Augusta, Georgia - History (part 3 of 17)

Having driven the rebels from that portion of the State, Hamilton encamped with one hundred men on Water's plantation, three miles below Petersburg. Dooly, with like force, was just opposite in South Carolina. There he was joined by Colonel Andrew Pickens, who brought with him two hundred and fifty men of his regiment. Although the senior in rank, Colonel Dooly yielded the command in deference to the fact that Pickens had contributed more than two-thirds of the troops constituting this little army. With this united force it was resolved to attack Hamilton without delay. Accordingly, on the night of the loth of February Pickens and Dooly crossed the Savannah at Cowen's ferry, three miles above Hamilton's encampment, and prepared to charge the enemy early the next morning. To their surprise and regret they found that the British officer, in entire ignorance of the impending danger, had departed on an excursion through the country to visit its forts and administer oaths of allegiance to such of the inhabitants as he chanced to meet. Conjecturing that Carr's Fort would be the first point visited by the enemy, Captain A. Hamilton was directed, with a guide, to proceed rapidly to that point and arrange for its defense with such men as he might find there congregated. Pickens and Dooly, moving with their command, intended to fall upon the rear of Lieutenant- Colonel Hamilton as he should be engaged in an effort to reduce the fort. Captain Hamilton arrived in season to execute the order with which he was charged, but found that there were only seven or eight aged and infirm men in Carr's Fort, who, dreading the consequences, refused to undertake the defense of that post. The Americans were so close upon the heels of the British as they entered and took possession of the fort, that they were compelled to leave their horses and baggage outside the stockade. A brisk fire was opened on both sides, but without effect. A siege was determined on ; and, in order to cut the besieged off from all access to water, Captain William Freeman, with forty men of his company, in gallant style dashed through an open space exposed to the guns of the fort, and took possession of a newly constructed log house which effectually commanded the only source whence the enemy could hope to obtain a supply of water.

Early in the evening the horses and baggage of the British were brought off, and every avenue of escape was occluded. The same afternoon the fort was summoned to a surrender. While refusing to accede to this summons, Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton requested that the women and children within the stockade might be allowed to depart. This application was denied. Without food and water, it was confidently believed that the enemy could not hold out more than twenty-four hours. Moreover, the possession of the log house near the water gave the assailants command of the tops of the huts inside the fort, whence the most injurious fire proceeded. The happ)' anticipations of the Americans were doomed to disappointment. About ten o'clock at night Colonel Pickens received, at the hands of Captain Ottery, a dispatch from his brother, Captain Joseph Pickens, informing him that Colonel Boyd, with eight hundred loyalists, was moving through Ninety-Six district toward Georgia, destroying by fire and sword whatever lay in his path. It was deemed proper, without delay, to raise the siege and move against Boyd.. A proposition was made by some volunteers to apply the torch to the fort at several points at the same time, and thus to compel quick surrender. In tender consideration of the women and children who were within, the idea was abandoned. Carrying off their wounded, the Americans departed leaving Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton in the fort without horses or baggage. As soon as Pickens and Dooly were out of hearing, he quitted Carr's Fort, retreating upon Wrightsborough, where he occupied a small stockade for a few days and then rejoined Colonel Campbell at Augusta. In the affair at Carr's Fort the British lost nine killed and three wounded. The American casualties amounted to five killed and seven wounded. Retiring from Carr's F'ort the Americans recrossed the Savannah River near Fort Charlotte, and advanced toward the Long Cane settlement to meet Colonel Boyd. Hearing of his advance. Captain Robert Anderson, of Colonel Pickens's regiment, summoning to his aid Captains Joseph Pickens, William Baskin and John Miller with their companies, crossed the Savannah River with a view to annoying Boyd when he should attempt a passage of that stream. He was subsequently joined by some Georgians under Captain James Little. This accession increased his force so that he had, present for duty, nearly one hundred men. In order to avoid Pickens and Dooly, Colonel Boyd changed his route and approached the river at the Cherokee ford. Here, upon a commanding elevation, was a block house mounting two swivel guns and garrisoned by a lieutenant and eight men. A quiet passage having been demanded and refused, Boyd proceeded up the river about five miles and there, placing his men and baggage on rafts and swimming his horses, effected a crossing. His instructions to his men were to land at different points on the opposite shore. This circumstance, in connection with the tall canes growing along the river bank, so confused the small force under Captain Anderson that it did not render an opposition as effectual as might have been expected. That the passage of the river was sharply contested, however, will be readily conceded when we remember that the Americans lost sixteen killed and wounded, and an equal number of prisoners. Among the latter were Captains Baskin and Miller. Colonel Boyd acknowledged a loss of one hundred killed, wounded^, and mjssing.

Retreating rapidly, Captain Anderson formed a junction with Colonels Pickens and Dooly, and united in the pursuit of the enemy. On the 12th of February, passing the Savannah River at the Cedar shoal, the Americans advanced to the Fish-Dam ford, on Broad River. The command had now been reinforced by Colonel Clarke and one hundred dragoons. Captain Neal, with a party of observation, was detached to hang upon the enemy's rear, and, by frequent couriers, keep the main body well advised of Boyd's movements.

Shaping his course to the westward, and purposing a junction with Mc- Girth at a point agreed upon on Little River, the enemy on the morning of the 13th crossed Broad River, near the fork, at a place subsequently known as Webb's Ferry. Informed of this movement, the Americans passed over Broad River, and encamped for the night on Clarke's Creek within four miles of the loyalists. Early on the morning of the 14th, the Americans advanced rapidly but cautiously. Wherever the surface of the country permitted, their line of march was the order of battle. A strong vanguard moved one hundred and fifty paces in front. The right and left wings, consisting each of one hundred men, were commanded respectively by Colonels Dooly and Clarke. The center, numbering two hundred men, was led by Colonel Pickens Officers and men were eager for the fray, and confident of victory. Soon the ground was reached where the enemy had encamped during the preceding night.

Seemingly unconscious of the approach of danger, the loyalist commander had halted at a farm on the north side of Kettle Creek and turned out his horses to forage among the reeds which lined the edge of the swamp. His men, who had been on short allowance for three day.'^, were slaughtering bullocks and parching corn. Colonel Boyd's second officer was Lieutenant- Colonel Moore, of North Carolina, who is said to have been deficient both in courage and military skill. The third in command. Major Spurgen. was brave and competent.

As Colonel Pickens neared the enemy. Captain McCall was ordered to reconnoiter his position, and, unperceived, to acquire the fullest possible information of the status of affairs. Having completed his observations, that officer reported the encampment formed at the edge of the farm near the creek, on an open piece of ground flanked on two sides by a cane swamp, and that the enemy was apparently in utter ignorance of any hostile approach. The Americans then advanced to the attack. As they neared the camp, the pickets fired and retreated. Hastily forming his line in rear of his encampment, and availing himself of the shelter afforded by a fence and some fallen timber, Boyd prepared to repel the assault. Colonel Pickens, commanding the American center,, obliqued a little to the right to take advantage of more commanding ground. The right and left divisions were somewhat embarrassed in forcing their way through the cane, but soon came gallantly into position. Colonel Boyd defended the fence with great bravery, but was finally overpowered and drivea back upon the main body. While retreating he fell mortally wounded, pierced with three balls, two passing through his body and the third through his thigh.

The conflict now became close, warm, and general. Some of the enemy, sore pressed, fled into the swamp and passed over the creek, leaving their horses, baggage, and arms behind them.

After a contest lasting an hour the Tories retreated through the swamp. Observing a rising ground on the other side of the creek and in the rear of the enemy's right on which he thought the loyalists would attempt to form. Colonel Clarke, ordering the left wing to folhnv him, prepared to cross the stream. At this moment his horse was killed under him. Mounting another, he followed a patli which led to a ford and soon gained the side of the hill just in time to attack Major Spurgen who was endeavoring to form his command upon it. He was then accompanied by not more than a fourth of his division, there having been some mistake in extending the order. The firing, however, soon attracted the attention of the rest of his men who rushed to his support. Colonels Pickens and Dooly also pressed through the swamp, and the battle was renewed with much vigor on the other side of the creek. Bloody and obstinate was the conflict. For some time the issue seemed doubtful. At length the Americans obtained complete possession of the hill; and the enemy, routed at all points, fled from the scene of action leaving seventy of their number dead upon the field, and seventy-five wounded and captured. On the part of the Americans, nine were slain and twenty-three wounded. To Colonel Clarke great praise is due for his foresight and activity in comprehending and checking, at its earliest stage, the movement of the loyalists beyond the swamp. Had they succeeded in effecting a permanent lodgment upon the hill, the fortunes of the day would have proved far otherwise. This engagement lasted for one hour and forty-five minutes, and during most of that time was hotly contested.

As the guard having charge of the prisoners captured when Boyd crossed the Savannah River heard of tiie disaster which had overtaken the main body, they voluntarily surrendered themselves, thirty-three in number, to those whom they held in captivity, promising, if allowed to return in peace to their homes, to take the oath of allegiance to the confederated States.

