USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia: containing brief sketches of the most remarkable events, up to the present day, Vol. II > Part 6
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Colonel Samuel Jack's regiment, consisting of the young and active, took the field ; and the aged guarded the forts. An expedition had been projected against the Cherokees, in which, Vir- ginia, North-Carolina, South-Carolina, and Geor-
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gia, co-operated. Colonel Christie, with a regi- ment of Virginians ; general Rutherford, with a body of militia from North-Carolina, joined by the Cataba Indians ; colonel Williamson, with the South-Carolina militia ; and colonel Jack's regiment from Georgia ; by a previously concert- ed plan, fixed on the 15th of July, to march against the enemy, and attack and demolish their towns and villages, at different points. 'They succeeded in destroying all the Indian settlements, eastward of the Appalachian mountains, and brought the nation to submission in less than three months, with the loss of forty or fifty men.
When the Virginia regiment marched to the Indian town, in which M'Call had been a prisoner, the commander was solicited to spare the hut of the Indian woman, through whose means he had made his escape. It was accordingly spared, and she was amply rewarded for her humanity.
When Cameron heard of the approach against the Cherokees ; he placed himself at the head of the Indians, aided by the loyal refugees ; and gave battle to a detachment of colonel William- son's troops, from South-Carolina, near Seneca ; and was their leader in several subsequent skir- mishes. Finding that the Indians were doomed to submission, by the success of the American arms ; he consulted his safety, and fled from the nation ; passing through the Creek country to Pensacola and thence to East-Florida, where he joined Stewart at St. Augustine,
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On the 28th of June, the British fleet entered the harbour of Charleston, and assaulted the fort on Sullivan's island. After two days hard fighting, by the gallant regiments under colonels Moultrie and Thomson, the British were repulsed with great loss. Though general Lee had taken every precaution to put the town in the best possible condition for defence ; the fall of fort Moultrie would have left it in imminent hazard. At the same time, incursions were made upon the south- · ern settlements, from East-Florida, by Brown and M'Girth. These three points were attacked Jate in June and early in July. The latter attack was accompanied by less fatality than it otherwise would have been, by the defensible preparations which had been made at Darien, Barrington, (af- terward fort Howe, ) Beards bluff, on the Alata- maha, and fort M'Intosh on Sattilla river, which were garrisoned by companies, commanded by captains Harris, M'Intosh, Bostwick, and Winn ; the whole under the command of colonel Elbert. Bodies of observation were kept in motion be- tween those posts, commanded by captains Scriv- en, Baker, and Cooper ; and lieutenants Few and Williams. These precautions, though they were distressing to the thinly inhabited frontiers, of which they were chiefly composed ; yet they gave temporary security against the incursions of small parties of the enemy. Immediately after the commencement of hostilities on the western fron- tier, the inhabitants strengthened their fortresses,
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and established a similar chain of communication and defence. Parties were also employed in col- lecting the remains of provision and other pro- perty, which had been left on the plantations.
