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 f 
 
 
 
 THE WILL OF GENERAL JAMES OGLETHORPE. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE 
 
 SAVANNAH 
 
 BY 
 
 ADELAIDE WILSON 
 
 Illustrated tig Georgia aEegmoutfj 
 
 NON HjEc sine numine eveniunt 
 
 PUBLISHED FOR THE SUBSCRIBERS 
 
 BY THE BOSTON PHOTOGRAVURE COMPANY 
 
 MDCCCLXXXIX 
 
■-^it . 
 
 ^So^^SZ 
 
 Copyright, 1889 
 By ADELAIDE WILSON and GEORGIA WEYMOUTH 
 
 BOSTON, U.S A. 
 
 THE BOSTON PHOTOGRAVURE CO. 
 
TO QNE AND ALL OF 
 
 ©ur jFrtenlts 
 
 WHO BY 
 
 THEIR SYMPATHETIC CONSIDERATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT 
 
 HAVE 
 
 LIGHTENED THE LABOR OF THIS WORK 
 
 WE DEDICATE IT 
 
 IN 
 
 LOVE AND GRATITUDE. 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028792525 
 
PREFACE 
 
 rriHE remark of Ruskin, that he could not visit America because 
 "it possesses no historic ruins," has slowly been losing its power 
 to wound our historic imagination. With our two centuries and a 
 half of age we are fast recovering from the reproach of newness. 
 With its lengthening years, American history has gained a perspec- 
 tive, — its past f9,r enough removed to be the subject of romance, 
 its buildings and monuments far enough " in ruins and ivy-grown " 
 to be the subject of patriotic interest. Certainly, to the American, 
 while he will never see his country strewn with remains of temples 
 and abbeys, nor giant obelisks pointing their geometric fingers heaven- 
 ward (unless he borrows them), still there is an interest, deep and 
 lasting, in the cities and battlefields, where the difierent stages of 
 his country's growth have been evolved; in the buildings and monu- 
 ments which have been associated with the great names of Ameri- 
 can history. And, after all, if true history be the record of the 
 struggle of principles and the evolution of nobler ideas of justice, 
 religion, and freedom, rather than the record of pagan splendor and 
 feudal castles, we can say to Mr. Ruskin and other critics : " Come 
 to America, and we will show you plenty of ruins: The ruin of 
 the idea that men can be taxed without being represented; the ruin 
 
 (V) 
 
VI PREFACE 
 
 of the idea that rehgion can be forced upon the conscience of 
 men by State enactment j the ruin of the idea that Privilege belongs 
 to hereditary classes rather than to sterling worth." These are 
 splendid ruins, and they and similar ones are scattered over the 
 face of American history. 
 
 It is gratifying to note the growing appreciation of the prin- 
 ciples and ideas that constitute the true genius of our national life. 
 Centennial celebrations all over the country have called the people's 
 attention to them; glowing orations have pointed the moral, and 
 patriotic odes have adorned the theme. Magazine articles have re- 
 illumined the past. In less fugitive, and in more permanent form, 
 historic volumes have appeared, recalling and jjreserving the records 
 of each separate locality. The Moses King Company, of Boston, has 
 issued a score and over of these descriptive works. In this way 
 the people's imagination has been appealed to, and the historic sense 
 created. 
 
 These remarks introduce us to the design of the present volume. 
 It is intended to give such an outline of the history of Savannah, 
 from its earliest to its latest period, as, without the necessity of con- 
 sulting dusty records and ponderous tomes, will place each citizen 
 in syncipathy with the chief events of its history; and, concurrent 
 with this purpose, to picture and preserve its historic buildings and 
 monuments before they have yielded to the work of time, and gone 
 the way of all — brick and mortar! Hence the suitableness of its 
 title, " Historic and Picturesque Savannah." The " Historic " portion 
 of the narrative has been done by Miss Wilson ; the " Picturesque " 
 we owe to Miss Weymouth. 
 
 The historical narrative deals with the facts of the city's 
 foundation and development with great care and painstaking. While 
 
PREFACE VU 
 
 it is continuous from the settlement of Savannah by Oglethorpe, 
 down to the period when, through the throes of the Civil War, the 
 new Savannah arose, yet the greatest emphasis is laid, as is proper, 
 upon the three important periods: the Settlement by Oglethorpe; the 
 Revolutionary War; the Aspect of the city during the War between 
 the States. This last period has been written by one thoroughly 
 conversant with his theme. His facile pen has done as much to 
 recall the glow of that now distant period as his famous utterance, 
 " We are here to hold the fort, not to surrender it," did to shed 
 lustre upon it. The other two marked epochs, the Settlement of 
 the Colony and the War of Independence, together with the thread 
 that binds all parts of the narrative together, have been the work 
 of the careful and painstaking authoress. A hasty survey of these 
 parts will reveal to the reader the original nature of much of 
 the material facts now published for the first time; original auto- 
 graphs and letters of famous persons now first seeing the light of 
 day; old newspaper accounts and city records resurrected from the 
 dust of years. We are at a loss which most to admire, the patience 
 and fidelity with which old facts have been gathered, or the fresh- 
 ness and naivete of the style with which they are made to move 
 before our eyey. We frankly confess that we sat down before the 
 volume as a learner, and have risen knowing more of our city's 
 history than before, and have been charmed along the path, without 
 the irksomeness of learning, by the simple, natural, and unconven- 
 tional style of the narrative. We recall scarcely a single interest 
 in the multiform life of the city which has not received its proper 
 meed of mention. The Churches, several of which have been asso- 
 ciated with famous preachers of history; the Military Organizations, 
 which have ever been the pride of the city; the Bar, which has 
 
Vlll 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 carried in the past, as it carries to-day, some of the brightest 
 names upon its roll; the Medical Profession, who, through plague 
 and pestilence, have vindicated their title to the highest sMll and 
 the kindest humanity, — have all their just share of honorable men- 
 tion. The book is the outcome of loving interest in the history of 
 the Forest City, and as such we bid it a right royal welcome into 
 our homes. 
 
 The " picturesque " part of the volume, the product largely of 
 Miss Weymouth's graceful pencil, keeps faithful company with the 
 descriptive narrative. Looking over the scores of illustrations — some 
 of which are from photographs and others sketches with pen and ink 
 — the reader will find that, no object that possesses any claim to his- 
 toric interest has been omitted. To many objects and buildings in 
 the city his attention will be directed for the first time. Thus, con- 
 nected with colonial times, are the pictures of Oglethorpe and Tomo- 
 chi-chi; the collection of antiques in Solomon's Lodge, said to have 
 been donated by General Oglethorpe; an autographic copy of Ogle- 
 thorpe's will secured in London. He will, indeed, wonder why the 
 old chimney of the house on State street appears, but his wonder 
 will soon subside into reverence as he learns that it is a bit of 
 brick and mortar from old Savannah, having been a part of the Old 
 Barracks, where the Continental troops were surprised by the British. 
 One of the best sketches is the gateway of the Old Cemetery, 
 through a corner of which appears the site of Sir Patrick 
 Houstoun's tomb, although that monument itself has been removed. 
 Sketches connected with later times are the Commercial Way, soon 
 to be destroyed; the Kent House, with bullet-hole still surviving 
 the repairing zeal of carpenter and mason. Buildings of great antiq- 
 uity and historic interest, that would have been lost to the histo- 
 
PREFACE IX 
 
 rian, are the Washington House, once occupying the site of the 
 new Odd Fellows' Hall; the Inn, Savannah's old-time hotel for 
 man and beast, within whose shabby walls men as famous as 
 Lafayette have supped; and next to it the first Masonic Hall, 
 both of these time-honored and time-worn structures giving way to 
 the rising walls of the new Bethesda Building: but all of them are 
 preserved to us by the rescuing hand of the diligent artist. And 
 so, all over the city, with historic research, with graceful touch, monu- 
 ments and buildings; tombs of the dead and temples of the living; 
 houses which recfeived the city's honored guests, as Washington and 
 Lafayette in early days, and Lee and Davis in later times, are 
 thrown before us with their historic associations. If olden scenes 
 can live again, and be clothed in something of their former truth- 
 fulness and beauty, then the combined skill of the pen and pencil 
 of our authoress and artist have done this for the Forest City of 
 the South. Thus united, " Historic and Picturesque Savannah " is a 
 volume of which her citizens may feel justly proud, and into which 
 they may delve with constant and increasing interest. 
 
 In the preparation of such a volume " to whom shall acknowl- 
 edgments be made?" is a question which can be better answered 
 by the word "legion," than by a special list of friends and helpers. 
 JSTevertheless, some special mention must be made to Colonel Charles 
 H. Olmstead, for his conti'ibution of " Savannah in War Time," one 
 of the most delightful portions of the volume, as well as for the 
 material of the sketch of the First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia. 
 For his artistic supervision of the art portion of the work, and of 
 the plates as they came from the press, especial acknowledgment is 
 made to Mr. Thomas E. Sweeney, artist, Boston, Massachusetts. The 
 writers feel bound to acknowledge their indebtedness to Mr. William 
 
X PREFACE 
 
 Harden, Librarian, for valuable assistance at the Library of the 
 Historical Society, and to Mr. Frank E. Rebarer, Clerk of the 
 City Council, for coiirteous access to the city records. The follow- 
 ing histories and magazines have been freely consulted: Colonel 
 C. C. Jones' and Eight Eeverend WiUiam Bacon Stevens' Histories 
 of Georgia; White's Statistics; F. D. Lee and J. L. Agnew's 
 Historical Record of Savannah; "Magazine of American History" 
 ("Washington ISTumber," February, 1888), Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, 
 editor; and Colonel I. W. Avery's article upon the City of Savan- 
 nah, Georgia, in Harper's " New Monthly Magazine " (January, 1888) . 
 Thanks are also tendered to the Boston Public Library and the 
 Boston Athenaeum, for favors received ; also, to the Public Record 
 Office, of London, England, for the fac-simile of Oglethorpe's will. 
 
 To the many friends who have helped them with counsel and 
 aided them with valuable hints and suggestions, the writers feel it 
 a pleasure to express their heartfelt gratitude. 
 
 C. H. S. 
 
CHAPTER FIRST. 
 
 The Aborigines of Georgia. — Origin of tlie Province. — Names of the Trustees. — The Charter. 
 — James "Oglethorpe. — The Sailing of the Galley "Ann." — Selection of a Site for the Colony on the 
 Banks of the Savannah River. — First Day In Georgia. — Laying out of the First Square and Streets. — 
 First Public Dinner. — First Court held in Georgia. — Arrival of Israelites. — Public Gardens. — Seal. — 
 Silk Culture. —First Map of Savannah. — Costell's "Villas of the Ancients." — Francis Jloore's Descrip- 
 tion of Savannah, — Catholicity of Creeds in Savannah. — "Great Embarcation." — John AVesley. — Oldest 
 Sunday-school in the World. — John Wesley's First Hymnal. — George Whitefield. — Bethesda. — ■ Tomo- 
 chi-chi. — First Public Funeral. — Oglethorpe. — Spanish Invasion. — Oglethorpe's Regiment. — His 
 Quarters in Savannah. — His Home on St. Simon's Island. — Colonel Demere's Estate. — Return of Ogle- 
 thorpe to England. — His Literary Surroundings in the Evening of Life .... . . 1 
 
 CHAPTER SECOND. 
 
 First Commercial House in Georgia established in 1744. — Change of Government. — William 
 Stephens. — Beaulieu. — Silk Culture and the Government. -^ Completion of Christ Church. — Lutheran 
 Church. — Union Society as "St. George's Society." — First General Assembly, in 1751. — Formation 
 of the Militia. — Wormsloe. — Expiration of the Charter. — The Seal. — Captain John Reynolds, 
 First Royal Governor. — The Filature. — Henry Ellis. — The First Wharf built, in 1759. ^ Division of 
 Province into Parishes. — Origin of the Independent Presbyterian Church. — Early Fire Regulations 
 
 in Savannah. — Regulations concerning Fire-arms Church Attendance. — Observance of the Sabbath 
 
 in 1757. — James Wright, the Last Royal Governor. — His Inauguration and Public Festivities. — The 
 Market-place of Savannah. — Ellis Square selected. — School-house. — Governor Wright's Adminis- 
 tration. — Bird's-eye View of Savannah in 1760. — ^ Fortifications of De Brahm. — Fort George. — 
 Tybee Beacon. — Governor's Mansion. — Tearing down the Old Court House. — Printing-press, in 
 1763. — " Georgia Gazette." — First Post Office, in 1764 25 
 
 CHAPTER THIRD. 
 
 Accession of George III. — Royal Assent to the Stamp Act, in 1765. — General Congress of 
 the Colonies held in New York. — Georgia's Situation. — Sons of Liberty. — Origin of the Expression. — 
 Arrival of Stamps in Savannah. — Intense Excitement. — Burning of the Governor in Effigy. — Re- 
 peal of the Stamp Act. — A Call to Patriots in the "Georgia Gazette." — Tondee's Tavern. — List of 
 Liberty Sons. — The King's Birthday. — The First Liberty Pole in Georgia. — News of the Battle 
 of Lexington in Savannah. — The Powder Magazine seized. — Council of Safety organized. — Meet- 
 mg of the Provincial Congress in Tondee's Tavern on Fourth of July, 1775. — Capture of English 
 Vessel off Tybee Roads. — Doctor John Zubly. — Naming of Streets in his Honor. — Formation of 
 Battalion —Capture of Sir James Wright by Joseph Habersham. — Wright's Escape to Bonaventure. — 
 
 (xi) 
 
Xll CONTENTS 
 
 _ Attempted Capture of Rice Vessels, and the First Battle on Georgia Soil. — Arrival of the Declaration 
 of Independence in Savannah. — Festivities attendant upon its Public Reading — First Anniversary of 
 
 '•the Fourth of July. — First Constitution of Georgia. — Counties superseded Parishes. — New Seal. — First 
 Colonial Governor. — John Treutlen. — Names of the First Executive Council . . 40 
 
 CHAPTER FOURTH. 
 
 The British turn their Attention to Georgia. — The Insecure State of Savannah. — The British 
 off Tybee. — -Brewton Hill. — The Americans' Position. — The British Attack. — The Britisl( Victory 
 and Rule in Savannah. — Oppression. — The Appearance of D'Estaing's Fleet in the Savannah River. 
 
 — Prevost fortifying the Town. — Colonel Maitland's Successful Reenforcement to the Garrisqn. — The 
 Siege begun. — The Ninth of October, 1779. — D'Estaing. — Pulaski. — Jasper. —Illustrious Persons in 
 the Combat. — Departure of the French Fleet. — Letter from J. H. Cruger. — Memorandum of the 
 Siege. — Sir James Wright at the Helm of Government. — Death of Colonel Maitland. — Destructive 
 Results of the Siege. — Condition of the Independent Presbyterian Meeting-House. — Augusta the 
 Headquarters of State Government. — Evacuation of Savannah, July eleventh, 1782. — Return of the 
 Executive Council. — General Wayne in Military Command of the City. — Business revived. — Names 
 of the Streets changed. — Addition of Streets. — The Meeting of the State Legislature in the House 
 of General Mcintosh. — History of the House. — Incident in the Life of General Mcintosh. — Mr. 
 Kent's House. — " Georgia Gazette." — Extracts of Advertisements. — Post Stages in 1786. — -A Gala Daj' 
 in Honor of Peace between England and America. — Gifts from the Legislature to Colonel James 
 Jackson, to General Anthony Wayne, to Brigadier-General Nathaniel Greene. — ■ Mulberry Grove. — 
 Death of General Greene. — Extract from the "Georgia Gazette." — The Mystery of his Burial. — 
 Traditions concerning Pulaski. — Lines upon "Old Greenwich,'' by Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Bowen. — 
 Eli Whitney at Mulberry Grove. — George Wasljington. — Destruction of the House by Sherman's 
 Army . . . . . . ... . . .52 
 
 CHAPTER FIFTH. 
 
 The Formation of Chatham Artillery, the Oldest Military Organization in the State. — Partici- 
 pation in the Celebration of July Fourth 1786. — Extracts from Benjamin Sheftall's Book. — The Union 
 Society made a Corporation in 1786. — Its Revolutionary Experience. — Bethesda Extracts from 
 "Georgia Gazette." — ^ Lady Huntingdon. — .Vrice.stry of Lady Huntingdon and George Washington. — 
 Lady Huntingdon's Portrait. — Savannah incorporated as a City in 1789. — John Houstoun, First Mayor. 
 
 — Extracts from the First Minutes of the City Council. — Brief Glance at the City. — South Broad 
 Street. — Jewish Burial Ground the first enclosed in Savannah. — Act regarding the Old Brick Ceme- 
 tery. — Eppinger's House. — The Filature, Favorite Hall for Meetings. — Insignia of Office. — Wash- 
 ington's Visit to Savannah. — Extract from "Georgia Gazette" — Washington Guns. — Washing- 
 ton-Sheftall Letters. — Hebrew Congregation in 1790 . . . 80 
 
 CHAPTER SIXTH. 
 
 Three New Sects in Savannah: Methodists, Baptists, Roman Catholics. — New Jail. 
 
 Night-watch established in 1793. — Theatre. — The Earliest Theatrical Representation in Savannah, 
 in 1783. — Mr. Goodwin's School for Dancing. — Sign-boards for Streets. — The Mayor fined. — The 
 
CONTENTS xui 
 
 First Mayor's Court, in 1796. — The "Columbian Museum and Advertiser." — The Great Fire, in 1796. — 
 The Circulating Library, in 1798. — The Census of 1798. — The Exchange begun in 1799. — The 
 laying of its Corner-stone. — Masonic Hall erected, in 1799. — The Old Tavern. — Famous Masons. — 
 History of Solomon's Lodge. — General Oglethorpe's Bible. — List of Present Lodges. — The Female 
 Orphan Asylum, organized in 1801. — Its Present Board. — Aaron Burr's Visit to Savannah in 1802. 
 
 — Extract from the "Columbian Museum and Advertiser." — Romantic History of the Father of 
 Don Carlos. — Storm of 1804. — Salaries of City Officials in 1801. — City Seal. — The Old United 
 States Bank. — Chatham Aoademy Building erected. — Its Completion, in January, 1813. — Improve- 
 ments of the Present Day . . . . 97 
 
 CHAPTER SEVI<:N:rH. 
 
 Shock of Earthquake in Savannah in 1811. — War Excitement. — The Arrival of Major-General 
 T. Pinckney. — Fort Jackson, now Fort Oglethorpe. — Fortifications begun. — A Call to Arms to the 
 Frenchmen of Savannah. — The Hibernian Society organized. — Its History. — Present Officers. — 
 Fourth of July, 1812. — Effect in Savannah of Naval Victories in Northern "Waters. — Resolutions 
 of Council. — Money raised to fortify the City. — Committee of Vigilance formed in 1813. — Sir 
 George Cockburn. — Proclamation of Sir Alexander' Cockrane. — Capture of the ", Epervier." — 
 Council's Resolutions. — Aldermen elected in 1814. -^ Fortifications of the City. . — Arrival of Briga- 
 dier-General Floyd. — Resolutions of Thanks to Gen. A. Jackson for Victory before New Orleans. 
 
 — Proclamation of Peace. — ^ Votes of Thanks. — " Close Shave in Finances." — A Glance at City Hotels. 
 
 — Carrier System. — Names of Squares and Streets in Honor of Naval Heroes. — Free School estab- 
 lished in 1816. — Methodism in Savannah. — Wesley Chapel. — Eminent Methodist Ministers. — The 
 Present Theatre, built in 1818. — Programme of First Performance. — The "Georgian" in 1818. — Dr. 
 Harney's "Curse of Savannah." — History of the "Georgian." — Dedication of the Present Inde- 
 pendent Presbyterian Church in 1819. — Eminent Presbyterian Divines. — Anderson-street Mission. — 
 Visit of President James Monroe. — Scarborough House, his Headquarters. — Extract descrip- 
 tive of the Public Dinner in Honor of the President. — The Steamship "City of Savannah.'' — Its 
 Voyage across the Atlantic, in 1819, and its Subsequent History 116 
 
 CHAPTER EIGHTH. 
 
 The Great Fire of 1820. — Extract from the "Georgian." — Temporary Market in South Broad 
 Street. — Yellow-fever Epidemic. — Mortality. — Population. — Thanks of the City to Peter Schick. — 
 The Mayor's First Salary. — Corner-stone of the Synagogue laid in 1820. — Brief History of Miokva 
 Israel. — Present Edifice and Pastor. — The Widows' Society. — Mary Telfair Home. — Present Board 
 of Widows' Society. — Spirit of Holidays. — Lowell Mason. — Origin of the Music of "Greenland's 
 ley Mountains." — St. Andrew's Society. — Present Officers. — Lafayette's Visit in 1825. — Extract 
 from the Papers of the Day. — Laying of the Corner-stones of Greene and Pulaski Monuments. — 
 Lafayette's Headquarters in the Present Owens Mansion. — The Habersham Mansion. — Formation of 
 First Presbyterian Church. — Lyceum Hall. — Church on Broughton Street. — Present Edifice and 
 Pastor. — Fort Pulaski. — Limits of City in 1830, 1835. — Old Jail. — Fair Lawn. — Oglethorpe 
 Cantonment. — Theatre occupied by the United States Troops. — United States Barracks. — Old Court 
 House. — Present one. — Baptist Church. — Rev. Henry Holcombe. — Anecdote. — Division of Baptists. 
 — The Reunion. — Present Pastor . .... 134 
 
XIV CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER NINTH. 
 
 Savannah's Population in 1838. — The City Hotel. — The Mansion House. — Captain Wiltberger. 
 
 — Mrs. Battey's Boarding-house. — Origin of the Pulaski House. — A Unique Landlord. — Mrs. Piatt's 
 Boarding-house. — The Screven House. — Savannah Hospital. — Present Building and Board. — Georgia 
 Infirmary. — Present Board. — Signor Blitz in Savannah. — Snow-storm. — Laying of the Corner-stone 
 of the Present Christ Church Building. — Brief History of some of its Rectors. — Present Rector. — 
 Boom in Savannah in 1839. — Central Railroad System. — Present Officers. — Savannah Library. — 
 Origin of the Georgia Historical Society, in 1839. — Pirst Home on Bryan Street. — Hodgson Hall. 
 — ■ Mr. Hodgson. — Present Officers of Georgia Historical Society. — Dedication of St. John the 
 Baptist Church. — Roman Catholic Parishes. — Cathedral. — St. Patrick's. — Present Pastors. — ^ Names 
 of New Streets. — Public Lamps. — St. John's Episcopal Church. — Its Origin. — Bishop Elliott. — 
 Present Pastor. — Episcopal Orphans' Home. — Present Board of Managers. — Funeral Services in 
 Honor of the Duke of Orleans. — Services upon the Death of Andrew Jackson. — Lutheran Church. 
 
 — Present Edifice and Present Pastor. — Savannah Port Society. — Present Officers. — Henry Clay in 
 Savannah. — The Convent. — St. Mary's Home. — Corner-stone of the County Jail laid in 1846. — 
 Mexican War. — Georgia Regiment. — Irish Jasper Greens. — Henry B. Jackson . . . . 152 
 
 CHAPTER TENTH. 
 
 Bonaventure. — Dramatic Scene. — The Tattnalls. — Josiah Tattnall.' — Historic Associations of 
 Bonaventure. — Daniel Webster in Savannah in 1847. — Trinity Church. — Present Pastor. — Chatham 
 Artillery Armory erected. — Death of Col. J. S. Mcintosh. — First Telegraphic Despatch in Savannah, 
 in 1848. — Strakosch. — Visit of James K. Polk. — Death of Zachary Taylor. — Present Custom 
 House erected in 1850. — Custom-house Statistics, past and present. — Journalism in Savannah. — The 
 "Morning News." — Its History. — Forsyth Park. — Fall of Snow in 1852. — The Exchange. — "Water- 
 Works introduced into the City in 1853. — ^^ Artesian Wells. — Present Superintendent of the Water- Works. 
 
 — Savannah, Florida, and Western Railway Company. — Present Officers. — Naval Stores. — • Bethesda and 
 the Union Society. — Present Officers. — Ex-President Fillmore in Savannah in 1854. — The Yellow 
 Fever in 1854. — Destructive Storm.. — Letter of John E. Ward to the Governor, Herschel V. 
 Johnston. — Yellow Fever in 1858, 1876. — Pulaski Monument — Ceremonies attendant. — Yamacraw. 
 
 — Mansion of A. A. Smets. — Of I. K. Tefft. — Frederika Bremer in Savannah. — Her Impressions 
 of the City. — Distinguished Visitors to Mr. Tefft. — Mansion of the Late G. W. J. De Renne. — 
 Thackeray in Savannah .... 173 
 
 CHAPTER ELEVENTH. 
 
 Col. Charles H. Olmstead's Sketch of Savannah in War Time. — The Remoteness of those 
 Eventful Years. — Intense Excitement in the Southern States during the Sumtner of 1860. — The 
 EfEeot of Mr. Lincoln's Election in Savannah. — The Seizure of Fort Pulaski on the Third of January, 
 1861, by Col. A. R. Lawton. — The "Impedimenta" of the Troops. — Public Meeting in Masonic Hall. 
 ^ Judge William Law. — The Ordinance of Secession passed in Georgia on Nineteenth of January, 
 1861. — The Departure of Oglethorpe Light Infantry on Twenty-first of May, 1861. — The Women of 
 Savannah. — Wayside Homes. — Disappearance of Luxuries. — The Bonnet in 1861. — The Bonnet in 
 
CONTENTS XV 
 
 1865. — Privations. — Savannah occupied by General Sherman. — Destruction caused by Sherman's 
 Army. — Confederate Uniforms forbidden to be worn. — Savannah of To-day. — Brief Sketch of the 
 Savannah Volunteer Guards. — Of the First Volunteer Hegiment of Georgia. — Its Present Field and 
 Staff OflScers, with all of its Military Organizations . . . . 195 
 
 CHAPTER TWELFTH. 
 
 Modern Savannah. — Public School System established in 1866. — Wesley Monumental Church. 
 
 — Its Present Pastor. — Industrial Relief Society. — Present Officers and Board of Managers. — Gen. 
 R. E. Lee in Savannah. — Gen. U. S. Grant. — President Arthur. — Sesqui-Centennial Celebration 
 in 1883. — Alexander H. Stephens in Savannah. — Opening Lines of Paul Hayne's Ode. — Yamacraw 
 Fire of 1883. — The Great Fire of 1865. — The Centennial of Chatham Artillery. — Distinguished 
 Visitors in Savannah. — Telfair Academy. — Telfair Hospital. — Its Present Managers. — The Earth- 
 quake of 1886. — Jasper Monument. — The Jasper Monument Association. — Jasper's Career. — The 
 Centennial of the First African Baptist Church. — St. Stephen's Church. — The Old Brick Cemetery. — 
 Bonaventure. — Poem by Mrs. Sigourney upon the Death of Miss Tapseott. — The Roman Catholic 
 Cemetery. — Fort Brown. — Laurel Grove. — The Jewish Cemetery. — The First Jewish Enclosure. 
 
 — Tybee Island. — Martello Tower. — Hospitals and Asylums. — Societies and Clubs. — The Cotton 
 Exchange. — Present Officers. — The Board of Trade. — Present Officers. — General Statistics. — 
 Savannah's Outlook . 211 
 
 CHAPTER THIRTEENTH. 
 
 A Brief Glance at the Past History of the Savannah Bar. — Its Origin coeval with the State 
 as a Stat?. — High Standing of the Profession from its Earliest Days. —Superior Court reorganized 
 in 1798. — Case No. 1 iiled March sixth, 1799. — Early Lawyers and Judges. — Charles Harris. — ^T. U. 
 P. Charlton. — William Davies. — John McPherson Berrien. — The Old Red Brick Court House. — 
 Clerk of the Court, Major A. B. Fannin. — Hon. James M. Wayne. — Matthew Hall McAllister. 
 
 — William W. Gordon. — William B. Fleming. — During Judge Law's Term the Old Court House torn 
 down. — Court held in the Long Room of the Exchange. — The Present Building. — In 1845, the 
 Supreme Court organized for the Correction of Errors. — "Riding the Circuit." — Lawyers' Playtime. — 
 Levi S. D'Lyon. — Mordecai Sheftall. — Eminent Names of the Forty Decade. — National Honors won 
 by the Savannah Bar. — Julian Hartridge. — Present Standing of the Bar . . . 231 
 
 CHAPTER FOURTEENTH. 
 
 A Brief Glance at the Medical Profession of Savannah. — Preliminary Remarks upon the Settle- 
 ment of Georgia. — Doctors Tailfer and Douglas. — Doctor Nunis. — The Georgia Medical Society 
 incorporated in 1804. — The Act of Incorporation. — Noble Wymberly Jones, First President of the 
 Medical Society. — John Irvine, First Vice-President. — Dry-culture for Rice. — Doctor W. H. Cuyler. 
 
 — Doctor William C. Daniel. — Doctor W. R. Waring. — Doctor J. P. Screven. — Doctor C. P. Richard- 
 son. — Doctor R. D. Arnold. — Doctor W. G. Bulloch. — Doctor Joseph Clay Habersham. — His- Son, 
 J. C. Habersham. — Doctor J. J. Waring. — The Present Officers of the Georgia Medical Society. . . 237 
 
 CONCLUSION 246 
 
PAGB 
 
 The "Will of James Oglethorpe Frontispiece 
 
 Coins . . ........ Opposite Chapter I. 
 
 General James Oglethorpe ^ .......... 1 
 
 Autograph of John Wesley .......... 13 
 
 Bethesda .............. 15 
 
 ToMO-ciii-CHi ........ ..... 18 
 
 The Tree under which Whitefield Preached ...... 21 
 
 Sir Patrick Houstoun's Tombstone . ....... 24 
 
 Autograph of James Habersham . . . . . . , . . .36 
 
 Seals 39 
 
 Commercial Way . . . ....... 68 
 
 Scarborough and Kent Houses . . . . . . . . . .67 
 
 Washington's Headquarters ........... 76 
 
 The Old Chimney ... ......... 83 
 
 The Gateway to the Old Brick Cemetery ........ 88 
 
 The Washington Guns ........... 92, 93 
 
 The Old Masonic Hall and Inn .......... 98 
 
 The Old Bible of Solomon's Lodge ........ 105 
 
 The Exchange . 108 
 
 The United States Bank 110 
 
 The Theatre and Chatham Academy . . . . . . . . .113 
 
 Fort Oglethorpe . . . . . . . . . . . . .119 
 
 The Independent Presbyterian Steeple and Pulpit ...... 130 
 
 Mask . . , 133 
 
 MiCKVA Israel 136 
 
 The Owens Mansion 142 
 
 Autograph of Lafayette 143 
 
 The Habersham Mansion ........... 146 
 
 The United States Barracks . . . , . . . . . .149 
 
 Christ Church ... ......... 154 
 
 The Old Library .......... ^ . . 157 
 
 ( xvii ) 
 
XVUl LIST OF ILLUBTRATIONS 
 
 PASE 
 
 Hodgson Hall 159 
 
 Interior of the Cathedral . . . . . . . . . . .162 
 
 St. John's Steeple ............. 164 
 
 Interior of St. John's 165 
 
 Autograph of Henry Clat . . . . . . . . . • .168 
 
 The Old County Jail ............ 169 
 
 Fac-simile Poem ...;'....... • 171 
 
 Bonaventure . . . . . . . . . . . • • .175 
 
 Autograph of Daniel Webster . . . . . . • • .177 
 
 Forsyth Park ............. 184 
 
 The Water Tower 185 
 
 Autograph of W. M. Thackeray . . . . . . • • • .194 
 
 Fort Pulaski . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199 
 
 The Green Mansion 205 
 
 Autograph of General W. T. Sherman 206 
 
 The Sword of General R. E. Lee 214 
 
 The Weil Mansion ; Autograph Of Chester A. Arthur 215 
 
 Autograph of Alexander H. Stephens . . . . . . • • .215 
 
 The Comer Mansion; Autograph of Jefferson Davis . . . . .217 
 
 Telfair Academy . . ." . . . . . . . . . . 219 
 
 Autograph of Grover Cleveland .......... 220 
 
 The Gordon Mansion 2^1 
 
 The Maetello Tower ............ 226 
 
 The Canal 232 
 
 The Court House 233 
 
 The Art Eoom ; Telfair Academy ......... 235 
 
 The Hermitage ............. 238 
 
 Colonel Estill's Home on the Isle of Hope ...... 240, 241 
 
 Palmetto 244 
 
 Armor ............... 247 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 CHAPTBE I. 
 
 ONE hundred and fifty-six years .ago the " woodland's grey arcades, the flickering 
 umbrage, and half-tropic lights" of the primeval forest covered the site 
 whereon to-day, in the grandeur and beauty of a great city, stands Savannah, the 
 lovely " Forest City " of the South. 
 
 Where now the myriad feet of her metropolitan population are heard, pressing 
 on in the pursuit of businessor pleasure, where the wheels of commerce whir, blent 
 with the ceaseless hum of traffic, and the mighty music of machinery resounds, once 
 roamed the Red Man, following the chase through the pathless woods. Here flamed 
 his council-fires; there, through the forest solitudes, rang the wild warrior's war- 
 whoops, and the unerring arrow hurtled on its path of death. Here, when softer 
 moods wooed them from the war-path, they gathered to smoke the pipe of peace, to 
 rejoice over their victories, to bury their dead, to celebrate, in their rude, aboriginal 
 way, the marriage feast or the barbaric rites and ancient festivals of their tribes. 
 
 In this way, for many a year, might have continued the primitive life of these 
 aborigines, amid the sheltering and limitless woods skirting the green shores of the 
 beautiful Savannah, had it not been for certain events which occurred at this time in 
 England. These were events of great importance, and, in their final results, under 
 the guiding hand of Providence, shed blessings upon a continent. 
 
 Indeed, out of these events suddenly grew the enterprise which, in its culmina- 
 tion, changed the current of aboriginal life on the banks of the peaceful Savannah, 
 
2 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 sowed the seeds of European civilization on the virgin soil, carved a place for the 
 city of Savannah out of the primeval forest, and laid the everlasting foundation of a 
 vast and magnificent State. 
 
 About the year 1729, a number of influential citizens of London organized 
 themselves into a society for the purpose of amelioi'ating the deplorable condition 
 of the poor of England. These gentlemen particularly interested themselves in the 
 sufferings of the wretched debtor-class, the unfortunates who, for various Causes 
 being unable to pay their debts, fell into the hands of merciless creditors, hj whom 
 they were cast into prison. They were virtually treated likej slaves, and were fre- 
 quently doomed to remain for life, until death, more merciful than the Shylocks who 
 had doomed them to hopeless imprisonment, released them from the bondage of 
 their horrible fate. 
 
 Embarrassed in their benevolent intentions, by the laws then in force in Eng- 
 land, these gentlemen turned their eyes to America. Uniting the purposes of a 
 prudent policy with those of a noble charity, they selected the land lying south of 
 the Carolinas and north of the Spanish Floridas, and between the Savannah and 
 Altamaha rivers, as the territory for a new province, wherein to colonize the people 
 who they had determined should become the objects of their charity. 
 
 The following are the names of the twenty-one gentlemen in whose wise minds 
 and benevolent hearts the movement originated, fraught with relief for the victims 
 of greed and legalized cruelty. Honor be given forever to these illustrious names ! 
 
 John Lord Viscount Percival, 
 
 Edward Digby, 
 
 George Carpenter, 
 
 James Oglethorpe, 
 
 George Heathcote, 
 
 John Laroche, 
 
 James Vernon, 
 
 William Beletha, 
 Stephen Hales, 
 Thomas Tower, 
 Robert More, 
 Robert Hucks, 
 Roger Holland, 
 William Sloper, 
 
 Francis Eyies, 
 John Burton, 
 Richard Bandy, 
 Arthur Bradford, 
 Samuel Smith, 
 Adam Anderson, 
 Thomas Coram. 
 
 The petition for a charter for the new province met with the approval of His 
 Majesty George H. The charter was granted and passed under the great seal the 
 ninth of June, 1732, thereby constituting, for a period of twenty-one years, these 
 twenty-one noblemen and gentlemen a body corporate, trustees for establishincr the 
 Colony of Georgia, in America. 
 
EISTOEIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 3 
 
 ■ Naturally, the question arises, what emoluments did these gentlemen receive 
 for their services? It was not the silver nor the golden age of the world, nor 
 yet the nineteenth century, and they received naught ; " no profit, perquisite, or 
 fees " allowed. The spirit of philanthropy bore its own reward ; thrice honored 
 trustees ! Would that that spirit which animated you as one body might descend 
 and rest upon the fair city, the first flickering of whose life was preserved by your 
 tender care ! 
 
 Conspicuous among the trustees was James Oglethorpe ; at first one among 
 twenty-one, he soon became the one, for nature and education had well equipped 
 him to be leader in any knightly adventure. A naturally adventurous, romantic 
 temperament was fostered and inflamed by the reading of old romances, for so 
 Hannah More gives the clue in a letter to Pepys, written in 1784 : " My reading 
 has been as idle as the rest of my employments ; and, if I do not soon reform, I 
 shall become a convert to the entreaties of my gay and gallant friend. General 
 Oglethorpe, who has long been trying to proselyte me to the old romances, assur- 
 ing me that it is the only way to acquire noble sentiments." * 
 
 Charming picture, is it not, and worthy of reproduction on canvas ! Possibly 
 over an afternoon dish of tea, the famous general of fourscore years and more 
 playfully emphasized the value of romance to the distinguished maiden of near two- 
 score years — the halo of old age sparkling with the enthusiasm of youth. Surely 
 none but pleasant memories of his early days in Georgia, the outcome of that 
 romance, lingered in the mind of General Oglethorpe. 
 
 With their charter approved and granted, the trustees proceeded to put into 
 execution their philanthropic designs. The would-be founders of the new province 
 were selected with much care, for the trustees wished the foundation-stones to be 
 of the right material. As much as possible they endeavored to exclude lazy or 
 viciously inclined natures. By the seventeenth of November, 1732, about one hun- 
 dred and twenty-five " sober, moral and industrious " persons were gathered 
 together on the galley " Ann " ready for embarkation, under the personal leadership 
 of the trustee, James Oglethorpe, and the spiritual guidance of Henry Herbert, D.D. 
 Familiar to all Georgians is that first voyage, the weary fifty-five days from Graves- 
 end to Rebellion Eoads, at Charleston, the warm reception given Oglethorpe by 
 the Governor and Council of South Carolina, and the temporary lodgment of the 
 
 1 Memoirs of James Oglethorpe. — Wright. 
 
4 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 cqlonists in the new barracks of his Majesty's Independent Company at Beaufort. 
 In the meanwhile, Oglethorpe, accompanied by William Bull, a civil engineer of 
 South Carolina, sailed in a small craft into the Savannah river, to make choice of 
 a site for the new province. Momentous decision ! Little dreamed the handful 
 of Yamacraw Indians, in peaceful settlement at the west end of a bluif on the 
 banks of the Savannah river, that their few wigwams, with a trader's rude hut 
 alone breaking the monotony of pine forests, attracted the gaze of an anxious eye 
 in search for a home for the ship-load of waiting people. It is a tribute to the 
 Indians' sagacity that Oglethorpe's choice fell upon the cleared space on the east, 
 adjoining the Yamacraw village. By means of the trader's wife, Mary Musgrove, 
 a half-breed woman familiar with the English and Indian tongues, Oglethorpe 
 made a provisional treaty with the Yamacraws, till the surrounding tribes of the 
 Creek Nation could be consulted. The site, decided upon, Oglethorpe named it 
 for the river flowing by. Wise, first act of his ! Of like importance to the life 
 of a town is its name, as that of a child, to its after years. Had Oglethorpe 
 stooped to the weakness of perpetuating his personal fame, by affixing the French 
 ville to his sturdy English name (a characteristic, by the way, of the nineteenth 
 rather than that of the eighteenth century) , or had he sought to ingraft a name of 
 Old-World flavor upon the virgin soil of the New, it is not too much to say that 
 one of the charms of our city had been forever lost. Let us rejoice that Savannah 
 river and Savannah town are left at liberty to tell their tale of Indian origin down 
 the long line of centuries to come, when memories of the red men will have been 
 consigned to the fable age of our country. Oglethorpe and William Bull re- 
 tui'ned to the expectant colonists with the cheerful news of a site selected. On the 
 fii-st of February, 1733, O.S., by means of one sloop and five plantation boats, the 
 colonists were landed at the western end of the bluff, whence an easy ascent could 
 be made to the table- land above. What a day to be remembered by the colonists ! 
 Their first upon the soil of Georgia, the land of their weary seeking, where the troub- 
 lous problem of support would solve itself. That pleasant morning in early south- 
 ern spring, the colonists with light hearts hauled their possessions along the 
 bluff to the four pine-trees, a conspicuous landmark in the well-cleared space 
 selected by Oglethorpe as the rallying-point of the settlement. 
 
 Branches were quickly torn from the pine, cedars, and evergreen oaks, and 
 made into rude bowers for shelter, or forked poles driven into the ground with one 
 on top, upon which were hung sheets, cloaks, and blankets. These were the tents. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 5 
 
 What a motley sight would the colony have presented to the eyes of a member of 
 a well-ordered garrison town ; but no one ventured to approach the infant settle- 
 ment, to disturb the privacy of its birth, except the untutored savage, who, in Indian 
 state, loyal to the provisional treaty, advanced to welcome the white brothers. 
 
 With a courtesy that ever marked Oglethorpe's treatment of the Indians, they 
 were invited into his tent to partake of some refreshment before their departure. 
 Sleep, the sweetest ever given to man, must have visited and rested that first night 
 like a benediction upon the camp of wearied, happy mortals ! 
 
 On the ninth of February, so runs the record, Oglethorpe and Mr. Bull marked 
 out a square, the streets, and forty lots for houses, and on the same day began the 
 first house. 
 
 By the twelfth, Oglethorpe wrote that two clapboard houses were built, and 
 three sawed houses framed, a sufficiently short time to build two houses, even for a 
 southern clime. Mark the square at Savannah's foundation, which has ever been 
 one of the distinctive features of the city. Could the early friend and protector of 
 the infant colony, Tomo-chi-chi, return from his happy hunting-ground to the scene 
 of his former life along the Savannah river, after the lapse of this century and a half, 
 the present city would be to him a collection of Savannahs, all modelled after the 
 original one of the "Father of the Colony." 
 
 In May, the representatives of the nine tribes of Creek Indians met with the 
 English in Savannah, to effect a treaty satisfactory to both. Mutual concessions 
 were made, the colonists agreeing to make restitution for any injuries done to the 
 Indians, the Indians allowing the " trustees' people "-to make use of and possess all 
 lands that they needed for their comfort or subsistence. 
 
 No barter of wampum or rum prevailed. The mercantile spirit did not enter 
 into this ideal meeting of the red man and the white man. Upon the plane of man 
 to man they met, — a pleasing picture to dwell upon, amid the sickening scenes of 
 bloodshed and butchery that typify the usual dealings of the Indians with the 
 colonists of the Atlantic States. About the beginning of the fifth month of colonial 
 life, on July seventh, the colonists rested from their steady labors of wood-sawing, 
 hewing, and building, and, by command of Oglethorpe, assembled in front of his 
 tent, under the four pine-trees, to apportion by formal act the village into squares, 
 streets, and lots. 
 
 A July morning, the air filled with the soft radiance of full summer, foliage and 
 flowers luxuriant, refreshed by the copious June showers, the whole earth teeming 
 
6 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 with glowing life, it was a time auspicious for the public rejoicing of a grateful 
 people, an assembling together to call down the blessing of the Almighty upon the 
 formal dedication of an infant town ; with full heart and uplifted voice they sang 
 that the lines had fallen to them in a pleasant place, and that theirs was truly a 
 goodly heritage. 
 
 The square, the first thought of the founder, was named Johnson, in honor of 
 Robert Johnson, Governor of South Carolina. In its centre was placed a large sun- 
 dial, for the convenience of the inhabitants. Four wards were marked off with the 
 names of Heathcote, Percival, Derby, and Decker, so called for four of the trustees. 
 These wards were divided into sixteen tithings, also named in honor of the trustees 
 and benefactors of the colony. Then followed the assignment of streets, Abercorn, 
 Drayton, Bull, and Whitaker running north and south, the Bay, Bryan and St. 
 Julian streets intersecting them at right angles, five of them perpetuating the 
 memory of disinterested liberality on the part of South Carolinians, while the sixth 
 was named for the Earl of Abercorn, another M^ise thought due to Oglethorpe, by 
 means of which were implanted within the soil itself the names of Georgia's large- 
 hearted benefactors to go down the ages m everj'-day parlance. The assignment 
 of lots followed upon the naming of streets and wards, requiring much tact on the 
 part of Oglethorpe to satisfy all in the choice of lots. Did he foresee murmurs and 
 differences, and so arrange that the mid-day meal should immediately follow, pro- 
 vided by his own liberality? Ah, a rare tactician was he ! Very considerately, the 
 writer of the records has handed down a menu of that first public dinner in Georgia. 
 Let us give thanks to that unknown scribe, who possibly had some suggestion of 
 the idle speculator about him, or the garrulous gossip, — never mind this most idle 
 speculation, he has our thanks for the record of those dishes served to the early 
 Savannahians, — " fresh beef, turkeys, venison, and vegetables, and English beer." 
 With what gusto, what satisfaction must they have attacked the hearty venison 
 and turkey, washing it down with liberal draughts of English beer, and washing 
 away at the same time all ill-feeling or disappointment concerning the allotment of 
 lands. No delicate side-dish was needed to tempt their appetites, the proud con- 
 sciousness that they were recognized freeholders proved sufficient appetizer to 
 what, upon a July day, seems somewhat heavy eating to the more daintily organ- 
 ized palate of the nineteenth century. No record has been kept of post-prandial 
 speeches. The business of the day was resumed by the establishment of a town 
 Court of Eecord. The bailifis were inducted into office, a jury empanelled, and the 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 jSrst court held in Georgia. This court was composed of three bailiffs, a recorder 
 acting as clerk, and twelve freeholders. Will not this explain the lack of after- 
 dinner speeches? It is well to preserve a proper decorum of silence, prior to so 
 momentous an occasion as the formation of a court. Messrs. Samuel Parker, Thomas 
 Young, Joseph Cole, John Wright, 
 John West, Timothy Bowling, John 
 Milledge, Henry C\o^&, Walter Fox, 
 John Grady, James Car well, and 
 Richard Cannon composed the first 
 Grand Jury. A few days after Sa- 
 vannah's promotion to a town, a col- 
 ony of thirty or forty Israelites ar- 
 rived direct from London. The civil 
 disabilities under which they labored 
 in Savannah, and the greater induce- 
 ments held out by Charlestonians, 
 led them soon to shake off the dust 
 of Savannah for the older and more 
 prosperous town of Charles,ton. But 
 three families of the first colony re- 
 mained, the Minis, the Sheftalls, and 
 the De Lyons, whose descendants, 
 from that day to this, have made 
 honorable record in the history of 
 the town of their choice. The three 
 
 families formed the nucleus of the present rich and flourishing branch of citizens, in 
 numbers constituting six per cent, of the population, and in wealth about fourteen 
 per cent. 
 
 What may be ranked the pet scheme of the trustees, was the attempt to make 
 of Georgia an oil, wine, and silk growing colony. For this purpose, at the east end 
 of the town, beyorid East Broad street, where stood the old gas-works, ten acres 
 of land were laid off for the trustees' garden. Within this space was a high 
 mound of earth, so runs tradition, marking the spot of conference held between 
 Sir Walter Raleigh and an Indian chief in 1584, when Sir Walter Raleigh is 
 supposed to have touched on the coast of Georgia. It also marked the burial-place 
 
 GENERAL fAMES OGLETHORPE. 
 
8 EI8T0RIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 of the Indian king, who chose it in memory of the eventful experience in his life, 
 the compact of friendship with the " great white man with a red beard." The gar- 
 den was delightfully situated on undulating ground, the river flowing at the foot of 
 the hill. On one side it was sheltered by a grove of American ash, bay, hickory, 
 myrtle, sassafras, and other choice trees and shrubs spared from the original forest. 
 Ulie tulip laurel, now the pride and glory of Savannah, abounded. Tropical plants 
 were secured by Doctor William Houstoun, an able botanist, who visited Madeira, 
 the West Indies, and northern parts of South America, in the interest of the trus-^ 
 tees' garden. The most distant parts of the world contributed something to the 
 garden : olive-trees from Venice, Iparil la-seed from Spain, and kali from Egj'^pt. 
 The cross-walks were bordered by orange-trees, while the intermediate squares 
 were planted with white mulberry-trees. In the cold part of the garden were all 
 kinds of fruit-trees, brought fromEiigland, and in a warmer portion, trees and fruits 
 indigenous to Southern Europe. Neither time nor expense was spared to make 
 the garden a very Hesperides in beauty. The description I'eads like a fairy tale 
 rather than reality. With a presto change, one is transformed to a veritable 
 paradise of good things on the borders of the crude settlement. The visions of 
 the trustees were glorious, but ill-timed, giving rise, doubtless, to the phrase used 
 of Oglethorpe by a well-known writer of the day, as the " visionary Lycurgus of 
 Georgia." To the colonists, the practical act of felling pine-trees, to provide them- 
 selves rude houses for shelter, called forth all of their energy and enthusiasm; rare 
 exotics were left to languish and die, and like the oil, wine, and silk industry it was 
 intended to promote, the garden flourished for a day, then vanished, to be remem- 
 bered only as a beautiful dream of the past. The silk culture dragged out a longer 
 existence than did either the oil or wine culture. The idea was firnily rooted with 
 the trustees that Georgia must become a silk-growing colony ; this idea implanted 
 within their minds, became an expression of their political creed by means of the 
 seal. The seal of the trustees had for the device of one face, two figures resting 
 upon urns, representing the" rivers Savannah and Altamaha, the north-eastern 
 and south-western boundaries of the Province, between which the genius of the 
 colony was seated, with a cap of liberty on her head, a spear in one hand, and a 
 cornucopia in the other, with the inscription, " Golonia Georgia Aug." On the 
 other face was a representation of silk-worms, some beginning and others complet- 
 ing their labors, which were characterized' bj' the motto, "JVb)i siM, sed aliis." 
 One face was used for legislative acts, deeds, and commissions ; the other, the 
 
BISTOBIO AND PICTURE 8QVE SAVANNAH 9 
 
 common seal, for grants and orders. The first map of the town, drawn by Peter 
 Gordon, in March, 1734, gives an accurate description of Savannah as it then was ; 
 the artless manner of representation of the miniature settlement, perhaps makes a 
 more graphic picture than many a more ambitious attempt. A marked extension 
 is noticed in the town ; four squares are marked out. Forty houses were originally 
 built for the freeholders, all of one size, sixteen by twenty-two feet; in 1734, 
 including the public buildipgs, there'were ninety-one houses, varying in size ; and, 
 according to the record, " the inhabitants were in a healthy and prosperous condition." 
 The rent of the best houses was thirty pounds, that of the poorest, ten pounds. 
 To a casual first glance the Savannah of 1734 appears the Savannah of 1888. The 
 city has expanded in the beautiful regularity of its first plan, the salient features of 
 the babe recognized in its mature, full development. According to Wright, a 
 biographer of Oglethorpe, " His imagination depicted a populous city with a large 
 square for markets and other public purposes in every quarter ; wide and regular 
 streets crossing each other at right angles, and shaded by rows of noble trees. The 
 forty rough wooden houses, the best of which now serves as a place of public 
 worship and as a school for the children, would give way to durable and stately 
 abodes ; and above the foliage would arise the towers and spires of numerous 
 churches." How did Oglethorpe happen to decide upon this plan? Was it original 
 with him, or was it made at his suggestion by some English designer? These 
 and similar questions arise, alas, to remain unanswered. Information is meagre 
 regarding the methods of work in the infant settlement. But a student of historical 
 research of Savannah has furnished a clue that permits a reasonable conjecture 
 leading to the origin of the plan. The absence of facts permits suggestions 
 legitimately traced to logical conclusions. In the Georgia Historical Library at 
 Hodgson Hall is a heavy folio volume, showing through distinct marks of age the 
 remains of an elegant work which was printed in London, in the year 1728, for its 
 author, Robert Costell. The book is entitled the " Villas of the Ancients Illus- 
 trated," and appended to it is a list of subscribers, among them the name of "James 
 Oglethorpe, Esq., two books." Ah, here is a thought ! Did the love of old romance 
 carry the adventurous general back to classic days to gratify that appetite ? But 
 why two books? — surely one would have sufficed him. Was there not some 
 personal motive, a desire to befriend the author? 
 
 Further light arises. This Robert Costell, of whom it is said he was "emi- 
 nently skilled in architecture," had the misfortune to become impecunious and 
 
10 HISTORIC AND PICTURE SQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 involved in debt. In those days, indebtedness regarded as a crime, he was 
 forthwith cast into prison. There he met a most horrible death from small-pox, 
 owing to the barbarity of a warden who thrust him into an infected house despite 
 his despairing entreaties. For some time had Oglethorpe known him. When he 
 was thrown into prison Oglethorpe visited him. The shoclcing inhumanity of 
 Costell's keeper may have been the influence that turned Oglethorpe towards 
 prison reformation. And the book, the "Villas of the Ancients," the work of one 
 who fell a victim to prison outrages, may have .been a moving cause to that colony 
 which was destined to give the light of heaven and liberty to many a prison-bound 
 soul ! For, according to our local historian, the book abounds in passages that would 
 be useful to one contemplating a settlement, its proper location, looking to the 
 health, comfort, and convenience of the settlers. It also contains a number of plates, 
 "which, to an unprofessional eye, present some points of resemblance to certain 
 features in the plan of our city." Such is the conclusion of the suggestion, can-ied 
 out logically, that Oglethorpe was indebted to Costell for his plan of Savannah. 
 Take it for what it is worth, to many doubtless it will appear as a just honor paid to 
 the memory of the lamented Costell. Then, from among the bay and laurel showered 
 upon Oglethorpe and William Bull for the beautiful plan of our city, preserve one 
 blossom, silently if you wish, but preserve it for the author of the "Villas of the 
 Ancients " ! 
 
 In 1736, Francis Moore, a voyager, visited Savannah. His account embodies a 
 very full description of the town and its government.' " Each freeholder has a lot in 
 town, sixty feet by ninety feet, besides which he has a lot beyond the common of five 
 acres, for a garden. Every ten houses make a tithing, and to every tithing thereis 
 a mile square, tvhich is divided into twelve lots besides roads ; each freeholder of 
 the tithing has a lot or farm of forty-five acres there, and two lots are reserved by 
 the trustees, in order to defray the charge of the public." These last were called 
 "Trust Lots," and are now known as such. In the new and accurate account of the 
 provinces of South Carolina and Georgia^ is the following: "The author of these 
 pages is credibly informed that the trustees will reserve to themselves square lots 
 of ground, interspersed at proper distances among the lands which shall be given 
 away. As the country fills with people these lots will become valuable, and at 
 moderate rents will be a growing fund to provide for those whose melancholy cases 
 
 1 Georgia Historical Collections. " Ibid. 
 
HtSTOBtC AlflD PtGTtJBESQUS SAVANNAH U 
 
 may require assistance hereafter." To return to Francis Moore's account: "The 
 town is laid out for two hundred and forty freeholds ; the quantity of land necessary 
 . for that number is twenty-four square miles ; every forty houses in town make a 
 ward, to which four square miles in the country belong ; each ward has a constable, 
 and under him four tithing men. Where the town land ends, the villages begin ; 
 four villages make a ward out, which depends upon one of the wards within the 
 town. The use of this is, in case a war should happen, the villages without may 
 have places in the town to bring their cattle and families into for refuge, and for 
 that purpose there is a square left in every ward, big enough for the outwards to 
 encamp in. There is a ground also kept around about the town ungranted, in order 
 for the fortifications whenever occasion shall require." The houses varied in 
 height from one to three stories, the boards planed and painted white, — a long step 
 beyond the rough, unpainted boards of the first settlers. They were built at wide 
 distances from one another, for fear of fire ; each lot with a front and back street was 
 fenced in by split poles. Near the river side was a guard-house enclosed with pali- 
 sades a foot thick. Here there were nineteen or twenty cannon mounted, and a 
 continual guard kept by the freeholders. No one house commanded Francis Moore's 
 attention by its superiority of size or of building. " All west of Jefi"erson street, 
 from the blufl^ to the south side of South Broad street, thence to the eastern limits 
 of the city, was the boundary. On the trees,, at intervals along this boundary-line, 
 planks, one side painted white, the other red, were nailed, to show the people they 
 could not go over that mark to cut wood, as it belonged to the Indians." What 
 realistic art on the part of the originator of those sign-boards ! The red side for the 
 red man, the white side for the white man. Ho would be welcomed by a certain 
 school of artists of the present day. 
 
 The broad charity underlying the colony of Georgia, its catholicity of creed, 
 permitting all but papists to seek shelter within its borders, penetrated the storm- 
 tossed continent of Europe, where the first of the eighteenth century witnessed a 
 great upheaval in religious beliefs ; men seeking relief of conscience broke away from 
 the Roman Church, and rushed to the other extreme, a wild fanaticism of life, each 
 leader in the exaltation of a singleness of purpose supposed himself the instrument 
 appointed of God to purify the world. Many were the followers. Hardships, 
 degradations, persecutions, only served as goads to their fervor and zeal. To 
 such came the glad tidings that on the shores of the New World, in a land of 
 perpetual summer (for exaggerated speech was indulged in even in those good 
 
12 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 old times), was a home where liberty of conscieiice was granted to all except, 
 the papist, against whom they were in rebellion. Is it to be wondered that there 
 turned great tides of humanity towards the haven of rest, there to worship and 
 "serve God in their own way"? There thronged, according to William Bacon 
 Stevens, D.D., in his "History of Georgia," " Vaudois from the shadow of Mount 
 Jura, Swiss from the mountainous and pastoral Grisons, Piedmontese from the 
 south growing districts of Lombardy, Germans from the Archbishopric of Salz- 
 burg, in Bavaria, Moravians from Herrnhut, Jews from Portugal, and Highlanders 
 from Scotland." Each nationality brought its peculiar customs, habits, and asso- 
 ciations to the shores of the new home. 
 
 In December,' 1735, what is known as the "Great Embarcation" sailed from 
 London. Oglethorpe returned to the colonj'^ after some months' sojourn in England, 
 whither he had gone to present his personal account of the undertaking to the 
 trustees, and to exhibit that splendid specimen of Indian manhood, Tomo-chi-chi, 
 accompanied by his wife and nephew, with a number of braves. Dreading the 
 approach of an English winter, the Indians had sometime before returned to Georgia. 
 Two hundred and thirty-one persons were sent over under the charge of the trus- 
 tees. Constables were appointed by Oglethorpe to preserve order ; but the only 
 misdeed recorded was that of a boy detected in stealing turnips. Eash youth ! 
 What madness led to so desperate an act? A mention of the various groups consti- 
 tuting the voyagers of the " Great Embarcation " will make clear the universal 
 decorum characterizing it ; alas, that one exception ! Conspicuous among them were 
 twenty-five Moravians, under the care of the venerable Bishop David Nitschman, a 
 number of Salzburgers, with Philip George Frederick de Reck, and finally a group 
 around which centres a widespread interest, the brothers John and Charles Wesley, 
 with their friends and co-laborers, the Reverend Benjamin Ingraham and Charles De- 
 lamotte. The voyage wa^ long and stormy; not till the fifth of February, 1736, did 
 the ship cast anchor off" Tybee Island, where the sea-wearied eyes were refreshed by 
 the groves of waving pines and " the bloom of spring in the depth of winter." Early 
 in the morning of the following day, a calm, bteautiful Sunday, the voyagers, led by 
 Oglethorpe, landed on a small uninhabited island over against Tybee — "Peeper or 
 Coxspur " by name. There, on a rising knoll, with his fellow -passengers surround- 
 ing him, did John Wesley first lift his voice in prayer in the land where the present 
 generation sees his followers numbered by the millions. Oglethorpe's first order upon 
 his return to Savannah was for the erection of a house in the upper square (now 
 
HISTOBia AND PIOTUUESQUE SAVANNAH 13 
 
 Court-House square), to serve for a court house, and for divine service till a church 
 could be built. Previous to this a hut thirty feet long by twelve feet wide, made 
 of split boards, and built on Oglethorpe's first arrival, had served to hold courts as 
 well as divine service. This was situated in the rear of the present Custom House. 
 
 The Eeverend John 
 Wesley had been appointed ^ ^^^^.^^ ^^j2 OJi ^ ^' ,^ ^^ ^ 
 by the "Society for Propa- ^ '' / 
 
 gating the Gospel in Foreign /I , n ^<? ^ 
 
 Parts," a Church of England missionary to succeed (/U-^ 6-y ^ 
 the Reverend Samuel Quincy. The fifteenth of 
 March, Wesley records that he removed to the ' 
 
 minister's house, which he found large enough for a larger family than theirs, " with 
 many conveniences besides a good garden." Sunday, April ninth, he writes, " Began 
 public prayers in the Court House, a large, convenient place," — the building doubt- 
 less erected in accordance with Oglethorpe's order. Tradition designates the site of 
 Andrew Hanley's paint-shop as the place of Wesley's first sermon in Savannah. So 
 strongly rooted and accepted is this tradition that the Methodists sought to secure 
 the site for a church. Its then owner, recognizing the value of tradition, doubled, 
 trebled, even quadrupled upon the original value placed upon the lot, till the Meth- 
 odists, indignant, withdrew from further negotiations. Through the Wesleys, the 
 early life of Savannah and of the colony of Georgia at large is linked with one of 
 the most powerful religious movements of the eighteenth century. John Wesley 
 himself says: "The first rise to Methodism was in 1729, when four of us met to- 
 gether at Oxford. The second was at Savannah in 1736, when twenty or thirty 
 persons met at my house. The last was at London, on this day. May first, 1738, 
 when forty or fifty of us agreed to meet together every Wednesday evening." Of 
 the four young men who met together at Oxford, all visited Savannah, John and 
 Charles Wesley, Benjamin Ingraham, and George Whitefield, three of them having 
 the charge of churches in the colony. Verily, Savannah has every right to be a 
 stronghold of Methodism. A mistaken notion has somehow caught the popular 
 credence regarding the Wesleys and Whitefield. They were all Church of England 
 men, and as such appointed to be chaplains in Savannah. Their methods of life gained 
 them the name of Methodists ; applied at first simply to those who performed rigid 
 outward observance of devotional duties, it gradually acquired and embodied the 
 doctrines peculiar to Wesley as they were unfolded. Another event which lends a 
 
14 HtSTORtC AND PtCTVMSQUt: 8AVANNAB 
 
 lustre to that small settlement on the banks of the Savannah river was the estab- 
 lishment of a Sunday-school in the parish of Chi'ist Church, by Reverend John 
 Wesley, nearly fifty years before Eobert Raiises began his system of Sunday in- 
 struction in Gloucester, England, and eighty years before the first school in America, 
 modelled after Mr. Rallies' plan, was established in New York. Wesley met the 
 children on Sunday aftemoons before evening service in the church, and heard 
 them " recite their catechism, questioning them as to what they had heard from the 
 pulpit, instructed them still further in the Bible, endeavoring to fix the truth in their 
 understandings as well as their memories." 
 
 This Sunday-school begun by Wesley was perpetuated by Whitefield at 
 Bethesda, and it has continued from that time to the present, — a period of over 
 one hundred and fifty years, — constituting the oldest Sunday-school in the world. 
 Nor does this end the claims of Savannah upon John Wesley. Here in Savannah 
 was his first book of hymns written, and printed in Charleston in 1737. But one 
 copy is known to be in existence, and that was discovered in England in 1878. 
 Brave little volume, that withstood the ravages of years to tell the story that 
 Savannah was the birthplace of John Wesley's first hymnal, and to give honor where 
 it was due! Rare as any Shakespeare, this first hymnal escaped the search of 
 both English and American collectors, no biographer of John Wesley so much as 
 dreaming of its existence. Interesting is it as an early-printed American book, 
 apart from its interest as a hymnal and portrayal of Wesley's mind during his 
 memorable visit to Georgia. The volume is a small octavo of seventy-four pages, 
 the title-page as follows: "A collection of Psalms and Hymns- — Charlestown, 
 Printed by Timothy Lewis, 17.37." Wesley sailed for England in May,. 1738, the 
 vessel entering the Downs as George Whitefield was borne outward to Georgia, 
 appointed the successor to Wesley. Rather remarkable is it that both Wesley and 
 Whitefield held but the one rectorship, that of Christ Church parish in Savannah, 
 the one the immediate successor of the other. Whitefield, at the time of his 
 appointment, was but twenty-two, yet England had already resounded to his 
 eloquence. 
 
