Liberty County, Georgia - Chapter 17: Sunbury, 1903

Chapter 17: Sunbury

As Sunbury was a place of great historic intern ina 4 birthplace and home of so many of the Midway irople { worthy of more than a mere passing notice.

termining. The rirohalniens is ice the name was given Dy Captain Carr himself and after a little town of the sam name upon the river Thames oe twenty miles from {

The town thus located was divided into four birch it ninety-six lots, most of which were soon sold. It also 1 three public squares respectively named King, Meeting, ; Church. On account of its nearness to the Midway ch only ten miles distant, it became the abode of quite a num- 3 ber of the members and supporters of that church. It was __ also settled by people from Charleston and other places, and _ -at one time with quite a number from theisland of Bermuda. Hence the origin of the name Bermuda, the former name of the contiguous island which is now known as Colonel's Island.1 Having a good harbor and a fair back country to support it, Suvbury soon grew to bea flourishing town. A _ lucrative trade was also carried on with the West Indies. 'About the years 1769 and 1770," says McCall, ''it was thought by many, in point of commercial importance, to rival Savannah."' Healso states that seven square rigged _ vessels have been known to enter the port of Sunbury in one _ day.? As early as 1762 it was made by Governor Wright a port ofentry. At the beginning of the Revolutionary war, _ the time of its greatest prosperity, its population, both white and black, has been estimated at nearly a thousand.? Sunbury has been the home of many noted men, and the theatre of many stirring scenes. Here lived Dr. Lyman Hall, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, from whence he carried with him one hundred and sixty bar- __ rels of rice and sixty pounds sterling, the contribution of the citizens to their suffering compatriots at Boston. Here Button Gwinnett, another signer and Governor, though living on St. Catherine Island,4 spent a great deal of his time, offcially, being a ''Justice of St. John Parish,' and socially, being frequently a visitor at the home of Dr. Hall. Here, too,

1. Until 1778 this island was called Bermuda, but after that, Colonel's Island. So called = on account of the number of Colonels having lived upon it, there being, according to - tradition, as many as six of these, which wa3 quite remarkable as the island was small, 4 not being more than two or three miles across. Who these Colonels were I bave been x unable thus far to find out. Col. Alexander Herron had a grant of land there. Cols. Sereyen, White, Elbert, Baker, Maxwell and McIntosh were all at different times at and about Sunbury, several of them owning plantations upon the island at the close of the war ; but whether these are the ones to whom this honor belongs, I am unable to say.

= 4. This island was formerly the property of the Bosomworth's, of whom Button ' Gwinnett purchased it. It was deeded by the Crown in 1758 in settlement ofa claim of : Mrs. Mary Musgrove, a half-breed Indian, who was Oglethorpe's interpreter, who, after the death of her husband, John Musgrove, married David Matthews, and after his death, Rey. Thomas Bosomworth, Oglethorpe's chaplain. In the Session Book we find the name of Sarah Bosomworth among the members of Midway church, received 1768, who ; was no doubt a near relative of Rev. Thomos Bosomworth, or his brother, Abraham. mg Thus showing the extensive influence of the old church, and which, taken in connection with the fact that St. Catherine formed a part of the parish of 35t. John, invests the matter with sufficient interest to require this notice.

, tet 4 any: George Walton, the only other signer of the Declaration of - Be: Independence from Georgia, and afterwards governor, was sent as a prisoner of war, with other continental offices taken at the fall of Savannah in 1778, he being wounded with terwards there retained as a prisoner of war, until exchanged. Here lived for several years Richard Howley and at Nathan Brownson, governors of Georgia, John Elliott and Alfred Cuthbert, United States senators, and John A. Cuth- - os bert, member of congress. Here was the home of Major John Jones, who fell in the siege of Savannah. Here lived - Major Lachlan McIntosh, the father of the Commodore, and. here the Commodore himself was born and also hissister, the - authoress, Miss Maria McIntosh. Here, also, was the birthplace of Hon. John E. Ward and Hon. William Law. And ~~ here the home of Dr. William McWhir, where he established his celebrated school known far and wide.

Sunbury was also remarkable for its military record. This was the place of rendezvous for the forces of General Charles Lee in the expedition against Florida, planned by himself, in : 1776. From hence was it that Col. Elbert embarked his troops in an expedition against St. Augustine, under the order of Button Gwinnett, in 1777. Here it was that in 1778, after General Howe's unsuccessful expedition to Florida, Col. C. C. Pinckney returned with his troops to rest.