Captain Thomas Dooley had just returned - from Virginia, where he had been employed on the recruiting service, with about twenty men enlisted for the continental brigade in Georgia, but he had not yet joined his regiment. Anxious to commence his military career with laurels, he advanced against a party of Indians, encamped near the Oconee river. Though the enemy out- numbered him, four to one; he depended upon courage and discipline for victory. The Indians had kept their spies on the alert, and discovered. his approach in time to lay an ambuscade, upon the route he had taken. About seven o'clock in the morning of the 22d of July, as he was passing through a cane swamp, near the Big shoals, he was attacked in front and flanks by a large body of Indians, covered by the cane. Early in the skirmish, Dooley received a ball in his leg which broke the bones above the ancle. Apparently regardless of his own condition and sufferings, he encouraged his men to continue the conflict, and set the example by firing his rifle twice at the ene- my, after he had been wounded. Discovering that the commanding officer had fallen, the savages rushed out from the cane swamp to get possession of him. Lieutenant Cunningham, who was se- cond in command, is said not to have resorted to
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those expedients which would have occurred to a man of courage and cool reflexion, by having his commanding officer carried off the ground. On the contrary he was charged with consulting his own safety, in being among the first to make a disorderly retreat. When the retreat commenc- ed, Dooley called to his men and requested them not to leave him in the hands of the Indians. The last man who saw him, said that he was en- deavouring to defend himself with the but end of his gun, though he was unable to stand. Cun- ningham and the remainder retreated to the set- tlements. Dooley and three of his men fell into the hands of the Indians and were murdered. Lieutenant Cunningham was afterward arrested and tried for cowardice, by a general court mar- tial, but was acquitted. A few days after Doo. ley's defeat, captain John Pulliam had a skirmish with a party of Indians on Beaverdam creek, in which two Indians were killed and the remainder fled. Pulliam was wounded, and had one man killed. The forts were often way-laid by small parties of Indians, so as to cut off the communi- cation with the adjoining settlements. In some instances provisions had been seized and destroy- ed or carried off. On the 12th of July a stock of provisions had been ordered to be laid in at the confluence of Broad and Savannah rivers to sup- ply the troops under colonel Jack. Captain Eli- jah Clarke had been ordered with his company to obtain some waggons and escort the provisions
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to the rendezvous. In its vicinity, he was attack. ed by a body of Indians while he was crossing a creek. The Indians thought to create a panic by the sound of the war-whoop, succeeded by a vigo- rous attack. Clarke made a firm and vigorous defence, and after a contest, which lasted about an hour, the Indians retreated. Four Indians were killed : three of Clarke's men were killed, and himself and three others wounded. By these predatory incursions, the frontier settlers were very much harassed and distressed, before colo- nel Jack advanced to their assistance.
Colonel Jack's command on the expedition against the Cherokees, which has been heretofore alluded to, consisted of companies commanded by captains John Twiggs, John Jones, Leonard Marbury, Samuel Alexander and Thomas Harris; the three former from Burke and Richmond, and the two latter from Wilkes. The whole number consisted of two hundred men.
He marched to the Cherokee towns on the waters of Tugaloe and Chatahouchie. The crops of corn were destroyed ; the towns burned ; and a number of cattle and horses were brought off, without the loss of one man. The other armies from the northward, entered the nation at different points, about the same time, which rendered this united expedition completely successful. The losses of the Cherokees and the defeats they had experienced, produced a temporary cessation of hostilities ; but the people were greatly distressed
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by the loss of their crops. Many families were obliged to abandon the country for want of provi- sion and many that remained, were reduced to the necessity of living upon beef, without either bread or salt.
The unfortunate and ill-fated Indians, who had been led into the war, by the influence of the British agents, discovered their error, when it was too late to provide corn for the support of their families. Numbers of them had been driven into the mountains, where they subsisted upon nuts and roots : others were forced by the pressure of hunger, into the settlements to beg for bread. Humbled by defeats and the destruction of their towns and property, they sued for peace, which was granted to them. A treaty was afterward held at Duet's corner in South-Carolina, at which the commissioners from Georgia attended, who concurred in and signed the articles of pacification. This treaty was signed on the 20th of May, 1777.
The haughty rudeness with which Great-Bri: tain rejected the supplications of the colonies, for the redress of their grievances ; and the plunder- ing and savage warfare, which had been practised to awe them into submission to the arbitrary will of the king, had already alienated the affec- tions of the colonists. There were but few of those American sages, who had been instrumental in efforts for redress of grievances, that had con- templated the eventual independence of the colo- nies : but, that few had circulated the idea of in-
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dependence and like electricity, it communicated to the heart of every patriotic American. To ¿entend as colonies for redress, for injustice in- ficted on them by the parent country, was in the nature of a family quarrel, in which neighbouring nations could have no right to interfere ; but when the colonies should assume the rank of an independent nation, they would thereby evince a · determination to maintain their rank as such, by force of arms, and induce a favourable disposition toward their efforts, by European nations, jealous of the overgrowing power of Great-Britain. To prepare the minds of the people for independence, the talents of the literati were exerted in nume- rous essays. Among the multitude of essays which appeared upon the subject, those from the pen of Thomas Paine, stood pre-eminent : they strengthened the friends of independence ; they confirmed the wavering, and caused many of the enemies of the measure to doubt. Americans ! cast the mantle of charity over the imperfections of Thomas Paine, and render to his memory, the tribute of your gratitude, for the services which he hath rendered in establishing the independence and happiness of yourselves, as a nation ; and which you are bound to transmit as a heritage, to future generations.