 An utter contrast they presented, John Wesley and George Whitefield, in ap- 
 pearance, character, education, life, method; yet they were drawn to each other 
 b}' close cords of friendship. Wesley's career in Savannah was marked by an 
 asperity, a harshness, arising from an asceticism of life and an intolerant dis- 
 position that gave oflfence in many instances. It led to an unfortunate experi- 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURE i^QUE SAVANNAH 
 
 15 
 
 ence that clouded his ministry, and resulted in his departure from Savannah in 
 less than two years of his ai-rival, never to return. George Whiteiield's connection 
 with Savannah, on the contrary, lasted to the day of his death in 1770. The 
 project of the Orjjhans' Home, which was suggested to him by James Oglethorpe 
 and John Wesley, enlisted the full energies and sympathies of his active and power- 
 ful nature. Securing first of all from the trustees a grant for " five hundred acres 
 of any vacant land which he should select," AVhitefield returned to Savannah to 
 meet with hearty cooperation in the work from James Habersham, tenderly called 
 his "beloved fel- 
 low-traveler," who 
 had accompanied 
 him to Savannah 
 in 1736. A site 
 was selected about 
 nine miles from Sa- 
 vannah , on a sandy 
 bluft" near tlie sea- 
 shore ; to it the 
 first road in Geor- 
 gia was cut from 
 Savannah. On 
 the twenty-fifth of 
 March, 1740, the 
 first brick of the 
 
 BETHESDA. 
 
 Orphans' House, 
 
 after the famous model of Professor Franke, in Halle, was laid by Whitefield with 
 his own hand. He called it Bethesda, praying that it might ever prove the import 
 of its name, a "House of Mercy." Of move than local interest is the establishment 
 of Bethesda. Georgia, the last settled of the original colonies of Great Britain in 
 America, was the first, south of Virginia, to make public provision for education. 
 To John and Charles Wesley must be given the honor of inaugurating this move- 
 ment. They estajjlished free schools in Savannah and Frederica, the germ from 
 which blossomed Whitefield's Bethesda. Travels and voyages were made by 
 Whitefield in behalf of his beloved Bethesda. Large sums were contributed by 
 England and America to furthei' his design. The ricii, the poor, tlie intellectual. 
 
16 HIsrORIG AND PlGTUBESQtJE SAVANNAH 
 
 the illiterate, all succumbed to his marvellous eloquence ; well was he named the 
 prince of pulpit orators ! 
 
 Profound was the impression iu Savannah when news reached the town of his 
 death in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on the thirtieth of July, 1770. "You can 
 have no conception," writes a clergyman of that day to a clergyman in England, "of 
 the effect of Mr. Whitefield's death upon the inhabitants of the province of Georgia. 
 All the black cloth in the stores was bought up. The pulpit and desks of the 
 church, the benches, the organ-loft, the pews of the Governor and Council, were 
 covered with black. The Governor and Council, in deep mourning, convened at the 
 State House, and went in procession to church, and were received by the organ 
 playing a funeral dirge. The Presbyterian church was also draped in mourning, 
 and its pastor, Reverend Doctor Zubly, preached an appropriate sermon on his 
 death, from the third verse of the twelfth chapter of Daniel, 'They that be wise 
 shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteous- 
 ness as the stars for ever and ever.' "^ To quote from William Bacon Stevens, D.D. : 
 "It is a striking group of facts, that John Wesley, the leader of the greatest reli- 
 gious movement of the eighteenth century ; that Charles Wesley, the purest and most 
 popular hymnist of the age ; that George Whitefield, whom Christian and infidel pro- 
 nounced the greatest preacher of his generation ; that James Oglethorpe, one of the 
 noblest philanthropists of his country ; that Christian Gottlieb Spangenberg, the 
 first Moravian bishop in America, and David Nitschman, the founder of the settle- 
 ment of Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania, were all personally and intimately connected 
 with Georgia, and contributed to shape its character and its institutions." 
 
 Turn from this array of Christian notables, and a pagan appears, now bowed and 
 wearied with the weight of near a century of years, but once erect as the pine-trees in his 
 native forest, swift as the arrow that sped from his hand, his history for almost ninety 
 years lost in the oblivion of his forest home, ripe with wisdom and years, he enters the 
 scene of Savannah's settlement, — Tomo-chi-chi ! Well may he stand in the gallery 
 of her honored men ! His presence abides with that of Wesley, of Whitefield, of 
 Oglethorpe. Savage that he was, nurtured b}'^ Mother Nature alone, with a refine- 
 ment of touch that sometimes fails the sons of civilization, he showed a native gran- 
 deur; for justice, for loyalty, he bore the test of his pale-faced brethren. Owing to 
 his intercession the Creek Indians were first persuaded to give the land for the 
 
 iLife of George Whitefield. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 17 
 
 English settlement. He aided in the founding of the town ; ever the friend of Ogle- 
 thorpe, his influence preserved harmony between the English and the Indians in the 
 various treaties. Upon Wesley's arrival in the Savannah river, Tomo-chi-chi, with 
 his wife and a number of Indians, went down to the ship to pay his respects to the 
 missionary, and to express his desire that his nation should hear and receive the 
 "Great Word." Later, languishing upon his blanket in the final illness, he was 
 visited by George Whitefield desirous of meeting the noble son of the forest, upon 
 whom the light of Christianity had begun to dawn. There, upon his blanket, in 
 the little village of Yamacraw, he died, on the fifth of October, 1739. Sensible to 
 the last. Dame Nature was kind to her son, and granted him the boon of a well-spent 
 life, a peaceful death. His wish to be buried among the English was respected. 
 Down the river by canoes to Savannah, the shrouded remains of Tomo-chi-chi were 
 carried. Oglethorpe, with the civil authorities and the citizens, assembled on the 
 bluff to escort the colony's trusted friend to his last resting-place, chosen in Percival 
 square (now Court-House square). It is the first funeral procession recorded in the 
 annals of the town. Tomo-chi-chi was buried with military honors. Oglethorpe 
 and William Stephens, then president of the colony, acted as pall-bearers. Ogle- 
 thorpe commanded that a " pyramid of stone," dug in the neighborhood, should be 
 erected over his grave, which would prove a great ornament to the centre of the 
 town, as well as a testimony of gratitude. Nowhere is it recorded that the command 
 was obeyed. Tradition alone designates the centre of Court-House square as the 
 place of burial. In the "Morning News" of the sixth of February, 1878, ap- 
 peared this notice : " The remains of Tomo-chi-chi disinterred." According to this 
 account, upon the removal of a former residence on York street, near Bull street, 
 to the second lot on the west, for the purpose of building a store on the first lot, 
 workmen, in making excavations there for the foundations of the store, came upon 
 the "remains of a human skeleton about four feet below the surface, together with 
 several rusty and corroded coffin-handles, pieces of iron shaped like the blade of a 
 hatchet, and a piece of ivory. All the bones of the frame were found, but several 
 were broken. No remnants of a coffin or box were found. These were believed to 
 be the remains of the famous chief Tomo-chi-chi." The article continues with a train 
 of circumstances to make the belief probable : "For this lot, with the adjoining ones, 
 was at that period embraced in Percival square, now known as Court-House square. 
 The building which has been removed has been standing for over seventy years, 
 according to the recollection of one of Savannah's oldest citizens. Probably it was 
 
18 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 the first building erected there after the extreme portions of the square were laid off 
 into lots. There is no reason to believe that the ground was ever disturbed before. 
 No account of any other interment makes it reasonable to suppose the remains Tomo- 
 chi-chi's." Brave old warrior, after an undisturbed sleep of one hundred and forty 
 years within the dark confines of Mother Earth, to be ruthlessly torn from her 
 embrace and exposed to the full glare of sunlight and the curious gaze of eyes five 
 generations behind you in the cycle of time ! It is not a fate to be desired. Care- 
 fully were the bones returned to the spot where they were found, and buried deeper 
 down in the soil, where they rest to this day. 
 
 To the shame of the city be it said, that nowhere in the nomenclature of her 
 squares, wards, or streets has the memory of Tomo-chi-chi been perpetuated ! To 
 Oglethorpe or Tomo-chi-chi, the one an example of chivalric Christian manhood, the 
 
 other of noble Pagan manhood, no monument 
 rears its head in the city born of their love and 
 devotion. 
 
 The strong personal attachment of Tomo- 
 chi-chi to Oglethorpe exhibits the attitude of 
 all the Creeks towards him. Some one has 
 well said that, had no other fact been recorded 
 of Oglethorpe than his influence with the In- 
 dians, that alone would attest his greatness. 
 Turmoils, uprisings, massacres, darkening the 
 i-ecords of the earliest days of other States, 
 are unheard of in Georgia. In peace and 
 amity dwelt the white man and the red man. 
 An allusion has been made to Oglethorpe's 
 invariable custom of courteous and conscien- 
 tious treatment of the Indians. Humanity 
 TOMO-CHI-CHI. and justice were his watchwords. Once, i-e- 
 
 ceiving complaints from the neighboring In- 
 dians that traders took advantage of their ignorance of weights and measures 
 to give them light weight, Oglethorpe's reply was a pair of scales. Immortal 
 symbol of Justice, placed in the Zodiac by the Ancients, in token of its heavenly 
 origin ! It was an answer at once practical and pointed. That simple pair of scales 
 furnished the means of protection from fraudulent dealings, the gift itself a delicate 
 
BISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 19 
 
 recognition of the Indians' ability to use the scales. The trader and the Indian 
 were, for once, upon the same footing. Due courtesy and consideration met their 
 reward. Similly, a Creek chief, upon entering St. Augustine, was artfully tempted 
 by the Spaniards to shake off his allegiance to Oglethorpe. Sums of money were 
 held out to him with " He is poor ; he can give you nothing ; it is foolish for you to 
 go to him." What was Similly's reply? "We love him. It is true he does not 
 give us silver ; but he gives us everything we want that he has. He has given me 
 the coat off his back and the blanket from under him." 
 
 In Oglethorpe's character opposite characteristics appear side by side, the 
 keen, hard sense of the practical business mind united with an ardent, imaginative 
 temperament ; at one moment conceiving the lofty, philanthropic designs underlying 
 the colony of Georgia, the next carrying out in minute detail, with an almost math- 
 ematical precision, the daily workings of the colony. He pictured a garden for 
 the cultivation of plants, fruits, and trees, almost, if not quite, unparalleled in the 
 Old World, upon the borders of a settlement yet in its swaddling-clothes. Kaleido- 
 scopic, truly, was Oglethorpe's mind ; yet to that quality is due much of his charm 
 and power. When in England in 1737, to gain recruits for a regiment destined to 
 bear arms against the Spaniards, how did he solve the problem of attaching the new 
 recruits with close ties to the defence of the new soil ? Reader, how would you 
 have solved that problem? Listen to Oglethorpe's solution. Each soldier was per- 
 mitted to carry out a wife, for whom rations and extra pay were provided as for 
 himself. Verily, that was an original regiment, with its corps of well-paid auxil- 
 iaries, whose services were never demanded in the field, but whose influence may 
 have decided the fate of many an encounter, — a wise expedient in the history of 
 warfare. Those brave wives of that old German town, who carried their husbands 
 on their backs through the gates of the city to safety and freedom, must retire 
 before these sisters of a later generation, who, metaphorically speaking, bore their 
 husbands through powder and shot. 
 
 Again Oglethorpe's fertile brain devised a cunning scheme. While engaged in 
 war with the Spaniards, it was important, one night, to make a certain distance by 
 water. The jaded men pulled slowly and reluctantly, till Oglethorpe bethought 
 him of sending ahead the periagua containing the supply of beer. It is enough to 
 say the distance was accomplished. 
 
 The period of the Spanish invasion of Georgia was a time of anxiety and distress 
 to the colony in Savannah. Progress gave place to stagnation ; yet public spirit was 
 
20 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 not wholly checked by military operations, for there is mention of a church begun 
 on the eleventh of June, 1740. " A few loads of stones being brought and laid down 
 in a place where it is intended to stand." This was upon the original church lot 
 marked out when Oglethorpe first planned the town, the site of the present Christ 
 Church. Services had been held in Oglethorpe's tent, in the open air, in the first 
 tabernacle or Court House, now occupied by the rear portion of the Custom House, 
 and later, in the time of Wesley, in the new Court House, upon the present Court- 
 House site. This efi'ort to build a church was sadly retarded for & number of years. 
 More and more portentous became the signs of war. Georgia was the wedge 
 between the Carolinas, and the French, Spanish, and Indians on the south and 
 west. Spain looked with jealous eye upon the extension of the colony southward 
 to Darien and Frederica, the last a military post. Fearing for her own dominion, 
 she became openly aggressive. 
 
 Oglethorpe's regiment, a part of which had crossed in 1738 (with their wives), 
 now came gallantly to the front. " This regiment was composed of six companies, 
 each consisting of one hundred men, not including non-commissioned ofiicers and 
 drummers, and a grenadier company was afterwards added to it. The ofl[icers were 
 gentlemen of family and character, twenty cadets included in the reorganization, for 
 the filling of vacancies, as they should happen. Besides, the Colonel (Oglethorpe) 
 engaged, at his own expense, forty supernumeraries." A list of the officers of the 
 select body, thus far not found in any published account of the colony of Georgia, 
 copied from a " Book of Array Commissioners " from 1728 to 1741, in the Record 
 Office in London, is as follows : — 
 
 James Oglethorpe, Colonel of a regi- 
 ment of foot. 
 James Corchran, Lieutenant- Colonel. 
 Wm. Cook, Major. 
 Plugh Mackay, Captain. 
 Richard Norburj^ " 
 Alex. Heron, " 
 
 Albert Desbrisay, " 
 Philip Delegall, Senior- Lieutenant. 
 
 " " Junior " 
 
 Raymond Demere, Lieutenant. 
 
 Edward Wansall, 
 
 George Morgan, 
 
 the rank not stated. 
 
 George Dunbar, 
 
 Will Horton, Ensign. 
 
 James Mackay, 
 
 Wm. Tolsom, 
 
 John Tanner, 
 
 John Leman, 
 
 Sandford Mace, 
 
 Hugh Mackay, Adjutant. 
 
 Edward Dyson, Clerk and Chaplain. 
 
 Thomas Hawkins, Surgeon. 
 
 Quartermaster. 
 
EISTOliia AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 21 
 
 Through the zeal and research of the late G. \V . J. De Reiine, Savannah's 
 liberal patron of letters, was this list obtained during a visit to London. 
 
 Military operations centred about Froderica. Oglethori)e ]oroved so skilful a 
 strategist, that the Spanish, with many times the numlier of the English, were 
 frightened off ; in- 
 deed, his final 
 triumph stands 
 " unparalleled in 
 the annals of colo- 
 nial history.'" Ac- 
 cordingto Colonel 
 C. C. Jones, Jr., 
 ■ in his sketch of 
 Frederica, "That 
 a small force of 
 between six hun- 
 dred and seven 
 hundred men, as- 
 sisted by a few 
 weak vessels, 
 
 should have put to flight an army of nearly five thousand Spanish troops, 
 supported by a powerful fleet, and amplj^ equipped for the expedition, seems 
 almost incapable of explanation." Whitefield said of the victory : " The deliverance 
 of Georgia from the Spaniards is such as cannot be paralleled but ))y some instance 
 out of the Old Testament." The Spanish troops, all told, amounted to five thousand 
 and ninety men, and Oglethorpe's command comprised six hundred and fiftj^-two 
 pei'sons, of which four hundred and seventy-two belonged to his regiment. The 
 fame of this feat spread throughout the country. Ogletliorpe was the hero of the 
 colonies ; he was regarded as the savior of the countr}^ from the Spanish dominion. 
 A day of public thanksgiving was appointed in Georgia, " to Almighty God, for His 
 o-reat deliverance, and the end that is put to this Spanish invasion." 
 
 In 1743 Oglethorpe left the Georgia colony for the last time. During the 
 eleven years of his sojourn and governorship the tender luirsling of his care had 
 o-rown to a town of fair size ; the record reads that there were three hundred and 
 
 to 
 
 fifty-three houses, aside from public buildings, with the afterthought, " Among 
 
 ^^^^''^^^^^'i^^ 
 
 THE TREE UNDER WHICH WHITEFIELD PREACHED. 
 
22 HISTORIC AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 these were a number of elegant houses surrounded by lai-ge gardens." To the eyes of 
 many of the colonists, accustomed to the overcrowded cities of the Old World, with 
 their narrow streets and huge piles of stone and brick, the generous plan of the 
 town, wide, tree-bordered streets, with a narrow one passing the rear of the lots, 
 had an air of spaciousness which doubtless imparted somewhat of its charm to the 
 clapboard houses, innocent of architectural beauty. Naturally, fancy would select 
 one of those "elegant houses" for Oglethorpe's home, and would picture him in the 
 cool of the evening enjoying the delights of a large garden ; yet this is far fi'om the 
 case. For over a year the tent under the four pine-trees was his only home ; it be- 
 came the head-quarters of the colony, for Oglethorpe was paramount in those early 
 days. Judicial, social, religious aflairs, were brought to that small tent for settle- 
 ment, the decisions ever pervaded by the solemn undertones of the pines. A fit 
 temple and court-room, swept daily, hourly, by the fresh winds of heaven, laden 
 with resinous perfume. Oglethorpe's fondness for garden ventures is mentioned 
 more than once ; somewhere it is said that he had ''three gardens sowed with divers 
 seeds, where also he planted thyme, pot-herbs, and several sorts of fruit-trees." 
 The wonder arises, did these vegetable gardens flourish, or were they destined to a 
 like fate with the trustees' gardens? Never did Oglethorpe own any land or house 
 in Savannah. He had lodgings in one of the original forty houses, to which he 
 always returned when, in Savannah. In a letter written by William Stephens to 
 Harman Verelst, of London, dated May second, 1747, an interesting glimpse is 
 given of General Oglethorpe's quarters : — 
 
 General Oglethorpe, whenever he pleased formerly to visit Savannah, was content to make 
 use of a small house, No. 1 Jekyll Tything, in Derby Ward, belonging to the widow Ovisend, who, 
 we are informed, has been dead some years, and no claimant appearing, nor the house occupied 
 since His Excellency was there in the year 1743, it may be reasonably expected, on its standing 
 empty so long, that 'tis grown mucli out of repair. The floor and cills, and greater part of the 
 principal Timbers are utterly decayed and rotten, and must have fallen long since, had I not ordered 
 it to be propt up with shores, and 'tis not many days since the chimney fell, so that 'tis now esteemed 
 to be nothing better than a ruinous heap. There was, formerly, a neat Field Bed in it with yellow 
 damask silk curtains, whicli must have shared the same fate with the rest, had it been left standing. 
 ■\Vherefore I ordered it to be taken thence, and delivered to the care of a young woman that lives 
 next door, whose maiden name was Milledge (a family that the General has been exceedingly kind 
 to), and she married a few years since to Richard Riglye, a writing Clerk in the service of the Trust. 
 I never could hear of any other furniture left in your House besides that bed, nor saw I any more 
 than an old broken table, and two rush-bottom chairs of no value. After so much preface, what I 
 would beo- of you is, that you'll please to acquaint the General herewith, and if he will please to 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 23 
 
 signify his pleasure therein, I shall be ready to pay all due regard to it ; but as I can hardly think 
 he will give himself any trouble about it, 'tis possible, nevertheless, he may bestow the lot upon 
 some person or other whom he has a favorable thought of. 
 
 That is all, but it throws a little light upon Oglethorpe's surroundings. After 
 the year of tent-life it is pleasant to think of the luxury of " yellow damask silk 
 curtains " about that' "Field Bed," yet how oddly incongruous in that rough-boarded 
 house ; possibly they were a whim of Oglethorpe's, a bit of finery that gratified his 
 aesthetic taste. Truly, it is easy to imagine him possessed of so errant a fancy, as 
 'tis in keeping with the spirit that projected the public gardens. Oglethorpe did 
 own a home in the New World, on St. Simon's Island, about a mile from Fred- 
 erica. On the road to the fort, where the highway entered the wood, Oglethorpe 
 chose his home, and very humble it was. A cottage with a garden and orchard 
 for oranges, figs, and grapes, in all, fifty acres, constituted his New World. The 
 rear of the house was overshadowed by evergreen oaks, the front looked out upon 
 intrenched town and fort, with a glimpse of the sound. A road diverged due 
 east from the General's cottage, passing in about half a mile to the country seat 
 of Captain Raymond Demere, one of the oldest ofiicers of the regiment. Captain 
 Demere was a Huguenot by birth, with an ample fortune. Much of it was spent 
 in ornamenting his St. Simon's home, following the current French taste leather 
 than the English. Harrington Hall was the name of his estate. The enclosures 
 were entirely of orange or cassiva, a species of ilex, but the most beautiful of the 
 family, with small fleshy leaves, intensely green. Numbers of this shrub are to 
 be seen to-day in Forsyth Park, though it is not common in the city. After 
 Oglethorpe's final departure his homestead became the property of James Spald- 
 ing. It was sold after the Revolution, the cottage having been destroyed, but the 
 oaks remained landmarks into the thirties of the present century. The older people 
 of St. Simon's mourned their destruction as a sort of sacrilege. 
 
 Many oflScers had residences in the neighborhood much more pretentious than 
 Oglethorpe's. Here could Oglethorpe retire from the vexatious worries of town 
 life, and enjoy the quiet, or, inspired by the sight of fort and fortification, indulge 
 in military day-dreams, his own early adventures on the continent of Europe fur- 
 nishing sufficient themes for reverie. Let us follow him to the shores of Old Eng- 
 land, and there leave him, near the close of the century. That grand old hero, with 
 his youthful enthusiasm unquenched in the midst of that golden circle where John- 
 son, Goldsmith, Wharton, Burke, Burton, Mrs. Garrick, and Mrs. More loved to 
 
24 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 gather in the interchange of wit and thought. Well could Oglethorpe form a 
 central figure in this charming coterie. Hannah More again touches him delicately 
 in a letter: "I have got a new admirer, and we flirt together prodigiously, foster 
 brother of the Pretender, and much above ninety years old ; the finest figure you 
 ever saw. He frequently realizes all my ideas of Nestor. His literature is great, 
 his knowledge of the world extensive, and his faculties as bright as ever. He is one 
 of the thi'ee persons mentioned by Pope still living; he is quite apreux chevalier, 
 heroic, romantic, and full of the old gallantry. It is the famous General Oglethorpe, 
 perhaps the most remarkable man of his time." 
 
 An inexhaustible store of novel experience, drawn from his Georgian adventures, 
 the General must at times have poured upon that brilliant, responsive circle. By 
 Burke he was regai'ded as more extraordinary than any person of whom he had read, 
 for Oglethorpe lived to see the infant colony grow to a powerful commonwealth, 
 and throw ofi" its allegiance to the mother country, to become an independent 
 state. Among the first to greet John Adams, the first ambassador from the United 
 States to the Court of St. James, was General Oglethorpe. Here let us leave him. 
 Shall we meet his like again ? It is hardly possible ; such a one comes not often on 
 the world's stage. 
 
 ia.pone» ft-efideni of lita 
 ■^My(fys CewflcH of Georgia. 1 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 IN 1744 the first commercial house in Georgia was established by Messrs. James 
 Habersham and Charles Harris. Prior to this, business had been transacted by 
 the trustees' store- keeper. The place of business was close to the water's edge, in 
 the rear of the present office of R. G. Dunn and Company, and the firm began a 
 system of direct importation with London. By 1749 they were prepared to ship 
 a cargo to England. 
 
 In May of that year, the correspondent, John Nickleson, Mansfield street, 
 Goodman's Fields, London, was ordered to charter a " small ship to be loaded here 
 next winter, with what may ofi'er." That was the first ship chartered to a mercantile 
 house in Georgia. During the winter the ship sailed for England with a cargo of 
 rice, deerskins, tar, staves, and pitch, unconsciously forecasting, in the latter articles, 
 Savannah's supremacy in lines of trade in which she now leads the world. 
 
 It was owing to the enterprise and advanced views of Messrs. Habersham and 
 Harris that a material increase was added to the wealth of the colonists, as well as 
 to the comforts and luxuries enjoyed by them. Within a few years of the estab- 
 lishment of commercial relations with England James Habersham wrote : " Two days 
 ago a large ship arrived here addressed to my partner and myself, which is the fifth 
 sea-vessel which has been here to load within a year; more, I may affirm, than has 
 ever been, loaded in this colony before, since its first settlement, with its real 
 produce." 
 
 In the early days of the colony, Oglethorpe was virtually the head of the 
 government, without, however, the official title, the bailiffs, the tithing-men, and 
 recorders all subject to his direction. This scheme of government brought many 
 abuses into play, for Oglethorpe's constant absence from Savannah, the seat of 
 power, left the bailiifs uncontrolled. 
 
 In 1741 the trustees made a change of government, dividing the province of 
 Georgia into two counties ; over each they appointed a president with four assist- 
 
 (25) 
 
26 
 
 EISTOBIO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 ants, constituting the Civil and Judicial Tribunal. Oglethorpe still remained Gen- 
 eral and Commander-in-Chief, with civil and military control over both counties. 
 Another change, in 1743, consolidated the government into one body politic, with 
 William Stephens president. Good, worthy man that he was, his age made the 
 appointment an injudicious one. The assistants were crippled by his infirmities. At 
 last, recognizing his inability to hold the post, he resigned, and retired to his estate 
 at Beaulieu, where, in 1753, he peacefully died. This plantation, consisting of five 
 hundred acres, at the mouth of the Vernon river, was granted and confirmed to him 
 by Oglethorpe in 1738. Mr. Stephens writes on the twenty-first of March, 1739 : 
 "I was now called upon to give the place a name, and thereupon, naturally revolving 
 in my thoughts divers places in mj' native country, to try if I could find any that 
 had a resemblance to this, I fancied that Bewlie, a manor of His Grace the Duke of 
 Montague, in the New Forest, was not unlike it much as to its situation, and, being 
 on the skirts of that forest, had plenty of large timber growing everywhere near ; 
 moreover, a fine arm of the sea running close by, which parts the Isle of Wight 
 from the main land, and makes a beautiful prospect, from all which ti'adition tells 
 us it took its name, and was antiently called Beaulieu, though now vulgarly 
 'Bewlie.'" This attractive liluff bears other than the associations with the manor in 
 the New Forest ; it was rendered memorable by the debarkation of Count d'Estaing's 
 troops on the twelfth of September, 1779, and by the erection of formidable 
 batteries during the war between the States, for the protection of this approach to 
 Savannah. 
 
 At present Beaulieu constitutes one of the desirable suburbs of the city, whei'e 
 a number of citizens, in summer residences, seek the repose and pleasures of country 
 hfe. 
 
 The infatuation of the trustees to make of Georgia a silk, oil, and wine grow- 
 ing colony continued, notwithstanding disheartening results. The colonists, wearied 
 of futile attempts, neglected the gardens where the vines and the mulberry- trees 
 were planted ; some of them even petitioned the trustees to abandon the idea of 
 producing silk and wine exclusively, and to turn the funds towards agriculture and 
 commerce. But no, the one-ideaed trustees were not to be deterred from the pur- 
 suance of their cherished plan. They offered large bounties, in 1750, to those who 
 would engage in the growth of silk. A filature for the purpose was built the next 
 year to serve as a normal school to the town. It was constructed of rough boards 
 made thirty-six feet long by twenty wide ; in a loft above the one floor the green 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 27 
 
 cocoons weve spread. This building stood on the east side of Reynolds square 
 where now stands the block of houses known as Cassell's row. The efforts of the 
 trustees to promote the silk culture were not confined to the normal school in 
 the filature. After the twenty-fourth of June, 1751, according to extracts from the 
 minutes of the General Assembly, " no inhabitant could be elected a deputy who had 
 not one hundred mulberry trees planted and properly fenced, upon every tract of 
 fifty acres which he possessed." 
 
 Also from and after the twenty-fourth of June, 1753, no one was capable of 
 being a delegate who had not strictly conformed to the prescribed limitation of the 
 number of negro slaves in proportion to his white servants, who had not in his 
 family at least one female instructed in the art of reeling silk, and who did not 
 annually produce fifteen pounds of silk for every fifty acres of land owned by him. 
 Thus curiously was silk culture interwoven with the fabric of government. The 
 church which was begun in 1740, during the time of the threatened Spanish invasion, 
 remained at a stand-still for a number of years, owing to the unsettled times and the 
 impoverished state of the town. In 1746 President Stephens wrote : "The roof of 
 the church is covered with shingles, but as to the sides and ends of it, it remains a 
 skeleton." The summer of 1750 saw it completed and dedicated to the worship 
 of Almighty God upon the seventh of July, the anniversary of the establishment of 
 the first court of judicature seventeen years before, and of Oglethorpe's defeat of 
 the Spaniards on St. Simon's Island. No cut or description of this first church has 
 been found, unfortunately ; but it is probable that its construction was of the plainest 
 order of architecture, else some allusion would have been made to it by the gratified 
 townspeople upon the completion of the ten years' work. Out of the six hundi'ed 
 and three inhabitants of Savannah in 1748, three hundred and eighty-eight were 
 dissenters. 
 
 Probably the greater part were of the Lutheran religion. Many members of 
 the various colonies of Salzburgers, that fled to Georgia between the years 1736 
 and 1744, remained in Savannah, and formed the nucleus of a churcl) organization 
 about 1744. Little is known definitely concei'ning this organization. "In a few 
 years' time a small wooden church was erected on the eastern side of Court-House 
 square, the site of the present Lutheran church. The Lutheran, therefore, with 
 Christ Church, shares the honor of steadfastness to the original site. The forma- 
 tion of " St. George," afterwai'd known as the " Union Society," some time in the 
 year 1750, was an important event for Savannah, little realized at the time. A 
 
28 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 powerful influence for good has it wielded in the community during the one hundred 
 and thirty-eight years of its existence. Familiar is its small beginning. At first a 
 club of Scotch emigrants, its original members were five gentlemen, representing 
 five distinct religious creeds, banded together for the purpose of educating orphan 
 children in indigent circumstances. The exact time is not known when it was 
 merged into a society with the name of " St. George," the members holding their 
 anniversary upon the twenty-third of April, the calendar day of the canonization 
 of the tutelar saint of England. Tradition has preserved but three names of the 
 original five: Benjamin Sheftall, an Israelite; Richard Mi 11 edge, an Episcopalian; 
 and Peter Tondee, a Catholic. It is a fact unique in the history of Savannah, the 
 formation of benevolent institutions and societies in so early a stage of her existence. 
 Bethesda, the Union Society, the Masonic Fraternity, all were outcomes of that 
 spirit of broad charity animating the trustees. Savannah, herself at first a settle- 
 ment to shelter the needy of Europe, with increase of growth and riches, 
 proportionately broadened her charities, till, at the present day, she stands without 
 a rival among sister cities for the number of benevolent institutions, in proportion 
 to her size and population. 
 
 The first General Assembly met in Savannah on the fifteenth of January, 1751, 
 sixteen representatives being present. Francis Harris was chosen speaker. Upon 
 the adjournment of the Assembly, the Council, in accordance with its promise, began 
 to organize the militia. An order was issued " for all who possessed three hun- 
 dred acres and upwards of land to appear well-accoutred on horseback as cavalry, 
 and those who owned less property armed on foot." The militia comprised four 
 companies, one troop of horse and three o.f infantry, in all nearly three hun- 
 dred men. The first organized parade took place on the thirteenth of June, 
 1751, under the command of Captain Noble Jones. There were about two hundred 
 and twenty horse and foot, well armed and well equipped, the record quaintly 
 reading, "they behaved well, and made a pretty appearance." 
 
 To Noble Jones, the captain of the body of militia, belonged the estate of 
 Wormsloe, in itself worthy of a description, but more particularly from the fact 
 that, of all of the beautiful plantations at one time in the neighborhood of 
 Savannah, it alone has remained in the family to whom it was first granted. It is 
 situated on the Isle of Hope, about ten miles from Savannah. 
 
 From a description written in 1743, the following is quoted: "Wormsloe is 
 one of the most agreeable spots I ever saw, and the improvements of that ingenious 
 
fflSTOBIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 29 
 
 man are very extraordinary. He commands a company of Marines, who are 
 quartered in Huts near his House, which is also a tolerable defensive Place with 
 small Arms. From the House there is a Vista of a new three miles cut through the 
 woods to Mr. Whitefield's Orphan House, which has a very fine effect on the Sight." 
 
 Noble Jones, a lieutenant in General Oglethorpe's expedition against the 
 Spaniards in St. Augustine, subsequently was assigned the -command of a scout 
 and guard boat, and a company of marines to watch the " Narrows at Skedowaj^ 
 and the inlets of the near adjoining sea, more especially those near him of War- 
 saw and Ussuybaw, lest any surprise should happen." 
 
 The remains of the " tabby " fortification constructed by Captain Jones are still 
 to be seen at Wormsloe, the outline of the work and the general features well 
 preserved, constituting possibly the most interesting historical ruins on the coast 
 of Georgia. The plantation is now in the possession of the De Eenne family, lineal 
 descendants of Noble Jones. 
 
 In the year 1752 the charter of the colony of Georgia expired. The trustees 
 held their last meeting on June twenty -third, the charter was surrendered, the 
 seal defaced, and a recommendation made of the rights and privileges of the inhabi- 
 tants of Georgia to His Majesty's protection. The affairs of Georgia were now 
 transferred to the Lords Commissioners of Plantation Affairs, acting under His 
 Majesty George II. On the nomination of the Lords Commissioners, Captain John 
 Reynolds, of the Royal Navy, was, on the sixth of August, 1754, appointed by the 
 king, Governor of Georgia. 
 
 The new seal was in silver, bearing on one side a figure representing the genius 
 of the colony offering skeins of silk to the king, with the motto, " Hinc laudem 
 sperate Uoloni," and around the circumference, " Sigillum Provincice nostrcB 
 Georgice in America; " on the obverse. His Majesty's arms, crown, garter, support- 
 ers, and motto, with the inscription, "Georgius II. Dei Gratia Magnoe BritannicB 
 Fr. et Hib. Rex. Fidei Defensor Brunsvici et Luneburgi Dux. Sacri Romani 
 Imperii Archi Thesaurarius et Princeps Elector.'' Again was the industry of silk 
 cultm'e incorporated with the official seal. The new era of royal governors inaugu- 
 rated by Reynolds, and continued by his two successors, Henry Ellis and Sir James 
 Wright, carried Savannah to the portals of the Revolution. Her first royal governor 
 found a struggling colony, its growth retarded by intestine strife ; her last royal 
 governor left a town ravaged by the relentless havoc of war, but animated with a 
 new spirit of independence that lent dignity to the war-seared little town. 
 
30 
 
 HISTOBIG AND PICTURE SQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 John Reynolds had not an enviable position to fill ; with no precedent to guide 
 him, no familiarity with colonial afiairs, fresh from the deck of a man-of-war, his 
 sea-legs tripping him at every step, the proverbial bull in a china-shop had as fair 
 a chance of winning honors as this captain of the royal navy, transported to the 
 
 midst of a wrangling colony, such was the new governor, received with huzzas 
 
 and acclainationH of joy from the delighted colonists upon his unexpected arrival 
 in their midst. "Long live the new king, royal governor; now prosperity and 
 progress will reign in our midst ! " So thought the joyous people, soon to be 
 undeceived, whilst bonfires and illuminations testified to their delight. The day 
 following the arrival, with all due ceremony the Governor was conducted to the 
 President's chair in the Council chamber ; his commission as Captain-General and 
 Vice-Admiral of the Province was read tb the militia assembled before the Council 
 chamber ; a round of musketry in salute from the militia concluded the reading. The 
 Governor then announced the dissolution of the Council, and the formation of a new 
 Royal Council under the letters-patent from the Crown. The Council chamber was 
 on the lot where now stands the i-esidence of Colonel John Screven, fronting on Rey- 
 nolds square. It formed the principal theme in the Governor's first letter to the " Board 
 of Trade" in London. "Savannah is well situated and contains about one hundred 
 and fifty houses, all wooden ones, very small and mostly old. The biggest was 
 used for the meeting of the President and assistants, and where I sat in Council for 
 a few days, one end fell down whilst we were all there, and obliged us to move to a 
 kind of shed behind the Court House, which being quite unfit, I have given orders, 
 with the advice of the Council, to fit up the shell of a house, which was lately built 
 for laying up the silk, but was never made use of, being very ill-calculated for 
 that purpose ; but it will make a tolerably good house for the Assembly to meet in, 
 and for a few ofiices besides. The prison being only a small wooden house without 
 security, I have also ordered to be mended, and some locks and bolts to be put on 
 for the present." Fancy the adjournment of the Council to that rude shed, doubt- 
 less in full magisterial pomp ; for in the earlier days it is recorded that the trus- 
 tees sent over magisterial gowns, three for the bailiffs, of purple edged with fur, 
 for the recorders of black, tufted. It is doubtful if the Governor's suggestion to 
 fit up the filature was carried out. In 1757 one thousand and fifty pounds of raw 
 silk were received at the filature in Savannah. The next year the filature was 
 burned with all its contents, consisting of a large quantity of silk, and seven thou- 
 sand and forty pounds of cocoons. Phoenix-like, it rose from its ashes to carry on 
 
HISTOBIO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 31 
 
 that branch of the government, the silk culture. The end of Eeynolds' administra- 
 tion found the state of Savannah as deplorable as at the beginning. The prison was 
 " shocking to humanity." Christ Church had so decayed it had to be propped up 
 to prevent it from falling down ; some moral courage was required to enter that 
 temple. Reynolds, on the sea a commander of men, became on land a slave to his 
 secretary, William Little. This arch-tyrant sowed the seeds of discord that led to 
 Reynolds' recall. Again in England, Reynolds found his rightful element, and died 
 a worthy admiral of the blue. His successor, Henry Ellis, afforded a striking con- 
 trast. He was a student and author ; his scientific pursuits won him the reward 
 of a membership in the Royal Society of London, that august body of scientific and 
 literary worthies. Gentleness and urbanity marked his administration ; but the tide 
 of progress within the town was low. 
 
 Like his predecessor, he favored the change of the seat of government from 
 Savannah to Hardwicke. Indeed, public spirit became so stagnant in Savannah that 
 the public buildings were neglected, the filature was in a " tumble-down condition," 
 and l:)usiness quite unsatisfactor}' in Oglethorpe's once thriving little settlement. 
 One act of building improvement relieved the gloom of general stagnation ; in 1759 
 the first wharf was built in Savannah by Thomas Eaton, under the directi(ra of John 
 (i. William de Brahm, the Surveyor-General of the Southern Provinces of North 
 America. It was located, according to tradition, on the river, midway between Bull 
 and Whitaker streets. Before this, the primitive method was resorted to of throwing 
 smaller articles from the ship to the land, the vessels approaching the shore as near 
 as the depth of the river would allow, the heavier cargo being landed by means of 
 small boats. In a year's time forty-one vessels entered and unloaded at the wharf, — 
 more than had before entered during the twenty-six years of colonial life ; by 1766, 
 the number had increased to one hundred and seventy-one, — a great stride in com- 
 mercial activity. One of the acts of the Legislature, passed during the administra- 
 tion of Governor Ellis, was the division of the province into parishes, " providing 
 for the establishment of religious worship according to the rites and ceremonies of 
 the Church of England. The town and district of Savannah, extending up the 
 Savannah river, and including the islands therein, as far as the south-east boundary 
 of Goshen, from thence in a south-west line to the river Great Ogeechee, and from 
 the town of Savannah, eastward as far as the mouth of the river Savannah, including 
 the sea-islands, to the mouth of the river Great Ogeechee, and all the settlements 
 on the north side of the said river to the western boundaries thereof, " constituted 
 
32 EISTOttIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 the parish of Christ Church. By this act, the church then erected in Savannah, 
 with the ground belonging thereto, as a burial-place, was designated as the Parish 
 Church and cemetery of Christ Church. To everj'^ clergyman of the Church of 
 England a salary of fifty pounds was given. No political significance was attached 
 to this act ; the members of the Church of England had no privileges. The laws 
 governing the vast mother empire of Great Britain were merely given sway over 
 the small daughter colony of Greorgia. It meant simply to maintain the gospel 
 according to the accepted creed, rites, and ceremonies of a portion of the colonists. 
 The Moravians, Lutherans, and Presbyterians all had their places of worship. In 
 1755 it is supposed that the petition of forty-eight freeholders and inhabitants was 
 presented to the Governor and Council for a lot upon which to build a church to 
 be denominated the Independent Presbyterian Church, the land granted and the 
 church built under the said grant being " for the use of such persons as were then 
 residing or might thereafter reside in the district of Savannah, as were professors of 
 the doctrines of the Church of Scotland, agreeable to the Westminster Confession of 
 Faith." The grant was obtained in January, 1756. This was the origin of the 
 present large and prosperous congregation known as the "Independent Pi'es- 
 byterian "Church. From its foundation, independent it was declared, and indepen- 
 dent has it remained through the one hundred and twenty- nine years of its existence. 
 The lot in question, with sixty feet in front by one hundi'ed and eighty feet in depth, 
 between Bryan and St. Julian streets, facing west on Market square, and extending 
 east to Whitaker street, was the one granted, with this proviso, that a meeting- 
 house should be erected within three years from the date of the grant of the lot, or 
 the lot would be forfeited. Within the time specified a brick church was completed, 
 and a call extended to Reverend John Zubly, who accepted, and remained pastor 
 until 1778. The burning of the filature, the first large fire mentioned, doubtless 
 aroused the people to the dangers of their wooden town ; for in 1759 an act was 
 passed by the General Assembly prohibiting the building or repairing of wooden 
 chimneys, under penalty of a fine of five pounds sterling, the money to be paid to 
 the church-wardens for the parish of " Christ Church," for the purpose of keeping all 
 the fire-engines in repair, " fifteen able persons " having agreed to keep the engine in 
 good repair, and to attend upon any accident of fire. The wardens and vestry of 
 the parish of Christ Church were also authorized to procure, by March of 1760, 
 "fifty leather fire-buckets of the common size, and fifteen fire-hooks." The buckets 
 and hooks were to be paid for by a tax in proportion to the number of hearth? 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 33 
 
 within each house in Savannah. Nor was this all ; after the first of March of 1760, 
 each dwelling-house was to be provided, at the owner's expense, with a sufficient 
 ladder for use, " suitable to the height of the house." Such were the fire regulations 
 in Savannah one hundred and twenty-eight years ago. 
 
 One marked success of the administration of Governor Ellis was his influence 
 with the Indians. Like Oglethorpe, his humane policy conciliated and won their 
 friendship. The war between England and France led to, turbulence and bloodshed 
 on the part of the Indians. South Carolina was stirred to the depths by fearful mas- 
 sacres ; within Georgia the tact of Governor Ellis preserved peace, and thus on the 
 borders of a volcano the eruption was stayed. An indiscreet act, an unguarded word, 
 and the fuse would have been touched to the powder. In 1757 an act was passed bear- 
 ing witness to the troubled state, " for every white male person from the age of six- 
 teen years and upwards to carry, on the Sabbath day, fasts and festivals, to all places 
 of public worship, one good gun, or a pair of pistols, with at least six charges of gun- 
 powder and ball," with a fine of three shillings to all disobeying the ordinance. What 
 a formidable-looking set of worshippers must have met in the churches and meeting- 
 houses of that day ; worthy rivals to the grim Pilgrims of Miles Standish's time, who 
 assembled at the tap of the drum, with gun and flint-lock, to march in stern array to 
 church ! Those doughty Pilgrims and brave Southrons were I'eady at a glance, at a 
 word, to turn from the prayer and praise ascending heavenward, to send a bullet 
 whizzing through the air in defence of wives, children, and home. The pastors of 
 such warlike flocks might have been pardoned a slight feeling of trepidation in 
 passing from the doorway to the pulpit between those rows of fire-arms ; but the 
 Sabbaths passed serenely ; no wild shout of savage frenzy broke upon the quiet air. 
 The benediction fell upon the bowed heads of the colonists, when each householder 
 or youth quietly shouldered his musket and returned to his home. Attendance upon 
 divine service in those days was not an act of conscience or of inclination, but of 
 positive command, enacted through the General Assembly from the Crown. 
 
 Attend, ye lax observers, to the laws placed upon your virtuous forefathers ! 
 "That all and every person whatsoever, shall on every Lord's day apply themselves 
 to the observation of the same, by exercising themselves thereon in the duties of 
 piety and true religion, publicly or privately, or having no reasonable or lawful 
 excuse, on every Lord's day shall resort to their parish church, or some meeting or 
 assembly of religious worship, tolerated and allowed by the laws of England, and 
 there shall abide, orderly and soberly dui'ing the time of prayer and preaching, on 
 
34 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 pain or forfeiture for every neglect, of the sum of two shillings and sixpence, allowing 
 no person to work on Sunday, except works of necessity and charity. No person or 
 traveler whatsoever shall travel on the Lord's Day by land or on the Lord's Day by 
 water," mark this, " except to a place of worship, and to return again, or to visit or 
 relieve any sick persons, or unless the person or persons were belated the night 
 before, and then to travel no farther than to some convenient inn or place of shelter 
 for that day, or upon some extraordinary occasion for which he, she or they shall 
 be allowed to travel under the hand of some justice of the peace of this province." 
 What would be the thoughts of the worthy law-givers, could they return to-day to 
 the city of their once rigorous government? It is well the curtain cannot be drawn. 
 Hear further, " And for the better keeping of good order on the Lord's Day, be it 
 further enacted by the authority aforesaid that the Church Wardens and Constables 
 of each parish respectively, shall once in the forenoon and once in the afternoon in 
 the time of divine service walk thro' the town of Savannah, and the respective towns 
 of this province, to observe, suppress and apprehend all offenders whatsoever con- 
 trary to the true intent and meaning of this Act. And they shall have power and 
 are hereby authorized and empowered to enter into any publick house or tipling 
 house to search for any such offenders, and in case they are denied entrance, shall 
 have power and are hereby authorized and empowered to break open and cause to be 
 broken open any of the doors of the said house and enter therein. This act to be 
 read yearly, and every year at least four times in each year before the sermon begins, 
 and every Minister is hereby required to read the same in his respective place of 
 divine worship." 
 
 Unlike Governor Reynolds, Governor Ellis was removed from office at his own 
 request, owing to a reduced state of health, which he attributed to the climate. The 
 people were loath to give him up, for kindness and equity had marked his adminis- 
 tration. James Wright, his successor, arrived in Savannah in the month of October, 
 1760. He was received with the usual formalities, without any demonstrations of 
 delight, for the approaching departure of ex-Governor Ellis created a widespread 
 regret. James Wright, the last and most famous of the royal governors, was emi- 
 nently fitted by birth and education to be the executive head. Born in South Caro- 
 lina, his father the Honorable Robert Wright, Chief Justice of the State, he was bred 
 in an atmosphere of colonial affairs that bore legitimate fruits when he became the 
 director of afl"airs in Georgia. George IH. issued a commission on the twentieth of 
 March, 1761, by which full executive powers, with the titles of Captain-General and 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 35 
 
 Governor-in-Chief, were confeiTed upon James Wright. Over two years of his 
 governorship had passed before the arrival of the commission, so slow was the transit 
 between England and Georgia. It was made the occasion of a general holiday ; on 
 the twenty-eighth day of January, 1762, the commission was promulgated hi the 
 presence of the militia, commanded by Colonel Noble Jones, drawn up in Johnson 
 square. 
 
 At the close of the reading, the militia fired a salute, which was answered by 
 the fort and all the ships in the harbor. The ladies were not forgotten in the fes- 
 tivities. The Governor gave them a ball, where "there was the most numerous and 
 brilliant appearance ever known in the town," and it was also an occasion "on which 
 the joy and satisfaction of the people were never more apparent." 
 
 This is all that the record gives. Where were the gossips of the day ? These few 
 generalizations only whet the appetite for more. Had their customary dish of tea 
 been denied them, that they failed to furnish those delightful glimpses into the very 
 heart of the ball-room ? Where is the minute description of toilet or of person, accord- 
 ing to a gossip's habit, or tidbit of racy ball-room scandal, peopling the scene with 
 glowing life, sometimes most erringly human? Alas that the belles of that first 
 public ball in Savannah should forever be nameless I The first ball, to a town, is 
 like the first to a d(^butante; it may not equal in splendor many of later attendance, 
 but its memory will linger in pristine freshness to old age, the others foi-gotten by the 
 jaded senses. The fast-dimming eye will gain a momentary sparkle, the slowing 
 pulse will feel a stirring thrill, while the aged belle recounts to a younger generation 
 the triumphs of her first ball. That pleasure is lost to Savannah. 
 
 The acts of the Genei-al Assembly of successive years, in the absence of ample 
 records, afford an interesting key to the solution of many a perplexing question 
 concerning Savannah's colonial days. 
 
 The heavy curtain of years is lifted, and glimpses are gained of the colonists in 
 their every-day occupations. From the days of antiquity to the present, the market- 
 place has reflected the expression, political and religious, of its community in a 
 oreater or less degree. It is safe to say, in Savannah, "as in every settlement, the 
 market began with its foundation. Eating and drinking enter too largely into the 
 actual existence of life to be relegated to a second place, and the principle of buying 
 and sellino' is ever the shadow dogging the heels of that actual existence. No 
 record has been found designating the site of the first market in Savannah ; but it is 
 not unreasonable to suppose that it was held in Johnson square, the first square laid 
 
'^6 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 off, for did not Oglethorpe expressly state that one purpose of the square was its 
 convenience for a market. To be sure, the public store, located where now stands 
 Mr. Charles H. Olmstead's bank, largely supplied the needs of the colonists ; but 
 in some part of the town there was held a market. Among the complaints of the 
 first General Assembly, in 1750, to the President and Council was " the want of a 
 clerk of the market." The seventh of March, 1755, is the first date recording an 
 act passed by the General Assembly to establish a market in the town of Savannah, 
 but no mention is made of a site. Again, on the fifteenth day of March, 1758, " An 
 act for better regulating the market in the town of Savannah " was passed. By this 
 act, a market was to be held " at the usual market-place in the town of Savannah " on 
 every day of the week except Sunday, the inhabitants apprised of the hour of 
 opening by the ringing of a bell for fifteen minutes, at least, to be provided at pub- 
 lic expense; but, until so provided, the ringing of one of the church bells was to 
 mark the hour of opening, the town clock to be the standard of time. Still no site 
 is designated, but an act passed on the seventh of April, 1763, called "An act to 
 repair Christ Church," furnishes the solution. According to this act, the commis- 
 sioners named and appointed, or any five of them, were empowered to remove the 
 
 buildings and stalls now erected and used for a market in 
 
 ■/ //y /' / t^6 centre of a square of the said town of Savannah, called 
 
 / Wright square. There, then, was the market in front of 
 
 the Court House, in Wright square. Before 1750 was it the 
 market site ? Doubtless ; for, as the town increased southward, Wright square was se- 
 lected, to afford a more central location than Johnson square to the distant household- 
 ers. The last part of the act authorized the commissioners, or any five of them , " to lay 
 out a proper space and quantity of ground in a square, in the said town of Savannah, 
 called Ellis square, and thereon to cause the buildings and stalls for a market to be 
 placed and put, which said ground, so laid out, shall be, and is from henceforth 
 allotted and appropriated to and for the use and convenience of a publick market." 
 The site of 1763 is the market site of 1888. It has so remained from that time to 
 this, with the exception of the year following the great fire, in 1820, when the mar- 
 ket was burned. It was then advanced southward to South Broad street, extending 
 near the intersection of Barnard and South Broad streets. The early fathers were 
 not content with the ofiicial promulgation of the new act in 1758, regarding the 
 regulating of the nmrket, for there is added : " This Act to be read on one day in 
 every week for four weeks successively, next after the nineteenth of March, 1758, 
 
mSTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 37 
 
 between the hours of eight and ten in the forenoon of each day, provided always, 
 that if the town Clock shall at any tinie be out of order, or shall be taken down to 
 be cleaned or mended, then the hour for ringing the bell shall be determined by any 
 of the Commissioners — Anything herein before contained to the contrary thereof not- 
 withstanding." The quaint record penned by such fair-minded legislators, desirous 
 of giving all the colonists an equal chance to supply their kitchens, naively betrays 
 to later generations the weakness of the town clock. Would that occasion had 
 called for so minute a record of their daily routine of life, that not only church and 
 market-place, but their homes in colonial simplicity might rise before us ! The 
 school-house, with its master, was intimately associated with the market ; for in 
 1760, on the nineteenth of September, a grant was made to James Habersham, 
 Noble Jones, Francis Harris, Jonathan Bryan, William Knox, and Grey Elliott, 
 Esquires, and the Reverend Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, clerk, of the lot number 
 two, Holland Tything, Percival Ward, in trust, for the purpose of erecting a school- 
 house. In 1764, by an act for better regulating the market, the rentals arising 
 from the stalls and houses of the new market were to be applied to the maintenance 
 of a schoolmaster, after the necessary expense of the market had been deducted. 
 
 Governor Wright turned his attention to the improvement of the colony. 
 Energetic, zealous, well-balanced, his firm rule was felt throughout the province. 
 The time was opportune for growth and prosperity ; with the neighboring Indians 
 pacified and contented by Governor Wright's tact and presents, at peace with the 
 French and Spanish, Georgia no longer feared a disturbing frontier-warfare, for the 
 East and West Floridas, ceded by the Spanish to the English, formed a protection 
 along her southern and western borders. Immigration flowed into the colony, in- 
 dustry increased, and new settlements were projected. Georgia began to realize 
 the hopes of her founders, of a vigorous, flourishing colony. This in general — 
 individually, the town of Savannah was beautified and enlarged by the able head of 
 the government ; the foolish project favored by former governors to make Hardwicke 
 the capital was abandoned by James Wright. Savannah remained the metropolis. 
 Take a bird's-eye view of the town in 1760. There were between three hundred 
 and four hundred houses, mostly small, built of wood. Christ Church, an Inde- 
 pendent meeting-house, a Council House, a Court House, and a filature con- 
 stituted the architectural features of the town, the size striking the beholder, in 
 distinction from the dwellings, rather than symmetry of proportion or evidence of 
 skilled workmanship. According to the present names of the streets, the Bay 
 
38 
 
 HI8T0BIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 formed the northern boundary, Lmcoln the east, South Broad the south, and Jeffer- 
 son street the west. Six squares were embraced within these limits. The town 
 was flanked by two suburbs, — Yamacraw on the west, and the Trustees' Gardens on 
 the east. In 1757 the Surveyor-General, De Brahm, at the request of Governor 
 Ellis and the General Assembly, began to intrench the town, to make it a "recep- 
 tacle and shelter for all the planters, their families, slaves, and so forth." 
 Governor Wright carried on the fortifications vigorously, affording within the 
 town a well-fortified asylum. " Two poligons with three Bastions, were built on 
 the Southern boundary, two poligons, each on the eastern and western limits of the 
 town, with a demi-bastion, the intrenchments ending at the river, the northern 
 boundary." Wooden towers were erected in the corner bastions, with sufficiently 
 strong platforms on the first stories to support twelve-pounder cannons. Among 
 additional fortifications. was Fort George, erected on Cockspur Island, for the de- 
 fence of the mouth of the river. De Brahm describes it " as only a small redoubt 
 one hundred feet square with a Block-House or wooden tower, Bastionee forty feet 
 square in it to serve for a defence, magazine storehouse, and Barrack." By another, 
 the description of the fort, " built of mud walls, faced with palmetto logs," presents 
 a less formidable redoubt than De Brahm's elaborate one. Within the town, on the 
 bluff, was Fort Halifax, erected in 1759. This was "made of planks filled in with 
 earth." Repairs were made to the lighthouse on Tybee Island. This beacon, 
 begun in 1733, under Oglethorpe's direction, was designed to be "twenty-five feet 
 square at the base, ninety feet high, and ten feet each way at the top," to be con- 
 structed " of the best pine, strongly timbered, raised upon cedar piles and brick work 
 round the bottom." 
 
 Oglethorpe continues : "It must be of good service to all shipping, not only to 
 those bound to this port, but also to Carolina, for the land of all the coast for some 
 hundred miles is so alike, being all low and woody, that a distinguishing mark is of 
 great consequence." Delays occurred frequently in the building of th^g tower, 
 appropriations being made by the General Assembly for its completion through 
 colonial days. In the course of time it fell into ruin, and it has been supplanted by 
 the present substantial lighthouse, built under the auspices of the general govern- 
 ment. In 1760 an act was passed by the General Assembly, assented to by the 
 Governor, authorizing certain trustees to purchase a house in the town of Savannah 
 for the use of future governors of the province, " a fit and commodious dwelling 
 house," the whole sum not to exceed five hundred pounds. In 1761 an act prohib- 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 39 
 
 ited the "going at large of hogs and goats as publick nuisances." Another act, in 
 1764, authorized the pulling down of the old Court House on Wright square, and 
 the rebuilding of a new one upon the same site. At the time of erection of the 
 old Court House it was described as " one handsome room with a piache on three 
 sides." The contemplated court house was to contain, in addition to the large 
 court-room, a "jury room with other conveniences." No cuts, unfortunately, have 
 been preserved of these early seats of justice. 
 
 Early in 1763 a printing-press was established in Savannah, the avani-courrier 
 to a newspaper which made its advent on the seventh of April of the same year. 
 The " Georgia Gazette," the eighth newspaper to appear in the colonies, was edited 
 by Mr. James Johnson, as a weekly. There was then no "local" column; the 
 newspaper did not concern itself with town affairs beyond the publication of mar- 
 riages, deaths, and arrivals of vessels. 
 
 Savannah and Charleston had much mutual intercourse ; the Charleston editor 
 would gather from Savannah's townsmen, visitors to Charleston, all the items and 
 information that he could, concerning Savannah. This he would publish in the 
 Charleston paper ; two weeks later it would appear in the " Georgia Gazette." 
 
 The increasing importance of the town was further indicated in 1764 by the 
 establishment of a post-office, with Robert Bolton, Esq., as postmaster. 
 
e 
 
 CIIAPTBE III. 
 
 THE accession of George III. to the throne of England was celebrated in Feb- 
 ruary of 1761 with much pomp and splendor in Savannah, several months after 
 the coronation had taken place. It was the one time a king was proclaimed on Georgia 
 soil. George II. had died suddenly of apoplexy, on the twenty-fifth of October, 
 1760. His grandson, while riding with Lord Bute, was overtaken by a courier with 
 the message announcing him king of the realm. With much composure the young 
 man turned back, saying that his horse was lame ; arriving at Kew, he said to the 
 groom, "I have said my horse was lame, I forbid you to say to the contrary."^ This 
 young man, then but two and twenty years, a few years later thought to silence the 
 colonies with as haughty a command. " We shall have much less difficulty in 
 making the colonies dance to the tune of obedience than croakers pretend," said the 
 well-pleased monarch to his confidential adviser, the weak-headed Bute, appointed 
 the First Lord of the Treasury. Among the croakers was Pitt, who had resigned 
 the seals of power in the presence of the youthful king. The royal assent to the 
 Stamp Act, in 1765, aroused the outraged colonists to the importance of some con- 
 cert of action. 
 
 New York was selected for the General Congress. In response to the circular 
 addressed by the Assembly of Massachusetts, Alexander Wylly, Speaker of the 
 Common House of Assembly, convened the assembly in Savannah on September 
 second, 1765. This body replied to Massachusetts that a hearty cooperation would 
 be given to all measures for the support and rights of the colonies, but no delegates 
 could be sent to the proposed congress by reason of the Governor's influence. 
 Georgia's situation was trying and peculiar ; bound hand and foot to the Crown by 
 chains of government and ties of gratitude (rather an odd tie to obtrude at this 
 crisis, nevertheless there it is), look well to her history before branding her with 
 the curse of lukewarmness. Little more than a generation had passed since her 
 
 1 "History of the City of New York," by Mrs. Martha J. Lamb. 
 (40) 
 
HISrOBIO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 4l 
 
 foundation upon charity alone ; millions of pounds had been spent for her mainten- 
 ance, some thousands sunk as hopelessly as if cast into the bottomless pit ; with no 
 chartered privileges, for at the expiration of the trustees' charter Georgia was 
 thrown upon the Crown for protection. Nothing but the Governor's commission — 
 and that a very reed-like aifair — lay between her and absolute dependence upon the 
 Crown. Is it surprising that she hesitated a moment, the youngest of the colonies, 
 barely thirty-three years of age ; not yet the prime of life to man, what was it but the 
 dawn of life to a State? Her influential men were mostly of English birth, bound by 
 that marked characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon race, attachment to the birthplace, 
 through all changes of habitation ; bound again by gratitude for the bounties gener- 
 ously bestowed to nurture and strengthen the colony in Georgia, their chosen home. 
 The older colonies had long outgrown that soil-attachment to England ; each suc- 
 ceeding generation born in the New World took deeper root, till there was the soil- 
 attachment. Nor had the mother country always proved so fond and indulgent a 
 parent as to the colony of Georgia ; harshness, nay, even persecution at times, 
 marked her treatment of her other children. Reader, do you yet wonder that the 
 Georgia colonists clung to the royal government ? Besides, at the helm of state stood 
 a man of marked ability and unswerving loyalty to his king. James Wright com- 
 mands admiration alike from friend and foe for his integrity and faithfulness to the 
 royal cause. Sit not, then, in judgment upon Georgia, if the struggle between the 
 Loyalists and the Liberty Lovers was long protracted ; power and influence supported 
 the cause of royalty, the new-born spirit of liberty had naught but youthful ardor 
 to carry it into the conflict. 
 
 As the train of discontent lengthened, colonial afl'airs became of less importance. 
 A common danger awoke a common interest, and forged the common bond that 
 led to the grand outburst in 1776 ; from the throes of the Revolution came forth the 
 American Nation. Bands of patriots from Georgia to Maine were known as the 
 "Sons of Liberty." How did the name arise? A very appropriate name, you think, 
 and easily accounted for ; but its origin smacks of more romance than the natural 
 outcome of a liberty party.' BatT6, another of the "croakers" in the eyes of the 
 young king, taunted the House with ignorance of American aflairs. Townshend, 
 the reputed master of American atfairs, arose and let forth a tirade of exhaustive 
 aro^ument concerning the equity of taxation. This brought Barre again to his feet, 
 
 1 "History of the City of New York," by Mrs. Martha J. Lamb. 
 
42 HISTORIG AND PIOTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 and with flashing eyes he gave vent to a burst of unpremeditated eloquence that 
 overwhelmed Townshend, and defended the rights of the colonists to resist taxa- 
 tion, apostrophizing them as " Sons of Liberty." In the gallery sat Jared Ingersoll, 
 the agent from Connecticut, who, delighted with Barre's sentiments, sent a report 
 of the speech to New London across the water. It was printed in the town news- 
 paper, and in the graphic words of Mrs. Martha J. Lamb, "May had not shed its 
 blossoms before the words of Barre were in every village and hamlet in America." 
 The arrival of the stamps, in December, 1765, aroused the first demon sti'ation of 
 the " Sons of Liberty " in Savannah. Two hundred mustered about Fort Halifax, 
 where the papers had been placed, threatening to break it open and destroy the papers. 
 The Governor, alarmed, called out the two companies of Royal Rangers, who marched 
 to the fort, took out the stamps, and carried them in a cart to the guard-house, where 
 they were placed under strict guard. The Governor's alarm was not alone for the 
 stamps ; a guard of forty men was stationed around his house, and it is said for four 
 nights he did not undress. Later occurred a demonstration of a larger force. This 
 time six hundred armed men assembled near the town and threatened to storm the 
 Governor's house and the guard-house. Again were the papers removed and 
 carried to Fort George, on Cockspur island, where they were placed under 
 the protection of a captain, two subalterns, and fifty private men of the Royal 
 Rangers. The day following, between two and three hundred men assembled 
 on the Common to demand a redress of their grievances. The Governor ordered 
 out his Marines and Rangers ; an ominous moment was it ; but the conflict 
 was not yet ; the people dispersed, satisfied with the burning of the Governor 
 in effigy. When the stamps arrived in Savannah, between sixty and seventy 
 vessels were in port awaiting clearance. For this one purpose the people con- 
 sented to the use of the stamps, thereby calling down upon themselves a storm 
 of indignation from sister colonies. South Carolina leading in anathemas of denun- 
 ciation. The repeal of the act, in February, 1766, brought a temporary lull ; but 
 the seeds of discord had been too deeply sown to be uprooted, nor were they 
 brought to an early fruition by a bloody deed. Slow was their growth, gatherino- 
 strength and sustenance till they blossomed into the full flower of a mighty revolu- 
 tion. In ten years' time the " Georgia Gazette " had grown into a political organ, — 
 ever the tendency of a newspaper. A call was published in the " Gazette " by the 
 Lovers of Liberty "to all persons within the province to meet in Savannah to 
 consider the Acts of the British Parliament, which are particularly calculated to 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 43 
 
 deprive the American Subjects of their constitutional rights and liberties, as parts 
 of the British Empire." A large number responded to the call, and met at the 
 watch-house ; but all of the parish were not represented. It was decided then to 
 meet later, on the tenth of August, 1774. They did meet, in the face of the Gov- 
 ernor's proclamation, "that they must do so at their peril." The meeting of the 
 tenth of August was held in "Tondee's Tavern," situated on the north-west corner 
 of Broughton and Whitaker streets, where now stands the groceiy store of S. W. 
 Branch. Thus early in the struggle did " Tondee's Tavern " become the head- 
 quarters of the Liberty party. The innkeeper himself stood in the doorway with 
 a printed list of names of recognized " Sons of Liberty ; " none others were admitted 
 to the meeting." Sturdy supporter of the Liberty party was he, of whom nothing is 
 known beyond two facts : the first that he was one of the founders of the Union Society ; 
 the second, penned by the opposing party, that he stood within the door of his inn 
 to welcome and admit the " Sons of Liberty." Long will he stand a figure of fidelity 
 in the portal of his tavern, the cradle of the Liberty party in Georgia. Its long 
 room echoed to the impassioned words of those early patriots, among whom were 
 conspicuous Noble Wymberly Jones, Archibald Bullock, John Houstoun, and John 
 Walton. The names of the townsmen most zealous in the cause of liberty deserve 
 mention : John Glenn, John Smith, Joseph Clay, John Houstoun, N. W. Jones, 
 Lyman Hall, William Young, E. Telfair, Samuel Farley, George Walton, Joseph 
 Habersham, Jonathan Bryan, Jonathan Cochrane, George W. Mcintosh, Sutton 
 William Gibbons, Benjamin Andrew, John Winn, John Stirk, A. Powell, James 
 Beaven, D. Zubly, H. L. Bourquin, Elisha Butler, William Baker, Parmenus Way, 
 John Baker, John Mann, John Bennefield, John Stacy, and John Morell. 
 
