Augusta, Georgia - History (part 4 of 17)

the Disqualifying Law carried into Execution in its utmost Extent, so that I hope when the Generahty of them are disarmed & have been compelled to give security for their good Behaviour, they must be convinced that Examples will be made both as to Life & Property, & I trust they will not venture to behave in the villainous manner they have hitherto done."

Never was the patriotism of any people more sorely tried than was that of republican Georgians during the winter of 1780. Their affairs were literally in extremis. Of commerce there was none save an occasional introduction, at great hazard, of salt and miHtary supplies. Agriculture, for some time on the wane, was now pursued with no expectation of profit, but simply as a means whereby a bare subsistence might be obtained. Only such raiment was procurable as domestic industry evoked from the rude spinning-wheel and the cumbersome hand-loom. The temples of justice were closed, and there were no live coals on the altars dedicated to Jehovah. School-houses were rotting in silence, and no sound of merriment was heard in the land. Confiscations, conflagrations, thefts, murders, and sanguinary royal edicts had wrought sad havoc and engendered mourning almost universal. Poverty and ruin dwelt everywhere, and for months the signs of patriotic life in Georgia were most feeble and spasmodic. The paper currency, the only circulating medium known to the inhabitants, had so effectually lost its purchasing power that the pay of a captain in the rebel service for an entire month was incapable of procuring for him a pair of common shoes. The pecuniary compensation of the private soldier was literally nothing, and his supply of food and clothing was meager and precarious in the extreme.

That the Confederation, under such circumstances, should have been able to enlist soldiers and to offer effectual resistance appears almost inexplicable : for history teaches that in the maintenance of protracted wars, no matter what the patriotism and endurance of the contestants may be, reasonable pay and sufificient rations are absolutely requisite to insure ef^cient service in the field and contentment at home. The struggles of the American colonies in their rugged march toward the achievement of liberty are without parallel in the record of revolutions. As we look back upon this period of privation, selfdenial, desolation, and supreme effort, we marvel at the Ireroic spirit which possessed this beleagured land. As we contrast the armies of the republicans with those of other nations renowned for valor and patriotism, we wonder at the inspiration which sustained them and the zeal for independence which enabled them to suffer every want and overcome all obstacles.

Of all the inhuman characters developed during this abnormal period so replete with murder, arson, theft, brutality, and crimes too foul for utterance, none can be named more notorious than Thomas Brown, loyalist and colonel in his majesty's service. His acts incarnadine and encumber with barbarities the Revolutionary pages in Georgia history. And yet this tyrant, this perse- cutor of defenseless women and children, this butcher of captives, this relentless, merciless persecutor of patriots, in a long letter penned from Nassau on the 25th of December, 1786, calls Dr. Ramsay to account for the strictures in which he justly indulges when reviewing his conduct, and enters upon a lengthy justification of some of the transactions which have rendered his reputation well-nigh infamous.

Bravery was his only redeeming trait, and that he possessed and exhibited in a wonderful degree. Loyalty to the king was the cloak which covered every excess. Revenge was the passion sweeter than all others. To his ears the dying groans of a republican were more enjoyable than strains of purest melody. Convicted in the city of London in 18 12 of a grand forgery upon the government which he served, he ended his days in disgrace and ignominy.

The shadows which had so long enshrouded the hopes of the Revolutionists in Georgia were now lifting. The absent were returning and assembling in force for the salvation of their homes. Firm in the confidence and secure in the affection of the Southern Department, General Greene was hailed as the great and good genius of the hour. Brave men were projecting plans of deliverance, and among them was a scheme for the repossession of Augusta and the capture of the lawless men who had so grievously afflicted the region.

Chapter Xl

Colonel Williamson Invests Augusta - Arrival of Colonel Clarke - Pickens and Lee Ordered to Assist in the Reduction of Augusta - Capture of Fort Galphin - The Siege and Capitulation of Augusta - Lieutenant-Colonel James Jackson Assigned to the Command - Burnet's Rascality - Governor Wright Calls Lustily for Aid.

STILL suffering from the effects of the smallpox, Colonel Clarke was too feeble to take the saddle at the time appointed for the reassembling of his men at Dennis' Mill on Little River. Consequently, Lieutenant- Colonel Micajah Williamson assumed the command and, on the i6th of April, 1781, moved with the detachment to the vicinity of Augusta. There he was reinforced by Colonel Baker with as many militia as he had been able to collect in Southern Georgia, and by Captains Dunn and Irwin who brought with them some men from Burke County. Soon after, Colonel Hammond and Major Jackson arrived with such of the Carolina militia as they had been successful in recruiting in the neighborhood of Augusta.

With this force, which was numerically a little superior to that possessed by the enemy but far inferior in discipline and equipment, Colonel Williamson, occupied a position twelve hundred yards distant from the British works,, and there fortified his camp. It is believed that the exaggerated accounts of the American strength conveyed to Colonel Brown deferred him from making an attack which would probably have eventuated in success.

For nearly four weeks had the republicans been sitting down before Augusta, guarding all the approaches to the town, confining its garrison within their defenses, and eagerly expecting reinforcements from General Greene's army, preparatory to a general assault upon the British works. Wearied with the service, and despairing of the anticipated aid, the militia were on the eve of withdrawing when Major Jackson - as eloquent of speech as he was daring in war - by a patriotic address inflamed their ardor and changed their purpose. The arrival of Colonel Clarke and one hundred men on the 15th of May restored confidence and confirmed the resolution to prosecute the enterprise to a successful issue.

Major Dill had collected a band of loyalists with the intention of reinforcing Brown and compelling the Americans to raise the siege. Without waiting for his approach, Colonel Clarke dispatched Captains Shelby and Carr, with a strong party, who fell upon him at Walker's bridge on Brier Creek, killing and wounding a number of his men and dispersing the rest.

Entertaining no apprehension of an attack from the enemy. Colonel Clarke sent his cavalry horses under a guard of six men to Beech Island that they might be plentifully supplied with forage. Learning this fact. Colonel Brown detailed'a force of regulars, militia, and Indians, to proceed down the Savannah River in canoes to cut ofi" the guard and capture the animals. In this mission they succeeded. Every man of the guard was slain. While returning with the horses, the}' were attacked by Captains Shelby and Carr, near Mrs. Bugg's plantation, and entirely routed. Not one of the enemy falling into the hands of the Americans was permitted to live. Nearly half the detachment was killed. All the horses were recovered.^

Unfurnished with artillery Colonel Clarke picked up an old four- pounder which had been abandoned by the British, mounted it, and employed a blacksmith to forge projectiles for it. This little piece was placed in battery about four hundred yards from Fort Grierson. So limited was the supply of ammunition that it was fired only on occasions the most favorable.

General Pickens with four hundred men was operating between Augusta and Ninety-Six to cut ofi" all communication between those posts. Eastward of Nmety Six Colonels Branham and Hayes were recruiting their commands and intercepting supplies intended for the relief of that station. While thus engaged Colonel Hayes, who then had with him forty-five men, was suddenly attacked by Major Cunningham. Taking refuge in a house Hayes defended himself until further resistance appeared useless. He then surrendered upon condition that his men should be recognized and treated as prisoners of war.

The investing force of the Americans was somewhat enfeebled at Augusta by a detail sent into the upper portion of Georgia and South Carolina to drive back some Indians and loyal refugees who were committing depredations upon the frontier.

Such was the posture of affairs, and such were the events which transpired in the vicinity of Augusta just prior to the advent of General Pickens and Lieutenant-Colonel Lee. P'ort Motte had fallen. So had Fort Granby. Within less than a month General Greene compelled Lord Rawdon to evacuate Camden, and forced the submission of the adjacent British posts. He was now moving forward for the close investment of Ninety-Six. The capture of Augusta was determined upon, so that by one continuous and decisive campaign the deliverance of the States of Carolina and Georgia from the domination of the king's forces might be thoroughly compassed, save in the cases of Charlestown and Savannah which could not, at the time, be readily assailed because the enemy ruled at sea. Meanwhile Colonel Cruger was busily engaged in strengthening his defenses at Ninety- Six, and was resolved to hold his post to the last extremity.

General Pickens and Lieutenant-Colonel Lee were ordered to repair with their commands to Augusta and reduce that town. The latter officer, having narrowly observed the operations of the enemy at Ninety- Six and reported fully the condition of affairs to General Greene, took up his line of march across the country for Augusta. On the third day he arrived in its vicinity. He had been preceded by Captain Ferdinand O'Neale, who, with a party of light horse, was detached to collect provisions and acquire all information which might facilitate the consummation of the military operation immediately in hand. By this officer Colonel Lee was advised of the arrival at Fort Galphin of the annual royal present intended for the Indians. It consisted of powder, ball, small arms, liquor, salt, blankets, and other articles which were sadly needed in the American camp. For the protection of these valuable supplies two companies of infantry had been detailed by Colonel Brown from his command at Augusta, and they were, at the moment, garrisoning Fort Galphin. With a view to the possession of these coveted articles, and that Brown's force mi^ht be permanently weakened by the capture of these two companies, Colonel Lee resolved upon the immediate reduction of the fort at Silver Bluff. Of his proximity to Augusta the enemy seems not to have been aware. His movements had evidently been rapid and well concealed. Quick action was imperatively^demanded. Leaving Eaton with his battalion, the artillery, and the exhausted men of the legion to follow on more leisurely, and mounting a detachment of infantry behind his dragoons, Colonel Lee pressed on by a forced march toward Fort Galphin.