The battle ended. Colonel Pickens waited upon Colonel Boyd and tendered him every relief in his power. Thanking him for his civility, the loyalist chief, disabled by mortal wounds and yet brave of heart, inquired particularly with regard to the result of the engagement. When told that the victory rested entirely with the Americans, he asserted that the issue would have been different had he not fallen. During the conversation which ensued, he stated that he had set out upon this march with eight hundred men. In crossing the Savannah River he sustained a loss of one hundred in killed, wounded, and missing. In the present action he had seven hundred men under his com- mand. His expectation was that McGirth, with five hundred men, would form a junction with him on Little River either that very afternoon or on the ensuing morning. The point named for this union of forces was not more than six miles distant from the place where this battle had been fought. Alluding to his own condition, he remarked that he had but a few hours to live, and requested Colonel Pickens to detail two men to furnish him with water, and to^ inter his body after death. Delivering to that officer certain articles of value which he had upon his person, he asked the favor that they be forwarded to his wife with a letter acquainting her with the circumstances of his demise and burial. These dying injunctions were carefully observed. He was a corpse before morning.

Dispirited by the loss of their leader, and stunned by the heavy blow which had fallen upon them in an unexpected moment, the followers of this dangerous chieftain scattered in various directions. Some fled- to Florida; others betook themselves to the Creek nation ; others still sought refuge among the Cherokees; others returned to their homes and craved mercy at the hands of the patriots; while a remnant, under the command of Colonel Moore, numbering some two hundred, retreated to Augusta.

Dismayed at the defeat which had overtaken Colonel Boyd, and pausing not to retrieve the fortunes of the day, McGirth fled precipitately to Augusta and rejoined the forces under Colonel Campbell. The prisoners captured at Kettle Creek were carried to South Carolina, tried, found guilty of treason^ and sentenced to death. Only five of the most noted offenders were executed. The others were pardoned. Departing from the field of action, the Americans encamped for the night in a locality near the present town of Washington, and, on the 15th, recrossed the Savannah River. In the aflair at Carr's Fort^ and in the engagement at Kettle Creek, the Americans possessed themselves of some six hundred horses and a large quantity of arms, equipments, and clothing. This accession to the scanty stores of the patriots was most opportune and valuable. In the general gloom which was encompassing all, this victory shone like a star of substantial hope, dissipating despair, and enkindling confidence in the hearts of the Revolutionists. From the banks of this insignificant stream, rendered historic by the prowess of Pickens, Dooly, Clarke and their valiant followers, there arose a martial shout which proclaimed the restoration of Whig ascendency in Upper Georgia and the discomfiture of the royalist cohorts. With no uncertain sound did the bugle- blasts, then blown, summon to further feats of patriotic emprise and admonish the king's officers that Georgia was not wholly within their grasp.

This battle was quickly followed by movements which, although partial in their character, indicated that the love of liberty and the spirit of resistance were abroad in the land. Advancing with a portion of his brigade and some of the Georgia militia, General Andrew Williamson encamped not far from

Augusta, on the Carolina side of the S.ivannah River. Colonel Leonard Marbury, with fifty draf^oons and a body of militiamen, took post near Brownsborough. Colonel John Twiggs, having assembled the militia of Richmond county and passed in rear of the British occupying Augusta, surprised one of their outposts at Herbert's, where seventy men were stationed. In the assault several of the assailed were killed and wounded, and the rest forced to an unconditional surrender.

A reconnoitering party of twenty of the King's Rangers, under the command of Captain Whitley and Lieutenants McKenzie and Hall, was sent to Brownsborough to ascertain if there was an American force assembling in that quarter. Through his scouts obtaining information of Whitley's position and force, Colonel Marbury detached Captain Cooper with twelve dragoons to gain the enemy's rear, while he advanced in front. So rapidly did Cooper execute this order that he surprised Whitley and his part}' at dinner, and captured the whole of them before Colonel Marbury came up. Hall, who was a native of South Carolina, iiad formerly been in the American service. While in command of a small fort on the frontier of that State, he treacherously surrendered it to the Cherokee Indians, and permitted, without remonstrance, every man, woman and child within its walls to be butchered by the savages. He was now sent to the jail at Ninety-Six for safe keeping. In due season he was tried, found guilty of treason, and condemned to be hung. The death penalty was visited upon him on the 17th of April. He miserably perished, confessing his crimes and acknowledging the justice of his sentence.^

In the disturbed state of affairs, instances of personal daring and hairbreadth escapes were not infrequent. Desirous of acquiring a definite knowledge of the force and position of the enemy in Augusta, General Elbert sent Lieutenant Hawkins to obtain the necessary information. While nearing an outpost, he was overtaken at Bear Swamp by three Tories. To avoid them was impossible. Advancing resolutely towards them, he inquired who they were, and whither they were going. The answer was that they were on their way to join Colonel Daniel McGirth. Hawkins, who was wearing an old British uniform, responded that he was McGirth; that ho believed they were rebels, and that he should proceed to hand them over to his party, near at hand. They protested to the contrary; and, to demonstrate the truth of their assertion, at Hawkins's suggestion, placed their rifles upon the ground and held up their right hands. As they did this. Lieutenant Hawkins advanced upon them with pistols cocked and presented. Taking up their rifles, he ordered them to march in front of him, threatening to shoot the first who attempted to turn. In this manner did he conduct them to the American camp.-

Americans daily becoming more formidable in numbers and pronounced in their demonstrations, Colonel Campbell determined to evacuate his advanced position at Augusta. Accordingly, late in February, he commenced his retreat, which did not terminate until he reached Hudson's ferry on the Savannah River, where Lieutenant- Colonel Prevost had constructed a fortified camp and mounted some field artillery. In the end, so suddenly did he quit Augusta, that he paused not to destroy a considerable quantity of provisions which he had there accumulated. During this retrograde movement he was much annoyed by the Americans, who, in small bodies, harassed his command in flank and rear.

Affair near Fulsom's Fort - Augusta Designated as the Seat of Government - An Oligarchical Form of Government Inaugurated - Political History of the Period - Communication to General Lincoln - Governor Wright's Report on the Situation.

GENERAL Benjamin Lincoln's plans for the relief of Georgia were twice thwarted, once by the surprise and defeat of General Ash, in the angle formed by the confluence of Brier Creek and the Savannah River, by Colonel Campbell, and a second time by General Prevost's demonstration against Charles-Town. Upon his retreat from Augusta Colonel Campbell had been pursued by General Ash as far as Brier Creek. Finding that he could not overtake the enemy, that officer halted and formed a camp most injudiciously located and carelessly guarded, from which, by a rapid counter-blow from his. capable antagonist, he was driven in confusion and with great loss.

Encouraged by the signal defeat of Boyd at Kettle Creek, and the subsequent evacuation of Augusta by the king's forces, the Georgians, who had fled from the region to South Carolina for security, returned with their families and personal property and reoccupied their small forts and plantations. Scarcely had they done so when they were alarmed by the approach of a body of Creek Indians, led by Tate and McGilHvray, Indian agents in the employ of the British. Colonel Pickens, with two hundred men of his regiment, quickly came to the assistance of the Georgians. Colonel Dooly was already in the field with one hundred mounted men, while Colonel Elijah Clarke, with his command, guarded the frontier. Every male inhabitant of sixteen years and upwards appeared with arms in his hands. At Wrightsborough Colonels Pickens and Dooly were reinforced by detachments from the regiments of Colonels Few and Leroy Hammond, and by two troops of horse under Major Ross. The Indians were encamped near Fulsom's fort. Approaching under cover of the night, Lieuten- ants Alexander and Williamson, who had been detailed for the purpose, made a reconnoissance vvhicii led them to estimate the force of the enemy at eight hundred. Upon receiving their report Colonel Pickens, to whom the command was confided, marched his column rapidly forward in the hope of reaching the Indian camp and surprising it before daylight. Some treacherous rascal advised the enemy of his approach. Unwilling to breast the attack, the Indians, breaking up into small parties, fled in every direction. In the pursuit which ensued, some of the savages were overtaken and slain. Major Ross, Captain Newsom and Lieutenant Bentley were killed. Quiet was restored, and the enemy was utterly expelled from the territory.

Upon the capture of Savannah, in December, 1778, by Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, the executive council designated Augusta as the seat of government. So rapidly, however, did that officer push his column up the Savannah River, and so quickly did he occupy Augusta with his troops, that until his evacuation of that place, late in February, 1779, it existed but in name as the capital of Georgia. During this period the republican government of the State was peripatetic. In such a condition was it frequently found during the continuance of the Revolutionary struggle. The public records had been sent out of the State for safe keeping. Until the close of the contest the proceedings of the executive council consisted of little more than insignificant orders and letters, a meager journal of its convocations, hasty deliberations and adjournments, and a scant memorandum of its principal acts touching the general safety. The treasury was empty. There was not even an attempt made to levy and collect taxes. Paper bills of credit, issued upon the faith of the State, had depreciated in value to such an extent that they possessed scarcely any purchasing power. All sorts of shifts were resorted to in order that the troops in the field might be supplied with food and clothing. Of payment in money for military services rendered there was often none, especially in the case of the militia. The currency employed in paying off" troops enlisted in the Continental service was almost as valueless as were the promises to pay circulated by the State. Not infrequently the confiscated property of royalists was utilized in discharging the obligations incurred in the purchase of necessaries for the soldiers in the field.^ Simple in the extreme was the machinery of government. The affairs

" Sir : As you are appointed Agent for the County of Richmond to collect all sequestered property, you will please immediately to take in your possession two negro wenches, the property of Curtis Colwell, in possession of Oreenbury Lee and Simon Beckum, and two negroes^ a Boy and a Girl, in possession of Wm. Few, Sr., the property of Simon Nichols, deceased.