 The fifth of June, 1775, the king's birthday was celebrated as usual. The 
 Governor was not to be daunted by the uncertain temper of the times ; never had a 
 king a more faithful executor of his will. At the same time Wright's political 
 sagacity read the portents of the culminating storm. A few days before the cele- 
 bration, the Liberty Lovers, in pointed insult to the memory of the king, spiked all 
 the cannon on the Bay, dismounted and rolled them to the foot of the blufi". A 
 liberty-pole, the first erected in Georgia, was set up in front of Tondee's Tavern, 
 while the English were celebrating the king's birthday. Even then the desire for 
 recoqciliation to the mother country, based upon a recognition of constitutional 
 principles and privileges, constrained the Liberty Lovers, for at the dinner, held 
 within the tavern, the first toast was " The king," the second was " American 
 
44 HISTORIC AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 liberty." The liberty-pole now became a rallying-point for patriots. A Union flag 
 was hoisted from its top, and two field-pieces were posted at its foot. A season of 
 mortification fell upon the Sons of Liberty in Georgia. Owing to the strong in- 
 fluence of Governor Wright and his Council, sill attempts to send delegates to the 
 Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on May tenth, 1775, were frustrated. 
 Georgia still remained outside the pale of continental union, but the news of the 
 first blood shed between the English and colonists at Lexington, on the nineteenth 
 of April, 1775, turned the tide in favor of liberty. General Gage's order, issued 
 through that "disdainful mouth-piece," Major Pitcairn, "Disperse, ye villains ; ye 
 rebels, disperse," struck the chord of national life that quivered from Maine to 
 Georgia. From the North came the cry for powder simultaneously with the 
 tidings of Lexington. On the night of the eleventh of May, Noble W. Jones, 
 Joseph Habersham, Edward Telfair, William Gibbons, Joseph Clay, and John 
 Milledge, with some others, seized the magazine at the eastern extremity of the 
 town, on the site of the old gas-house, broke it open, and took about six hundred 
 pounds of powder. Much of it was stored in garrets and cellars ; some was sent to 
 Beaufort, South Carolina ; and a large quantity, upon good authority, was sent to 
 Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it was used in the defence of Bunker Hill. The 
 loss was discovered the day after the seizure, and a reward ofi'ered by the Governor 
 of one hundred and fifty pounds, for information concerning those engaged in the 
 act. All were well known, but the reward went unclaimed. At the foot of the 
 liberty-pole, on June twenty-second, 1775, a Council of Safety was organized, con- 
 sisting of sixteen members, for the purpose of maintaining an active correspondence 
 with the Continental Congress, and with the Councils of Safety in the other colonies. 
 This formed a fitting prelude to the meeting of the Provincial Congress, held in 
 Tondee's long room on the fourth of July, 1775. Memorable stands this Congress 
 in Georgia's history, representing the unanimous voice of all of her parishes. 
 Plans were matured to carry the hitherto dependent province into the ranks of an 
 independent State. While this Congress was in session there occurred the first 
 capture made by order of any Congress in America. An English vessel laden with 
 powder to reenforce the Royalists and their Indian allies was captured by a Georgia 
 schooner, said to be the first provincial vessel commissioned for naval warfare in 
 the Revolution. The capture took place off Tybee roads. The English vessel, sus- 
 pecting an attack upon entering the oflSng, tacked and stood out to sea, followed by 
 the Georgia schooner and South Carolina barges. Georgia received nine thousand 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 45 
 
 pounds as her share of the booty, five thousand of which were sent to Philadelphia 
 to the Continental Congress, to be distributed to the troops of the United Colonies. 
 
 In Revolutionary days religion and legislature went hand in hand, for no 
 sooner had Congress organized with Archibald Bullock as president, and George 
 Walton, secretary, than it adjourned to the meeting-house, then in Decker "Ward, 
 where Dr. John Zubly treated the legislators to a sermon upon the alarming 
 state of American affairs, after which he received the thanks of the Congress 
 for the excellent sermon he had preached. Well for the honor of his name 
 had his connection with the Provincial Congress ceased with that "excellent 
 sermon." Chosen with John Houstoun, Archibald Bullock, N. W. Jones, 
 and Lyman Hall, delegates to the Continental Congress sitting in Philadelphia, 
 he, with Archibald Bullock and John Houstoun, of the five members elected, ' 
 attended the Congress, in September, 1775. Great rejoicing followed this entrance 
 of Georgia into the sisterhood of the United Colonies. She formed the last link in 
 the chain of liberty. Her days of wavering were over ; the Liberty party had tri- 
 umphed. When came the final test of patriotism in the Continental Congress, the 
 sundering of all ties between England and the colonies. Dr. Zubly played a 
 treacherous 7-6le. He opened a treasonable correspondence with Sir James Wright, 
 and informed him of the acts of Congress and the coming rupture. Bitterly he 
 rued the one defection of an otherwise upright, devoted Christian life. No ill re- 
 sulted to Georgia ; the accumulation fell upon him, branding his good name with the 
 stigma of treason. Upon the reestablishment of the royal government, he returned 
 to Savannah, to spend the few years left him in untiring ministerial zeal. It was an 
 act of expiation. In recognition of his labors in the city are the streets Joachim 
 and Zubly, also the hamlet of St. Gall, so named in honor of his birthplace in 
 Switzerland. With the Council of Safety now lay the balance of power. Weekly 
 meetings assembled in Tondee's long room to decide the aflairs of the town and the 
 province. 
 
 In January, 1776, a battalion of troops was organized for the protection of 
 Georgia, Lachlan Mcintosh was appointed colonel, Samuel Elbert lieutenant-col- 
 onel, and Joseph Habersham major. Under the new rigime, Sir James Wright 
 was virtually helpless. In vain he petitioned Parliament to allow him a recall, for, 
 said he, in one of his letters, " A king's governor has little or no use here." His 
 presence in Savannah led to one of the most strikingly dramatic episodes of the 
 Revolution. Two men-of-war, with a transport containing a detachment of troops. 
 
46 HISTORIC AND PIOTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 under the command of Majors Maitland and Grant, appeared off Tybee, alarming 
 the Council of Safety, who feared a conjunction with the Loyalists in the town. 
 Forthwith the Council issued the order "that the persons of his Excellency Sir 
 James Wright, Bart., and of John Mulryne, Josiah Tattnall, and Anthony Stokes, 
 Esqs., be arrested and secured, and that all non-associates be forthwith disarmed, 
 except those who will give their parole, assuring that they will not aid, assist, or 
 comfort any of the persons on board His Majesty's ships-of-war, or take up arms 
 against America in the present unhappy state of affairs." One of the " Sons of Lib- 
 erty," Joseph Habersham (a son of James Habersham, the friend and adviser of 
 Oglethorpe) , offered his services to apprehend the Governor. 
 
 One night, while the Governor sat in consultation with his Councillors, Joseph 
 Habersham, unarmed, save with the flush of youth and enthusiasm of liberty (at 
 times a most defensive armor), marched boldly to the Governor's house, passed the 
 sentinels stationed at the door, and entered the hall where the Governor with his 
 august Councillors was seated. Approaching the Governor, at the head of the table, 
 he said, "Sir James Wright, you are my prisoner." What followed? A panic 
 among that august body of Councillors. Supposing an armed force at the heels of the 
 intrepid young man, they fled affrighted through windows and doors, — a most undig- 
 nified exit. But what would you? When daring youth enters the doorway, it is the 
 signal for the retirement of old age. In any manner, helter-skelter, or with dignified 
 step, the exit must be made. Sir James was left to the mercy of his young captor, 
 who did not abuse his privilege, be well assured, for youth is generous as well as 
 daring. Should a Georgian seek a theme for the pen or the brush, here is one un- 
 touched, intense with the elements of romance and artistic power. May the day 
 come when the annals of our history will be searched for vivid portrayal, by the 
 glowing colors of the palette, or the subtler touch of the pen ! Unprotected, the 
 young soldier invaded the guarded quiet of the Governor's household, and thereby 
 won a fame, at the outset of his career, that years but made the more illustrious. 
 Worthy son of a noble sire ! The scene of the exploit was the Governor's mansion, 
 upon the site of the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Governor was per- 
 mitted to remain a prisoner in his own house, having given his solemn parole not to 
 communicate with the British off Tybee. Wearied with the confinement, subjected 
 to the insults of thoughtless people, his life endangered by stray shots fired into the 
 house by the guard for amusement, on the eleventh of February he eluded the vig- 
 ilance of the guard, and ran to Bonaventure. His friend, John Mulryne, provided 
 
BISTORia AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 4.1 
 
 a small boat to carry him to the British ship "Scarborough," which he boarded about 
 three o'clock on the morning of the twelfth, a. much-worn but thankful royal gov- 
 ernor. The day following, his spirits revived by the bracing atmosphere, he wrote 
 a letter to the members of his Council, from his watery retreat, to be laid before the 
 Provincial Congress. In this letter he extended the olive branch to the people of 
 Georgia, and his influence to maintain peace, if they would but permit a friendly in- 
 tercourse with the ships and a supply of provisions. Ah, wily governor, the people 
 feared too much your strong iniluence, to grant the request, couched in such smooth 
 terms. The people wanted more than an olive liranch of peace. Liberty, and that 
 alone, will satisfy them now ; the days of peace are over, till a blood-bought victory 
 or defeat shall again make "peace " a possible condition. A prompt refusal was re- 
 turned to the Governor. Captain Barclay, the commander of the British vessels, 
 then determined to attempt the capture of eleven rice-laden ships, which lay under 
 the bluff awaiting an opportunity to slip out to sea. Revenge and hunger are ex- 
 cellent motives to incite an attack. The Council of Safety felt the war-clouds in the 
 atmosphere. Anticipating a speedy outburst, they met on the second of March and 
 appointed Messrs. Joseph Clay, Joseph Reynolds, John McClure, Joseph Dunlap, 
 and John Glenn a committee "to value and appraise the houses in town, and hamlets 
 thereunto belonging, together with the shipping in the port, the property of, or apper- 
 taining to the friends of America, who have associated and appeared, or who shall 
 appear, in the present alarm to defend the same ; and also the houses of the widows 
 and orphans, and none others. The houses of the Royalists were not valued." It 
 was also resolved to defend the town, " so long as it was tenable, and that, rather than 
 it should be held by the enemy, it, and the shipping in the port, should be burned," a 
 sentiment that won from South Carolina warm praise, " an instance of heroic principle 
 not exceeded by any, and equalled by but few in history." Thus was "the amende 
 honorable " rightly given by South Carolina for the condemnatory language hurled 
 at Georgia upon the clearance of her port by the use of the obnoxious stamps. The 
 attempt to capture the rice ships led to the first battle of the Revolution on Georgia 
 soil, Hutchinson's island being the scene of the discomfiture, loss, and retreat of the 
 Royalists, the Americans not losing a man. Let us look at a more detailed account 
 of the action. On the last day of February, 1776, the "Scarborough," " Hinchin- 
 brooke," and " St. John," with two ti'ansports laden with troops, sailed up the river 
 to Five Fathom Hole, opposite the point of land on which Fort Oglethorpe now 
 stands. Two days later the " Scarborough " anchored opposite the town, and the 
 
48 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAtt 
 
 "Hinchinbrooke," in attempting to sail around Hutchinson's island to come down the 
 Savannah river to the rice vessels, lan aground on the west side of the island and 
 was unable to get off. In the meantime, what had happened to the rice-laden ves- 
 sels? They moved over near to Hutchinson's island, opposite Yamacraw, to the 
 Royalists' side, a movement which points most conclusively to a liberal use of 
 British gold, although the matter has never been satisfactorily settled. 
 
 In the town. Colonel Lachlan Mcintosh, acting under the orders of the Council 
 of Safety, made all necessary preparations to meet an attack. The fort at the 
 lower end of the bluff was strengthened and reenforced. Major Habersham was 
 ordered with two companies of riilemen to take up position opposite the " Hinchin- 
 brooke," to be ready to fire upon her in the early morning ; lastly. Captain Rice 
 received orders to go aboard the vessel the next morning and order the rudders 
 and rigging sent ashore, to prevent the captains' possible run out to sea, from their 
 connivance with the Royalists ; but too late was Captain Rice. During the night 
 the British, three hundred strong, landed on Hutchinson's island, from the vessels 
 in Back river, marched stealthily across the island and took possession of the rice 
 vessels, while the town on the opposite bank of the river lay in the tranquil slumber 
 of security. Little dreamed the sleeping patriots of that midnight march that 
 frustrated their plans and brought a day of fire and shot. Captain Rice left early 
 in the morning of the third of March to carry out his orders, and met a prisoner's 
 fate. A blunder of the British revealed the secret march and occupation of the 
 ships to the astounded inhabitants of Savannah, who were ill prepared for the 
 stratagems of war. Majors Grant and Maitland, commanders of the English troops 
 on board the rice vessels, permitted two sailors to return to Savannah for some 
 clothing, under promise of absolute secrecy. Of course the secret was divulged 
 of Rice's capture ; and the news spread throughout the small settlement with 
 lightning rapidity. All males were soon mustered under arms. Three hundred men, 
 under Colonel Mcintosh, proceeding to Yamacraw, threw up a breastwork and 
 placed three four-pounders in position. Tradition has marked the spot " Battle 
 Row," on the bluff, at the corner of West Broad street, as the supposed site of 
 the breastwork. From this eminence was first fired the cannon in Georgia in 
 defence of American rights. In the meantime the " Hinchinbrooke" floated oft" the 
 shoal, attempting to sail down the river, but Colonel Habersham's riflemen opened 
 fire, and caused the Royalists to desist in their object. Rice's capture excited the 
 townspeople and soldier:^ alike. Lieutenant Daniel Roberts and Mr. Raymond 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAS 49 
 
 Demere (later promoted to the rank of major) obtained permission to go over 
 and demand the surrender of the captain. Unarmed, they were rowed by a negro, 
 as it happened, to the vessel aboard of which were Majors Grant and Maitland and 
 Captain Barclay. The reply to their stated mission was to put them under 
 arrest. In vain the impatient townsmen awaited their return. Through trumpets 
 they called to the British to know the cause of detention. Insulting replies fol- 
 lowed, meeting with the quick response of cannon-shot. This led to the writing of 
 a letter, signed by Roberts and Demere, which stated that the British would treat 
 with any two people the Americans "confided in." Captains Screven and Baker 
 with about a dozen riflemen immediately rowed ovei', and peremptorily demanded 
 the surrender of Rice, Robei'ts, and Demere, without waiting for the action of 
 the authorities. The officer commanding the ship responded with an insult that 
 brought in reply a shot from Captain Baker. Musketry and cannon were poured 
 from the ship pointing at the small enemy. The riflemen fired, at the same time 
 hauling off. The soldiers upon the bluflf, seeing the peril of their friends of the small 
 craft, opened at once upon the vessels. For four hours a continuous firing was kept 
 up, no one injured on the American side except a rifleman in the boat from the 
 first shot fired from the vessel. At four o'clock the Council of Safety met and 
 resolved to set the rice vessels on fire. Captain Bowen was appointed for this 
 duty, with the assistance of Lieutenant James Jackson and John Morel. The 
 " Inverness," laden with rice and deer-skins, was set on fire and turned adrift 
 toward the rice vessels. She succeeded in communicating fire to some of them. 
 The British, deserting the ships, fled into the marsh, panic-stricken, a target for the 
 Americans stationed on the bluff opposite. Of the eleven ships two escaped the fire- 
 vessel and sailed up the river under the protection of the men-of-war. Six were de- 
 stroyed by fire, and three were saved and brought to the town side. The British made 
 no further efiorts, but returned later to Tybee with their three prisoners. Rice, Roberts, 
 and Demere. In retaliation, the Council of Safety seized all the members present of 
 the Royal Council in Savannah, and thus brought about an exchange. On the twenty- 
 seventh of March, Rice, Demere, and Roberts were returned to their friends. 
 
 Great was the rejoicing and imposing were the ceremonies in Savannah upon 
 the arrival of the Declaration of Independence. A day long to be remembered, that 
 tenth of August, when Archibald Bullock, the President of the Council of 
 Safety, assembled the Provincial Council in the Council Chamber to hear read 
 that Declaration, — that wonderful production of a wonderful mind, " the Immortal 
 
50 
 
 HISTORIC AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 State paper," "a confession of faith of a rising Empire." Again, in the public 
 square, under the broad expanse of the heavens, in front of the building reserved 
 for the Provincial Assembly, the Declaration was read in the midst of a throng of 
 citizens. Impressed with the stirring utterances, acclamations filled the air, a gen- 
 eral salute was fired by the Grenadier and Light Infantry companies, afterwards 
 a procession was formed to march to the liberty-pole in front of Tondee's Tavern, 
 in the following order : The Grenadiers in front, the Provost-Marshal on 
 horseback with his sword drawn, the Secretary bearing the Declaration ; His 
 Excellency the President, the Honorable the Council, . and gentlemen attending ; 
 the Light Infantry, the militia of the town and district of SaYannah ; and, lastly, 
 the citizens. Here, under the emblem of the liberty thej^ sought, in front of the 
 old tavern that had first lent its shelter to the Sons of Liberty, the Declaration 
 was again read. The procession was now augmented by the Georgia Battalion, 
 under the command of Colonel Mcintosh, by whose order a salute was fired of 
 thirteen volleys from the field-pieces, as well as the small-arms. The procession 
 now moved with solemn tread to the battery in the trustees' garden, for the fourth and 
 last time listening to the public reading of the Declaration. A salute from the siege 
 guns stationed there followed. Under the cooling shades of the cedars, the Alfresco 
 dinner was served, bumpers were filled and drunk, for the first time in Georgia, to 
 the toast of "The prosperity and perpetuity of the United, Free, and Independent 
 States of America." American liberty now reigned alone ; the kingly toast was con- 
 signed to oblivion. At night brilliant illuminations shone in the town. The largest 
 assemblage of citizens till then ever seen in Savannah met, and, attended by the com- 
 panies and militia, marched with due solemnity to the front of the Court House. 
 
 With reversed arms and mufiled drums, His Majesty George III. was interred 
 in effigy, with appropriate services for the occasion. The first anniversary of the 
 Declaration of Independence, in 1777, was observed in Savannah, according to the 
 following orders : — 
 
 Parole - Richmond. Headquarters Savannah, Third July, 1777. 
 
 General Order by General McIntosh — All that are in town of the Georgia Brigade 
 with those on board the Galleys, and the Artillery Company, are to be reviewed- tomorrow morning 
 at ten o'clock on the Parade near Garden Battery by General Mcintosh, and it is expected their 
 Cloathes, Arms, Accoutrements and the field artillery will be. in the best order, and eighteen rounds of 
 blank cartridges, to celebrate the Anniversary of the most extraordinary and glorious Revolution in 
 the History of Mankind. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. The 
 Commissary is ordered to provide a Quarter Cask Rum, a Beef, a Hog, and a Weather to Barbecue 
 upon the occasion. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 51 
 
 By the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in spirit, the thirteen 
 colonies had cast off the royal bondage ; but the ropes and cordage were still there ; 
 the struggle had but just begun. Men had, with set muscles, jaws squared, and 
 determined looks, to face those long, weary days of conflict. From January to 
 December a successive round of years followed with war, " grim visaged war," the 
 daily, hourly companion of those intrepid men. The baptism of fire of the nation 
 in its infancy toughened the sinews and muscles of the tenderling, and made it 
 vigorous and strong for its day of fair maturity. On the fifth of February, 1777, 
 the first constitution of the State of Georgia was ratified in convention. The aboli- 
 tion of monarchical form of government, fealty to England, no longer the main factor 
 of colonial life, made necessary the establishment of a form of government suited 
 to the new order of things. Counties superseded the old parish divisions of the 
 colony. Loyal to the system of nomenclature instituted by Oglethorpe, the coun- 
 ties were named, with one exception, after Englishmen, defenders in Parliament 
 of American rights and privileges. Christ Church Parish, with a part of St. Philip's, 
 became Chatham County, in honor of the elder Pitt, the Earl of Chatham, that 
 English Demosthenes whose voice, ten years before, had pleaded with ringing 
 eloquence in Parliament against the oppression of the Stamp Act. When he finally 
 triumphed, and the Stamp Act was repealed, to him, the "Apostle of Freedom," the 
 Americans sent these words in grateful acknowledgment : " America calls you over 
 and over again her father — Sire, long in health, happiness and honor. Be it late 
 when you must cease to plead the cause of liberty on Earth." By the new constitu- 
 tion the Legislature consisted of a House of Assembly aiad an Executive Council. At 
 the head of the State government was a governor with the title of Honorable. The 
 great seal had upon one side a scroll, upon which was engraved " the Constitution of 
 the State of Georgia," with the motto " Pro bono publico ; " on the other side, an ele- 
 gant hou§eand other buildings, fields of corn, and meadows covered with sheep and 
 cattle, a river running through the same, with a ship under full sail, and the motto, 
 "Deus nobis hsec otia fecit." The first governor chosen under the new government 
 was John Treutlen, with John Houstoun, Thomas Chisholm, "William Hofzindorf, 
 William Few, John Coleman, William Peacock, John Walton, Arthur Fort, John 
 Fulton, John Jones, and Benjamin Andrews, as the first Executive Council. From 
 the assumption of duty by the Governor and his Executive Council, the Council of 
 Safety ceased its existence. 
 
CHAPTER lY. 
 
 IN the fall of 1778, repeated failures of the Loyalist troops in the northern 
 provinces determined their general, Sir Henry Clinton, to turn attention to the 
 securing of the southern provinces, Georgia having been selected for the first 
 attack. Two expeditions were arrayed against Georgia : the one from the north, the 
 fleet under Sir Hyde Parker, with Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell in command of the 
 troops ; the other from Florida, under Colonel Prevost, their commander in East 
 Florida, who was under orders upon the junction of the two bodies of troops to 
 take command of the whole. Savannah was well open to an attack, for she was in 
 almost a defenceless condition, except on the water-side. The old fort on the 
 eastern end of the bluff had been enlarged, a battery thrown up, and a few more 
 guns mounted. This commanded the water approach to the town ; but the land 
 approaches were left exposed. The fortifications erected by De Brahm, to afford 
 a protection from the Indians, had long since fallen into decay. General Howe 
 hastily left Sunbury to take command within the town ; the report of the formidable 
 expedition afloat, and the marching of General Prevost's troops from St. Augus- 
 tine against Savannah, alarmed Colonel Mcintosh, then in command of the town, 
 with a small force inadequate to defend the place. Two days after Christmas the 
 entire British fleet was anchored oif Tybee. The armed squadron consisted of the 
 "Phoenix," forty-four guns; the "Eose" and "Fowey," twenty-four guns each; 
 the "Vigilant," twenty-eight guns; and the brig "Keppel," the sloop "Greenwich," 
 and the galley " Comet." On the transports were about three thousand and five hun- 
 dred men. General Howe had but about nine hundred men to oppose this strong force, 
 many of his men ill and exhausted by the Florida campaign. Colonel Prevost's 
 force had not arrived, and the British were at first disposed to await the arrival before 
 making an assault upon the town, being in ignorance of the Americans' weakness. 
 Their plan was materially changed when Colonel Campbell learned from the men cap- 
 tured on Wilmington island the exact condition of the Americans. He decided to 
 
 attack without delay. The day following, the squadron sailed up within two miles 
 
 (52) 
 
EISTOBIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 53 
 
 of the town to Girardeau's plantation ; there preparations were made to land early 
 the next morning. In the meanwhile, what was General Howe doing to protect the 
 small town from so formidable an Invasion? Deceived regarding the enemy's force, 
 he believed that his force of nine hundred men could cope with them. Concluding, 
 and rightly, that the troops would land below Brewton Hill, and advance upon the 
 town by the great road now known as the Thunderbolt road. Captain John C. Smith, 
 with his company of South Carolinians, was sent to the hill to watch the enemy. 
 Brewton Hill, united to Girardeau's plantation by means of a narrow causeway one- 
 third of a mile long, was about three or four miles distant from the city. The east 
 of the town was then an almost impassable marsh. To the west of the marsh, on high 
 ground, General Howe placed his command, to cover the great road which crossed 
 the marsh on a narrow causeway. The bridge was barricaded over the small 
 stream that ran through the centre of the mai'sh, and a deep ditch, three hundred 
 yards west of the marsh, was dug and filled with water, to offer further obstructions 
 to the advancing columns. The exact position of the American lines is not known 
 on the south-east of the town, but it is supposed to have stretched across the road 
 to Thunderbolt, a short distance west of what is now the site of the Savannah, 
 Florida, & Western Railway. It consisted of two brigades, the first, commanded by 
 Colonel Elbert, constituted the left ; and the second, under Colonel Huger, the right 
 wing. Five pieces of cannon were stationed in front of the causeway. The new 
 barracks were located near the pi-esent corner of Liberty and Bull streets, then 
 surrounded by a dense thicket of trees, the roads to White Bluff and the Ogeechee 
 river uniting near the barracks. There Colonel Walton was posted with one hun- 
 dred militia. The approaches to the town were well guarded, with one exception, 
 and that proved the " rift in the lute." To the right of the position of the Ameri- 
 cans lay a small path that led through the swamps to the high ground on the 
 opposite side. Colonel Walton called General Howe's attention to that small path- 
 way and the necessity of a guard placed there ; but the General thought the matter 
 too trifling ; no guard was stationed, and through that winding pathway the British 
 stole to victory. Such was the Americans' position. About dawn of the twenty- 
 ninth the British landed on the plantation, and a body of Highlanders, under 
 Captain Cameron, the first to land, was thrown forward to secure Brewton Hill. 
 " Captain Smith ordered his men to reserve their fire until the enemy were close. 
 The Highlanders marched in solid column half-way up the hill, when the Americans 
 opened upon them, killing Captain Cameron and two privates, and wounding five 
 
54 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 others. The first aud second battalions of De Lancy's corps of New York Volun- 
 teers and the first battalion of the Seventy-first Regiment of foot, all under Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonel Maitland, had landed immediately after the Highlanders, and hearing the 
 firing, rushed forward to participate. The Highlanders, who had been thrown into 
 confusion by the effective fire of the Americans, rallied and advanced with their 
 reenforcement. Captain Smith, who had been instructed to retire if attacked by a 
 large force, retreated to the main body. The entire force of the enemy now landed 
 and formed line of battle on top of the hill, and there remained, while Colonel 
 Campbell with a small party rode forward to reconnoitre. This done, the Light 
 Infantry, under Sir James Baird, was thrown forward, supported by De Lancy's New 
 York Volunteers. Following these came the first battalion of the Seventy-first 
 with two six-pounders and Wellworth's battalion of Hessians with two three- 
 pounders. By three o'clock the army arrived within eight hundred yards of the 
 Americans and halted. 
 
 "The advantageous position selected by General Howe was duly noted and 
 appreciated by Colonel Campbell, and he determined that no benefits should be 
 derived from it. He therefore aimed to turn Howe's right flank or get into his 
 rear."^ Now comes the furtherance of his design by that narrow, well-worn track 
 through the marsh. An old negro with the quaint name of Quanirao Dolly, familiarly 
 known as Quash, revealed the private path which led direct to the rear of the 
 American line. Fatal revelation ! Campbell, overjoyed, returned to his command and 
 ordered Sir James Baird, with the Light Infantry and the New York Volunteers, to 
 follow the negro through the swamp, and attack the first body of troops found. The 
 willing Quash, followed by the troops, left the swamp at a point within the present 
 Waringville, entered the White Bluff road, and swooped suddenly down upon the 
 small force under Walton, which made a brave but vain resistance. In the mean- 
 while Campbell had been manoeuvring his troops in front as if about to attack, 
 causing the Americans to play upon them with their artillery. The distant firing 
 revealed to Campbell the accomplishment of Baii'd's purpose. Campbell advanced 
 his line at a rapid pace, the artillery, hitherto concealed behind a hill, pushed to the 
 top and began a fast firing upon the Americans, Sir James Baird charging in the 
 rear. "The Americans were between two fires, and opposed to them was a force 
 much larger and better disciplined. Nothing but a retreat was now left to them. 
 
 ^ " Historical Record of Savanaali," by F. D. Lee and J. L. Agnew. 
 
HISTORIC AND PIGTURK8QUE SAVANNAH 55 
 
 The order was given for Colonel Daniel Eoberts with the artillery to secure the 
 causeway, on the Augusta road, leading across Musgrove Creek and swamp, on the 
 west of the town. This he did, and the right flank retreated to it and crossed in 
 safety. The left flank attempted to retreat by this route, but before their arrival, 
 the British drove Colonel Eoberts across the causeway and took possession. Colo- 
 nel Elbert's command, many of whom had been shot and bayoneted as they ran 
 through the town, finding this avenue of retreat denied them, rushed through the 
 rice-fields, near the river. The tide was up, and Musgrove creek full of water. 
 A large number threw away their arms and accoutrements and attempted to swim. 
 Most of them succeeded, but thirty of the number were drowned. The remainder 
 of the command, two hundred in number, either could not swim or dared not 
 attempt to cross, and there stopped, to be captured a few moments after. These were 
 brought back to town, disarmed, and robbed by the Highlanders. Sir James Baird 
 coming up at the time, with others of the Highlanders, mounted himself on a ladder and 
 sounded his brass bugle-horn, which the Highlanders no sooner heard than they all 
 got about him. He addressed them in Highland language, when they all dispersed, 
 and finished plundering such of the officers and men as had been fortunate enough 
 to escape the first search." So soon as Sir Henry Parker, commander of the fleet, 
 learned that the American line had given way, he sailed past the battery, at the 
 eastern extremity of the town, called Fort Wayne, in honor of the general of that 
 name, and captured three ships, three brigs, three smaller vessels, and one hundred 
 and twenty-six prisoners. 
 
 The land force captured were thirty-eight officers, four hundred and fifteen non- 
 commissioned officers and privates, one stand of colors, forty-eight cannon, twenty- 
 three mortars, six hundred and thirty-seven stand of arms, ninety barrels of powder, 
 and other munitions of war ; the British losing but one commissioned officer, thr-ee 
 men killed, one sergeant, and fourteen men wounded. 
 
 The American loss was eighty-three men killed, thirty drowned, and a large 
 number wounded. 
 
 Once more was Savannah under royal rule ; her days of freedom had been short. 
 The horrors and cruelties that ever follow in the wake of a conquering army fell to 
 her share. Lawless and blood-thirsty soldiers pillaged right and left; women were 
 insulted ; citizens were bayoneted ; others were seized and carried on board prison- 
 ships, there to be penned together like brutes. The frenzy of war was rife, misery 
 stared the inhabitants in the face, nor were matters greatly improved when the 
 inhumanities of the soldiers were restrained and checked by military force. 
 
56 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Upon the arrival of Brevet Brigadier-General Prevost, a house now belonging 
 to the estate of Dunning, ou the north side of Broughton street, became the head- 
 quarters of the British. 
 
 From thence issued rules and exactions of the most stringent order to those 
 in a rebellious frame of mind and attitude to the reigning kingly government. To 
 those who returned to their royal allegiance, ample protection and privileges were 
 allowed. What a season of desolation to the ardent " Sons of Liberty " this return 
 to the despotism of royal tyranny. Week after week witnessed a fresh proclama- 
 tion issued to induce the In-oken in spirit, the faint-hearted, to accept fealty to the 
 Crown. A reward often guineas was offered "for every committee and Assembly 
 man taken within the limits of Georgia ; " of two guineas " for every lurking villain 
 who might be sent from Carolina to molest the inhabitants." All articles of mer- 
 chandise, country produce, and vegetables were sold at prescribed prices, and only 
 to those acknowledging the oath of allegiance. Those who cherished the Amei'ican 
 cause were completely at the mercy of the Royalists, dependent for their daily 
 supply of bread. Murmurs, complaints, failed to arouse sympathy. Reported to 
 headquarters by numberless spies, the very walls conspired against the Americans; 
 the complainant was arrested and subjected to insult, in many instances deprived of 
 his property. Even the ladies fell under military rule. A number of them, who 
 openly a^'owed sentiments in favor of the American cause, were placed under guard 
 in their own houses. Indeed, two were ordered to leave the town. Outraged 
 human nature fled from such indignities. Thousands of poor women, children, and 
 negroes left Georgia, not knowing whither they went, caring for little else but to 
 shake off Georgia soil, which overwhelmed their hearthstones in that cloud of dark- 
 ness, the thraldom of British rule. For nine months the Royalists remained in 
 undisturbed possession of Savannah. 
 
 In September of 1779, the appearance of a French fleet in the Savannah river 
 and an American army near the town brought a gleam of hope to the almost spiritless 
 people, — a hope raised to be dashed, leaving the fetters of the royal chain tightened 
 for a few years longer. Count d'Estaing, with his fleet of twenty line-of-battle and 
 two fifty-gun ships, eleven frigates, and five small-armed vessels, with five thousand 
 French soldiers, appeared off Tybee the third of September. A complete surprise 
 it was to the British in Savannah. Not till the seventh of the month did General 
 Prevost become convinced that Savannah, and not Charleston, was the ultimate des- 
 tination of the French troops. From that conviction may be dated his efforts to 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 57 
 
 make the town iinpregnable to attack. Prompt, energetic, untiring, notliing was 
 left undone to fortify the town, to make it a stronghold ; for Prevost realized the 
 superior forces arrayed against him, and the odds in tlieir favor, should they 
 make an immediate attack. Prevost worked with a will, in spite of gloomy 
 prognostications, faithful to his trust, an example to all time of duty well done, 
 well rewarded. With the French troops a spii-it of confidence prevailed, elated by 
 the recent capture of two towns in the West Indies. Aware of their superiority of 
 force by land and sea, confident of an ultimate success over the small, badly-fortified 
 town, they delayed immediate action. On the tenth of September, prior to the 
 augmentation of the allies by General Lincoln's command. Count d'Estaing, who 
 had conducted a most bombastic correspondence with General Prevost relative to 
 the surrender of the town, committed the fatal error of granting an armistice of 
 twenty-four hours. The failure to capture the British army in Philadelphia by the 
 combined forces, followed by the successes of the fleet in the West Indies, proved 
 too great a reaction. D'Estaing's judgment was, for the moment, blinded with 
 glory. His habitual keenness of vision was dulled. One error followed another 
 till the result came in that immense sacrifice of life, during the siege of Savannah, 
 after the battle of Bunker Hill the greatest of the Eevolution. Within the town of 
 Savannah was no idleness. Each minute of the twenty-four hours' armistice was 
 spent in active preparation to complete the fortifications. The long looked-for re- 
 enforcement of eight hundred men, under the efficient command of Colonel Maitland, 
 arrived opportunely, reviving the hopes of the somewhat dispirited garrison. 
 Favored by a dense fog. Colonel Maitland's command entered the river early in the 
 morning of the seventeenth of September. The vast French fleet lay a little way up 
 the river. That was a predicament for Maitland. An attempt to pass the fleet meant 
 destruction or capture. Happily for Maitland, a negro oysterman was captured and 
 interrogated. He gave the information of a way to reach Savannah without passing 
 under the fire of the fleet. Under this negro's pilotage, the vessels passed through 
 the narrow channel of Wall's cut, into the river above the hostile squadron. Soon 
 the troops were lauded on the bluflf, to the great joy of the garrison, thus increased to 
 twenty-eight hundred men. An instance of historical repetition occurs in regard to 
 this channel of Wall's cut. In 1862 the Confederates failed to guard the cut, and 
 the Federal gun-boats passed through it into the river, and cut ofi^ communication 
 between Fort Pulaski and the city. When the French fleet appeared in the river, 
 the third of September, Savannah had barely a fortification, except some old redoubts 
 
58 
 
 mSTOBlG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAB 
 
 for protection against the Indians, which had, at different times, been repaired. 
 Within two weeks, a chain of redoubts and batteries extended from the river, a little 
 east of what is now East Broad street, to the new barracks, near Bull and Liberty 
 streets, from thence to South Broad street, ending where now stands the Central 
 Kailroad depot and workshops. At this last point were the best fortifications on 
 the lines, called the Spring-hill redoubt, commanding the road to Augusta and 
 Ebenezer, aloug Musgrove creek. But small redoubts were necessary, for the 
 
 swamp proved al- 
 most impassable. 
 One vessel was 
 anchored at the 
 mouth of the creek 
 to command the 
 rice-fields. Below 
 the town six ves- 
 sels had been sunk 
 across the channel 
 to prevent the 
 French frigates ap- 
 proaching too near 
 the town. Above 
 were several ves- 
 sels sunk. Also a 
 boom was laid across the river to prevent fire-rafts from floating down among the 
 shipping. The batteries and redoubts were manned with seventy-six guns, under 
 the care of the captains and crews of the vessels and merchantmen then in the river, 
 in addition to the regular troops. 
 
 Such were the wisely planned and executed defences within the town by the 
 British to resist the combined forces of the French and the Americans. Augmented 
 by Colonel Maitland's troops, the besieged felt more hopeful : the armistice of one day 
 frustrated the plan of attack meditated by D'Estaing, and a siege was decided upon 
 rather than the concerted attack, — no preparations had been made for it, and much 
 time was consumed in bringing the requisite cannon, mortars, and ammunition from 
 the French fleet. The siege now began in earnest. Shot and shell poured into the 
 town. For two weeks a frequent cannonading was kept up, the besiegers ever 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTVRESQUE SAVANNAH 59 
 
 approaching nearer. By the sixth of October the firing became so severe, from 
 both the land force and the broadside of the frigate " La Trinite," in the river, that 
 Colonel Prevost sent a letter to Count d'Estaing asking permission to allow the 
 women and children in the town to embark on a ship under the protection of one of 
 the French men-of-war. According to an aid-de-camp of General Prevost, the town 
 of wooden houses was torn into fragments of wood by shot and shell, the shrieks 
 of the women and children were heard on all sides, many poor creatures killed in 
 trying to reach their cellars, or to hide themselves under the bluff. A frightful 
 picture to contemplate, this besieged town, with no protection for helpless humanity. 
 The request was not granted. Earlier in the siege a similar request had been tendered 
 by General Mcintosh, whose wife and children were in the town. This was refused. 
 The besieger and besieged were at quits. Bombardments continued on the sixth, 
 seventh, and eighth. By the ninth the allied generals determined to carry the tbwn 
 by assault. Again an evil fortune dogged their efforts. On the eve of battle a ser- 
 geant deserted to the enemy with a copy of the order of attack, and in ignorance of 
 the country, the attack, which had been planned to come off before daylight, was 
 delayed till the rising sun exposed their position to a forewarned, forearmed enemy. 
 It IS a familiar story, but ever a thrilling one to Georgians, the deeds of prowess, 
 of valor, of that eventful October day. Before the sun had entered the fourth hour 
 of its march toward noon, the tale was told, the battle fought and won. A varied 
 ai-ray of nationalities met in the shock of arms of charging column, French and 
 Americans, antagonized by English, Scotch, Hessians, and Loyalists of the Caro- 
 linas. Prepared for the concentration of attack upon Spring-hill redoubt, Hessians, 
 Grenadiers, and Loyalists met with galling fire the well-drilled troops led by the 
 dashing D'Estaing. Undaunted they pressed on, to be mowed down like grain 
 before the blast ; fearful the carnage. Twice was D'Estaing borne wounded from the 
 field. Pulaski, a noble figure, on his black charger, pressed to the front, reanimat- 
 ing the flagging Frenchmen. In the thickest of the fight, endeavoring to rally the 
 disordered troops, to lead them to victory or death, Pulaski met his death-wound, 
 struck by a grape-shot from the last gun of the bastion. Jasper, with a sublime 
 courage, seized the colors as they fell from the stiffening hand of Lieutenant Gray, 
 and in the face of that pouring shot made his death-struggle to implant them for the 
 fourth time upon the ramparts. In vain ! None could withstand that rain of fire. 
 The Americans retreated, Jasper carrying ofl'the colors. Victory remained with the 
 British, but the brilliant deeds of the leaders and soldiei's of the defeated army 
 
^0 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 remain an everlasting possession to us. Here Pulaski's name was written in shining 
 letters in the annals of our history ; here Sergeant Jasper sealed with his life-blood 
 the last of a series of daring acts that place him in the galaxy of Georgia's heroic 
 sons. Mournful is the record of the slain and wounded, one-third of the attacking 
 army counted upon its crimson-stained page. At ten o'clock a truce of four hours 
 was granted to the allied forces to bury their fallen comrades within certain dis- 
 tances. All that fell within the redoubts were buried by the British, friend and foe 
 alike, in one sepulchre. When the ground was cut down, in 1837, to fill up a place 
 where the Central Railroad depot stands, many articles of warfare were found, 
 mementos of that day, when the blood of many nations mingled their streams in 
 the sandy soil of Savannah. To-day, in this busy, work-a-day century, a depot of 
 the vast Central Railroad system marks the spot of fearful carnage. Here pass 
 hourly hurrying throngs of humanity, each absorbed in his tiny circle of cares or 
 pleasures ; little thinks he of that warm October morning, over a century ago, when 
 such fearful tragedies were enacted. Pause a moment, traveller, from the rush of 
 sordid money-getting. Reflect upon those nations locked in deadly combat, and then 
 thank God for the peace and plenty abroad in our land. Among the many illus- 
 trious persons engaged in the siege of Savannah were La Perouse, the famous navi- 
 gator ; Count Arthur Dillon, a son of the eleventh Viscount Dillon, in the peerage of 
 Ireland ; the Commander of the " Perseus," George Keith Elphinstone, son of the 
 tenth Baron Elphinstone, of the peerage of Scotland, with the heroes of the day, 
 Count d'Estaing, Count Pulaski, and General Prevost. No further attempt was 
 made to take Savannah. The fleet sailed with the French troops from Tybee on the 
 second of November, meeting a heavy gale that dispersed the ships. General 
 Lincoln, with the American troops, retreated immediately to Ebenezer Heights, 
 whence he crossed into South Carolina to Charleston. The following letter, with 
 a copy of a memorandum of the siege, written a month after, presents some in- 
 teresting features, and shows the Royalists' side of the picture : — 
 
 Savannah, November eighth, 1779. 
 My Dear Sirs, — By this time I presume you are under great uneasiness and apprehensions 
 for the fate of Georgia, invested by sea, land and by the combined powers of France and the 
 Southern rebel colonies : the former with a fleet of twenty-five sails of the line and above a Dozen 
 frigates ; and between three and four thousand Land forces, and the latter with between two and 
 three thousand troops. I kept a memorandum of the proceedings of the Siege for my own satisfac- 
 tion. I send you herewith a copy of it for yours; it contains almost every cii'cumstanue that with 
 
EISTOBIC AND PICTVBESQUE SAVANNAH 61 
 
 propriety I could commit to paper ; in addition to it, I may add that never did a sett of people meet 
 with a greater Disappointment, than did on this occasion, the Rebel Gentry and their great and good 
 allies. They came in so full of Confidence of succeeding, that they were at some loss where to lay 
 the blame, each abusing the other for deceiving them. The French have still some frigates cruizing 
 off our harbor, notwithstanding, which, two Express Boats are jast now going away, one for Eng- 
 land, and the other for N. York; the odds are in my opinion against either of them going safe. 
 Mrs. Cruger is now here very well, after having suffered on her passage exceedingly by a most 
 violent storm, and being detained a prisoner for a month on board the French fleet. Sir James 
 Wallace and General Garth are carried to France, as is Captn. McKenzie of His Majesty's ship 
 Ariel, who was also taken, with several other vessels bound hither off Tybee. We are all hands 
 sufferers by this unfortunate invasion. The difference is, we have acquired glory and our enemies 
 Disgrace. By Capt. Galbreath in August, the last conveyance from this to England, I did myself 
 the pleasure to write you, separately and fully, my not doing so at present is not liaving anything 
 very particular to write, at least what would require troubling you with separate Letters. If Mr. 
 Van Schaack is in England I beg to be affectionately remember'd to him. I thank God for the 
 enjoyment of my health in a very unhealthy Country, and I pray to God to grant you health, with 
 every other Blessing and Comfort of this Life and am very much my dear sirs, 
 
 Yr Much obliged & very 
 
 Affectionate humble Servt. 
 
 J. H. CRUGER. 
 Nancy desires her most affectionate Regards to you and Mrs Van Schaack. 
 
 HENRY CRUGER Sene. ) ^,^^^^^^3 
 " " Junk. ) 
 
 Memorandum of a very critical period in the province of (reorgia. — A little previous and 
 during the Siege of Savannah by the combined powers of France & the American Rebels, by Sea and 
 Land, under the command of the Count D'Estaing, Five Sail of Count D'Estaing's fleet discovered 
 off Tybee ye S*". Septr, ye 6"" ye sail chased Captn Whitworth going express to New York into Tybee ; 
 from this time for a week forward more and more of the fi-ench Ships were daily seen. Sunday 
 nio^ht and Monday Morning ye 12"" & IS" the french landed their troops above three thousand at 
 Burley ye IS"" — Count D'Estaing by a flagg summoned the Town in the name of ye King of franoe, 
 boasting exceedingly of his very formidable fleet and great army, flushed with victory from their late 
 success at St. Vincents & Grenada, threatening an assault and carefully pointing out all the homble 
 Consequences of so desperate a measure — reminding the General that he would be responsible by 
 an ill-judged and fruitless opposition. The General summoned the Field Officers upon the Count's 
 letter. The purport of their answer was that British Soldiers never could think of surrendering under 
 any circumstances without some kind of conditions and terms being allowed them. The next day 
 received the Count's answer — that according to the rules of War the Besieged and not the Besiegers 
 were to propose terms. We asked twenty four Hours to consider, which was readily granted — We 
 having nothing else in view but to steal time till we could be reinforced with the Beaufort Garrison 
 and throw up some work. In our front and on our flanks, where we were almost naked, a bar 
 
62 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Abbatis excepted, and our whole force (Militia included) not exceeding twelve hundred men then, 
 forming a fi'ont from right to left near two miles. Under these circumstances weak as we were, 
 from the extensiveness of our line without Battery or Breast work we were determined to have 
 fought Monsieur had he thought proper to come on, tho' the odds were against us, as the french had 
 then laying before us between two and three thousand men, but to return, as says the Parson when, 
 like me, he wanders from his subject, — our plan succeeding by the fortunate arrival of Colonel 
 Maitland with the Beaufort Garrison, about nine hundred, we sent the Count for answer (as soon as 
 the twenty four Hours were expired) that in a Council of the Principal Civil and Military officers, it was 
 unanimously agreed and determined to defend the Town — Here endeth all Terms till ye 25 of Septr., 
 when the French sent out a Flagg for ye purpose of Collecting their Wounded and Burying their Dead — 
 the Consequences of a Sortie made upon them that Day by three Companies of our light infantry. Our 
 loss was 1 officerof ye 71", killed, and 21 Rank and File, Kill'dand Wounded. The loss of ye french, 
 kiird and wounded about 120 — ThegTeatest part of ye first and second week that the french laybefore 
 us, they were exceeding busy in making Batteries, bringingvip their Ships, Guns, 18, 12 & 9 pounders 
 Mortars and Ammunition, and intrenching themselves ; nor were we behind them in labour by night 
 or by Day building Batteries and redoubts under the direction of the indefatigable Captn Moncrief , 
 Chief Engineer, to whom we must in a great measure attribute the preservation of Savannah and its 
 Garrison. The 20"" Sept about | of a mile from Savannah, the Rose, Man of War, was sunk in ye 
 river and a Day or two after that, three Transports, about 2 miles lower down the River, were also 
 sunk to stop the Channel, but without effect, as a French Frigate & two large Rebel Gallies passed 
 them ye 28"" Septr. and V of Octr. the frigate and Gallies opened and kept up a continual tiring 
 upon the town for the whole Day, doing no other mischief than breaking some Windows and 
 frightening the Women and Children, from this time till the Siege was raised they continued firing 
 more or less every Day and night without hurting a Man — On Sunday night ye 4" Octbr at 12 
 O'clock the French opened their Bomb Battery, consisting of 7 or 8 Mortars and continued throwing 
 Shells till revellie next morning, when they opened at once all their Battering Artillery, wch was 
 immediately returned with equal fury from ours, which shook the very Elements, until the Cannon 
 became too heated to fire any longer — A cessation then took place for a few Hours, when the firing 
 was renewed and continued pretty constantly Day and Night from both sides, from Guns and 
 Mortars — the Enemy's shells were 10 inches, ours b\ — Carcasses were thrown for 2 nights, wch 
 only burnt 2 Houses, their Shells, tho perpetually flying did little or no Da;mage, but their shott 
 greatly injured the Town ; scarcely a House has escaped, several are irreparable. The whole Rebel 
 Army all this time. Continentals and Militia about 2500 under Gen. Lincoln, laying idle so much 
 despised bj' the french as not to be allowed to go into their camp, no communication together — On 
 the ninth at Day-break Count D'Estaing with his Grenadiers and pick'd men of his Army to ye 
 Amount of 4000 appeared on our right flank, where he expected to force the line and enter ye 
 Town — The Lord fought on our side and totally defeated the blood-thirsty purposes of the Enemy 
 — who talk'd of nothing but putting all to the Sword — Wo had not 300 men engaged, the enemy 
 advanc'd in tljjee Columns with Count D'Estaing at their head. The Ground near the place of 
 attack, which might have been very favourable to them, by interposition of Providence, proved jusl 
 the reversed ; their columns were thrown together in confusion, flank'd by our Batteries with grape. 
 We buried about of (our) line 300. The french allow they lost that morning killed and wounded. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 63 
 
 700, and that their expedition to Georgia by sickness, has cost them 1200 men besides 67 of their 
 officers kill'd, several of whom were of high reputation. The Counts D'Estaing and Polasky, both 
 badly wounded at ye lines, the latter since Deed, the loss ye rebels sustained we have not been able 
 to ascertain, though many of their best Troops and their most forward Genius had the Honor of 
 falling with their great and good Allies, who held them exceedingly cheap with the most sovereign 
 contempt. Our loss during the Siege was 2 Captains 2 Subalterns and 32 Rank and File kill'd, and 
 50 odd wounded. At the same time that Count D'Estaing attack'd our right, the Rebel Gens. 
 Mcintosh, Huger & Williamson attack'd our left flank with about 1200 Men, Chiefly Militia— but 
 whether it was meant as a real attack or a feint is hard to determine, as under cover of a very thick 
 fog they came on and went off with only the loss of half a dozen kill'd and 20 or 30 wounded. From 
 ye 9* we continually expected a second attack from Monsieur in hopes of recovering their lost 
 reputation till ye 19"" when we discovered that ye French had filed off' to the right to Embark, and 
 ye Rebels to the left to march to their respective quarters in this Province the Carolinas and 
 Virginia. Nove. ye 4"'. We rec'd intelligence yesterday that the French fleet had left Tybee, and 
 were out of sight, greatly chagrined, and as much disappointed. The Georgia Gentry Rebels were 
 so confident of succeeding that they brought their wives and families with them from Carolina. 
 The Vigilant, 3 Gallies, several Transports, with all ye Convalescents, the Provisions, Artillery and 
 Stores, coming from Beaufort not being able to reach us, but by getting in a Creek into shallow 
 water, when ye French Man-of-War could not get at them — are safe — Endorsement — 
 
 The above memorandum by J. H. Cruger of a critical period in Georgia a little 
 before and during the siege of Savannah was sent to his father and brother. — 
 H. C, Jr., "Magazine of American History," Aug., 1878. 
 
 Upon the expulsion of the American forces, in December, 1778, a civil govern- 
 ment was established in Savannah, Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost appointed Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor of Georgia ; this position he held till the return of the former royal 
 governor. Sir James Wright, in July, 1779. According to the friends of Sir James 
 Wright, this return was of no small importance to the garrison in Savannah. 
 Owing to his activity was it that the siege of Savannah became one of the most 
 brilliant events of the war in the southern provinces ; his voice decided the defence. 
 In the council of war held, the two sides being equally divided, he cast the deciding 
 vote. With the light of his former administration, it is not difficult to imagine him 
 the controlling spirit back of the indefatigable Captain Moncrief, to whom Cruger 
 accorded such praise. The exaltation of victory within the garrison soon gave 
 place to mourning for the gallant Colonel Maitland, who died suddenly a few days 
 after the siege. Upon his reenforcement hung the fortunes of the day, for, accord- 
 ing to Lee, in his "Memoirs," had the allied forces made the attack any four 
 hours before the junction of Lieutenant Maitland, that would have sufficed to take 
 
^^ EISTORIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Savannah. The town presented a sad spectacle of war's devastating track. Within 
 a year's time two attacks by hostile powers had well-nigh destroyed the wooden 
 settlement. At the time of the siege, Savannah consisted of about four hundred 
 and fifty houses, and seven hundred and fifty inhabitants ; when it ended, one hundred 
 and sixty houses were utterly uninhabitable, having been used as military quarters 
 by the soldiers and negroes. Over a thousand shot and shell poured into the town 
 from the batteries of the allies, bringing havoc and destruction in their train ; four 
 houses were burned, several were demolished, and a large number injured almost 
 beyond repair. Shots from the galleys in the river reached Zubly's meeting-house 
 in Decker Ward, and from the frigate shells went quite across the camp to the 
 barracks. Public buildings were in ruins, but grape and shell had not been more 
 destructive than the rough usage of troops in times of war. As late as in 1784 
 the town showed many marks of the terrible ordeal, for in a letter from Savannah, 
 written on the twenty-second of March, is the following : " I walked into Savannah, 
 which has suffered much by, the late war, visited my old friend, Mr. Zubly's 
 meeting-house, which is in a very ruinous condition, and has a chimney in the 
 middle of it, having been a hospital." The necessity of improvement was realized 
 shortly after this, for in the " Georgia Gazette " of April fifteenth, 1784, was pub- 
 lished the following : — 
 
 The trustees of the Presbyterian Meeting-house in the town of Savannah are requested to nieet 
 
 at the office of Olive Lewis Esq. on Saturday, the seventh instant at eleven o'clock in the forenoon 
 
 to devise means, and appoint a proper pei-son to superintend the repairing of the building belonging 
 
 to said society. 
 
 .JONATHAN BRYAN, 
 
 ROBERT BOLTON, C Trustees. 
 
 WILLIAM GIBBONS, Jnr. 5 
 
 Savannah, April tenth, 1784. 
 
 So much for the aspect of the town, but what of the inhabitants? Women and 
 children were the chief sufferers ; the men, heads of families, were absent, enrolled 
 in the American army. Pitiable was the condition of those helpless women and 
 children in the midst of. a brutal soldiery, whose evil passions, inflamed by triumph, 
 stopped not at any outrage. 
 
 Delicate women found their way barefoot to South Carolina, a touching picture 
 of woman's suffering ; — unmindful of the keen physical pain, the lacerating of 
 tender tlesh, they kept on, to escape the clutches of an exulting soldiery. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 65 
 
 Sir James Wright, with his usual vigor and directness, applied himself to the 
 solution of order from the reigning chaos. Vigorous measures were resorted to, to 
 stamp out the fast enfeebling germs of liberty. Inducements were held out to the 
 people to return to the royal allegiance, that appealed to their broken spirits. 
 Believing their cause lost, themselves ground down by insult, by outrage, the peace 
 and protection afforded by the English government held all that was desirable to 
 their weakened energies. A day of public thanksgiving to Almighty God was 
 appointed by Sir James Wright, on October twenty-ninth, 1779, "for his divine in- 
 terposition and signal protection displayed in the late deliverance from the united 
 eff'orts of rebellion and our natural enemies." 
 
 Short-lived was the British security. Savannah, with the outposts of Ogeechee 
 and Ebenezer, constituted the stronghold of British government, Augusta having been 
 made the headquarters of the State government. Month by month encroachments 
 were steadily made, till in the year 1782, within the limits of the town of Savannah 
 was all that remained of royal authority in Georgia. The spirit of liberty had re- 
 asserted itself. Bitter were the complaints of Sir James Wright, in his letters, of the 
 neglect of the British to provide proper military protection, to set up a royal civil 
 government in Georgia. He strongly fortified the town ; the land approaches were de- 
 fended by field and siege guns, and the water-front with armed row-galleys and brigs. 
 General Anthony Wayne was assigned by General Greene, whose headquarters were 
 at Charleston, to keep close watch on Savannah, and attempt its capture by night. 
 Constant skirmishing took place outside the fortifications between the British and 
 Americans. Colonel James Jackson, on more than one occasion, dashed almost 
 to the gates of the town and picked off men and horses from the common. The end 
 was near. The gloom that for nearl}' seven years hung over the Atlantic Coast 
 was about to unfold and disclose the fair-smiling Goddess of Peace. The blood 
 that had poured in streams from the granite soil of Maine to the yielding sands of 
 Georgia was the blood cementing the colonies into national life ; and from Georgia, 
 youngest of the sisterhood, long the waverer between patriotic and royal rule, came 
 the first formal session of British to American power. A communication from Sir 
 Guy Carlton, dated New York, the twenty-third of May, 1782, arrived in the royal 
 camp in Savannah, ordering the evacuation of Savannah and the province of Georgia, 
 greatly to the disappointment of Sir James Wright. Negotiations were immediately 
 opened between Sir James Wright and Governor Martin, also between Major Hale, 
 representing the British merchants in Savannah, and General Wayne, — the merchants 
 
66 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 eager to know what protection would be accorded the property of British residents 
 upon the evacuation of the troops. General Y\^ayne's conditions were such that 
 many decided to remain and pursue their mercantile calling. July eleventh, 1782, 
 witnessed the last day of royal rule in Georgia. By two o'clock the British troops 
 had evacuated the town, and General Wayne was in possession. To Colonel James 
 Jackson was accorded the honor of receiving the keys of the town , in token of the 
 " severe and fatiguing " service he had endured in the advance upon Savannah. 
 After three years, six months, and three days of royal rule. Savannah was restored 
 to her own, — little more than a military post, crippled and dismantled by the out- 
 going garrison ; but the germs of a new era were there, — an era of prosperity not yet 
 witnessed within her precincts. Colonel James Jackson and Major John Habersham 
 were left in military charge of Savannah, while General Wayne with his forces 
 joined General Greene in South Carolina, receiving words of commendation from 
 General Greene regarding the field about Savannah : " I think you have conducted 
 your command with great prudence, and with astonishing perseverance ; and in so 
 doing, you have fully answered the high expectations I ever entertained of your 
 military abilities from our earliest acquaintance."^ The military occupation was 
 shortly followed by the Executive Council. The Legislature convened to approve the 
 agreement between Sir James Wright and Governor Martin. The channels of 
 public life were once more open. Courts of justice were re-opened; schools and 
 churches received encouragement ; terms were prescribed by which the disaffected 
 were admitted to the privileges of townsmen. General Wayne favored lenient 
 measures, foreseeing the advantage of retaining merchants within the town. The 
 town enlarged its limits. A number of wards and streets bear testimony to their 
 post-revolutionary birth, by the names of famous generals, national as well as local 
 heroes, commemorated. Some were changed ; President was once King street, 
 and Congress, Queen street, a touch of prejudice in those early patriots that makes 
 them very human. The flavor of royalty imparted by the mere utterance of King or 
 Queen street was distasteful to republican eai's. We smile now, after the lapse of 
 years, at this little weakness ; but we would not have you otherwise, staunch de- 
 fenders of our country, than the sturdy prejudiced patriots that you were. By 
 degrees, Montgomery, Jefferson, Lincoln, Houstoun, State, and President streets 
 were added; also the wards Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Greene, Jasper, Liberty, 
 
 ' Life of General Nathaniel Greene. 
 
mSTOJtIC AND PICTURESQUE HAVANNAfl 
 
 67 
 
 Pulaski, Warren, and A\'ashington. A fine muster-roll of heroes with which to 
 gratify the imagination's love of stirring deeds. 
 
 Three weeks after Evacuation day, a special session of the State Legislature 
 was called by Governor Martin to meet in the house of General Lachlan Mcintosh, 
 on the north side of South Broad street, the third door east of Drayton street, now 
 the home of John D. 
 
 Robinson, Esq. Till 
 within a few years it 
 preserved its ori- 
 ginal aspect. Per- 
 haps around no other 
 house in Savannah 
 clusters a greater va- 
 riety of interests, — 
 memories of the early 
 colonial times, linked 
 with the legislative 
 acts of the embry- 
 onic State ; for tradi- 
 tion says that it is the oldest 
 brick house in Savannah, the 
 bricks for the purpose brought 
 from England, though no date 
 can be assigned for its building. 
 
 ^7^'rs 
 
 Great must 
 have been the satisfaction of the owner, and 
 the townspeople as well, wten the substantial 
 
 structure arose in the lightly-built wooden town, — a reminder of the parent 
 homes in Old England. It doubtless lent ne^v dignity to the crude settlement, 
 transplanted, as it were, from the old country to the new. Little has been 
 recorded of this house, occupied as a public house before the Revolution by a 
 son of John Eppinger, no other mention is made till this fact, — that the State 
 Legislature met in the house of General Lachlan Mcintosh. Whether he bought 
 the house from Eppinger's son, or from ivhom, it is not known ; or whether he 
 claimed it by the rights of possession, after the disorganized times of the Revolution, 
 must be left to conjecture. A tritiing circumstance rather favors this latter view, 
 
68 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 for in the "Georgia Gazette" of January sixth, 1784, is seen this advertisement: 
 "To be sold or leased for a number of years, General Mcintosh's large House in St. 
 James Square, fronting the Government House." This Government House was Sir 
 James Wright's residence, on the site of the Telfair Academy. The room in which 
 the Legislature met was known as " Eppinger's Long room," and it remained the pop- 
 ular choice for balls and public meetings for many a day ; also, divine service was 
 held there. Linking the house with the early settlement and the events of later 
 growth, subsequent to the Revolution, suggests an incident in the life of its one-time 
 occupant, General Mcintosh, that spans the years from Oglethorpe to the Revolution. 
 William and Lachlan Mcintosh, sons of the brave Captain John Moore Mcintosh, 
 whose life was shortened by the privations of prison life under the Spanish, were 
 attached to the English regiment as cadets by Oglethorpe, with the intention of ob- 
 taining commissions for them in due time. Learning of a rising in their native 
 Highlands in behalf of the Pretender, the impetuous youths decided to return to 
 Scotland and retrieve the fortunes of their fallen house under the standard of Charles 
 Edward. For this purpose they concealed themselves in a vessel soon to accompany 
 the " Success " to England, the ship in which Oglethorpe finally returned to England 
 in 1743. On the eve of departure they were discovered and brought before Ogle- 
 thorpe, who endeavored to show them the rashness of their plan. Failing with per- 
 suasion, he reminded them that, as an officer of the reigning House in England, it 
 was his duty to arrest them, but, out of consideration for their father and their ex- 
 treme youth, he would permit them to go free, would overlook the circumstance, and 
 allow them to keep their own secret upon a promise given never again to entertain 
 the thoughts of so rash a project. Conquered by his leniency and generosity, they 
 promised, bade good-by to Oglethorpe, whom they never again saw, and returned 
 to the land that was, in years to come, to rank both of them among her patriot sons. 
 Upon so slight a thread hung the after-life of brilliant deeds recorded to General 
 Mcintosh, in whose house assembled the first Legislature of the impoverished, 
 but free State of Georgia. Once, blinded by the flash of glory, he meditated n 
 career that would have ended in defeat and misfortune. Misfortune, in the form of 
 misrepresentation, did dog his footsteps in the land of his adoption, but the laurel fell 
 to him, no less deserved because detraction sought to wrest it from him. 
 