It was here a little later in the same year that after the removal ot Cols. White and Elbert to Savannah, Col. John McIntosh being left in command of the fort, so courageously _ defended it against the attack of Col. Fuser, and to whom he returned the laconic answer, when demanding its surren-

But perhaps the thing that invests the place with the greatest interest is the fact that this was the last spot in Georgia to surrender, when the state was overrun by the

1. Col. Jones, in his History, Vol. I. p. 310,as wellas in his 'Dead Towns,' states that the State Legislature in recognition of his conspicuous bravery on this occasion, 'voted him a sword with the words 'come and take it' engraved thereon." I have thus far been unable to find the evidence of this. In November, 1814, the Legislature voted a sword to Col. James S. McIntosh, the son of Col. John McIntosh, for gallant services rendered in the war of 1812, at Sandy Creek and other places about Lake Ontario, N. ¥ Iam of the opinion the two things have been inadvertently confused.

of General Howe,! that Sunbury surrendered to British supremacy, and then not until overwhelmed with superior numbers. Let then the fact before alluded to in this work, be here again repeated, by way of emphasis, that the last spot upon Georgia soil where the old Colonial flag remained unfurled, and was seen floating in the breeze, was from the ramparts of the old fort of the old historic town of Sunbury!

The Old Fort

As early as 1756, in accordance with the request of Hon. Jonathan Bryan, one of his Majesty's council of safety, and on account of a rumored invasion of the Indians, a number of the citizens went to Captain Carr's and counseled about

So also, according to the church record,-on July of the following year, on account of fear of French privateers, citizens went to Sunbury and raised a couple of batteries and made carriages for eight small cannons, which Governor Ellis, in his tour of inspection March, 1758, was pleased to find completed, in connection with the fortification around Midway church. Whether this was the same location as that of the fort afterwards erected remains undetermined. It may, however be safely asserted that the heavy earthworks still standing just below the site of the town, and which constitute the fort so noted in history, was erected at the commencement of the Revolutionary war, and in accordance with the action of Congress ordering the construction and manning of two forts, one at Savannah and oneat Sunbury ; and as tradition has it, was built chiefly by the citizens of Bermuda (now Colonel's Island) and principally by slave incommand. Col. Fuser, as already stated, made the attack upon it by water. According to agreement, Col. Prevost was expected at the same time to lead an assault by land. The delay of Fuser to reach Sunbury at the appointed time, caused by high winds, prevented the union of the two forces, and the defiant attitude of Col. McIntosh so intimidated Col. Fuser that he withdrew his fleet, and thus Sunbury was saved at that time. It was only for ashort while, hundred and ninety-five non-commissioned officers and privates, together with stores and ammunition; also, with the loss of one captain and three men killed and seven wounded.

by them named Fort Defense. Said committee of defense for Liberty county during the war consisted of General Daniel Stewart, William Fleming, John Winn, John Stacy, John Elliott, John Stevens, and Joseph Law, who had charge of the local defense, and who were authorized to call upon the citizens for any labor they might deem necessary. The garrison in the fort was under the command of Hon. John A. Cuthbert. They were never, however, called into active service. ; the river. The walls were earthwork, very substantially built, and include one acre of ground. The eastern face confronting the river was two hundred and seventy-five feet in length.1 The northern and southern faces, somewhat irregular in shape, were respectively one hundred and ninety-one and one hundred and forty feet in length. The western wall, two hundred and forty feet long. The parapet, ten feet wide and six feet above the parade of the fort, its superior slope about twenty-five feet above the level of the river at high tide, with seven embrasures, each about five feet wide. Surrounding the whole a moat ten feet wide at the bottom and about twenty feet at the top. The sally port was in the middle of the western wall.

other public occasions, and may still be seen lying in the court house yard in that place. Two of them were carried to Riceboro during the late war between the states, but no use was made of them. Two more were taken by Captain

Lamar, and after being used as signal guns" were transported to Fort Bartow at Savannah, fell : to the hands of the Federals. Two more were left 'yh buried in the soil of the parade ground, and a third in tk old field half way between tbe fort and the site of the tow These all have since been removed. At least the writer did not see them when he visited the spot, January, 1896. One of the two carried to Riceboro was removed by the late Col. oa C. C. Jones in 1880 to his home on the Sand Hills near Au ¢ gusta, Georgia, and now adorns the lawn in front of the: . residence which has passed into the hands of his son, Col. Charles Edgeworth Jones. This, and the one at Hinesville, _ ce are veritable and valuable relics, as they were without - ee doubt, of the number of those that took part in the lies of Georgia soil in Revolutionary times.

Grave Yard

The grave yard at Sunbury, could it speak, could tell - * a much that would be interesting. But, unfortunately for us, $ there are but few monuments to be seen. The yard itself is" s a all grown up and forms part of the natural forest. Unless." og ing over so many graves and many of them too, people of oe note. There are a few graves of modern date. These are sae enclosed and well cared for. The rest is all a thicket. In these woods lie buried, and may be seen, the tombs of Rev. Wm. McWhir, D. D., born in Ireland September 9.1759, died January 31, 1851; and his wife, Mary McWhir, born in -

Liberty county September 27, 1757, and died at Springfield, _ near Sunbury, December 31,1819. Mrs. McWhir was the ~ widow of Col. John Baker, and was married before, being tion, and the utter want of religious advantages in proportion to its alleged size. There never has been a Methodist church in the:place. The Baptist church was not organized preach at Sunbury, as a kind of assistant to Mr. Osgood; and a little later we find that Mr. Edwards came over from Carolina, and for about two years resided at Sunbury as the assistant of Mr. Osgood. So we also find that later on Rey. Reuben Hitchcock, a Congregational minister, was located at Sunbury as teacher and preacher, having charge of the school and also preaching to the people, and that he contracted in 1791 to supply Midway church once in every three Sabbaths. And later still, that after Dr. McWhir's settlement there in 1792, that he preached to the people as well as conducted the school.