" You will please, after taken the above in possession, to deliver the said Negroes to Captn Ignatius Few, they being appraised by Mr. Simon Beckum ; the State having purchased some necessarys from Captn Few, the said Negroes are to be received in payment for the articles purchased. Stephen Heard, Pres. Col."

When Augusta again passed into the hands of fhe r.r. kibars of council convened .here, at the reside, ce of MattZ: Hob" .' ""7' a president and transact such business demanded hvtl ' executive council of the State of Georgia, do solemnly swear that I will, during the term of my appointment, to the best of my skill and judgment, execute the said office faithfully and conscientiously, without favor, affection or partiality ; that I will, to the utmost of my power, support, maintain, and defend the State of Georgia, and use my utmost endeavors to support the people thereof in the secure enjoyment of their just rights ^nd privileges ; and that I will, to the best of my judgment, execute justice and mercy in all judgments ; so help me God.

" And we, and each of us, on our parts, as free citizens of the State of Georgia aforesaid, do for ourselves nominate, authorize, empower and require you, John Wereat, Joseph Clay, Joseph Habersham, Humphrey Wells, William Few, John Dooly, Seth John Cuthbert, William Gibbons, sr., and Myrick Davies, esqs., or a majority of you, to act as the executive or supreme council of this State; and to execute from Tuesday, the 27th inst., to the first Tuesday in January next, unless sooner revoked by a majority of the freemen of this State, every such power as you, the said John Wereat, Joseph Clay, Joseph Habersham, Humphrey Wells, William Few, John Dooly, Seth John Cuthbert, William Gibbons, sr., and Myrick Davies, esqs., or a majority of you, shall deem necessary for the safety and defense of the State and the good citizens thereof; taking care in all your proceedings to keep as near the spirit and meaning of the constitution of the said State as may be.

"And you, the said John Wereat, Joseph Clay, Joseph Habersham, Humphrey Wells, William Few, John Dooly, Seth John Cuthbert, William Gibbons, sr., and Myrick Davies, esqs., or a majority of you, hereby have full power and authority, and are authorized, empowered and required to elect fit and discrete persons to represent this State in Congress, and to instruct the delegates so chosen in such matters and things as will tend to the interest of this State in particular, and the United States of America in general : the said delegates taking care from time to time, to transmit to you. the said council, or other authority of the State for the time being, an account of their proceedings in Congress aforesaid : to regulate the public treasury of the said State, to borrow or otherwise negotiate loans for the public safety: to regulate the militia, and appoint an officer, if necessary, to command : to appoint, suspend, and discharge all civil officers if it shall be found expedient: to demand an account of all expenditures of the public mone}', and to regulate the same, and, where necessary, order payments of money : to adopt some mode respecting the current money of this State, and for sinking the same: to direct and commission the chief justice of the State, or assistant justices, or other justices of the peace, and other officers of each county : to convene courts for the trial of offences cognizable by the laws of the land in such place or places as you shall think fit : always taking care that trial by jury be preserved inviolate, and that the proceedings had before such courts be in a summary way so that offenders be brought to a speedy trial and justice be amply done as well to the State as to the individuals.

" You, or a majority of you, the said council, have full power and hereby .are requested, on conviction of ofifenders, to order punishment to be inflicted extending to death : and when objects deserving mercy shall be made known to you, to extend that mercy and pardon the offense, remit all fines, mitigate corporal punishments, as the case may be, and as to you or a majority of you shall seem fit and necessary. And you, the said council or a majority of you, at all times and places when and where you shall think fit, have hereby full power and competent authority to meet, appoint your own president, settle your own rules, sit, consult, deliberate, advise, direct, and carry in execution all and every act, special and general, hereby delegated to you, and all and every such other acts, measures, and things as you or a majority of you shall find expedient and necessary for the welfare, safety, and happiness of the freemen of this State. -

" And in case any of the persons herein* appointed to exercise the supreme authority as aforesaid shall refuse to act, die, or depart this State, or shall by any other means be prevented from exercising the same, then, and in such case, you, the said council hereby chosen, or a majority of you, shall, and you are hereby authorized, empowered, and required to fill up such vacancies by choosing fit and discrete persons or person to act in their or his room and stead, which person or persons so chosen is or are hereby invested with every power and authority in as full and ample a manner as if they had been appointed by this present instrument of writing.

" And we do hereby declare all officers, civil and military, and all persons, inhabitants of this State, subject to and answerable to your authority, and will ratify and confirm whatever you may do for or concerning the public weal, according to the best of your judgment, knowledge, and ability. And further, we do hereby promise you our support, protection, and countenance.

This supreme executive council organized temporarily the same day by the -choice of Seth John Cuthbert as president pro tempore ; and, on the 6th of August, perfected a permanent organization by unanimously electing John AVereat president. All the members then took the oath of office prescribed, and entered upon the discharge of their important duties. The entire transaction was abnormal. The choice lay between anarchy and this modified form of government. Regular assemblages of the Legislature were, for the time being, impracticable It was equally out of the question to evoke an expression of the popular will, or to expect a general observance of the provisions of the constitution. To the republicans only a fraction of the State remained. Blood, turmoil, disquietude and antagonisms were everywhere. The preservation of at least the semblance of sovereignty was vital to the cause of the patriots. Under the circumstances the delegates doubtless acted for the best ; and, although in this matter they exceeded their powers and proceeded without constitutional warrant, their action grew out of a condition of affairs most peculiar, and was intended to meet an emergency beyond the ordinary contemplation of law. In their selection of members of this supreme executive council it does not appear either that their judgment was at fault or that their confidence was misplaced. Nor did the erection of this temporory government fail to secure the endorsement of the patriots of Georgia. It was a war measure. By this oligarchy was Georgia ruled for many months, and during the entire period there is not even a suggestion that those to whom were committed powers so comprehensive were ever guilty of peculation, injustice, infidelity, or despotism. Their official conduct was a tribute at once to the individual worth of each member of the provisional government, and to the purity, the patriotism, the honor, and the virtue of the epoch. Brigadier- General Lachlan Mcintosh was now again in Georgia and in command of the forces concentrated for the protection of the upper portions of the State. His return was sanctioned by Congress in accordance with his earnest desire, approved by General Washington, who, on the iith of May, 1779, addressed the following communication to that august body :

" Brigadier- General Mcintosh will have the honor of delivering you this. The war in Georgia - being the State to which he belongs - makes him desirous of serving in the Southern army. I know not whether the arrangements Congress have in contemplation may make it convenient to employ him there, but I take the liberty to recommend him as a gentleman whose knowledge of service and of the country promises to make him useful. I beg leave to add that General Mcintosh's conduct, while he acted immediately under my observation, was such as to acquire my esteem and confidence, and I have had no reason since to alter my good opinion of him." ^

Second in command to General Lincoln, he was at all times most earnest in devising means for the improvement of the military condition of Georgia and in concerting plans for restraining the British forces within the narrowest limits. With the supreme council of safety he conferred frequently and most freely. The liberation of Georgia from kingly rule lay nearest the hearts of all.

As indicating the intelligent observation of the members of this supreme executive council, and their anxiety to facilitate the redemption of the State, we submit this extract from a communication addressed by them to General Lincoln on the i 8th of August, 1779 : " A considerable part of the State having been in the immediate possession of the enemy ever since its invasion by them, those counties which have held out against them have been constantly subject to their incursions and depredations, and, of course, the few militia thereof, much harassed with duty ; but their spirits have been kept up with the idea of support from the continent and our sister State, otherwise, we apprehend, a total evacuation would long since have taken place by those who have firmness enough to sacrifice everything to the cause of America, whilst the wavering would have joined the enemy and assisted them in their operations against Carolina.

" The arrival of the advance of General Scott's army, under Colonel Parker and Major Jamison, at a very critical juncture, has had the most salutary effect that could be expected, for it has infused new spirit into the militia, who are now all cheerfully under arms to oppose the concerted invasions of the enemy's irregulars and Indians who are at this time making different inroads upon us. General Mcintosh has sent out a part of the Continental troops to support our militia, and we hope that for the present we shall be able to repel the enemy and to keep them from reaping any considerable advantages from the the attempts of small parties. But we presume, sir, that we need not endeavor to impress your mind with an idea of the feeble resistance we should be able to make to any serious attempt of the enemy to subjugate the upper parts of the State even with the assistance that General Mcintosh can at this time afford us.

" We believe that it is generally allowed that unless the enemy are considerably reinforced, they will not make another attempt upon Charlestown ; and from a variety of circumstances we are led to hope that they will not receive such reinforcement. Should this be the case, there can scarce remain a doubt but that they will aim at a total subjugation of Georgia this fall; for we cannot in reason suppose that they will keep a considerable body of troops immured in Savannah, whilst the back country, so necessary to their quiet subsistence as well as their future designs, remains unconquered. The large quantities of grain made in the vicinity of this place, and the numerous herds of cattle through all the upper parts of the country must be very considerable objects with them, particularly as we know that they cannot even now get sufficient supplies of cattle without coming upwards and then fighting for them. The frequent skirmishes of our militia with their irregulars, who are employed as drovers, evince the truth of this observation ; and should they gain the upper parts of this State, we are bold to assert that Carolina would be in a very dangerous situation. The great defection of the upper parts of that country is well known ; a circumstance on which the enemy found the most sanguine hopes, and we have every reason to believe that they continually receive encouragement from these people to invade the back country. Nor could the enemy wish for a more favorable situation to be joined by them than that by Augusta, or anywhere above it, where the river is shallow and the swamps all passable.

