georgia and Carolina so soon as the result of Admiral Vernon's expedition in the West Indies shall have been ascertained. He makes urgent demand for men-of-war to guard the water approaches, for a train of artillery, arms, and ammunition, for authority to recruit the two troops of rangers to sixty men each and the Highland company to one hundred, to enlist one hundred boatmen, and to purchase or build and man two half galleys. Alluding to the expected advance of the Span- iards, the writer continues : " If our men of war will not keep them from coming in by sea, and we have no succour, but de- crease daily by different accidents, all we can do will be to die bravely in his Majesty's service. . . . I have often desired as- sistance of the men-of-war, and continue to do so. I go on in for- tifying this town, making magazines, and doing everything I can to defend the Province vigorously, and I hope my endeavours will be approved of by his Majesty, since the whole end of my life is to do the duty of a faithful subject and grateful servant. I have thirty Spanish prisoners in this place, and we continue so masters of Florida that the Spaniards have not been able to re-
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
build any one of the seven forts which we destroyed in the last expedition."
It does not appear that the men-of-war and ordnance requested were ever furnished.
With a little squadron composed of the Guard sloop, the sloop Falcon, and Captain Davis' schooner Norfolk carrying a detach- ment of his regiment under command of Major Heron, General Oglethorpe on the 16th of August, 1741, bore down upon a large Spanish ship lying at anchor, with hostile intent, off the bar of Jekyll Sound. A heavy storm intervening, the Spanish vessel put to sca and was lost to sight. Unwilling to dismiss his minia- ture fleet until he had performed more substantial service, the general boldly continued down the coast, attacked and put to flight a Spanish man-of-war and the notorious privateer Black- Sloop commanded by Destrade, a French officer, challenged the vessels lying in the inner harbor of St. Augustine to come out and engage his small squadron, remained at anchor all night within sight of the castle, cruised for some days off the Matanzas, and, after having alarmed the whole coast, returned in safety to Frederica.
In the midst of these labors and anxieties incident upon his preparations to resist the threatened Spanish invasion, and at a time when harmony and content were most essential to the well- being of the colony, Oglethorpe was annoyed by sundry com- plaints from evil-minded persons. Most of them were frivolous, and a few quite insulting in their character. The publication of two tracts, one entitled " An Impartial Enquiry into the State and Utility of the Province of Georgia," 1 and the other " A State of the Province of Georgia attested upon Oath in the Court of Savannah, November 10, 1740," 2 both presenting favorable views of the colony and disseminated in the interest of the trust, irritated these malcontents and gave rise to several rejoinders, among which, as particularly reflecting upon the conduct of the commander-in-chief and his administration of affairs, may be mentioned " A Brief Account of the Causes that have retarded the Progress of the Colony of Georgia in America, attested upon Oath, being a Proper Contrast to ' A State of the Province of Georgia attested upon Oath,' and some other Misrepresentations on the same Subject." 3 The charge was openly made that some of the magistrates at Savannah and Frederica (the principal towns in Georgia) had willfully injured the people by declaring 1 London. 1741. 2 London. 1742. 8 London. 1743.
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COMPLAINTS FROM EVIL-MINDED PERSONS.
" from the Benchi that the Laws of England were no laws in Georgia," by causing "false imprisonments," by "discharging Grand Juries while matters of Felony lay before them," by " in- timidating Petit Juries," and, in short, " by sticking at nothing to oppress the people." It was further alleged that there was no way of applying to his majesty for redress. General Oglethorpe was accused of partiality and tyranny in his administration. In support of these charges various affidavits were obtained from parties claiming to be residents of Frederica, Darien, Savannah, Ebenezer, and Augusta, most of them, however, being sworn to and verified outside the limits of Georgia. Those who are curious with regard to the contents of these affidavits, so far as they reflect upon the conduct of the Frederica magistrates, are referred to the depositions of Samuel Perkins, John Roberson, and Samuel Davison.1
A desire to sell forbidden articles and to ply trades for which special permission had been granted to others, opposition to the regulation which prohibited the owners of hogs and cattle from allowing them to run at large on the common and in the streets of Frederica, alleged misfeasance in the conduct of bailiffs and under-magistrates in the discharge of their duties, the unprofit- ableness of labor, overbearing acts committed by those in an- thority, and similar matters, formed the burthen of these sworn complaints. While they tended to distract the public mind and to annoy those upon whose shoulders rested the administration of affairs, they fortunately failed in producing any serious impression either within the colony or in the mother country. We allude to the subject in its proper connection simply as a matter of his- tory, and to show how ill-judged and ill-timed were these efforts of the malcontents, among whom Pat Tailfer, M. D., Hugh Anderson, M. A., and Da : Douglas should not be forgotten.