The time for independence drew near : while congress was in conclave, debating upon that subject, Mr. Zubly, a member from Georgia, was charged with treason by Mr. Chase, of Maryland,
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by having disclosed the subject of deliberation to governor Wright of Georgia, in a letter. Zubly denied the charge of treason, and demanded the evidences on which he was accused. While Chase was collecting the proofs, Zubly disap- peared. Mr. Houstoun, a member from Geor- gia, was despatched in pursuit of Zubly, with in- structions to place the subject in its proper light, in the event, that any bad effects were likely to result from the disclosure ; but before the letter reached Georgia, Wright had fed, and sailed for England. Independence was determined on by congress : and by a solemn declaration of that august assembly, it was proclaimed on the 4th day of July, 1776: which day will be consecrated by Americans, so long as political virtue, courage, and patriotism, shall be revered. This interest- ing event was received by his excellency Archi- bald Bulloch, president of the provincial council at Savannah, on the 10th day of August, by ex- press from the honourable John Hancock, presi- dent of congress ; by which it appeared that " con- gress in the name, and by the authority of their constituents, had declared the United States of North-America, were, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, and absolved from all allegiance to the British crown." The provincial council wa's convened by the president, at. the council chamber; where the declaration of inde -. pendence was proclaimed in due form : from thence the president and council proceeded to the
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public square, in front of the house appropriated io the deliberations of the provincial assembly ; where the declaration was again publicly read, and received the acclamations of a crowded as- semblage of the people : they then proceeded - to the liberty pole, in the following order of pro- ression :-
The Grenadiers in front. Provost Marshal. . The Secretary with the Declaration. His excellency the President. . The honourable Council. The Light Infantry. The Militia. The Citizens.
At the liberty pole, they were saluted by the first continental battalion of Georgia, under the command of colonel M'Intosh, with thirteen guns, accompanied by vollies of small arms ; from thence they proceeded to the battery, where they were again saluted by the discharge of thir- teen cannon.
A dinner was provided under a grove of ce- dars, where the civil and military officers, and a number of citizens from the town and country partook of a handsome dinner, and thirteen toasts were given suitable to the occasion.
In the afternoon there was a funeral proces- sion, attended by the grenadiers, light infantry, and militia companies; and the royal government of Great-Britain was interred with the customary
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ceremonies. In the evening the town was illu- minated and the day was closed with joyful accla- mations, for the birth of the independence of the United-States of America.
The following proclamation was issued a few days after the declaration of independence was re- ceived in Savannah :-
"GEORGIA.
" By his excellency Archibald Bulloch, Esq. president and commander-in-chief of the said state in council.
" Whercas, it has been resolved by congress, that it be recommended to the representative as- semblies and conventions of the United-States, where no government equal to the exigencies of their affairs, has been established, to adopt such government, as shall in the opinion of the repre- sentatives of the people, best conduce to the hap- piness and safety of their constituents in particular, , and America in general. And whereas, the hon- . ourable the congress of the United-States has received no answer whatever to the humble peti- tions of these states, for the redress of grievances ; and seeing the whole force of Great- Britain, aided by foreign mercenaries, is to be exerted for the destruction of the good people of these states ; have judged it necessary to dissolve all connec- tion between Great- Britain and the said United- States, and have accordingly declared them to be free and independent states. And whereas, we have received sundry despatches from our dele-
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gates at Philadelphia, enclosing blank commis- mons for letters of marque, with copies of bonds, and other matters of public business: And where- as, the term for which our state legislature were appointed, will expire on the last day of the pre- sunt month of August, and a new election is or- dered to be held throughout this state, between the first and tenth days of September next, for the purpose of choosing representatives, to meet in convention at Savannah, on the first Tuesday in October. Taking these premises into conside- ration, I have thought fit, by and with the consent of the council, to order the several parishes and districts within this state, to proceed to the elec- tion of delegates, between the first and tenth days of September next, to form and sit in convention ; and the delegates so elected, are directed to con- vene at Savannah, on the first Tuesday in Octo- ber following, when business of the highest con- sequence to the government and welfare of the state, will be opened for their consideration."