" Add to the circumstances already mentioned, which might induce the enemy to progress upwards in force, that of having no obstruction to their intercourse with the Indians, which is a very capital one, and which will im- mediately be the case should they effect an entire conquest of this country; and unless they should do this, their intercourse will be very precarious and uncertain, and we shall always have it in our power to give the most considerable interruption to it. We think this point worth paying the most particular attention to, as we are now informed that Indian goods are now imported at Savannah, and that the Creek Indians have had no late supply from the Floridas. Should the trade from this country with the Indians be once open and uninterrupted, the enemy will find not the least difficulty, whenever they have a mind, in bringing the savages from the frontiers of Carolina.

" Besides our apprehensions on the above heads, we are fearful that in case the British troops should move up this way, the greatest part of the inhabitants, worn out with fruitless opposition, and actuated by the fear of losing their all, would make terms for themselves ; and as the human mind is too apt to be led by a natural gradation from one step of infamy to another, we have not the least doubt of their joining the enemy against their countrymen in any other State. But even should the British commander not bend his force this way, a great many families, harassed and unsupported, vv^ould remove far northwardly (for which they are already thinking of preparing), and this dangerous migration nothing but the appearance of support can prevent.

" With minds forcibly impressed by the operation of such powerful reasons, we beg leave to solicit you, sir, in the most serious manner, to order General Scott, who, we understand, is on his march southwardly with the rest of his troops, immediately to this place. ^

" We cannot think that the lower parts of Carolina will be endangered by such an order ; for we may reasonably presume that the enemy will never penetrate far into that part of the country while a respectable force remains in their rear, which would be the case if General Scott and his troops were in Georgia."

The governor of South Carolina was also memorialized to assist with men and money in the effort to retain the possession of Upper Georgia and prevent the English from accomplishing the entire subjugation of the State. These and similar appeals were not in vain, and it may not be denied that the representations and efforts of the supreme executive council of Georgia had much to do with bringing about the co-operation between the French army under Count d'Estaing and the American forces under Lincoln for the recovery of Savannah in the fall of 1779.

When, in March, 1776, Sir James Wright fled from Savannah and took refuge on board his majesty's ship Scarborough, at Tybee Roads, fear fell upon all the king's servants holding office in Georgia, and one by one, as opportunity occurred, they quitted the province. A few of them espoused the cause of the Revolutionists, but most of them departed for London. Some sought

Colonel Campbell, with other Rebels of Car" na and h ^ "^ "''"' "' sessed of the country at and about Aulus and all aLo" 7'^; ,"" ""^ honor to inclose your Lordship the informat onlreceived frl ;h" K 7' ""

With regard to the Indians he adds, " I am sorrv tn s,v H,.^ f. , mense expense to government on account of Se Inirthe H T """ .>e .0 be so hearty in the cause and so warm^Itl^tr reird-^"' '° _J^^:;^^^:^nns^l^^U^^ ,he gathering storm, tlfe tlunders of which were soon to shake the foundations of the city of Oglethorpe, Governor Wright at Savannah, supported by the king's army, was striving to recreate the royal government and to lead back the inhabitants of southern Georgia to a complete and orderly submission to British rule. While at Augusta the members of the supreme executive council, invested with unlimited powers, yet sadly deficient in all material appliances, were endeavoring to perpetuate the sovereignty of a republican State just born into the sisterhood of nations, and to arm, feed, and clothe a patriot band, few in numbers yet brave of heart, fighting for home and property and liberty, the odds were seemingly all in favor of his majesty King George III. In this conflict between a Republican oligarchy and an English monarchy it did really appear that there was little hope for the ultimate independence of the bleeding, impoverished, and distracted commonwealth.

Posture of Affairs in the Fall of 1779 - Legislation of the Commons House of Assembly - Proclamation of Governor Wereat, Governor Walton, General Mcintosh and Mr. Glascock - Political Affairs - Movements of the Executive Council - Unseemly Dissentions - Reorganization of the State Government at Augusta.

THE bloody repulse of the allied army before the lines around Savannah on the memorable morning of October 9, 1779, was a grievous disappointment to the Georgia patriots. They had confidently anticipated the capture of the town and a complete restoration of Republican rule. In a few short hours everything was changed from joyous expectation to the deepest gloom of helpless despair. After the departure of Count D'Estaing and the retreat of General Lincoln the condition of Savannah and the sea coast of Georgia became more pitiable than at any former period. Exasperated by the formidable demonstration which, at the outset, seriously threatened the overthrow of British dominion in Georgia, and rendered more arrogant and exacting, the loyalists set out in every direction upon missions of insult, pillage, and inhumanity. Plundering banditti roved about unrestrained, seizing negroes, stock,, furniture, wearing apparel, plate, jewels, and anything they coveted. Children were severely beaten to compel a revelation of the places where their parents had [concealed, or were supposed to have hidden valuable personal effects and money. Confiscation of property and incarceration or expatriation were the only alternatives presented to those who clave to the cause of the Revolutionists. So poor were many of the inhabitants that they could not command the means requisite to venture upon a removal. Even under such circumstances not a few, on foot, sought an asylum in South Carolina. Among the pnncpai sufferers may be mentioned the families of General Mcintosh Colonel John Tw,ggs and Colonel Elijah Clarke. Georgia was under ti,e yoke and she was forced to pay the penalty of unsuccessful rebellion, rendered e'nfold more grievous because of this recent formidable attempt o expel fron t ' borders the cv.l and military servants of the king. The ribald lan^ul" and hcent,ous conduct of the soldiery, coupled with the insults of lawles^s ,lroes especa ly by the weaker sex, almost beyond endurance. Far and nea the reg,on had experienced the desolations of war. "The rage between Wh.a'd Tory ran so h,gh. says General Moultrie, -- that what was called a Georgia parole and to be shot down, were synonymous." So stringent, too were t1 e restr,c upon trade, such was the depreciation of the pape cur ency a'd the same time be w.thm supporting distance of either Charles Town or Savan nah as occasion required, was ordered to join General Mcintosh at the latter place. Together they moved thence upon Savannah in advance of the army under General Lincoln approaching from the direction of Charles Town Tt the ^cZ" ^'°u'' "'""Z f'""'""^ '" "'" possession of the Revolutionists. In te Commons House of Assembly, composed of members chosen under writ near S "' ^r""^^^. '"' ""' "^'""^ compelling all persons dwelling in and near Savannah and Augusta forthwith to render an account of all male sla^-es

There was a revision of the mihtia laws, rendering them more stringent in their provisions and more certain in their operation. An inquiry was ordered into the expediency of organizing a corps of negro slaves and the propriety of incorporating it into the militia of the Province.

All attempts at royal legislation in Georgia during this stormy period were spasmodic, partial, feeble, and in the main futile. The hold of his Majesty's servants upon the Province was sensibly relaxed. More and more circumscribed grew the limits of royal dominion until they were finally obliterated upon the evacuation of Savannah in 1782. The hope of returning Georgia to her allegiance to the Crown, inspired by the capture of Savannah in December, 1778, and revived by the defeat of the allied armies in October, 1779, was always fluctuating. Although the governor retained his seat and exercised some of the functions of his office, his letters show that he was always oppressed by a sense of insecurity. Time and again did the republican forces, under partisan leaders, approach so closely that it was deemed dangerous for the king's servants to venture beyond the lines which environed Savannah. Now and then came a loyal address from the province assuring his majesty that his sorely tried, yet faithful office holders, would " use their utmost endeavors topromote an attachment to his person and government and the welfare of the British Empire;" that they "would not fail to put up their prayers to Almighty God that He would pour down His Blessings upon his Majesty, his Royal Consort, and his numerous offspring, and that He would give him a long and happy reign and that his posterity might sway the sceptre of the British Empire till time should be no more."

And this would be quickly followed by a pitiable representation of the defenseless condition of the province, and by an application for a force of five hundred mounted men with which to scour the country and repel the rebel cavalry who were plundering the governor's plantations on the Ogeechee, andthundering at the very gates of Savannah.

So divided was Georgia that the difficulty experienced by Sir James Wright in securing the attendance of members sufficient to form a Commons House of Assembly under the royal government, was also encountered by the members of the Republican Executive Council in their effiDrts to convene a legislature and elect a governor. Since his elevation to the office of president, on the 6th of August, 1779, John Wereat,^ in association with the Council, had been discharging the executive functions of government. On the 4th of November in. that year he issued the following proclamation :

' President Wereat was an active patriot, generous in his sympathies and sound in his financial views. He rendered important services to Georgia and her impoverished inhabitants. In January, 1788, he was president of the convention which, at Augusta, ratified the Federal Constitution. Ten years afterwards his useful career was peacefully ended in Bryan County.

the absence of many of the members elected to represent the different counties in the House of Representatives for the present year, with unavoidable causes, several ineffectual attempts have been made to convene a Legal House of Representatives ; and whereas, it is essential to the welfare and happiness of the State that a Legal and Constitutional House of Assembly should be convened : We, therefore, earnestly recommend to such of the citizens of this State as have preserved their fidelity to the cause of America, and were inhabitants of the counties of Chatham, Liberty, Glynn, Camden, and Efffngham prior to the reduction of these counties by the British forces, to repair to such place within this State as to them shall appear most safe and convenient, on the first Tuesday in December next, that being the day appointed by the constitution for a general election throughout the State, in order to elect persons to represent those counties in the General Assembly for the ensuing year, that a full, free, and equal representation may be had to proceed on business of the utmost importance to the community ; and it is the opinion of this Board, that this town would be the most eligible, in the present situation of affairs, for the meeting of the Assembly, which will be the first Tuesday in January next, agreeably to the Constitution of the State.