The utter destruction of the provinces of Georgia and South Carolina was the avowed object of the Spaniards, who promised to extend no quarter to English or Indians taken with arms in their hands. The struggle was to be desperate in the extreme. To the urgent applications for assistance forwarded by General Oglethorpe, Lieutenant-Governor Bull turned a deaf ear. The Carolinians, instead of furnishing supplies and munitions of war, and marching to the south to meet the invader where the battle for the salvation of both colonies was to be fought, re-
1 A Brief Account of the Causes that Georgia, etc., appendix, pp. 1-19. Lon- have retarded the Progress of the Colony of don. 1743.
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
mained at home, leaving the Georgians single-handed to breast the storm.1
The " Gentleman's Magazine " 2 contains the following estimate of the Spanish forces under the command of Don Manuel de Monteano, governor of Augustine and commander-in-chief of the expedition, and Major-General Antonio de Rodondo, engineer general, participating in the attack upon St. Simon's Island : -
" 2 Colonels with Brevits of Brigadiers.
" One Regiment of Dragoons, dismounted, with their Saddles and Bridles.
" The Regiment call'd The Battalion of the Havannah.
" 10 Companies of 50 each, draughted off from several Regi- ments of Havannah.
"One Regiment of the Havannah Militia, consisting of 10 Companies of 100 Men each.
" One Regiment of Negroes, regularly officer'd by Negroes.
" One ditto of Mulattas, and one Company of 100 Miguelets.
"One Company of the Train with proper Artillery.
" Augustine Forces consisting of about 300 Men.
"Ninety Indians.
" And 15 Negroes who ran away from South Carolina."
From the various accounts of this memorable struggle we select that prepared by Oglethorpe himself, written on the spot, with the scars of battle fresh around him and the smoke of the con- flict scarce lifted from the low-lying shores and dense woods of St. Simon's Island. The commanding eye that saw, the stern lips which answered back the proud defiance, and the strong arm which, under Providence, pointed the way to victory, are surely best able to unfold the heroic tale. We present the report as it came from his pen : 3 -
" FREDERICA IN GEORGIA, 30th July, 1742.
" The Spanish Invasion which has a long time threatened the Colony, Carolina, and all North America has at last fallen upon us and God hath been our deliverance. General Horeasilas, Gov- ernour of the Havannah, ordered those Troops who had been em- ployed against General Wentworth to embark with Artillery and everything necessary upon a secret expedition. They sailed with a great fleet : 4 amongst them were two half Galleys carrying 120
1 See letter of General Oglethorpe, dated Frederica, June 8, 1742, Wright's Memoir of Oglethorpe, p. 298. London. 1867.
2 For 1742, vol. xii. p. 694.
8 See Collections of the Georgia Histor- ical Society, vol. iii. p. 133 et seq. Savan- nah. 1873.
4 Consisting of fifty-six sail, and be- tween seven and eight thousand men.
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SPANISH INVASION.
men each & an 18 pound Gun. They drew but five feet water which satisfied me they were for this place. By good great For- tune one of the half Galleys was wrecked coming out.1 The Fleet sailed for St. Augustine in Florida. Capt. Homer the latter end of May called here for Intelligence. I acquainted him that the Succours were expected and sent him a Spanish Pilot to shew him where to meet with them. He met with ten sail 2 which had been divided from the Fleet by storm, but having lost 18 men in action against them, instead of coming here for the defence of this Place he stood again for Charles Town to repair, and I hav- ing certain advices of the arrival of the Spanish Fleet at Angus- tine wrote to the Commander of His Majesty's Ships at Charles Town to come to our assistance.3
"I sent Lieut. Maxwell who arrived there and delivered the letters the 12th of June, and afterwards Lieut. Mackay, who ar- rived and delivered letters on the 20th of June.
" Lieut. Colonel Cook who was then at Charles Town, and was Engineer, hastened to England, and his son-in-law Ensign Eyre, Sub-Engineer, was also in Charles Town, and did not arrive here till the action was over; so, for want of help, I myself was obliged to do the duty of Engineer.
" The Havannah Fleet, being joined by that of Florida, com- posed 51 sail, with land men on board, a List of whom is an- nexed : they were separated, and I received advice from Capt. Dunbar (who lay at Fort William with the Guard Schooner of 14 Guns and ninety men) that a Spanish Fleet of 14 sail had at- tempted to come in there, 4 but being drove out by the Cannon of the Fort and Schooner they came in at Cumberland Sound. I sent over Capt. Horton to land the Indians and Troops on
1 This was a large settee having one hundred and fifty men on board. A few days afterwards the fleet was dispersed by a storm, so that all the shipping did not arrive at St. Augustine.