This work, situated on the left bank of the Savannah River about fifteen miles below Augusta, consisted of the substantial brick residence erected by- George Galphin, the famous Indian trader, surrounded by a stockade. Dreadnaught the English called it, and the bold bluff near which it stood had long been known as Silver Bluff.

The morning of the 2ist of Mixy, 1781, was sultry beyond measure. For miles not a drop of water had been found to quench the violent thirst of trooper and horse. Men and animals were sorely oppressed as they halted beneath the pines which skirted the field surrounding the fort. Ignorant of the approach of Colonel Lee and his command, the enemy was resting quietly within the stockade. The fierce rays of the sun smote everything with a blinding and paralyzing influence which forbade all exertion not imperatively demanded. But the prize was at hand and moments were precious. Pausing but a little while for his command to recover breath. Colonel Lee dismounted such militiamen as accompanied the expedition and ordered them to demonstrate against the fort from a direction opposite to that then occupied by him. Confidently conjecturing that the garrison, upon the appearance of the militia, would speedily issue from the stockade and resist the threatened attack, Colonel Lee resolved to seize upon the instant, and, by a rapid assault, capture the post when thus bereft of its defenders. To that end Captain Rudolph (whom an ill-defined tradition identifies as the famous Marshal Ney in disguise), with such infantry as was capable of quick action, was held in readiness at the opportune moment to rush upon the fort. The remaining foot- soldiers, supported by a troop of dragoons, took a position whence the militia could be surely and readily shielded, in th-eir retreat, from any injury which the pursuing garrison might seek to inflict. Such was the strategy devised by the accomplished Light Horse Harry. Most successfully was it consummated.

As had been anticipated, at sight of the demonstrating militiamen the garrison flew to arms, and, rushhig from the fort, advanced to repel the threatened attack. After a show of resistance the militia retreat, drawing the garrison after them in hot pursuit. Just then Captain Rudolph with his detachment sweeps rapidly across 'the field and envelops the stockade. The resistance offered by the few defenders remaining within is feeble and is speedily crushed. The dragoons, foot- soldiers and rallying militia close in upon the enemy in the field, and quick surrender follows. The Americans lost but one man during the engagement, and he perished from excessive heat. Only three or four of the enemy fell in the aftair. The capture of the entire garrison, and the possession of the valuable stores concentrated within the stockade, proved a rich reward for the toil and suffering involved in the adventure. The entire affair, its conception, the strategy employed, and its consummation were alike creditable to the young Virginian and his brave followers.

Galphin. Suitable provision having been made for securing the fruits of his dashing triumph, he hastened on to join Pickens and Clarke and to participate in those operations which eventuated in the surrender of Brown at Augusta.

Compared with many other engagements which occurred within the confines of the Carolinas and of Georgia during our eight years' struggle for independence, this capture of Fort Galphin will perhaps be reckoned as the small dust of the balance, and yet it was not devoid of significance or lacking in important consequences. It supplied a needy army with stores which it sadly craved. It weakened the royal forces in Augusta and conduced most materially to the capitulation of that town. It inspired the RevohiticMiists with fresh courage, and nerved their arms for further exhibitions of valorous emprise.

Major Eaton, meanwhile, with the rest of the legion formed a junction with General Pickens at the Cherokee ponds, six miles from Au.gusta. Together they moved forward and united with the forces engaged in the investment of that town. Having rested his infantry, Colonel Lee dispatched Major t^gglestoh at the head of his cavalry to cross the Savannah River at Wallicon's ferry, ^ three miles below Augusta, and to co-operate with Pickens and Clarke. That officer's instructions were to make himself thoroughly acquainted with the situation of the enemy, as his commanding officer desired definite information upon which he could promptly act upon arrival. He was further enjoined, without delay, to send in a flag conmiunicating the fact of the near approach of a portion of General Greene's arm\-, informing Colonel Brown that Ninety- Six was closely invested by the main body led by the commanding general, and urging the propriety of an immediate surrender. Brown had previously refused to receive flags coming from, or hold any communications with, militia officers. Eggleston being the senior continental officer there present, Colonel Lee, in view of all the circumstances, deemed it best that he should be deputed to attempt this negotiation. Colonel Brown treated the flag with contempt, refused to answer the dispatch, and forbade a renewal of the interview."-

Colonel Lee arrived during the evening of the 2 1st, and took post with Pickens and Clarke in the woods bordering Augusta on the west. This town was then small, containing only a few hundred inhabitants. At a short remove from the habitations, the valley in which Augusta was situated was covered with dense woods, with cleared fields here and there. Cornwallis, the principal fort occupied by the enemy, was situated in the northerly portion of the central part of the town, having complete command of Savannah River and the adjacent territory.

In after years the ground upon which it stood was set apart for holier uses. Here was erected a temple dedicated to the worship of the God of Peace, and

St. Paul's Churcli, of blessed memory, now proclaims its message of salvation where formerly thundered the malignant guns of this war-begrimed fort.

Half a mile to the west the plain was then interrupted by a lagoon or swamp which connected Beaver Dam Creek with the Savannah River.^ On the nortiiwestern border of this lagoon, and near its confluence with the Savannah, a second fort- was located, called Grierson in honor of the loyalist colonel who commanded its garrison. British regulars were stationed in Fort Cornwallis, while the tenure of Grierson was confided to militia.

Colonel Lee confesses that he was "considerably ruffled" at the contemptuous treatment which Major Eggleston received, and that his determination was to enter into no ctmiinunication with the British commander until it was solicited by himself

.After careful consideration of the situation it was resolved to drive Grierson out of his fort, and either capture or destroy him in his retreat upon Cornwallis. To this end arrangements were speedily made. General Pickens and Colonel Clarke, with the militia, were to attack from the north and west. Major Eaton, with his battalion, was to approach the fort from the south and co-operate with the militia, while Colonel Lee, with the infantry and artillery, moving southeast of the lagoon and parallel with Eaton, was to hold himself in readiness either to support his attack, if required, or to attend to the movements of Brown should he quit his defenses and interpose for the salvation of Grierson. Major Jackson with his Georgia militia was to accompany and act under the orders of Major Eaton. The cavalry under Eggleston were ordered to draw near to Fort Cornwallis, keeping under cover of the wood and prepared to fall upon Brown's rear should he advance against Lee. Promptly did the commands respond to the duties to which they were respectively assigned.

Most vigorous were the attacks by Pickens and Eaton. Lee's movement being open to view, Brown, withdrawing his garrison and leading out two fieldpieces, advanced as though he purposed delivering battle in aid of Grierson. Upon second thought d^'cming it too hazardous to persevere in this attempt, he checked his forward movement and confined his interposition to a cannonade which was returned by Lee, little effect being produced on either side. Findin*^ his resistance fruitless, Grierson determined to evacuate his fort and escape with his command to Fort Cornwallis Throwing open the gate the garrison rushed dinvn the lagoon to the river bank and under its cover endeavored to make their wa\- to Cornwallis. In the perilous attempt thirty were killed and forty- five were wounded and captured. Comparatively few succeeded in escaping. The m;ijor of the garrison was killed and the lieutenant-colonel

' The trend of this lagoon, commencing at the Beaver Dam, was generally along the present line of Ciimming Street. Before reaching Broad Street it turned westwardly into what is now called Kollock Street, and followed the direction of that street to the Savannah River. It was known as Campbell's Gut.

captured. After surrendering, Colonel Grierson himself was shot to death by a Georgia rifleman. So cruel had been his practices, and so odious was his character, that the troops could not be restrained from inflicting this summary punishment, wholly unjustified as it was by the rules of civilized warfare. Although a reward was offered by the American commanders for the naming and apprehension of the party by whom the deed had been committed, no disclosure occurred. Captain McCalP intimates that he was shot by one of the sons of the venerable Mr. Alexander in revenge for the indignities heaped upon that aged patriot. Doubtless it was well known in the army whose hand pulled the fatal trigger; but, as the information was not officially brought to the attention of the commander, no notice was taken of the affair beyond the vain offer of the reward to which allusion has been made. "The militia of Georgia under Colonel Clarke," says the author of " Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States," "were so exasperated by the cruelties mutually inflicted in the course of the war in this State that they were disposed to have sacrificed every man taken, and with great difficulty was this disposition now suppressed. Poor Grierson and several others had been killed after surrender, and although the American commandants used every exertion and offered a large reward to detect the murderers, no discovery could be made. In no part of the South was the war conducted with such asperity as in this quarter. It often sunk into barbarity."

Alt'hough the American loss was trivial, it involved the death of Major Eaton of North Carolina, an excellent and beloved officer, who "fell gallantly at the head of his battalion in the moment of victory."

Perceiving that he had to deal with officers skilled in the art of war, and that the investing force was bent upon his capture. Colonel Brown expended every energy in adding to the security of his position. With fiendish malignity he placed in the bastion of his fort most exposed to the fire of the American rifles, the aged Alexander and other prisoners who had long pined in captivity. Among the companies closely investing Cornwallis was one commanded by Captain Samuel Alexander. It was a hellish deed, this subjecting a parent to the chances of death at the hand of a devoted son.

Nothing now remained for the Americans but, by regular approaches, to compel a surrender. Accordingly the troops were set to work with all the tools which could be collected from neighboring plantations, and with such as had been captured at Fort Galphin. Fort Cornwallis being near the Savannah River, and the bank of that stream affording additional protection to the enemy, it was lesolved to break ground in that quarter and to extend the works of the besiegers towards the left and rear of the fort. Brigadier-General Pickens, with the militia, took post in the woods on the British left, while Lieutenant- Colonel Lee with his corps established himself in a large brick building, the mansion house of a gentleman ^ vvjio had joined the enemy, situated just south of the confluence of the lagoon with the Savannah River.