 Down on the west side of West Broad street, about opposite St. Julian street, 
 now stands an old house, the only one known to bear a mark of the siege of 1779. 
 The wooden part of the house is two stories high on a brick basement in the front, 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 69 
 
 as it now stands, and just about on a level with the floor of the secoad story there is 
 a hole in the weather-boarding six inches across. This was made by a ball from an 
 American or French cannon, tradition says, on the last day of the siege. At that 
 time the house stood on Trinity Church site, the west side of Telfair place. It be- 
 longed to the Sheftall family, and was probably built by one of them. Its age is not 
 known, but it must be nearly one hundred and fifty years old. All of the wood in 
 the house was hewed or sawed with a small handsaw — then there were no large 
 saws in the country. The nails are hand-made and strong, and the pine has become 
 so hard it is almost impossible to drive a nail into it. It would easily knock ofi" the 
 edge of a saw. Its present owner, Mr. A. Kent, whose grandfather bought it and 
 moved into it where it now stands, thirty or more years ago, says that he once 
 started to put on a new piece of weather-boarding to hide the hole, but that his 
 grandfather, Mr. Ezra Kent, prevented him. The "gaping souvenir" remains 
 untouched. Let it remain so till the remorseless hand of Progress levels those well- 
 seasoned timbers. Then let that historic plank be carefully treasured among the few 
 relics of that by-gone day. 
 
 A perusal of the columns of the one paper published at that time in 
 Georgia gives an inside glimpse of town life. This paper, the " Georgia Gazette," 
 which made its weekly appearance on a Thursday, was no doubt welcomed with 
 the same avidity that characterizes the present newspaper age, with this difference, 
 that no sheet fresh with printer's ink was served to those worthy fathers over 
 their hot rolls and coffee. Upon a Thui'sday morning, their first walk was 
 towards the printing-ofiice of James Johnston, on Broughton street. There they 
 found the weekly feast of news, and we'll warrant that the business, be it of 
 merchant, lawyer, or clerk, waited till each column of the "Gazette" was care- 
 fully scanned. Should any one be inclined to think that advertising is a product of 
 late civilization, let him peruse the columns of a last century's "Gazette." Here 
 is an advertisement that puts to shame the modest four-line effusions of the present 
 day. Brains were as nimble then as now. 
 
 Cloths middling, coarse, and superfine. 
 
 Figs, raisins, sugar candy. 
 Sago and rice, pepper, allspice, 
 
 Madeira, wine and brandy. 
 
70 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Good corduroy for men and boys, 
 
 Excellent Irish Unen; 
 Jeans, and jeanets, and velverets, 
 
 And cloth of Joan's spinning. 
 
 Cloves, ginger, prunes, and silver spoons. 
 
 Both wax and tallow candles ; 
 Bottles and corks, and knives and forks, 
 
 With horn and ivory handles. 
 
 Starch, mustard, snuff, all cheap enough, 
 
 Gloves, ribbons, gauze, and laces. 
 Good Castile soap, all kinds of rope. 
 
 Bed cords, plough-lines, and traces. 
 
 Brass warming-pans and ladies' fans, 
 
 Queen's ware and pewter plates ; 
 Half-gallon jugs and earthen mugs. 
 
 Assorted well in crates. 
 
 Neat coverlids for feather beds, 
 
 And clarified hpney ; 
 Good calicoes and cotton hose. 
 
 All cheap for ready money. 
 
 Sweet Muscadine and Fayal wine, 
 
 Venetian red and umber. 
 Brass curtain rings, and many things 
 
 Too tedious here to number. 
 
 Could any country store of the present day present a better advertisement ? 
 
 The luxury of fine boots and shoes was indulged in, according to the advertise- 
 ment of "John Milne Boot and Shoe Maker from London, late Foreman to Mr. 
 Ehymer, Bootmaker to the Prince of Wales." " Begs leave to acquaint the publick 
 that he intends to follow his said business in Savannah opposite the Attorney Gene- 
 ral's in Broughton Street. He has a large assortment of Ladies' silk Morocco and 
 stuff, shoes and Gentlemen's boots and shoes, to be sold on the most reasonable 
 terms, commissions from the country carefully obliged." 
 
 French fashions had already invaded the settlements of the American continent, 
 and had gained a firm hold upon the feminine mind. The women of the nineteenth 
 century but follow in the beaten path of " ye ladyes of ye olden tyme " when they 
 
HISTOBIC AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 71 
 
 look to Paris for enlightenment upon the reigning fashion, for in the " Georgia 
 Gazette" of June third, 1784, is an advertisement that doubtless brought many a 
 fair matron to inspect the dainty wares ; possibly a number of young misses availed 
 themselves of the opportunity so seductively held out to learn that language of 
 court and love. " Mary Gobert from France takes this method to acquaint the pub- 
 lick that she has undertaken the Millinery Business being perfectly acquainted with 
 the newest fashions; also the whitening silk, laces, stockings, gauze etc. and clear 
 starches, thread laces, gauze etc. etc. She has to dispose of the following articles 
 viz. laces gauzes, ribbons, flowers, women's hats, fans, all sorts of stockings, cotton 
 caps scented hair powder and starch. She will also take the charge of a few young 
 Ladies, to learn them the French language, and all sorts of needle work. She lives 
 in a house of formerly Mrs. Mingar, near General Mcintosh's." A school was held 
 at this time in the parsonage house for boys alone, but it soon was allowed to 
 include girls. The fine arts were not neglected, for not only was portrait-painting in 
 miniature found among the advertisements of the day, but in the " Gazette " of Feb- 
 ruary tenth, 1785, is the following: "Music hath charms etc, Mr. Hewill, who has 
 had the honour during the late war to serve as inspector of Musick in the American 
 army, begs leave to inform the Ladies and Gentlemen of this town that he proposes 
 opening a Musick School at Mr Smith Clarendon's opposite the New Inn provided 
 he' can get a sufficient number of scholars, to make it worth his while. He teaches 
 the Clarinet, German flute. Hautboy, French horn. Concert fife Basson, Tenoroon, 
 Guitar etc. N.B. 
 
 "Ladies will be waited on at their own homes if required." 
 
 Another advertisement catches the eye : " For Sale — A Fine toned Forte Piano, 
 with three stops, books of instruction and Musick for the same. Cash or rice will 
 be taken in payment. Inquire of the Printer." 
 
 Post stages, in 1786, ran between Savannah and Charleston three times a week, 
 leaving Savannah on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at four o'clock in the 
 morning, and arriving in Charleston at seven the next morning. The passage was 
 secured at Thompson's Hotel, each way, for fifty shillings. 
 
 A gala day was held on March third, 1784, in Savannah, in honor of the defini- 
 tive treaty of peace between America and England. The following account is taken 
 from the "Gazette" of Thursday, March fourth, 1784 : — 
 
 Last Thursday, the Honourable the House of Assembly of this State, adjourned to the first 
 Monday in July next, then to meet in Augusta. The Proclamation of Congress containing their 
 
72 mSTOBIG AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Ratification of the Definitive Treaty of Peace between tlie United States of America and Great 
 Britain, having been received by his Honour the Governor the same was yesterday duly proclaimed 
 in form, in this town. The Militia of Savannah and its vicinity were paraded on the occasion, and 
 after being reviewed by His Honour the Governor attended with the Members of Council, and a 
 number of other Gentlemen, were marched to the East Green, where a barbecue being prepared for . 
 the Militia, they spent the day with that mirth and festivity which so joyous an event naturally 
 inspired. The Governor and Council, the Speaker and Members of the Assembly, the Chief Justice 
 and Assistant Justices, the Honourable, the Delegates to Congress, the Civil Officers of the State, 
 the Officers of the Military and Navy, several gentlemen of the Clergy, Law and Physick, a number 
 of Citizens, Captains of vessels and strangers dined together at the Savannah Tavern, where the 
 following toasts, (with a number of others suitable to the occasion) were drank: 
 
 1. May the Definitive Treaty of Peace be perpetual and productive of liberty and universal 
 benevolence. 
 
 2. The United States in Congress assembled- 
 
 3. The State of Georgia. 
 
 4. Our Magnanimous, illustrious friend Louis XVI. 
 
 5. The States of Europe which have demonstrated their friendship to our Sovereignty and 
 Independence. 
 
 6. General Washington. 
 
 7. The American Ministers at Foreign Courts. 
 
 8. Integrity and Firmness to the Governors and Magistrates of the Respective States. 
 
 9. The.immortal remembrance of the great and heroick characters who have sacrificed their 
 lives for the liberties of their Country. 
 
 10. Relief to all our friends who have suflfei-ed by the calamities of war. 
 
 11. May the efforts and sufferings of the brave defenders of their Country never be forgotten. 
 
 12. The friends of Virtue and Freedom throughout the Globe. 
 
 13. Uninterrupted Commerce and a ti'uly resioectable American Navy. 
 
 Each toast was accompanied with a discharge of cannon. The evening concluded with illu- 
 minations and bonfires and the whole of the rejoicings were remarkably distinguished with decorum 
 and propriety of conduct. 
 
 The July Legislature of 1782 distinguished itself by acts of generosity to 
 Colonel James Jackson, General Anthony Wayne, and General Nathaniel Greene in 
 appreciation of their valuable services to Georgia. To Colonel James Jackson was 
 granted the house in Savannah formerly belonging to Mr. Tattnall. It stood upon 
 the eastern half of the trust lot facing Oglethorpe square on the east, where now stands 
 a row of brick houses. The confiscated estate of Alexander Wright, consisting of 
 eight hundred and forty acres, now a portion of the Richmond and Kew plantation, 
 was granted to General Anthony Wayne, a general noted during the Revolution for 
 his daring hair-breadth escapes. Of him it is related that when discussing with 
 
EISTOBtC AND PIVTURESQUE SAVANNAH 73 
 
 Washington the practicability of storming " Stony Point," on the Hudson, in the 
 possession of the British, he exclaimed, " General, if you will only plan it, I will 
 
 storm H ." The Georgia gift of land proved an unfortunate one, for a valuable 
 
 patrimonial property in Pennsylvania, his native State, claimed a share of his atten- 
 tion and fortune. In his endeavor to cultivate the two estates, he became financially 
 embarrassed ; ultimately, to save the patrimonial estate, the Georgia -property was 
 sacrificed in 1791. 
 
 To Major-General Nathaniel Greene was granted the confiscated estate of the 
 late Lieutenant-Governor of Georgia, John Graham, probably the heaviest confisca- 
 tion made by Georgia after the Revolution, the Lieutenant-Governor estimating the 
 estate worth fifty thousand pounds. There, on that beautiful plantation, appropriately 
 called "Mulberry Grove," fourteen miles above the town, within Chatham County, 
 General Greene retired with his family, to enjoy the seclusion and delights of a 
 home, — the lull after the storm of war, — a home preferred in the land of his mili- 
 tary triumphs to one in his native State, Rhode Island. He wrote from "Mulberry 
 Grove," not long after his arrival : "We found the house, situation, and out-buildings 
 more convenient and pleasing than we expected. The prospect is delightful, and 
 the house magnificent ; the garden is in ruins, but there are still a great variety of 
 shrubs and flowers in it." The devastations of war had penetrated that secluded 
 spot, sparing, however, the house, of whose magnificence General Greene bears tes- 
 timony. Said his grandson, "This was the happiest period of his life, the months 
 of purest enjoyment that he ever passed ; they were destined to be the last." Short- 
 lived was his career, but his fame ranks him next to Washington in the military 
 galaxy. His death, in June, 1786, was caused by exposure to the sun in attending 
 to the laying out and cultivating of the gardens and grounds he loved so well. Two 
 of his military companions were with him. General Wayne and Captain Pendleton, a 
 former aid. 
 
 Once again in Savannah's history, in the dawn of a new era, were the remains 
 of a beloved chieftain borne in a barge to the town, where universal emblems of 
 mourning bore witness to the greatness of the loss. The memory of that earlier, 
 rude procession, but none the less sorrowful, could not have faded from the minds 
 of some present, attendants upon Tomo-chi-chi's burial. 
 
 The remains " lay- in state " in the house of his friend, Captain Pendleton. 
 We quote from the " Georgia Gazette " of the day : — 
 
74 
 
 msrORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 On Monday last, the nineteenth day of June 1786, died at his seat near Savannah, Nathaniel 
 Greene Esq. late Major General in the Army of the United States; and on Tuesday. morning his 
 remains were brought to town to be interred. 
 
 The melancholy account of his death was made known by the discharge of minute guns from 
 Fort Wayne ; the shipping in the harbour had their colours half-masted ; the shops and stores in 
 the town were shut ; and evei'y class of citizens, suspending their ordinary occupations, united in 
 giving testimonies of deepest sorrow. 
 
 The several military corps of the town, and a great part of the Militia of Chatham County, 
 attended the funeral, and moved in the following procession. 
 
 The Corps of Artillery. 
 The Light Infantry. 
 The Militia of Chatham County. 
 Clergymen and Physicians. 
 Band of Music. 
 The Corpse and Pall-Bearers, 
 Escorted on Each Side by a Company of Dragoons. 
 The Principal Mourners. 
 The ^Members of the Cincinnati as Mourners. 
 The Speaker of the Assembly, 
 And other Civil Officers of the State. 
 Citizens and Strangers. 
 
 About five o'clock the whole proceeded, the Music plajdng the Dead March in Saul, and the 
 Artillery firing minute guns as it advanced. When the Military reached the vault in which the 
 body was to be entombed, they opened to the right and left, and, resting on reversed arms, let it 
 pass through. The funeral service being performed, and the corpse deposited, thirteen discharges 
 from the artillery, and three from the musketry, closed the. scene. Tiie whole was conducted with 
 a solemnity suitable to the occasion. 
 
 The body was laid in the vault belonging to the Mulberry Grove estate, for 
 at the time of General Greene's death the impression prevailed in his family that 
 the vault, as well as the rest of the Mulberry Grove property, had become the 
 possession of General Greene, by presentation from the State authorities. Hence 
 a mystery which has baffled all unravelling, save that of conjecture, to this day. No 
 man knoweth of his sepulchre. Upon the examination of the vault, some thirty 
 years after his death, for the purpose of removing his body, the coffin was found 
 missing, with that of his son, the two having been laid side by side. That 
 startling discovery gave rise to various traditions concerning the fate of his body, 
 which at different times have appeared in print, all of them erroneous ; among 
 
mSTORIC AND PTOTURESQUE SAVANNAH 75 
 
 others is that found in Lee's " Memoirs." Some time in the seventies General 
 Robert E. Lee visited the grave of his father, "Light Horse Harry," on Cumberland 
 island. Upon his return to Virginia he began writing his father's life, and stated 
 that he died at the house of General Greene's widow, in the consoling thought 
 that he was to repose by the side of his illustrious commander, General Greene. 
 Touching picture that it is, the warriors sleeping side by side in the tropical seclusion 
 of Cumberland island, it must be utterly cast aside with companion fictions. But 
 it is to the late Phineas M. Nightingale, a grandson of General Greene, that 
 we are indebted for the most trustworthy version of this distressful occurrence. 
 
 Upon the return of the daughter of Lieutenant-Governor Graham to Georgia, after the revolu- 
 tign, her claim and right to the vault were established as property not included in the Act of Con- 
 fiscation, but as no formal possession was either given or taken, the bodies of General Greene and 
 George Washington Greene, his oldest son, were not immediately removed. George Washington 
 Greene was drowned in the Savannah river very soon after his return from France [pi'obably in 
 1792 or 1793], where he had completed his education under the supervision of Genei-al Lafayette. 
 It is known certainlj'' that at the time of his interment, his coffin was placed by the side of his 
 father's, in this vault; and it is supposed that both thus fell into the possession of Lieutenant- 
 Governor Graham's daughter, when she established her claim to this portion of the property. At 
 least such is the family belief, from the fact that when the vault was examined some years after, 
 for the purpose of removing the body of General (Greene, his coffin which was certain of identifi- 
 cation, by means of a. silver plate upon the lid, with his name, age, and the date of his death 
 engraved upon it, and also that of his son, were found to be missing, without a trace of the cause, or 
 time of their removal, or of the place to which they had been taken. At the time of this discovery, 
 there was no male descendant of General Greene remaining at the South, and an investigation had 
 to be postponed until years after this fact came to the knowledge of the family. Most thorough 
 search has been made without throwing any light whatever upon the place of his burial. All the 
 facts and circumstances developed by the investigations, lead to the belief that the coffins of Gen- 
 eral Greene and his son were secretly removed and purposely interred in some unknown spot, as an 
 act of personal hostility by the daughter of Lieutenant-Governor Graham, when the vault passed 
 again into her hands. Her character is said to have been one of great personal vindietiveness, and 
 under the strong excitement of party feeling it may have appeared to her a justifiable act of ven- 
 geance, to place the remains of those whom she deemed unjustly benefited at her expense beyond 
 the reach of further honors, in an unknown grave. This solution of the mystery, which envelops 
 General Greene's last resting-place, though- deemed the true one, by those most nearly interested, is 
 only traditional, as all parties immediately connected with the transaction, had either died or left the 
 country and had been lost sight of before any thorough investigation could be accomplished. 
 
 Signed. P. M. NIGHTINGALE. 
 
76 
 
 HISTORIC AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 The current tradition in Savannah agrees in general outline with Mr. Nightin- 
 gale's version, with a dramatic denoument, startling in its cold-bloodedness, that the 
 bodies were removed at night by negroes, hired for the purpose, and sunk in a 
 pond then in the south-western part of the city. This gives the " unknown spot " a 
 marked locality. In an old map of the city, drawn in 1818, when improvements did 
 not extend beyond Perry street, the pond appears ; indeed, it is remembered by old 
 inhabitants, "at the intersection of a line drawn next from Major Bowen's old Fair 
 Lawn House and Jefferson street extended. This spot is built over and filled up as 
 part of a street, and must be near the intersection of Jefferson and Wayne streets, 
 or some others of the contiguous streets." Rather a remarkable fact is it, with a 
 strong spice of romance attached, that in our city two monuments rear their heads 
 heavenward in commemoration of two distinguished officers of the Revolution, -=— 
 General Nathaniel Greene and the Polish count Pulaski, — both lying in unknown 
 
 graves , the one 
 ruthlessly torn from 
 his resting-place 
 and consigned we 
 know not where, the 
 other left undis- 
 turbed in the sandy 
 soil of Georgia, or 
 under the restless 
 roll of the sea, we 
 know not which. 
 Of small moment 
 are the low, un- 
 marked graves. 
 The deeds of the 
 heroes live in his- 
 tory. Should the memory of those deeds fade from the minds of any, let them 
 make a pilgrimage to Savannah, and view those. noble memorial shafts. The stirring 
 scenes of Revolutionary days will arise ; the historic soil will again be peopled with 
 heroes, and Greene and Pulaski will become household words. 
 
 Regarding Pulaski, the more generally accepted opinion is that his remains 
 were consigned to an ocean grave, between Savannah and Charleston ; but the 
 
 '£L^^-7C<l.Ts^cP^iy'>^ 
 
 WASH I NGTON'S H EADQUARTERS. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURE SQUE SAVANNAH 77 
 
 tradition preserved in the Bowen family, from the time of the siege and Pulaski's 
 death to the present day, is worthy of deep consideration. The story is substan- 
 tially this : — 
 
 A short time after the battle, the wounded man was placed on a litter and taken 
 to Greenwich, some four miles distant from Savannah, to be placed on one of the 
 vessels of the French fleet. The French officers had taken quarters previous to the 
 siege in the mansion of Samuel Bowen, then occupied by Mrs. Samuel Bowen and 
 her daughter, Ann Elizabeth Bowen, a girl of fourteen years, who not long after- 
 wards married Dr. Samuel Beecroft, a surgeon at that time in the British army. 
 Mrs. Beecroft witnessed with her mother the arrival, during the day of battle, of a 
 litter containing a wounded man. He was placed in a room adjoining theirs, with the 
 information that the sufferer was Count Pulaski. He was not the only recipient of 
 womanly care and attention in that hospitable mansion, for Count d'Estaing, severely 
 wounded, also became an inmate with others of his brother officers, till he was 
 enabled to join the fleet. Pulaski lingered but a few hours. His death -occurred at 
 night, surrounded by his comrades, exclaiming in mournful lamentation, "Pulaski, 
 the beloved Pulaski is no more ! " Anxious to join the fleet, his comrades deter- 
 mined on an immediate burial. The servants of the plantation were called into 
 service, and before dawn a solemn procession moved by the flickering light of 
 torches, over the terraced way, through the garden-walk to a tree-shadowed spot. 
 Here Pulaski was buried. A majestic palmetto and a glossy-leaved holly marked 
 the hallowed ground. This spot became a Mecca to members of the Bowen family. 
 Mrs. Beecroft herself kept the pathway clear. Indeed, it became a part of the 
 habitual care of the premises to keep a well-ordered path of about two hundred 
 yards from the house to the orchard-grave. 
 
 The pen of Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Bowen, the wife of the late William P. 
 Bowen, commemorated the event in verse. Of this poem extracts are given. 
 
 ON OLD GREENWICH (NOW GEBENWICH PARK). 
 
 Say, hare you lived within Savannah's bounds 
 
 And heard not of "Old Greenwich Home" and grounds? 
 
 Such sceptics are we now of the place 
 
 In which an honest ghost dare show his face. 
 
 This is the haunted house, this ruined spot 
 
 Was on the tablet of my childhood's memory traced. 
 
'^^ HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAS 
 
 Like snatches of some nursery song that's ne'er forgot, 
 
 Which neither joy or grief hath ere effaced. 
 Yes, it is thus — Old Time will sweep away 
 The stores of knowledge gained with toil and care, 
 Yet spare these tales and songs — a feeble ray 
 Our second childhood's dreary hour to cheer. 
 And while I gaze upon those crumbling walls 
 
 In " fancy's glass," I see the lady, pale and fair, 
 With robes of ghostly white, in stature tall. 
 
 And hear her heavy sighs, and view her flowing hair. 
 Why doth she here her nightly vigil keep? 
 
 Alas ! grim death upon her lips did set 
 His seal before she told them where to seek 
 
 The orphan's portion — and she lingers yet 
 Around the hearth where buried lies 
 The golden ore, — and utters piteous sighs. 
 Look there, look there! Oh, what is that? 
 A little old man in a gold-laced hat, 
 With satin knee-breeches, all so fine. 
 And with silver lace do his vestments shine 
 At every step he gazes around 
 And strikes his stick upon the ground. 
 I almost think I can hear him swear, — 
 Say, what brought that little man here? 
 
 That tangled mass of briers and weeds 
 Where thistle and night-shade drop their seeds. 
 Was once a garden of flowers rare, 
 Cherished and reared by that old man's care ; 
 "Some to England" that little man sent 
 His golden guineas he freely spent. 
 Roses and myrtles came over the sea — 
 Above all it gladdened his heart to see, 
 In his foreign home, fair England's pride. 
 And his "box" he loved more than his bride. 
 Can you wonder then at his musty tone 
 When all his box is stolen and gone? 
 He mutters and curses and turns him about 
 And wishes each rascal had his gout. 
 
 'Tis here the unearthly sentinel with measured tread 
 And folded arms, night after night is seen. 
 This guard to keep over the hero's head 
 Who still reposes 'neath this verdant green 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 79 
 
 Unknown to all, 
 Save those who laid him in his lonely bed. 
 And now the midnight's balmy breeze is filled 
 
 With a sweet, wild and plaintive strain, 
 That mournful bugle-note, with pity tlirilled 
 
 The ear, and see, appears a visionary train! 
 
 They come, they come from their distant graves, 
 
 Some from the ocean's coral caves. 
 They come from each gory battle-field 
 Where liberty's cause with their blood was sealed; 
 They have burst the cerements of the tomb 
 And come to pay in tliis midnight gloom 
 Funeral rites to the honored dead. 
 Who, living, their banners to victory led. 
 
 That poet, whose words find a responsive echo in all hearts, the beloved Long- 
 fellow, found a theme for song in an incident in Pulaski's life, — the presentation of 
 a banner to Pulaski by the Moravian nuns of Bethlehem. This banner, borne in 
 his last charge, was for the first time trailed in the dust by Pulaski's fall. To-day 
 it is to be seen in Baltimore. 
 
 Mulberry Grove remained in the Greene family until 1800. There, in 1792 or 
 1793, Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton-gin, a guest of General Greene's 
 widow, planned and constructed his first machine. There also was Washington 
 entertained during his memorable visit to Georgia. The old mansion remained 
 standing until 1864, when it was destroyed by General Sherman's army. 
 
CHAPTER Y. 
 
 SCARCELY had the echoes of the Revolution died away, when the military 
 spirit, ever a second nature to Savannah's sons, asserted itself in the organiza- 
 tion of Chatham Artillery, that " dextrous company of artillery," to-day represent- 
 ing the oldest military organization in the State. Organized on May first, 1786, 
 the initial act of this company, destined to pay similar honors to many heroic dead, 
 was the soldier's ti'ibute of respect to General Nathaniel Greene. In July of the 
 same year the company joined in the celebration of the Fourth, according to the 
 "Georgia Gazette" of the sixth of July, 1786. 
 
 Tuesday last being the Anniversary of Independence, the Officers of the Chathana County 
 Militia, and a respectable number of Citizens, dined together at the Court-House, when the follow- 
 ing toasts were drunk accompanied by thirteen discharges of Cannon from Captain Lloyd's Artillery : 
 
 1. The United States. 
 
 2. The State of Georgia. 
 
 3. General Washington, or the American farmer. 
 
 4. The immortal Memory of our late virtuous Fellow Citizen, General Greene. 
 
 5. The glorious Memory of those who fell in the Support of American Independence. 
 
 6. The Protector of the Rights of Mankind. Louis XVI. 
 
 7. Agi'iculture and Commerce, and the honest Ploughman and Merchant who contribute to 
 
 their Advancement. 
 
 8. May the Navy of America be employed as the Scourge of Tyrants and the Basis of Western 
 
 Freedom. 
 
 9. May the Arts and Sciences of the East find a perpetual Asylum in the free and independent 
 
 Regions of the West. 
 
 10. The glorious 4th July, 1776. 
 
 11. The American Mothers. 
 
 12. Harmony and Unanimity to the Councils of Georgia, and Wisdom and Respect to those of ■ 
 
 the Continent. 
 
 13. Universal Freedom. 
 
 The day was spent with those demonstrations of joy and festivity which ought to mark the Era of 
 happiness and freedom to the Western World. In the evening Captain Lloyd's Company of Artillery 
 
 (80) 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 81 
 
 exhibited a lively and striking scene of fireworks, which did honor to the abilities of the Captain and 
 his Company, and which we are happy to assure the Publick bids fair to be equal to any Corps of 
 the kind in the World. 
 
 Extracts from an old book of Benjamin Sheftall will give a glimpse into the 
 workings of the militia during the years 1787, 1788, and 1789, when Savannah was 
 much exercised by fears of uprisings among the surrounding Indians. 
 
 The " Regimental Book," commencing , twenty-second of May, 1787, by Benj. Sheftall, First 
 Lieutenant of the West Company of Savannah Militia. Company Orders. August fifteenth, 1787. 
 A Commissioned Officer and one Sergeant, Corporal and fifteen Privates to Mount Guard at eight 
 o'clock every night at the Court House, and to keep patroling round the outskirts of the town and 
 towards the Spring all night. The duty and intention of the guard being the protection of the Cit- 
 izens, it is hoped cfificers and privates will be particularly careful not to offend any person walking 
 the streets in a peaceable manner, but challenge with Decency. If the person hailed should be 
 known, he or they are to be suffered to pass without further examination. Should any suspicious 
 characters be taken by patrol, they are to be carried to the officer of the guard, who will examine 
 and deal with them as his discretion shall direct. Quietness and sobriety are to be carefully attended 
 
 to by officers and guard. 
 
 JOSEPH WELCHER 
 
 Captain W. C. M: 
 P.S. No person to be hailed until nine o'clock. No countersign — 
 
 REGIMENTAL ORDERS FOR NOVEMBER TWENTIETH, 1789. 
 
 One half of each company will hold themselves in readiness to march at a moment's warning, 
 with ten days' provisions. The officers commanding Companies will attend to the arming of the 
 men that are drafted in the first division, and give in a return of the number of the men, arms, and 
 ammunition to the Major. The Adjutant will warn three Captains and six Subalterns, to hold them- 
 selves in readiness to march with the men. Return of those who, agreeable to law have furnished 
 one hundred pounds of powder and two hundred pounds of lead in lieu for Militia duty, together 
 with the receipts from their Captains and the powder received, are also to be made to the Major 
 ofScers for the divisions ; Captains Rees, Bullock and Mann ; First Lieutenants Sheftall, King, Sim- 
 mons and Maxwell ; Second Lieutenants Sewcer, Theus, and Fox. By order of Colonel Gunn. 
 
 JUSTUS H. SCHEUBER 
 
 Adjutant. 
 
 CAPTAIN WELCHER. 
 
 Lieutenant Sheftall will proceed from this to Ogeechee, and take post for the evening at 
 Colonel Gunn's, Doctor McLeod's or Mrs Read's jjlantation. The specific supplies are at Doctor 
 McLeod's barn. Should the Commissary not be with the detachment by tomorrow morning, Mr. 
 Sheftall will take a barrel of rice from the supplies of the barn, giving the Doctor's overseer a 
 receipt, and for beef he must in that case take one from the woods or pastures most convenient to 
 
82 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 his post, which must be as close to Fort Argyle as possible. The law must be attended to. No cit- 
 izen disturbed in person or property, and no more than the common rations. A quart of rice, and a 
 pound and a half of beef, a pound of pork delivered out, keeping the most exact account. The 
 officer being responsible, it is hoped this will be particularly attended to. Mr. Sheftall previous to 
 taking beef, will make every application to procure it from the inhabitants, who by law will be al- 
 lowed in discount of the specific tax, what they advance him, and only in the last case, where his 
 men are really pinched, proceed to press. If he should be joined tomorrow by a sufficient number, 
 Mr. Sheftall will endeavor to keep a scout over the Ogeechee. I shall be with him by Tuesday 
 Morning. 
 
 Town of Savannah, February seventeenth, 1788. 
 
 JAMES JACKSON 
 Brigadier General First District. 
 
 In addition to the orders already given you, I have to particularly request that you will furnish 
 
 me with every information. I should have been out in the morning, but for some, recent information 
 
 which again requires my stay. Keep a scout up and down from Fort Argyle. Foot can do that, as 
 
 well as horse. Borrow a bushel or two of rice, until Major Brice comes out. I am. Sir, etc. 
 
 et cetera. 
 
 JAMES JACKSON. 
 
 Lieutenant Sheftall Commanding Chatham Detachment at Fort Argyle. 
 
 Sir, I have sent to inform you that fresh signs of the Indians were discovered yesterday up 
 Conunchee, about ten miles above you, so that you had best keep a good look out and keep your- 
 selves in the best of order for an attack, for no one knows from what quarter they may fall on you. 
 
 Humble Servant 
 
 LUKE MANN 
 
 Captain. 
 March first 1788. 
 
 To Lieutenant Sheftall — Fort Argyle. 
 
 The military spirit was not alone embodied in organization ; charities and 
 education received new impetus and new blood. The town, late a wreck of war. — 
 of fallen timber, — rose superior to itself. Great were the obstacles of growth, but 
 the people displayed superb energy. Old firms established themselves, new ones 
 arose, trade between neighboring ports was opened. That spirit — a common 
 heritage of Americans — which arises triumphant from its dead self was not 
 lacking in Savannah. In 1786, by an act of the Legislature, the " Union Society " 
 became a corporation. 
 
 Little is known of the early workings of the society, owing to the destruction 
 of the records by the British in 1782. 
 
 The first mention of St. George's Society, under its new name of the " Union 
 Society," appears in the " Georgia Gazette " of December twenty-first, 1774, — a 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 83 
 
 change due either to the prevailing agitation of patriotic sentiment, or to a desire 
 to broaden the workings of the society. Among the vicissitudes of the Revolution, 
 the society as an organization had a remarkable experience. Upon the capture 
 of Savannah by the British, in 1778, a number of citizens were taken prisoners 
 and .placed in prison-ships ; among them were four members of the Union Society, 
 These were sent under parole to Sunbury, on the coast. Here, for three years, 
 did the four members — Mordecai Sheftall, John Martin, John Stirk, and Josiah 
 Powell — hold their meetings and observe the anniversaries of their society under a 
 large oak-tree, at the first meeting adopting the following resolutions : — 
 
 By the unhappy fate of war, the Members of the Union Society are some made captives, others 
 driven from the State, and by one of the rules of said society, it is ordered and resolved, that so 
 long as three members shall be together, the Union Society shall exist, and there being now four 
 members present, who being desirous as much as in them lies, notwithstanding they are captives, to 
 continue so laudable an institution, have come to the- following resolve to wit : to nominate and 
 appoint officers for the said Society for the ensuing year, as near and as agreeable to the rules of the 
 Society as they can recollect, the rules being lost or mislaid. 
 
 Honor to those four noble-hearted men, who, with undaunted spirit in captivity, 
 preserved the 
 lines of benev- 
 olence, as once 
 they did in days 
 of freedom. At 
 one of the meet- 
 ings of the four 
 the election of 
 officers was fol- 
 lowed by an en- 
 tertainment 
 provided by a 
 
 number of British officers who had 
 interested themselves in the proceed- 
 ings. The first toast was given by a member 
 of the society, — the "Union Society," — followed 
 by one to General George Washington, given by a British officer. The graceful 
 act won a ready response from an American officer, — " To the King of Great 
 
 
84 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Britain." A pleasing picture to dwell upon is this amiable scene, amidst the 
 carnage and passion of the two contending armies. Met together with polite 
 intent, enmity was lost sight of; as brother man to brother man they exchanged the 
 compliments of social life in generous rivalry. So was preserved the society which, 
 in 1786, received its name and charter. That earlier charity, almost coeval with the 
 birth of the colony, Whitefield's Orphan House, of Bethesda, had a somewhat varied 
 career. 
 
 In 1750, while the germs of the Union Society lay dormant in St. George's 
 Club, Whitefield was laboring to expand his orphan home into a college. With his 
 accustomed zeal, he endeavored to enlist the Governor in the project, but without 
 success. 
 
 Nineteen years later found him making Bethesda an academy of high character, 
 similar in design to one in Philadelphia. For this purpose two wings, one hundred 
 and fifty feet each, were added to the main building, and His Excellency the Gov- 
 ernor, Sir James Wright, the Council, and Assembly were invited to attend divine 
 services in the chapel of the Orphan-House Academy. 
 
 An account is taken from the " Georgia Gazette," January thirty-first, 1770 : — 
 
 Last Sunday, His Excellency the Governor, Council and Assembly, having been invited by the 
 Reverend George Whitefield, attended divine service in the Chapel of the Orphan Home Academy, 
 when prayers were read by the Reverend Mr. Ellington, and a very suitable sermon was preached by 
 the Reverend Mr. Whitefield from Zechariah, fourth chapter, ninth and tenth verses to the general 
 satisfaction of his auditory. After divine service the Company were very politely entertained with 
 a plentiful and handsome dinner, and were greatly pleased to see the useful improvements made in 
 the house in so much, forwardness, and the whole executed with taste and in a masterly manner; and 
 being sensible of the truly generous and disinterested benefactions afforded to the pi'ovince, through 
 his means, they expressed their gratitude in the most respectful terms. 
 
 By Whitefield's death, Bethesda, the child of his labor and love for over thirty 
 years, passed to the care of Lady Huntingdon, of whom no more fitting description 
 can be given than in the graphic words of Whitefield in his will : " I will and 
 bequeath the Orphan House in Bethesda and likewise all buildings, lands, books 
 and furniture belonging thereto, to that lady elect, that Mother in Israel, that mirror 
 of true and undefiled religion, the Right Honorable Selina, Countess of Hunting- 
 don — In case she should be called to enter upon her glorious rest before my 
 decease, to Honorable James Habersham a merchant of Savannah.'" Lady Hunt- 
 ingdon's first thought upon hearing of the bequeathal to her of Bethesda was char- 
 
HISTOBia AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 85 
 
 acteristic of her devotional nature. A day was set apart for fasting and prayer, to 
 fit her for the great responsibility. The past work of the Home was carefully 
 reviewed by Lady Huntingdon, but preparations were hardly begun to improve its 
 condition, when all the buildings were destroyed by lightning. Lady Huntingdon 
 contributed largely from her private means to restore the shattered buildings and 
 make sufficient improvements to accommodate the few pupils in attendance. One 
 thousand seven hundi'ed and eighty-eight, the year which saw the incorporation of 
 Chatham Academy, also witnessed another effort to make Bethesda available. In 
 the " Georgia Gazette " of June third, 1788, was published the following notice : — 
 
 To the public. Bethesda College near Savannah instituted by the Reverend G. Whiteiield 
 Chaplain to the Eight Honorable the Countess Dowager of Huntingdon, is to be opened the twenty 
 fourth instant under the patronage of her Ladyship, whose warm zeal to promote the happiness of 
 mankind in spreading religion and learning in this state, is above praise, and by whose authority 
 and appointment, the Reverend David Phillips, late from England, anxious to carry her Ladyship's 
 pious designs into the fullest execution, solicits the attention of such Ladies and Gentlemen and 
 Guardians of Youth, as are desirous of sending young gentlemen for instruction in every branch of 
 useful and polite litei-ature, comprehending, English grammatically. Writing and the use of 
 Figures, and every branch of the Mathematics, the use of the Globes, Latin, Greek and French 
 including Board, AVashing etc. in Jhe following terms, viz. thirty guineas per annum for each 
 student without distinction of age, or class of education. Punctuality is expected in four quarterly 
 payments. A line for admission to the Reverend David Phillips, Superintendent, or the Reverend 
 Benjamin Lindsay, Rector of Christ Church Savannah, Classical Tutor of the said College, will 
 have immediate attention from their devoted much obliged humble servant, David Phillips. N. B 
 Every student is expected to bring his bedding complete, which will be returned on his leaving 
 college. Public Notice will be given in the Gazette of this State for the reception of orphan 
 children on the original benevolent plan, immediately on the estate being productive for that pur- 
 pose. The Trustees of the Academy of the County of Chatham, not having it yet in their power to 
 carry into effect the trust reposed in them by the Honorable the Legislature, and being sensible of 
 the utility of the above design, do recommend to the parents and Guardians of youth, an attention 
 to encourage an institution, which has for its object the promotion of learning. By order of the 
 Board of Trustees, John Habersham — Savannah June third 1788 — President pro tem. 
 
 A fact not generally known, that Washington and Lady Huntingdon were 
 descended from a common ancestor, adds a deeper interest to the life of this noble 
 benefactress to Bethesda. For the benefit of the curious, the line of descent is 
 given : "Lady Huntingdon was the daughter of Washington Shirley, Earl Ferrers, 
 and granddaughter of Sir Kobert Shirley, the grandson and heir of Lady Dorothy 
 Devereux, the youngest of the two sisters and heiresses of Robert Devereux, last 
 
86 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth's accomplished but unfortunate favorite. Lady 
 Huntingdon's fjrandmother was Elizabeth Washington, daughter and heiress of Law- 
 rence Washington, Esq., of Caresden, in the County of Wiltshire. The latter was 
 the great-grandfather of John Washington, who emigrated to America about 1657, 
 from whom descended George Washington, the first President of the United States." 
 Lady Huntingdon presented her portrait, a full-length figure of heroic size, the work 
 of Sir Joshua Reynolds, to the Orphan Home of Bethesda. In 1851, after due 
 repairs had been made to the portrait in New York, it was reshipped to Savannah, 
 and with the consent of the trustees of the Academy was placed in the hall of the 
 Georgia Historical Society. It is now to be seen in Hodgson Hall. 
 
 The year 1789 was made memorable by the incorporation of Savannah as a 
 city. 
 
 And whereas by an act of Assembly passed the tenth day of February 1789, entitled an act for 
 better regulating the town of Savannah and the hamlets thereof. It is therein enacted, that certain 
 persons styled Wardens are to be elected in the said town annually, by the pi-oprietors of lots or 
 houses who ai-e to elect from such wardens, a person that is styled. President of the board of 
 wardens ; now be it enacted. That the said town of Savannah shall be known and called by the 
 style and name of the city of Savannali, and that on the first Monday in March 1790, and thereafter 
 annually, the owners ov occupiers of any lot or house in the said city or hamlets, shall under the 
 direction of any two or more justices, in the said City, elect an alderman for each ward, mentioned 
 in the said act — from among the said citizens generally who .shall on the Monday following, after 
 the election of such Aldermen, choose from their own body a May(n', from and after the election of 
 such Aldermen and Mayor, their style shall be, The Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savaimah 
 and the hamlets thereof, and are hereby empowered to carry into execution the power intended by 
 the said act, and shall be a body politic, and corporate to liave and to use a common seal, with 
 power to sue, and be sued, plead or be impleaded, and may acquire, have, hold, and enjoy, real or 
 personal property for the use or benefit of the said city and hamlets. 
 
 The year following, the Mayor, with his Advisory Council of " City Fathers," 
 sat in session. Upon John Houstoun, a son of Sir Patrick Houstoun, fell the choice 
 of Mayor, the chief executive of the city. For past patriotic services to his town 
 and State, John Houstoun well deserved the newly created honor. His name was 
 among the four signed to the first call for a meeting of the Friends of Liberty within 
 the province. Again, he was one of three selected by the Provincial Congress, in 
 January, 1775, to represent Georgia in the Continental Congress. Elected governor 
 on the seventeenth of January, 1778, his name headed the list as " Rebel Governor," 
 appended to the disqualifying act passed by the Royal Assembly in Savannah in 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 87 
 
 1780. The "Rebel Governor" of 1778 became the choice of the liberated people 
 of 1783. To him fell with peculiar satisfaction the duty of issuing despatches from 
 Congress concerning the proclamation of peace between America and England. The 
 last honor accorded to him by his grateful townsmen was that of the mayoralty. 
 Let us look at the proceedings of that first, meeting of the City Council. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE FIRST MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL. 
 
 Savannah, Monday, eighth of March, 1790. 
 At a meeting of the Aldermen chosen for the city of Savannah and Hamlets thereof the follow- 
 ing gentlemen appeared and took their seats. 
 
 Joseph Habersham Edward Lloyd 
 
 John Houstoun Joseph Clay Jr. 
 
 Samuel Stirke Justus H. Sheuber 
 
 Matthew McAlister 
 
 They then proceeded to elect a Mayor out of their own body. When on counting the Ballots, 
 it appeared that John Houstoun Esq' was elected, who having taken the Chair, the Boai'd proceeded 
 to business having first taken an oath similar to that prescribed for the Mayor and Aldermen of 
 Augusta. 
 
 That, for the conducting of Business by this Council the following officers will be necessary — 
 
 a Treasurer a Clerk 
 
 a Constable a Scavenger 
 
 ' a Clerk of the Market. 
 
 Resolved that Council will on Tuesday next proceed to the election of fit persons as such 
 officers, and that in the mean time it be notified to all persons desirous of being Candidates, that 
 they give in their names to Joseph Clay Esq. a member of this Council who is appointed to receive 
 the same. Resolved 
 
 That Council will on Wednesday next week meet for the purpose of fixing the salaries to be 
 allowed to the several Officers before Mentioned. Resolved 
 
 That Mr. M°Allister, Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Stirke, be a Committee to prepare and lay before 
 Council a Draft of Rules to be observed in the transaction of Business. 
 The Council adjourned till Wednesday Morning eleven o'clock. 
 At the next meeting the salaries were decided upon — 
 For treasurer £45, besides legal fees ; 
 " City Marshal £30, " " " 
 " Scavenger £15, " " " 
 
 " Clerk, legal fees. 
 
88 
 
 HISTORIC AND FICTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 
 
 
 Tg)o>.,|fe Tgroiut^A 
 
 i,\^2 
 
 y^-r 
 
 
 
 THE GATEWAY TO THE OLD BRICK CEMETERY ON SOUTH BROAD STREET. 
 
BISTOBIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 89 
 
 Until a proper seal could be provided, one was used presented by Mr. Stirke. 
 Unfortunately, no trace or imprint of this seal has been found. A brief glance may 
 now be taken at the modest little city, so lately arrived to that dignity. South 
 Broad street, with its double row of trees, still marked the southern limits. An 
 interesting fragment of personal history is attached to the usually prosaic act of 
 increasing the width of a street. The grave of the mother of the eminent patriot 
 Benjamin Sheftall lay within the woody region of the site of the present Independ- 
 ent Presbyterian church. It was then quite a high ridge of land. In token of 
 appreciation of the valuable services of Benjamin Sheftall, the width of South Broad 
 street was extended to include within its space the unmarked place of burial of his 
 mother. Considerate act, that reflects a pleasing light upon those early directors 
 of town affairs ! — it is a refreshing bit of last-century sentiment that falls upon this 
 business age like early dew. To that same people, of whom Benjamin Sheftall was 
 a noble representative, the early community of Savannah was indebted for an 
 example of care for its beloved dead, — the Jewish burial-ground was the first 
 enclosed within Savannah. Tradition has it that at one of the meetings of town 
 affairs one worthy father arose and said, " Shame be to us ! Our dead are left 
 uncared for. Well may our Jewish brethren point with the finger of scorn, for their 
 dead have long been within the protective care of a fence." Possibly it was in that 
 May meeting of the city fathers, in 1790, that this little burst of eloquence fell on 
 responsive ears, for the resolution was then passed, " That Decency and Humanity 
 demand that the Burying ground should be inclosed immediately, and we are of the 
 opinion that the wall six feet high, with stone every fifteen feet would answer the 
 purpose." 
 
 The following act, passed at that time, regarding the old brick cemetery, is in- 
 teresting, because it indicates the limits then of the cemetery, as well as marks the 
 extension of the privilege of burial to all Christian denominations. St. Joseph's 
 Infirmary, formerly the Medical College of Savannah, marks the location of the 
 original dedication of land for a negro burial-ground : — 
 
 Whereas the Cemetery or public burial of the parish of Christ-Church, in the town of 
 Savannah, notwithstanding the several additions which have, by acts of the General Assembly 
 vmder the provisional government been made thereto, containing in the whole, two hundred 
 and ten feet in width, and three hundred and eighty feet in length, is found too small to answer 
 the purposes intended. And whereas, it hath been represented to the Board of Wardens that it 
 is necessary a further addition should be made thereto. Be it ordained. That the County Sur- 
 veyor be authorized and required ; and he is hereby authorized and required to admeasure and lay 
 
90 
 
 HISTOBIO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 off from the land, being the Common of the town of Savannah, one hundred and twenty feet to the 
 eastward and two hundred and ninety feet to the southward to be added to the present Cemetery or 
 burial ground, so that the whole be five hundred feet square. And be it ordained. That the addi- 
 tion of one hundred and twenty feet eastward, and two hundred and ninety feet southward, so laid 
 out, added and extended, shall from hencefoi'th, and forever be and remain a public burial ground 
 for the interment of all Christian people of whatever denomination, and not to be considered as 
 belonging or appertaining solely to the Episcopal Church of Savannah commonly called Christ 
 Church. And be it further ordained. That with the consent of the Vestry of Christ Church, a 
 proper person shall be appointed to superintend the digging of graves in the said burial ground, to 
 prevent the deposit of the dead being disturbed; and that the person so appointed shall be 
 entitled to demand and receive the following fees ; for digging the grave and closing the same, four 
 shillings. And whereas by an act of the General Assembly, passed April seventh 1763, two hun- 
 dred feet square, on the Common, towards the five Acre lots, for the convenience of a burial 
 ground for negroes, was directed to be laid out. Be it further ordained. That the County Surveyor 
 be authorized and required, and he is hereby authorized and required to admeasure and lay out the 
 said two hundred feet square for a burial ground for the said negroes, and that the same so admeas- 
 ured and laid off shall be forever considered as a place of burial for the negroes. And be it further 
 ordained, That the plots of the said County Surveyor be annexed to, and shall be considered as 
 part of this ordinance. 
 
 On the north-east corner of Jefferson and South Broad streets stood a house 
 that, in 1790, from an American stand-point,' had somewhat of the grace of antiquity, 
 an old record showing that Eppinger built it before 1747, for a public house. 
 The tavern then stood on the outskirts of the small settlement, rather an odd 
 location for an inn, yet possibly it was for the convenience of travellers from the 
 surrounding country, coming in with pack-horses well laden with skins and 
 other articles of barter with the Indians. A later generation reversed matters. 
 Eppinger's son occupied the old public house, the quondam headquarters of 
 traders, as a residence, and opened an inn in the old brick house now standing 
 three doors east of Drayton, on South Broad street. The travellers' monopoly 
 of the public house was ended ; no longer was the inn an outpost for chance 
 travellers, the substantial brick pile becoming the centre of town life. Taverns 
 were the first meeting-places of the early patriots of ante-Revolutionary days, 
 and many a noble impulse that bore fruition in a brilliant deed during the Revolu- 
 tion dated its inception to the public tavern. The filature, which, about 1770, 
 saw the death-throes of the silk culture, became a favorite place of meeting as a 
 public hall for municipal and society affairs. Here the Union Society held many 
 lengthy meetings, varied now and then by one shortened to adjournment, for the 
 minutes quaintly record that the filature was found occupied by the St. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 91 
 
 Andrew's Society, an association of Scottish sons, in 1790, under the direction 
 of General Lachlan Mcintosh, president, and Sir George Houstoun, vice-president. 
 What comfortable, easy tempers were possessed by the members of the Union 
 Society, to adjourn, instead of claiming the rights of priority ! This submission 
 reminds us somewhat of the phlegm of those old Dutch settlers on the Island of 
 Manhattan, who, when threatened by the English, quietly seated themselves, 
 lighted their pipes, and fulminated against the English the smoke of peaceful 
 warfare. 
 
 The newly made city was not without that insignia of office which gains many 
 a bloodless victory, overawing the would-be rebeillious citizen by the sight of 
 the wand, the mere badge of power. 
 
 The marshal's staff was white, six and a half feet in length, one inch in 
 diameter, with the device, the letters M.C.S., in white on a red field. 
 
 The constable's staff was blue, six and a half feet iu length, two inches in 
 diameter, bearing on a red field the name and number in white of the ward 
 under his jurisdiction. 
 
 Nor was the scavenger without his staff, — black, one foot in length, two 
 inches in diameter, each end red. All were ordered at the expense of the city. 
 
 The month of May, in the year 1791, was long remembered by the inhabi- 
 tants of Savannah. It mai'ked an event in her annals, the official entertain- 
 ment of the first President of the United States, George Washington, during his 
 memorable trip throughout the country. This journey, begun in March, accom- 
 plished one thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven miles, "without sickness, 
 bad health, or any untoward accident." Indeed, so highly favored was Washington, 
 that he arrived at each place according to the very day mentioned in the itinerary 
 prepared for the journey. 
 
 George Washington's headquarters in Savannah were at the inn on the corner 
 of Barnard and State streets ; until recent years a landmark of the city, its well- 
 worn, time-eaten boards were pulled down to make way for the present imposing 
 structure of Odd Fellows' Hall. It was a brilliant time in the city's history. 
 The " Georgia Gazette " devoted its entire space of the nineteenth of May to an 
 account of the visit. 
 
 On Thursday morning the President arrived at Purysburgh, where he was received by the 
 Committee who had been deputed by a number of the citizens of Savannah and its vicinity for that 
 purpose, and to conduct him to the City in a boat, which had been equipped and neatl}' ornamented 
 
92 
 
 BISTOBIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 for the occasion. The President with the Committee, his Secretary, Major Jackson, Major Butler, 
 General Wayne and Mr. Baillie, embarked at Purysburgh between ten and eleven o'clock, and was 
 rowed down the River by nine American Captains, viz : Captains Putnam, Courter, Rice, Fisher, 
 Huntingdon, Kershaw, Swain, Mclntyre, and Morrison, who were dressed in light blue silk jackets, 
 black satin breeches, white silk stockings, and round hats with black ribbons having the words, 
 " Long Live the President," in letters of gold. Within ten miles of the City, they were met by a 
 number of gentlemen in several boats ; and as the President passed by them, a band of Music played 
 the celebrated song, " He comes, the Hero comes," accompanied by several voices. On his approach 
 to the city, the concourse on the bluff, and the crowds which had pressed into the vessels, evinced 
 the general joy which had been inspired by the visit of this most beloved of men. and the ardent desire 
 of all ranks and conditions of people to be gratified by his presence. Upon arriving at the upper 
 part of the harbor, he was saluted from the wharves, and by the shipping, and particularly by the 
 ship Thomas Wilson, Captain White, — which was beautifully decorated with the colors of various 
 nations. At the foot of the stairs where the President landed, he was received by Colonel Gunn and 
 General Jackson, who introduced him to the Mayor and Aldermen of the City. The Artillery Com- 
 pany saluted him with twenty-six discharges from their field-pieces, and he was then conducted to 
 a house prepared by the corporation for his accommodation, in St. James' Square, in the following 
 order of procession : 
 
 Light Infantry Company, 
 Field Oificers and other OfiScers of the 
 Militia, 
 Marshal of the City, 
 j Y /■ ^^^^x H Treasurer, Clerk and Recorder, 
 
 I / ^^^^Qa Aldermen, the Mayor, 
 
 f— ' ^ '7"^ ^^^i^^l President and Suite, 
 
 Committee of Citizens, 
 
 Members of the Cincinnati, 
 
 Citizens two and two, 
 
 Artillery Company. 
 
 The President and Suite dined with the 
 Corporation at six o'clock the same day, and 
 were conducted tc Brown's Coffee House by 
 the Mayor of tlie City and the President of 
 the Cincinnati. Many distinguished gentle- 
 men by invitation partook of the entertain- 
 ment prepared. Sundry patriotic toasts were 
 drunk, each succeeded by discharges from 
 the field-pieces of the Artillery. In the eve- 
 ning the city was beautifully illuminated. 
 The next day, the President dined with the Society of the Cincinnati of Georgia at Brown's Coffee 
 House, the toasts offered being accompanied by federal salutes from the Artillery. 
 
EISTOmC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 93 
 
 Tn the evening a Ball in honor of the President was given at the Long Room in the Filature. 
 At half past eight o'clock, the President honored the Company with his presence and was personally 
 introduced by one of the Managers to ninety six ladies, 
 who were elegantly-dressed, some of whom displayed 
 infinite taste in the emblems and devices on their sashes 
 and head-dresses, out of respect to the happy occasion. 
 
 The room which had been lately handsomely fitted 
 up, and was well lighted, afforded the President an ex- 
 cellent opportunity of viewing the Fair Sex of our City 
 and vicinity, and the ladies the gratification of paying 
 their respects to our Federal Chief. 
 
 After a few minuets were moved, and one country 
 dance led down, the President and his suite retired about 
 eleven o'clock. At twelve o'clock the supper room was 
 opened, and the ladies partook of a repast, after which 
 dances continued until three o'clock. The company re- 
 tired with the happy satisfaction of having generally con- 
 tributed towards the hilarity and gaiety of the evening. 
 
 On Saturday morning, the President attended by 
 General Mcintosh and several other gentlemen, took a 
 view of the remaining traces of the lines constructed by 
 the British for the defence of Savannah in 1779 ; the 
 General having been second in command under General 
 Lincoln at storming them, had an opportunity of giving 
 an account of everything interesting during the siege and in the attack. 
 
 In the afternoon, the President honored the Citizens with his company at a dinner prepared for 
 him under a beautiful arbor, supported by three rows of pillars entirely covered with laurel and bay 
 leaves, so as to exhibit uniform green columns. The pillars were higher than the arbor, and orna- 
 mented above it by festoons, and connected below by arches covered in the same manner. The 
 place on which it stood was judiciously chosen, presenting at once a view of the city and of the 
 shipping in the harbor, with an extensive prospect of the river and rice lands both above and below 
 the town. But the principal advantage which resulted from its situation and structure was the op- 
 portunity which it afforded to a great body of people to have a distinct and uninterrupted view of 
 that object to which all eyes and heai-ts appeared to be attracted. 
 
 A Company of nearly two hundred citizens and strangers dined under it and the satisfaction 
 which each one enjoyed in paying this personal tribute to the merit of a man, who is, if possible, 
 more beloved for his goodness than admired for his greatness, produced a degree of convivial and 
 harmonious mirth rarely experienced. 
 
 Every one beheld with delight in the person of our President, the able General, the virtuous Patriot, 
 the profound Politician ; in a word, one of the most shining ornaments that ever dignified human nature. 
 
 The Artillery Company dined under another arbor, erected at a small distance, and received 
 merited applause for the great dexterity which they displayed in firing, at each toast. Their fires 
 
94 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 were returned by Fort Wayne and the ship Thomas Wilson which was moored opposite the arbor ; 
 her decorations through the day, and illumination at night had a fine effect. 
 
 The following toasts were given : The United States of America, Prosperity to the Citizens 
 of Savannah and its vicinity. [By the President.] The Fair of America. The Vice President of 
 the United States. The memorable Era of Independence. The Count D'Estaing. The Memory of 
 General Greene. The Arts and Sciences. The memory of those brave men who fell before the 
 Lines of Savannah on the Ninth of October, 1779. The Friends to Free and Equal (Jovernment 
 throughout the Globe. All foreign Powers in Friendship with the United States. May Religion 
 and Philosophy always triumph over Superstition and Prejudice in America. The Present Dexterous 
 Corps of Artillery. [The President's toast.] [After the President retired.] The President of the 
 United States. 
 
 The construction of the arbor, and the manner in which the entertainment was provided and 
 conducted, did great honor to the gentlemen to whose direction the whole was committed. 
 
 In the evening there was a handsome exhibition of fireworks, and the amusements of this day 
 of joy and festivity were concluded by a Concert. 
 
 On Sunday morning, the President attended Divine Service in Christ Church ; and soon after 
 set out on his way to Augusta. On taking his leave of the Mayor and Committee of the Citizens, 
 he politely expressed his sense of the attention shewn him by the Corporation and every denomina- 
 tion of people during his stay in Savannah. He was attended out of the City by a number of gentle- 
 men, and escorted by a detachment of Augusta dragoons, commanded by Major Ambrose Gordon. 
 At the Spring Hill, the President was received by General Jackson, where the Artillery and Light 
 Infantr'y companies were drawn up, and was there saluted by thirty nine discharges from the field 
 pieces, and thirteen volleys of platoons. After which he proceeded with several gentlemen to Mul- 
 beiTy Grove, the seat of the late Major-General Greene, where he dined and then resumed his tour. 
 
 The day after the departure of General Washington the following card appeared 
 in the public journals of our city : — 
 
 General Jackson requests Captains Else of the Artillery, and Montfort of the Volunteer In- 
 fantry, to accept his best thanks for their soldierly conduct at the reception, during the stay, and on 
 the departure of the President. He likewise presents his thanks to the Commissioned and Non- 
 Commissioned Officers and Privates of each Corps. 
 
 It is a pleasure to the General to announce to the Artillery the very general applause they 
 
 received on Saturday, and, what ought to immortalize the Corps, the approbation of their conduct, 
 
 expressed in the warmest terms by the Commander in Chief of the United States. The General 
 
 hopes that this character, so firmly established, will long continue them an ornament to the Jlilitia, 
 
 and an honor to the State of Georgia. The Field Officers of the Chatham Regiment will be pleased 
 
 to communicate this order, and to receive the General's highest commendations for their attention to 
 
 the duties required of them. 
 
 JAS. JACKSON, 
 
 Brigadier General first District. 
 Savannah, May sixteenth, 1791. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 95 
 
 The Chatham Artillery Company, which found such favor in the President's 
 eyes, received shortly after his departure the gift of the " Washington Guns," two 
 six-pounder bronze field-pieces. To-day, though no longer brought into actual ser- 
 vice, they remain the pride of the ancient company. 
 
 Upon one of them are inscribed the words : " Surrendered by the capitulation 
 of York Town, October nineteenth, 1781. Honi soit qui mal y pense. — C R." 
 with the Imperial crown. It was cast in 1756, during the reign of George II. 
 
 Of the various creeds represented in Savannah, to the Hebrew Congregation 
 alone belongs the honor of a letter of congratulation, written by Levi Sheftall to 
 George Washington upon his accession to the presidency of the United States in 
 1789. The honor is more than municipal, it is national, for no mention has been 
 found of any other Hebrew congregation in the country congratulating the newly 
 made President. The letter met with a dignified, happy response from George 
 Washington. 
 
 LETTER TO WASHINGTON, AND HIS REPLY. 
 
 Sav. May 6th 1789. 
 General George Washington, President of the United Stales : — 
 
 Sir, — We have long been anxious of congratulating you on youv appointment by unanimous 
 approbation, to the Presidential dignity of this country, and of testifying our unbounded Confidence 
 in your integi-ity and unblemished virtue. Yet, however exalted the station -you now till, it is still 
 not equal to the merit of your heroic services through an arduous and dangerous conflict, which has 
 embosomed you in the hearts of our citizens. 
 
 Our eccentric situation added to a diffidence founded on the most profound respect has thus 
 long prevented our address, yet the delay has realized anticipation, giving us an opportunity of pre- 
 senting our grateful acknowledgments for the benediction of Heaven, through the magnanimity 
 of Federal influence and the equity of your administration. 
 
 Your unexampled liberality and extensive philanthropy have dispelled that cloud of bigotry 
 and superstition which has long as a veil shaded religion, unriveted fetters of enthusiasm, enfran- 
 chised us with all the privileges and immunities of free citizens, and initiated us into the grand 
 mass of legislative mechanism. 
 
 By example, you have taught us to endure the ravages of war witli manly fortitude, and to 
 enjoy the blessings of peace with reverence to the Deity and benignity and love to our fellow- 
 creatures. 
 
 May the Great Author of the world grant you all happiness, — an uninterrupted series of health 
 
 — addition of years to the number of your days, and a continuance of guardianship to that freedom 
 
 which under the auspices of heaven your magnanimity and wisdom have given these states. 
 
 LEVI SHEFTALL, 
 
 President. 
 In behalf of the Hebrew Congregation. 
 
96 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 To which the President was pleased to return the following answer : — 
 
 Washington, May 12. 
 I'o the Hebrew Congregation of the City of Savannah, Oa. : — 
 
 Gentlemen, — I thank you with great sincerity for your congratulation on my appointment 
 to the office, which I have the honor to hold by the unanimous choice of my fellow citizens, and 
 especially the expressions you are pleased to use in testifying the confidence that is reposed in me 
 by your Congregation. 
 
 As the delay which has naturally intervened between my election and your address has 
 afforded me an opportimity for appreciating the merits of its administration, T have rather to 
 express my satisfaction rather than regret at a circumstance whic^h demonstrates (upon experiment) 
 your attachment to the former as well as approbation of the latter. 
 
 I rejoice that a spirit of liberality and philanthropy is much more prevalent than it formerly 
 was among the enlightened nations of the earth, and that your brethren will benefit thereby in pro- 
 portion as it shall become still more extensive. 
 
 Happily the people of the United States have in many instances exhibited examples worthy of 
 imitation, the salutary influences of which will doubtless extend much farther if, gratefully enjoying 
 those blessings of peace which (under the favor of heaven) have been attained by fortitude in war, 
 they shall conduct themselves with reverence to the Beity and charity toward their fellow-creatures. 
 
 May the same wondei'-working Deity who long since delivered the Hebrews from their 
 Egyptian oppressors, planted them in a promised land, whose providential agency has lately been 
 conspicuous in establishing these United States, as an independent nation, still continue to water 
 them with the dews of heaven, and make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the 
 temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah. 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 
 The handful of Hebrews that arrived in Savannah in July of 1733 brought with 
 them the Sephar Torah Scroll of the Law, which is still preserved by the present 
 congregation of K. K. Mickva Israel. Tradition points to a room near the market, 
 in the neighborhood of Bay street lane, where divine service was first held. Here 
 the congregation continued to worship till 1740 or 1741, when it was temporarily 
 dissolved by the removal of all but three of the Hebrew families to Charleston. In 
 1774, an eflfort was made to revive the worship. Mordecai Sheftall, ever a friend to 
 progress, fitted up a room in his own house on Broughton street, where service was 
 held regularly till the Revolution scattered the congregation. Twelve years later, 
 in 1786, the congregation was reestablished in a house on St. James' square. It con- 
 tinued to swell its proportions, and in 1790 received a charter of its organization, 
 granted by Governor Edward Telfair. From that day to this the minutes of the 
 congregation have been faithfully recorded and preserved. 
 
CHAPTER YI. 
 
 ACCORDING to a map of Savannah before the fire of 1796 three new religious 
 sects had gained a foothold within the city : the Methodists, Baptists, and 
 Roman Catholics. The first house of worship belonging to the Methodists was on 
 the eastern side of Columbia square, and the Reverend Beverly Allen was the first 
 preacher sent, in 1785, to propagate the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 in Savannah. 
 
 The Baptist meeting-house, erected about 1795, was situated on Franklin 
 square, now the site of the First African Baptist church. The citizens of Charles- 
 ton, in conjunction with the people of Savannah, contributed liberally to the erection 
 of this building ; but it remained in an unfinished state, and thus was it rented to the 
 Presbyterians for several years. 
 
 The Roman Catholic chapel stood in Liberty Ward, on the north-west side of 
 the square. It fell into bad repair, possibly into ruins, from the lack of care and of 
 woi'shippers, for the earliest Roman Catholics in Georgia and South Carolina were 
 Irish emigrants, called Redemptionists, owing to their inability to pay their passage. 
 
 Within the recollections of the old French Roman Catholic families in Savannah, 
 who were the first to give an impetus to their religious faith, there was no place of 
 worship. Whenever a priest came along on a mission, services were held at 
 Monsieur Mirault's, in the western portion of the city. 
 