2 These he attacked, driving some of them ashorc.
8 " Never did the Carolincans," says Mr. Hewitt, " make so bad a figure in the defence of their country. When union, activity and dispatch were so req- uisite, they ingloriously stood at a dis- tance, and suffering private pique to pre- vail over public spirit, seemed determined to risk the safety of their country, rather than General Oglethorpe by their help
should gain the smallest degree of honour and reputation. . . . The Georgians with justice blamed their more powerful neigh- bors, who, by keeping at a distance in the day of danger, had almost hazarded the loss of both provinces."
Historical Account of the Rise and Prog- ress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, vol. ii. pp. 119, 120. London. 1779.
4 This was on the 21st of June. Most of the accounts place the number of Spanish vessels, then attempting to enter Amelia Sound, at nine, instead of four- teen.
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Cumberland. I followed myself and was attacked in the Sound, but with two Boats fought my way through. Lieut. Tolson, who was to have supported me with the third and strongest boat, quitted me in the fight and run into a River where he hid him- self till next day when he returned to St. Simon's with an account that I was lost but soon after found. I was arrived there before him, for which misbehaviour I put him in arrest and ordered him to be tryed. The Enemy in this action suffered so much 1 that the day after they ran out to sea and returned for St. Augustine and did not join their great Fleet till after their Grenadiers were beat by Land.
" I drew the Garrison from St. Andrews, reinforced Fort Will- iam, and returned to St. Simon's with the Schooner.
" Another Spanish Fleet appeared the 28th off the Barr : by God's blessing upon several measures taken I delayed their com- ing in till the 5th of July. I raised another Troop of Rangers, which with the other were of great service.
" I took Captain Thomson's ship 2 into the service for defence of the Harbour. I imbargoe'd all the Vessells, taking their men for the service, and gave large Gifts and promises to the Indians so that every day we increased in numbers. I gave large re- wards to men who distinguished themselves upon any service, freed the servants,3 brought down the Highland Company, and Company of Boatmen, filled up as far as we had guns. All the vessels being thus prepared 4 on the 5th of July with a leading Gale and Spring Tide 36 sail of Spanish vessels run into the Harbour in line of Battle.
" We cannonaded them very hotly from the Shipping and Batterys. They twice attempted to board Capt. Thomson 5 but
1 In endeavoring to reach St. Augus- tine for repairs, four of their vessels foundered at sea.
2 This was the merchant ship Suc- cess, mounting twenty guns. The gen- eral sent one hundred soldiers on board of her and filled her with necessary military stores. Thus she became, in the language of one of her crew, "ready for twice the number of Spaniards."
8 For their passage and onttit, they had agreed to labor for the trust for a given period.
4 This little fleet consisted of the Success, Captain Thompson, of twenty guns and one hundred and ten men, with
springs upon her cables, General Ogle- thorpe's schooner of fourteen guns and eighty men, and the sloop St. Philip, of fourteen guns and eighty men. Eight York sloops were close in shore, with one man on board each of them, whose instructions were, in case the enemy were about to capture, to sink or run them on shore.
Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xii. p. 495. 5 This attempt was made by the Span- ish commodore with a ship of twenty- two guns, and a settee with an eighteen- pounder, and two nine-pounders in her how. So stout was the resistance offered by Captain Thompson with the great guns
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NAVAL ENGAGEMENT.
were repulsed. They also attempted to board the Schooner, but were repulsed by Capt. Dunbar with a Detachment of the Regi- ment on board.
"I was with the Indians, Rangers, and Batterys, and some- times on board the ships, and left Major Heron with the Regi- ment. It being impossible for me to do my duty as General and be constantly with the Regiment, therefore it was absolutely necessary for His Majesty's service to have a Lieut. Colonel present, which I was fully convinced of by this day's experience. I therefore appointed Major Heron to be Lieut. Colonel, and hope that your Grace will move His Majesty to be pleased to approve the same.
" The Spaniards after an obstinate Engagement of four hours, in which they lost abundance of men, passed all our Batterys and Shipping and got out of shot of them towards Frederica. Our Guard Sloop was disabled and sunk : one of our Batterys blown up, and also some of our Men on board Capt. Thomson, upon which I called a Council of War at the head of the Regi- ment where it was unanimously resolved to march to Frederica to get there before the Enemy and defend that Place : & To de- stroy all the Provisions, Vessels, Artillery, &c., at St. Simon's, that they might not fall into the Enemy's hands.
" This was accordingly executed, having first drawn all the Men on shoar which before had defended the shipping. I myself staid till the last, and the wind coming fortunately about I got Capt. Thompson's Ship, our Guard Schooner, and our Prize Sloop to sea and sent them to Charles Town. This I did in the face and spite of thirty-six sail of the Enemy : as for the rest of the Vessells, I could not save them, therefore was obliged to destroy them.
"I must recomend to His Majesty the Merchants who are suf- ferers thereby, since their loss was in great measure the preserv- ing the Province.