The condition of the wounded prisoners required medical stores and attention which could not be supplied in the American camp. Privilege was asked to apply to Colonel Brown for this needed assistance. Pickens and Lee answered " that after the ungracious determination to stop all intercourse announced by the commandant of Fort Cornwallis, disposed as they were to obey the dictates of humanity, it could not be expected that any consideration would prevail with them again to expose the American flag to contumely." To the captive officer who preferred the request permission was granted to wait upon Colonel Brown, with the pledge that he would immediately return so soon as his reply was had. A letter was prepared expressing the regret with which the American commanders allowed a flag to pass from their camp, though borne by a British officer, after the treatment experienced on a recent occasion, and assuring the commandant of Fort Cornwallis " that no consideration atTecting themselves or their troops would ever have led to such a condescension." To this letter Brown returned a polite response, offering excuses for his former conduct.

Although the American works progressed with commendable rapidity and began to assume formidable proportions, so level was the ground that it was found to be a very difficult matter to secure a platform sufficiently elevated to render the only reliable field- piece in camp effective in casting its projectiles within the fort. Under the circumstances it was deemed proper to construct a " Mayham tower," which had proved so valuable in the reduction of Fort Watson. Orders were issued for cutting and transporting the necessary timber.

While Colonel Brown had up to this point patiently contemplated the American approaches, the heaps of fresh eartli seen day by day within the fq^t indicated that he had been busily engaged in some counter operations. On the 28th, at midnight, he fell with great vigor upon the American works in the river quarter and drove out the guard. It was only after a severe conflict, in which Captain Handy, commanding the support, played a conspicuous part, that the trenches were regained and the enemy forced to seek shelter in the fort. This vehement attempt to destroy tlie approaches induced Colonel Lee to detail his infantry for their protection during the night time. To this special service were they assigned, being relieved from all other dut)-. " On the succeeding night Brown renewed his attempt in the same quarter, and, for a long time, the struggle was coutmucd v/ith mutual pertinacity till at length Captain Rudolph, by a combined charge, with the bayonet cleared the trenches, driving the enemy with loss into his stronghold."

During the night of the 30th, and on the ensuing day, the tower was raised nearly on a level with the parapet of the fort. Its interior was filled with fascines, earth, stone, brick, and every available material calculated to impart strength and solidity to the structure. " At the same time the adjacent works in rear of the fort were vigorously pushed to the enemy's left to connect them with the tower which was the point of their termination."

Perceiving the danger which threatened. Brown resolved to destroy this tower. In anticipation of the execution of such a purpose the lines in that quarter were doubly manned, and Handy's infantry was conveniently posted in support. Captains Handy and Rudolph were placed in charge of the lines, and a company, armed with muskets, was detailed for the protection of the tower. Before midnight, on the 31st of May, the British commander, with the strength of his garrison, made a desperate sortie against the American works, which, although it entailed considerable loss, was eventually repulsed. Foiled in his efforts, he resorted to the construction of an elevated platform in the angle of his fort just opposite the " Mayham tower." Upon it two of his heaviest pieces of ordnance were mounted. With these he opened fire upon the tower. Regardless of this annoyance, the builders continued their labors. On the 1st of June the tower was completed, an ambrasure cut, and the sixpounder gun lifted into position. From its elevated platform this gun speedily dismounted the two pieces in the fort, raked its interior, and commanded it entirely, with the exception of the segment nearest the tower and a few points sheltered by traverses. Wishing to shun needless slaughter, and confident that their operations would speedily eventuate in the reduction of Fort Cornwallis, General Pickens and Colonel Lee, on the 31st of May, sent a flag to Colonel Brown covering this communication :

" Sir, - The usage of war renders it necessary that we present you with an opportunity of avoiding the destruction which impends your garrison.

"We have deferred our summons to this late date to preclude the necessity of much correspondence on the occasion. You see the strength of the invading forces, the progress of our works : and you may inform yourself of the situation of the two armies by inquiries from Captain Armstrong of the Legion who has the honour to bear this."

" Gentlemen, - What progress you have made in your works I am no stranger to. It is my duty and inclination to defend this place to the last extremity."

Balked in his attempts to destroy the " Mayham tower " by force of arms. Brown resorted to the following stratagem. During the night of the ist of June a wily Scotchman, a sergeant of artillery, made his appearance in the American camp in the character of a deserter from Fort Cornwallis. Brought before General Pickens and Colonel Lee, and being interrogated with regard to the effect produced by the six-pounder gun and as to the situation of the he answered that the erection of the tower gave an advantage which.

if properly improved, would not fail in forcing a surrender, but that the garrison had not suffered as much as might have been expected. He added that it was amply supplied with provisiofis and that it was in high spirits. " In the course of the conversation which followed," says Colonel Lee, " I inquired in what way could the effect of the cannonade be increased ? Very readily, replied the crafty sergeant : that knowing the spot where all the powder in the fort was deposited, with red hot balls from the six pounder, directed properly, the magazine might be blown up. This intelligence was received with delight, and the suggestion of the sergeant seized with avidity, although it would be very difificult to prepare our ball as we were unprovided with a furnace. It was proposed to the sergeant that he should be sent to the officer commanding our battery and give his aid to the execution of his suggestion, with assurances of liberal reward in case of success. This proposition was heard with much apparent reluctance, although every disposition to bring the garrison to submission was exhibited by the sergeant who pretended that Brown had done him many personal injuries in the course of service. But, he added, it was impossible for him to put himself in danger of capture, as he well knew he should be executed on a gibbet if taken.

" A good supper was now presented to him with his grog : which, being finished, and being convinced by the arguments of Lee that his personal safety could not be endangered as it was not desired or meant that he should take any part in the siege, but merely to attend at the tower to direct the pointing of the piece, he assented, declaring that he entered upon his task with dire apprehensions, and reminding the lieutenant colonel of his promised reward. Lee instantly put him in care of his adjutant to be delivered to Captain Finley, with the information communicated, for the purpose of blowing up the enemy's magazine.

" It was midnight, and Lieutenant Colonel Lee expecting on the next day to be much engaged - our preparations being nearly completed, - retired to rest. Reflecting upon what had passed, and recurring to the character of his adversary, he became much disquieted by the step he had taken, and soon concluded to withdraw the sergeant from the tower. He had not been many minutes with Captain Finley before an order remanding him was delivered, committing him to the quarter guard." '

Fortunate was it that this pretended deserter was quickly placed in confinement. It subsequently transpired that he had been sent out by Colonel Brown for the express purpose of destroying by fire the Mayham tower. Colonel Lee at first was entirely deceived by him, and unwittingly issued an order which exactly coincided with the scheme of the sergeant and afforded him a favorable opportunity of fulfilling his mission.

On the morning of the 2d of June the besiegers were saluted with another exhibition of the activity and strategy of the British commander which came very near inflicting frightful loss. Between the quarters of Colonel Lee and the fort stood four or five deserted houses, some of them so near the latter that they would afford convenient shelter to riflemen delivering their fire from the upper stories. They had been suffered to remain because Pickens and Lee hoped to utilize them upon the final assault for which preparations were being made. Sallying out just before the break of day, Colonel Brown burned all of these dwellings save the two nearest the fort. Why these were spared many were at a loss to conjecture. The reason became manifest at a later stage of operations.

Still desirous of compassing a surrender without resorting to an assault, General Pickens and Colonel Lee, on the 3d of June, repeated their summons in the following language :

"Sir, - It is not our disposition to press the unfortunate. To prevent the effusion of blood, which must follow perseverance in your fruitless resistance, we inform you we are willing, though in the grasp of victory, to grant such terms as a comparative view of our respective situations can warrant.

"F'ORT CORNWALLis, June 3, 1781. "Gentlemen, - I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your summons of this day, and to assure you that, as it is my duty, it is likewise my inclination, to defend this post to the last extremity."

The fire of the six-pounder gun was mainly directed against the parapet of the fort fronting on the river. Toward that quarter it was proposed that the main attack should be launched. Orders were issued for a general assault at nine o'clock on the morning of the 4th. During the night of the 3d the best marksmen from Pickens' militia were sent to the house nearest the fort. The officer in command was instructed to arrange his men in the upper story so as to ascertain how many of them could be used to advantage, and then to withdraw and report to the commanding general. It was intended that this structure should be occupied by the same officer with such a force of riflemen as he should declare to be sufficient. To Handy's Marylanders and the infantry of the legion was the main assault from the river quarter entrusted. Due preparation having been made, the troops remained at their stations, ^'pleased that the time was near which would close with success their severe toils."

were aroused by a violent explosion which was soon discovered to have shattered the very house intended to be occupied by the rifle party before daybreak. It was severed and thrown into the air thirty or forty feet higli ; its fragments falling all over the field. This explained at once not only the cause of Brown's omitting its destruction, but also communicated the object of the constant digging which had, until lately, employed the besieged.

"Brown pushed a sap to this house which he presumed would be certainly possessed by the besieger when ready to strike his last blow ; and he concluded, from the evident maturity of our works and from the noise made by the militia when sent to the house in the first part of the night for the purpose of ascertaining the number competent to its capacity, that the approaching morning was fixed for the general assault. Not doubting but the house was occupied with the body destined to hold it, he determined to deprive his adversary of every aid from this quarter : hoping too, by the consternation which the manner of destruction could not fail to excite, to damp the ardor of the troops charged with storming."