From hints given it would seem that if not an independent church there was a branch of Midway church there, as mention is made in the records, of authority being given Dr. McWhir to receive members (which he did) till a church should be organized there.

So Rey. Jesse Campbell, in his life of Rev. C. O. Sieve says '"'there was not a single Baptist church in the place, but there was a church of Congregational Presbyterians.'

Concerning the Congregational church at Sunbury, we find the charter was granted March 20, 1790, at Augusta, by Governor Telfair, with the following named Select Men: Francis Coddington, David Rees, James Powell and John Lawson, who had erected a place of worship, and ''declared to be a body corporate, by the name of and style of The Congregational Society of Sunbury;" the above "'to hold

: After Sunbury fell into the hands of the British, portion of it was burned.!_ From that shock it ne ered. Proving unhealthy and its commerce i

| visited the eos in 1896, as above stated, there \ mee : old dwelling standing, janie by some fishermen soph a cotton field. Since then that house has been remo that to-day there is not a single vestige of the old to if ae It is sad indeed to think that a town once of the ae importance of this, and the scene of so many 'incidents occurrences Sheil now be nothing more than a cal

Removal Of Remains Of Commodore Mcintosh Removal Of The Remains Of Commo

Whilst Sunbury had interesting associations connected with it while living, it likewise has some tender memories clustering around it even since dead. For here was the scene of the formal reception, in the spring of 1861, of the remains

Commodore James Mackay McIntosh, the son of Major Lachlan McIntosh, and grand nephew of General Lachlan McIntosh, died at Pensacola, Florida, September 1, 1860. In December following the Legislature of Georgia ordered that his remains should be removed, at her expense, and buried upon her own soil, at any place his relatives might choose. In accordance with this action, they were removed from Pensacola and conveyed, in charge of his nephew, Lachlan McIntosh, by rail to Savannah, and from thence, in company with a few relatives and friends, to Sunbury on board the steamer Everglade, employed for the occasion by Captain J. M. Kell, who was at that time Commander of the steamer Savannah for coast defense. They reached Sunbury on Tuesday, April 16, 1861, and then and there were formally surrendered to the Liberty Independent Troop to be escorted by them to the Midway grave yard, the place selected for their final resting place. On receiving the trust, Mr. W.C. Stevens, a member of the company, and in behalf of the same, delivered the following address: of the service which brings you to these shores, and their heartfelt co-operation in the funeral obsequies of the occasion. In the social relations of life, loved and esteemed by his friends for his kindness of heart and manly qualities, Commodore McIntosh was to most of us personally unknown; but history has recorded his public career, and his the United States in September, 1811, and for a period - forty-nine years continued in the active exercise of different vocations, passing through the various grades of service: Midshipman, Passed Midshipman, Master, Lieutenant and Captain, as rapidly as the regulations of the naval service -

(if we except the first period of initiation into service) we a find him, during a reign of general national prosperity, employed in offices of important trust and great responsibility, _ requiring the exercise of sound judgment and a character distinguished for fearlessness of danger. In 1821 he was at- _ tached to an expedition under Captain Kerney, for the extermination of the pirates on the West Indiacoast. In1851, removed to the command of the naval station at Sackett's harbor, where he remained until 1857, when, by order of the President of the United States, he became flag officer of the insolent and troublesome, by attempting to board and search American vessels; but by prejudice, judgment, dignified courtesy and firm determination, he vindicated and ified approbation. Subsequent to this period Commodore - McIntosh was placed in command of the navy yard Pensa~- _ cola, in which station he expired on the first of September, :

1860. Here closed his earthly career, almost up to the dissolution of the old government, which he had always served et with fidelity and honor, and upon the eve of a great and

- would have been his position in the recent inauguration of political events. Had he lived to behold the Confederate flag of these Southern states thrown proudly and defiantly to the breeze, his ardent and true Southern heart would too surely have reflected the sentiment of its emblematic colors, valor, purity and truth. But, sir, while we may regret the view with sorrow from ''Life's shining circle its gems drop away,'' we must bend to an inexorable fate and bow with submission to the will of Providence.

"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, All that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Await alike the inevitable hour, The path of glory leads but to the grave."

And now, sir, with hearts alive to the duties of the occasion, we bid you welcome here, and thrice welcome the remains of the gallant Commodore James McKay McIntosh to a final interment in the soil of his native state and in the county of his birth." children and the relatives of the deceased, I tender you their warm and heartfelt acknowledgments of the consideration and respect thus shown to his memory.

late comrade looks down from aloft with responsive sympathy and approval. Again do I thank you in behalf of the family and friends of the gallant departed, and beg leave to the interment an impressive and appropriate pray: fered by Rev. C. C. Jones, D. D., after which a wrea ses and olive branches, pied by the hands of N Jones, was suspended from the headstone of the s gra there beside his relatives this gallant officer lies slee; last sleep.' ;