 A plan for a new jail was presented in 1794, on a larger scale than former ones. 
 Its measurements were seventy feet in front and fifty feet in breadth, with two 
 stories aboveground and one underground. This was probably located on 
 Lafayette square, the site of Mr. Low's residence. On the common, on the White 
 Bluff road, to the right of the road leaving the city, a space of land was allotted for 
 the Academy. A night-watch was established in the year 1793, the watch to be 
 called out only three nights in a week, the City Council reserving the privilege of 
 appointing the nights. A theatre stood on the south-west side of Franklin square. 
 We know, not if it were the new or the old theatre, for in the " Columbian Museum 
 
 (97) 
 
98 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 and Savannah Advertiser '' of October twenty-first, 1796, occurs the following 
 advertisement : — ' 
 
 THEATRICAL. 
 
 The first Essay of American genius in the Dramatic Art, is a comedy called the Contrast 
 with whicli (it has been suggested by the Managers) the New Theatre in Savannah will be opened. 
 
 The earliest mention of a theatrical performance in Savannah (to be found in 
 existing files of newspapers) was presented in the following quaint advertisement in 
 the " Georgia Gazette " of September twenty-seventh, 1783 : — 
 
 " By Permission." 
 
 At the Filature on Thursday, the ninth day of October next, will be performed for the benefit 
 of the poor, by a set of gentlemen, the tragedy called " The Fair Penitent," to which will be added 
 an entertainment, " ^liss inhevTeens," or the " Medley of Lovers." The doors to be opened at half 
 past five o'clock, and the play to begin precisely at sevgn. Tickets to be had of Captain Fields and 
 Mr. Polack. Pit 4s. 8d. Gallery 8s. 6d. No money will be received at the door, and no gentle- 
 men will be admitted behind the Scenes on any pretence. 
 
 
 The troupe was 
 under the manage- 
 ment of Gordon & 
 Kidd, who h ad 
 come to Georgia 
 '■ to settle in the 
 way of their pro- 
 fession." They met 
 with encourage- 
 ment in the amuse- 
 ment-loving town 
 of Savannah, for 
 
 they kept up their theatrical engagements through the years of 1 783, 1784, and 1785, 
 
 during which time they also held a dancing-school, for the improvement in grace 
 
 of the young women and young men of those days. 
 
 The sister art of dancing went hand in hand with the theatrical performances. 
 
 The various intricacies of steps in vogue nearly a hundred years ago must cause a 
 
 smile in reading the following advertisement : — 
 
mSTORIO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 99 
 
 Friday Oct; twenty eighth 1796. School fob Dancing. — Mr. ftoodwin, who ten years 
 past had the honor of being patronized by all the principal families in Savannah at the then board- 
 ing-school, and at his room. Although ten yeai-s more experience, with meliorated practice has 
 improved him as a Teacher, his Capacity in the active part of Dancing : therefore he proposes on 
 some occasions to give a proof of his remaining at|ilities in "the steps of grace." At the new 
 Theatre on the Stage, the new mode in Dancing the Minuets (with the graceful baulk in oifering 
 hands), and the Parade Dance, which immediately follows (danced by two, four or eight) will be 
 taught. Also a Country Dance, called independence or the Stars. Mr. G-oodwin has taken the 
 House lately occupied by Mrs. Hawley, near the Post Office, and is fitting up a commodious room 
 for the reception of those young misses and masters whose respective parents may honor him with 
 their patronage. 
 
 A small matter which indicates a general prosperity in the city was the resolu- 
 tion, on January nineteenth, 1796, of the City Council to fui-nish "seventeen sign 
 paintings for the streets, at one dollar and a half each." 
 
 The minutes of the twentieth of June, of the same year, bear the unusual record 
 of the Mayor subjected to a fine. Fancy the chuckle of the City Fathers, assembled 
 in solemn council, when the clerk read outj "The information against the Mayor, for 
 sending out one of the public fire ladders was acted upon, and the fact admitted, 
 ordered that the Mayor be fined ten dollars " ! Doubtless, a hearty laugh greeted 
 the clerk, the Mayor himself leading the merriment. 
 
 On April fifth of the year 1796 the Mayor's Court was first organized. It 
 held its sessions in the City Hall of the city of Savannah. The court was opened 
 in due form by James McCorkey, Esq., the sherifi", who appeared that day and 
 took the oath of oflSce. This court continued as the Mayor's Court until 1820, when 
 the Court of Common Pleas and Oyer and Terminer was organized by an act of the 
 Legislature. 
 
 A glance at the city in 1796 exhibits evidences of growth and enlargement never 
 before reached, — a rapid stride in material advancement since the devastations of 
 twenty years before ; but the pleasing aspect was changed in a single night to one of 
 destruction and loss. A graphic picture of the fire of November twenty-six, 1796, is 
 given in the " Columbian Museum and Savannah Advertiser " of the following 
 Tuesday. This paper, brought into being in the year 1796, was issued semiweekly, 
 on Tuesdays and Fridays, continuing its existence till it was merged in the " Daily 
 Museum and Gazette." The oflSce at this time was on the corner of St. Julian street, 
 opposite the church. 
 
100 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Having suifered with others in the late calamity, we have made haste to collect the remains of our 
 Printing Materials, and now present to the Public a few of the Circumstances which accompanied 
 this event — being ever their obedient Servants, the Printers of the Columbian Museum. On Saturday 
 the twenty sixth instant, this City exhibited a scene of desolation and distress probably more awfully 
 calamitous than any previously experienced in America. Between six and seven in the evening a 
 small Bake House belonging to a Jlr. Gromet in Market Square was discovered to be on fire. The 
 Citizens together with the officers and crews of the vessels in the harbor were soon convened, but 
 unfortunately no immediate and decisive measures were adopted by which the fire could be stopped 
 at its beginning. The fortunate escape from this destructive element, which the city for many years 
 past experienced, had greatly lulled the vigilance of its inhabitants and prevented suitable prepara- 
 tions for such a calamity. The period when such precautions and the united efforts of active exer- 
 tion could have been useful, was however, of very short duration. The season for two months pre- 
 vious to this incident had been dry. The night was cold, and a light breeze from N.N.W. was 
 soon encreased by the effect of the fire. The coverings of the buildings being of wood, were from the 
 above circumstances, rendered highly combustible. Several of the adjoining houses were soon 
 affected, and then almost instantly in flames. The wind now became strong and whirled into the air 
 with agitated violence, large flakes of burning shingles, boards, and other light substances, which 
 alighting at a distance, added confusion to the other terrors of the conflagration. The use of water 
 was soon rendered totally in vain, its common extinguishing power seemed to be lost. Torrents of 
 flames rolled from house to house with a destructive rapidity, which bid defiance to all human con- 
 troul, and individual exertions were from this time principally pointed towards the securing of pri- 
 vate property. The direction of the fire being now committed to the wind, its rage was abated only 
 when by its extending to the common it found no farther object wherewith to feed its fury. 
 
 On the north side of Market Square and hence in a south-easterly direction, the inhabitants 
 were enabled by favour of the wind to save their houses, and limit the conflagration ; on the other 
 hand by the time it had extended on the Bay neaiiy to Abercorn street, the prodigious quantity of 
 heat already produced in the center of the city, began to draw in a current of air from the east, and 
 enabled some of the most active inhabitants and seamen to save a few houses in that quarter, after 
 having been in imminent danger. Between twelve and one the fire abated, and few other houses 
 from this time took fire. The exhausted sufferers of both sexes had now to remain exposed to the 
 inclemency of a cold frosty night, or to witness the distressing spectacle of their numerous dwellings 
 covered with volumes of smoke and flame, tumbling into ruins. Thus was this little city soon after 
 emerging from the ravages of our revolutionary war, so lately promising considerable figure among 
 the commercial cities of our Sister States, almost destroyed in a single night. 
 
 The morning after tlie catastrophe a most interesting and melancholy picture presented itself 
 in the distressed countenances of its inhabitants, the smoking ruins, the forest of naked chimneys, 
 the various kinds of destruction of goods and Furniture, and the crowds of houseless inhabitants. 
 The hospitality of the few whose houses remain has been general and unrestrained, their tenements 
 are shared with the others but they are insufiioient. The buildings of the city were before wholly 
 occupied ; what remains cannot now contain the inhabitants. Everything which an effective sym- 
 pathy, which an active benevolence among their Fellow Citizens can perform, will undoubtedly be 
 
mSTOBIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 101 
 
 done. A timely interference of the State Legislature may also be exiiected. But we presume to 
 hope that the prospect of relief will not be limited to their resources alone, the truly humane are not 
 confined in their benevolence to objects that are near them, and many incidents have occurred of 
 misfortunes far inferior to this, vsrhioh have evinced the justice by vi^hich the Americans can claim 
 the honor of being humane. The anxious eyes of immediate distress must however be turned to the 
 planters of the neighbouring counties, and we should be sorry to do them tlie injustice to suppose 
 that they will not feel a satisfaction in affording the necessary relief. We persuade ourselves that 
 we shall be sincerely joined by our readers, in fervent wishes that Providence may avert from 
 others, so severe and aiHicting a calamity. The following statement is just handed as this paper is 
 going to press : " During the conilagration on Saturday night last in four hours two hundred and 
 twenty nine houses, besides exclusive of loose property three hundred and seventy five chimneys are 
 standing bare and form a dismal appeai-ance, one hundred and seventy one houses only of the com- 
 pact part of the city are standing, upwards of four hundred families are destitute of houses. Charities 
 are solicited. 
 
 Donations of money and provisions poured in from all parts of the States, and 
 the citizens, with their characteristic energy in an emergency, strove to relieve their 
 losses as best they could. 
 
 The Baptists extended the use of their meeting-house to the Independent Pres- 
 byterians, whose church had been destroyed by the fire. Here the Presbyterians 
 continued to worship till their new church was completed, in 1800, on St. James 
 square, between York and President streets, on the lot opposite the present Trinity 
 Methodist church. A proposal to make of the new theatre a " Dwelling House for 
 the relief of the distressed families," appeared in the issue of the " Columbian Museum 
 and Savannah Advertiser " of Tuesday, December sixth. It is not known if the 
 proposal was carried out, but in 1798 the theatre had returned to its legitimate 
 calling, for there was notice given of a Charleston troupe to appear in Savannah on 
 the night of December first. A circulating library, orginated by George Lamb in 
 January, 1798, betokens a new interest in the community. A census taken the 
 same year reveals the population of six thousand two hundred and twenty-six 
 souls, two hundred and thirty-seven of them negroes. . The city consisted of six 
 hundred and eighteen dwelling-houses, four hundred and fifteen kitchens, two hun- 
 dred and twenty-eight out-houses, stores, and shops. The " City Tavern," on 
 Broughton street, kept by Christopher Gunn, was the fashionable hotel of the day. 
 The erection of an exchange began to agitate the air in 1798 ; the year following, the 
 agitation assumed substantial proportions, and on the fourth of June, 1799, the 
 corner-stone of the present structure was-laid with Masonic ceremonies. The site 
 had formerly been occupied by a building destroyed in the November fire of 1796. 
 
102 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Admiration is aroused for the judgment of those citizens in their selection of a site 
 for an exchange. To-day none better could be made. At the head of the main 
 promenade of the city, — Bull street, fronting on Bay street, -^ the great com- 
 mercial and wholesale thoroughfare, it has formed an admirable focus of business 
 interests. 
 
 An account of the ceremonies of the laying of the corner-stone is given in the 
 records of the Grand Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons : " The Grand Lodge 
 convened in consequence of an invitation by the Mayor and Aldermen, to lay the 
 Corner Stone of the Gity Exchange. The Members present went in procession, 
 attended by the Corporation, when the stone w^as placed in position in the usual 
 Masonic form, by the Most Worshipful Grand Master William Stephens, aided by 
 the Grand Wardens, and accompanied b}' the brethren ; after which the Grand Mas- 
 ter delivered an appropriate oration. The plate deposited with the stone had the 
 following inscription A.L. 5799. A.D. 1799 of American Independence the twenty 
 third year. Matthew McAllister Mayor, — William Stephens, Grand Master." "The 
 plan of the building, provided that it be of brick and stone, seventy five feet by fifty 
 feet, three stories, with apartments for the different public offices and otherwise 
 calculated for a city exchange." No record tells when the building was completed, 
 or when first occupied, but the general conjecture is that the year 1801 saw it 
 finished, the bell in the steeple bearing the date 1803. For many years the lower 
 floor on Bay street was used as the post-office and custom-house, and the upper 
 rooms became the headquarters of the municipal government, superseding the filature. 
 
 Built by a joint-stock company, the city at first held but twenty-five shares, 
 gradually increasing its stock till, in 1812, it came into full possession of the build- 
 ing, which then formed, legally as well as practically, the " City Hall." The dying 
 days of the eighteenth century saw another building erected in Savannah ; the out- 
 growth of the Masonic fraternity, that organization which exerts a powerful 
 influence in whatever community found. Till within the present year, the old 
 Masonic Hall stood a frail relic of the past century. Not the partial gaze of an 
 ardent Freemason could have pictured the building an imposing or even a pleasing- 
 one ; it was simply a hall of meeting, in its exterior innocent of suggestions of the 
 Masonic mysteries within. The Freemasons then in Savannah were in a flourishing 
 condition, owning much real estate, including the property on Whitaker and Presi- 
 dent streets, where the hall was erected.. On the corner stood the small, quaint- 
 looking building (also torn down with the hall) which antedated the hall. In those 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 103 
 
 days it was a tavern, kept by "Brother Mason Childs," whose entertainment for 
 " man and beast " gave him a well-deserved popularity among the brethren. There 
 in an upper room, for many years, were the headquarters of the Freemasons. In 
 the " Morning News " of March twenty-eight, 1888, occurred the following interesting 
 account of the old landmark : — 
 
 Tearing Down the Old Masonic Hall, an Historic Rookery. — The two-story wooden 
 building on a brick basement fronting on President street was erected by the members of Solomon's 
 Lodge in 1799, and was used by the Masonic fraternity until 1858, when they removed to the build- 
 ing on the north-east corner of Bull and Broughton streets, having sold the old site to the city in 
 1856. The city bought the property and that adjoining on the we.st, which was at one time the resi- 
 dence of General Lachlan Mcintosh of the Revolutionai-y Army, intending to erect thereon a 
 guard-house or police station ; but the people in the neighborhood objected to its being used for 
 that purpose, and it was sold to the late John J. Kelly for one thousand dollars. That gentleman 
 on his death bequeathed the entire property to the Union Society. The workmen yesterday pulled 
 down the partitions that divided the old lodge-room into bed-rooms, and it once more had the 
 appearance of a meeting-place of the brethren. In the arched ceiling, almost obliterated by the 
 numberless coats of whitewash that had been put upon it by people who have occupied the prem- 
 ises, could be seen the outlines of the " Blazing Star." The hooks in the walls and marks on the 
 floor indicated that Royal Arch Masons had there seen for the first time the " Sanctum Sanctorum," 
 and that they had worked in the quarries and showed evidence of their skill. It was in that old 
 lodge-room that Honorable William Stephens, General James Jackson, Governor Josiah Tattnall, 
 and other illustrious Georgians and Masons met in the early days of the then young State. It 
 was there also that the Cuban patriot, General Lopez, -who was soon after garroted in Havana, was 
 made a Mason in 1850. There are quite a number of membei's of the fraternity now living who 
 were brought ' ' to light " in the old room, which to day will disappear f oi-ever. It is with feelings 
 akin to regret that we see these venerable structures torn down, while yet their inner timbers 
 appear to be strong enough to stand for centuries. They, however, must make way for buildings 
 more suitable to the uses of the present generation. A noble structure, the Whitefield Building, 
 will succeed the old hall, and the site is virtually a Masonic contribution to that noble charity, 
 the Union Society ; for the land was the gift of the late John J. Kelly, Past Master of Zerubbabel 
 Lodge, number fifteen, and the money with which the new structure is to be erected is a part of 
 the bequest of the late William F. Holland, Past Master of Ancient Landmark Lodge, number 
 two hundred and thirty-one. The building will be a fitting memorial to George Whitefield, 
 the founder of the Bethesda Orphan House, and John J. Kelly and William F. Holland, two 
 members of the society whose timely beneficence has added this valuable property to the assets 
 from which is to be derived an income for the support of the orphans of the Union Society, the 
 present guardian of Whitefield's sacred trust to the people of Savannah. 
 
 Of national as well as municipal interest is the history of Solomon's Lodge, 
 No. 1, of Savannah, for though the youngest of the thirteen States, Georgia ranks 
 
104 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 third in the list of States with chartered lodges. Indeed, by some her claim to the 
 oldest chartered lodge in America is well defended ; but after a careful examination 
 of the data of Freemasonry in America, the conclusion is reached that to both 
 Philadelphia and Boston a priority must be given. Eighteen years after the organi- 
 zation of a constitutional Grand Lodge in London, in 1735, Solomon's Lodge was 
 chartered in Savannah. How much earlier the lodge was formed remains a matter 
 of doubt, but everything points to an early date succeeding the founding of the col- 
 ony. Tradition, with a leaning for the picturesque, locates the birthplace of Masonry 
 in Georgia, under an oak-tree in the now dead town of Sunbury, according to General 
 Oglethorpe, the honor of the institution. Charming as is this picture, it must be 
 rejected wholesale, for facts — those relentless foes to romance — make this myth 
 an impossibility. However, the opinion prevails that Oglethorpe himself wa,s an 
 earnest Freemason. Indeed, there nmst have been more than one prominent Mason 
 among those early settlers of Georgia, for in the year of the settlement of the colony 
 it is recorded, at the meeting of the Grand Lodge in London, that "Deputy Grand 
 Master Batson recommended the new Colony of Georgia, in North America, to the 
 benevolence of the. particular Lodges." 
 
 The first meetings of the lodge in Savannah were probably held in the rude hut 
 built for courts of justice and divine worship. This then occupied a part of the lot 
 upon which stands the present Custom House. 
 
 Various public houses, doubtless, succeeded the hut, for they were the recog- 
 nized places of meeting for lodges during the eighteenth century, until the record 
 makes mention of the particular tavern on Whitaker and President streets. The 
 Masons early occupied an important position among the corporate bodies of the 
 town. In 1758 they were mentioned as one of the distinguished bodies that received 
 Henry Ellis, the royal governor of the Province of Georgia, upon his arrival in 
 Savannah. 
 
 Prominent patriots of the War of Independence were enrolled members of Solo- 
 mon's Lodge, for soon after the war were found on the records the names of 
 Stephens, Jackson, Houstoun, Stirk, the Habershams, Elbert, Cecil, Hawley, 
 Walton, Tattnall, McAUister, Shad, John Berrien, the Sheftalls, Bullock, Wald- 
 burgh, Lillibridge, Hammond, and others, distinguished in the annals of the young 
 Commonwealth. Noble has been the record of the lodge of lives well lived and 
 deeds well done ! The first regular meeting of which there is any written record was 
 in January, 1785. " From that time to the present the brethren have never failed 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 105 
 
 to open the great lights of Masonry on every regular lodge night." Among the 
 treasures of the lodge is an old Bible presented by General Oglethorpe, with Bis 
 writing upon the fly-leaf. The present Masonic Temple is situated on the north- 
 west corner of Liberty and Whitaker streets. 
 
 To-day the local lodges of Savannah are: Knights Templars, Palestine Com- 
 mandery, No. 57 ; R. and S. M. Ga. Council, No. 2 ; Royal Arch Georgia Chapter, 
 No. 3. 
 
 Master Masons : Solomon's 
 Lodge, No. 1; Zerubbabel 
 Lodge, No, 15 ; Clinton Lodge, 
 No. 54; Ancient Landmark 
 Lodge , No . 231; La n d r u ni 
 Lodge, No. 48. 
 
 In 1801 the Female Orphan 
 Asylum Jiegan a sepai'ate exist- 
 ence. It had a common origin 
 with the Union or St. George's 
 Society in 1750, the stated pur- 
 pose of that society being the 
 care and education of" orphaned ' 
 and destitute children, without 
 distinction of sex. 
 
 The separation was made 
 at the suggestion of Rev. Henry 
 Holcorabe, the pastor of the 
 
 Baptist church in Savannah. The first Iwdy of directors was composed of the 
 following fourteen ladies : Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, Mrs. Ann Clay, Mrs. Jane 
 Smith ; Mrs. Sai'ah Lamb, secretary ; Mrs. Margaret Hunter, treasurer ; Lady Ann 
 Houstoun, Mrs. Holcorabe, Mrs. Hannah McAllister, Mrs. Susannah Jenkins, Mrs. 
 Ann Moore, Mrs. Moore, Miss Rebecca Newel, Mrs. Mary Wall, Miss Martha 
 Stephens, trustees or managers ; Mrs. Lydia Myers, matron. In 1810, the Legisla- 
 ture of Georgia granted an act of incorporation, founded on a system of rules for the 
 better government of the institute. In 1838, the society had outgrown its small 
 quarters in the eastern part of the city, but its finances did not justify a change for 
 the better. Two ladies, by name Mrs. M. Marshall and Mrs. M. Richardsone, vol- 
 
106 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 unteered their services to assist the board of managers, by a public collection, to 
 increase the funds of the society. The present commodious edifice on the corner of 
 Bull and Charlton streets stands a testimonial to the untiring zeal of the two ladies 
 and the board of managers. The present board is composed of the following ladies : 
 Mrs. A. Minis, president ; Mrs. John Hardee, treasurer ; Miss L. Gilmer, secretary ; 
 Mrs. Charles Lamar, Mrs. George L. Cope, Jr., Mrs. W. J. Sams, Mrs. C. F. 
 Mills, Mrs. J. W. Lathrop, Mrs. Woods, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Whitehead, Mrs. Bow- 
 man, Mrs. Mclntyre, Mrs. Van Vorst, Mrs. Hull, Miss Saussy, Miss E. Read, 
 Miss Anderson. 
 
 The visit of Aaron Burr, in his official character of Vice-President of the 
 United States, in May, 1802, gave the occasion for certain formal ceremonies and 
 entertainments in Savannah. May seems to have been a favorite month for visitors 
 to enjoy the municipal, as well as private, hospitality of Savannah's citizens. The 
 " Columbian Museum and Advertiser " gives a lengthy account of this first visit 
 of a Vice-President to Savannah. 
 
 On Thursday the twentieth inst. the Vice-President of the United States was received on his 
 way to this city by the Military and Civil officers and several Companies of volunteers, and was 
 congratulated on his arrival by Charles Harris, Edward Harden, and Richard Dennis Esqrs : A 
 Committee on behalf of the Corporation; and by Mr. B. Bullock, James Houstoun and George W. 
 Troup Esqrs, A Committee on behalf of the citizens of Savannah. And on the Monday following a 
 festival was given in honor of the Vice-President, by the citizens of this place. The brilliancy of 
 the entertainment, the number and respectability of the company, and the harmony which univer- 
 sally prevailed have never been exceeded, perhaps never equalled, on any former occasion. The 
 following toasts were given : I. The United States of America, The retreat of toleration and of free- 
 dom, May they continue to afford an Asylum to the virtuous of all nations. U. The Soldiers and 
 Statesmen of '76 who made an Empire of British dependencies. The Republicans of 1800 who 
 redeemed the Constitution. III. The Constitution of the United States, Perpetuity to this illustrious 
 example of a Government, founded on the voluntary consent of the people. IV. Thomas Jefferson, 
 President of the United States — May his measures continue to meet the confidence of liis friends and 
 defeat the calumnies of his enemies. V. The memory of the great and good Washington. VI. 
 The officers presiding over the federal departments of State — Tlieir talents, industry and vigilance, 
 eminently entitle them to the gratitude of the people. VII. The support of the State Governments 
 in all their rights, as the surest bulwark against anti-republican tendencies, and the preservation of 
 the general government in its whole Constitutional vigour, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home 
 and safety abroad. VIII. The State and Government of Georgia. IX. Our delegates to Con- 
 gress — May their late zealous and patriotic exertions for their Countrie's good be justly esteemed 
 and treasured up in the hearts of their Constituents. X. Economy in the public expenditure and 
 the honest payment of our debts, without impairing the sacredness of public faith. XL May those 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 107 
 
 who would wish to dissolve our Union or to change its present republican form stand undisturbed 
 as monuments of the safety with which eiTor of opinion may be tolerated when reason is left free to 
 combat it. XII. The existing judiciary of the United States — The Judges dependent on God, their 
 good behavior and the existence of their offices. XIII. The Militia, Army, and Navy of the 
 United States — May they continue the prompt defenders of their Country, under the oontroul of the 
 Civil Authorities. XIV. A jealous care of the right of election by the people. XV. The memory 
 of General Greene — Respect to the wisdom of those sages and the blood of those heroes, who 
 devoted themselves to the liberties of their country. XVI. The memory of General Oglethorpe, 
 whose arduous toils and struggles in the establishment of Georgia entitle him to our warmest grati- 
 tude. XVU. An unrestrained freedom of the press, and universal toleration of religion — Where 
 there is equal liberty, justice and truth will triumph over calumny and falsehood. 
 
 Volunteer toasts. After the Vice President retired — The Vice President of the United States. 
 After General Mcintosh retired — General Mcintosh. After General Jackson retired — General 
 Jackson. By Mr. Simon Mcintosh — The Governor and State of New York. By Captain O. Smith 
 — The Republicans of Georgia and South Carolina. By Major Harden — The Memorable fourth of 
 March, 1801. After Mr. Telfair retired — Mr. Telfair. 
 
 The Vice-President left, as mementos of his visit to Savannah, two medals, 
 presented to the corporation, — the one descriptive of the arms of the United States 
 on one side, and on the other the bust of President Jefferson. The other medal 
 commemorated the capture of General Burgoyne by General Gates on one side, and 
 on the other the bust of the capturing general. 
 
 It is not generally known that the purpose of Aaron Burr's visit to Savannah 
 was of a private nature. During his stay in the city, his headquarters were in a 
 small frame-house on South Broad street, between Whitaker and Barnard streets, 
 the home of his niece, Mrs. MontmoUin. The facts, which have been furnished by 
 a member of the MontmoUin family, throw a romantic light upon the father of Don 
 Carlos, of Spain. 
 
 Mrs. MontmoUin, when quite a young girl, married a man from England, by 
 the name of Dennis. Two children were born to them, a boy and a girl. For some 
 cause Mr. and Mrs. Dennis were divorced, Mr. Dennis carrying off the children. 
 While travelling in a stage-coach in search, of her children, who she understood 
 were in Charleston, Mrs. Dennis met her future husband, Mr. MontmoUin, a colonel 
 of an English regiment in Jamaica, who was at that time on a furlough. 
 
 Colonel Montmollin's kind and ready assistance led to the recovery of her chil- 
 dren, and soon Colonel MontmoUin and Mrs. Dennis were married. After the 
 marriage Colonel MontmoUin gave his name to the children, and sent them to the 
 care of his brother in England. Later, Colonel MontmoUin and his brother had 
 
108 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 some disaoreement. Thus it was that Aaron Burr, the uncle of Mrs. Montmollin, 
 visited Savannah, in the character of peace-maker in a family quarrel. 
 
 He went to England, there visited the irate brother, and brought about a 
 
 reconciliation. The children were 
 permitted to visit their mother in 
 Savannah, crossing the ocean in 
 an English man-of-war ; but their 
 home was in England. About 
 1844 the daughter died, and the 
 son, whose original name was 
 Dennis, became the father of Don 
 Carlos, of Spain, Prince de Mont- 
 mollin. 
 
 It was the intention of Mr. 
 Montmollin, the father of Mr. 
 Jno. S. de Montmollin, of Mid- 
 dlebury, Florida (a grandson of 
 Colonel ^[ontmollin), to return 
 to Europe in 1859, and claim 
 his own, that which Don Carlos 
 now enjoys, but death inter- 
 cepted. Many parchments and 
 jewels are now in the possession of Mr. Jno. S. de Montmollin, bequeathals of his 
 grandfather, Colonel Montmollin. 
 
 The eighth of Septeml)er, 1804, was a day long remembered in the history of 
 Savannah for the destructiveness of a storm that raged furiously from nine in the 
 morning until ten at night. Verily, the city was a scene of desolation. The steeple 
 of the Presl)yterian church fell in a south-westerly direction, crushing in a house, 
 and cutting off a portion of a bed on which lay a sick man, fortunately not injuring 
 him. The bell was found unbroken in the steeple, and was afterward hung in the 
 new Independent Presbyterian church, erected in 1817. There it remained till 
 1824, when a larger bell was presented to the congregation. Destruction was not 
 coniined to the city limits ; Hutchinson's Island and the rice plantations were inun- 
 dated, causing a fearful loss of life, particularly among the negroes. Several deaths 
 were caused in the city by the tailing of houses and chimneys ; twenty-four houses, 
 
 THE EXCHANGE. 
 
mSTORIO AND PIGTVRE8QUE SAVANNAH 109 
 
 including the exchange, the filature, jail, and the court-house on the blufi", with 
 twenty-six business houses under the bluflF, were injured, and their stocks of goods 
 swept away. Eighteen vessels were swept upon the wharves, and there remained 
 till the waters subsided. 
 
 Should any one have curiosity regarding the salaries of the city officials eighty- 
 seven years ago, let him read the following : — 
 
 In Council. Savannah, July thirteenth, 1801. 
 
 Resolved that Council will on Monday next, the twentieth instant proceed to elect the following 
 city officers, with the salai-ies and fees hereto annexed and that notice thereof be given in the gazettes 
 of this city. A Recorder with fees. 
 
 A Treasurer, $400 per annum and fees. 
 
 A Clerk of Council, $350 per annum and fees. 
 
 A Clerk of the Mayor's Court with usual fees. 
 
 A Marshal, $350 per .annum and fees. 
 
 A Sheriff with usual fees. 
 
 A Clerk of the Market with usual fees. 
 
 A Messenger, $150 per annum and fees. 
 
 A Surveyor with usual fees,. 
 
 A Gi-ave digger and Keeper of the Grave yard. With usual fees and a salary of $75.00 per 
 
 annum for keeping the graveyard closed, clean and in good condition. 
 
 Extract from the Minutes. 
 
 THOMAS PITT, 
 
 Clerk of Council. 
 
 On the fourteenth of January, 1805, the following resolution is found in the 
 Minutes of that date : " Kesolved that the Clerk do procure a Screw-press for the 
 City Seal, the expense of which will be defrayed by Council." This was probably 
 the first seal made for the use of the city. Unfortunately, no impress of it has been 
 found. 
 
 The early years of the nineteenth century passed uneventfully in the quiet little 
 town of Savannah. No buildings of note were erected till, in 1811, there arose the 
 classic structure of the old United States Bank, a fitting home for one of the 
 branches of that historic banking company. 
 
 Some two or three and twenty years later, when the removal of the deposits 
 by the President, Andrew Jackson, called forth such bursts of parliamentarj' can- 
 nonading, and the three intellectual giants of the age. Clay, Webster, and Calhoun, 
 stood, for the first time, united in opposition to Andrew Jackson, the little city-by- 
 
110 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 the-sea lifted its voice in tlie daily papers and supported ttie old hero, " Ironsides," 
 who defiantly cried, " I am here, who have done this thing against me, against me 
 turn your weapons ! " 
 
 That same year, or the early months of 1812, saw the beginning of the Chatham 
 Academy building. The doubt exists of the exact date, from the destruction of the 
 Academy records in the great fire of 1820. Chatham Academy was launched into 
 being on the first of Fel)ruary, 1788, by an act of the Georgia Legislature, then 
 holding its sessions in Augusta, under the auspices of a board of trustees appointed 
 by the State, consisting of Messrs. John Houstoun, John Habersham, William 
 Gibbons, Sen., William Stephens, Richard Wylly, James Houstoun, Samuel Elbert, 
 Seth John Cuthbert, and Joseph Clay, Jr. By the -same act, establishing an academy 
 in Chatham county, was the propei'ty of Bethesda College, or Orphan House, vested 
 in Selina, Countess of Huntington, — in obedience to the trust of the late George 
 Whitefield. The Academy was thus from its inception associated with Bethesda 
 College, and, according to the quotation already made in connection with -Bethesda 
 from the " Georgia Gazette" of June third, 1788, we have seen that the trustees of 
 Chatham county, unable to carry out, at that time, the trust reposed in them l)y the 
 
 Legislature, re- 
 commended Beth- 
 esda as an institu- 
 tion of learning for 
 youth. This fur- 
 nishes one gleam 
 of light from the 
 olDscurity of the 
 last century con- 
 cerning the work- 
 ings of Chatham 
 Academj'. In one 
 sense, Bethesda 
 a n d Cli a t h a m 
 A c a demy were 
 
 sister institutions, for both were endowed. The one, the property, originally, of 
 Georo-e Whitefield, bequeathed by him to Lady Huntingdon, in trust, for " literary 
 and bene\'olent purposes ; " the other, the property of the Reverend Bartholomew 
 
 THE UNITED STATES BANK, 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH HI 
 
 Zouberbuhler, devised by him for "benevolent purposes." The Legislature pro- 
 posed to make a practical use of Mr. Zouberbuhler's property, by placing it in 
 the hands of the trustees appointed for the projected academy, with this proviso, 
 "that nothing herein contained shall bar the claim of any person who is legally the 
 heir of the said Zouberbuhler." Evidently the heirs were not satisfied with the 
 action of the Legislature, for on December eighth, 1791, the Legislature passed an 
 act to "quiet the heirs and representatives of the Keverend Bartholomew Zouber- 
 buhler in and to the real estate in the Counties of Chatham and Glynn, subject 
 however to an annuity of one hundred pounds, for four years to be paid by the heirs 
 to the trustees of the Chatham Academy, to be applied by them and their Suc- 
 cessors in office to the support of the Academy, and on failure thereof the Trus- 
 tees were empowered to sue for and recover the same in any of the courts of law 
 within the State." This gives additional light. The trustees were powerless to act, 
 owing to the restraint cast by the heirs of the Zouberbuhler estate. Theirs was 
 a nominal trust for twenty years, their practical influence being given to the insti- 
 tution of Bethesda. In 1808, December twenty-third, an act passed by the Legis- 
 lature shows in what way the trustees reaped their reward. 
 
 In order that Bethesda property should be made useful and applied as nearly as possible to its 
 original purpose, the President of the Union Society, the President of the Board of Managers of the 
 Savannah Poor I-Iouse and Hospital, the Chairman of the Commissioners of the Chatham Academy 
 and the Mayor of the City should be authorized to sell and dispose of all the real and personal jirop- 
 erty of Bethesda College and Orphan House Estate on the most advantageous terms that could be 
 obtained for the same, and after the Trustees of the Orphan House had retained a sufficiency to pay 
 any first debts that were due and owing from said Orphan House Estate, and also have retained a 
 sufficient sum to pay debts that might be in litigation until decided, to divide the remaining net pro- 
 ceeds as follows : one fifth to the Savannah Poor-House and Hospital Society, and the remainder of 
 the sum, one half to the Union Society in Savannah, and the other half to the Chatham^ Academy to 
 aid their funds for the instruction of youth generally. In connection with this donation, the Com- 
 missioners of the Chatham Academy were requested to support and educate at least five orphan 
 children from its funds, as soon as the property vested in the institution should be received. 
 
 In 1810, funds sufficient having accumulated to warrant the building of an acad- 
 emy, the City Council, on the joint application of the trustees of the Chatham Acad- 
 emy and the President of the Union Society, passed an ordinance on the thirtieth 
 of April, "granting five lots in Brown Ward as a site for a structure to be erected 
 by the two institutions for educational purposes, and no other purposes whatsoever ; 
 
112 HISTORIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 bounded by South Broad street on the north, by Drayton street on the east, by a lane 
 on the south, and by Bull street on the west, containing three hundred feet, from east 
 to west, and ninety feet in depth." 
 
 The ordinance stipulated as a condition precedent to the grant that the Acad- 
 emy trustees should relinquish their right to a piece of ground on the South Com- 
 mon, deeded by the Mayor and Aldermen on the thirteenth of June, 1803, as a site 
 for an academy. 
 
 In the Minutes of Council, on the fifth of June, 1812, the following entry 
 appears : — 
 
 Aldermen Charlton Duke and Pettlbone. A committee to take into consideration the petition 
 of the Trustees of the Cliatham Academy, and of the Union Society reported, and it was resolved, — 
 that the recorder be directed to prepare a lease from the Corporation to the Trustees of the Academy 
 and the President and the Vice President of the Union Society, for a term of fifty years, of five ad- 
 ditional lots in Brown Ward, Viz. jSTumbers, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, including the interme- 
 diate lane for the purpose of extending the limits of the Academy yard, which lease shall specifically 
 state that the said extension of ground shall revert to the Corporation upon the failure of the bodies 
 to which it is conveyed to appropriate the said ground for the purpose aforesaid, and the said title 
 shall contain the above provision, as a consideration of the deed, and provided also that the said 
 societies do pay the expenses incident on the said conveyance. 
 
 In December, 1859, the lease nearing the termination, the City Council passed 
 an ordinance granting 
 
 The leased lots with the lane enclosed to the Trustees of the Academy and their successors, on 
 condition that they should receive, for the purpose of education, and teach annually at least five 
 scholars free of charge, bestowing upon them like care, attention and instruction with that extended 
 to pay scholars, and stipulating tliat the lots and enclosed portion of tlie lease should revert to the 
 City and again become a part and parcel of its domain, if over tlie same should be appropriated by 
 the Trustees or tlieir successors to any purpose other than the education of Youth, or whenever they 
 shall refuse to educate annually, fi'ee of charge, at least five children, to be selected from the pupils 
 of the Massie School, by the Commissioners or by the City Council, in case the Massie School shall 
 be discontinued or cease to exist. 
 
 Chatham Academy building, including that portion owned by the Union Society 
 on the west (till lately known as the Pavilion), was put up under the direction of a 
 committee appointed by the two societies, of which Mr. John Bolton appears to 
 have been the chairman. The basement walls to the first storv were laid with 
 
HISTOBIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 113 
 
 heavy rock ballast, probably brought from abroad in the vessels coming to Savannah. 
 They are of great thickness and strength. 
 
 
 From the " Eepublican and Savannah 
 Evening Ledger," of December twelfth, 1812, 
 is quoted the following : — 
 
 Chatham Academy. The undersigned Committee of the Trustees of the Chatham Academy 
 are happy to announce to their fellow Citizens and the public that the Academy will be opened in 
 the elegant and convenient edifice lately erected in this city for the reception of pupils in the various 
 branches of literature proposed. The Trustees have appointed as principal of the Academy Mr. 
 James D. Fyler, a gentleman highly recommended and well-known, possessing every qualification 
 for that office, not only in extensive erudition, but in experience as a skilful instructor. The parents 
 or guardians of pupils may be assured that every attention will be paid by Mr. Fyler, as superinten- 
 dent of the seminary, to the morals of the youth committed to its charge. 
 
 Accordingly, on the fifth of January, 1813, at noon, the building was thrown 
 open for the reception of scholars, and the ladies and citizens of Savannah generally 
 were invited to attend. Henry Kollock, D.D., delivered an eloquent address on the 
 occasion. William Stephen, the president of the board, in his report, stated that 
 "two hundred and nineteen students were in attendance, consisting of one hundred 
 and four girls and one hundred and fifteen boys, forming a galaxy of as fine youths 
 as in any country." 
 
 At a meeting of the Union Society, held in the Georgia Hotel on the twenty- 
 seventh of May, 1813, the following communication was transmitted to the trustees 
 of the Chatham Academy : — 
 
114 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Resolved that the Society will sell and convey to the Chatham Academy all the right, title, 
 interest and property of this Society in the lands and buildings erected by the institution and the 
 Chatham Academy, except the western wing, reserving all the privileges to the said western wing as 
 they now are, for the sum of five thousand three hundred and eighty-three dollars. Resolved that the 
 president and vice-president be ilirected to make titles to the Trustees of the Chatham Academy 
 agreeable to the foregoing resolution, if the Academy agree to the same. 
 
 The present academy occupies the entire building, with the main entrance on 
 Bull street. 
 
 Early in the year 1887 the trustees of Chatham Academy purchased from the 
 Union Society the original western wing (the adjoining building, for many years used 
 as a hotel), converting it into class-rooms for the use of the public schools. From 
 it were made five capacious and well-ventilated school-rooms, u large room for the 
 board, an office for the superintendent, and a beautiful hall, called, by a formal reso- 
 lution of the board. Hunter Hall, in compliment to Mr. William Hunter, the presi- 
 dent of the Board of Trustees of Chatham Academy. When the work upon the 
 eastern and central portions of the building is completed, it may safely be asserted 
 that Savannah will be in possession of a school edifice equalled by none in the State, 
 and perhaps surpassed by none in the South. 
 
CHAPTER YII. 
 
 THE happj' years of unhistoric note, of quiet town-life, in Savannah, were 
 approaching an end, to be followed by three years of turmoil and excitement. 
 Though not attacked during the War of 1812, Savannah's proximity to the sea made 
 her liable to an assault at any hour. This proved a daily cause of fear and unrest. 
 
 In the last month of the year 1811 the first shock of earthquake experienced in 
 Georgia, like a premonition of coming storm, caused much excitement in the city. 
 The rising war-cloud had already cast its gloom over the community. On Thurs- 
 day, the twenty-eighth of January, the notice appeared in the Savannah "Repub- 
 lican" "that Thursday next will be a day of humiliation and prayer in the Roman 
 Catholic Church in this city, to beseech the Father of Mercies to avert from this 
 nation the calamities which threaten it. Service at ten o'clock in the morning." 
 From this time meetings Avere he'd by citizens in the interest of the war question, to 
 discuss the proper means of protecting the city. The young men met in the Court 
 House for the purpose of uniting their interests in the formation of a volunteer com- 
 pany. William D. Stone was chosen chairman of the meeting, and Abraham Sheftall 
 secretary. War became the daily topic of conversation. The arrival of Major- 
 General Thomas Pinckney, of the Southern Division of the Army, caused a ripple of 
 excitement in the city, and preparations were made to entertain him. According 
 to the Savannah " Republican" of Tuesday, June twenty-second, 1812, — 
 
 Major-General Thomas Pinckney of the Southern Division arrived in town yesterday, by 
 land from Charleston — accompanied by Colonel Morris his aid-de-camp. Soon after his arrival the 
 Chatham Artillery and the Rangers repaired to the front of his lodging and greeted his visit with a 
 salute. In the afternoon the General in company with several other gentlemen, took a view of the 
 boundaries of the city. This morning he proceeded down the river to inspect Fort Jackson below 
 Five Fathom in a barge belonging to the revenue cutter James Madison. Captain Brooks of the 
 cutter acted as cockswain on the occasion, and Messrs. Hand, Nichols, Lightbourn, and Williams 
 (Masters of Vessels), dressed in blue jackets and white trousers as oarsmen. To the citizens of 
 Savannah and the Country. The committee of superintendence have adopted a plan of fortification 
 
 (115) 
 
116 " HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 for. Fort Wayne and ai'e ready to receive and put to work immediately any laborers that may be 
 sent by Patriotic Citizens conformable to the resolution of the city. 
 
 J. B. REED, Chairman Aldermen. 
 
 PROCTOR ^ Commiltee 
 
 CHARLTON I of 
 
 DUKE I Superintendence. 
 
 Fort Jackson, just mentioned, named in honor of General James Jackson, and 
 previous to that known as " Mud Fort," is about two miles below the city. The 
 land was originally conveyed to the United States by Nicholas Turnbull, by a deed 
 dated the sixteenth of May, 1808. Jurisdiction was ceded to the United States by 
 the act of the Legislature of the State of Georgia, making a general cession of juris- 
 diction, approved on December twenty-second, 1808. It was occupied during the 
 War of 1812 by a detachment of the Chatham Artillery. Destroyed by fire about 
 1833, it was not rebuilt until 1842. It is now known as Fort Oglethorpe. 
 
 The war-cloud culminated before midsummer. The mails of the twenty-fifth of 
 June brought the news to Savannah of the declaration of war against England, 
 passed by the National Senate by a majority of twelve. This led to the immediate 
 departure of General Pinckney, who, however, had had time to mature plans for the 
 fortification of Savannah, according to the following advertisement : — 
 
 Whereas, Major General Thomas Pinckney has determined to cause to be built immediately 
 on the Scite of Fort Wayne such works as are deemed advisable, and will adopt such other meas- 
 ures recommendatory of its enlargement, as in his judgment may seem jiroper, And whereas the 
 Major General has recommended to the City Council, to direct their attention to the erection of such 
 works on the south common agreeably to a plan pointed out and explained as of great importance to 
 the protection of the City. 
 
 Resolved that the Committee of Council appointed for the purpose of superintending the 
 works intended to be erected in tliis city by the corporation and, the citizens of Savannah, Thereby 
 adopt the General's recommendation and now call upon the citizens to contribute their aid and 
 furnish the laborers subscribed by them, to commence the works to be erected on the south common, 
 which will be under the direction of Captain McRae as engineer. 
 
 J. B. READ Chairman 
 
 G. V. PROCTOR f 
 
 TUP CHARLTON \ ^'""""'"®^ "/ Superintendence. 
 
 There was at the time quite a .colony of Frenchmen in Savannah, for the follow- 
 ing call to arms occurs in the Savannah " Republican " of June twenty-seventh : — 
 
HISTORIC AND PIOTUBJSSQUE SAVANNAH 117 
 
 Avis aux FrariQais de Savannah. Messieurs les Frangais qui ont sousorit pour se former en 
 compagnie, soit prevenus que la comite a fait les demarclies necessaires aupres des autliorites ct qu'en 
 consequence la nomination des officiers pour commander la ditte compagnie aura lieu Lundy pro- 
 chain 29 du Court k 10 heures du matin au palais de Justice (Court House) en presence de deux 
 juges de paix et cetera. Coriformement aux lois relatives a I'organisation de la milice. Messieurs 
 les Frangais qui n'ont pas encore souscrit et qui desirent se reunir a cette compagnie sont invites de 
 se transporter chez Mr Sommi6res chez qui, la liste de souscri'ption est deposfee de se reunir Lundy 
 prochain pour la nomination des officiers — Savannah — le 27 Juin 1812 — 
 
 Turn for a moment from these gloomy portents and read of the formation of a 
 peaceful and benevolent institution in the midst of the active preparations for war, 
 — The Hibernian Society. 
 
 The oldest Irish organization in Georgia, and one of the most substantial in the 
 United States, is the Hibernian Society, of Savannah, which was established on the 
 seventeenth of March, 1812. Its origin, purposes, and achievements are briefly 
 outlined in the following letter, which was written to supply certain material for 
 the oration delivered by the Honorable Henry R. Jackson on the seventeenth of 
 March, 1887, the occasion of the society's seventy-fifth anniversary: — 
 
 Savannah, Ga., second March, 1887. 
 Hon. Henry R. Jackson, Savannah : — 
 
 Dear Sir, — In answer to your request for such information as I possessed touching the early 
 history of the Hibernian Society, and the reasons which led to its establishment, I subjoin some data, 
 gathered largely from conversations with President Guilmartin, who, because of his long association 
 with the society, and with many of its founders, is perhaps better advised concerning its past than 
 any other of our members. 
 
 In the beginning of the present century, when Savannah had a considerable ditect trade with 
 Europe, unprincipled shipmasters brought out many Irishmen, who, knowing nothing of American 
 geography or climate, were easily misled into the belief that any one portion of the United States 
 was equally as well suited to them as any other, and that should a change of base become desirable, 
 it could be effected as readily and as speedily in America as in the old country. Landed here with- 
 out money or friends, the immigrants found out too late that manual labor, upon which alone many 
 of them depended for a livelihood, was performed chiefly by slaves. Disappointed, homesick, and 
 ignorant of the sanitary and hygienic precautions essential to the maintenance of health in this 
 climate, and destitute of the means to move away, large numbers of these men iDeriodically fell 
 victims to the fevers which were more generally prevalent then than now. 
 
 To aid such unfortunates, and to supply the wherewithal for their removal to other jsarts of the 
 country better adapted to their needs, were the fundamental reasons of the Hibernian Society's 
 institution. The founders of the society, believing that the promotion of harmony and sociability 
 among its members would be a charity not less worthy than the aid of their distressed fellow-coun- 
 
118 HISTOlilC AND PIGTUBE8QUE SAVANNAH 
 
 trymen, made provision for both objects, neither one of which has been lost sight of during the 
 many years of the society's existence. Thus, while the distribution of alms has always been made 
 to the extent of the society's means, a constitutional obligation has rested on the members to dine 
 together on each anniversary ; and this obligation has been faithfully observed, except on the anni- 
 versary of 1863, when the condition of the country, from the effects of the war, precluded the idea 
 of a convivial celebration. 
 
 The Society's long and unbroken career is undoubtedly due, in large measure, if not wholly, to 
 the constitutional clause prohibiting the discussion of partisan politics or sectarian religion at its 
 meetings. The founders, aiming, primarily, at the establishment of a fund to relieve distress among 
 their countrymen, wisely determined that that object was attainable only through an organization 
 into which Irishmen of every shade of political and religious faith could enter with the certainty that 
 their most cherished principles would be respected. It is safe to say that from 1812 down to the 
 present day no single rule of the society has been more loyally obeyed, or has more efficiently 
 achieved its purpose, than this one ; and this conservatism seems too wisely founded and deeply 
 rooted to lose its strength in the future. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 CHARLES F. PRENDERGAST, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 The society's rules limit the number of its active members to one hundred, and 
 prohibit the admission of persons who are not of Irish birth or extraction. Its con- 
 dition in all respects is more flourishing now than ever before, and its usefulness 
 promises to grow with increase of years. 
 
 Its present officers are : — 
 
 Peter W. Meldrim, President. 
 
 John R. Dillon, Vice-President. 
 
 Jordan F. Brooks, Treasurer and Marshal. 
 
 Charles F. Prendergast, Secretary. 
 
 John M. Hogan, Assistant Secretary. 
 
 James Ward, Standard-Hearer. 
 
 The fourth of July, 1812, was made a gala day in the city. Extensive celebra- 
 tions were held to commemorate the birthday of the nation's existence. In the 
 language of the time, — rather brilliant rhetoric, — let us read of the city upon that 
 national /^<e day : " The dawn was greeted by the ringing of bells, the unfurling of 
 the starry standard of our country, and the display of the soldiery by sons ready to 
 defend it. Orations, highly impressive and eloquent, commemorative of the occasion, 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTUUESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 119 
 
 were delivered at ten and twelve o'clock by George W. Owens, Esq., orator for the 
 citizens, and William Leigh Pierce, Esq., orator of the Savannah Volunteer Guards ; 
 appropriate salutes were fired throughout the day by the Military and from Fort 
 Jackson, and the day was closed with that harmony and good order which should 
 ever characterize the votaries of freedom and independence." A rich and elegant 
 dinner at the 
 
 
 
 Exchange 
 Coffee House 
 was served 
 for the "re- 
 spectable 
 Republican 
 citizens," pre- 
 pared by Mr. S. G. Bunch, of the 
 Exchange, a well-known caterer, 
 whose savory dishes tickled the 
 palates of the worthy citizens. 
 
 Not only the " respectable Republican citizens," but the Republican Blues, the 
 Chatham Rangers, and the Chatham Hussars had their special separate entertain- 
 ments, where good cheer and mirth reigned. 
 
 The victories of American arms in Northern waters towards the close of the 
 year caused joy in Savannah. Council convened in extra session on Monday, 
 December twenty-first, 1812, to record the following : — 
 
 Whereas Council are anxious to evidence their joy and exultation, and that the citizens of 
 Savannah should participate in common with their fellow-citizens, in the expression of gratitude for 
 the signal victories achieved by our Naval foi'ces, over those of our common enemy, and their warm 
 approbation of the conduct of the respective commanders of our victorious ships of war, viz : Cap- 
 tain Isaac Hull, of the frigate Constellation in the capture of the British frigate Guerrier; Captain 
 James Jones of the sloop-of-war Frolic, of much superior force to his own ship ; and Commodore 
 Decatur of the frigate United States, in the capture of the British Frigate, Macedonian; be it 
 therefore Resolved, that Friday the first of January next be recommended to the citizens of Savannah 
 to be set apart for the expression of their gratitude to the Supreme Being, for the aforesaid signal vic- 
 tories and the high sense they entertain of the gallant conduct of the said Naval Commanders, thfeir 
 officers, and crews, and also for the general joy which these naval victories have produced upon our 
 Citizens. 
 
120 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 The demonstration took place on New Year's day of 1813. On the fourth of 
 January Council met and recorded : — 
 
 The Ma3'or and Aldermen oi' the City of Savannah, anxious to evince respect for the gallant 
 officers and brave crews who achieved the glorious victories, splendid and honorable to the Ameri- 
 can Navy, invited the fellow citizens to celebrate on the opening of the year, the triumph of the 
 infant Navy, of the Republic. In conformity to the ari-angements of the Committee of Council, the 
 procession, when formed constituted the most brilliant in military appearance ever witnessed in the 
 city. The citizens having on the occasion evinced a warmth of national feeling highly honorable to 
 the American character. The Mayor and Aldermen beg leave to tender their sincere thanks to every 
 individual who, in respect to naval heroes aided in tlie celebration of great exploits. Resolved that 
 the thanks of the Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Savannah be and they are hereby tendered to 
 the officers of the Volunteer Corps who united with their fellows. Resolved that thanks be tendered 
 to the orator of the day, for liis animated and American address to the people, to the Committee of 
 Arrangements for the ability and elegance and hai'raony of the public assembly, the devices and 
 decorations of the City Hall. 
 
 In conformity to the resolution of the City Council passed the thirty-first of 
 May, 1813, requesting the meeting of the citizens for the purpose of raising funds 
 to be appropriated to the defence of the city, the citizens convened the second of 
 June at the Exchange, Honorable William Stephens being called to the chair, 
 and James M. Wayne acting as secretarj^. 
 
 It was unanimously Resolved that it is the wish and the opinion of this meeting, that the sum 
 of four thousand dollars be raised by assessment, for the purpose of effectually defending the city 
 against the attacks of the enemy. 
 
 Resolved, thai John Bolton, James Johnston, John Cumming, James Bilbo, Frederick 
 Herb, and John Eppinger Senior be appointed a committee to join with a Committee of the City 
 Council, in raising and disbursing the said sum. In accordance with these resolutions, the joint 
 committee reported the following schedule as a just assessment, to be obtained for the purpose of 
 raising such funds, to wit, on all cotton and rice owned in the city of Savannah ten cents, on the 
 hundred dollars, value. On real property forty per cent, of the city tax. On slaves not tradesmen 
 thirty cents each, enslaves, tradesmen, forty cents each, on merchandise forty per cent city tax, 
 on carriages of every description forty per cent, city tax. On white polls, eighty cents each. On 
 professions, forty per cent, on city tax ; on colored polls, forty per cent on city tax — On Planter's 
 Bank, five hundred dollars, — On all forms of factors and commission — Merchants whose taxes to 
 the city do not amount to seventy five dollars, which at forty per cent is thirty dollars, shall pay as 
 much in addition to the above scale of assessment as will make the payment thirty dollars ; or in 
 lieu thereof two per cent on the amount of their commission at the option of the party. 
 
 On lawyers and practising physicians, the same scale as the factors and commission merchants. 
 Resolved that Mr. Herb and Mr. Bilbo be a committee of the citizens to join the United Committees 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAS l2i 
 
 of officers, which report being read and agreed to, Council Resolved, that the Cause for which the 
 above Assessment was recommended being of the first importance to the safety of this City, it is 
 hoped and expected that all citizens earnest in the defence of this place, will promptly, and without 
 Delay pay, at the call of the persons appointed to receive the amount of the recommended assess- 
 ments, such sums as will appear due by the certificate of the City Treasurer. That in the opinion 
 of this Board, the Planter's Bank ought patriotically to advance the sum of five hundred dollars, and 
 tlie Agency for the Augusta Bank, one hundred dollars. 
 
 Resolved that the persons Appointed to receive the above monies, do report to the Mayor, the 
 amount of money received, and all defalcations (if such thing can happen) , arising from the non- 
 payment of the said recommended and voluntary assessment, and that the said money be deposited 
 in the treasury of the City, for the express purpose of being expended agreeably to certain resolu- 
 tions passed at the town meeting. 
 
 At the meeting on July twenty-ninth, 1813, Council passed the resolution "that a 
 committee, to be styled the ' Committee of Vigilance,' to consist of an alderman and 
 two or more respectable citizens, be appointed for the diiferent wards of the city to 
 carry into effect the act of Assembly against idle and disorderly persons having no 
 visible estate or lawful employment in this city, or who may hereafter come here." 
 
 During the summer of 1813 the arch marauder, Sir George Cockburn, in com- 
 mand of the British fleet in Southern waters, carried on a petty slave-trade. His 
 headquarters for the following winter were at Dungeness House, on Cumberland 
 Island. From thence his marauders spread along the neighboring Georgia coast a 
 wide track of desolation and alarm. Savannah was much agitated by his reported 
 appearance at Bonaventure. 
 
 On the sixth of May 1814, The Mayor convened Council to lay before them two letters 
 received by him to wit; one from John Ross Esq., dated St. Mary's the third of May informing him 
 that the enemy's squadron was oif St. Mary's with troops on board provided with a number of barges 
 for landing, and another from Captain Will Jones, commanding the troops of the United States, 
 dated Fort Wayne the fifth of May, notifying that he had received an express from the commanding 
 oflcer of the United States at Point Petre on St. Mary's river, with similar information. Appre- 
 hending that the design be against the city, he was ordered to make all possible arrangements 
 against the surprise and be in readiness to march, at a moment's warning to Point Petre. In conse- 
 quence of the information being laid before Council by His Honor the Mayor that the British Squad- 
 ron is off the port of St. Mary's and had been sounding the harbor with about two hundred troops, 
 and also the printed proclamation by Admiral Cochrane in the following words : By the Honorable 
 Sir Alexander Cockrane K.B. Vice Admiral of the Fleet and Commander-in-chief of His Majesty's 
 ships and vessels upon the North American States. A Proclamation — Whereas it has been pre- 
 sented to me that many persons now resident in the United States will with their families be received ■ 
 on board His Majesty's Ships or vessels of war, or at the Military ports that may be established upon 
 
^22 HISTORIC AND PIGTVEESQtlE SAVANNAH 
 
 or near the Coast of the United States when they will have their choice of either entering into His Maj- 
 esty's Sea or Land forces, or being sent as free settlers to the British possessions in North America 
 or the West Indies, where they will meet with all due encouragement. Since under command at 
 
 Bermuda Second Day of April 1814. 
 
 ALEXANDER COCKRANE. 
 
 By command of Vice- Admiral William Blankitohet. 
 
 God save the King. 
 
 Resolved, that His Honor the Mayor be requested to Communicate all information of which he is 
 possessed to General Mcintosh, and by mail to his Excellency the Governor. 
 
 Sir Admiral Cockrane's proclamatioQ aroused a strong feeling of alarm, and 
 resort was made to rigorous measures to prevent spies from gaining access to the 
 city. 
 
 The marshal of the district of Georgia was requested to parole British prisoners 
 of war in the city, to prevent their viewing the forts, barracks, or other public works 
 in or near the city, under penalty of close confinement should the paroles be violated. 
 All strangers were also to be immediately reported to the clerk of Council. In 
 May, 1814, the British brig-of-war " Epervier," carrying eighteen guns, was brought 
 into the Savannah river by the United States sloop-of-war " Peacock," Lewis War- 
 rington, commander. The "Epervier "had on board when captured one hundred and 
 ten thousand dollars in specie. This was confiscated, and distributed according to 
 law. 
 
 Council passed the following resolution upon the event : — 
 
 Whereas another victory has added to the glory, the lustre, and renown of the American Navy, 
 the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah are anxious on this, as they have been on other 
 occasions of similar triumphs to pay the tribute of respect to unparalleled skill and valor of the 
 heroes of the Ocean. Be it therefore unanimously resolved, that the Mayor and Aldermen of the 
 City of Savannah do feel sincere gratitude and respect for the distinguished conduct and noble ser- 
 vices of Captain AVarrington, the gallant officers and crew in the late victory over the British Sloop 
 of War Epervier. 
 
 On the twenty-second of July, 1814, the news of another victory led to the 
 passing of the following preamble : — 
 
 Wliereas another great and brilliant exploit has bestowed on the skill, courage. Self Devotion 
 and Patriotism of the Hero Porter, his officers and crew, a splendour and glory never before acquired 
 under similar circumstances and given a reputation to the American Navy which neither vaunts nor 
 misrepresentations of the enemy can prevent carrying fear and terror to his thousand Ships, and 
 whereas this glorious achievement united to the noble efforts of the illustrious Porter, his officers 
 
SlSTORtC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 123 
 
 and crew, to promote the fame and the interest of their Country in their long, perilous and unex- 
 ampled cruise demand not only heartfelt gratitude of every citizen of the Republic, but particularly 
 of every public body and department of the Country. Be it therefore unanimously resolved by the 
 Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Savannah that for and in behalf of themselves, and their Fellow 
 Citizens of Savannah, they beg leave most respectfully to tender to Captain David Porter, late of the 
 Essex Frigate, his officers and crew this high opinion of the skill. Perseverance and Patriotism 
 evinced throughout the long and perilous Cruise of the Essex, as well as the sincere profound and 
 unaffected gratitude with whicli they have been inspired by the great glorious and unexampled skill 
 and heroism displayed by Captain Porter, the brave officers and gallant Seamen in the unequal con- 
 test of the Essex with the British Frigate Phoebe and the Sloop of AVar Cherub. 
 
 On September sixth, 1814, the following gentlemen were elected aldermen : 
 John B. Norris, T. U. P. Charlton, Isaac Fell, J. B. Read, R. Mackay, George 
 Jones, J. Hersman, H. Mcintosh, E. Harden, Alex. S. Roe, M. McAllister, Th. 
 Bourke, Wm. B. Bullock. From this number Aldermen Charlton, Roe, and Norris 
 were selected a Committee of Vigilance to " guard against the introduction of sus- 
 picious characters into the city, and to have weekly returns from all taverns, lodging 
 and boarding house keepers, of the numbers of names and business of such persons, 
 and to act towards them as the law and ordinances direct, and they are required to 
 aid in ascertaining the earliest information of the approach of the enemy by land or 
 water and are empowered to appoint a Secretary to record proceedings. Resolved 
 that the sum of five hundred dollars be and is hereby appropriated and put at the 
 disposal of the Committee for the public good." With more faith in the eflScacy of 
 example than precept, at the meeting of Council on the twenty-sixth of September, 
 1814, it was "resolved unanimously that the Mayor and Aldermen meet at the 
 Council Chamber on Thursday morning at eight o'clock, with hoes, axes, and spades, 
 for the purpose of giving personal aid in the erection of fortifications. The citizens 
 are also recommended to unite in similar bodies." The fortifications of the city, 
 which throughout the three years of war were carried on alternately by the military 
 and the citizens, when completed consisted of earthworks with batteries mounted 
 upon platforms at irregular intervals. "The line of fortifications began near the 
 intersection of Farm street with the river ; thence running south along the western 
 edge of the ridge upon which the city was built, until it reached and enclosed Spring 
 Hill ; thence bending to the east and south-east it surrounded the Old Jail ; and 
 thence pursuing a north easterly direction crossing East Broad street, at the inter- 
 section of South Broad street, until it reached the Magazine, when an almost due 
 north course conducted it along the brow of the hill again to the River." 
 
124 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAS 
 
 On the eighth of December, 1814, the Committee of Vigilance was discharged, 
 owing to the arrival of Brigadier-General Floyd with a considerable military force 
 in and near the city. 
 
 A season of fresh alarm prevailed in Savannah, for we find Council on the 
 twenty-first of January, 1815, requesting Commodore Hugh G. Campbell, in com- 
 mand of the United States fiotilla stationed off Savannah, to sink vessels at any 
 points he might deem expedient for the obstruction of the river. The Vigilance 
 Committee was reappointed, but the prudent precautions were not tested. The 
 twenty-first of February found Council passing a vote of thanks to General Andrew 
 Jackson for his successes before New Orleans. 
 
 A week later, on February twenty-eighth, the President's proclamation of peace 
 brought relief to the recently agitated town, and there was published the following 
 in one of the daily papers : — 
 
 Whereupon unanimously Resolved that the happy tidings of Peace being announced by the 
 Proclamation of tlie President. The Citizens of Savannah are respectfully invited to set aside 
 Saturday next, fourth of March, as a day for innocent recreation and amusement, in consequence of 
 the ratification of the Treaty of Peace, with Great Britain, founded on a Basis of perfect reciprocity 
 and honorable to this Nation Resolved that the Board having heretofore devoted all the means and 
 energies in the prosecution of just war, now hails the return of Peace and Amity and Commerce 
 which it is hoped will follow this gratifying event, and declares itself equally devoted to the Main- 
 tenance of Peace and Friendship with the subjects of Great Britain. Always having had in view 
 the sacred and patriotic duty of considering in the scope of its authority, all persons " enemies in 
 war, in peace friends." 
 