It was indeed a narrow escape. Even in his extremity Brown was fruitful in resources. His resolution never forsook him, and his blows were vigorous to the last.

As the army was waiting the signal for the assault, the American commanders, moved by the perilous situation of the captives, who had long been held in confinement within tiie fort, made this appeal to its commanding

" Sir, - We beg leave to propose that the prisoners in your possession may be sent out of the fort, and that they may be considered yours or ours as the siege may terminate.

"Confident that you cannot refuse this dictate of humanity and custom of war, we have only to say that any request from you a similar nature will meet with our assent."

" Gentlemen, - Though motives of humanity, and a feeling for the distresses of individuals, incline me to accede to what you have proposed con- - cerning the prisoners with us, yet many reasons to which you cannot be strangers forbid my complying with this requisition.

Before an advance was ordered, an officer with a flag was seen approaching from Fort Cornwallis. He bore this message from Colonel Brown to General Pickens and Colonel Lee :

"From a desire to lessen the distresses of war to individuals, I am inclined to propose to you my acceptance of the inclosed terms, which, being pretty similar to those granted to the commanding officers of the American troops and garrison in Charlestown, I imagine will be honourable to both parties."

It being now manifest that a surrender would be compassed without a final appeal to arms, operations were suspended for the day, and the commanding officers turned their attention to negotiations which culminated on the following morning in the proposal and acceptance of these articles of capitulation :

"Article I. That all acts of hostilities and works shall cease between the besiegers and besieged until the articles of capitulation shall be agreed on, signed, and executed, or collectively rejected,

"Article II. That the fort shall be surrendered to the commanding officer of the American troops such as it now stands. That the King's troops, three days after signing the articles of capitulation, shall be conducted to Savannah with their baggage, where they will remain prisoners of war until they are exchanged : that proper conveyances shall be provided by the commanding officer of the American troops for that purpose, together witli a sufficient quantity of good and wholesome provisions till their arrival in Savannah.

''Answer. Inadmissible. The prisoners to surrender field prisoners of war. The officers to be indulged with their paroles : the soldiers to be conducted to such place as the commander-in-chief shall direct.

"Article III. The militia now in garrison shall be permitted to return to their respective homes, and be secured in their persons and properties.

"Article IV. The sick and wounded shall be under the care of their own .surgeons, and be supplied with such medicines and necessaries as are allowed in the British hospitals.

"Article V. The officers of the garrison, and citizens who have borne arms during the siege, shall keep their side arms, pistols, and baggage which shall not be searched, and retain their servants.

"Answer. The officers and citizens who have borne arms during the siege shall be permitted their side arms, private baggage and servants ; their side arms not to be worn, and the baggage to be searched by a person appointed for that purpose.

"Article VI. The garrison at an hour appointed shall march out, with shouldered arms and drums beating, to a place to be agreed on where they -will pile their arms.

''Answer. Agreed. The judicious and gallant defence made by the garrison entitles them to every mark of military respect. The fort to be delivered up to Captain Rudolph at twelve o'clock, who will take possession with a detachment of the Legion infantry.

"Article VIII. That twelve months shall be allowed to all such as do not choose to reside in this country, to dispose of their effects, real and personal, in this Province, without any molestation whatever, or to remove to any part thereof as they may choose, as well themselves as families.

"Article IX. That the Indian families now in garrison shall accompany the King's troops to Savannah, where they will remain prisoners of war until exchanged for an equal number of prisoners in the Creek or Cherokee nations.

"Article XI. (Additional) The particular attention of Colonel Brown is expected towards the just delivery of all public stores, moneys, &c , and that no loans be permitted to defeat the spirit of this article.

The postponement of the surrender until the 5th was very gratifying to Colonel Brown, as the 4th was the anniversary of the birthday of the king.

For some time prior to this capitulation, so destructive was the fire maintained by the Americans, especially from the six-pounder gun mounted in the " Mayham tower " which searched almost every part of the fort, that the be- .sieged were compelled to dig holes in the earth for their protection. Any exposure of the person during the day involved almost certain death.' At eight o'clock on the morning of the 5th the British garrison, some three hundred strong, marched out of Fort Cornwallis and Major Randolph took possession of it. Captain Armstrong of the dragoons, with a safeguard, was detailed to

1 See Ramsay's History of the Revolution of South Carolina, vol. ii. p. 497. Trenton. MDCCLXXXV. Tarleton's History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781, etc., p. 493. London. MDCCLXXXVii. Lee's Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the Utiited 5/a/«, vol. ii. p. I I 5. Philadelphia. 181 2.

protect Colonel Brown from the threatened violence of the militia who, justly incensed at his mitiy bloody deeds and acts of tyrann}', eagerly sought his life. Young McKay, whose brother had been inhumanly put to death by Brown at Wiggin's Hill, watched an opportunity to shoot the British commander. He was conducted to Colonel Lee's quarters where he remained until the next day, when he and a few of his officers were paroled and sent down the river to Savannah under the charge of Captain Armstrong and a party of infantry instructed to guard him until he was beyond the reach of danger. At Silver Bluff he was recognized by Mrs. McKay who accosted him thus: " Colonel Brown, in the late day of your prosperity I visited your camp and on my knees supplicated for the life of my son, but you were deaf to my entreaties. You hanged him, though a beardless youth, before my face. These eyes have seen him scalped by the savages under your immediate command, and for no better reason than that his name was McKay. As you are now prisoner to the leaders of my country, for the present I lay aside all thoughts of revenge ; but when you resume your sword I will go five hundred miles to demand satisfaction- at the point of it for the murder of my son."i

The loss sustained by the British was fifty-two killed and three hundred and thirty four wounded and captured. Sixteen of the Americans were slain and thirty-five wounded.

Shortly after the capitulation General Pickens and Colonel Lee, with the prisoners, crossed the Savannah River and joined General Greene, who was still conducting the investment of Ninety-Six. Heartily welcomed were these officers and their commands. To them was General Greene pleased to express in general orders "the high sense he entertained of their merit and ser-- vice." His thanks were also publicly rendered for the " zeal and vigor exhibited in the execution of the duty assigned to them."

To Major James Jackson, whose early exertions paved the way for the final reduction of the post, was the command of Augusta entrusted. Here he remained, with occasional absences on important enterprises, until the assembling of the Legislature in August, 1781, when Dr. Nathan Brownson was elected governor, and Colonel John Twiggs, in consideration of his long and meritorious services, was complimented with the commission of brigadier-general,2 Meanwhile, acting under authority conferred by General Greene, he had raised a partisan legion in command of which he continued until the close of the war.

Among the stores in Fort Cornwallis, subject to distribution among the captors, was a quantity of Indian goods. It being found impracticable to divide them out without encumbering too much the troops still engaged in-..

active service, that portion falling to the lot of the Georgians was placed in the hands of John Burnet, with directions to transport these goods to some safe place in the western part of the State where they were to be kept until a suitable opportunit)' arose for their equitable distribution. Burnet always professed an ardent attachment to the American cause. Under pretense of harassing the loyalists in the low country, he had recently, with some followers, visited some of the wealthy settlements south of Savannah and indiscriminately robbed friends and foes of their slaves and personal property. He then held in the vicinity of Augusta some sixty negroes whom he had thus captured. Professing that he had taken them from loyalists, and offering to throw them into hotch-pot with the goods so that a more generous dividend might be declared to Georgia soldiers who, during the war, had borne heavy burthens and sustained grievious losses, he so won the confidence of officers and men that the booty was delivered into his custody. Undertaking to remove it beyond all possible recaption by the enemy, he journeyed towards the mountains of Upper Georgia. Once fairly out of reach, he disclosed to his companions his design of quitting the country and appropriating this spoil. Sympathizing in the rascally purpose, they assisted him in making his way to the Ohio River where, procuring boats, they passed down to Natchez and there divided the stolen property.^ Thus were the Georgia troops who participated in the reduction of Augusta defrauded out of their share of the booty.

The capture of Augusta, while it raised the spirits of the republicans to a high pitch of exultation and encouraged the faint hearted to emerge from their hiding-places and stand up like men in the ranks of the Revolutionists, exerted a most depressing influence upon the minds and hopes of the king's servants. Governor Wright, at Savannah, called so lustily for aid that Lord Rawdon, weak as he was, was persuaded to part with the king's American regiment and send it from Charlestown, in small craft and without convoy, to the relief of that royal governor.^ In this wise did he give expression to his distresses and apprehensions: "It gives me the greatest concern to acquaint you of the loss of Augusta by Colonel Brown being reduced to the necessity of capitulating, and as you well know the consequences that must be attendant on this I need say little, but must observe that if this Province is not recovered from the Rebels without the least delay I conceive it may be too late to prevent the whole from being laid waste and totally destroyed and the people ruined. We are now in a most wretched situation. I shall not reflect on the causes, but the grand point is to recover back what we have lost, if it be possible, and to prevent further misfortunes and injury to his Majesty's service.

with rations I can't tell, for there is not a single barrel of beef or pork to be purchased here, even if I had the money to buy it. I trust therefore. Sir, that circumstanced as we are you will think it for his Majesty's service and really necessary to order some of the King's provisions here for the support of the militia on actual service, the number of which, I think, will be at least what is mentioned in the Minute of Council, besides those in and about town which, I suppose, amount to 300."^

Military Operations Culminating in the Surrender of Savannah - Plot to Murder Colonel Jackson - Celebration in Augusta upon the Acknowledgment of the Independence of the United States - Charge of Chief-Justice Walton - Early Legislation Affecting Augusta - The City of Augusta Incorporated in 1798 - Trustees, Intendants, and Mayors of Augusta.