Upon the departure of the French and American armies from the lines before Savannah, many of the leading citizens removed from Southeastern Georgia and sought refuge in the vicinity of Augusta. Influenced by the persuasions of George Walton, who, released from captivity, was again at home, of Richard Howley, George Wells, and of others opposed to the executive council, these refugees, in association with the citizens of Richmond County, resolved themselves into a deliberative body claiming to be the General Assembly of Georgia. William Glascock, esq., was chosen speaker, and George Walton was elected governor of the State. It was openly charged, but without warrant, that some of the members of council sympathized with the Tories, and that all the proceedings of that body were " illegal, unconstitutional, and dangerous to the liberties of the State." This self-styled assembly, which convened at Augusta in November, 1779, also chose George Walton as a delegate to congress, and selected an executive council. Thus, at the same time were two executive councils actually organized and claiming to exercise important functions within the limits of Georgia wasted by a common enemy and rent by internal feuds. Violent were the collisions of parties, and most confused was the administration of civil affairs. Fortunately there was little need for the office either of legislator or of governor.

While the enemies of the executive council, as at first constituted, were thus active in creating dissensions in the body politic and in disturbing the general sentiment at an epoch when unity, concord, and confidence were essential to the hopes and the plans of the Revolutionists, the members of that asso ciation endeavored to counteract these prejudicial influences and to restore public harmony by this open declaration of their powers : " Whereas some jealousies, natural to a people tenacious of their liberties, have arisen among some of the citizens of this State respecting the power of this Board ; and whereas it behooves the rules of a free country at all times to take every step \v\ their power to give all reasonable satisfaction to the inhabitants thereof, and to put a stop to such jealousies and complaints as may take place ; and whereas the citizens of this State above mentioned conceive, by virtue of the delegation which authorizes this Board to proceed in the executive department of government, they have power to act in the judicial and legislative departments: We do hereby declare and make known to all whom it may concern that we are not inyested with any such judicial or legislative powers, and that it never was nor ever will be our intention to assume to ourselves any such powers by virtue of the above mentioned delegation, and that we mean neither to contradict nor to destroy the constitution of this State which we think must have due operation whenever a time of less disquiet will admit of its being adequate to the exigency of Government."

The self-constituted General Assembly was largely composed of malcontents, men ambitious of power and jealous of the honors accorded to others who like themselves were engaged in a lethal struggle for independence. Sad Commentary upon human nature which, even amid the throes of empire and in the agonies of extreme peril, could not forget its passions or subdue its petty animosities !

It will be remembered that in consequence of the deplorable want of accord between the civil and military authorities in Georgia General Lachlan Mcintosh was induced to quit his service at home and seek military employment in a distant field. He had now, however, returned ; and, during the bloody assault of the 9th of October, 1779, had given fresh proof of his courage and of his devotion to State and country. During his absence he received a letter from George Walton in which he thus commented upon the unfortunate condition of affairs in Georgia : " The demon Discord yet presides in tliis Country, and God only knows when his reign will be at an end. I have strove so hard to do good with so poor a return, that were the liberties of America secure I would bid adieu to all public employment, to politics, and to strife; for even virtue itself will meet with enmity."

It was General Mcintosh's hope that time had healed all wounds and that, without reproach, he would be permitted to devote his time and military talents to the defense of Georgia. In this he was mistaken. On the 30th of November, 1779, a letter, purporting to be signed by William Glascock, speaker of the House of Representatives, was transmitted to the president of Congress by George Walton, governor of Georgia. Congress was therein assured of the dissatisfaction of the people of Georgia at the assignment of General Mcintosh to the command of the military in that State. It was earnestly suggested that the National Assembly should, while he remained in the service of the United States, indicate "some distant field for the exercise of his abilities." So thor- oughly did this forgery, backed by the representation of General Mcintosh's enemies, poison the minds of the members of that body that they voted, on the 15th of February, 1780, to "dispense with the services of Brigadier- General Mcintosh until the further order of Congress."

When informed of this communication, General Mcintosh demanded an explanation from its alleged author. Mr. Glascock promptly denied the authenticity of the document in the following letter, dated Augusta, Georgia, May 12, 1780, and addressed to the president of Congress: -

" Sir, - I am now to do myself the honor of addressing your Excellency on a subject of considerable importance to myself and to a gentleman whose character both as a citizen and an officer I esteem and honor. Indeed I take up the affair on a larger scale ; I may say it is also of importance to this State and the whole Confederate alliance, as it strikes at the very root of reciprocal confidence, and opens a road to misrepresentation, detraction, and malice which cannot be guarded against but with the utmost circumspection, and which, if not checked, might be productive of the most serious consequences to these States either in a civil or a military sense. Brigadier General Mcintosh informs me that he lately received a letter from your Excellency enclosing the following extract of a letter to Congress from me, as Speaker of the Assembly of the State of Georgia :

" ' It is'to be wished that we could advise Congress that the return of Brigadier- General Mcintosh gave satisfaction to either the Militia or the Confederates, but the common dissatisfaction is such, and founded on weighty reasons, that it is highly necessary that Congress would, whilst that officer is in the service of the United States, direct some distant field for the exercise of his abilities.'

" I am sorry, Sir, to be informed by this extract of the extreme malice and rancour of General Mcintosh's enemies; but at the same time I enjoy a peculiar happiness in having it in my power to defeat their nefarious machinations and intentions. I do hereby most solemnly declare to Congress that the above extract is a flagrant forgery, of which I disclaim all knowledge whatever either directly or indirectly. Neither did I ever subscribe in a public or private capacity any letter or paper that could convey to Congress such an idea of that Officer with respect to his Country which he has, in my opinion, served with reputation, and from which he ought to receive the grateful acknowledgments of public approbation instead of the malicious insinuations of public slander, in which class I am under the necessity of ranking the forged letter which is the subject of this.

" I am glad of the opportunity of informing Congress that so far is that forgery from truth, that I believe there is not a respectable citizen or officer in Georgia who would not be happy in serving under General Mcintosh, nor one in either class who would be otherwise except a few who are governed by design or self interest."

Strange as it may appear, an examination into the matter disclosed the fact that this letter, to which the name of the speaker of the House of Assembly was forged, was suggested, dictated, and forwarded by Governor Walton and certain members of his council with a design of impairing the influence of General Mcintosh and compassing his removal from the military command in Georgia. Fortunately this malevolent and nefarious scheme failed to accomplish the unlawful result at which it aimed. So far from injuring the popularity of the meritorious officer whose valuable services were called in question, it drew down upon its authors the condemnation of all fair-minded people.

Upon the conclusion of the Revolutionary War this whole affair formed a subject of review by the legislature of Georgia. On the journals of the House of Assembly the following resolutions are entered under date of January 30,

" Resolved that they have examined such papers and persons as have been offered by the different parties, from which it appears that the resolves of Council, dated at Augusta, December 12th, 1779, and the letter from Governor Walton to the President of Congress, dated December 15th, 1779, respecting General Mcintosh were unjust, illiberal, and a misrepresentation of facts : that the letter said to be from William Glascock, speaker of the Assembly, dated November 30th, 1779, addressed to the President of Congress, appears to be a forgery, in violation of law and truth, and highly injurious to the interest of the State, and dangerous to the rights of its citizens; and that the Attorney General be ordered to make the necessary inquiries and enter such prosecutions as may be consistent with his duty and office.

" Resolved that General Mcintosh be informed that this House does entertain an abhorrence of all such injurious attempts made use of, as appears by the papers laid before them, to injure the character of an officer and citizen of this State who merits the attention of the Legislature for his early, decided, and persevering efforts in the defense of America, of which virtue this House has the highest sense."

With remarkable inconsistency, the Legislature on the day before these resolutions were adopted, had elected George Walton chief justice of the State of Georgia. If the attorney-general ever instituted any proceedings, we are not advised.

*"It is an irrefragable evidence," says John Sanderson in his Biography of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence (vol. ill. p. 166, Philadelphia, 1823), " of the great talents of Mr. Walton and of their proper appreciation by the people of Georgia that during the remainder of his life he held, in almost uninterrupted succession, the most respectable appointments that the government could confer upon him. There are indeed few men in the United States upon election in November, 1779. By the General Assembly Richard Howley was^ on the 4th of January, 1780, elected governor, and William Glascock speaker of the House. Edward Telfair, George Walton, Benjamin Andrew, Lyman Hall, and William Few were appointed members of Congress. George Wells,. Stephen Heard, John Lindsay, and Humphrey Wells were constituted members of the executive council. Of this body George Wells was chosen president. The office of chief justice was filled by the selection of William Stephens, and that of attorney-general by John Milledge. Colonel John Stark and Captain Hardy were elected treasurers. Edward Jones was made secretary of State, and Joseph Clay paymaster- general.