 Votes of thanks were passed by the grateful City Fathers, in behalf of them- 
 selves and the citizens, to Commodore Campbell, Major-General Pinckney, and the 
 late Major McAllister for their timely services, zeal, and advice during the 
 threatened invasion. The extended resolutions of the City Council of Savannah 
 during the three years' war have been given verbatim, better to convey the temper 
 of the times than brief extracts would have done. 
 
 Once more peaceful avocations resumed sway over the small community ; a 
 depleted exchequer alone bore proof to the recent presence of war. Rather amusing 
 is a notice in one of the papers of the day, called a " Close Shave in Finances." 
 
 The Finance Committee submitted to Council the following report, showing the 
 receipts and expenditures of the city of Savannah from August first, 1812, to August 
 first, 1813, to wit:- 
 
HISTOIUO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 125 
 
 The aggregate income from all sources, twenty-six thousand one hundred and sixty-five dollars. 
 The aggregate expenses, twenty-six thousand one hundred and sixty dollars, the balance in 
 the treasury consisting of five dollars ! 
 
 A light glance at the city during the years of the war agitation discloses an 
 increase in hotels. The Georgia Hotel was opened in 1812 ; there were held weekly 
 meetings of a whist club. The opening of Washington Hall, on the corner of Jeffer- 
 son and Bay streets, occurred the same year. This new and spacious hotel proved a 
 formidable rival to the hitherto popular hostelry on the Bay, " Gunn's Tavern." The 
 carrier system for delivering newspapers was a recognized part of the city machinery 
 in 1812. Evidences of the War of 1812 are to be found to this day in Savannah, 
 in the naming of her squares and streets. Naval heroes and victorious battles were 
 commemorated by Chippewa and Orleans squares, Hull, McDonough, and Perry 
 streets. In 1816 a school was established, known as the " Savannah Free School." 
 
 In that same year the Methodist church, called Wesley Chapel, begun in 1813, 
 on the north-east corner of South Broad and Lincoln streets, was completed and 
 dedicated. Here the congregation continued to worship till 1866. 
 
 Methodism had but a slender foothold in Savannah in the early years of the 
 century. In 1813, Samuel Dunwody succeeded in organizing the first Methodist 
 Society. The house of worship was begun while the society was under the charge of 
 James Russell, one of the most eloquent preachers ever heard in Georgia, who relied 
 for support upon the reaping and selling of marsh-grass for horse and cattle food. 
 
 The best talent of the church was employed to build up Methodism in 
 Savannah. William Capers, James O. Andrew, and George F. Pierce, three of the 
 greatest preachers in the South of that denomination, all afterwards elected bishops, 
 were pastors in charge of Old Wesley Chapel. 
 
 Ignatius A. Few, the first president of Emory College, Elijah Sinclair, the 
 founder of the Wesleyan Female College, Daniel Curry, James Sewell, Lovick 
 Pierce, E. H. Myers, R. J. Corley, and others, all famous preachers, served as 
 pastors of Wesley Chapel or of Trinity Church. 
 
 Early in the year 1818 the question of a theatre began to take form. Two 
 lots in Brown Ward were given for the erection of a building to the trustees of the 
 Savannah Theatre, James Bilbo, James Morrison, Alexander Telfair, Jonathan 
 Battelle, and William Gaston, Esquires, by a deed signed on the twenty-eighth day 
 of February, 1818, by James M. Wayne, Mayor ; John Tanner, Hazen Kimball, 
 Joseph Habersham, Frederick Densler, William Davies, Paul Thomasson, and G. 
 
126 
 
 BIS TOR fC AND PIOTUSMSQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 W. Owens, a majority of the aldermen. Mr. Jay was secured as architect. On the 
 fourth of December, 1818, the theatre was opened for the first time, with the fol- 
 lowing programme, taken from the " Columbus Museum and Savannah Daily 
 Gazette," Thursday, December third, 1818 : -^ 
 
 THEATRE. 
 The manager has the pleasure of respectfully informing the public that the new theatre will 
 open on Friday, December fourth, 1818. 
 
 Chery 
 
 s Comedy of the " Soldier's Daughter." 
 
 Gov. Heartall Mr. Faulkner. 
 
 Frank Heartall 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Young. 
 
 Malfort, Sen. . 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Horton. 
 
 " Jun. . 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Fennel. 
 
 Capt. Woodley 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Drummond. 
 
 Mr. Ferret 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Clarke. 
 
 Timothy Quaint 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Dalton. 
 
 Simon Quaint . 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Quin. 
 
 William " . 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Seward. 
 
 John ' ' . 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Schonoth. 
 
 Widow Cheerly 
 
 
 
 
 Mrs. Young. 
 
 Mrs. Malfort . 
 
 
 
 
 " Drummond. 
 
 Mrs. Fidget . 
 
 
 
 
 " Clarke. 
 
 Susan 
 
 
 
 
 " Horton. 
 
 Mrs. Townley . 
 
 
 
 
 " Faulkner. 
 
 epilogue to be spoken by Mrs. Young, to which will be added the farce of 
 
 " Raising the Wind." 
 
 .Teremy Diddler Mr. Dalton. 
 
 Fainwould 
 
 
 " Fennel. 
 
 Richard . 
 
 
 
 " Hyatt. 
 
 Plainway . 
 
 
 
 " Clarke. 
 
 Sam . 
 
 
 
 " Brown. 
 
 Waiters . 
 
 
 
 Quin and Seward. 
 
 Miss Durable . 
 
 
 
 Mrs. Clarke. 
 
 Peggy . 
 
 'Iciir 
 
 fiYfafinr 
 
 \\T I'/iirviaina 
 
 Mrs. Drummond. 
 
 said to be the oldest house of histrionic art in use in the United States. Within its 
 walls have figured many of the great dramatic and operatic stars that have rendered 
 the American and English stages fixmous. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 127 
 
 About fen days before the formal opening of the theatre, there appeared the 
 first issue of the daily paper "The Georgian," edited by Doctor JohnM. Harney, an 
 erratic son of genius, whose remarkable " Curse upon Savannah " has given him an 
 undying notoriety within the community. Brilliant Bohemian that he was. Doctor 
 Harney soon exhausted the patience and the purses of his friends. 
 
 DOCTOR HARNEY'S FAREWELL TO SAVANNAH. 
 
 Farewell to Savannah! forever farewell! 
 
 The hot-bed of rogues, the terrestrial Hell ! 
 
 Where Satan has fixed his headquarters on earth, 
 
 And outlaw'd integrity, wisdom, and worth. 
 
 Where villany thrives and where honesty begs. 
 
 Where folly is purse-proud, and wisdom in rags; 
 
 Where man is worth nothing, except in one sense. 
 
 Which they always compute in pounds, shillings, and pence; 
 
 Where the greatest freeholder is a holder of Slaves, 
 
 And he that has most, about Freedom most raves. 
 
 Where they'd worship a Calf, if like Aaron of old. 
 
 Where the Devil may reign, if liis sceptre be gold; 
 
 Where against knavery is constantly bawling, 
 
 For they seldom agree who pursue the same calling. 
 
 With bailiffs he drives every rogue from the town 
 
 Determined to put all competitors down; 
 
 Where even the churches, subservient to gain. 
 
 Are bought in by stock-jobbers, to sell out again. 
 
 Each pew is a lucrative turnpike to heaven. 
 
 At which an exorbitant toll must be given ; 
 
 At fifty per cent, you must purchase salvation. 
 
 And the rich have monopolized all that's in fashion. 
 
 When the most approved tests of a gentleman are 
 
 The taste of his wine and his Spanish Segar ; 
 
 If these recommend, he's a gentleman sure. 
 
 Though a fool or a, rogue, whether Christian or Moor. 
 
 Where your friend must compute, ere he asks you to dine. 
 
 First your value to him, then the cost of his wine. 
 
 Then if it appear he will not be a winner 
 
 To the Devil you may go — not to him — for a dinner. 
 
 When the girls cannot tell, if they win you they'd wed you 
 
 Without pencil and slate to subtract and to add to. 
 
 They make a shrewd bargain miscalled Matrimony — 
 
 'Tis a mercantile business, a matter of money ; 
 
128 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 For a union in wedlock, in friendship, and trade. 
 
 Are alike by the rules of arithmetic made. 
 
 Each nation is marked by some national crime, 
 
 Which is changed as the fruit of the Soil or the Clime. 
 
 But the soil of Savannah new vigor imparts, 
 
 To vices transplanted from all foreign parts. 
 
 Cursed be the winds that blew me to your strand; 
 
 Your houses are board, and your alleys are Sand! 
 
 Oh, still may your beds be the Moss from your trees! 
 
 Long life to your bed-bugs, the same to your fleas ! 
 
 May all your free citizens, wealthy or poor, 
 
 Be bribed for their votes, as they have heretofore! 
 
 May every qhack Doctor be patronized still, 
 
 And his talents be judged by the length of his bill; 
 
 May all your (juack Lawyers find themes for their tongues. 
 
 And their brains get the applause that is due to their lungs; 
 
 May your miserly merchants still cheat for their pence, 
 
 And, with scarce any brains, show a good deal of cents! 
 
 Now, to finish my curses upon your ill city. 
 
 And express in few words all the sum of my ditty, 
 
 I leave you, Savannah — a curse that is far 
 
 The worst of all curses — to remain as you are! 
 
 Doctor Hai'ney's successors in the editorship of the " Georgian " were Israel 
 K. Tefft and Harry James Finn. Upon the twenty-first of March, 1821, the 
 " Georgian " appeared with the name of Tefft and Finn at its liead. Harry James 
 Finn, a distinguished actor among a galaxy of dramatic talent that came to Savannah 
 in the fall of 1818, when the theatre wiis first opened, did not long pursue his news- 
 paper venture. He returned to the footlights, adopting the 7-dle of " genteel comedy," 
 which won him the reputation of one of the best representatives on the American 
 stage, before untimely death cut short his career. Far difiierent the life of his one-time 
 partner and associate editor, Isaac K. Tefft ! Mr. Tefft edited the paper alone for 
 some time, then sold it to Mr. George Eobertson, who later associated his brother, 
 William Eobertson, with him. In 1833, Doctor K. D. Arnold and William H. 
 Bulloch, Esq., became joint editors and proprietors of the " Georgian." Thus it 
 remained till 1835, when Mr. Bulloch purchased Dr. Arnold's interest. In 1849, 
 another change was made ; Henry K. Jackson and Philip J. Punch bought the 
 paper, admitting S. S. Sibley as a partner. Successive changes occurred, till, in 
 1859, its publication was suspended never to be resumed. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 129 
 
 On the thirteonth of January, 1817, with impressive ceremonies, the corner-stone 
 was laid of the present beautiful edifice of the Independent Presbyterian church. In 
 the month of May, 1819, the church was dedicated. An extract from the "Columbian 
 Museum and Savannah Daily Gazette," published on Monday, May tenth, 1819, 
 gives the following : — 
 t 
 Yesterday the New Independent Presbytei-ian Cliurcli which has been bnilding in this city and 
 now nearly finished was solemnly dedicated to the service of Almighty God. An able and imisressive 
 Discourse was delivered from the second chapter of Haggai and ninth verso. For grandeur of 
 design and neatness of execution, we presume this Church is not surpassed by any in the United 
 States. It is seldom that we discover a scene more affecting and impressive than this solemn cere- 
 mony afforded ; and in this city we never witnessed such an immense congregation so large a por- 
 tion of which was formed of female beauty ; also the President of the United States and Suite 
 and other distinguished personages belonging to the Army and Navy of the United States who 
 listened with pious attention to the learned, ajjpropriate, and eloquent Discourse of the Reverend 
 Pastor. In no other than the house of God, in the midst of so imposing a scene, we could, and with 
 emphasis, echo the words of the Reverend preacher Doctor Henry Kollock. "The gloiy of this 
 latter house, shall be greater than the former, in this place will I give peace salth the Lord of 
 hosts ! " The psalms and hymns interspersed through the service were peculiarly well adapted to 
 the solemnity of the occasion, and the performance of the vocal music tended to elevate the soul to 
 sublime and heavenly musings. The respectful attention and the fervency of the responses all com- 
 bined to induce the belief that the heart accompanied the lips in su25plication to the throne of Divine 
 Grace. 
 
 The Independent Presbyterian church with its dependencies constitutes one of 
 the imposing ecclesiastic features of the City. Commanding on Bull street, with the 
 low, picturesque, brick lecture-room adjacent, it extends on South Broad street 
 towards Whitaker street, where stands the gray-toned parsonage. 
 
 According to the conditions of the legacy left to the church by the late Miss 
 Mary Telfair, the marked features of the interior, the high Dutch pulpit and the 
 galleries, can never be materially altered. 
 
 Many eminent divines have held this pastorate. Conspicuous among them were 
 Doctor Henry Kollock and Doctor Willard Preston. The present venerable pastor 
 emeritus, I. S. K. Axson, D.D., has officiated for more than a generation, rendering 
 himself beloved to the community at large, as well as to his immediate charge. The 
 congregation is the richest in the city. 
 
 A dependency of the church is the Anderson-street Mission, which originated 
 from prayer-meetings held on Sunday afternoons in Frewtown. Mrs. Frew, a 
 
130 
 
 mSTOBIG AND L'lVTOBEHQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 
 zealous member of the church, donated a lot on the corner of Anderson and 
 Barnard streets, on condition that the trustees of the Independent Church would 
 erect thereon a chapel. This was completed in 1869, and to-day the Anderson- 
 street Church ministers to an increasing con- 
 gregation, under the care of Reverend E. Q. 
 Wade. 
 
 James Monroe, the fifth President of the 
 United States, and the second to visit Savan- 
 nah, was received in the city on Saturday 
 afternoon, the eighth of May, 1819, with every 
 demonstration of delight to honor the Chief 
 Magistrate. He was conducted 
 to the newly built house of Wil- 
 liam Scarborough, Esq., on West 
 Broad street. This 
 house, still bearing 
 evidence of its early 
 grandeur, with the 
 mutations of time 
 has become a public 
 school for colored 
 children. The re- 
 ception accorded 
 the President of the 
 United States was 
 the beginning of a 
 series of hospitable 
 acts extended to 
 eminent men that 
 ever marked the 
 mansion during the 
 lifetime of its 
 owner and liberal 
 entertainer, — William Scarborough, a "merchant prince" of Savannah, to whom 
 the city owed much of its advancement. A public ball was given in the President's 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANN4H 131 
 
 honor, in a building prepared for the occasion in Johnson square. " The entrance 
 will be at the southern door, and carriages are requested to drive in on the western, 
 and out at the eastern part of the space, from which the railing has been removed, 
 passing round on the outside of the enclosure toward the church and Bank." The 
 President remained for five days in Savannah, on Wednesday, the twelfth, enjoying 
 a novel excursion. This was a trip to Tybee, on the new steamship the " City of 
 Savannah," lately arrived within the Savannah's waters, preparatory to its first trip 
 across the 'ocean. A pubhc dinner was given on the same day, at five o'clock, in a 
 booth erected for the occasion at the east end of the bay. 
 
 The booth was ornamented with wreaths and branches of laurel. At the head of the table was 
 an ai'ch composed of laurels beautifully decorated with roses, so disposed as to form the name of 
 James Monroe. The company having dined, the following toasts were announced from the chair 
 accompanied with appropriate music from the stand. During the giving of toasts, the Dallas fired 
 salutes, her commander having obligingly tendered his services fen- the occasion. On the President 
 retiring from the table a grand national salute was opened which made the welkin ring. Toasts : 
 I. Our Country. In her infancy she is mighty in the first class of nations, what will be the Meridian 
 of her life ? II. The Federal Union. May the head be accursed that shall insidiously plot its dis- 
 solution, the arm withered that shall aim a blow at its existence. III. The Constitution of the 
 United States, framed by the wisdom of sages, may our statesmen and our posterity regard it as the 
 National ark of political safety never to be abandoned. IV. The Military, Naval, Legislative, and 
 Diplomatic Worthies of the Revolution. It is our duty and delight to honor them and to tell their 
 deeds with filial piety. V. General George Washington, Revered be his memory ! Let our states- 
 men and our Warriors obey his precepts, our youth emulate his virtues and services, and our country 
 is safe. VI. The Cession of the Ploridas — Honorable to the Administration and useful to the United 
 States it completes the form of the Republic. VII. Major General Andrew Jackson — The hero of 
 New Orleans the brave defender of his country and indicator of its injured honor. VIII. Adams, 
 Jefferson, and Madison — They have withdrawn from public duty, and illustrious by their virtues, 
 and services, caiTy with them a nation's gratitude. IX. The Navy. Imperishable fame accom- 
 panies the star spangled banner. In the last war wo coped with Britain on the ocean ; now we hear 
 of no search, no impressment. X. The Army — Our pillar of protection on the land; their valor 
 and patriotism won the victories of York and of Erie, of Chippewa, and of Niagara. XI. The 
 Militia — Yet the bulwark of our country. Invincibles fell before them in the battle of Baltimore, 
 and of Plattsburg, of the Thames, and of New Orleans. XII. Concord between the North and the 
 South, the East and the West. May unanimity till the end of time, falsify the timid fears of those 
 who predict dissolution. XIII. The American Fair — May they always be mothers to a race of 
 patriots. Volunteers — By President of the United States. The people oi' the United States. They 
 constitute but one family, and may the bond which unites them together as brethren and freemen be 
 eternal. By John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War — The freedom of the Press, and the responsibility 
 of Public Agents. The sure foundation of the noble fabric of American liberty. By Major General 
 
132 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Gaines — The memory of Jackson, Tattnall, and Telfair. The choice, the piide and ornament of 
 Georgia. By Mr. Middleton — The memory of Genei-al Greene, who conquered for liberty. By 
 Major General Floyd — Our Country — May its prosperity be as lasting, as its government is free. 
 After the President and Secretary of War had retired. By the Mayor — The President of the United 
 States. By William Bullock Esq. Vice President — Mr. Calhoun, Secretary at War. The distin- 
 guished Statesman, the virtuous citizen. By General John Mcintosh. Peace with all the world as 
 long as they respect our rights — disgrace and defeat to the power who would invade them. By 
 Colonel James E.Houstoun — The memory of General Lachlan Mcintosh. By General Mitchell — The 
 late war — a practical illustration of the energy of our republic. After the Mayor retired, James M. 
 Wayne, Mayor of the City. By Colonel Marshall — The Governor of the State of Georgia — A 
 virtuous man and zealous chief Magistrate. After the Vice President retired, William B. Bullock. 
 Our respected citizen. By Colonel Harden — The assistant Vice Presidents of the day — Charles 
 Harris, Matthew McAllister and John Eppinger Esqrs. By John H. Ash — Colonel James Marshall, 
 a skilful officer, and the friend of his country. By Major Gray — We are a free and happy people, 
 and while enjoying every blessing let us not forget the great Author from whom all good emanates. 
 By Josiah Davenport — The union of our country. May the last trump alone dissolve it. 
 
 At six o'clock on Thursday, May thirteenth, the President and his suite set out 
 for Augusta, accompanied by a military and civil escort, mounted, for a few miles 
 on the Augusta road. Mention has been made of the "City of Savannah," destined 
 to be the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. To the merchants of Savannah, and 
 foremost among them to William Scarborough, Esq., must be given the honor of 
 conceiving and carrying into execution this project. Mr. Scarborough and a few 
 ■associates were incorporated by the Legislature of Georgia, in 1818, under the name 
 of the " Savannah Steamship Company." At a meeting of the stockholders on the 
 twenty-fifth of February, 1819, the following persons were elected directors: 
 William Scarborough, Robert Isaac, S. C. Dunning, James S. Bullock, and Joseph 
 Habersham. The shares of the company were readily sold, and the project was 
 entered into with spirit and perseverance. Pott and McKinnie, of New York, were 
 selected, as the agents of the company, to attend to the building of the ship, the hull, 
 etc., which was built in New York, while the iron works were made at Eliza- 
 bethtown. New Jersey. The " City of Savannah" was launched and ready for sea by 
 the middle of March. On March twenty-eight, 1819, she made her trial trip from 
 New York to Savannah, receiving an enthusiastic greeting from hundreds of citizens 
 assembled on the wharves to welcome her, commanded by Captain Moses Rogers, 
 an experienced engineer. On May twentieth she sailed for Liverpool, according to 
 the advertisement, in ballast, without, however, any passengers. Just one month 
 later she came to anchor in the harbor of Liverpool. The paddles were so made 
 
HISTORIC AND fKlTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 133 
 
 that they could be removed from the shaft in twenty minutes without any difficulty. 
 Approaching Liverpool they were resumed, to produce an astonishing effect upon 
 British on-lookers ; " with wheels plying to the utmost and all sails set, she went 
 into the Mersey, proud as any princess going to her crowning, the spectators abso- 
 lutely astounded at her appearance." Her journey was yet of longer duration. 
 Remaining in Liverpool for a month, visited by thousands, she then continued her 
 way to St. Petersburg, where Captain Rogers and his novel craft were received with 
 every mark of respect and admiration. The twentieth of November of the same 
 year found her steaming into the port whose name she bore, with " neither a screw, 
 bolt, nor rope yard parted," according to her proud commander, notwithstanding 
 much rough weather experienced. Later sold to a company of New York merchants, 
 and divested of her steam apparatus, she was converted into a sailing-packet between 
 Savannah and New York, and was finally lost off the coast of Long Island. Unfortu- 
 nately, as a financial venture she was fifteen years in advance of the age. In 1856, 
 upon the opening of the Crystal Palace in London, the Allaire Works in New 
 York deposited as one of their contributions the identical cylinder of the old steam- 
 ship the " City of Savannah." It is now on exhibition in the Crystal Palace, and the 
 onlj' known part of the steamship in existence. The " Savannah's " log-book is also 
 to be seen at the Crystal Palace. 
 
CHAPTEE YIII. 
 
 THE year of Savannah's prosperity and rejoicing was followed by one of destruc- 
 tion and death. At the outset of 1820, on January eleventh, the second great fire 
 swept over Savannah. The people had barely recovered from the shock caused from 
 the disaster, before a pestilence appeared in their midst, carrying a large proportion 
 to early graves. An account taken from the " Georgian " of Monday, January seven- 
 teenth, 1820, makes vivid the scene of desolation from the fire. 
 
 The City of Savannah, after a lapse of twenty four years has again experienced the horrors of 
 a conflagration, far surpassing in violence and destruction the melancholy fire in 1796. The build- 
 ings then were of little value compared to those recently lost. The genius of desolation could not 
 have chosen a spot within the limits of our city, where so widespread a scene of misery, ruin and 
 despair might be laid, as that which was I'ccently the centre of health and industry, now a heap of 
 worthless ruins. On Tuesday morning between the iiours of one and two o'clock an alarm of fire 
 was given from the livery stable of Mr. Boon, on the trust lot of Isaac Fell, Esq., situated in Baptist 
 Church Square, in the immediate vicinity of Mai-ket Square, around which the buildings were almost 
 exclusive of wood. They were in a most combustible state, from a long continuance of dry weather. 
 When the Conflagration reached Market Square, a heavy explosion of gun-powder added greatly to the 
 general destruction. For the information of readers at a distance the principal streets of the city run 
 parallel with the river nearly East and West, beginning at Bay Street one side of which only is built 
 up at the distance generally of about three or four hundred feet from the top of the blufl^, beneath 
 which runs the river. These streets are intersected by others at right angles and at regular intervals, 
 spacious squares are left open into which the property rescued from the flames was hastily thrown. 
 Broughton street the most considerable in the city runs parallel with Bay street, above described and 
 five smaller streets and lanes thickly built are comprehended between those two streets. Ninety four 
 lots were left naked, containing three hundred and twenty one wooden buildings, many, often 
 double tenements, thirty five brick, four hundred and sixty three buildings, exclusive of out build- 
 ings. The estimated loss upwards of four millions. The fire was extinguished between twelve and 
 one o'clock the next day, and if possible the scene became more painfully distressing. Wherever an 
 open space promised security from the flames, property of every description had been deposited in 
 vast heaps. Some were gazing in silent despair on the scene of destruction, others were busily and 
 sorrowfully employed in collecting what little was spared to them. Alas, never did the sun set on 
 
 (134) 
 
mSTOEIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 135 
 
 a gloomier day for Savannah, or on so many aching Iiearts. Those whose avocations called them 
 forth that night, will long remember its sad and solemn stillness, interrupted only by the sullen 
 sound of falling ruins. During the excitement while the heart of the city was wrapped in flames, 
 each one was too busy for reflection, but when the danger was past and the unfortunate sufferers 
 had leisure to contemplate the extent of their losses, a generous mind may conceive, but it is impos- 
 sible to describe their feelings of despair. 
 
 The destruction by the fire of the market buildings enabled the City Fathers 
 to make a change in the market site. An ordinance was passed authorizing the 
 erection of a public market on the green of South Broad street, "the centre of 
 which shall be opposite Barnard street, extending east and west of South Broad 
 street." So important was this change, that the name of the street became 
 Market street, posted in large letters on the market building and other parts of 
 the street. To make the site a permanent one, a number of town-meetings were 
 held. The citizens in favor of the old site waged a hot warfare, records were 
 searched, arguments for and against were published in the daily papers, with the 
 final result, a return to the old site in Ellis square. In the Saturday's issue of 
 the "Georgian," on December first, 1821, the following advertisement occurs: 
 "To epicures, the market in Ellis Square, the old spot will be opened on 
 Monday morning next third of December with good beef, veal, mutton, pork, 
 fowls, fish and vegetables. The Butchers." We cannot fail to entertain the feeling 
 of satisfaction that must have possessed the worthy anti-new marketites, when 
 upon that December morning they resumed their market-baskets and trudged the 
 old familiar way ; yea, the thrill of triumph seizes us, and we join with them in the 
 wish that the time-honored spot be the market-place a hundred years hence, — 
 nay, forever. Add new markets, if needs must, to suit the wants of the growing 
 city, but turn not the original site from its purpose. 
 
 Generous aid came to Savannah from Northern and Southern States ; those 
 in comfortable circumstances endeavoring to allay the suffering and distress of their 
 more unfortunate fellow-citizens. A baker, by name Brasch, deserves remem- 
 brance, from this advertisement : " Bread Gratis. Those persons who have been 
 burnt out by the late fire, and who have not the means of purchasing bread, will 
 be supplied at the establishment of the subscriber gratis, for eight days from this 
 date. P. Brasch." A year or so afterward the name P. Brasch heads a list of 
 names for aldermen for the city, the generous baker honored by the city which 
 he had favored in its distress. Again, we see: "Notice to Distressed Persons. 
 
136 
 
 EI8T0RIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 The corner house on the lane on the east of Barnard street, now in possession of 
 Major John Scriven, is the place of deposit for Eice and Corn furnished by the 
 Planters of our Country for the use of all who want either of those articles — they will 
 be delivered under the superintendence of Alderman Bourke at nine o'clock in the 
 
 morning. Beef also kindly furnished by the same 
 persons, will be delivered at the same time and 
 place, under the direction of John H. Ash, Esquire,' 
 and one or either of these gentlemen will attend to- 
 morrow and begin to issue the above aid to the 
 poor." 
 
 The fifth of September a vessel arrived from 
 the West Indies with yellow-fever on board. In a 
 few days the fever had gained a foothold in the city, 
 
 and in two months' 
 time two- hundred 
 and thirty-nine 
 persons had been 
 stricken down; 
 many iied from the 
 city. A census, 
 taken late in Octo- 
 ber, showed that 
 out of the seven 
 thousand five 
 hundred and twen- 
 ty-three inhabitants, 
 at the outbreak of 
 the pestilence, but 
 one thousand four 
 hundred and ninety- 
 four remained in the 
 city, and three hundred and forty-three houses were uninhabited. The loss of life 
 was confined mostly to the foreign population who had come the winter previous. 
 On Monday, October second, 1820, the following motion was passed: "Resolved 
 that the Mayor be requested to issue a spirited address, requesting citizens to use 
 
EISTOBIO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 137 
 
 their utmost efforts to collect leaves and berries, fallen from the effects of yester- 
 day's storm, and to carry them on the common, for if not removed, an increased 
 state of disease will attend the door of every person neglecting this suggestion, in 
 the meantime, ail the aid in the power of the Mayor is requested to be employed for 
 this necessary purpose." On Thursday, the ninth of November, 1820, on the motion 
 of Alderman Sheftall, it was "Eesolved unanimously that Council tender to the 
 Mayor their thanks, for his manly sympathies and generous conduct during the 
 malignant disease which afflicted our devoted city during the past season." Thanks 
 were also tendered to Peter Schick, Esq., " for the faithful, unremitted and vigilant 
 discharge of his perilous and highly important duties, as Superintendent and 
 Commander of the City Guard, during the awful period of the late desolating 
 pestilence." 
 
 In 1821 occurs the first mention of a salary in connection with the mayoralty, 
 when a committee was appointed to prepare a bill entitled " An ordinance for allow- 
 ing the mayor a salary annually." 
 
 The corner-stone of the synagogue on the north-east corner of Liberty and 
 Whitaker streets was laid on Wednesday, the twentieth of April, 1820, with 
 impressive ceremonies, in the presence of a large concourse of witnesses. On the 
 fourth of December, 1829, the wooden synagogue was destroyed by an accidental 
 fire ; the seraphim and ark, however, were saved without injury. 
 
 In 1838 a brick structure was erected on the same site. Here the congrega- 
 tion continued to worship till the erection of the present Gothic temple on Monterey 
 square. An interesting bit of Jewish pastoral history is connected with the present 
 pastor of Mickva Israel. He belongs to a family of ministers to whom falls the honor 
 of ministering to the oldest Hebrew congregations in America. 
 
 Abraham P. Mendes, whilst principal of Northwick College, London, England, 
 educated for the ministry his two sons, De Sola and H. Pereira Mendes, with his 
 nephew, Isaac P. Mendes. To-day, Abraham P. Mendes presides over the Hebrew 
 congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, his son, H. Pereira Mendes, over that of 
 Sliearith Israel, New York City, and his nephew, Isaac P. Mendes, over that of 
 Mickva Israel, Savannah, Georgia, the three constituting the oldest Hebrew congre- 
 gations in America. Isaac P. Mendes wus elected in December, 1873, as minister 
 to the congregation of Beth Shalome, Richmond, Virginia. In May of 1877 he 
 received a unanimous call to Savannah, where he continues his labors as a zealous, 
 untiring pastor. 
 
138 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 " The Savannah Widows' Society for the relief of indigent widows with 
 families, and other destitute females," due to the charitable impulses of a number 
 of ladies in the city, was instituted on January first, 1822. The society was for 
 many years sustained in its work by annual subscriptions and voluntary donations 
 from the good people of the city. In 1834, two lots on South Broad street were given 
 by the City Fathers, the society erecting a row of small wooden buildings, to serve 
 as an asylum for aged pensioners. Here the society remained till 1859, when, 
 owing to the bequest of Mrs. Dorothea Abraham, it , came into possession of 
 the building, admirably adapted for the purpose, on the north-east corner of 
 Broughton and East Broad streets. The " Abraham's Home " (so named for 
 the donor) "for aged women, without regard to religious sect or nationality," now 
 shelters thirty-six aged women, wjio find within its walls the comforts and the 
 privacy of a home. 
 
 A companion charity is the " Mary Telfair Home," a bequest from Miss Mary 
 Telfair, consisting of four brick tenement buildings on President street. This was 
 thrown open in the year 1883, for the reception of widows with families of small 
 children. To each family is given a flat of three rooms, with partial support in 
 health, and additional aid in time of sickness. Both homes are under the manage- 
 ment of the Savannah Widows' Society, of whom the following ladies constitute the 
 present board : — 
 
 Mes. 0. Cohen . . . . 
 
 . 
 
 First Directress, 
 
 Mrs. J. W. Lathrop 
 
 . 
 
 Second Directress 
 
 Mrs. Champion . . . . 
 
 . 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Miss Tufts . . . . , 
 
 . 
 
 '^Dreasurer. 
 
 Miss Fanny Minis, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 William Lawton, 
 
 Mrs. G. L. Cope, Sr., 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 M. Maclean, 
 
 Mrs. J. S. P. HousTOUN, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Thos. Screven, 
 
 Mrs. Fred. Habersham, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Jos. Huger, 
 
 Mrs. Blois, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Bowman, 
 
 Mrs. C. Connerat, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Wm. Waples, 
 
 Mrs. Jos. Solomons, 
 
 Miss Mary Lamar, 
 
 Miss Gertrude Saussit, 
 
 Miss 
 
 Mary Owens, 
 
 Miss De Lettre, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Schirm. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 139 
 
 A holiday spirit was rife in Savannah during the year 1824. Washington's 
 Birthday and the Fourth of July were celebrated with marked enthusiasm, and the 
 city reacted from the depression of four years before. An oratorio was given in 
 the Independent Presbyterian church for the benefit of the Female Orphan Asylum, 
 under the direction of Lowell Mason, the well-known composer of church music, 
 who oflSciated as organist in the Independent church from 1820 to 1827, During 
 this engagement he composed the familiarly known "Missionary Hymn," setting it 
 to those words of Bishop Heber, "From Greenland's Icy Mountains." It was 
 written for a missionary meeting in the Independent Presbyterian church, where 
 for the first time it was sung. This is the current belief in Savannah. 
 
 A recent account, taken from the " Religious Herald," gives the origin of the 
 music to Charleston. According to this, the hymn written by Bishop Heber in 
 Ceylon, in 1824, reached America about a year later. A lady in Charleston, South 
 Carolina, struck with its beauty, could find no tune to suit it. Remembering a young 
 bank clerk, Lowell Mason, who had a reputation as a musical genius, she sent her 
 son to ask him to write a tune for the hymn. In just a half hour the boy returned 
 with the music, and that melody, dashed off in such haste, to-day is sung with the 
 words of Bishop Heber's hymn. The composition of the music occurred in 1825, 
 one of the years of Lowell Mason's engagement as an organist in the Independent 
 Presbyterian church in Savannah. It is therefore reasonable to suppose that Savannah, 
 and not Charleston, was the birthplace of the music. 
 
 On the twentieth of December, 1824, St. Andrew's Society became an incor- 
 porated body, by act of the State Legislature. In point of age it ranks second to 
 the Union Society. By members it is claimed of equal age, dating back to 1750, 
 when possibly the Union Society and St. Andrew's had a common origin in St. 
 George's Society, composed at first of Scotch emigrants. However uncertain the 
 date of its birth, the year 1764 marks the adoption of certain ''rules and regula- 
 tions " governing the society. The broad purpose of the society is well stated in 
 the opening words of the preamble : " To cherish the recollections of our homes and 
 the birthplace of our fathers ; to promote good fellowship among Scotchmen and 
 their descendants in this adopted country ; and to extend to unfortunate Scotchmen 
 and their families assistance and counsel in case of necessity." 
 
 During the War of 1812 no record is preserved of the meetings of the society. 
 A blank occurs till the year 1819, when on the twenty-third day of November, the 
 anniversary of St. Andrew, the tutelar saint of Scotland, the society reassembled 
 
140 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 and elected the following officers : Robert Mitchell, President ; William Taylor, 
 Vice-President; Robert Isaac, Vice-President; John Bogue, Secretary: James 
 Carruthers, William Smith, Stewards. 
 
 At that dinner the following toasts were given, with the injunction that they 
 were to be given at every anniversary dinner as standard toasts : — 
 
 First 
 
 Second 
 
 Third ' 
 
 Fourth 
 
 Fifth 
 
 Sixth 
 
 Seventh 
 
 Eighth 
 
 Ninth 
 
 Tenth 
 
 Eleventh 
 
 Txoelfth 
 
 Tldrteenth 
 
 The Pious and Immortal Memory of St. Andrew. 
 
 The Kirk of Scotland. 
 
 The King. 
 
 The President of the United States. 
 
 The Land o' Cakes. 
 
 The Land we live in. 
 
 All who Celebrate the Day. 
 
 Rob. Gibbs' Contract. 
 
 Geordie McGregor's Malison. 
 
 The Beggar Benison. 
 
 A' the Bonny Lassies that whir amang the Heather. 
 
 The Memory of Burns. 
 
 Success to Benevolent Societies. 
 
 To-day the society is in a flourishing condition, under the following oflScers 
 
 James T. Stewart 
 
 P. M. DOUGAN . 
 
 Thomas Ballantyne 
 H. A. McLeod . 
 W. W. Fkaser . 
 J. N. Lang 
 William Falconer 
 M. Y. McIntyre 
 
 President. 
 
 First Vice-President. 
 
 Second Vice-President. 
 
 Secretary and Treasurer. 
 
 Corresponding Secretary. 
 
 Steward. 
 
 The year 1824 witnessed the return of Lafayette to America, nearly fifty years 
 after his first arrival in the country, to plunge with youthful ardor into that country's 
 struggle for independence. His arrival became a national event. Upon the theme 
 " Lafayette " a height of enthusiasm was reached throughout the land that has since 
 never been equalled. The charm of his chivalrous bearing during the Revolution 
 clung to the general of threescore years and more. Many echoed the remark of the 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 141 
 
 old lady in Philadelphia who remembered him in Revolutionary times, " Let me pass, 
 that I may again see that good young marquis." No crowned head could boast of a 
 more triumphal tour, for it was the conquest of hearts, not of military force ; the 
 rich, the poor, the high, the low, cities, villages, merchnnts, backwoodsmen, states- 
 men, the red men, — all vied in generous rivalry to give a welcome to the "Nation's 
 Guest," whom Carlyle has styled "the hero of two continents." 
 
 Starting upon this tour through the Southern and Western States in February, 
 1825, according to his friend and private secretary, A. Levasseur, "in less than 
 four months he had travelled a distance of upwards of five thousand miles, traversed 
 seas near the equator, and lakes near the Polar Circle ; ascended rapid rivers to the 
 verge of civilization in the New "World, and received the homage of sixteen 
 republics." Allowing for the exaggerated speech of a Frenchman viewing the 
 mammoth proportions of our country for the first time, it was an extraordinary 
 journey, even in the light of our present civilization and chained-lightning mode of 
 travel. This well-planned itinerary arouses admiration, carried out mostly by coach 
 and by horse, and within the time prescribed. From the time of his arrival in New 
 York, in August of 1824, throughout his journeyings, his movements were faithfully 
 recorded in the daily papers of Savannah, and were eagerly followed by Savan- 
 nahians, till within their own fair city they welcomed the " well-beloved guest." The 
 following is au extract from one of the daily papers : — 
 
 THE RECEPTION OF LAFAYETTE 
 
 This happy event took place on Saturday, the nineteenth of March, 1825. Almost up to the 
 last hour the time of the probable arrival of our venerated Guest was but conjectural ; opinions were 
 various as to the moment at which he might be expected, and all the preparations for giving 6clat to 
 the visit were confined to little more than a week. How well the time was improved, the detail of 
 the circumstances attending it will shew ; it was a labour of affectionate respect, in which all 
 appeared to join with heart and hand. As the time approached, the interest proportionately 
 increased. The stages and packets, particularly from the South, were crowded with passengers. 
 The Liberty County Troop of Light Dragoons, under the command of Captain W. M. Maxwell, and 
 the Dfirien Hussars, Captain Charles West, had early evinced their anxious desire to do honour to 
 the occasion, and had reached town on the Tuesday preceding. On Friday evening all appeared to 
 be in a buzz of expectation, and numerous parties were collected in almost every spot on Bay-street 
 and elsewhere ; every one with a face of pleasure and expectation. At half past five o'clock on 
 Saturday morning by a signal from the Chatham Artillery, the Military were warned to repair to 
 their several parade grounds. The line was formed at eight o'clock, soon after which, there being 
 no appearance of the Boat, the troops stacked their arms and were dismissed until the arrival. At an 
 
142 
 
 EIHTORIO AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 early hour the French and American flags were hoisted on the Exchange steeple, the Revenue Cutter 
 Gallatin, Captain Matthews, was also decorated with flags, and the Merchant Vessels were dressed 
 in the same manner. On Bay street on each side of the entrance to the City from under the Bluff, 
 were placed two French l^rass pieces, one of which, tradition informs us, w^as received in this country 
 liy the same vessel that brought over Lafayette ; they were manned by a company of masters of 
 vessels, and others who volunteered for the occasion. The resort to the Eastern part of the bluff was 
 general at an early part of the morning, continuing to increase during the day ; and at the time of the 
 arrival was crowded AA'ith ladies and citizens at every point which could command a view of the 
 landing. A temporary landing -was erected at the wharf, consisting of a flight of steps and a plat- 
 form. During the morning many an eye was strained in the hopeless task of transforming the fog 
 
 THE OWENS MANSION. 
 
 banks and mists which hung over the lowlands between Savannah and Tybeo into the steamboat 
 bearing tlie guest of the nation. About nine o'clock the mists disiiersed, the skies were cleared, and 
 the remainder of the day was as pleasant and delightful as Spring and a Ijalmy atmosphere could 
 make it. At tlie time the weather cleared up, a gentle breeze arose )jlf)wing directly up the river, as if 
 to add speed to the vessel which was to land him on our shores. At an earlj- hour the Con)mittee of 
 Reception deputed from the Joint Committee, together with Colonels Brailsford and Randolph, Aids 
 of His Excellency Governor Troup, proceeded to Fort Jackson in tlu'ce barges, decorated with 
 flags, rowed by seamen in bluejackets and white trowsers, under the command of Captains Micolls, 
 C'ampbell and Dubois. The first notice of the arrival of the welcome vessel ^^'a,s b}' a few strokes of 
 the Exchange Bell. A few minutes after, the volume of smoke which accompanied her, was percep- 
 tilile over the land ; .she was then about twelve or fifteen miles otf, but rapidly approaching. The intel- 
 ligence, " The boat's in sight," spread with electrical I'apidity, and the bustle which liad in somemeas- 
 
/A^'^ A'^neeru ,^ra/^^Z^ J>UJ*,J 
 
 HISTORIC AND PIOTURESQUE SAVANNAH 143 
 
 ure subsided, i-ecommenced and every one repaired to the spot where his landing was to take place. 
 The troops were immediately formed and marched to the lower part of Bay street, where they were 
 placed in position on the green in front of the avenue of trees, their I'ight on East Bay. A more 
 gallant and splendid military display we have never seen ; the effect was beautiful, every corps 
 exceeded its customarj'' numbers : many who had not appeared under arms for years, shouldered 
 them on this occasion, and the usual pride of appearance and honourable emulation, was ten times 
 increased by the occasion. 
 
 Those who- know the Volunteer Companies of Savannah will believe this to be no empty 
 compliment. As the Steamboat passed Fort Jackson, she was boarded by the Committee of Recep- 
 tion. On their ascending the deck, the General was addressed by their chairman, George Jones Esq. 
 The boat now came up in gallant style, firing by the way, and a full band of music on board playing 
 the Marseillaise Hymn and other favourite French and American airs. Her appearance was im- 
 posing and beautiful, to which the splendid and glittering uniforms of the officers from South 
 Carolina who attended the General greatly added. As the Steamboat came up to her anchorage, 
 a salute was fired by; the Revenue Cutter Gallatin, Captain Matthews. General Lafayette was 
 now assisted into the first barge 
 accompanied by the Committee and 
 others, the other boats being occu- 
 pied by the i-emainder of the suite. . / y^ ^ ^ 
 As the boat reached the shore the 
 excitement in every face increased. 
 
 A line was then formed from the landing place on the wharf, facing 
 inwards, composed of the Mayor and Aldermen of tlie City, the Clergy, 
 
 the Judge and Officers of the District Court, the Superior Court, and the Court of Oyer and 
 Terminer; the Union Society; deputations from the Hibernian Society, with tlieir badges and 
 banners ; from the St. Andrew's Society with their Badges ; and from the Agricultural Society 
 with their badges ; and citizens. At a meeting of the Savannah Volunteer Guards, it was resolved 
 to adopt the revolutionary cockade, during the visit of the Nation's Guest — 
 
 And to wear the uniform of the corps during the same time, except when upon unavoidable 
 business. We understand the volunteer corps will generally adopt the .cockade (black and white). 
 The officers and gentlemen who accompanied the General in the Steamboat from Charleston, besides 
 the Governor of that State, were. Colonel Huger, Major General Youngblood, General Geddes, 
 Adjutant General Earle, Colonel Keith, Colonel Butler, Colonel Chesnutt, Colonel Brown, Colonel 
 Clonnie, Colonel Fitsimmons, Colonel Taylor, Major Wai-ley, Major Hamilton, Captain Moses, and 
 Messrs Bee and McCloud ; Colonel Huger and Major Hamilton alone accepted the invitation of the 
 Committee to land and participate in the ceremonies of the procession. The Constitution of South 
 Carolina having prohibited the Governor of that state from passing its limits, obliged him to decline 
 the civility of the Committee and courtesy to the Chief Magistrate of their State, no doubt was the 
 dominant motive with the officers who accompanied him in likewise declining the invitation to join 
 in the review and procession. As the General placed his foot upon the landing place, a Salute was 
 fired by the Chatham Artillery in line on the Bluff, with four brass field pieces, four and six pounders, 
 one of which was captured at Yorktown. He was here received bj- Wm. C. Daniell Esq. Mayor of 
 
144 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 the city. Six cheers were now given by the whole of the Citizens, who were assembled on the 
 gratifying occasion ; for which the Genei'al expressed his grateful acknowledgnients to those 
 nearest him. Supported by the Mayor and attended by the Committee of Reception, he now ascended 
 the Bluff, followed by his suite, the Members of the Corporation, the Societies and Citizens. Here 
 he was again enthusiastically cheered. On arriving at the top of the Bluff, on the green, he was 
 presented to Governor Troup, by whom in the most cordial manner, he was welcomed to the soil of 
 Georgia. Lafayette replied in feeling terms. The General was then introduced to several revolu- 
 tionary soldiers ; among those present were General Stewart, Colonel Shellman, Eb Jackson, 
 Sheftall Sheftall, and Captain Rees. The utmost animation appeared to sparkle in the eyes of the 
 General at this time. This was particularly the case when the latter addressing him with a cordial 
 grip of the hand, said, " I remember you, I saw you in Philadelphia," and proceeded to naiTate 
 some trifling incidents of the occasion ; to whicli the General replied, " Ah, I remember! " and taking 
 Captain Rees's hand between botli of his, the eyes of each glistening with pleasure, they stood for 
 a few moments apparently absorbed in recollections of the days of their youth. The officers of the 
 brigade and of the regiment were then introduced. Whilst, these introductions were going on, 
 a salute was fired along the whole line of infantry. The General and suite, together with the 
 Governor and suite, the Revolutionary Officers, Mayor, Committee of Reception, Guests, General 
 Harden and Suite, Colonel McAllister, and the Field Officers from the adjoining Counties proceeded 
 on foot down the front of the line, in review. After passing the troops the General asdendcd the 
 carriage prepared for his reception, and the procession moved in the following order : — 
 
 1st. r. M. Stone, Marshal of the City, with staff of office. 
 . 2d. Divisions of the Georgia Hussars, Liberty and Mcintosh Troops of Cavah'y, Jas. Barnard 
 first Marshal with Staff. 
 
 3d. General Lafayette and Governor Troup, in a Landau drawn by four grey horses. 
 
 4th. The Mayor of the City and Colonel Huger, in a second Carriage. 
 
 5th. G. W. Lafayette and Mr. LeVasseur in a third carriage. 
 
 6th. Revolutionary officers in a fourth carriage. 
 
 7th. Brigadier General, the suites of the Governor and the General J. Habersham, second 
 Marshal and Staff. 
 
 8th. The Committee of Council, of the Citizens and of Officers. 
 
 9th. Aldermen. 
 
 10th. The Reverend Clergy, Judges, Officers of the United States Consuls, Officers of Courts, 
 H. Cope third Marshal with Staff, E. Bourquin fourth Marshal. 
 
 11th. The Union, The Hibernian, The St. Andrew's, and Agricultural Societies in ranks of 
 eight, Citizens in ranks of eight. Sam. M. Bond fifth Marshal, Jos. S. Pelot sixth Marshal. 
 
 12th. Divisions of the Georgia Hussars, Liberty and Mcintosh Ti'oops of Cavalry. 
 
 13th. Field Offlcei-s of other Regiments. 
 
 14th. Officers of the Army and Navy. 
 
 15th. Company Officers of the first and other Regiments. Lieutenant Colonel, Chatham 
 Artillerj', United States Troops, Savannah Volunteer Guards, Georgia Volunteers, Republican Blues, 
 Savannah Juvenile Guards, Major and Regimental Staff. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 145 
 
 The procession moved up East Broad Street, to Broughton Street, from thence to West 
 Broad Street, from thence to South Broad Street, down that street to Abercorn Street, and through 
 Abercorn Street to Oglethorpe Square. When the procession began to move, a third salute was 
 fired by the Marine Corps which we have heretofore mentioned. We should not forget to state, 
 that the seamen that rowed the boats, in which the General landed, accompanied the carriage in 
 which he was seated, with the flags of their boats. The procession moved as prescribed in the 
 arrangements of the day, and about half past five o'clock in the afternoon he arrived at the 
 lodgings appropriated for him at Mrs. Maxwell's the same in which Governor Troup resided. The 
 time of his landing was at three o'clock ; so that the reception and procession took up about 
 two hours and a half. The troops then filed off to the South Common and fired a National 
 salute, after which they returned to the quarters of the General to whom they paid the marching 
 salute. 
 
 During the passage of the procession, the windows and doors, as well as the spacious streets 
 through which he passed, were crowded to excess ; and the expi-ession of enthusiastic feeling was 
 repeatedly displayed by all, from the highest to the lowest. He was saluted by the ladies from every 
 place affording a view of the procession, by the waving of handkerchiefs ; which he returned by 
 repeated and continued inclination of the head bowing in acknowledgment. At sundown, another 
 salute was fired by the Marine Volunteer Corps. Such was the inspiring and joyful spectacle pro- 
 duced by the reception of General .Lafayette in our City. 
 
 The presence of Lafayette in Savannah was made the occasion of the ceremonies 
 attending the laying of the corner-stones of two monuments, the one to General 
 Nathaniel Greene in Johnson square, the other to Pulaski in Chippewa square, both 
 comrades-in-arms of Lafayette. A pleasing feature of the day's ceremonies was the 
 presence of five hundred school children, massed together within one section of 
 Johnson square. The girls wore plain white frocks, with short sleeves looped up 
 with sky-blue ribbon, sashes to correspond, long, white gloves, with a likeness of 
 Lafayette, the hair plain. The boys wore blue coats, coatees or jackets, white pan- 
 taloons, with Lafayette badges on the left breast. They held baskets with flowers 
 ready to shower upon General Lafayette. One now hoary with age, then a bright, 
 blue-eyed boy, took the hand of his little granddaughter not long since, saying, 
 "Remember, my child, this hand that holds yours was once held in the hand of 
 Lafayette." To Lafayette devolved the honor of the ancient Masonic custom of 
 pouring the corn, the wine, and the oil, from the gold and silver vessels, upon the 
 corner-stone, repeating the Masonic prayer. Upon the stone was the following 
 inscription : " This corner-stone of a monument to the memory of Major-General 
 Nathaniel Greene, was laid by General Lafayette at the request of the Citizens of 
 Savannah, on the twenty-first of March, A.D. 1825." Upon the other was: "On 
 
146 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 the twenty-fivst Daj' of March, A.D. 1825, was laid by General Lafayette, at the 
 request of the Citizens of Savannah, this foundation-stone of a monument to the 
 memory of Brigadier Count Pulaski." The days of festivity and rejoicing were 
 brought to a close. The last public honor paid Lafayette was a Masonic dinner. 
 Press of time forced him to forego the pleasure of a ball in preparation. When the 
 vessel bearing Lafayette towards Augusta moved from the wharf, the bluff, crowded 
 with citizens in civil and military garb, rang with huzzahs to the departing hero, 
 
 accompanied by 
 the heavy boom 
 of guns in fare- 
 well salutation. 
 The house in 
 which Lafayette 
 was entertained 
 (now tlie resi- 
 dence of Mrs. 
 M. W. Thomas, 
 on Oglethorpe 
 square) presents 
 to-day much the 
 appearance that 
 it did in 1825. 
 
 Built by the eminent architect Jay for an Englishman b}' the name of Richardson, 
 who married a Miss Bolton, it came into possession of the Owens family more than 
 fifty years ago. At the time of Lafaj^ette's visit it was one of the leading lioarding- 
 houses of the city, much frequented by oiEcial visitors, and kept by a Mrs. Max- 
 well. Lafayette occupied the room on the southern side, overlooking the veranda. 
 
 Among the more modern houses of the city none equal in beauty of design and 
 a certain air of substance and solidity those mansions built in the lirst quarter of this 
 century. The Ha))crsham mansion, fronting on Barnard street, bears the touch of the 
 same period and the same master mind. It has remained in the Habersham family, 
 whose annals from the earliest colonial da3^s, when James Habersham was the friend 
 of Oglethorpe, to the present time, have been alike honorable to nation and State. 
 One of the best governors of Georgia, and an able postmaster-general to President 
 Washington, wore members of this sterling family. 
 
 THE HABERSHAM MANSION. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 147 
 
 The year 1827 saw the culmination oi" a schism in the Independent Presbyterian 
 Congregation lead to the formation of the First PresV^yterian Church. Lowell 
 Mason was one of the originators of the movement. From its foundation the Inde- 
 pendent Presbyterian Church has been governed by its own Presbytery, or session 
 of Elders or Presbyters, never, however, subject to the General Presbytery, or Court 
 composed of Presbyters or Elders from a certain number of churches. This con- 
 stitutes the sole difference between the Independent Presbyterian Church and other 
 Presbyterian churches. 
 
 A few members of the Independent Presbyterian Church, in 1827, possessed of 
 the firm conviction that the church should be governed by a General Court of 
 Presbyters, instead of its own and only Court of Presbyters, withdrew from the 
 communion of the church, according to the following petition and the subsequent 
 dismission, early in the month of May, 1827 : — 
 
 To the Reverend S. B. How, Pastor, and the Session of the Independent Church in Savannah. 
 Brethren — The undersigned Members of the Church over which you preside, believing that the 
 interests of the Redeemer's Kingdom would be promoted by the establishment of a Presbyterian 
 Church in this city, respectfully and affectionately request, for the purpose of forming such a 
 church, a dismission from your body. We are brethren, yours etc. 
 
 GEORGE G. FAIRIES, 
 LOWELL MASON, 
 EDWARD COPPEE, 
 JOSEPH GUMMING. 
 
 In reply to which they received the following regular dismission from that 
 church (extracts from the minutes of session of the Independent Presbyterian Con- 
 gregation of Savannah, at their meeting May eighteenth, 1827) : — 
 
 A Communication having been received from Messrs. George G. Fairies, Lowell Mason etc. 
 requesting to be dismissed from this Church ; it is unanimously resolved by Session to grant their 
 request ; that they be and are hereby dismissed from this Church as Communicants in good and reg- 
 ular standing. 
 
 S. B. HOW, 
 
 Moderator of the Session. 
 
 At the request of the dismissed members the moderator of the Presbytery of 
 (jeorgia visited Savannah to inquire into the particulars of the case. A meeting 
 of Presbytery was appointed to be held on Wednesday, June sixth, when formal 
 
148 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 application was made for the constitution of a church in connection with the 
 Presbyterian Church in the United States. ' 
 
 Presbytery unanimously granted the request. That same day in the afternoon 
 twelve persons by name were solemnly constituted into a Church of Christ, and 
 ruling elders were ordained, the church to be known as the " First Presbyterian 
 Church of Savaqnah." The place for service at that time was in the old Lyceum 
 Hall, on the corner of Bull and Broughton streets. 
 
 About 1833 the congregation took possession of a small wooden structure on 
 the south side of Broughton street, between Barnard and Jefferson streets ; here they 
 worshipped till 1856. The present edifice on Monterey square, built from plans fur- 
 nished by DeWitt Bruyn, was dedicated on the ninth day of June, 1872, the dedica- 
 tory sermon being preached by Benjamin Palmer, D.D., of New Orleans, a former 
 pastor of the church, in 1843. 
 
 Under the present pastor, Eeverend J. W. Rogan, the church has reached a 
 state of prosperity unequalled in its past history. 
 
 The year 1831 saw the beginnings of the commanding fortress near the city. 
 
 Fort Pulaski, situated on Cockspur Island, fourteen miles from the city, was 
 named in honor of Brigadier-General Count Pulaski. The site was selected by 
 Major Babcock, United States Corps of Engineers, and the work begun in 1831, 
 under the superintendence of Major-General Mansfield, of the United States Army. 
 The work was erected to command both channels of the Savannah river, at the head 
 of Tybee roads. Sixteen years passed before its massive walls, containing over 
 thirteen millions of bricks, at an expense of a million of dollars, arose in completion. 
 
 In the early years of the thirties the southern limit of the city was the north 
 side of Liberty street ; beyond lay an open plain extending to the forest-growth 
 on the outskirts. On the east, relieving the monotony of the pines and the com- 
 mons, stood the grim old jail, where now are the houses of Mr. Cohen and Mr. 
 Low. The high brick walls surrounding the jail, and the jail itself, were painted a 
 dazzling white, which had a gruesome fascination for the youthful imaginations of the 
 day. A phase of prison-life now little known, then of frequent occurrence, was 
 imprisonment for debt. Stones marked "J. B." (Jail Bounds) were to be found in 
 the neighboring paths, showing the limits of the walks of the prisoners confined for 
 debt. 
 
 To the east, some distance out of town, was " Fair Lawn," the beautiful home of 
 Major William P. Bowen, who ever extended a gracious welcome to strangers, as well 
 
mSTOBIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 149 
 
 THE UNITED STATES BARRACKS. 
 
 as to friends. Where once bloomed the luxuriant garden surrounding Fair Lawn, 
 with its varieties of flowers indigenous to the South, and its fragrant avenue of cape 
 jasmines, — a rare feature even in Savannah, — now are to be seen the steel rails of 
 the extensive Southern, Florida, and Western Railroad. To the west, obliquely 
 gleaming through the small pines, was " Oglethorpe Cantonment," occupying the land 
 from Whitaker street nearly to' West Broad street, on Hall or Gwinnett street, 
 extending almost to New Houston street. Here the United States troops were 
 stationed in one-story white wooden buildings with white piazzas, surrounded by 
 a high white-washed picketed fence. One of the customs of those days was the 
 removal of the United States troops to the sand-hills of Augusta, or other distant 
 parts, during the summer months, owing to the unhealthiness of the Cantonment. 
 
 During the winter of 1831 the citizens of Savannah began to agitate the erection 
 of a permanent barracks within the city limits. A memorial was drawn up by the 
 
150 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Mayor and Aldermen, presenting the desirability of a permanent barracks within the 
 city, in such fair terms that it received immediate attention from the War Depart- 
 ment in Washington. Orders were issued to find suitable quarters for the summer 
 months within the city. The theatre was selected on account of its size and 
 its healthy location. The stage properties were removed, and the vast enclosure 
 presented the odd appeai'ance of tier after tier of bunks prepared for the soldiers, 
 the officers being quartered in the vicinity. The venture proved a successful one. 
 The gratifying report was made in October of 1832 that the troops, under the com- 
 mand of Captain Merchant, fifty-five in number, had been as healthy as they would 
 have been in Augusta sand-hills ; but one death had occurred, and sickness had 
 been trifling. During the next session of Congress an appropriation of thirty 
 thousand dollars was made for a site and the building of a barracks, for the accom- 
 modation of the United States troops within the city of Savannah. Until the com- 
 pletion of the barracks, the theatre remained the summer headquarters of the troops. 
 
 In 1831 the old court house consisted of a pile of bricks pulled down to make 
 way for a new one. It had been injured by the British troops quartered therein 
 during the Revolution, also by shells thrown from the American and French bat- 
 teries during the siege of 1779. After the war it was repaired and devoted to its 
 legitimate uses. During the building of the new Court House, court was held in the 
 Exchange till 1833, when the present structure, built of bricks and stuccoed, two 
 stories in height, Avas completed and ready for use. 
 
 In the year 1833 the Baptist congregation moved from the house of worship 
 on Franklin square to the new brick edifice on Chippewa square, in Brown Ward, 
 the church in ^vhich the present congregation worships. 
 
 The charter of the incorporation of the Baptist Church was drawn up by the 
 Honorable John McPherson Berrien, and signed by Governor Josiah Tattnall, in 
 1801. Henry Holcombe, D.D., was the first pastor and projector of the Baptist 
 denomination in Georgia. His was the first literary work published in Georgia, 
 called the '' Georgia Analytical Repository." 
 
 A trite saying attributed to John Randolph, of Virginia, emanated from Doctor 
 Holcombe. The story runs thtis : while visiting a parishioner in South Carolina he 
 was asked by a servant to have tea or coffee. He replied, " Tell your mistress if 
 that is coflTee I'll take tea, and if that is tea I'll take cofilee." 
 
 One of the early pastors of the Baptist Church in Savannah was. Reverend J. 
 G. Binney, a man of liberal views. Later he was appointed by the American Bap- 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 151 
 
 tist Mission Union a missionary to Burmali, India. As an instructor to the native 
 Hindoos he could not be excelled. He died of fever on his homeward way, and 
 was buried in the Indian Ocean. 
 
 In February of 1847 the church divided into two branches, known as the First 
 and the Second Baptist Congregations, though the first preserved its corporate name. 
 The Second Congregation bought the building owned by the Unitarians, on the 
 south-west corner of Bull and York streets. There the congregation worshipped 
 till the sixth of February, 1859. 
 
 The reunion of the First and Second Congregations took place after a separation 
 of twelve years, almost to a day. The building of the Second Church was sold, and 
 from the proceeds the present lecture-room was built in 1861, as well as the former 
 parsonage on Jones and Drayton streets. A pleasing wooden structure has recently 
 been built in the south-eastern portion of the city. Here a goodly congregation 
 assembles, the mother church having one of the largest congregations in the city, 
 under the zealous care of Reverend J. E. L. Holmes. 
 
CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 SAVANNAH, in 1838, had a population of about seven thousand. Small city that 
 she was, her reign was supreme in sea-island cotton, rice, and the lumber 
 trade. Wealthy planters from the shores of the Ogeechee, Altamaha, and St. 
 Mary's rivers, and from the neighboring sea islands, liberally patronized the hotels 
 of the day, only two in number, but with an enviable fame. Both were under the 
 efficient management of Captain Peter Wiltberger, a notable figure for many years 
 in Savannah. 
 
 The City Hotel, on Bay street, between Bull and Whitaker streets, a small 
 brick structure, was the headquarters of the planters and the leisure class ; while 
 the Mansion House, on the north-west corner of Broughton and Whitaker streets, 
 fronting on Whitaker street, a large wooden building with double piazzas, became 
 the choice of the less prosperous. 
 
 The foundation of Captain Wiltberger's fortune, as well as his reputation for 
 hospitality and good cheer, was laid in the small City Hotel. 
 
 Later he bought the property upon the north-west corner of Bull and Bryan 
 streets, extending to and including Mrs. Battey's boarding-house, which stood on 
 both sides of Bryan street, on the north-east corner of Whitaker. This constituted 
 one of the most desirable of the many flourishing boarding-houses in the city. 
 Captain Wiltberger added one or two stories to the part adjoining Mrs. Battey's 
 boarding-house, carrying the improvements to Bull street and the lane ; the whole he 
 called the " Pulaski House." Such was the origin of the present Pulaski House. For 
 a time Captain Wiltberger had the monopoly of the hotel business in Savannah, later 
 he relinquished the Mansion House, and concentrated his energies to make the 
 Pulaski House a noted hotel in the South. A unique landlord was he, owning not 
 only the building, the furniture, and all equipments, but also the men and maid 
 servants of the establishment. Captain Wiltberger managed the hotel affairs with 
 a clock-like precision, the result of his early life in command of a merchant vessel. 
 At that time the present Screven House was in embryo, as " Mrs. Piatt's boarding- 
 
 (152) 
 
HISTOBIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 153 
 
 house," a rival to " Mrs. Battey's boarding-house." The rivalry has been preserved 
 in a friendly manner between the two houses on opposite sides of Johnson square. 
 
 In 1835, by an act of the Legislature, " The Poor House and Hospital" Society 
 was incorporated upon the application of Joseph Gumming, S. C. Dunning, K. King, 
 John Gardner, Matthew Hopkins, William R. Waring, Charles S. Henry, S. D. 
 Corbett, Samuel Philbrick, N. G. Beard, Francis Sorrell, R. D. Arnold, arid P. M. 
 Kollock. In 1819, a building on Gaston street (then a far suburb of the city), 
 extending from Drayton to Abercorn street, was erected by private subscription, 
 and for several years was used altogether as a sailors' hospital. The funds of the 
 institution were increased in 1830 by a legacy of eighteen thousand dollars from 
 Messrs. James Wallace and Thomas Young. 
 
 The present commodious structure was built in 1877, upon the grounds of the 
 old building, at a cost of forty thousand dollars. Its measurements are two hundred 
 by sixty feet. There are seven wards, with twelve private rooms. This charity 
 occupies ten city lots ; its extensive grounds, well ordered and well cared for, attract 
 the admiration of passers-by. 
 
 "The Savannah Hospital," as it is now called, is under the direction of a boJird 
 of seven managers. 
 