THE capture of Augusta was a terrible blow to British domination in Georgia. It foreshadowed the eventual triumph of Republican arms. Sir James Wright recognized the handwriting on the wall, and confessed in his dispatches that everything was "now in a most wretched situation." He freely confessed that unless his majesty's forces were capable of speedily recovering what had been lost, further misfortunes and injury would ensue.

The upper portion of Georgia being now under full control of the Republicans, General Twiggs directed his attention to the repossession of the Southern division. To this end he ordered Lieutenant-Colonel James Jackson to move with his Georgia legion, consisting of three companies of cavalry and two of infantry, in the direction of Savannah, and to occupy positions as near the enemy as becoming caution would suggest. His general instructions were to annoy the outposts and detachments of his antagonist as fully as the means at command would allow, and to retreat or advance as the circumstances of the case might justify.

Jackson's legion was composed in part of British deserters and Loyalists, who, professing a change of political sentiments, had abandoned the service of the king. Dangerous and unreliable was this element. For its efficient control strict discipline and tireless vigilance were required. Not long before the receipt of these orders, and while Colonel Jackson was still in command at Augusta, a nefarious plot was discovered which had been formed by a portion of his legion. The scheme was to assassinate the commanding officer in an unguarded moment and, seizing the governor and as many members of the executive council as were present in the town, to carry them ofif and turn them over to the British authorities in Savannah. This plan was quietly communicated to General Alured Clarke, commanding at Savannah. He cordially sympathized in it ; and, as a substantial proof of his approval, ordered Captain Brantley with forty-five men to proceed cautiously to the outskirts of Augusta, join the conspirators under cover of night, and co-operate with them in the consummation of the nefarious project. Liberal rewards were also offered by him as a stimulus to the perpetration of the crime.

The manner in which this iniquitous design was frustrated is thus told by Captain McCall : i " A faithful soldier named David Davis, who was the Colonel's waiter, discovered that there was something in agitation of an extraordinary nature in the camp; and, in order to obtain a knowledge of the secret, affected an extreme dislike to the Colonel, and' united with the conspirators in the use of the most unqualified language of abuse and disrespect for him. Supposing that Davis' situation would enable him to be of great service to the party, they lent a favorable ear to his observations. This stratagem had the desired effect, and drew from the traitors a disclosure of the diabolical purposes in contemplation, which he immediately communicated to his Colonel, and informed him that no time was to be lost in checking its progress, as it was ripe for execution. The dragoons, who did not appear to have been engaged in the conspiracy, were ordered to mount their houses and repair to Colonel Jackson's quarters, prepared for action. The infantry were ordered to parade without arms, under pretence of searching for some clothing which had been stolen the preceding night. The dragoons were ordered in front with drawn swords, and the ring leaders were seized and confined. A general court martial was ordered to convene, and the culprits were brought up for trial. John Goodgame, William Simmons, and one Honeycut were ascertained to be the projectors and leaders in the conspiracy. The court found them guilty of treason and sentenced them to suffer death by being hanged, and they were executed accordingly. The remaining seventeen turned State's evidence, confessed their guilt, and were pardoned in consequence of their apparent penitence."

Thus narrowly did a gallant officer escape assassination. Thus, almost as by accident, was preserved the life of a patriot who had already rendered signal service in the army of the Revolution, and who, in after years, as soldier, citizen, advocate, senator, and chief magistrate of Georgia, illustrated in a conspicuous degree all the virtues which appertain to the civilian, the hero, and the statesman.

By the Legislature of Georgia was Davis complimented for his fidelity to his commander and his attachment to the cause of liberty. In token of the

Captain Brantley had reached Spirit Creek in the execution of his missiorr when he learned that the plot had been discovered. Thereupon he hastily returned to Savannah.

In equipping his legion Colonel Jackson depended upon the skill and industry of his own men. Upon the back of a letter addressed to him by Thomas Hamilton, one of his infantry officers, appears this statement in the handwriting of the colonel : " I made all my own accoutrements, even to swords for my dragoons, caps, leather jackets, boots, and spurs, and in short every article."^ What proof more convincing can be offered of the limited resources of this war-worn land, or of the necessities and the ingenuity of its resolute defenders?

The spring and summer of 1781 were enlivened by several naval exploits on the coast, in which Captains Towell, McCleur, Antony, and Braddock, bore conspicuous parts. The end was now approaching. " It is all over !" exclaimed Lord North with the deepest agitation and distress when the tidings of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis first reached England.

The potent effect of this disaster, and the recent successes of General Greene in South Carolina, enabled that officer, in January, 1782, to turn his attention to the relief of Georgia. Lieutenant-Colonel James Jackson had been harassing the enemy on the Great Ogeechee, while Pickens and Twiggs had kept the Indians at bay. All eyes were now turned to circumscribing the British forces within the narrowest compass. The repossession of Savannah engaged the earnest attention of the patriots. General Wayne was detached by General Greene " to reinstate, as far as possible, the authority of the Union within the limits of Georgia." On this mission the hero of Stony Point was accompanied by one hundred of Moylan's dragoons, commanded by Colonel Anthony Walton White, and a detachment of field artillery. On the 12th of January, 1782^ he crossed the Savannah River. He was soon joined by Colonel Hamptoa with three hundred mounted men of Sumter's brigade. The infantry and cavalry of Jackson's legion then numbered only ninety men. McCoy's volunteers did not exceed eighty men of all arms. To these Governor Martin hoped to add three hundred Georgia militia.

The duty assigned to General Wayne of maintaining a close watch upon the enemy, and, if the occasion offered, of capturing Savannah by a nocturnal assault, was so efficiently discharged that predatory bands of soldiers and loyalists were seldom seen beyond the lines of that town. The customary intercourse of the Indians with the garrison was restrained. That garrison - including a reinforcement recently sent by Lord Rawdon, and a corps of one hundred and fifty negroes, armed, enrolled as infantry, and commanded by the notorious Brown, - consisted of thirteen hundred regular troops and about five hundred loyal militia. The town was strongly fortified. Its land approaches were defended by field and siege guns judiciously posted. Armed row-galleys and brigs covered the water front. So closely were these lines watched, and so strictly were the British forces confined to these defenses, that the gallant Jackson on more than one occasion demonstrated even up to the town gates and picked off" men and horses from the common.

As soon as the advance of the American forces under General Wayne was known in Savannah, Brigadier- General Alured Clarke, who commaded the royal troops in Georgia, "directed his officers charged with his outposts to lay waste the country with fire, and to retire with their troops, and all the provisions they could collect, into Savannah." This order was rigidly executed, and the circumjacent country was so thoroughly devastated that General Wayne found it necessary to draw his subsistence from South Carolina. In April Colonel Posey arrived with one hundred and fifty Virginians.

In May, General Wayne met and routed Colonel Brown at Little Ogeechee Causeway ; and, on the 23d of June, after a severe encounter, he overcame the Indian chief Guristersigo, who, with three hundred followers, endeavored, at the dead of night, to surprise him at Gibbons' plantation.

A crisis was reached in the royal camp at Savannah upon the receipt of a communication from Sir Guy Carleton, dated New York, May 23, 1782, ordering the evacuation both of that town and of the province of Georgia, and notifying the authorities that transports might be speedily expected to bring away not only the troops and military and public stores, but also Governor Wright and all loyalists who desired to depart. Although anticipated, this intelligence created a profound impression among soldiers and civilians. The latter were most anxious to ascertain what their status would be under the condition of affairs, and to secure pledges that they would be unmolested in the enjoyment of personal liberty and private property. Various negotiations ensued, which resulted in the evacuation of Savannah by the king's forces on the nth of July, 1782. During the afternoon of that day General Wayne entered with his forces and took formal possession of the town. To Colonel Jackson were the keys delivered at the principal gate in token of surrender. He enjoyed the pleasure and the honor of being the first to enter Savannah, from which the patriots had been forcibly expelled in December, 1778. It was a just recognition of the patriotism and gallantry which characterized him during the war, and of the activity displayed by him as the leader of the vanguard of the army of occupation. Thus, after the lapse of three years and a half, was the capital of Georgia wrested from the dominion of the royal forces and restored to the possession of the " Sons of Liberty." With the departure of the British garrison there lingered not a single servant of the king on Georgia soil. Although no treaty of peace had yet been consummated between England and America, this surrender of Georgia into the hands of the Repub- licans was hailed as a practical abandonment of the war on the part of the Realm, and was regarded as an earnest of a speedy recognition of the independence of the United States. And so it proved.

By the General Assembly which convened in Savannah in January, 1783, that sterling patriot and worthy gentleman, Dr. Lyman Hall, was elected governor of Georgia. On the 31st of that month George Walton was selected to fill the position of chief justice ; Samuel Stirk, was appointed attorney-general; John Martin, treasurer; John Milton, secretary of State; Richard Call, surveyor- general ; and registers of probate and assistant justices were named for the respective counties. Land offices were established, and commissioners were designated to superintend the sales of confiscated property. Temples of justice and religion were again to be opened in a land full of scars and desolation. Provision was made for public education, and the entire machinery of State government was put in motion.