The president directed that a circular letter should be addressed by the secretary to the in- habitants of the several parishes and districts of this state ; congratulating them upon the happy and important prospect of their political affairs, unjoining upon them the necessity of making choice of upright and good men to represent them n the ensuing convention; reminding them of the dissolution of their former connection with Great- Britain, and that America must stand or fall
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by the virtue of her inhabitants ; consequently, the utmost caution must necessarily be used by the people of this state, in choosing men of un- suspected characters, men whose actions had proved their friendship to the cause of freedom, and men whose depth of political judgment quali- fied them to frame a constitution for the future government of the country. In this weak link of the western empire, he enjoined them to pur- sue such measures and to adopt such forms of government as to conciliate the affections of the United-States ; for under their shadow, they would find safety, and preserve to themselves those invaluable rights which they had so long and ineffectually solicited, and for which they de- termined now to contend, though they should be purchased with garments rolled in blood.
Another proclamation was issued for the en- couragement of the recruiting service, under a resolution of the last assembly, by which it was provided : "That all persons enlisting in the ser- vice of this state, who do faithfully serve in the present contest, until a peace shall be concluded with Great-Britain, or shall serve three years in the present war, shall be entitled to one hundred acres of land ; and should any of the aforesaid men be killed in defence of this state, his wife er family shall be entitled to the same."
By a resolution of the preceding legislature,. the general court of this state was to be opened and held under certain restrictions at the sevennat
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and respective times and places that the court of general sessions of the peace and oyer and termin- er, were directed to be opened and held on the second Tuesdays in February, June and October.
When the declaration of independence was received at Savannah, the venerable Jonathan Bryan, whose services for the advantage of Geor- gia had always been offered whenever they could be beneficial, repaired to Charleston for the pur- pose of having a conference with general Charles Lee; the object of which was, to project a plan of operations to gain possession of St. Augustine. He represented the numerous depredations, which 1.1. been so severely felt on the frontier of Geor- gia, by the refugee banditti collected in that pro- vince from the southern states, and the conse- quences which were to be apprehended from its being made a strong hold, by reinforcements of British troops. That it was then in a weak and defenceless condition, and with a small force might be reduced. The king's government had acquir. ed strength, and the American government had been enfeebled, by the panic which had been ex. cited from that quarter. The loyalists rejoiced at the depredations which had been committed, and the wavering were disposed to lean toward the strongest party.
General Lee foresaw the great advantages which would result from the reduction of Florida, and ordered the Virginia and North- Carolina troops to march immediately to Georgia, under
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the command of general Howe; and general Moultrie to follow with the troops of South-Caro- lina. General Howe proceeded as far as Sun- bury. The sickly season had now commenced and disease prevailed to an alarming degree. The mortality was so great, that from ten to fifteen, became victims to the climate in one day. That general Lee was not well prepared for the con- templated expedition, it is only necessary to men- tion that he had not a single field piece, nor a medicine chest in the army.