"We arrived at Frederica, and the Enemy landed at St. Simon's.1
of his ship, by Captain Carr and his com- pany of marines, and by Lieutenant Wall and Ensign Otterbridge in charge of a detachment from Oglethorpe's regi- ment, that the Spaniards were obliged to retire with loss. A snow of sixteen guns at the same time attempted to board the Guard schooner, but was repulsed by Captain Dunbar.
See Harris' Complete Collection of Voy- ages and Travels, vol. ii. p. 341. London. 1748.
1 From the statement made by five Spanish prisoners captured and brought in by the Creek Indians, it appeared that Don Mannel de Monteano, governor of St. Augustine, was the commander-in- chief of the expedition, and that Major-
1
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THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
" On the 7th a party of their's marched toward the Town : our Rangers discovered them and brought an account of their march, on which I advanced with a party of Indians, Rangers, and the Highland Company, ordering the Regiment to follow, being re- solved to engage them in the Defiles of the Woods before they could get out and form in the open Grounds. I charged them at the head of our Indians, Highland Men and Rangers, and God was pleased to give us such success that we entirely routed the first party, took one Captain prisoner, and killed another, and pursued them two miles to an open Meadow or Savannah, upon the edge of which I posted three Platoons of the Regiment and the Company of Highland foot so as to be covered by the woods from the Enemy who were obliged to pass thro' the Meadow under our fire.1 This disposition was very fortunate.2 Capt. Antonio Barba and two other Captains with 100 Grenadiers and 200 foot, besides Indians and Negroes, advanced from the Span- ish Camp into the Savannah with Huzzah's and fired with great spirit, but not seeing our men by reason of the woods, none of their shot took place, but ours did.3
General Antonio de Redondo was chief engineer. He and two brigadier-generals accompanied the forces which came from Cuba. The aggregate strength of the expedition was about five thousand men, of whom four thousand three hundred were landed on St. Simon. Heavy scout- ing parties were sent out in every direc- tion by General Oglethorpe to observe the movements of the enemy and retard any advance in the direction of Fred- erica, the defenses of which were being strengthened as rapidly and as thoroughly as time and the forces at command would permit.
1 In this charge Oglethorpe enconn- tered one hundred and twenty Spanish pioneers, forty Yemassee Indians, and an equal number of negroes. So violent was the onslaught that nearly the whole party was either captured or slain. With his own hands the general captured two prisoners. Captain Sanchio, command- ing this advance, was taken prisoner by Lieutenant Seroggs of the rangers, and Toonahowi, although shot through the right arm by a Spanish officer, drew his pistol with his left and killed his antag- onist on the spot. See Wright's Memoir
of Oglethorpe, p. 305. McCall's History of Georgia, vol. i. p. 181.
2 After locating his troops, Oglethorpe hastened back to Frederica to prepare the rangers and the marine company for action at a moment's warning.
3 Captain McCall furnishes the follow- ing account of this affair : Captain Noble Jones, with a detachment of regulars and Indians, being out on a scouting party, fell in with a small detachment of the enemy's advance, who were surprised and made prisoners, not deeming themselves so far in front of the main army. From these prisoners information was received that the whole Spanish army was ad- vancing : this was immediately commu- nicated by an Indian runner to the gen- eral, who detached Captain Dunbar with a company of grenadiers to join the reg- ulars and Indians, with orders to harass the enemy on their advance. These de- tachments having formed a junction ob- served at a distance the Spanish army on the march; and taking a favorable posi- tion near a marsh, formed an ambuscade. The enemy fortunately halted within a hundred paces of this position, stacked their arms, made fires, and were prepar-
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AFFAIR OF THE BLOODY MARSH.
" Some Platoons of ours in the heat of the fight, the air being darkened with the smoak, and a shower of rain falling, retired in disorder.
"I hearing the firing, rode towards it, and at near two miles from the place of Action, met a great many men in disorder who told me that ours were routed and Lieut. Sutherland killed. I ordered them to halt and march back against the Enemy, which orders Capt. Demere and Ensign Gibbon obeyed, but another Officer did not, but made the best of his way to Town. As I heard the fire continue I concluded our Men could not be quite beaten, and that my immediate assistance might preserve them : therefore spurred on and arrived just as the fire was done. I found the Spaniards intirely routed by one Platoon of the Regi- ment, under the Comand of Lieut. Sutherland, and the Highland Company under the Comand of Lieut. Charles MacKay.
" An Officer whom the Prisoners said was Capt. Don Antonio Barba 1 was taken Prisoner, but desperately wounded, and two others were prisoners, and a great many dead upon the spot. Lieut. Sutherland, Lieut. Charles MaeKay and Sergt. Stuart having distinguished themselves upon this occasion, I appointed Lieut. Sutherland Brigade Major, and Sergt. Stuart second Ensign.
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