So sadly had Augusta suffered by the disasters of war that it became necessary to provide quarters for the governor and the heads of departments, and a proper place for the accommodation of the general assembly. This was done while the Legislature temporarily convened at Savannah. In July, 1783, the general assembly again met in Augusta, and continued to hold its sessions in that town until Louisville, in Jefferson county, was designated as the " seat of government" in 1795.

In the Georgia Gazette of Thursday, May 29, 1783, we find the following: " On Wednesday last, when the great and joyful news of Peace reached this place, ^ properly authenticated, a very elegant and sumptuous entertainment was provided, when upwards of three hundred ladies and gentlemen dined under a large bower made for the purpose. At one o'clock there were thirteen discharges of cannon, and after dinner the following toasts were drank, each succeeded by the firing of artillery:

The company retired to Mr. Fox's, where there was a ball and supper. The evening concluded with illuminations, bonfires, rockets and ever)' other demonstration of joy suitable to the occasion, and with the greatest peace and harmony. "

In his charge to the grand jury of Richmond county,^ delivered on the 31st of October, 1783, Chief Justice George Walton, said: "There is no county in the State which ought to pride itself more on account of its natural advantages than that of Richmond. The principal navigation terminating in it, presents a most commodious and delightful spot for an extensive commercial town. It is to me a gratification to be able to inform you that the Legislature, at its last session in Augusta, passed a law upon the most liberal basis for extending and speedily building up that town. It is your interest, as it is your duty, to watch and see that ti-a law is certainly and faithfully executed. Augusta thus extended and built up. will soon become the mart of the whole country above it, and by furnishing plentiful supplies it will be a great convenience to the people.

"In addition to this the assembly has ordered an academy to be erected for the instruction of youth - an institution which will record the names of its advocates in letters of virtue and applause to the latest posterity. The entire loss of education, and the great decline of morality, are the chief calamities which we now experience as consequences of the war."

The chief justice was right in his prognostication. By virtue of her location Augusta held the key which unlocked a vast trade with tlie dwellers in the "ceded lands," in regions beyond, and in a circumjacent territory of rich proportions; - a trade destined to increase in volume and importance with each succeeding year. In the absence of railways, the Savannah River constituted a convenient highway for commerce, the value of which could not be overestimated. Only enterprise and capital were wanting to place the town upon a vantage ground most enviable. These were quickly furnished ; and in proportion to the population which she then possessed, we presume it would not be an exaggeration to affirm that the town of Augusta never saw days of greater commercial prosperity than those which she enjoyed during tlie last decade of the eighteenth centurw For a hundred years and more the academy, to which the chief ju-tice alluded, has been fulfilling its high mission.

By an act of the General Assembly, approved March 15th, 1758, the province of Georgia was divided into eight parishes, and " The District of Augusta, extending from the northwest boundary of the parish of Saint George, and southwest as far as the River Ogeechee, and northwest up the River Savannah as far as Broad River," was designated as the Parish OF Saint Paul. In the IV section of that act it was provided that "the church erected in the town Augusta, with the cemetery or burial place thereto belonging, shall be the Parish Church and Burial Place of Saint Paul."

Ten years afterwards legislative sanction was obtained for the establishment of a public ferry "from the center of the town of Augusta, upon Savannah River, to the bluff on the opposite shore in the Province of South Carolina."

By the Constitution of 1777, Parishes were abolished, and Counties were erected in their stead. Under this change the Parish of Saint Paul became the County of Richmond, and was declared entitled to ten representatives. In naming the counties the Constitutional Convention was not unmindful of the debt of gratitude which Georgia, in common with her sister American colonies, owed to distinguished statesmen and friends in England who were espousing the cause of justice, humanity, and liberty.

In 1780, Savannah and the seaboard generally being in the possession of the king's forces, " the town of Augusta in the county of Richmond" was designated as " the seat of government." with a proviso that in case that town should, during the recess of the legislature, "be approached or invested so as to appear untenable, then his Honor, the Governor, and the Executive Council for the time being, should remove to such place as the common safety should make necessary, which should be considered as the seat of government until the recovery of the said town of Augusta "

By the same act lot owners within the limits of Augusta, deriving title from the Crown, were required, within two years after the passage of the act, to build upon their respective lots houses of prescribed dimensions, or else forfeit them to the use of the State. The vacant lands above and below the town, lying along the river and adjoining the premises of McCartan Campbell on the west and Andrew McLean on the east, were "to be laid oiit in lots and sold for the use of the State in order to enlarge the limits of the town." When divided into lots of prescribed dimensions, this territory was to be disposed of "at public vendue in Augusta by the sheriff of the county." To the purchasers the governor was empowered to sign grants in the name of the State. It was further ordered that the streets and roads of Augusta should be laid out, measw'cd, and posted in the best and most regular way. " The remote situation of Brownsboro rendering it a very unsafe place for a Gaol and Court-House," it was enacted that "a Court-House and Gaol for the County of Richmond be built in the Town of Augusta on one of the public lots in Broad Street.

. and that all malefactors should be there confined and tried, and that suits at law should be there heard and determined during the present war," Reservations of lots were indicated for the location of "public seminaries and .schools," for "Houses of Public worship," and for "public cemeteries."

William Glascock, George Walton, Daniel McMurphy, John Twiggs, and George Wells Esquires, were named as commissioners to carry into effect the provisions of this act.

The contemplated sale of lots having miscarried, a new commission - consisting of George Walton, Joseph Pannel, Andrew Burns, William Glascock, and Samuel Jack Esquires, was appointed by act of the Legislature, approved July 31st, 1783, to lay out and sell the reserved lands in and near the town of Augusta.

Sections IV and VII of this act made provision for the location, erection, and support of the "Academy or Seminary of Learning" which has so long ministered to the educational wants of this community. The designated commissioners were also charged with the direction of the public ferry at Augusta.

By the third section of the act assented to January 26th, 1786, Augusta was continued as the place of meeting for the Legislature; and the Governor, the Secretary of State, the Treasurer, the Surveyor General, and the Auditor were required to reside and have their respective offices here until the State house and public buildings authorized to be constructed at Louisville, in Jefferson County, under the supervision of Nathan Bronson, William Few, and Hugh Lawson, - commissioners, - should be completed and declared ready for occupancy.

On the 6th of December 1790 the General Assembly invested Wade Hampton, his heirs and assigns, with the exclusive right of erecting and maintaining a toll-bridge over the Savannah River at or near the ferry previously established between the town of Augusta and the Carolina shore, upon the annual payment of a certain sum to George Walton, William Glascock, Abraham Baldwin, Robert Forsyth, Edward Telfair, Seaborn Jones, and John Milton, Esquires, Trustees of Augusta, and their successors in office.

Three days afterwards an act was passed dividing the territory of Richmond County into two counties. All that portion lying above or northwesterly of a line commencing on the Savannah River at the mouth of Red's Creek and thence running south forty-five degrees west, was erected into a new county called Columbia. George Handley, John Meals, and Robert Forsyth Esquires were designated as commissioners to select a site within the town of Augusta whereon to erect "a Court House and a Gaol," and to supervise the construction of those buildings.

On the 15th of December 1791 the Corporation of the Town of Augusta was vested with the power of regulating the proposed county "Court House and Gaol."

By an act of the General Assembly, approved the iSth of February 1796, the Trustees of Augusta were required to make uniform the width of Broad Street which, between Washington and Lincoln streets, was sixty- four feet wider than at other points along its line.

Cornelius Dysart, Samuel Jack, Dennis Smelt, Isaac Herbert, James Pearre, John Springer, and Moses Waddell were declared a body corporate " by the name and style of 'The Trustees of the Augusta Meeting House,' and the Trustees of Augusta were instructed to convey to them and their successors one of the public lots within the town, containing at least one acre of ground and conveniently situated, for the purpose of erecting thereon a 'House of Public Worship to the Divine Being by whose blessing the Independence of the United States had been established.' "

Augusta having recently sustained considerable injury from a freshet in the Savannah River, the Trustees of the town were authorized to establish a Lottery, "under such scheme, regulations, and restrictions" as they might deem most expedient, in order to raise moneys with which to erect piers in such parts of the river as "would in their Judgment most effectually divert the current of the same from off the said Town."

B37 section VI of this act Thomas Gumming, Esqr., was named as a Trustee of the town of Augusta in the room of John Milton resigned, and Abraham Jones, Samuel Jack, and Augustus Baldwin Esquires "were added to the list of Trustees for the said Town."

The bridge, erected by Wade Hampton, over the Savannah River having been carried away "by an extraordinary fresh," the Legislature, on the 13th of February 1797, at his urgent request granted him an extension of two years within which to replace a structure so essential to the convenience and the commerce of the place.

On the 31st of January 1798 the General Assembly passed an act incorporating the " Gity of Augusta. "^ The preamble runs as follows: "Whereas, from the extent and population of the town of Augusta, its growing importance both with respect to increase of inhabitants and diffusive commerce, it is indispensably necessary that many regulations should be made for the

Previous to its incorporation as a "city," Augusta was governed by Commissioners, or Trustees, who exercised over the town, the Academy, public buildings, and public lands, such authority as the General Assembly appointing them saw fit to delegate and enjoin.

Three years afterwards, the Trustees were William Glascock, George Walton, Abraham Baldwin, Robert Forsyth, Seaborn Jones, Edward Telfair, Samuel Jack, and John Milton.

In 1790 William Glascock, George Walton, Robert F'orsyth, Seaborn Jones, Abraham Baldwin, John Milton, and Edward Telfair acted as Trustees.