The Carolina troops arrived in Savannah about the last of August. General Lee proposed to general Moultrie, to take command of the (19. pedition, and asked him whether his brother being the lieutenant-governor of East-Florida, would form an objection. He replied that it would not, but that he did not see the probability of procuring provisions, artillery, and other ne- cessaries, to promise success to the object of the campaign ; and in his estimate, he required eight hundred men. General Moultrie had exhibited his estimates and the army was preparing to march, when an express arrived from the general govern- ment, ordering general Lee to join the grand army to the north. About the 20th of Septem- ber, Lee left Savannah, and ordered the Virginia and North-Carolina troops to follow him. . This 'put an end to the hopes, which had been contem- plated for the reduction of St. Augustine. . Its failure gave confidence to the enemy, and in.duced
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many to join them, who had previously been in- active. Notwithstanding the influence of Stew- art over the Indians, the Creek tribes had never heartily entered into the war : small parties only, had joined the Floridians in their predatory ex- cursions. When the Cherokees were pressed by the armies which marched against them, they solicited the aid and alliance of the Creeks ; but a shrewd old chief remarked, " you have taken the thorns out of our feet; you are welcome to them.".
In January. 1777, colonel Lachlan M'Intosh, ordered the Georgia continental troops to be dis- tributed among the garrisons at Darien, fort Howe, Beards bluff, and fort M'Intosh. A de- tachment marching to Beards bluff, under the command of lieutenant Bugg, was surprised by a party of Indians, ambushed in the swamp of Beards creek. Three of Bugg's men were kill- ed, and his party defeated. Captain Chesley Bostwick's company was ordered to that place, and built a small stockade fort.
Lieutenant-colonel Elbert received intelli- gence that a party was marching from St. Augus- tine, consisting of regulars, loyalists and Indians. Fort M'Intosh was a small stockade work of one hundred feet square, on rising ground, on the north-east side of Sattilla river, eighty yards from the waters edge, and thirty miles in advance of fort Howe. It had a bastion in each corner, and a block house in the centre, which answered
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for the combined purposes of a lodgement for the troops, a magazine, and a place of defence. Cap- tain Richard Winn's command consisted of forty men from the third South-Carolina regiment, and twenty continental troops from the Georgia brigade.
On the 17th of February, about the dawn of day, an attempt was made to surprise the gar- rison, by colonels Brown, Cunningham, and M'Girth, with seventy Florida rangers, and eighty Indians. The assault was continued without in- termission for five hours, when a demand was made for a surrender, without any conditions, accompanied by threats of death to the whole gar- rison, in case of refusal. Captain Winn propos- ed that hostilities should cease for an hour, and at the expiration of that time, he gave the following answer, " I have considered your proposition, but am bound in honor not to comply. Should we fall into your hands we shall expect to be treated as prisoners of war." This letter was handed to colonel Brown by serjeant Hollis, with a flag. Brown presented a copy of Lord and general Howe's proclamation to the serjeant, with a request that it should be handed to captain Winn. Hostilities re-commenced and were con- tinued until late in the afternoon. At this time, Winn had one.man killed, and three wounded. The latter suffered greatly, for the want of a sur. geon to dress their wounds. Brown withdrew his command a short distance, and posted strong
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guards around the fort, to prevent the besieged from making a retreat under cover of the night.
Immediately after dark, captain Winn sent an express, by sergeant Owens, to colonel Francis Harris, at fort Howe, informing him of his criti- cal situation, and requesting immediate reinforce- ment. Under the assurance that this request would be complied with, he would hold out as long as possible, and at the first signal, he would sally out upon the enemy, when the reinforce- ment commenced an attack upon the rear. The express arrived at fort Howe about day light the next morning, but the garrison consisted of only forty men fit for duty, consequently, unable to furnish the reinforcement which Winn had re- quired.
Brown waited for the reinforcement which was to join him the next morning, from the south side of the river, under the command of colonel Fuser, consisting of detachments of light infantry from the fourteenth, sixteenth, and sixtieth regi- ments, consisting of two hundred men. The assault was renewed about nine o'clock in the morning, from the most advantageous positions which could be selected. The Indians made near approaches, and sheltered themselves behind logs and stumps, and very much annoyed the besieged by keeping a close watch upon the loop- holes.
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