Composed largely of the friends of Walton and Howley, this assembly critcised severely the former council, and accused its members of "exercising powers and authorities unknown to and subversive of the constitution and laws of this State." It even went so far as to declare that "said council and the powers they exercised were illegal and unconstitutional." And yet, within a month, this assembly, which had thus pronounced null and void the action of the former council and denounced it as lawless in conception and operation, moved by the exigency of the period, and anticipating it might happen, during the progress of the war, " that the Ministers of government of this State might not be able to do or transact the business of the State within the limits of the same," unanimously re'solved "that his Honor the Governor, or, in hisabsence, the President and Executive Council, may do and transact all and every business of government in as full, ample, and authoritative manner im any other State within the Confederation, touching and respecting of this- State, as though it had been done and. transacted within the limits of this State."

Informed of the arrival of large reinforcements in Savannah, the ultimate destination of which was not then well ascertained. Governor Howley issued a stirring proclamation "commanding and requiring the people to stand firm to their duty, and exert themselves in support and defense of the great and glorious independency of the United States: and also to remember with gratitude to Heaven that the Almighty Ruler of human affairs hath been pleased to raise up the spirit and might of the two greatest powers in the world [France and Spain] to join with them and oppose and destroy the persecutor of their liberties and immunities."

General Lincoln was censured by the legislature for withdrawing the continental troops from Georgia, and was pronounced "answerable for all the conwhom more extensive and solid proofs of public confidence have been lavished. He was si.x times elected a representative to Congress, twice governor of the State, once a senator of the United States, and four times judge of the Superior Courts ; the latter office he held during fifteen years and until the day of his death. He was one of the commissioners on the part of the United States to negotiate a treaty with the Cherokee Indians in Tennessee, and several times a member of the State legislature."

sequences which may follow that unadvised measure." The governor was instructed to concentrate half the militia of the State at Augusta, and Colonel John Twiggs, with his command and as many volunteers as he could secure, was requested to take post at that point.

Aware of the defenseless condition of this town, which " might be surprised by twenty men," and deeming it "unsafe and impolitic for the Governor and Council to remain thus exposed," the assembly designated Heard's Fort, in Wilkes County, as a suitable "place of meeting for transacting the business of the government of this State as soon after leaving Augusta as may be."

Responding to this suggestion the executive council did, on the 5th of February, adjourn to assemble at Heard's Fort, which thereupon became the temporary capital of the State. Brief was the gubernatorial term of service of Governor Howley. He left Georgia to take his seat in the Continental Congress, and the Hon. George Wells, the president of council and three members of the board were announced as fully competent for the transaction of all public business. "The value of paper money," says Captain McCall,^ was at that time ?o much reduced that the governor dealt it out by the quire for a night's lodging for his party; and, if the fare was anything extraordinary, the landlord was compensated with two quires."

President Wells dying, Stephen Heard, of Wilkes County was elected, on the 1 8th of February, president of council. He was, during the absence of Governor Howley, governor dc facto of republican Georgia, which, at that time, could practically claim the allegiance of only two counties, - Richmond and Wilkes. That portion of the State lying south of a line drawn from Hudson's ferry on the Savannah River to the Ogeechee River was in the possession of the British.

"Thus was Georgia reduced to the verge of political death. The government, such as it was, was administered by President Heard, and a few members of the Council in Wilkes County; and when Mr. Heard retreated to North Carolina, Myrick Davies was chosen president in his place. The condition of the Republicans in Georgia was indeed deplorable. Driven from Savannah and the seaboard, compelled to evacuate Augusta, hemmed in by hostile Indians on the frontier, and confined mostly to a few settlements in and around Wilkes County, they lived in daily peril, had almost daily skirmishes with Regulars, Tories, or Indians, were harrassed with alarms, were surprised by ambuscades, were pinched with want, and had one long bitter struggle for simple existence, with scarcely a ray of hope to light up the future." -

Moreover, unseemly dissensions had arisen among leading citizens, and the land was a prey alike to external and internal foes. Most difficult was it to maintain even a show of civil authority and to support a tolerable administra- tion of justice. Many good men went into voluntary exile, bewailing the exstence of evils which they were unable either to mitigate or to remove.

At this darkest epoch, when English arms had gained the ascendency not only in Georgia but also in Carolina, when the principal towns of those States were in the possession of the enemy, and the territory on both sides of the Savannah was largely subservient to British rule, it was noised abroad that a new commission would soon issue from the Court of St. James for the purpose of again sounding the temper of America upon the subject of a pacification. It was boldly hinted that Georgia, and perhaps South Carolina, in any negotiations would not be recognized as a part of the American Union, but would be excluded on the ground that they had "been again colonized to England by new conquest." In Europe the " ?/// possidetis" was much talked of as a "probable basis for the anticipated peace." Against this doctrine and its practical application George Walton, William F^ew and Richard Howley, then representing Georgia in the Continental Congress, prepared and published a manly and earnest protest^ which was not without influence. After representing in their true colors the excellences possessed by Georgia, her natural resources, and the advantages which resulted from her union with sister American States, they insisted that she was a material component part of the Confederation, and that she could not be abandoned or given up without endangering the integrity of that union. The public was reminded that all the colonies had joined in one common cause, and had sacrificed their blood and fortunes in its support. Rightly did they contend that it would be "unjust and inhuman for the other parts of the Union separately to embrace the result of the common efforts and leave them [Georgia and Carolina] under the yoke of a bankrupt and enraged t} rant." The suggestion shocked the sentiments of the allied patriots; and the doctrine of /////^i'j'/c/^'/'zjr, if seriously entertained, was thoroughly eliminated from all discussions and deliberations contemplating the establishment of amicable relations between England and her revolted colonies.

On the i6th of August, 1781, Dr. Nathan Brownson was elected governor, and Edward Telfair, William Few, Dr. Noble Wimberley Jones and Samuel Stirk were appointed delegates to Congress. The skies were biightening. Augusta h.id been rescued from the possession of the enemy, and renewed efforts were being made for the recovery of other portions of the State.

Eight days after his induction into office. Governor Brownson. with the intention of strengthening the manhood of the State, issued a p'-oclamation requiring all persons who considered themselves citizens of Georgia to return home within specified periods under penalty of being subjected to the payment of a treble tax to be levied upon all lands owned by them within the limits of the State. Many wanderers were thus recalled who, having forsaken their

The machinery of State government was further organized by this legislature, assembled in Augusta, - of which John Jones was the speaker, - by the election of John Wereat as chief justice, Samuel Stirk as attorney- general, James Bryan as treasurer, and John Milton as secretary of State. Provision was made for reopening the courts of justice, and assistant judges were elected for each county. It was then the duty of the chief justice to preside at the superior courts of all the several counties, and the terms were so arranged as to permit his presence. In each county he was aided by the assistant justices selected for the county. For the more efficient organization and control of the militia the following officers were chosen :

To the governor was allowed a salary at the rate of £s^'^ P^^ annum ; to the chief justice, a salary of i^300 ; to the attorney- general, a salary of ;{J"200 ; to the treasurer, a salary of ^^150 ; to the secretary of State, a salary of ^loo; to the clerk of council and assembly, a salary of ^75 ; and to the messenger of council, a salary of ^,"50 The delegates to the Continental Congress were entitled to a sum sufficient to defray all their expenses incurred in going to, attending upon, and in returning from Congress.

Governor Brownson was a leading physician of Southern Georgia, publicspirited, wise in counsel, and an early and earnest supporter of the plans of the Revolutionists. Twice had he served his people as a member of the Continental Congress. Among the purest patriots of Liberty County will he always be numbered.

In the early part of December, 1781, the council was called upon to mourn the loss of the Honorable Myrick Davies, recently its president, who was inhumanly slain by the Royalists. The headquarters of the board had for sometime been fixed at Howell's plantation in Burke county. On the i ith of December, ,1781, the following minute appears in the journal of the executive council:

"Resolved, that his honor the governor be requested to take measures for conveying the body of the late Myrick Davies, Esqr., president of the Executive Council, to this place, ^ and that Mr. Lewis be requested to prepare a proper discourse for his interment, and this Board will attend the same."

By the legislature, which convened in Augusta on the ist of January, 1782, was John Martin, an active defender of the liberties of his country and a lieutenant-colonel in the continental line of the Georgia brigade, elected governor. William Gibbons was selected as speaker. This body remained in session only about ten days, and was subsequently, by proclamation of the governor, convened at Augusta on the 17th of April.

Already were indications of a successful issue to the impending conflict becoming apparent, and the hearts of the Revolutionists were cheered by the approach of a strong army for the reclamation of Georgia.

Encouraged by the prospect, Governor Martin, in his inaugural address, thus felicitated the members of the legislature : " I am extremely happy in finding that the virtuous struggles made by the good citizens of this State against our cruel and unnatural enemies have at length nearly secured to us those blessings for which we have so long contended, and, I doubt not, but by a continuance of those exertions and the support we have reason to expect, we shall in a short time reap the happy fruits of our labors."

It was under his administration that Georgia was rescued from British dominion and the commonwealth restored to the full exercise of all legislative, executive, and judicial powers. He was the governor whose good fortune it was to behold the successful termination of the Revolution, and to witness the public recognition of Georgia as a sovereign State.

Augusta Evacuated by Williamson, and Occupied by Brown and Grierson - Barbarous Cruelties Perpetrated by Them - Colonel Clarke's Attempt to retake Augusta - Narrative of the Incidents Connected with the Affair - Governor Wright's Dispatches - Sad! Plight of the Revolutionists - Colonel Brown.