 George J. Mills, President, J. M. Solomons, 
 
 William Hunter, E. D. Walker, 
 
 C. H. HoLST, W. Duncan, M.D. 
 
 One vacancy, caused by the death of General R. H. Anderson. 
 The corps of physicians is as follows : — ' 
 
 Doctor J. D. Martin, Doctor W. Duncan, 
 
 Doctor T. J. Charlton, Doctor W. W. Owens, 
 
 Doctor J. P. S. Houstoun, Doctor M. L. Boyd. 
 
 The institution is supported by the interest upon its investments and moneys 
 arising from the charges for pay-patients, foreign seamen, and an annual appropria- 
 tion from the city amounting to thirty-six hundred dollars, and one thousand dollars 
 from the county, the sum total of all of these amounting to less than one-half the 
 annual expense of maintenance. 
 
 The funds of the hospital arose from judicious management of its resources and 
 several bequests and donations, the largest of these being a donation of one hundred 
 
154 
 
 HISTOB/C AND F1CTURE8QUE SAVANNAH 
 
 thousand dollars given by Mrs. Charles F. Mills, in accordance with the wish of her 
 husband, as expressed to her previous to his death. 
 
 Another worthy charity, whose incorporation antedates that of the Savannah 
 Poor-House and Hospital by three years, is the Georgia Iniirmary for the support 
 
 of disabled per- 
 sons of color. 
 Originating 
 from an endow- 
 ment of Thomas 
 F. AVilliams, a 
 small tract of 
 land being given 
 for the building 
 by Richard F. 
 AVilliams, it be- 
 came an incor- 
 poration liy an 
 act of the 
 Georgia Legis- 
 lature in Decem- 
 ber, 1832. 
 
 This hospital 
 is situated on 
 the east side 
 of Bull street, 
 
 south of the toll-gate. It depends for support upon donations from the city and 
 county, with a small amount derived from [jay-patients, the city contributing thirty- 
 six hundred dollars annually and the county fifteen hundred dollars. 
 The present Board of Managers are, — 
 
 CHRIST CHURCH. 
 
 John I. Stoddard, 
 
 GeokctE L. Coi'e, 
 W. DuxcAN, M.D., 
 T. J. Charlton, M.D., 
 R. I). Walker, 
 
 Henry C. Cunnlxgham, 
 J. M. Solomons, 
 W. H. Elliott, M.D., 
 J. B. Read, M.D., 
 
 President. 
 
 John X. Leavis, 
 J. F. R. Tattnall, 
 George I. Baldwin. 
 C. H. Olmstead. 
 
maiOBIC AND PICTVREHQUE SAVANNAH 155 
 
 In February of 1837, the world-famed magician, Signor Blitz, made iiis first bow- 
 to the Savannah public, delighting all eyes with his marvellous magic. March fourth 
 of that same year witnessed a novel sight, — snow fell from eight to ten inches, cover- 
 ing the ground and housetops. Sleighs were hastily improvised, and the pleasure of 
 a sleigh-ride, never before nor since indulged in by the worthy Savannahians within 
 their own city, was enjoyed for a few hours. 
 
 On the twenty-sixth day of February, 1838, the corner-stone was laid of th^ 
 present building of Christ Church, the third structure that has occupied the time- 
 honored site from the days of Oglethorpe to the present. The following inscription, 
 placed within the corner-stone, gives a brief history of the church : — 
 
 I.H.S. 
 Glory to God. Christ Church. 
 Founded in 1743. Destroyed by fire 1796. 
 Refounded on an enlarged plan in 1803. 
 Partially destroyed in the hurricane of 1804. 
 Rebuilt in 1810. Taken down in 1838. 
 The Corner stone laid (February 26, 1838) of a new edifice to be erected (according to a plan 
 furnished by James Hamilton Couper Esq. of Ga.) by Amos Scudder, Mason and Gilbert Butler. 
 Carpenters under the direction of Wm. Scarborough, Wm. Thorne Williams, Robert Habersham, 
 Wm. P. Hunter, Dr. F. Bartow, building committee. 
 Reverend Edward Neufville rector. 
 
 Geo. Jones, M.D., Wm. Thorne Williams, Robert Habersham, Wm. Scarborough, R. R. 
 Cuyler, Wm. P. Hunter, and P. M. Kollock M.D., vestrymen. 
 
 Christ Church constitutes the oldest ecclesiastic organization in the State, dating 
 from the first Episcopal service held in Savannah by the Eeverend George Herbert, 
 one of the voyagers in the galley " Ann." 
 
 He was soon succeeded by the Reverend Samuel Quincy, of the celebrated Massa- 
 chusetts Quincy family, by John Wesley, and by George Whitefield. Mr. White- 
 field may be regarded as the founder of the parish, for in 1743, under him, the parish 
 was regularly organized and the first church erected. 
 
 During the rectorship of the Reverend Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, Colonel 
 Barnard, of Augusta, presented the church with the first organ ever seen in Georgia. 
 
 In 1774 the church was regarded as a " comfortable preferment," the salary 
 being upwards of three hundred pounds sterling. 
 
 The Reverend Haddon Smith, then rector, gave great offence to the Liberty 
 party by his pronounced Loyalist views. A committee waited upon him on the 
 
156 SISTORIG AND PIOTUBESQVE SAVANNAH 
 
 twenty-second of July, 1775, and forbade him further to officiate in Georgia. 
 Disregarding the command, he went as usual to the church, to find the doors 
 barred against him. He was published in the " Gazette " as an enemy to America, 
 and was turned out of the rectory. The fierceness of the mob, that threatened to 
 tar and feather him, led him, with his family, to flee to Tybee. From thence they 
 sailed for Liverpool. Services were suspended for a while during the agitated days 
 of war, but upon the capture of the city by the British they were resumed. 
 
 In 1815, Bishop O'Hara, of South Carolina, came to Savannah to consecrate a 
 building then recently erected. Here was held the first Confirmation service in 
 Georgia, sixty persons being presented by the rector, the Reverend Mr. Cranston. 
 
 Bishop William Bacon Stevens said of the Reverend Edward Neufville, for a 
 number of years rector of Christ Church, " He was a charming man, a loving, tender 
 pastor, and was respected by the whole community. Never have I heard our Lit- 
 urgy read with more unction and effectiveness thau by him, while his reading of the 
 Bible was like an illuminated exposition of it, so exquisite were his modulations, and 
 so sweet and musical his voice." Under the Reverend Edward Neufville the old 
 building was taken down. 
 
 The Reverend Stephen Elliott, Jr., the first Bishop of Georgia, was rector of 
 Christ Church for fourteen years. He died lamented by the entire South. 
 
 The present pastor is the Reverend Thomas Boone. 
 
 The last year of the thirtieth decade witnessed a " boom " in the city of 
 Savannah. According to the Macon " Telegraph," Savannah was at last aroused 
 from her Rip Van Winkle slumber. To what dominating cause may this sudden 
 revival be attributed? None other than the beginning of the gigantic Central 
 Railroad system, which has proved one of the most potent agencies in Savannah's 
 advancement. The prediction uttered by one of Savannah's influential men in 1839, 
 we may yet live to see come to pass, that " Georgia is the gate through which 
 the great trade of the mighty West is destined to pass to the Atlantic Ocean." 
 
 The Central Railroad Corporation, which to-day with its one thousand six 
 hundred and thirty-seven miles of steel railways penetrating the territory and 
 developing the vast resources of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama ; its 
 splendid ocean steamships, extensive wharves, elevators, compresses, terminal 
 facilities, and banking-houses, owned and controlled by Southern money and 
 brains, causing the vast current of Southern commerce to pour through Savannah 
 and Georgia, was in 1839 in an embryonic state, yet its influence was felt. 
 
HISTORIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 157 
 
 In 1834, an experimental 
 survey was made under the 
 direction of Colonel Cruger, 
 at the request and at the cost 
 of the city of Savannah, to 
 ascertain the most practicable 
 route to Macon. In 1835 the 
 Central Railroad and Banking 
 Company of Georgia was or- 
 ganized ; it began operations in 1836. 
 
 By May of 1838, sixty-seven miles were graded, 
 and the superstructure laid twenty-six miles from the city, 
 to which point engines were running. 
 
 In July, passenger trains began running regularly, at 
 once yielding an income to the company ; not, however, 
 until the thirteenth of May, 1843, was the track completed 
 
 to the depot in Macon, and a train passed over the whole line, one hundred and 
 ninety miles. 
 
 To W". W. Gordon, Esq., the originator of the enterprise, and the fii'st 
 president of the road, ably assisted by Thomas Purse, Esq., do the city and 
 State owe gratitude for the present magnificent scheme which has triumphed over 
 almost insurmountable obstacles. 
 
 The Ocean Steamship Company, which forms a part of the Central Railroad 
 system, has a fleet of ten steamships plying between Savannah and the Northern 
 ports of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Two additional steamers are 
 contemplated, and it is confidently hoped in the near future that a daily line will 
 run between New York and Savannah. 
 
 The general officers of the system are as follows : President, E. P. 
 Alexander ; Cashier, T. M. Cunningham ; General Manager, M. S. Belknap ; 
 General Manager Ocean Steamship Company, G. M. Sorrel ; Comptroller, Edward 
 Mclntyre ; Traffic Manager, W. F. Sheliman ; General Freight Agent, G. A. 
 Whitehead; General Passenger Agent, E. T. Charlton; General Counsel, Lawton 
 and Cunningham. 
 
 To return to the city of 1839, the finger of improvement was visible at 
 every turn ; five years before, many of the stores along the Bay were closed and 
 
158 HISTORIC AND PIGTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 unoccupied ; almost every building was in a state of decay. In 1839 there was 
 scarcely a building convenient for commercial purposes untenanted ; stores and 
 counting-houses were newly painted and decorated. Within the interior of the 
 city large brick buildings arose, in the language of the times, " to a colossal height." 
 Additional steam-mills were put into operation, and various steam-packet lines 
 were established. So much for the commercial improvement. Let us glance at 
 the means of culture for the inhabitants of the city. The "Savannah Library 
 Society," which had been in operation a number of years, reached a low ebb in 
 1838 ; one cause which operated against its prosperity being its inconvenient location 
 in a suburb of the city. Removed nearer business activities, on Whitaker street, 
 near the Bay, its interests were advanced. 
 
 Its members, seized with the new spirit of enterprise, entered heartily into the 
 work of renovation and improvement. Within the room of the Savannah Library 
 Society, on Friday night, the twenty-fourth of May, 1839, was held the first meet- 
 ing of the Georgia Historical Society. Twenty-five persons assembled, represent- 
 ing the talent of the city. The first officers of the society were Honorable John 
 McPherson Berrien, President; Honorable James M. Wayne, First Vice-President; 
 Honorable William B. Bulloch, Second Vice-President; J. K. Tefit, Esq., Corre- 
 sponding Secretary ; Doctor William Bacon Stevens, Recording Secretary ; George 
 W. Hunter, Esq., Treasurer ; Henry Kirk Preston, Esq., Librarian ; Curators, Will- 
 iam Thorne Williams, Charles S. Henry, John C. NicoU, William Law, Richard D. 
 Arnold, Robert M. Charlton, Matthew Hall McAllister. In December of the same 
 year the society became an incorporation, by an act of the State Legislature. To 
 whom the honor of the first suggestion of a Georgia Historical Society shall be ac- 
 corded, there may be a difl'erence of opinion, but there can be none concerning the 
 initial measures towards the formation of that society. William Bacon Stevens and 
 Israel K. Tefft, later joined by a third, Richard D. Arnold, became the pioneers in 
 the work, the original founders of the Georgia Historical Society, and to one among 
 that number, Israel K. Tefft, must the impetus of the movement be traced. His 
 literary tastes laid the corner-stone of the society, for his rare autograph collection, 
 the work of years of patient research, from early boyhood's days, together with val- 
 uable documents in his possession pertaining to the Colonial and Revolutionary his- 
 tory of Georgia, aroused the literati of Savannah to the importance of an historical 
 society in their midst. Upon the petition of the society, in 1842, the City Council 
 granted a city lot on Liberty street for the erection of a library building. The site 
 
HISTOBIG AND FIOTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 159 
 
 
 
 proved ineligible, too far removed from the interests of its members. In 1847 
 efforts were made to purchase from the United States Government the lot on Bryan 
 street, between Bull and Drayton streets, where stood the Custom House and Post 
 Office, until burned some time in the thirties. These efforts were successful ; and to 
 enable the society to pay for its new lot, the City Council granted the Liberty-street 
 lot to the society in fee-simple, with permission to sell it and devote the proceeds to 
 the purchase of the Custom House lot. 
 This same j'ear the Georgia Histori- 
 cal Society and Savannah Library 
 Society consolidated, thus securing 
 about twenty-five hundred volumes. 
 In June of 1849 the society took 
 possession of the new picturesque 
 building on Bryan street, — the 
 upper story was devoted to the 
 purposes of the Georgia Historical 
 Society, while the lower floor was 
 occupied by the "Farmers' and 
 Mechanics' Bank," until the close of 
 the war, in 1865. The Freedman's 
 Bank became its successor. That 
 flourished for a day, then failed, 
 sinking many a hard-earned dollar 
 deposited by the negroes of the city. 
 Various have been the businesses 
 represented within the building. To- 
 day it is a bar-room. 
 
 The present home of the Georgia Historical Society, its library swelled to 
 twelve thousand volumes, is Hodgson Hall, fronting Forsyth park, on the corner 
 of Whitaker and Gaston streets. This structure originated from the desire of the 
 late Mrs. Margaret Telfair Hodgson to erect a memorial to her husband, the late 
 William B. Hodgson, for many years a distinguished member of the Georgia His- 
 torical Society. Begun under the direction of Mrs. Hodgson, the work was con- 
 tinued under the supervision of her sister. Miss Mary Telfair. By a singular 
 coincidence, both of these venerable ladies died during the construction of the hall, 
 
160 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 which was completed by the executors of their estates. Rather remarkable is it, 
 that about ten days before her death, on the third of March, 1874, Mrs. Hodgson 
 wrote in a note to Mrs. Charles C. Walden of a contemplated northward trip, 
 " These warm spring days admonish me that I am a bird of passage, and must soon 
 be seeking a home elsewhere." 
 
 On the fourteenth of February, 1876, the thirtj'-seveuth anniversary of the 
 society, the building was formally dedicated. The unveiling of the portrait of Mr. 
 Hodgson, painted by Mr. Carl N. Brandt, the present curator of Telfair Academy, 
 was a part of the evening's ceremonies. Such a memorial was a fitting monument to 
 one of Mr. Hodgson's tastes. From earliest childhood, books had been his com- 
 panions, developing within him, in later years, the passion for the study of languages, 
 more particularly Oriental languages. To this bent may be ascribed his early con- 
 nection with the diplomatic service of the country, as Dragoman to the Barbary States. 
 In 1842, Mr. Hodgson retired from the diplomatic service to Savannah, his home. 
 Naturally of a shrinking modesty, that characterized an organization of extreme 
 delicacy, his attainments in Oi'iental scholarship were little known in Savannah, 
 but in the scholastic circles of both Europe and America he found appreciation. 
 The dedication by Doctor Mayo of his work, the " Berber," to Mr. Hodgson, indi- 
 cates the firm, grasp his scholarship had made upon the literary world. 
 
 The present officers of the Georgia Historical Society are : — 
 
 President 
 
 First Vice-President 
 
 Second Vice-President . 
 
 Corresponding Secretary 
 
 Recording Secretary 
 
 Treasurer 
 
 Librarian 
 
 Henry R. Jackson. 
 g. moxley sorkel. 
 John Screven. 
 Robert Falligant. 
 Charles N. West. 
 William S. Bogart. 
 William Harden. 
 
 Curators. 
 
 Charles H. Olmstead, H. S. Haines, 
 
 George A. Mercer, R. J. Nunn, 
 
 W. D. Harden, J- R- F. Tattnall, 
 
 Walter G. Charlton. 
 
EISTOBIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 161 
 
 In the " Georgian " of April second, 1839, occurred the account of the dedi- 
 catory ceremonies of the Church of St. John the Baptist, now the present Catholic 
 Library Hall. 
 
 This Church devoted to the worship of the Living God, according to the ancient form of 
 belief of the Roman Catholic persuasion was solemnly dedicated yesterday, by the Right-Reverend 
 Bishop England assisted by the Reverend Mr. Barry, the Reverend Mr. O'Neill, the Reverend M. 
 Whelan, and the Reverend Mr. Duggan, as ofiBciating priests, and the Revei'end Mr. Fielding acting 
 as Deacon, and the Reverend Mr. Quigley as Sub-Deacon. The Church was dismantled of its usual 
 ornaments before the ceremony began. The Mitred Bishop appeared in his pontifical robes, the 
 holy crozier borne by an Acolyte, and the Reverend Clergy in their splendid vestments. The 
 Bishop and his Clergy knelt at the Altar and chanted their prayers to the Most High calling His 
 blessing on the Temple erected for this worship. Their fine sonorous voices in the Latin tongue 
 resounded with great efi'ect through the sacred edifice. When the prayers were over the Bishop 
 and his assistants formed a procession and proceeded through the Church, carrying the divine em- 
 blem of the cross before them and sprinkling its walls with consecrated water. 
 
 This part of the ceremony concluded, the Bishop divested himself of his robes, and from the 
 altar eloquently explained every particular of the form of dedication. He cited the Holy Scriptures 
 throughout and dwelt with much fervour on the character of St- John the Baptist, the precursor of 
 the Saviour and the " first among men." 
 
 When the Bishop concluded his discourse, the candles were lighted, the ornaments replaced, 
 and a Grand Mass was celebrated by the Bishop in his robes, assisted by the attendant Clergy. 
 
 When the service was over, the Bishop assembled the lay delegates within the Sanctuary, and 
 held a convention of the church, after which the further business of the convention was adjourned 
 for the present. 
 
 The Church of St. John the Baptist, which at the time of its dedication was the 
 largest church edifice in the diocese, was made a necessity by the increase of the 
 congregation beyond the capacity of the Roman Catholic chapel, which stood on 
 Liberty square, on the corner of State and Montgomery streets. There the first 
 priest to officiate was a Frenchman, by name I'Abbe de Mercier. His successor was 
 of the same nationality, I'Abbe Cavi. The Reverend J. F. O'Neill, who assisted at 
 the dedicatory services of St. John the Baptist, was regarded as a " Nestor " in 
 the Church. 
 
 The Cathedral was built on land purchased from the Sisters of Mercy at a cost 
 of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It stands a living monument to the faith 
 in Savannah, and it is regarded as the handsomest Roman Catholic edifice south 
 of Washington. St. Patrick's, formerly an old cotton warehouse, was built by the 
 Right Reverend Bishop Ferot ; afterwards it was torn down and rebuilt by Bishop 
 
162 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Gross, at a cost of sixty thousand dollars. There are now three parishes within the 
 city, — the Cathedral, St. Patrick's, and the Sacred Heart, — with a membership in all 
 of about five thousand five hundred. The Cathedral is in charge of the Eeverend 
 Edward Cafferty, V.G. 
 
 The Reverend L. Bazin is pastor of St. Patrick's. The Sacred Heart Church, 
 in the south-eastern part of the city, is under the care of the Benedictine Fathers, 
 the Reverend Father William Meyer, O.S.B., l^eing the pastor. In addition, 
 there is St. Benedict's Chapel for colored Roman Catholics ; the Reverend Father 
 
 Melchior Reichert, O.S.B., 
 
 A new residence for 
 in the rear of the 
 completed about 
 ary, 1889. The 
 will also be fin- 
 early date. 
 
 The diocese 
 established in 
 prises the en- 
 Georgia. The 
 end Thomas A. 
 bishop in charge. 
 Reverend Edward 
 General. 
 
 In 1839, Savannah 
 street, so named in com- interior of the cathedral. 
 of Captain Joseph Jones, of 
 within one hundred yards of the street while fighting for the liberties of his country. 
 Charlton street w^as named in honor of the late Honorable T. U. P. Charlton, whose 
 services as mayor, in 1820, were thus commemorated by tiie grateful citizens of that 
 day. Macon street was named for the fiourishing junior sister city in the interior of 
 the State. Madison and Pulaski squares, added at this time, derived their names from 
 heroes dear to American hearts. The city was well lighted in 1839, for, according 
 to an old ordinance, public lamps were placed in the following manner : two at 
 the City Exchange, four at the market, one at each of the public pumps, two at the 
 Court House, one at each of the public docks, two at the guard-house, and one at 
 
 is the pastor in charge. 
 
 the bishop is building 
 
 Cathedral. It will be 
 
 the first of Janu- 
 
 Cathedral towers 
 
 ished at an 
 
 of Savannah, 
 
 1853, com- 
 
 tire State of 
 
 Right Rever- 
 
 Becker is the 
 
 with the Very 
 
 Catl'erty, Vicar 
 
 was extended to Jones 
 
 pliment to the brave father 
 
 Liberty County, who fell 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 163 
 
 each engine-house. Whenevei- a new pump was erected, or a new dock opened, or 
 a new engine-house built, lamps were to be placed upon them. This law remained in 
 force until 1850. The night-watch kept a good vigilant guard over the city. Officers 
 and privates were furnished at the expense of the city with a rattle, used for com- 
 municating with each other, or of giving alarm, except in case of fire, when the 
 alarm was given by the discharge of a musket. All parts of the city were equally 
 guarded, and a watchman was stationed in the steeple of the Exchange, furnished 
 with a "good and sufficient lanthorn." He gave the alarm to the citizens by 
 ringing the Exchange bell, and by hanging the " lanthorn " in the direction 
 from whence the alarm seemed to proceed. A sentinel was always, during guard 
 hours, stationed at the guard-house door ; his duty it was to communicate the 
 alarm. 
 
 On the nineteenth of December, 1845, St. John's Church was begun on the 
 south side of South Broad street, west of Barnard street. St. John's and the 
 episcopate of Georgia had a contemporaneous origin, for the church was consecrated 
 five weeks after the consecration of the first Bishop of Georgia, Reverend Stephen 
 Elliott, on the twenty-eighth day of February, 1841 . The first bishop of the dio- 
 cese became the first rector of the church. Indeed, the church was oi'ganized as an 
 off'ering to the bishop-to-be, that the two salaries of rector and bishop might consti- 
 tute a sufficient episcopal income. 
 
 The honor must be given to Christ Church for this measure, which gave to the 
 city a new parish, and to the diocese a bishopric. 
 
 The corner-stone of the present St. John's, a Gothic structure fronting upon Mad- 
 ison square, was laid in March, 1852. The church was opened for service on the 
 thirteenth of March, 1853. At the outset of the war St. John's parish was active in 
 benevolent measures. 
 
 In December of 1861, St. John's Aid Society was organized ; and St. John's Hos- 
 pital, opened on the fifth day of January, 1862, was the first in the city to receive 
 the sick and wounded. It was located on the corner of Liberty and JefiTerson 
 streets. 
 
 In the spring of 1878, the Reverend Charles H. Strong received a call to St. 
 John's church. The first ten years of his pastorate are just ended, and the church has 
 entered upon an era of prosperity never before known in its history. There are four 
 hundred and fifty-six families in the congregation, numbering one thousand eight 
 hundred and twenty-four individuals, with the names of five hundred and fifty 
 
164 
 
 EISTORia AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 communicants upon the roll. St. John's constitutes the largest Episcopal parish 
 in the State, and one of the three largest in the South. 
 
 The Episcopal Orphans' Home was founded by Bishop Stephen Elliott in 1844, 
 aided financially by the late Judge Robert M. Charlton. When the Home grew 
 into sufficient proportions to need a larger financial support, funds 
 were subscribed by the members of both Christ Church and St. 
 John's, and the Home was managed on equal terms by members 
 of both of these parishes, and was ministered to by the rectors of 
 both churches until a recent date. 
 
 The Home has, daring the past year, taken possession 
 of the beautiful and commodious building on Liberty street. 
 There are at present twenty-two orphan inmates of the 
 Home. Eight more could be accommodated, were there 
 means of support. The capacity of the building when com- 
 pleted will afford accommodation for fifty or sixty orphans. 
 
 The present Board of Managers are : — 
 
 Mrs. J. D. Weed, First Directress. 
 Mes. W. H. Daniel, Second Directress. 
 
 ST, JOHN'S CHURCH. ^ vj cf 
 
 Mrs. L. M. Warfield, 
 
 Treasurer. 
 
 Miss M. A. Owens, 
 
 Secrelar'y. 
 
 Miss G. B. Screven. 
 Miss Cosens. 
 Mrs. D. B. Hull. 
 Mrs. H. M. C. Smith. 
 Mrs. Walter Charlton. 
 Mrs. John Bryan. 
 Mrs. Thomas Boone. 
 Mrs. E. M. Green. 
 Mrs. C. L. Jones. 
 Mrs. H. D. Stevens. 
 Mrs. a. R. Lawton, Jr. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURE I^QUE SAVANNAH 
 
 165 
 
 In one of the papers of the thirteenth of August, 1842, the following extract 
 bears testimony to the elaborate memorial ceremonies in Savannah in tribute to 
 the memory of the Dulse of Orleans : — 
 
 The Annals of our City do not exhibit the record of proceedings on any public occasion more 
 honorable to our National character, or more gratifyino; to the natives of anj- other countr}', who 
 have made their home in our favored land, than was exhibited by our citizens on Saturday, for the 
 purpose of honoring the memory of the lamented and illustrious Duke of Orleans (late Heir Ap- 
 parent to the throne of France). A vast concourse of citizens assembled at an early hour, and 
 at ten o'clock, the splendid procession was formed at the Exchange, consisting of our noble 
 Volunteer Companies, Benevolent Societies, Scientific and IJterarj' Associations, Officers of Ihe 
 United States Army 
 and Navy, the Hon- 
 orable Mayor and 
 Aldermen, Revolu- 
 tionary Soldiers, Dis- 
 tinguished Strangers, 
 et cetera. Few cities 
 can boast of liner 
 Military Companies 
 than ours, and when 
 they were arranged 
 in phalanx, with all 
 their gorgeous ban- 
 ners, waving phunes 
 and glittering 
 armour, w^e felt the 
 glow of conscious 
 pride pervading us, 
 
 as we associated the remembrance of hard fought fields in by-gone days, with the presence 
 of those brave citizen soldiers, on whose martial bearing we rested with complacency, and in 
 whose keeping we cheerfully place the future foi-tunes of our now happy country — fearless of 
 consequences and confident of victory, and were it not for the serious deportment and emblems 
 of mourning, that told so truly the sad cause of such an assemblage, we would have fancied it the 
 celebration of some gala day. But alas, for human hopes and human happiness, 'twas but an 
 evidence of the dignified sympathy, deservedly yielded by our chivalrous nation to another in 
 her hour of unexpected tribulation. The procession under the direction of Messrs. Blois, Falligant 
 and Delanoy moved to the church of St. John the Baptist, where the solemn and august ceremonies 
 for the dead, according to the ritual of the Roman Catholic Cihurch, were performed and a 
 corresponding discourse by the Reverend J. F. O'Neill, after which an ode composed for the occa- 
 sion by Mr. T. D. Rice, was sung by the choir, who were courteously assisted by those dis- 
 
 INTERIOR OF ST. JOHN'S. 
 
166 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNA^ 
 
 tinguished vocalists, Mrs. Fletcher and Mr. Nutting. A eulogy (in the Frerjch language) illustrative 
 of the noble career of the Duke of Orleans, was pronounced by F. Dure, Esq. — and the funeral 
 ceremonies were closed by Reverend Mr. O'Neill. 
 
 Three years later, on the fourth of July, the city observed a day of mourning 
 for Andrew Jackson, the late President of the United States. From the papers of 
 the day we extract the following : — 
 
 TESTIMONY OF RESPECT AND VENERATION FOR ANDREW JACKSON. 
 
 The Committee appointed by the Citizens of Savannah to make arrangements for the Com- 
 memoration of the life, services and character of Andrew Jackson, announce that a eulogy on the 
 illustrious dead will be pronounced on Friday, the fourth of July next, at the Independent Presby- 
 terian Church, by Matthew McAllister, Esq. 
 
 That Friday next the fourth of July be solemnized as a day of public mourning on which the 
 banks, stores, shops, offices etc. shall be closed, and the Citizens shall abstain from their usual 
 employments. That vessels in port and public houses display their flags at half mast throughout the 
 day, bells of the different churches, the Exchange and Academy be slowly tolled from five to seven 
 o'clock in the morning, during the forming and moving of the procession, and from six to seven 
 o'clock in the afternoon. That seventy-eight minute guns, corresponding with the age of the 
 deceased patriot, be fired in the morning, beginning at sunrise, and the same number in the after- 
 noon, beginning seventy-eight minutes before sunset. That minute guns be fired from the Revenue 
 Cutter Crawford, Captain Fatio, from the time the procession shall move, until the services in the 
 churches shall have begun. That a national salute be fired at Oglethorpe Barracks by the United 
 States' Artillery under the command of Major Wade, immediately after the procession shall have 
 been dismissed. That the Reverend Clergy ; the Magistracy and other officers of the United States 
 the State and the City and Consuls, and other foreign Officers, the Free and Accepted Masons, and 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Union Society, and all other organized Societies ; Teachers 
 and their respective Pupils, the United States Troops, the several Volunteer Coi-ps of this City, the 
 Officers of the Army, Navy, and Revenue Marine and Militia Soldiers of the Revolution, Pilots, 
 Masters of Vessels, their officers and Crews, and the Citizens generally, join, and they are earnestly 
 invited to join in the Procession. A procession will be formed at ten o'clock on that day at the 
 Exchange, under the direction of Francis M. Stone, Esq., Chief Marshal, with the aid of Six Assistant 
 Marshals. The United States Troops, and Volunteer Companies of the City of Savannah, will con- 
 stitute the escort, commanded by Colonel White ; The order will be as follows : The Escort, Chief 
 Marshal, Standard of the United States, The Orator and Committee of Arrangements, the Reverend 
 Clergy, Judges and Officers of the Superior Court, Justices and Ofiicers of the Inferior Court and 
 Court of Ordinary, Judge and Officers of the Court of Common Pleas and Oyer and Terminer. The 
 Mayor and Aldermen, and all ofiicers deriving their appointments from the City. Justices of the 
 Peace. Foreign Consuls and Officers. The Collector and other officers of the Customs, Officers and 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 167 
 
 Soldiers of the Revolution . Officers of the Revenue Marine. Officers of the Militia. The Union 
 Society. The Medical Society. The Library Society. The Hibernian Society. The St. Andrew's 
 Society. The German Fiiendly Society. The Georgia Historical Society. The Catholic Temper- 
 ance Society. The Mechanic's Temperance Society. The Agricultural Society. Georgia Chapter 
 No. 3 and Masonic Lodges of Savannah. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The 
 United Ancient Order of Druids. Teachers of Public Schools and their Pupils. Teachers 
 of Sabbath Schools and their Pupils. The Pilot of the Port of Savannah. , Captains and 
 Officers of Vessels and Marines. (The last in blue Jackets and white trowsers) in a. dress 
 corresponding as readily therewith as circumstances will admit, headed by the Harbor 
 Master. Citizens, Teachers and their Pupils will assemble in Johnston's Square and join the 
 procession when moving, at the intersection of St. Julian and Drayton streets. The procession 
 will march down the Bay to Drayton street, up Drayton street to South Broad, and up South Broad. 
 It is respectfully recommended that the Mayor, Aldermen. Civil Officers and Citizens appear in blacli 
 or dark-colored suits ; that the Staves of the Marshals, Sheriff and attending officers, be surmounted 
 with black ribbons, the banners of the Military and Societies be mourned ; that all who unite in the 
 procession be distinguished by some appropriate badge of mourning, and that the ladies and female 
 children who may attend the delivery of the Eulogium, wear white dresses with black ribbons, or 
 black dresses. 
 
 RICHARD WAYNE, Com. 
 
 R. T. GUERARD, Secretary. 
 
 During the fall of 1843 the Lutherans in Savannah dedicated a new brick edi- 
 fice, the present structure, upon the site of the first Lutheran Church in Savannah. 
 This was the third building upon the site, its immediate predecessor having been 
 a quaint gable-roofed wooden church, erected before the Revolution. Here 
 did Francis Asbury, the first Methodist bishop of America, promulgate the doc- 
 trines of "Wesley, in the early years of this century, before the Methodists had a 
 church organization in Savannah. 
 
 The present pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension is 
 W. S. Bowman, D.D. During his pastorate the church has become imbued with 
 new life, and has had a marked increase of members. 
 
 Another society was added to the many benevolent institutions in Savannah by 
 the organization, on the twenty-first of November, 1843, of the Savannah Port 
 Society, for the purpose of " furnishing seamen with regular evangelical min- 
 istration of the Gospel, and such other religious instruction as may be found 
 practicable." This society from its foundation has been near to the hearts of 
 Savannahians, and has ever found a warm support from the community at large, 
 
168 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 enrolling among its members the representative men of Savannah, from its organi- 
 zation to the present time. 
 
 The present officers are : — 
 
 \ ■ 
 
 R. B. Reppaed 
 
 J. I. Stoddard 
 
 J. D. Weed 
 
 J. W. Burroughs . 
 
 Reverend J. S. Gilmore, 
 
 W. S. BOGART 
 
 President. 
 
 Vice -Presidents. 
 
 Recording {Secretary and Treasurer. 
 
 Qhaplain. 
 
 Corresponding Secretary. 
 
 Board of Managers. 
 
 S. P. Hamilton, 
 David Wells, 
 J. M. Barnard, 
 R. B. Reppard, 
 
 J. G. Wheaton, 
 J. I. Stoddard, 
 J. C. Rowland, 
 J. D. Weed. 
 
 ^ 
 
 In March of 1844, Henry Clay, the " Old Prince, " so called by hi*i Whig 
 friends, visited Savannah, during an extended tour through the cities of the South 
 ^ and the South-west. He was a guest of the Honorable J. M. 
 
 //. /'^^ Berrien, whose home, on the north-west corner of Broughton 
 
 and Habersham streets, still stands, though much altered. 
 Then the house consisted of two stories on a brick foundation, 
 with an attic roof overlooking in an adjoining lot (now built 
 up) a beautiful garden. Here was entertained tliat statesman who wrote of him- 
 self: "If any one desires to know the leading and paramount object of my life, 
 the preservation of this Union will furnish him the key." 
 
 In 1845, that part of the city on the south-east corner of Liberty and Floyd 
 streets was ornamented by the completion of the building of the " Institution of the 
 Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy," familiarly known as the Convent of St. Vincent de 
 Paul. The structure reflected great honor upon its architect, and an elaborate 
 description of it was given in the "Georgian" of June twenty-first, 1845. The 
 land was granted in 1842 by the corporation of the city of Savannah to the trustees 
 of the Roman Catholic Church and their successors, on which to erect afire-proof 
 residence within three years, for the sisterhood to carry out the humane provisions 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 169 
 
 'fe 
 
 of the institution. These were, gratuitous instruction of poor children, the support 
 of female orphans, and attendance upon the sick. 
 
 At the present time Mother Aloysius is the superior of the convent, where both 
 day and boarding pupils are received. There was an attendance last year of thirty 
 boarders and one hundred day scholars. Another Roman Catholic charity in charge 
 of the Sisters of Mercy is the St. Mary's Home for Orphan Girls, Sister M. Patrick 
 being the superior. This institution depends for support upon the voluntary contri- 
 butions of the charitably inclined. At present there are forty-five children in the 
 institution. 
 
 The corner-stone of the old Chatham County Jail, recently torn down, was 
 laid on the twenty-sixth of March, 1846. Within a cavity of the stone was placed a 
 tin box containing several specimens of the Federal currency, copies of the 
 Georgia " Republican," Savannah " Georgian," and a parchment on which was 
 written the following, viz, : — 
 
 The corner-stone of this jail, erected by the County of Chatham, State of Georgia, was laid 
 on the twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord 1845, and the seventieth year of the 
 
170 EISTORIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Independence of the United States of America, in the presence of their Honors, Anthony Porter, 
 Francis Sorrel, William Thomas Williams, Elias Reed, Robert M. Goodwin, Justices of the Inferior 
 Court of the County, and Benjamin Gardner, Architect and Superintendent, R. W. Porter, Clerk of 
 the President of the United States, Jas. K. Polk ; Vice-President, Geo. M. Dallas, Governor of 
 Georgia, George W, Crawford, the Mayor of the city of Savannah. 
 
 This building, completed and ready for occupancy on the nineteenth of August, 
 1846, deserves special mention from its picturesque features, unequalled by any 
 other building in Savannah. The yellow brick walls, relieved at the corners by 
 quaint turrets, had an Old- World air, remarked by many of foreign birth. When a 
 glimpse was caught of a turret or a portion of the wall through the broken lights of 
 trees in the dim twilight, no effort of the imagination was needed to recall distant 
 castles and embattled walls. 
 
 In the year 1846 hostilities began between the United States and Mexico. A 
 call was made upon Geoi'gia for a regiment of soldiers to be sent to the seat of war. 
 All of the infantry volunteer companies in the city offered their services to the State 
 to make up a regiment. Only one company could be taken, however, and it 
 was decided by lot which that should be. 
 
 The lot fell on the Irish Jasper Greens, the youngest but one of the many mili- 
 tary organizations in the city. 
 
 The regiment ^v•AS promptly raised and sent off under Colonel Henry R. Jack- 
 son. Many were the encomiums gained by the Georgia boys and their gallant 
 colonel during those days of brilliant victories to American arms on the distant 
 plains of Mexico. There General Taylor, " Old Rough and Ready, " won not only 
 battles, but the hearts of the American people, for the year following the 
 declaration of peace, by one demonstration of popular applause, he was carried 
 into the presidential chair. And the dashing young colonel of the Irish Jasper 
 Greens? Now in the autumn of his years, he dwells in our midst, a hoary 
 veteran, yet with military fire unquenched, the sword discarded only for the subtler 
 weapon, the pen. 
 
'/^ i^U. 
 
 
 <*-z£_^^%L .^t^ti-fi-^ ^(U-a^ 
 
 /U^/ia-i^^ ^/.'^ A^^i>^ ^oy<^ ^ ^t^-!C2t. 
 
 
 
 ^i2-e^ ^^o^'i-t ^i-^5£ ^i/^^i^~:r^e^ ^^z.^.i-^^ a^^ ^ ^/icjsc^—' 
 
 
 (171) 
 

 
 
 e.^'7■i^^ .^^^cj,-^ ^^cyy fi£.A^ A^-^^ 2^^^i <*>t. 
 
 (172) 
 
CHAPTEE X. 
 
 IN 1847, Bonaventure, the beautiful seat of the Tattnall family, passed by pur- 
 chase into the possession of Captain Peter Wiltberger, who had long cher- 
 ished the wish to convert the solemn shade of its groves to the sacred uses of a 
 cemetery. By an act passed by the Legislature of the State on the twenty- 
 seventh of December, 1847, the Evergreen Cemetery Company of Bonaventure 
 became an incorporation, which, however, remained inactive till 1869. Around 
 no other spot near Savannah cluster such varied associations. It was at first 
 settled about the year 1760, by John Mulryne, an Englishman, who i-emoved 
 from Charleston to Savannah. The high ground, with an extended river view, 
 gave ample scope for the indulgence of one's fancies in gardening. It soon 
 constituted one of the choicest sites near Savannah. The first house, built of 
 bricks, brought for the purpose from England, faced the centre walk of the garden, 
 which extended in terraces from the plateau to the river, the terraces being 
 supported by blocks of " tabby," a concrete of shell and lime, remains of which 
 are yet to be seen. The estate came into possession of the Tattnall family in 
 1761, by the marriage of Josiah Tattnall, of Charleston, South Carolina, to 
 Mary, the only child of John M-ulryne. A charming bit of romance was im- 
 planted upon the estate by this union, for tradition claims that the avenues of 
 magnificent trees, which have ever formed the chief beauty of Bonaventure, were 
 planted about this time, in the forms of the letters M. and T., the initials of the 
 families of Muhyne and Tattnall. The majority of" trees were of the live-oak 
 species, intermingled with less hardy trees, which long ago were laid low by the 
 hand of Time and the gales of the Atlantic, whilst the sturdy live-oaks, with 
 hoary braids of moss, defy the blast, though they, too, have suifered from the 
 fierce winds let loose upon Savannah during the past twenty years. To any one 
 in search of the novel let him visit Bonaventure, and spend an idle, but enjoyable, 
 hour in wandering through the various avenues, endeavoring to trace the 
 intricacies of that most unique of monograms. The first house was destroyed 
 
 (173 J 
 
174: HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 by fire during the last century. It was the occasion of a scene of dramatic 
 effect. Fire brolie out on the roof while a number of guests had assembled 
 with their host in the dining-room to partake of a dinner. Reader, do you 
 picture a scene of consternation, of confused rush hither and thither, to escape 
 the doomed house? Not so. The stately host, stifling his personal feelings before 
 the inevitable, with the grace of a Chesterfield invited his guests to follow 
 him to the garden, where the servants had preceded with the dining-table. 
 There, in the glow of the burning house, the dinner was eaten. Fancy the scene. 
 The lurid sweep of the flames, unchecked by an opposing element, their ferocity 
 fed by increasing material until all within reach was reduced to ashes or 
 shapeless ruins, and there, within a stone's-throw, around the bountiful table sat, 
 the host with his subdued guests, for it is not in human nature to sup- 
 pose them all heroic, the host, with many a jest and sparkling word, diverting 
 their attention from the blazing fire which engulfed his home. Verily, of such stuff 
 are heroes made, and so proved the Tattnalls. Upon the outbreak of the 
 Revolution, Josiah Tattnall with his two sons, John and Josiah, sought a home 
 in England, maintaining allegiance to the English crown ; he declined, however, a 
 commission in the Royal army. Upon the , conclusion of the war, the family 
 estates in Georgia were confiscated. Because of this declination to bear arms 
 in defence of his State, his property was condemned by public act, and Josiah 
 Tattnall and John Mulryne were declared banished from the State forever. 
 
 " By a remarkable revolution of the political wheel eighty-four years after, the 
 personal property of Commodore Tattnall, the grandson of Josiah Tattnall, was con- 
 fiscated by the Federal Government, because he refused to remain in the service of 
 the United States, and take up arms against the State of Georgia. It is a curious 
 fact, that included in the property thus confiscated by the Federal authorities were 
 some articles which had been condemned and appropriated hy Georgia in 1782, as 
 property of the Commodore's grandfather, but which upon open sale had been pur- 
 chased by his friends, and restored to the family after the Revolution." ^ 
 
 Before the end of the Revolutionary struggle, Josiah, Junior, then eighteen 
 years old, the younger of the two sons, requested permission, to return to Georgia 
 and espouse the cause of the colonies. Refused, the love of his native soil (for he 
 was born at Bona venture) outweighed his respect for parental authority ; he suc- 
 ceeded in reaching Georgia, and joined the army of General Greene, whom he 
 
 ^ Life of Commodore Tattnall. C. C. Jones. 
 
HTSTOmC AND PICTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 175 
 
 followed to the close of the war. In appreciation of the devotion and services of 
 this member of the family, Geoi-gia restored a portion of the confiscated estates of 
 Tattnall, inchiding his birthplace, Bonaventure. For eighteen years Josiah Tattnall 
 gave a loj^al service to his native State, Georgians delighting to bestow upon him 
 every honor, civil or military, — the third Captain of the Chatham Artillery, Colonel 
 of the First Georgia Regiment, Brigadier-General of the First Brigade of Georgia 
 Militia, a member of the Legislature on several occasions, a member of Congress, 
 
 BONAVENTURE. 
 
 finally, the position of Governor of the State crowned the life young in years, but 
 full inglorious achievement. At the age of thirty-six, in 1804, he died in the West 
 Indies. His last request, that his body be carried to rest in the soil of his beloved 
 Georgia, was observed : beneath the solemn shadows of the live-oaks which 
 sheltered his boyhood's i)lay he sleeps, with two illustrious sons, who were destined 
 to carr}' the renown of Tattnall to foreign lands and waters. The second house, a 
 frame one, built in Bonaventure b}^ Governor Tattnall, was also destroyed by tire. 
 This stood in the open space, in rear of the site occupied by the first brick house, 
 and its location is marked by a large cedar-tree, nourished by the ashes of the 
 burnt hearth . The front of this house was formerly marked by two old and large 
 
176 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 palmetto-trees. Aside from the Tattnall family, there are incidents of historic 
 interest inwoven with Bonaventure. Here the royal governor, Sir James Wright, 
 upon his escape from Savannah, was sheltered by his staunch friend. Colonel 
 Mulryne, until he could be conveyed on board an English man-of-war in the river. 
 Here, also, the French fell back, after their unsuccessful attack on Savannah, to re- 
 embark many of their wounded, burying a number of their dead in Bonaventure. 
 
 In the spring of 1847, that distinguished American orator and jurist, Daniel 
 Webster, set out upon a visit to the Southern States, receiving marked ovations in 
 Charleston, Columbia, Augusta, and Savannah. 
 
 Accompanied by Mrs. Webster and Miss Seaton, Daniel Webster arrived in 
 Savannah on Tuesday, the twenty-fifth of May. A public reception was accorded 
 him on the twenty-sixth in Johnson square, at the base of the Greene monument. 
 His headquarters were at the Pulaski House. Two public dinners were given him 
 at the Pulaski House, — the one on Thursday, by the citizens, the other on Friday, 
 by the Bar of Savannah. Mr. Webster and his party left for Charleston on Friday 
 night, highly gratified with their reception in the little Southern city. 
 
 At the citizens' dinner, Mr. Webster, in alluding to the purpose of his visit to 
 see Southern culture and Southern people, said, "I have frequently been asked by 
 Southern gentlemen, during my tour, whether I won't go \Yith them to look at this 
 rice field, or that cotton field, and it reminded me of an anecdote told by my friend 
 Skinner, of the 'Farmers' Gazette,' of a man about to be married ; when asked by 
 the parson if he 'would have this woman for his wedded wife,' he replied, 'I did 
 not come for anything else.' This is precisely the case with me, 'I did not come 
 for anything else.'" 
 
 At the dinner given by the Bar, the Honorable M. Hall McAllister presided, 
 assisted by the Honorable William Law. There it-was that the Honorable R. M. 
 Charlton gave the well-turned toast of " Law and Lawyers. The world considers 
 the one as a rank soil, where the others sow the seeds of iniquity and strife, that they 
 may reap the harvest of crime ; but the Story of old Massachusetts tells a different 
 tale ; for her legal soil has produced a tree of virtue and of learning, which, though it 
 be now time-honored, still bears a brilliant Greenleaf, and her legal loom has woven 
 aWebster of whom the world may be proud." 
 
 Upon rising to make his parting address, Daniel Webster said that he hoped 
 his professional brethren would not think him disposed to engross all the talking, 
 or that he was as forward as a certain Scotch judge of whom he heard when in 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 177 
 
 Scotland. It seems this judge was fond of interrupting counsel in their arguments, 
 
 and of anticipating them, much to the annoyance of the Bar. " It is perhaps known 
 
 to you," said Mr. Webster, " that the captions of Scottish decrees run in this way : 
 
 'This cause came on to be tried, et cetera, and . 
 
 the counsel both for the pursuer and defender, ' ^} y^ 9^ ' 
 
 having been fully heard, the lord oi'dinary doth 
 
 proceed to discern, decree, and adjudged as follows, etc., etc' A waggish lawyer 
 
 proposed that the form of this preamble should be altered, as follows : 'This cause 
 
 came on to be tried, etc., and the lord ordinary, having been fully heard, both for 
 
 the pursuer and the defender, doth proceed to decree, etc., etc' " 
 
 In the year 1848, the Methodists had increased to such an extent it was 
 deemed advisable to erect a larger church in the more central part of the city. The 
 plan and specifications of the new building were furnished by John B. Hogg, Esq., 
 a pupil of Mr. Thomas U. Walker, the celebrated architect of Girard College, in 
 Philadelphia, also the designer and builder of the great dome of the Capitol at 
 Washington . 
 
 Begun in 1848, Trinity Church was completed ^nd dedicated with appropriate 
 ceremonies in 1850. It is the present large and commodious edifice located on the 
 west side of St. James square. To-day the names of eight hundred and fifty mem- 
 bers are upon its roll-book, by some hundreds larger than that of any other church 
 in Savannah. It has also one of the largest congregations in the city, under the 
 charge of Reverend E. H. McGehee. On the seventh of September, 1847, the cor- 
 ner-stone of the Armory Building, of Chatham Artillery, was laid in Wright square, 
 on the site where formerly stood the " Laboratory," a wooden building used by the 
 Chatham Coi'ps as a place for military practice. The new armory was regarded as 
 a great ornament to the city. Its quaint appearance will be well remembered, for 
 it is within recent years that the more modern but less picturesque armory has been 
 remodelled upon the old building. That same year Savannah was called upon to 
 mourn the loss of Colonel James S. Mcintosh, one of the heroes of the Mexican 
 War. An extract from a paper of March twentieth, 1848, gives an account of the 
 obsequies. 
 
 THE GALLANT DEAD. 
 
 Our fellow citizens generaHy on Saturday forsook tlieir usual avocations to mingle around the 
 bier of the veteran soldier, the gallant leader of the Third Infantry, and acting Brigadier-General in 
 more than one well-fought battle on the plains of Mexico. The AFusic of the Military, at an early 
 
178 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 hour of the forenoon, summoned the Members of the respective Volunteer Corps, attached to the 
 first Regiment, and their full ranks attested the admiration of the Citizen Soldier for the character 
 of the warrior who now rested from his labors. 
 
 The National Banner was displayed at half-mast at the Garrison and on the Chatham Light 
 Artillery Armory — and all the shipping in Port displayed their colors also at half-mast. The follow- 
 ing corps formed as a battalion on the Bay. The Georgia Hussars — Captain Bailey. The Chatham 
 Light Artillery — Captain Stephens. The Republican Blues, Captain Anderson. The Savannah 
 Volunteer Guards, Captain Richardson. The Irish Jasper Greens — Captain M'Mahon. The Ger- 
 man Volunteers, Captain Stegin. The Phoenix Riflemen, Lieutenant Polin. 
 
 Under the command of Colonel Knapp the battalion proceeded to the residence of Major Wm. 
 J. Mcintosh, where the mortal remains of his gallant brother reposed. The veteran lay in a leaden 
 coiBn, inclosed in one of Mahogany, with the following inscription: Colonel Jas. S. Mcintosh, 
 Fifth Regiment, United States Infantry, died first October, 1847, of wounds, received in the 
 battle of El Molino del Rey, Mexico, eighth September, 1847. The American flag was thrown as a 
 pall over the coffin, and the sword with the dress of the deceased, (pierced by eight bullet holes,) 
 which was worn by him at the fatal battle of El Molino del Rey, rested upon the coffin. Reverend 
 Rufus White of St. John's Church, assisted by Edward Neufville D.D., officiated at the house, and 
 read the funeral service of the Episcopal Church. Escort, Clergy — Pall Bearers, W. B. Bullock, 
 Judge, J. M. Wayne, Major Wade, U. S. A., Lieutenant Colonel Law, Colonel Williams, Colonel J. 
 W. Jackson, Captain Stephens, Ma-jor Talcott, U. S. A., Family, Colonel John G. Park, and Major M. 
 D. Huson, the Commander on the part of the State in charge of the body from Mexico — Officers of 
 the Army and Navy, Brigadier General White and Stafl^, Committee from the Floyd Rifles and 
 Macon Volunteers under Captain Conner ; Officers of the First Regiment — Grand Marshal not on 
 Duty — Mayor and Aldermen — Citizens. 
 
 On entering the old Cemetery, the services at the grave were performed by Reverend Rufus 
 White. After the coffin was deposited in the vault which contains the remains of General Lachlan 
 Mcintosh, a patriot of the Revolution, three volleys were fired over the grave of the warrior by the 
 Rifles and the four Companies of Infantry. The battalion then returned to the Bay, and the Com- 
 panies were dismissed to their respective commands. Thus has the grave closed over the remains of 
 one who in life we cherished as a gallant citizen, ready at any moment to lay down his life for his 
 Country. 
 
 The first telegraphic despatch was received in Savannah on Thursday, the 
 twenty-third of March, 1848, dated Charleston, March twenty-third, 1848. It 
 read thus : " Steamer Northerner arrived at New York — Steamer Earitan burnt 
 off Bedloe's Island — passengers saved — New York cotton market depressed — 
 sales at I to J decline on 20th. Yesterday's sales eight hundred bales — Extremes, 
 6 to 7f ." 
 
 To the music lovers of the Savannah public the year 1849 afforded rare treats ; 
 besides the engagements of several opera troupes, the two famous pianists, Maurice 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTUBESQVK SAVANNAH 179 
 
 Strakosch and Henry Herz, each appeared for one night in Sfivannah. It was of 
 Strakosch (whose brilliant execution over forty years ago was the wonder of the 
 hour, from St. Petersburg to New Orleans) that the anecdote is told : " My young 
 friend," said the composer Rossini to Strakosch, "you play magnificently, but you 
 have no left hand." Strakosch, surprised, sat down and executed a piece of marvel- 
 lous difficulties for the left hand alone. "Mr. Strakosch," said the composer, "I 
 must repeat, you have no left hand, but you have two rights." As a pianist, 
 Strakosch ranked in the list after Liszt and Thalberg. 
 
 The first ex-President to receive the hospitalities of the city of Savannah was 
 James K. Polk, welcomed on Saturday night of March tenth, 1849, on his arrival by 
 boat from Charleston, by the Mayor and Aldermen of the city, together with a com- 
 mittee of twenty-one citizens. The Chatham Light Artillery, stationed at the ex- 
 treme eastern end of the city, on the bluff, boomed a welcome about nine o'clock in 
 the evening. When the steamer " General Clinch " was sighted, bearing the ex-Pres- 
 ident, with his wife, nieces, and the Honorable Robert J. Walker, the ex-Secretary of 
 the Treasury, a salute was given by the battalion, composed of the Hussai's, Lieu- 
 tenant Blois ; the Blues, Captain Anderson ; the Guards, Captain Richardson; the 
 Irish Jasper Greens, Captain Wylly ; the German Volunteers, Captain Stegin ; and 
 the Phoenix Riflemen, Captain Mills, — all of them under the command of Colonel 
 Knapp. The procession then proceeded to the Pulaski House, the ex-President's 
 headquarters. A reception was held at Armory Hall for the citizens in general, but 
 owing to the lateness of the hour Mr. Polk soon retired. The next day the city's 
 guests attended service at the Independent Church in the morning, and in the after- 
 noon at Christ Church. Monday morning found the Republican Blues, commanded 
 by Captain Anderson, escorting Mr. Polk and his family to the Central Railroad 
 depot, from whence the journey was continued to Macon. Three months later the 
 city was in mourning for the deceased ex-I'resident Polk. In August of the following 
 year, again was Savannah called upon to mourn the death of the head of the nation, 
 Zachary Taylor. From a paper of August seventh, 1850, we quote the fol- 
 lowing : — 
 
 The joint Committee of Citizens, and of the Mayor and Aldermeo, appointed to adopt suitable 
 measures for the solemn commemoration of the death of General Zachary Taylor, late President of 
 the United States, and for paying tributes of respect to his memory, announce the following as the 
 ceremonies and arrangements for the occasion. Francis S. Bartow Esq. will deliver a Eulogy on 
 the public life and character of the deceased, on Thursday the eighth of August, at the New 
 
180 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Methodist Church in St. James Square. A procession will be formed at ten o'clock on the morning 
 of that day, on Bay street, in front of the Exchange under the direction of Wm. W. Gates Esq. as 
 chief Marshal with four Assistants. 
 
 The Volunteer Companies of the city will constitute the escort, under the direction of Lieu- 
 tenant Colonel William F. Law, and will be formed in line, the right resting on Barnard street, 
 displaying west. The Chatham Artillery, Lieutenant Wilder, will fire minute guns during the 
 march of the procession to the number of sixty-six the age of the deceased. At sunset, they will 
 fire a national salute. The colours of the shipping in port, and at all public places will be hoisted at 
 half-mast during the day. The bells of all the churches will be tolled during the march of the pro- 
 cession and again for half-an-hour at sunset. All standards and banners carried in the procession 
 to be in mourning. The Committee request that all the Banks and Public Offices be shut during the 
 day, and that the citizens close their places of business from ten o'clock until the termination of the 
 ceremonies. The order of the procession will be as follows ; — 
 
 The Escort of Volunteer Companies. 
 
 Chief Marshal. 
 
 The Standard of the United States. 
 
 The Orator and Committee of Arrangements. 
 
 The Reverend Clergy — Teachers of Public Schools. 
 
 The Mayor and Aldermen and their Officers. 
 
 Judges and Officers of the Superior Court. 
 
 Justices of the Inferior Court and their Officers. 
 
 Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and Oyer and Terminer and Officers. 
 
 Magistrates and Officers of the City and County — Foreign Consuls. 
 
 Officers of the United States. 
 
 Collector and Officers of the Customs. 
 
 Military and Naval Officers of the United States. 
 
 Brigadier General of the First Brigade and Staff. 
 
 Major of Cavalry and Staff. 
 
 Field Staff and Company Officers First Regiment. 
 
 The Union Society. The Medical Society. The Library Society. 
 
 The Hibernian Society. The St. Andrew's Society. The German Friendly Society. 
 
 The Georgia Historical Society. The Irish Union Society. Temperance Societies. 
 
 All the Societies not specified — The Worshipful Deputy, Grand Master and Masonic Lodges 
 of Savannah. The several Lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Captains and 
 Officers of Vessels in Port. Mariners in uniform dress. Citizens. The Oglethorpe and Washington 
 Fire Companies will form the rear of the Procession. The various Societies, Associations, Public 
 Bodies, Officers and all others named, and the Citizens, generally, are requested to consider this as 
 the invitation of the Committee to unite in the procession without further notice. Route of the 
 Procession — Down Bay Street to Whitaker, up Whitaker to South Broad street, up South Broad 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 181 
 
 street to Barnard street, down Barnard sti-eet to St. James square, fronting the church. Returning, 
 down Barnard street to Broughton street, down Broughton street to Bull street, down Bull street to 
 Bay street. 
 
 Committee of Arrangements. 
 R. R. Cuyler, W. Thorne Williams, F. S. Bartow, William Law, W. P. White, W. B. 
 Fleming, J. L. Locke, Alderman J. Lippman, Robt. Habersham, E. J. Harden, A. R. Lawton, 
 Chas. S. Henry, Geo. Schley, R. D. Arnold, Alderman R. H. Griifen, Alderman M. Gumming. 
 
 In 1850, the beauty of the city was enhanced by the present Custom House, 
 a massive building of Quincy granite, on the south-east corner of Bull and Bay 
 streets. The architect, Mr. John S. Norris, won many encomiums for the impos- 
 ing simplicity of his work. A vast stride in commercial prosperity is marked 
 by the contrast in the building of 1763 and that of 1850. The first House of 
 Customs was a wooden hut, probably sixteen by twenty-two feet, whose exact loca- 
 tion is uncertain. Within a century a granite pile arises, one hundred and ten feet 
 in length, fifty-two feet in depth, the sanie in height, to control the increasing 
 customs of the city. Various have been the locations of the Custom House. In 
 1789, " Commercial row," built by Robert Bolton, one of the leading merchants of 
 the day, just west of the Exchange, sheltered the Custom House ; succeeding that, a 
 building on the old site of the Georgia Historical Society on Bryan street. Its 
 destruction by fire caused a removal to the Exchange, where the customs duties 
 were transacted until the erection of the present structure gave the customs a home. 
 This building has become inadequate for the Federal business, and Congi-ess has 
 again made provision for a new building. 
 
 Savannah's first exports, in 1749, were of the value often thousand dollars ; her 
 exports for the year 1887, including coastwise and foreign, were fifty-four millions 
 seven hundred and sixty-four thousand five hundred and eighty-two dollars and 
 seventy-nine cents. In 1758, forty-one vessels entered the new port; in 1887, one 
 thousand three hundred and three were entered and cleared at the Custom House. 
 Her shipping now reaches nearly a million of tonnage. 
 
 Journalism in Savannah has ever been strong and conservative, typifying the 
 people. In 1850, there were four daily papers. The "Georgian," the Democratic 
 organ of the city ; the " Republican," the "Whig organ ; the " Evening Journal ; " and 
 the "Morning News," whose first number was issued from the upper story of the old 
 building on the corner of Bull and Bay Street lane, on the fifteenth day of January, 
 1850. Of the "Georgian" there is aii account elsewhere. To the " Republican " 
 
182 EI8T0RIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 must be accorded the honor of a long life. For seventy odd years it held up 
 the mirror to the passing events of the day, in politics throughout its history 
 having been devoted to conservative news. The first number appeared on the first 
 of January, 1802, under the name of the "Georgia Republican," a semi-weekly 
 paper, issued on Tuesday and Friday, edited and owned by John F. Everett. In 
 1807, its publication was changed to a tri-weekly, afternoon edition, issued on Tues- 
 days, Thursdays, and Saturdays, under the name of the " Republican and Savannah 
 Evening Ledger." On the seventeenth of October, 1817, the paper became a daily 
 during the autumn and winter months, to return to a tri-weekly during the sum- 
 mer. In 1840, the motto of the paper adopted was " Union of the Whigs for the 
 sake of the Union." From this time dates the "Republican's " active' advocacy of 
 Whig principles, when it again became a morning daily, and so continued. 
 Previous to the war, Mr. James R. Sneed and Mr. F. W. Sims were co-editors. 
 
 Upon the capture of the city by General Sherman, the "Republican " office with 
 all of its contents was taken possession of according to military authority, on the 
 twenty-ninth of December, 1864, by John E. Hayes, the war correspondent of the 
 New York " Tribune." He published the paper in the interest of the Federal 
 Government, retaining the position of editor and proprietor until his death, in 1868. 
 The "Republican," cried at public auction on the sixth day of October, 1868, was 
 bought by Mr. James R. Sneed, its former editor and proprietor. He conducted it 
 for about a year, when it was again sold to Colonel William A. Reed. He published 
 it for a few months, then announced its suspension. Messrs. Hardee and Scudder 
 purchased and revised it, making a good paper, but not a profitable one ; a year's 
 labor satisfying them of the hopelessness of their task, they disposed of the property 
 to the "Advertiser," a comparatively new paper, started in 1868. The paper then 
 appeared with the name of the " Advertiser and Republican." Varying fortunes 
 attended this union, till, in September of 1875, the subscription was transferred to 
 the " Morning News." Savannah has been an uncertain field for the newspaper 
 craft ; probably no other city of its size has had the same number of changes 
 and failures. From the year 1850 to 1876, at least twelve ephemeral newspaper 
 ventures were launched upon the city ; but the one started in 1850, by John M. 
 Cooper, with a platform embraced in the words, "Neutrality, independence, and 
 industry," has steadily steered its way through the shoals of the newspaper sea, 
 until to-day the "Morning News" ranks first among Georgia newspapers. For 
 over thirty years its editor was William F. Thompson, author of the well- 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 183 
 
 known "Major Jones's Courtship." He was the Horace Greeley of the "Morning 
 News." Proprietors changed again and again, but the first editor held the helm. 
 Another well-known Georgia humorist, author of the " Uncle Eemus " sketches, Joel 
 Chandler Harris, was associate editor for a number of years upon the " Morning 
 News." Upon the Federal occupation of Savannah, S. W. Mason took possession 
 of the "News" office, and began the publication of the "Savannah Herald," sub- 
 sequently settling the claims of the former proprietors of the " News " establishment, 
 which were submitted to arbitration. The paper then became the " Daily News 
 and Herald." In July, 1867, Mr. J. H. Estill, the present proprietor and editor 
 of the " News,'' purchased a part interest in the " Morning News." A year later he 
 purchased Mr. Mason's interest, and resumed the original name of the paper, — 
 "The Savannah Morning News." Mr. Estill holds an enviable position among 
 Southern pressmen. 
 
 The present quarters of the " Morning News " constitutes one of the most com- 
 manding buildings in the city. The second daily now published in the city origi- 
 nated with Mr. B. H. Kichardson, a former editor of the " News," aided by Mr. 
 W. G. Waller. It is an evening publication, the only eight-page evening daily in 
 the State. Its present editor, Mr. Gazaway Hartridge, maintains a high standard 
 of journalism in the columns of his popular paper. 
 
 Forsyth Park, which, as Forsyth place, was laid out by an act of the City 
 Council in 1851, derived its name from discussions held within the library-room of 
 Mr. Tefft's home. To Mr. Hodgson, it is claimed, we are indebted for the sug- 
 gestion of the name "Forsyth," after the brilliant Georgian, John Forsyth (at that 
 time Minister to Spain) , who had distinguished himself in Congress in 1818 and 
 1830, and as governor of the State in 1827. 
 