When the act of incorporation was assented to, Thomas Gumming, George Walker, James Pearre, Robert Cresweli, Andrew Inniss, Isaac Herbert, and William Longstreet were commissioners.* preservation of peace and good order within the same : And Whereas fromthe many weighty and important matters that occupy the attention of the Legislature at their general meeting it has hitherto been found inconvenient, and may hereafter become more so, for them to devise, consider, deliberate on, and determine all such laws and regulations as emergencies or the local circumstances of the said Town may from time to time require:" therefore be it enacted, etc., etc.

The qualification for citizenship, the corporate name, and the territorial divisions of the municipality were specified thus: "From and immediately after the passing of this act all persons, citizens of the United States and residing one year within the said town and having a freehold or lease for years of a lot within the same or the village of Springfield, or between the said village and Town, shall be deemed, and they are hereby declared to be a body politic and corporate; and the said Town shall hereafter be called and known by the name of the City of AugUSTA, and shall be divided into the following districts, to wit: All lots situate below the cross street running from the river Savannah between the Market House and the house of Mrs. Fox to be called and known by District Number One: all the lots between the said street and the cross street running from the said River between the house of Mr. Andrew Innis and the house occupied by Collin Reed & Co. to be called and known by District number Two: and all the lots above that street, including the village of Springfield, shall be called and known by District Number Three." ^

When organized under the provisions of this act of incorporation, the city council of Augusta was composed of the following members: Thomas Cumming. intendant ; Joseph Hutchinson, clerk ; George Walker, James Pearre, Robert Creswell, Andrew Innis, Isaac Herbert, and William Longstreet, councilmen. -

* For this list of intendants and mayors of the city of Augusta I am indebted to I.. T. lilome, Es(i., the courteous and efficient clerk of council.

In 1 79 1 Augusta is said to have contained two hundred and fifty houses, and a population of eleven hundred. The public buildings consisted of a church, a court house, an academy, wherein between eighty and ninety pupils were instructed, a stone jail, a government house for the accommodation of the governor and the State officials, and three warehouses capable of storing ten thousand hogsheads of tobacco. In that year over six thousand hogsheads of tobacco were there inspected.

Legislative Proceedings - Newspapers - Ratification in Augusta by the State of Georgia, -of the Federal Constitution - Constitutional Convention of 1789 - Georgia Divided into Congressional Districts - President Washington's Visit to Augusta - Military Convention of August, 1793.

WHEN the Land Court was opened in Augusta by the Hon. John Habersham, president of the executive council, in May, 1784, so thronged was it by impatient applicants that the greatest disorder prevailed, and for days the regular business had to be suspended.

It was in Augusta that the Legislature perfected those liberal bills which gave to the State a university. When we remember the tender age of the commonwealth, its feebleness and destitution, when we appreciate the losses which had been sustained during the War of the Revolution, when we consider the unsettled condition of public affairs, and then appreciate the broad basis upon which this institution of learning was planted, the sound principles upon which it was founded, and the zealous efforts of its originators to make it stable and efficient, we may well claim peculiar honor for Georgia in thus making early provision for a State university, and in passing wholesome laws for securing to her sons the blessings of a liberal education on her own soil. ^ In promoting this important measure, and in the development of this most valuable scheme, the City of Angusta, through her prominent citizens, bore an enviable part. It would, perhaps, not be deemed invidious in this connection to claim the highest honors for the Hon. Abraham Baldwin.

In 1785 Augusta had made such progress that a weekly newspaper was established in the town. It was called the Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State, and was the official organ of the Commonwealth of Georgia. In 182 1 it became The Augusta Chronicle and Georgia Gazette. The following year its name was changed to The Aus^usta Chronicle and Georgia Advertiser.

Thirteen years afterwards it appeared simply as the Augusta Chronicle. In 1837, having absorbed The States Rights Sentinel, a paper edited by Judge Longstreet, author of " Georgia Scenes," it appeared as a daily newspaper under the style oi Daily Chronicle and Sentinel. Having, in 1877, absorbed The Constitutionalist, which for more than eighty years had been its rival, it appeared as TJie Chronicle and Constitutionalist ; and, having subsequently again changed its name, now maintains a vigorous existence as The Augusta Chronicle.

Early in January, 1788, occurred a political event of no ordinary significance. We refer to the ratification by the State of Georgia of the Federal Constitution. This was accomplished in Augusta on the 2d of that month :

By ordinance of the loth of February, 1787, William Few, Abraham Baldwin, William Pierce, George Walton, William Houstoun, and Nathaniel Pendleton, esqs., were appointed commissioners to represent the State of Georgia' in the convention called for the revision of the constitution of the United States. They were instructed to unite with the deputies from sister States in devising and discussing such alterations and further provisions as might be found necessary to render the Federal constitution adequate to the exigencies of the Union.

In the deliberations which ensued the Hon. Abraham Baldwin bore an active and influential part. In concluding its labors on the 17th of September, 1787, that Constitutional Convention - over which General George Washington had presided with distinguished ability - adopted a resolution that the constitution just formulated and promulgated to accomplish "a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty," should be submitted to " a convention of delegates, chosen in each State by the people thereof under the recommendation of its Legislature, for their assent and ratification ; and that each convention assenting to and ratifying the same, should give notice thereof to the United States in Congress assembled."

In responding to this suggestion Georgia was not tardy. A convention was promptly called, to meet in Augusta on the fourth Tuesday in December, 1787, to consider the proposed constitution, and to adopt or reject any part or the whole thereof. Augusta was then the capital of Georgia. The following gentlemen were named as members of that important convocation: Delegates from Chatham county, William Stephens, Joseph Habersham ; from Effingham, Jenkin Davis, N. Brownson ; from Burke, Edward Telfair, H.Todd; from Richmond, John Wereat, William Few, James McNeily ; from Wilkes, George Matthews, F"lorence Sullivan, John King; from Liberty, James Powell, John Elliott, James Maxwell ; from Glynn, George Handley, Christopher Hillary, J. Milton ; from Camden, Henry Osborne, James Seagrove, Jacob Weed ; from Washington, Jared Irwin, John Rutherford ; and from Greene, Robert

John Wereat, a delegate from the county of Richmond, speaker of the Provincial Congress of 1776, a conspicuous patriot during the Revolutionary War, and, at one time, as president of the executive council, acting govornor of Georgia, presided over the convention. The delegates were, without exception, men of character, of established reputation, and of acknowledged ability. William Stephens had been the attorney- general of the State, and also its chief justice.

Joseph Habersham had been a prominent ofificer in the Continental army, and was afterwards complimented by General Washington with the position of postmaster general of the United States.

Jenkin Davis and James Maxwell were delegates to the memorable Provincial Congress, which assembled at Tondee's long room in Savannah, on the 4th of July, 1775.

In the catalogue of governors of Georgia appear the names of Nathan Brownson, Edward Telfair, George Matthews, George Handley, and Jared Irwin. William Few, who had been a delegate to the Continental Congress, was subsequently elected United States senator from Georgia.

The deliberations of this convention were harmonious ; and, on the 2d day of January, 1788, culminated in the following ratification of the Federal constitution :

" We, the delegates of the people of the State of Georgia in convention met, having taken into our serious consideration the Federal Constitution agreed upon and proposed by the deputies of the United States in general convention held in the city of Philadelphia on the 17th day of September in the yc.r of our Lord 1787, have assented to, ratified, and adopted, and by these presents do, in virtue of the powers and authority to us given by the people of the said State for that purpose, for and in behalf of ourselves and our constituents, fully and entirely assent to, ratify and adopt the said constitution, which is hereto annexed, under the great seal of the State."

As the formal signing of this ratification by the delegates was concluded, the joyful tidings were proclaimed to the multitude assembled opposite the State House. The huzzas of the citizens were supplemented by a salute of thirteen discharges from two field-pieces, served by a detachment from Colonel Armstrong's regiment which was then quartered in Augusta.^ became operative on the first Monday of October, 1789, all met in Augusta. When, having completed their labors, the members of the third constitutional convention, in a body, waited upon Governor George Walton, their president, William Gibbons, of Savannah, placed in his hands that admirable document and requested that it be deposited among the archives of the State. In the name of the convention he further asked that its provisions be formally promulgated. Upon receiving the engrossed constitution Governor Walton replied :

" Mr. President, and Gentlemen of the Convention : The constitution for the government of this State, which you now deliver to me, shall have the great seal affixed to it and be deposited in the office of the Secretary of State. It shall be announced to the people at large by proclamation, and a sufficient number of copies printed for the use of the several counties. I hope and believe that it will be productive of public good and happiness, the objects of government and of society."

The act of formally accepting the new constitution by the governor from Mr. Gibbons, the president of the convention, was announced to the town by a salute of eleven guns in honor of the eleven States which had thus far acceded to the constitution of the United States. ^

Edward Telfair was the first governor elected under this constitution, and his inauguration took place in the House of Representatives which, if we are correctly informed, stood nearly opposite the present "Law Range" in the city of Augusta, on the nth of November, 1789. l ^>v C SliW}^ m^ tilv. l>.o<~i'itUi

On the 26th of this month, a day set apart by the General Congress for "^Vs public thanksgiving and prayer, in order that the people of the land might acknowledge "with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of governmetit for their safety and happiness," the members of the General Assembly repaired to St. Paul's Church where they listened with great attention to a sermon prepared for the occasion by the Rev. Mr. Palmer, rector of the parish.