HAVING in this summary of the political history of Georgia during this period of uncertainty, distraction, poverty and desolation, anticipated in some measure the progress of events, let us turn to the military affairs immediately affecting the fortunes of the town of Augusta.

difficulty in placing their families and personal property in localities exempt from danger. Some, foreseeing the privations to which their wives and children would be subjected, repented of their patriotic purpose and availed themselves of the protection offered by the Crown. Others, unable to defray the charges incident upon a removal, and filled with a heroic desire to consecrate their lives to the military service of the Confederacy, bade farewell to their homes and commended their all to the chances of war and the God of battles.

Merciless was the conflict waged between Royalists and Republicans. The former, inflamed with hatred and eager for rapine, spared neither age nor sex. Ruin marked their footsteps, and their presence was a signal for theft, torture, murder, and crimes without a name. Revenge and retaliation prompted the Republicans to many bloody deeds which can scancely be excused even in a defensive war, - that most justifiable of all conflicts, where life, liberty, property, and country are at stake. Dark is the picture from whatever light it may be viewed, and not a few of the scenes there depicted were, beyond controversy, inspired by Moloch.

Brigadier- General Andrew Williamson, with three hundred men, was now encamped near Augusta. Although composed of militia, this was, numerically considered, the most formidable force then assembled at a single point for the defense of republican Georgia. While encouraging Colonel Clarke with the suggestion that he would accede to a concentration of forces and unite in the suppression of the Royalists in Upper Carolina, he held the king's protection in his pocket and meditated an act of infamy. Unable either to read or write, he entrusted the details of his command to his aid-de-canip, Malcolm Brown, who had long given evidence of his attachment to the royal cause. Concealing for some time the information he had received of the fall of Charlestown, he subsequently, upon the approach of the British detachments, called his officers together, expressed the opinion that further resistance would prove ineffectual, and recommended them to return to their homes and there accept the protection offered at the hands of the king's servants. He thereupon abandoned his command. For this traitorous act he was rewarded by a colonel's commission in his majesty's service ; and, until the close of the war. was recognized as a warm advocate of the re-establishment of the royal government.^

Upon the disbanding of this force Augusta was occupied by Colonels Brown and Grierson, two notorious partisan officers in the king's army The former had been a resident of that town prior to the inception of the war. His conduct and language had then been so offensive and insulting to the friends of liberty that he was finally arrested by the parish committee, tried, tarred and feathered, and exposed to public ridicule in a cart drawn by three mules. This ignominous punishment ended, he made his escape to the British, swearing vengeance against all patriots. Entrusted now with the command of the town in the streets of which he had sufifered such gross indignities, he was resolved to gratify a revenge sternly cherished, and to repay, with interest, to the citizens of Augusta the ill-usage he had experienced at their hands. His first measure was the sequestration of the property of the Republican inhabitants. This was speedily followed by an order banishing, beyond the limits of Georgia, all Whig families. Stripped of their possessions and driven from their homes, exposed to insults and enduring numberless privations, these proscribed Georgians were compelled to journey even to the borders of North Carolina, where they arrived half famished, broken down by the fatigue and hardships of travel, and some of them with constitutions so sadly shattered that all hope of health and life had fled.^ The tyrant rejoiced in his supremacy ; and, gloating over the sorrows he had wrought, boasted that his

Emissaries were dispatched into the adjacent country with authority to grant protections and exact oaths of allegiance to the British Crown. A party thus commissioned, and led by Captain Corker, at dead of night forced an entrance into the dwelling-house of Colonel John Dooly and, in the most barbarous manner, murdered him in the presence of his wife and children. Thus perished an officer who had borne himself gallantly in many affairs and deserved well of the republic.

Soon after the affair near Musgrove's Mill, in which Colonel Clarke fought with a desperation worthy of all praise and narrowly escaped with his life, that noted partisan leader - plucky and powerful, every inch a hero - returned to Georgia with his command. Lord Cornwallis had recently addressed a circular letter to his subalterns, containing the following severe injunctions:

"The inhabitants of the Provinces who have subscribed to and taken part in this revolt should be punished with the utmost rigour : and also those who will not turn out shall be imprisoned and their whole property taken from them or destroyed. I have ordered in the most positive manner that every militia man who has borne arms with us, and afterward joined the enemy, shall be immediately hanged. I desire you will take the most rigourous measures to punish the rebels in the district in which you command, and that you obey in the strictest manner the directions I have given in this letter relative to the inhabitants in this country."

Under color of this authority, cruelties, the most barbarous, were practiced. Grievous punishments were inflicted without even the forms of trial. Condemnations and executions occurred, the prisoners being unacquainted with the offenses with which they were charged. The morning after this sanguinary order was received in Augusta five victims were taken from the jail, and by order of Colonel Brown were publicly strangled on the gibbet.^ Confiscations were multiplied, and a reign of terror overspread such portions of Georgia and South Carolina as were under the control of the king's forces. Hoping that this inhuman order would rouse the manhood of the State to determined resistance and concentrate the friends of American liberty in a supreme effort for its assertion, Colonel Clarke, in association with Lieutenant- Colonel McCall, planned an expedition for the capture of Augusta. In the success of the enterprise they were the more inclined to repose confidence because Lord Cornwallis in mustering his forces to oppose General Gates had materially depleted the garrison at that point. It was hoped that they might, within a short time, by their joint exertions raise an army of one thousand men. With such a force it was believed that Brown would be compelled to evacuate his post, and that the northern and Avestern divisions of Georgia and South Carolina would be speedily restored to their Confederate allegiance. Soap Creek in Georgia,^ forty miles northwest of Augusta, was agreed upon as the place of rendezvous.

Entering Wilkes County about the ist of September, 1780, Colonel Clarke succeeded, within less than two weeks, in placing in the field some three hundred and fifty men. After the most strenuous efforts expended in the western part of Ninety-Six district, in South Carolina, Colonel McCall persuaded only eighty men to accompany him upon the expedition. A union of these detachments occurred at Soap Creek at the appointed time. Celerity of movement being all important. Colonel Clarke put his column on the march without delay and, on the morning of the 14th of September, halted near Augusta and formed his command for action. The enemy was ignorant of his purpose until he appeared before the town. One division, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel McCall, was instructed to enter Augusta by the lower road. The left division, led by Major Samuel Taylor, was ordered to approach by the upper road, while Colonel Clarke in person, with the center division, was to effect an entrance by the middle or southern road. Moving rapidly and simultaneously these divisions advanced upon Augusta.

Near Hawk's Creek, on the west. Major Taylor fell in with an Indian encampment which he at once carried. The savages retreated upon their allies, keeping up a desultory fire as they retired. This assault upon the Indian camp gave Colonel Brown the first intimation of the approach of the Americans. Taylor pressed on to gain possession of McKay's trading post, denominated the White House, and situated about a mile and a half west of Augusta as the town then stood. This house was occupied by a company of the King's Rangers, commanded by Captain Johnston. Thither did the retreating Indians betake themselves. Ordering Grierson to reinforce Johnston, Brown advanced with the main body of his troops to contest the entrance of the Americans. Completely surprised by the center and right divisions, the forts surrendered after scarcely a show of resistance. Seventy prisoners and a large quantity of Indian presents ^ fell into the hands of the captors. These being secured and ' Their aggregate value was reckoned at £4,000.

Meanwhile, Brown and Grierson had joined Johnston and the Indians at the White House and entered upon its vigorous defense. Taking possession of several small houses to the eastward, Clarke endeavored, under their cover, to dislodge the enemy. The attempt proved futile. From eleven o'clock in the forenoon until nightfall an irregular fire was maintained between the contending parties, but without producing any material impression. It was manifest that the enemy could not be driven from his stronghold without the assistance of artillery. Sheltering themselves behind the bank of the river, and protected by the trees which grew along the margin, such of the Indians as could not be accommodated in the White House found security in that locality, and thence delivered a careful and an annoying fire. Hostilities ceased with the close of the day, and strong guards were posted to prevent the escape of the enemy.

Under cover of the night Brown materially strengthened his position by throwing up earthworks round the house. The space between the weather boarding and the ceiling was filled with sand and clay so as to render the structure proof against musketry. The windows were secured by boards taken from the floors, and loop-holes were constructed at convenient distances. Every material at command was utilized in enhancing the defensive power of the building.

The next morning two pieces of light artillery, a four-pounder and a sixpounder gun, were transported from Fort Grierson and placed in position so as to bear upon the White House. Their carriages not being adapted for field service, and their management being unskillful, these guns proved of little avail. Captain'^Vfartin, too, the only artillerist in Clarke's command, was unfortunately killed just after the guns were brought into action. A musketry fire was directed during the day against the enemy, who evinced no intention either of abandoning the post, or of surrendering.

During the night of the 15th Brown was reinforced by fifty Cherokee Indians, who, well armed, crossed the Savannah in canoes and participated in the defense. Before daylight on the morning of the i6th the Americans succeeded in driving the Indians from their shelter along the river bank and in completely cutting off the garrison from its water supply. Thus was the enemy greatly inconvenienced, and the sufferings of the wounded became intense. Their cries for water and medical aid were heartrending. A horrid stench, arising from the dead bodies of men and horses, enhanced the miseries of the situation. Brown, himself, shot through both thighs, was suffering terribly, but his desperate courage never for a moment forsook him. Ignoring the tortures of his wounds, he remained booted at the head of his gallant band, directing the defense and animating his troops by his presence and example. In order to atone in some degree for the absence of water, he ordered all the urine to be carefully preserved in earthen vessels found in the store. When cold, this was served out to the men, he himself taking the first draught.^ A more frightful illustration of the extremity of the situation cannot be imagined. Summoned to surrender on the 17th, he promptly refused the demand, and warned Colonel Clarke that his present demonstration would eventually bring destruction and devastation upon the western division of Georgia. The summons was repeated in the afternoon with an avowal of a fixed determination on the part of the Americans to reduce the garrison at every sacrifice. Brown's only reply was that he should defend himself to the last extremity. Never was braver foe brought to bay. His wonderful resolution sustained all his followers in their dire distress.