The General Assembly on the 8th of December, 1790, divided the State into three Congressional districts The counties of Camden, Glynn, Liberty, Chatham and Effingham composed the lower; Burke, Richmond and Washington the middle ; and Wilkes, Franklin and Greene the upper district. In due course James Jackson was chosen as a representative from the lower, Abraham Baldwin from the middle, and George Matthews from the upper district.

On Wednesday, the i8th of May, 1791, Augusta was honored by a visit from the Pater Patrice, General George Washington, then the president of the United States. In the Augusta Chronicle oi^Adiy 21, will be found an account of the courtesies extended and the ceremonies observed on this occasion.

Major Ambrose Gordon, by direction of the governor, had been ordered to hold himself in readiness with a detachment of not less than fourteen volunteers, to march and escort the president, who was journeying by land from Savannah to Augusta.

Accompanied by Major- General Twiggs, Judge Walton, the Sheriff of Richmond county, the Secretary of State, the Treasurer, the Attorney- General, the Solicitor- General, the Surveyor- General, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Senate, and a numerous cavalcade of respectable citizens, his excellency. Governor Edward Telfair, five miles below Augusta met the President of the United States. The procession halted, and General Washington, alighting from his carriage, mounted his horse. Escorted by Major Jackson and the Federal Marshal, he then advanced to meet the Governor who moved forward attended by the Secretary of State. Governor Telfair then congratulated the President "on his near approach to the residence of government."

This ceremony concluded, a procession was formed, and the President, amid salvos from Captain Howell's artillery, was conducted to the residence on Broad street prepared for his reception. At four o'clock he dined with the Governor - the Federal and State officers and other gentlemen being present. " The President's toast was The State of Geoj'gia." In the evening a ball in his honor was given by Mrs. Telfair.

"Sir: Your journey to the southward being extended to the frontier of the Union, affords a fresh proof of your indefatigable zeal in the service of your country, and equal attention and regard to all the people of the United States. With these impressions, the citizens of Augusta present their congratulations upon your arrival here in health, with the assurance that it will be their greatest pleasure, during your stay with them, to testify the sincere affection they have for your person, their sense of obligation for your merits and for your services, and their entire confidence in you as the Chief Magistrate of their country. On your return, and at all times, their best wishes will accompany you, while they retain the hope that a life of virtue, benevolence, and patriotism, may be long preserved for the benefit of the age, and the example of posterity. " George Walton,

"Gentlemen: I receive your congratulations on my arrival in Augusta with great pleasure. I am much obliged by your assurances of regard; and thank you, with unfeigned sincerity, for the favourable sentiments you are pleased to express towards me.

"Entreating you to be persuaded of my gratitude, I desire to assure you that it will afford me the most sensible satisfaction to learn the progression of your prosperity. My best wishes for your happiness, collectively and individually, are sincerely offered. George Washington."

At half past four o'clock in the afternoon the President dined at the courthouse with a large number of citizens. Governor Telfair was also present. The entertainment was provided by subscription, and was as sumptuous as the means at command would allow. At the conclusion of the feast customary toasts were offered. That proposed by the President was The State of Georgia, and Prosperity to Augusta.

" My warm congratulations on your arrival at the residence of government in this State are presented with a peculiar pleasure, as well as a feeling sensibility ; and I am persuaded that these emotions are perfectly congenial with those of my fellow citizens.

"After the gratification felt from your presence among them, they will naturally contemplate the many unavoidable inconveniences arising in so arduous and extensive a tour, with the most solicitous anxiety. Not less impressed, my cordial wishes shall accompany you through every stage on your return to the seat of government of the United States.

"Long may you remain to fill the exalted station of Chief Magistrate of the American Republics as the just reward of that patriotism which marked every act of your life whilst engaged in the arduous struggles of a long and complicated war - gave tone to the liberties of your country - immortalized your name throughout the nations of the world - and created an unbounded confidence in your virtue, with the strongest attachment to your person and family, in the minds of American citizens. Edward Telfair."

"Sir: Obeying the impulse of a heartfelt gratitude, I express with particular pleasure my sense of the obligations which your Excellency's goodness, and the kind regards of your citizens have conferred upon me.

"I shall always retain the most pleasing remembrance of the polite and hospitable attentions which I have received in my tour through Georgia, and during my stay at the residence of your government.

"The manner in which your Excellency is pleased to recognize my public services, and to regard my private felicity, excites my sensibility and claims my grateful acknowledgement.

"You will do justice to the sentiments which influence my wishes by believing that they are sincerely proffered for your personal happiness, and the prosperity of the State in which you preside. GEORGE Washington."

On Friday the President attended an examination of the pupils of Richmond Academy, and expressed much satisfaction at the evidence of proficiency which they exhibited. In the afternoon he dined with Governor Telfair and a select party.

On Saturday morning General Washington bade adieu to Augusta. He was escorted by the Governor and the State and Federal Officers to the bridge over the Savannah River, where they "paid their compliments and took their leave." As the President was crossing the bridge he was saluted by Major Gordon's horse, and Captain Howell's artillery.

Thus ended a pleasant episode in the history of Augusta. What a contrast between the journey of President Washington in 1791, and the tour of President Cleveland in 1887 !

In 1793 the existing relations between the State of Georgia and the Indian nations had become so unsatisfactory and threatening, that Governor Telfair, having applied in vain to the Federal Government for such aid as he thought the exigencies of the frontier demanded, resolved himself to conduct military operations on the part of the Commonwealth to compel peace and security at the hands of the Creeks and Cherokees. To that end he summoned a council of general officers to meet him in Augusta on Thursday, the 8th of August, 1793. There were present on that occasion Governor Telfair, commander-inchief, Major-Generals John Twiggs, James Jackson and P^lijah Clarke, and Brigadier-Generals Glascock, Morrison, Clarke, Irwin and Gunn. After considering the condition of affairs it was resolved that an expedition of two thousand horse and three thousand foot should at once be organized to proceed against the Creeks in the following October. When advised of this purpose on the part of the State of Georgia, President Washington expressed his decided disapproval. Through General Knox, his secretary of war, he promulgated the wish that the purposed expedition should be abandoned, and so the matter ended. " With the Yazoo speculations, in which several of the prominent citizens of Augusta were largely interested, the limits of this sketch do not permit us to deal.

In the convention which framed the constitution of 1798, the County of Richmond was ably represented, and the labors of Mr. Robert Watkins in this connection entitle him to permanent and honorable remembrance. The drama made its first appearance in Augusta in 1798. " positively for six nights only," under the auspices of Misses Williamson and Jones. They opened with "Three Week's After Marriage."

Cultivation of the Tobacco Plant in Georgia - Rapid Improvement in the Trade and Prosperity of Augusta - Introduction of Cotton - Letter of Mr. Joseph Eve - William Longstreet and* his Steamboat - Population of Richmond County upon the Close of the Last Century - Sibbald's Description of Augusta in 1799 - Concluding Remarks.

THE introduction of the tobacco plant into Georgia materially conduced to the development and the prosperity of Augusta. Many of the early ini habitants of the present counties of Elbert, Lincoln, Wilkes and Oglethorpe came from Virginia bringing with them not only a fondness for " the weed," but also a high appreciation of its value as an article of commerce. The virgin lands of this region were well adapted to its cultivation. This plant soon attracted general notice, and proved the staple commodity or market crop of the farmers.

As the existing laws of the State forbade its exportation without previous inspection and the payment of specified fees, it became necessafy to establish public warehouses at convenient points where the tobacco crop could be stored and inspected. No hogshead or cask of tobacco could be shipped which did not bear the stamp of some "lawful inspector." ^ For the faithful performance of their duties these inspectors were required to give bonds, and it was made obligatory upon them to attend continuously at their respective warehouses from the first of October to the first of August in each year. It was enjoined upon them carefully to inspect, weigh, receipt for, and stamp each hogshead delivered at the warehouse. The hogshead or cask was "not to exceed fortynine inches in length, and thirty- one inches in the raising head." Its weight, when packed, was to be not less than " nine hundred and fifty pounds nett."

Vehicles of all sorts being scarce, it was not customary in those primitive days to transport these hogsheads upon wagons. The hogshead or cask being made strong and tight, and having been stoutly coopered, was furnished with a temporary axle and shaft to which a horse was attached. By this means it was trundled over the country roads to market, or to the nearest public warehouse. Water courses were also freely used for the conveyance of tobacco in open boats. The prototype of the Petersburg cotton boat of the present day was the tobacco boat of the latter part of the eighteenth century.

The location of a public warehouse at the confluence of Broad and Savannah Rivers proved most acceptable and serviceable to the tobacco growers in this rich region, and speedily attracted merchants who, there fixing their homes, became purchasers of the tobacco when inspected, and in return sold to the planters such supplies as they needed. Such was the origin of the town of Petersburg. Its existence was due to the concentration at this point of the tobacco crop of a considerable area. The presence of this commodity was emphatically the cause of population, and the parent of trade. Lisbon, Federal- Town, and Edinborough were other villages which owed their existence to the tobacco trade. Augusta was in the end the principal mart whither this tobacco tended. It was the point of transhipment, and from the depots of the Augusta merchants were supplies derived not only by the country merchants but also by numerous planters coming from great distances. The trade, both bywagon and by boat, was extensive and lucrative; and its effect in confirming^ the prosperity of the town, in improving the style and number of its buildings,, in enhancing the general wealth, and in promoting the importance of the settlement, was most evident. Commerce with the Indians still existed to a limited extent, but it no longer entered as an important factor in the calculations of the merchants.