Upon the appearance of the Americans, Colonel Brown had dispatched messengers by different routes to inform Colonel Cruger, at Ninety-Six, of his situation, and to urge that reinforcements should be immediately sent to his relief Sir Patrick Houstoun, one of these messengers, was the first to reach Ninety- Six. He communicated the perilous posture of affairs. Cruger lost no tini'^! in repairing to the scene of conflict. During the night of the 17th Colonel Clarke was informed by his scouts that Colonel Cruger, at the head of five hundred British regulars and royal militia, was advancing by forced marches for the succor of the besieged. In direct disobedience of orders many of Colonel Clarke's men had gone to Burke county to see their families and friends, from whom they had long been separated. Others, actuated b\- the love of booty, had decamped, carrying with them the goods which Brown had recently received to be distributed as presents among the Indians.

About eight o'clock on the morning of the i8th the British troops appeared on the opposite bank of the Savannah River. In his enfeebled condition, his ranks depleted by wounds, death, and desertion. Colonel Clarke was compelled to raise the siege. The Americans retreated about ten o'clock, having sustained a loss of sixty in killed and wounded. Among the former were Captains Charles jourdine and William Martin, and William Luckie, a brave and much respected }-oung man from South Carolina, who fell earl\- in the contest while endeavoring to gain possession of the White House.

Such of the republicans as were badly wounded were left in the town. Thus did Captain Ashby, an officer noted for his bravery and humanit)-, and twentyeight soldiers fall into the hands of the enem\'. He and twelve of the wounded prisoners were forthwith hung upon the staircase of the White House, where Brown was l}"ing wounded, that he might enjoy the demoniacal pleasure of gloating over their expiring agonies. Their bodies were then delivered to the Indians, who, after scalping and mutilating them, threw them into the river. Henry Duke, John Burgamy, Scott Reeden, Jordan Ricketson, Darling, and the two brothers Glass, youths of seventeen and fifteen years of age, were choked to death under a hastily constructed gibbet. Their fate, however, was mild when contrasted with that reserved for other prisoners who were delivered into the hands of the Indians that they might be avenged of the losses which they had sustained during the siege. Placing their victims in the center of a circle, they consigned them to blows, cuts, scalping, burning, and deaths most horrible. Seventy savages had fallen at the hands of the Americans, and thus did their surviving companions offer sacrifices to their names. The brutalities inflicted by Brown and his followers on this occasion stagger all comprehension and transcend civilized belief

Major Carter, who accompanied the division assaulting by the upper road, encountered a mortal hurt at the door of the White House while endeavoring to prevent the enemy from gaining possession of that structure. At great hazard he was borne off by his comrades, who conveyed him to the plantation of Mrs. Bugg, where he expired a few days afterwards. To him Colonel Clarke paid this tribute : '* A man of more bravery than Major Carter never occupied a space between heaven and earth."

Among the British slain were Captain Andrew Johnston and Ensign Silcox, of the Florida Rangers. Brown's command on this occasion consisted of two hundred and fifty loyalists, - chiefly Florida Rangers, - an equal number of Creek warriors, and fifty Chei.okees.

Before retiring. Colonel Clarke paroled the officers and men whom hj had captured. Among them were Captain James Smith and forty- one of the King's Rangers, a commissioned officer and eleven men of De Lancey's corps, and a surgeon. In entire disregard of the obligations into which they had entered, these officers and soldiers resumed their arms immediately upon the departure of the Americans.

No sooner had the Republican forces retreated than Colonel Brown sent out detachments in every direction to arrest all persons who had participated in the siege or sympathized in the effort to recapture Augusta. Captain Kemp, with a small party of rangers, surprised Colonel Jones and five companions in a house on Beech Island. James Goldwire was killed. Although Jones and two of his company were wounded, they succeeded in repelling the rangers and in taking refuge in a swamp. While there concealed and awaiting recovery from his wounds, Jones was discovered and made prisoner. The loyalists clamored for his life, which was saved through the personal exertions of Captain Wylly, who surrounded him with a guard.

The entire adjacent country was subjected to a rigorous search. Republican sympathizers were dragged from their homes and crowded into wretched prisons. Those suspected of having belonged to Clarke's command were hung without even the mockery of a trial. Venerable men, beyond the age of bearing arms and standing aloof from thg contest, were consigned to filthy jails for no reason save that they welcomed the return of sons and grandsons who had long been absent in the armies of the Revolution. Witness the sufferings of the father of Captains Samuel and James Alexander. In the seventy-eighth year of his age he was arrested by order of Colonel Grierson, chained, and dragged at the tail of a cart forty miles in two days. When attempting to obtain some rest for his feeble limbs by leaning against the vehicle, he was ignominously scourged by the driver.

Closely confined in Augusta, these old men were held as hostages for the neutrality of the country. Succumbing to the rigors of ill usage, the ravages of smallpox, and the privations incident to their sad situation, few survived to behold the eventual triumph of the patriots. Some twenty- five prominent persons who had been paroled in Augusta were sent to Charlestown. Among these may be mentioned Majors George Handley and Samuel Stirk, Captain Chesle)^ Bostwick, Mr. John Wereat, and several members of the executive council of Georgia.^

Thus did Colonel Brown, smarting under bodily pain and remembered indignities, make good his threat uttered in the White House. Thus did he satiate his revenge. The homes of the patriots were filled with blood, ashes, and tears. The Republicans were compelled to pass under a yoke too heavy for the stoutest neck. Further sojourn in this region was rendered intolerable, and multitudes forsook the territory dominated over by the insatiate Brown and his followers.

Colonels Clarke and McCall have been severely although unjustly criticised for inaugurating this movement against Augusta. Had they succeeded, praise and not censure would have been the general verdict. By some the expedition was denounced as an "ill-timed and a premature insurrection." Such language did not emanate from patriotic lips. The undertaking was well conceived and vigorously pressed. But for the lack of field artillery the White House would have been carried prior to the appearance of Colonel Cruger. That the failure of the eftort to retake Augusta inflamed the Royalists and entailed additional miseries upon the region cannot be doubted. The entire affair was a warlike mischance encountered by men patriotic in their impulses, zealous in their action, and eager to achieve a great good.

After raising the siege of Augusta Colonel Clarke retreated to Little River and there disbanded his force that his men might visit their homes preparatory to service in distant fields.

Three dispatches- touching this affair were sent by Governor Wright to Lord George Germain, - his majesty's principal Secretary of State. In the first he writes, under date " Savanah in Georgia i8th Septr 1780," as follows : " My Lord. Yesterday I receiv'd Advice from Augusta acquainting me that a great Number of the Inhabitants of the Ceded Lands, together with some from South Caroh'na, had come to Augusta on the 14th Inst, & attack'd Col Brown, & that they had defeated him & He was oblig'd to retire into a Small Stockade Fort there - There was at Augusta about 450 Creek Indians, & I believe Col Brown has about 200 of his own Corps. It appears to me that the Attack was so sudden that Col Brown had not time to send off an Express, & no Accounts are as yet come from him - and it is fear'd and not doubted that Augusta has fallen into the hands of the Rebels. The Temptation was certainly too great unless there had been a stronger force there. I am well inform'd that the Goods intended as Presents to the Indians was at least of ^^4000 Sterlg value - Prime Cost - which it is suppos'd must have fallen into the Hands of the Rebels, & the whole, such sort of Goods as the Back Country People esteem most. It is impossible to say as yet, what the consequences of this unfortunate Affair may be." ....

In the second, under date of " 22nd Septr," he expresses to his lordshipthe happiness he enjoys in having it in his power to say "that Col Brown at Augusta, with the Assistance of the Indians, (who behav'd extremely well) held out against the Rebels from Thursday Morng till Monday Morng & the last two days without any Water - And on Monday Morng the Rebels hearing that Col. Cruger was marching to the relief of Col Brown, they immediately made off. Many Rebels have been kill'd, wounded & taken, & one hang'd & I hope several others will, as they have now forfeited every kind of Claim to had they succeeded, I am afifraid, nay certain, they soon would have become formidable, & I shall now endeavour that such Steps be taken against them as may put it out of their power to do more mischief Some of the Indian presents fell into their hands during the time they were there, which were carried off, but the principal part we're deposited where Col Brown took shelter."

From the third, showing the temper of the royal Governor, we make the following extract: "I have now the Honor to inclose your Lordship a Copy of my Last, giving an Account of the Retreat of the Rebels from Augusta, and from the best Information I have been able to collect I don't find that the Rebel Force exceeded from 4 to 450 Men. I believe Clarke, who commanded,, carried back into Carolina 200 to 250 of them: the rest, its said 100 killed,, wounded, & taken, and from 70 to 100 surrendered themselves afterwards to Colonel Cruger on the Ceded Lands. 13 Indians were killed. Thirteen of the Prisoners who broke their Paroles & came against Augusta have been hang'd, which I hope will have a very good Effect.