 The memory of many will recall the days when the park was enclosed by a 
 white wooden fence, the site of the present fountain, marked by a small wooden 
 bridge. In 1854 the water-works were extended to the park. Later, the fountain, 
 modelled after the beautiful one in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, was placed in 
 the centre of the park. An Ethiopian domestic, who had her first glimpse of the 
 new fountain, returned to her mistress exclaiming, "Oh, my, missus ! I nebber seed 
 men spoutin' water like dat befo' ! " When gas was first used in the city, the same 
 woman said, "De debbil is in de pipe, shuah ! " 
 
 Forsyth Park, consisting of twenty acres, enclosed by an iron fence, has for its 
 basic element a forest of stately pines that contrast charmingly with the variety of 
 
184 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 trees of smaller growth and native shrubs. The beauty of winding walks, grassy 
 swards, and groupings of bright plants is the production of two minds, of which the 
 master-mind was that of Mr. William Bischoff, a celebrated landscape gardener in 
 
 FORSYTH PARK. 
 
 his native country, Bavaria, who for a number of years liad a nursery in Savannah. 
 His plan (the original of which is now to to be seen in the Surveyor's office in the city) , 
 modified and altered bj^ Mr. John B. Hogg, constitutes the present plan of the park. 
 The beginning of the year 1852 was marJied by a fall of snow from one to two 
 inches ; the unusual occurrence led even dignified citizens to indulge in the pastime 
 of snow-balling. During this same year there appeared in one of the daily papers 
 the first impressions made upon a stranger l)y the sight of the Exchange, the pride 
 of the city. "The stranger sails up the Savannah in one of your superb steamers, 
 and anchors opposite the most prominent object in the city, which he conceives to 
 be a tasteless and illy-constructed manufactory, perhaps some old flouring-mill ; but 
 he is presenth' informed that this is the principal public building belonging to the 
 cit}', ycleped the ' Exchange.' On either side are long ranges of dingy, antiquated 
 buildings, with loophole windows and gables, evidently copied from ' Auld 
 Eeekie,' in Edinburgh. Closing up the end of the handsomest, the most central, 
 
HISTORIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 185 
 
 and fashionable street of Savannah, the Exchange presents to the river and city a 
 square-built, lateral-roofed, barn-looking edifice, with a clumsy, nondescript sort of 
 watch-tower rising from the middle." Let us take a glance at the building which 
 occasioned such offence to the artistic eye of the passing stranger ; plain in its 
 aspect, but varied in the interests enclosed within its walls. There was then no 
 portico in front to relieve the staring white of the painted walls ; a few years later 
 one was added. The only ornament was a long pole which protruded through the 
 rails of the cupola, and on gala days flung the stars and stripes to the breeze. It is 
 related that an enterprising alderman, prompted, possibly, by the stranger's criti- 
 cism af the Exchange, carried into execution the plan of substituting for the un- 
 .sightly pole a neat flag-staff erected on the roof. The well-intentioned act raised a 
 storm of indignation from the neighboring merchants on the Bay, as it partly hid the 
 clock from view ; the flag-staff was re- 
 moved. Thus ended the attempt to 
 ornament the Exchange. Across its 
 southern front stood out in foot letters 
 in bold relief the name of the " Daily 
 Georgian," whose printing-office and 
 Princeton press were established upon 
 the lower floor on Bay street, suc- 
 cessor to the Post Office and Cus- 
 tom House. Overhead was heard the 
 martial tread of Savannah's soldiery, 
 — a number of the companies occupy- 
 ing the upper rooms as armories. The 
 lowest floor and the vaults beneath 
 were used for police quarters, together 
 
 with accommodations in the United 
 
 States barracks, until the erection 
 
 of the present spacious and ornamental police barracks on the lot east of the 
 Old Brick Cemetery. The present Council Chamber and the Mayor's private office 
 then formed one apartment, known as the "Long Room." Here gathered the 
 citizens of Savannah to discuss political and municipal affairs. The " unterrified 
 Democrat and the dignified Whig" met in friendly rivalry. Questions of public 
 interest — of railroads, of commerce, of the health of the city — were started and 
 
186 mSTORIG AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 settled in the Long Room. In the old belfry the watchman kept his nightly guard 
 over the cit^', and upon the stroke of twelve, when peace and quiet reigned, sent 
 out that comforting cry of " All is well," or else he swung his lanthorn and struck 
 the alarm, accompanied by a hoarse cry of tire at the faintest glimmer of lurid 
 light. Indeed, it is a matter of record that on more than one occasion an over- 
 zealous guardian of the town aroused the citizens to see the moon rise. 
 
 The Water-Works, located in the outer portion of the city, on the western side 
 of the Ogeechee canal, were erected in 1853, though they were not brought into full 
 operation until 1854. The distributing reservoir is situated in the centre of Franklin 
 square. The past year (1888) has been marked by an event in the system of the 
 Savannah Water- Works, — a change from the use of the river to that of Artesian- 
 well water. The city has now a full supply of pure, wholesome water, derived from 
 wells bored at, and in the vicinity of, the works. There are fifteen completed 
 Artesian wells. The present superintendent of the works is A. N. Miller, Esq. 
 
 The Savannah, Florida, and Western Eailway Company, now known as the 
 "Plant System," a worthy contemporary of the Central road, as a factor of pro- 
 gressive expansion for Savannah, was first organized in 1853, under the name of 
 the Savannah and Albany Railroad. Doctor John Screven, the first president, was 
 a prime mover in the project. 
 
 In 1854, the name of the company was changed to the Savannah, Albany, 
 and Gulf Railroad. This was retained until the adoption of the present name. 
 This line, which runs from Charleston through Savannah to the Chattahoochee 
 river and to Jacksonville, with branches to Albany, Bainbridge, Gainesville, and 
 Brunswick, with a steamship line from Tampa to Havana ana Key West, com- 
 bines over eight hundred miles of track. 
 
 The policy of the road has been far-seeing and sagacious. It is one of the 
 best equipped railways in the Union, and handles most admirably the large winter 
 travel to and from Florida. But few changes have been made in the management 
 of the road the past year. H. B. Plant still presides over the entire system, with 
 W. S. Chisholm, Vice-President; H. S. Haines, General Manager; R. G. Flem- 
 ing, Superintendent ; C. D. Owens, Traffic Manager ; and William P. Hardee, 
 General Passenger Agent. 
 
 Like the Central, the Savannah, Florida, and Western Company has vast 
 wharves, which are centres of activity and enterprise. Acres of ground about the 
 wharves are covered with barrels of resin and turpentine. Indeed, the business 
 
EISTOSIC AND PicrURBSQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 187 
 
 of naval stores, now of such commercial importance to Savannah, ranking it as 
 the first naval stores' station in the world, was the creation of this railway com- 
 pany. In 1875, the receipts at Savannah were nine thousand five hundred and 
 fifty-five barrels of turpentine, and forty-one thousand seven .hundred and ninety- 
 seven barrels of resin; in 1887, the astonishing figures were reached of one 
 hundred and seventy thousand nine hundred and forty-eight bai'rels of turpentine, 
 and six hundred and sixteen thousand three hundred and eighty-nine barrels of resin. 
 Since 1880, the naval stores' business has more than doubled its former trade. 
 
 In 1854, the Board of Managers of the Union Society purchased one hundred 
 and twenty-five acres of the Bethesda estate, erected buildings for the accommoda- 
 tion of the orphans under its charge, and removed them thither. On the twenty- 
 third of April, 1888, the president submitted the one hundred and thirty-eighth 
 annual report of the society, in which he stated that the charity in the past year 
 had covered a wider field of usefulness than ever before. Of one hundred and six 
 boys under the care of the society, during that period, eighty-nine were present. 
 
 The flourishing status of the society is due to the effective workings of the 
 following officers, all of whom were unanimously reelected : — 
 
 President . 
 Vice-President 
 Treasurer . 
 Secretary . 
 
 J. H. Estill. 
 A. L. Hartridge. 
 John Sullivan. 
 W. K. Wilkinson. 
 
 D. E. Thomas, 
 F. M. Hull, 
 William Rogers, 
 
 The Managers. 
 T. M. Cunningham, 
 R. G. Fleming, 
 R. B. Reppard, 
 
 Thomas Ballanttne, 
 RuFUS E. Lester, 
 H. F. BoTTS 
 
 George S. Owens, 
 Abram Minis, 
 
 Honorary Managers. 
 A. R. Lawton, 
 R. D. Walker, 
 
 G. M. Sorrel, 
 Charles H. Olmstead. 
 
 Osceola Butlee, 
 F. W. Dasher.i 
 
 Stewards. 
 John B. Fernandez, 
 g. w. cubbedge, 
 
 J. A. G. Caeson, 
 J. A. Thomas. 
 
 I Deceased. 
 
188 EISTOBIC AND FICTUBE8QUE SAVANNAH 
 
 The event of the early months of the year 1854 was the arrival of ex-President 
 Fillmore in Savannah, the second ex-President to partake of the hospitalities of the 
 city. An extract from the " Georgian," of Friday, the twenty-first of April, 
 announces the approach of the ex-President : — 
 
 It is announced by a despatch in another column that Ex-President Fillmore will arrive here 
 this evening at half past five o'clock and remain over Sunday. The ex-President is accompanied by 
 the Honorable John P. Kennedy. A deputation from the Committee of Arrangements will depart 
 on this morning's train to meet the ex-President and suite at Griffin's Dinner House, on the Central 
 Railroad. On his arrival at the Railroad Depot here, he will be formally welcomed by the Mayor 
 and Aldermen, and the Committee of Reception, followed by a salute of thirty one guns from the 
 Chatham Artillery. The reception ceremonies will take place in the extensive warehouse of the 
 Central Railroad, after which the distinguished guest and suite will be honored by a civic and mili- 
 tary escort to quarters provided at the Pulaski House. During the sojourn of the guests, a conrpli- 
 mentary Ball, at St. Andrew's Hall, and an Excursion to Fort Pulaski are contemplated. Tuesday, 
 April twenty-flfth. — Ex-President Fillmore in Savannah. At the time we write the ex-President 
 and suite, accompanied by a select party of our fellow-citizens, are going down the river, to view 
 Fort Pulaski, and other places of interest, on board the beautiful steamer " Seminole." On Satur- 
 day, in comiDany with Savannah gentlemen, he visited Bonaventure. On Sunday morning, he 
 attended Christ Church, Reverend Bishop Elliott officiating. In the afternoon he attended the Inde- 
 pendent Presbyterian Church, and listened to a sermon from Reverend Chas. Rogers, in the absence 
 of the Pastor, Reverend Doctor Preston. In the evening, he attended the Unitarian Church, Rev- 
 erend John Pierpont, Junior, to which denomination we believe he is attached as a member. Yes- 
 terday from ten to eleven o'clock a public levee was held at the Pulaski House. The citizens with- 
 out distinction paid their respects to the ex-President. At eleven o'clock by invitation of Captain 
 Hardie Mr. Fillmore and suite visited the Steamship the " Key Stone State." He was welcomed by 
 a salute of twenty one guns. Afterwards the Steamer " Seminole " was placed at his disposal — the 
 ex-President and his friends viewing the scenery down the river. Dinner followed, and many toasts 
 were enjoyed on board the "Seminole." The Boat returned to the city at an early hour of the evening, 
 in time to attend the ball, where there was a large gathering. On Tuesday morning the party 
 departed for Charleston accompanied by several citizens. 
 
 The latter months of the year were made memorable in the annals of the 
 city by both pestilence and storm, that wrought havoc and desolation, the one 
 following in the track of the other. On the twelfth of August, 1854, yellow fever 
 made its appearance in Washington Ward. A month later, on the twelfth of Sep- 
 tember, the mortality in the city reached its maximum height : fifty-one interments 
 reported on that day. From the twentieth of September, a decline of the sickness 
 began, and on the twenty-ninth of October but one interment was made. The 
 
EISTORia AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH ' 189 
 
 last death by the fever occurred on the twenty-ninth of Novenjber. Two-thirds of 
 the permanent white population left the city when the fever became epidemic, leav- 
 ing six thousand persons to brave the disease, a majority of whom were prostrated. 
 During the raging of the fever, on the eighth of September a destructive storm fell 
 upon Savannah, an added horror to the plague-stricken city, causing heavy loss in 
 property. South Broad street was a forest of wrecked trees. It was an era of 
 distress and darkness for the city, but the paralyzed energies of the citizens were 
 revived by the active sympathy of the benevolent from all quarters, pouring in con- 
 tributions of- money and provisions to the grateful Savannahians. Thanks were 
 proposed at a meeting of the City Council, by Alderman Screven, for the assist- 
 ance given during the epidemic, in the following language : — 
 
 Whereas by the dispensation of Providence, this city has been afflicted with an epidemic of the 
 most fatal character, and its inhabitants dm-ing its prevalence have been the recipients of the munifi- 
 cence and benevolence of various public Bodies, charitable association's, and individuals. Be it 
 therefore Resolved — That the thanks of this Body are due, and are hereby tendered to the corporate 
 authorities of our Sister Cities, for the sympathy they have manifested in the afflictions of this City, 
 and for their generous contributions in aid of its suffering and destitute inhabitants. Resolved that 
 the thanks of this Body are due, and are hereby tendered to all benevolent and other associations, 
 and to individuals, who have in any manner contributed to the relief of the afflicted in this city. 
 Thanks to the resident Physicians for tlveir noble conduct during the epidemic ; to transient Physi- 
 cians for their professional gallantry, when our Physicians were falling in our midst, victims to the 
 faithful discharge of duties. Thanks to the devoted Clergy, who without exception pursued their 
 holy calling. Thanks to the Young Men's Benevolent Association. 
 
 A letter written to the governor of the State bears witness to the gratitude of 
 the people for relief afforded them : — 
 
 To His Excellency PIerschel V. Johnston, Governor of State of Georgia: — 
 
 My deab Sir, — I have been directed to transmit to you the enclosed resolutions. They but 
 feebly express the gratitude and affection, which the people of Savannah feel for you. The gener- 
 osity of our People, which saved us from the necessity of calling upon you, for the aid which you 
 had tendered to us, affords the highest evidence that you understood the character of the People of 
 Georgia, when you were willing to assume the responsibility of relieving distress, relying upon 
 them for support. Your Noble Conduct has commanded the approval of all classes in every section 
 of the State. And I beg you, my dear Sir, to accept from me my warmest thanks. 
 
 Very i-espectfully and truly 
 
 Your Obedient Servant, 
 
 JOHN E. WARD, 
 
 Mayor of Savannah. 
 
190 EI8T0MG AND flGTURESQUE SAVANNAS 
 
 Since 1854 but two epidemics of yellow fever have visited Savannah : the one 
 in 1858, which, in comparison with the epidemic of 1854, proved light ; the second, 
 in the summer of 1876, that swept through the city like an avenging fury. Too 
 recent is it to be dwelt upon, but its virulence awoke the dormant State to the 
 importance of prompt, active measures to improve the condition of Savannah. In 
 1877, the Legislature of Georgia made an appropriation of one-third of the tax of 
 the county of Chatham, in which Savannah lies, amounting to twenty-seven thou- 
 sand six hundred and thirty-three dollars, for the drainage of the swamps about the 
 city. These, admitting of little cultui'e aside from that of rice, had long been dis- 
 ease-breeders, furnishing a sure lodgment for epidemics. Smiling truck farms and 
 vegetable gardens now flourish upon the once dark, unhealthy marshes. Baleful 
 vapors of a malarious environment no longer hang over the fair city. Immeasur- 
 able have been the moral and sanitary efiects of the transformation of black bogs 
 into truck industries, and Savannah bids fair to take the first rank among the 
 healthful cities of this country. 
 
 It is pleasant to turn from the distressing days of 1854 to the opening of the 
 new year of 1855, when, on the ninth of January, the Pulaski Monument (conspicu- 
 ous among the monuments of Savannah for its chaste and spirited design) was 
 delivered into the custody of its future guardians, the mayor and aldermen of 
 Savannah. 
 
 "A novel and most happy idea was the collation prepared in the square, at four 
 o'clock in the afternoon, for the pupils of the various schools of the city. Nearly 
 five hundred covers were laid, and a perfect mountain of sweetmeats, cakes, fruit, 
 and all those things most likely to tempt the appetite of the juveniles. It was a 
 beautiful sight to see the neatly-dressed scholars with their white satin badges and 
 silk banners of various designs, marching, with their several teachers at their head, 
 around the square into the places assigned them by the order of the ceremonies. 
 This was altogether a happy idea, and the scene was one which will be long and 
 fondly remembered in maturer years by the little participants, in the happiness 
 which the commissioners must have felt, as they imparted it to all who approached 
 them on this memorable occasion." To many the sight must have revived thoughts 
 of Chippewa square thirty years before, when the children assembled to do homage 
 to the veteran hero, Lafayette, upon the laying of the first corner-stone of the present 
 monument. This stone, originally laid in Chippewa square, by General Lafayette, 
 together with another of equal size united to it by copper bands, and containing the 
 
EISTOBIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAS 191 
 
 records of the day, was relaid in Monterey square, on the eleventh of October, 
 1853, with imposing ceremonies. Destined again to be moved when the architect, 
 Robert G. Launitz, of New York (the eminent artist whose design the monument 
 perpetuates) , arrived in the city with his workmen. The corner-stone now rests on 
 the foundation in the north-east enclosed by the plinth at that corner. Soon'after, 
 the supposed remains of Pulaski were brought to the monument, were put in a 
 metallic case, hermetically sealed, and placed within the plinth alongside of the 
 corner-stone. The remains had been exhumed in December of 1853, in Greenwich, 
 on Augustine Creek, the traditional place of Pulaski's burial. Upon an anatomical 
 examination of the i-emains by the medical stafi'of Savannah, the conformity of the 
 remains to such a man as Pulaski had been described, decided the commissioners of 
 the monument to place the remains within the structure. To the late Major 
 William P. Bowen must be given the chief honor in the project and the final 
 erection of the Pulaski Monument. 
 
 Like all cities of greater or less size. Savannah, though preserving the original 
 plan of her first survey, has yet been subject to that capricious law by which the 
 once fashionable quarter becomes the heart of the poor man's region. Yamacraw, 
 including that section of the city west of Jefferson street, for many years remained 
 the red man's territory, free from taxation ; and the rights of the red man were 
 respected. At length it passed into the possession of the white man, with succeed- 
 ing years to constitute the " West End," the aristocratic quarter of the city. On 
 the hill on the corner of West Broad and Indian streets (now the notorious 
 " Pepper Hill " locality) stood in former years the town mansion of the Winklers, 
 a fine old residence in its day. Where the lavishness of the typical planters once 
 held sway, the din of the chisel and hammer are now to be heard. A blacksmith 
 shop and wagon and cart manufactory succeeded the beautiful gardens of the 
 Gibbons, another family of wealthy planters. On Farm street, near the head of 
 Joachim street, was the site of the fine residence of the Stiles family, a name 
 familiar in the historical records of the State. This estate at one time was considered 
 one of the best in the city. The Springfield plantation and the Vale royal planta- 
 tion (the latter the property of the Central Railroad), once comprised a portion of 
 the Stiles estate, and from the portico of the mansion on Farm street the owners 
 looked down upon the magnificent fields, whose broad acres, teeming with products, 
 might have compared favorably with the landed possessions of old feudal days ; 
 a warehouse arose upon the site of the house, and the immense plantation was cut 
 
192 HISTORIC AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 up into garden patches, much of it traversed by a canal and the intricate network 
 of railroad tracks. So has the powerful hand of trade swept away the glory of the 
 former days. But two houses stand to-day mournful relics of the past grandeur and 
 hospitality of Yaraaeraw. The old Scarborough mansion, before mentioned, and the 
 immense stuccoed house familiarly known as the " Wetter Mansion," ou the corner 
 of South Broad and West Broad streets. The tide of fashion now turned eastward 
 and southward. Two houses, both facing on Jones sti'eet, on diagonal corners of 
 Bull street, the one a large square brick of three stories, the other, the more typi- 
 cal city house of four stories, built of brick and brown stucco, became the centres 
 of the literary life of Savannah. The former was the residence of the late Alex- 
 ander A. Smets, who made one of the finest collections in the South of rare books 
 of literature, science, and of drawings and engravings. His library was well 
 known to scholars both in Europe and America. 
 
 We quote from the " Southern Literary Messenger : " — 
 
 The first emotion on entering and casting the eye around upon the magnificent display of the 
 ample shelves, is that of surprise, that the visitor has not before heard of so extensive and luxurious 
 a collection. In our country, where so few enjoy the means of accumulating valuable books, and 
 where even those so rarely have a taste for bibliothecal treasures, it is of the rarest occurrence that 
 we may meet with a good and well selected lil)i'ary. But here the visitor will be apt to say is 
 surely the most sumptuous, if not the largest and most recherch'e library in the country. The library 
 does not rest its claims upon the large number of volumes it contains, of which there are, perhaps, 
 five thousand, but upon the choice selection of the authors and the great rarity of the editions. 
 
 Elaborate missals of the twelfth century, folios of magazines peculiarly rich in 
 illuminated missals, original editions of Hogarth, books of Hours and Missals, were 
 some of the gems of this library, which fell a sacrifice under the auctioneer's hammer 
 in New York City after the stormy days of 1860-1865. 
 
 The latter house, built by the late I. K. Tefl't, was taken possession of on the 
 twelfth of February, 1850, a date commemorating the anniversary of the Georgia 
 Historical Society, as well as Mr. TefiVs birthday, a fitting augury to one of the 
 originators of the Georgia Historical Society. Many literary reunions were held 
 within its walls. It shared with the hospitable mansion of the Telfairs, on St. 
 James square, the honor of welcoming distinguished strangers to the city. The rare 
 collection of autographs gained for its unobtrusive, quiet owner not only a country, 
 but a world renown, and to him all persons of distinction visiting Savannah 
 
EI8T0BIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 193 
 
 brought letters of introduction, counting not the least among the pleasures of their 
 visit the pleasant time spent in looking over his collection of autographs. Freder- 
 ika Bremer, the charming Swedish writer who partook of the hospitalities of Mr. 
 Tefft's home in 1850, and again in 1852, thus writes of her ho^t and Savannah in 
 her book, 
 
 THE HOMES OF THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 " The greatest Autograph Collector in the world " is also the most friendly, the best-hearted, 
 man in the world, and so kind lo me that I shall always think of him with gratitude. His collection 
 of autographs is the first which J have ever been able to examine with intei-est and respect, not 
 because it occupies many folios, and has a whole room appropriated to it, and could not be fully 
 examined in less than six or seven months, which certainly might inspire respect, but because a por- 
 trait is appended to the hand-writing of each distinguished person, mostl}' an excellent copper-plate 
 engraving, together with some letter, or interesting document belonging to the history of that indi- 
 vidual. All this gives to the autographical collection of Mr. Tefft a real historical and biographical 
 interest. Savannah is the most charming of cities, and reminds me of the " maiden in the green 
 wood." It is even more than Charleston, an assemblage of villas, which have come together for 
 company. In each quarter is a green market-place, surrounded with magnificent lofty ti;ees, and in 
 the centre of each verdant market-place leaps up a living fountain, a spring of fresh water gushing 
 forth, shining in the sun, and keeping the green sward moist and cool. Savannah might be called 
 " the city of the gushing springs." There cannot be in the whole world a more beautiful city than 
 Savannah. Now, however, it is too warm. There is too much sand and too little water, but I like 
 Savannah. 
 
 Among the number of distinguished men and women welcomed to Mr. Tefft's 
 house are the names of Fuller, Mackay, N. P. Willis, WiUiam Cullen Bryant, 
 Dorothea L. Dix, Edward Everett, John Pierpont, Harriet Martineau, Thackeray, 
 My Lord of Morpeth, and Prince Achille Murat. 
 
 The house is at present occupied and owned by Mrs. C. C. Walden, a daughter- 
 in-law of the late Mr. Tefft. 
 
 A third house, on Bull street, on the south-west corner of Liberty street, built 
 by Mr. Padelford, constituting one of the largest establishments in the city, became 
 the home of the late G. W. J. De Renne, to whom both the State and the city are 
 indebted for public- spirited service and liberality in preserving and publishing 
 valuable early records of the colony. Himself a descendant of the friend and 
 trusted Lieutenant of Oglethorpe, Noble Wymberly Jones, Mr. De Renne at all 
 times cherished a remarkable affection for the traditions and memories of his family 
 
194 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 and the State. . The Georgia Historical Society reaped the benefit of his researches 
 in valuable documents and publications. To his liberality, also, will the Confeder- 
 ate monument remain a lasting witness. The home is in the possession of Mr. De 
 Eenne's family. 
 
 That master of English prose, William Makepeace Thackeray, has personally 
 recorded his impressions of Savannah in a letter written on the " Feast of Saint 
 Valentine, 1855." A guest for a time of the late Andrew Low, Esq., in his home 
 
 fronting on Lafayette square, can we not picture 
 
 OMMUtm (]/M^\ m*lLn*Li %o^ut the genial, kindly, gentle Thackeray, seated at a 
 
 I ^-^ ' window overlooking the green square, inditing 
 
 \./\i. vL L that letter wherein he speaks of Savannah " as a 
 
 , ^^ tranquil old city, wide-streeted, tree-planted, with 
 
 t^ a few cows and carriages toiling through the sandy 
 
 road, a few happy negroes, sauntering, here and there, a red river with a tranquil 
 little fleet of merchant-men taking in cargo, and tranquil warehouses barricaded 
 with packs of cotton, — no row, no tearing Northern bustle, no ceaseless hotel 
 racket, n'o crowds — "' 
 
 Great man with a great heart ! His presence lingers in the wide old streets of 
 Savannah like a benediction. In the square where his footsteps must often have 
 strayed, careless childhood delights to play ; cold and cynical at times to the world 
 of men and women, happy, guileless children ever touched a responsive chord in his 
 sympathies, and in their presence the world-wearied man became as a little child. 
 Of him has some one well said : — 
 
 " Whose feet are guided thro' the land, 
 
 Whose jest among his friends is free ; 
 Who takes the children on his knee ; 
 And winds their curls about his hand. 
 
 He plays with threads, he beats his chair, 
 
 Tor pastime, dreaming of the sky; 
 
 His inner day can never die ; 
 His night of loss is always there." 
 
 1 " Scribner's Magazine." Charles Scribuer's Sons. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SAVANNAH IN "WAR TIME. 
 
 "TVT'O description of Savannah would be complete that failed to include a glimpse 
 -L^ of life in the city during the period of the war between the States. 
 
 Already those eventful years, so full of incident, of exultant hope, of bitter de- 
 spondency, of fierce joy and unavailing sorrow, have acquired a remoteness that it is 
 hard to realize. To those who lived through those stirring times the recollection of 
 them comes now and then with singular clearness and sharpness of outline. Yet it is 
 not always so ; the flight of years, the exactions of a new order of life, the great his- 
 toric changes that have taken place in other parts of the world, and the onward rush 
 of intellectual and scientific thought in this wonderful century, — all these things 
 have naturally tended to throw into dim perspective the events of life in the Con- 
 federacy, even to the actors therein. While to a younger generation, who know only 
 of them from reading and tradition, they seem as far back in the past as the earlier 
 scenes of American history. The writer remembers the impressions made upon his 
 early boyhood by the stories told by older members of the family of the last war 
 between Grreat Britain and the United States. The events described seemed to 
 belong to another age and another people. Yet they had happened but about thirty 
 years before, but a few years more than the interval which now separates the sur- 
 render at Appomattox from the present time. The more salient features of life in 
 Confederate times, the great political movements that led to the rupture between 
 the States, and the mighty battles that marked the conflict, — all these will live in 
 history ; but history takes no note of many things that are fully as interesting as 
 feats of diplomacy or of strategy, and of such scenes and circumstances it is now our 
 purpose to speak. 
 
 The summer of 1860 was marked by an intense feeling of excitement and 
 uneasiness throughout all of the Southern States, but nowhere, except possibly in 
 our neighboring city, Charleston, was this more keen than in Savannah. The split 
 in the Democratic convention, I'esulting in the nomination of two candidates for 
 
 (195) 
 
196 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 the presidency by that party, rendered it almost certain that the Repubhcan party 
 would succeed in electing its candidate, and in the minds of all men there was a 
 settled conviction that that meant trouble. There was a certain feverish unrest 
 that pervaded every class of society ; in every gathering of whatever character, 
 whether public or private, political or social, the situation was the one absorbing 
 theme. The community was stirred to its depths, and when the election of Mr. 
 Lincoln became an assured fact, the people were prepared at once for resistance. 
 
 Just how that resistance should be made most effective, there was doubtless 
 much difference of opinion ; but upon the question of peaceably submitting to the 
 government of Mr. Lincoln, or in some way refusing to do so, the people of 
 Savannah were practically united, — they chose the latter. It is I'ight to lay stress 
 upon this, for the reason that of late years it has become much the fashion to say 
 that the Southern people were dragged into the war by their leaders. Such, cer- 
 tainly, was not the case in this good old city of Oglethorpe. The people looked to 
 their leaders to guide them in the method of resistance ; the thing itself seemed de- 
 termined upon spontaneously. There was an immediate and rapid growth of mili- 
 tary sentiment, which found expression not only in the filling up of the ranks of the 
 existing companies, but also in the formation of organizations of peculiar character 
 and name. The newspapers were filled with calls for meetings of "Minute Men," 
 "Regulators," "Rattlesnakes," and the like, signed by "76," "Southron," 
 "Liberty," etc., etc. After the real work of the war began, nothing more was 
 heard of these clubs, but their existence was a mark of the restlessness of the 
 time. 
 
 Excitement culminated upon the reception of the news of the removal of Major 
 Anderson and his command from an untenable position at Fort Moultrie to the 
 stronger Fort Sumter, in Charleston harbor, on the twenty-seventh of December. 
 There was open expression of the opinion that Georgia should forestall such occupa- 
 tion of the forts upon her coast by the United States government ; and when, on the 
 second day of January, 1861, it became known that Governor Brown had ordered 
 the seizure and occupation of Fort Pulaski by the military, under command of 
 Colonel A. R. Lawton, on the following day, the city was wild with enthusiasm 
 and patriotic fervor. Yet beneath it all there was an undercurrent of sober thought, 
 for this was an act from which there was no return. Looking back upon the ar- 
 rangements that were made for the setting out of that first military expedition, there 
 is temptation to smile at the amount of " impedimenta " that was prepared for the 
 
mSTOBIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 197 
 
 small force of less than two hundred men. There was scant time between the pro- 
 mulgation of the order and the hour named for its execution, yet when, on the 
 morning of the third, the companies marched down to the wharf to embark on the 
 little steamer " Ida," it is safe to say that they were encumbered' with much more 
 baggage than served later in the war for an entire division in the field. Every man 
 had his cot, every three or four men a mess-chest, with pots, kettles, pans, and 
 other cooking utensils in liberal allowance, not to speak of trunks, valises, mat- 
 tresses, camp-chairs, etc., — in all, a pile large enough to make the heart of a 
 quartermaster sink within him. It was evident that the troops had long antici- 
 pated the call upon their services, and also that the mothers, wives, and sisters of 
 Savannah had with anxious forethought determined that their loved ones should 
 carry into service as many of the comforts of home as possible. 
 
 The wharves were crowded with citizens, — men, women, and children, — who 
 came to wave farewell and wish "God-speed" to the soldiery ; and so, with colors flying 
 and bands playing, and amid the frantic cheers of the people from one end of the 
 city to the other, the " Ida " steamed away with her gallant freight, and Savannah's 
 first act of war was consummated. Alas, how many of the brave young hearts that 
 beat high on that beautiful morning were soon to be stilled forever ! How little any 
 of them realized the nature or the extent of the struggle that was immediately before 
 them. 
 
 The constant call upon the military of Savannah from that time forward to 
 garrison the fort was of itself enough to keep the people more or less in a state of 
 excited feeling ; but events elsewhere were moving on apace. South Carolina had 
 formally seceded, and from every part of the State came the cry that Georgia must 
 make common cause with her sister State and follow in the same pathway. A 
 convention was called to consider what course the State should pursue, but, pending 
 its assembly, public meetings were held by the citizens in every city and village. 
 In Savannah there was a mighty gathering at the Masonic Hall (now the 'quarters of 
 the Oglethorpe Club), on the corner of Bull and Broughton streets. At least, the 
 business part of the meeting was in the hall, but it could not contain a tenth part of 
 the people who were assembled in dense masses in the contiguous streets, with flaming 
 torches and transparencies ; while from numerous bands came the notes of "La Mar- 
 seillaise" and "Dixie," two airs that never failed to elicit the most frantic cheering. 
 
 A series of resolutions had been prepared and presented to the meeting, reciting 
 the troubles and grievances of which the South complained, and advocating secession 
 
198 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 from the Union as the only remedjr. Fervid and eloquent addresses were made by 
 one and another of Savannah's distinguished sons ; but as all of the speakers were 
 men who were^ known to be identified with the Cause, there was a general feeling 
 that it would be well were some expression given by representatives of the more 
 conservative element. It was known that there were many in the community who, 
 while true to their section in every fibre of their being, had heretofore not considered 
 secession as the method by which the State should, at that time, endeavor to en- 
 force her rights. Seated upon the platform was a man whom every one felt to be 
 the embodiment of conservatism and moderation ; a man beloved for the stainless 
 purity of his life, respected for the vigor and soundness of his judgment, and ad- 
 mired for his attainments as an orator and a scholar. Ripe in years, in honor, and 
 experience, to him the eyes of all were turned, for it was instinctively felt that the 
 presence of the venerable form of Judge William Law in that assem])ly was not for 
 naught. At last the time came for him to speak. Introduced by Francis S. Bartow, 
 he came to the front of the platform, his white hair and feeble step contrasting 
 strangely with the stamp of intense purpose in every lineament of his face and the 
 fire of his eye. In few words he sketched the wrongs of his section, and the un- 
 availing effort that had been made to right them, and then, concluding: "There- 
 fore," he said, with a sweep of his arm, that smote upon the hearts of his hearers 
 like the, grasp of a hand upon the strings of a harp, — "therefore, as a Southern 
 man, I give to these resolutions my absolute and unqualified approval." 
 
 The effect upon the meeting was electrical ; in an instant every man was on his 
 feet, eveiy hat in the air, while a great shout went up that was like the roar of a 
 tornado. Some sprang to the windows crying to the crowd in the street, "Judge 
 Law has indorsed the resolutions ;" and then cheer answered to cheer from those 
 within to those without, until exhaustion alone Ijrought comparative quiet. The 
 resolutions were carried by acclamation. It was a wonderful scene, soul-stirring 
 to all who took part in it, and worthy of being placed upon record as part of the 
 history of the times. 
 
 On the nineteenth of January, 1861, the convention passed the Ordinance of 
 Secession, and Georgia formally resumed her full rights as a sovereign State. 
 From that time forward Savannah began to put on the appearance of a garrison 
 town. As the winter months slipped away and spring advanced, the Confederate 
 States were formed from the several seceded States, and war began to be looked 
 upon as a certain thing. Military commands from all parts of the State flooded to 
 
HTRTOniC AND PIOTUEESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 199 
 
 Savannah, and encamped in the suburbs. The streets were filled with men in 
 uniform (most of it of rather a hybrid and indefinite -character), orderlies galloped 
 here and there, earthworks were thrown up at outlying points, and from all of the 
 armories and drill-rooms the hum of preparation was incessant. Yet, side by side 
 with this new order of things, commercial attairs continued for a time with singular 
 vigor; the steamship lines between Northern ports and Savannah still made their 
 semiweekly trips, but in coming South duty was exacted on all cargoes and in- 
 voices of dry-goods, ironware, "notions," etc. Vessels from Boston, New York, 
 or Philadelphia 
 paid the same 
 golden tribute 
 to the Savannah 
 Custom House 
 as though they 
 had been loaded 
 at Liverpool, 
 Bremen, or 
 Havre. 
 
 In the nature 
 of things, how- 
 ever, this could 
 not last veiy 
 
 long, and soon the last of the steamships left our port, some of them to appear 
 later as part of blockading squadrons oiF the Southern coast. 
 
 In due course of time came the attack upon Fort Sumter and the gathering of 
 the armies of the North and South upon the great battlefield, — ■ Virginia. 
 
 The Oglethorpe Light Intantry, under command of that noble gentleman, Cap- 
 tain Francis S. Bartow, was the first of the Savannah companies to respond to the 
 call of President Davis for troops. They started for Richmond, one hundred and six 
 strong, on the twenty-first of May, 1861, and their departure was made the occasion 
 of a great ovation. It was a gallant body of high-spirited young men, worthy of 
 the honor that was conferred upon them ; but, although thousands of equally brave 
 men followed on the same road, the departure and movement of troops soon became 
 so much of an every-day affair as to attract little attention save from the individual 
 hearts that were left desolate. Meantime, the war progressed, the blockade of the 
 
 FORT PULASKI AFTER THE BOMBARDMENT. 
 
200 HISTORIC AND PIOTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 ports was established, and Savannah, in common with her sister cities, was cut off 
 from all communication with the outer world, except when, occasionally, a daring 
 sailor would slip through the Northern fleet and make his way into harbor. After 
 the fall of Fort Pulaski, in the spring of 1862; the Savannah river was in possession 
 of the Federal troops up to a point a little below Fort Oglethorpe, while their 
 cruisers entered freely into the inlets and rivers emptying into Warsaw and Ossabaw 
 sounds. This proximity of the Federals was at first somewhat alarming to the 
 timid ; but the people became accustomed to it in time, and would listen to a distant 
 cannonading with no other emotion than that of curiosity. The opening of the 
 morning newspaper became the event of the day. The telegraphic columns told of 
 little else save the movements of armies and the details of battles. With what 
 alternating hope and despair those who patiently waited at home pored over those 
 dingy sheets ! Those of whom they read were not soldiers in the abstract, but hus- 
 bands, fathers, brothers. And oh, those cruel lists of killed and wounded ! Who, 
 in these peaceful days, can estimate the agonized dread with which they were 
 scanned by loving eyes? 
 
 But the women of Savannah did something more than simply wait in those dark 
 days. In the earlier part of the war their busy hands found ample occupation in 
 helping to prepare the soldiers for the field. Not their own soldiers only, but any 
 who wore the gray. They formed themselves into clubs and sewing circles with 
 this end in view. They brought from their own stores materials for warm clothing. 
 They stripped their floors of carpeting that the soldier might have a blanket. They 
 thought no sacrifice of personal comfort too great to make for the men who were 
 defending them in the field ; no labor too heavy that was called for by the exigencies 
 of the times. 
 
 Later, when the steady stream of sick and wounded men set in from the battle- 
 fields of Virginia and the West, and the hospitals were filled to their utmost 
 capacity, there was broader scope for woman's work ; and how the women of 
 Savannah rose to the demand that was made upon them is something for which her 
 people have reason to thank God. They nursed the wounded with tender sym- 
 pathy ; they soothed the last hours of the dying ; they brightened the days of 
 convalescence, and sent the restored soldier back to his command with a sense of 
 being cared for, that nerved his arm and imparted fresh courage to his heart. A 
 distinctive feature of the time was the constant passage of soldiers through the city, 
 travelling between their homes and the various armies. Most of these, if not all, 
 
HISTORIC AND PIGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 201 
 
 were entirely without means to pay hotel bills, and but for a system of lodging- 
 places that were organized all over the South, called " Wayside Homes," much 
 suffering would have resulted. 
 
 Savannah did her share in this, too, and eveiy wearer of the gray who could 
 show that he was absent from his command by proper authority, was made welcome 
 by the ladies to a good supper and breakfast and a comfortable night's lodging. 
 
 As the war continued and the blockade of the Southern ports became closer, 
 the privations of the people rapidly increased. In the early days of hostilities 
 there had been too lavish use of the supplies on hand, the result, probably, of a 
 desire to minister with the utmost freedom to the comfort of the soldier in the 
 field, and of a lack of appreciation of the fact that the South would be so effectually 
 cut off from all outside sources of supply. 
 
 Soon there was absolute disappearance of all luxuries. Then, articles that had 
 usually been considered among the necessaries of life began to be looked upon as 
 the greatest of luxuries, to be purchased only by the rich, and by them but in small 
 quantity. Coffee, sugar, tea, and flour were no longer to be found in the open 
 market. Corn nieal took the place of flour, and, with bacon, formed the staple arti- 
 cles of food for every family in the city. A " long sweetening," made from the juice 
 of sorghum cane, usurped the place of sugar, while for coffee and tea there were vil- 
 lanous substitutes without number : parched corn, parched rye, parched potatoes, 
 etc., did duty fo;- the fragrant berry of Java, supplemented occasionally by a little 
 chiccory that slipped in through the blockade, and concerning which some enter- 
 prising tradesman declared in his advertisement, " All the nobility of England use 
 chiccory in their coffee." The leaves of the sassafras and blackberry did very little 
 either to " cheer " or " inebriate " the lovers of Oolong and Souchong ; but it was all 
 they had, and they made the best of it. 
 
 Medicines of all kind became scarce ; indeed, everything was scarce. Most of 
 the stores were closed, and the stock in the few that remained open assumed the 
 varied character found in the little establishments on country cross-roads. On Bay 
 street — that busy mart of commerce in peaceful times — all trade was virtually at a 
 standstill. Counting-room after counting-room was closed as a place of business, 
 and the street became the headquarters of the various departments of the military 
 district, — quartermaster, commissary, ordnance, and medical. Clothing of all kinds 
 was hard to get. Old garments were made over and recast again and again, and 
 often (especially by the ladies) the remnants of tW^o or more suits were pieced 
 
202 HISTORIC AND FIGTUMESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 together to make one new one, the result being more creditable to the skill of the 
 fair wearers than remarkable for grace or beauty. 
 
 In the later years of the war all of the softer and finer textile fabrics disap- 
 peared, and the people were supplied by coarser, rougher materials of domestic man- 
 ufacture. A%'iov fashion, the less that is said of that the better. Every woman 
 was a law unto herself, dressing according to her own sweet will, having regard only 
 to the amount of material at her command. To one thing, however, they all clung, 
 — the bonnet. At the breaking out of hostilities that article of head-gear was of 
 fearful proportions, having somewhat the general shape and outline of an old-fash- 
 ioned gig-top. In 1861, this was supposed to be the height of style, and through 
 all the vicissitudes of four years of war the ladies of Savannah held fast to it. It 
 was the one thing that united them with the outer world, and helped them to retain 
 that happy consciousness of being a la mode, so dear to the feminine heart. But 
 alas, there was a day of awakening, when, after the entrance of Sherman's ai"ray 
 into the city, there came a multitude of ladies from the North to meet their 
 kindred. They were faultlessly arrayed in silks, in soft woollen fabrics, in the 
 thousand and one products of Northern and foreign looms. All this was forgiven ; 
 but the women of Savannah could not forgive a dainty little bonnet about as large 
 as the palm of the hand, that graced each Northern head. This emphasized their 
 own isolation and lack of style with too cruel keenness ; . and so each Southern 
 woman took refuge in patriotism, and sailed defiantlj' by the visitors from New 
 York, and Boston, and Chicago, with head erect and nose in the air, in a manner 
 that elicited from the latter an expression of wonder that there could be " such 
 pride in such bonnets." 
 
 In common with the citizens of the entire Confederacy, the people of Savannah 
 learned in these sad days how little is really necessary for the support of life in a 
 tolerable degree of comfort. Had the change been sudden, it would, doubtless, 
 have been harder to bear, but it came little by little ; first one thing was given up, 
 and then another and another, until at the last it did seem as though privation 
 had not many deeper depths. Yet, somehow, the people lived, and the wonder of 
 it is enhanced, when it is remembered that side by side with the failure of supplies 
 was the rapid decline in the value of Confederate currency ; the purchasing power 
 of a dollar was always less on one day than it had been the day before. There was 
 a standing joke of the time that a householder in going to market needed a basket 
 in which to carry his money, while one hand sufiiced to bring back his purchases. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 203 
 
 A noteworthy feature -of the time was the absence of all men except the very 
 young or those who had long passed middle life. The manhood of the city was 
 "at the front." Services were regularly kept up in the various churches, but the 
 congregations were for the most part made up of women, old men, and children ; 
 and towards the end, the prevalence of the garb of mourning told too plainly of 
 the desolation that war had brought to almost every family in the community. 
 The fall of Atlanta, in the autunm of 1864, followed by Sherman's " March to the 
 Sea," and his occupation of Savannah on the twenty-third of December of that 
 year, destroyed all prospect of success for the Confederate arms ; still, the people 
 hoped on, looking for some deliverance to come from they knew not where or 
 how. The very fact that the city was in the hands of the Federal troops made 
 every Savannahian the more confirmed in his loyalty to the Confederacy, and the 
 more determined to be true in thought, word, and deed to what was expected of 
 him. As long as there was a vestige left of the Cause to which Savannah had 
 pledged herself, her people were faithful to it. And when, yielding to the inevi- 
 table, they accepted their defeat, and renewed their obligations to the Government 
 of the United States, it was with no reserve, but in simple honesty and good faith. 
 In the early summer of 1865 the writer returned to Savannah, following the tracks 
 of Sherman's march down the line of the Central Railroad. Of that great artery 
 of commerce there was little left save the road- bed ; the country on every hand 
 was desolate, bridges had been torn up, fences destroyed, homes and barns 
 burned, horses and cattle carried away ; the fields were grown up in grass and 
 weeds, the people were listless and despairing. Entering the city, there were 
 fewer traces of actual destruction, but it was like a dead town. There was some 
 spasmodic attempt to revive business on the Bay, principally in connection with 
 the hunting out and forwarding of cotton that had been hidden away in diiferent 
 parts of the country. A few grocery stores were open, and there was some little 
 activity on the water-front. But the people seemed in a dazed condition ; there 
 was an aimlessness about their movements that declared only too plainly how 
 difficult it was for them to settle down into the new order of things. Every day 
 a number of young men gathered in front of the Pulaski House for mutual comfort. 
 They all wore the gray, some with the red facings of the artillery, some with the 
 blue of the infantry, and others, again, with the orange cuffs and collars that told 
 of many a dashing ride with Stuart and Hampton. The interchange of experi- 
 ences, and the telling of stirring feats of arms in which they had all been participants. 
 
204 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 helped to pass away many a long hour for these poor- fellows, who were without 
 occupation and without any immediate prospect of securing it. But this assem- 
 bling of so many Confederate uniforms did not find favor with the Federal oflScer 
 in command, and an order was issued forbidding the wearing of uniforms. This 
 was the occasion of much consternation, for, as was pointed out to the General, 
 if they were not worn there was "nothing else for the boys to put on." The order 
 was rescinded, therefore, but with the proviso that the Confederate button should 
 be covered or removed. Accordingly, on the following day each hero appeared in 
 the gray, as usual, but with every button wrapped en cripe. And here, with this 
 little touch of humor, a sure sign of reviving spirits, this sketch of a most inter- 
 esting period in the city's history may be brought to a close. Depression lasted 
 but for a short time : the people took up the work of rebuilding the waste places 
 and of restoring broken fortunes with a heartiness and energy that could have 
 but one result. Savannah, with no useless wailings over the past, entered upon the 
 career which has made her what she is to-day, the pride of Georgia, and an im- 
 portant factor in the great commercial transaction of the entire country. 
 
 C. H. O. 
 
 MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS OF SAVANNAH. 
 
 Military ideas have had a vigorous hold upon the citizens of Savannah from 
 the days of Oglethorpe, when the Georgia colony became a wedge between oppos- 
 ing powers, to the present day, when peaceful avocations rule. 
 
 The " Savannah Volunteer Guards " is the oldest infantry corps in Georgia. Or- 
 ganized early in 1802, its first parade was held on the first of May, 1802 ; for that 
 reason it has since adopted and observed that day as its anniversary. The first 
 parade was formed on the east side of Bull street, in front of the site now occupied 
 by the bookstore of Davis Brothers. On the twentieth of May, 1802, the corps 
 took part in the reception extended to Aaron Burr. 
 
 Doctor John Cumming was the first captain of the Guards. He was an 
 Irishman by birth, one of the leading merchants of Savannah at that time, and 
 president of the Branch Bank of the United States. He also assisted m organiz- 
 ing the Hibernian Society, of which he was the first president. Lost at sea in the 
 ill-fated steamer " Pulaski," on a trip from Savannah to Baltimore, funeral ser- 
 vices were held in honor of his memory in Savannah, the Guards firing the 
 customary " three rounds." 
 
HISrOBia AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 205 
 
 During Captain Marshall's command the war with Great Britain began. The 
 Guards, and other companies of Savannah, were mustered into the service of the 
 United States, for local defence. After the death of Captain Marshall, and up 
 to the time of her own death, his widow was the devoted friend and patroness 
 of the corps, which frequently enjoyed her gracious hospitality in the family 
 residence on West Broad street. To the corps Mrs. Marshall presented the mag- 
 nificent stand of battalion colors it now carries. 
 
 The second uniform adopted by the corps was blue, trimmed and slashed 
 with scarlet, with a full scarlet front, similar to the uniform of the French gens d'arme. 
 This led to a pleasing 
 incident upon the occa- 
 sion of Lafayette's visit 
 to Savannah, in 182.5. 
 General Lafayette 
 landed at the foot of 
 East Broad street, and 
 the troops were placed 
 in position on the 
 green, their right on 
 East Bay. The dis- 
 tinguished guest passed 
 down the line, when, 
 upon reaching the 
 
 Guards, affected by the Geno-ai 
 
 sight of the familiar uniform, or attracted by their fine appearance, he threw up 
 both hands, and, with sparkling eyes, exclaimed, " Ah, quels heaux. soldats, quels 
 beaux soldats!" 
 
 Under the command of Captain John Screven, the companj' became pos- 
 sessed of an armory. The Unitarian church, which had recently figured as 
 the Second Baptist Church, underwent another metamorphosis, and appeared as 
 an armory for the corps. During the occupation of the city by General Sher- 
 man, in the winter of 1864 and 186.5, the armory was used by some of his 
 troops for a guard-house ; through carelessness it caught fire and was de- 
 stroyed. Shortly after the Guards had eftected a permanent battalion organi- 
 zation, they were mustered into the service of the Confederate States, in March 
 
 THE GREEN MANSION. 
 IV. T. Sherman's NeaJqiiarlers. 
 
206 HISTORIC AND PICTURE 8QUE SAVANNAH 
 
 of 1861. From this time till the close of the war theirs was an honorable 
 record. 
 
 The present Lieutenant-Colonel, William Garrard, elected from the ranks, 
 was commissioned on the twenty-third of December, 1882. He immediately 
 addressed himself to the finances of the corps, conceiving the idea that the prop- 
 erty known as the Old State Arsenal might be obtained from the State for an 
 armory. The idea was acted upon with the result that, in 1886, the Guards took 
 possession of the new and commodious armory on President and Whitaker streets. 
 For eighty-six years the Guards have held a continuous record, governed by the 
 principles embodied in their preamble, " to cultivate those manly virtues which are 
 so much promoted by military exercises and associations." 
 
 During the first half of the present century the volunteer and uniformed 
 companies of the city formed a part of the First Regiment, First Brigade, Georgia 
 
 Militia, and paraded on stated occasions side 
 by side with the " unterrified," un-uniformed, 
 
 /, ^^j;?^^-y— T-a-^-g— ^ :> undisciplined companies of the " Beats," as 
 
 they were called. These organizations were 
 but burlesques upon what a military command ought to be, and it was not to 
 be wondered at that the volunteers became restive under the enforced association. 
 The desirability of forming a battalion exclusively from the volunteers was most 
 apparent. Steps were taken to that end, and on January twentieth, 1852, a bill 
 was approved by which it was enacted : — 
 
 " I. That the volunteer companies now existing in the city of Savannah, 
 and belonging to the First Regiment, First Brigade, First Division, Georgia Militia, 
 be and the same hereby are organized and erected into a separate battalion, which 
 shall be called the Independent Volunteer Battalion of Savannah, and be no longer 
 a part of the said First Regiment. 
 
 " II. That any other volunteer companies of foot which may hereafter be 
 organized in the city of Savannah shall be attached to the said battalion until the num- 
 ber of the said companies shall be eight, when the said companies shall be organ- 
 ized, and erected into a regiment which shall be called the Independent Volunteer 
 Regiment of Savannah, and the said regiment shall not consist of less than eight 
 or more than fourteen companies." 
 
 Section three of the act vested the command of the Independent Volunteer 
 Battalion in a lieutenant-colonel, Avith full regimental staff. 
 
mSTORIO AND PICTURE SQUE SAVANNAH 207 
 
 At the date of the passage of the above act the following were the volunteer 
 companies affected by it, and which, consequently, formed the 
 
 INDEPENDENT VOLUNTEER BATTALION OF SAVANNAH. 
 
 Chatham Artillery, Captain John B. Gallie, organized May first, 1786. 
 
 Savannah Volunteer Guards, Captain Jas. P. Screven, organized 1802. 
 
 Republican Blues, Captain John W. Anderson, organized 1808. 
 
 Phoenix Riflemen, Captain W. H. C. Mills, organized May first, 1830. 
 
 Irish Jasper Greens, Captain John Devanney, organized February twenty- 
 second, 1843. 
 
 German Volunteers, Captain J. H. Stegin, organized February twenty- 
 second, 1846. 
 
 De Kalb Riflemen, Captain John Bilbo, organized 1850. 
 
 The whole was under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander R. Lawton. 
 
 On January eighth, 1886, the Oglethorpe Light Infantry was organized under 
 Captain John N. Lewis, completing the number of eight companies necessary to the 
 regimental formation, and the battalion became the Independent Volunteer Regiment 
 of Savannah, without further legislation. 
 
 On December twentieth, 1859, the act of January twentieth, 1852, was 
 amended as follows : — 
 
 Section I. Be it enacted, etc.. That the regiment formed under the second 
 section of the said act shall be known as " The First Volunteer Regiment of the 
 State of Georgia," and may embrace as many infantry corps formed in the said 
 city as may choose to conform to the regimental organization. 
 
 Sect. II. Provided for full Field and Stafl". 
 
 Sect. III. Provided that the rights and privileges accruing to the said 
 regiment shall not fail by the consolidation of two or more companies, but the same 
 shall rest in and be enjoyed by the corps composing the Volunteer Regiment. 
 
 Sect. IV. Withdrew the regiment from the First Brigade, Georgia Militia, 
 and placed it exclusively under the command of its own officers. 
 
 In quoting the acts and amendment above, the full text of each is not given, 
 but only so much as is requisite for a clear understanding of the corporate begin- 
 nings of the regiment. 
 
 Under the new organization A. R. Lawton was elected and commissioned as 
 
208 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Colonel, George W. Stiles as Lieutenant-Colonel, and W. S. Rockwell as Major. 
 Bulloch Jackson was appointed Adjutant, John Fraser, Paymaster, J. D. Fish, Sur- 
 geon, and J. W. Johnston, Assistant Surgeon. At the breaking out of hostilities in 
 1861, the field and staff were the same, with this exception, C. H. Olmstead, Adju- 
 tant, vice Jackson, resigned. 
 
 Among the earliest orders issued from Montgomery, the capital of the Con- 
 federacy, was the appointment of Colonel Lawton to a Brigadier-Generalship; his 
 connection with the First Regiment was thus severed. The vacancy occasioned by 
 the promotion of General Lawton was filled by the election of Hugh W. Mercer to 
 the Colonelcy. At the same time LieutenantTColonel Stiles resigned in order to 
 enter service with the Savannah Volunteer Guards, of which corps he was also an 
 officer. Major W. S. Rockwell was elected Lieutenant-Colonel, and Charles H. 
 Olmstead, Major, Edward Lawton succeeding to the Adjutancy. 
 
 Colonel Merce'r was a descendant of the gallant Hugh Mercer, a general in the 
 armies of the Revolution, who laid down his life in the battle of Princeton. Like 
 "his distinguished ancestor. Colonel Mercer possessed in a marked degree the 
 qualities that endeared him to all who were thrown in contact with him. A gradu- 
 ate of West Point of the Class of 1828, the soldierly instincts were strong within 
 him ; united with them were a chivalrous and dignified courtesy of demeanor, a fund 
 of genial humor, and a ripe scholarship that stamped him a gentleman of the old 
 school in the highest, best acceptation of the term. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Rockwell was a lawyer of prominence and ability. From 
 early manhood he had been identified with the volunteer service of Georgia, and 
 though advanced in years beyond the period when the active life of a soldier could 
 have been expected or required of him, the call to arms found him ready and 
 anxious to do his duty. And he did do it until, in the summer of 1864, failing 
 health necessitated his retirement. 
 
 The name of Edward Lawton will evoke a sigh of tender regret from many a 
 heart over the fresh young life that went out upon the bloody field of Fredericks- 
 burg. His was a noble character, womanly in its aff'ections, knightly in its impulses, 
 honest and true in its principles. Alas that such a life should have ended so soon ! 
 
 In the latter part of 1861, changes were again made in the field-officers of the 
 regiment. C. H. Olmstead was made Colonel, AV. S. Rockwell retained the Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonelcy, and Captain John Foley, of the Irish Jasper Greens, was pro- 
 moted Major. M. H. Hopkins was appointed Adjutant, vice Edward Lawton 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 209 
 
 promoted. It was during the command of the above field-officers that the memo- 
 rable siege and reduction of Fort Pulaski tools place in April of 1862.. 
 
 In October of 1862, the regiment was reorganized by order from the Confed- 
 erate Department Headquarters, in conformity to the requirements of actual service, 
 rather than with reference to the acts of original incorporation. The following com- 
 panies were then made the First Volunteer Regiment of Georgia : — 
 
 Co. A — First Company, Irish Jasper Greens, Captain John Flannery. 
 
 Co. B — Second Company, Irish Jasper Greens, Captain James Dooner. 
 
 Co. C — Republican Blues, Captain W. D. Dixon. 
 
 Co. D — City Light Guard, Captain S. Yates Levy. 
 
 Co. E — Irish Volunteers, Captain John F. O'Neill. 
 
 Co. F — Coast Rifles, Captain Screven Turner. 
 
 Co. G — Tattnall Guards, Captain A. C. Davenport. 
 
 Co. H — Second Company, Oglethorpe Light Infantry, Captain James Lachlison. 
 
 Co. I — German Volunteers, Captain C. Werner. 
 
 Co. K — Washington Volunteers, Captain John Cooper. 
 
 Colonel 
 
 Lieutenant - Colonel 
 Major . 
 Adjutant . 
 Quartermaster 
 Commissary 
 Surgeon 
 Chaplain . 
 
 field and staff. 
 
 Charles H. Olmstead. 
 W. S. Rockwell. 
 M. J. Ford. 
 Matthew H. Hopkins. 
 Edward Hopkins. 
 E. W. Drummond. 
 W. H. Elliott. 
 S. Edward Axson. 
 
 non-commissioned staff. 
 Sergeant-Major . . . . F. M. Hull. 
 Commissary Sergeant . . . W. H. Boyd. 
 Quartermaster Sergeant . . William C. Crawford. 
 Ordnance Sergeant . . . Thaddeus F. Bennett. 
 
 During the winter, Captain Edward Hopkins died, and was succeeded by Cap- 
 tain F. M. Hull, who was appointed Quartermaster. 
 
210 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 It is impossible to follow the regiment through its record of war times, con- 
 tributing honorable pages to the annals of the Confederacy, from the first gun fired, 
 to the surrender, when the First Georgia carried its colors and its organization to 
 the city of Augusta, where its services ended, and its officers and men separated. 
 To-day the members of the Field and Staff of the First Volunteer Regiment are the 
 following-named gentlemen : — 
 
 Colonel 
 
 Lieutenant- Colonel 
 Major 
 Adjutant 
 Quartermaster 
 Commissary 
 Judge Advocate 
 PayTnaster . 
 Surgeon 
 
 Geo. a. Mercer. 
 Peter Reilly. 
 j. schwarz. 
 R. G. Gaillard. 
 M. F. O'Btrne. 
 John T. Ron an. 
 S. B. Adams. 
 Otto Vogel. 
 W. W. Owens. 
 
 With the following organizations : — 
 
 Savannah Cadets, organized May seventeenth, 1861. 
 Oglethorpe Light Infantry, organized January eighth, 1856. 
 Irish Jasper Greens, organized 1842 ; reorganized 1872. 
 German Volunteers, organized 1846. 
 Republican Blues, organized 1808. 
 Savannah Volunteer Guards. 
 
 Lieutenant- Colonel 
 
 Adjutant 
 
 Quartermaster 
 
 Judge Advocate . 
 
 Commissary and Treasurer 
 
 Surgeon 
 
 Sergeant-Major . 
 
 Quartermaster 
 
 field and staff. 
 
 William Garrard. 
 William W. Williamson. 
 C. F. Prendergast. 
 R. R. 
 J. M. 
 J. P. 
 H. P. 
 
 Richards. 
 
 Bryan. 
 
 s. houstoun. 
 
 Black. 
 
 John F. Kollock. 
 
 Chatham Artillery, organized May first, 1786. 
 Georgia Hussars, organized 1885. 
 
CHAPTBE XII. 
 
 HISTORIC Savannah belongs to a past generation. "We have stepped within 
 the portal of the present. Let us pursue our steps still farther, and survey 
 in a brief glance the record of modern Savannah before our last page is turned. 
 
 The transmuting touch of years surrounds the bare-faced facts of daily life of 
 village or of city, of country or of empire, with an impalpable, golden glamor, 
 unperceived, save through a vista of fifty years, the claim of history proper. With- 
 out the perspective of that distaiace, events group themselves in stiff fashion, aware 
 of glaring defects, unsoftened by some interposing medium between themselves and 
 curious spectators, as actors in the glare of a mid-daj^ rehearsal, clad in ordinary' 
 garb, unwigged, unpowdered, remain in awkward consciousness of the incongruitj^ 
 of their surroundings, with spoken, burning passion. 
 
 Make due allowance for the lack of atmosphere, and pass in review the events 
 of the generation that brings Savannah to her present eminence. 
 
 The public-school system of Savannah, which ranks favorably with others many 
 years its senior, was established by an act of the State Legislature on the twenty-first 
 of March, 1866. By this act the education of white children between the ages 
 of six and eigJiteen years, came under the "direction, management, and superintend- 
 ence of the Board of Public Education for the City of Savannah," then established. 
 On the eighteenth of December, 1866, an act was passed to amend the former, by 
 which the authority and powers of the " Board of Public Education " were extended 
 over the county of Chatham, as well as the city of Savannah. 
 
 The amendment to the charter was enacted by the Chatham Superior Court on 
 December second, 1878, by which the education of colored children between the ages 
 of six and eighteen years was placed under the " direction, management, and super- 
 intendence of the Board of Public Education for the City of Savannah and the County 
 of Chatham." 
 
 The past year, three thousand seven hundred and eight pupils were enrolled in 
 the public schopls of the city. Ten city and two county schools, of which Mr. W. 
 
 (211) 
 
212 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 H. Baker is superintendent, are under the charge of the Board of Education. Two 
 Roman Catholic schools are included within this number, the Cathedral and St. 
 Patrick's. The system works well, and gives entire satisfaction. The corps of 
 instructors employed by the Board, beginning with thirteen in the first year of the 
 organization of the schools, has reached the number of one hundred and six. The 
 Board of Education is composed of the following-named gentlemen : — 
 
 Geo. a. Merger ...... President. 
 
 J. B. Read, M.D Vice-President. 
 
 John A. Douglass, William Hunter, 
 
 J. R. Saussy, S. Y. Levy,i 
 
 Henry Blun, William Duncan, M.D., 
 
 J. H. Estill. 
 
 Massie School Commissioners. 
 R. E. Lester, R. D. Walker, 
 
 J. R. F. Tattnall. 
 William Harden ...... Treasurer. 
 
 W. H. Baker ...... Secretary. 
 
 In 1867, the old Wesley Chapel on South Broad street was fast decaying. It 
 therefore was sold, and with the proceeds was purchased the beautiful lot on which 
 stood the small Dutch Reformed Church, familiarly known as the "Tea-cup Church." 
 This building had had a varied experience during the war. Used by the Confed- 
 erates as a cartridge factory, it was well sacked and rifled when General Sher- 
 man's army took possession of the city. Bought by the Methodists, it was fitted up 
 and used as a house of worship for nearly eleven years. During that time the 
 membership increased sufficiently to make a larger, more commodious building a 
 necessity. 
 
 The corner-stone of Wesley Monumental Church was laid by the late Doctor 
 ' Lovick Pierce, at the time the oldest effective itinerant preacher in the world. 
 This church has more than a local interest. Erected as a monument to the world- 
 renowned John Wesley, from the united contributions of the Wesleyan Methodists 
 throughout America, England, and Canada, when finished it will be one of the most 
 commodious and beautiful churches of the South. The church is now far advanced 
 in its construction, and workmen are daily pushing it to completion. Reverend A. 
 
 * Deceased. 
 
EISTOEIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 ^13 
 
 M. Wynn, the pastor in charge since 1874, has been untiring in his eiforts to complete 
 this worthy memorial. May the day not be far distant when he will see his work 
 crowned with success, the fair proportions of " Wesley Monumental " proving an 
 honor to the city and a blessing to its denomination ! 
 
 In the spring of the year 1869, seven ladies, by name Mrs. George W. Wylly, 
 Mrs. Kollock, Mrs. L. J. Eosenfeld, Mrs. Thomas Purse, Mrs. Robert Mclntire, 
 Mrs. Alexander Campbell, Mrs. Luke Cannon, moved by a charitable impulse, pe- 
 titioned the Superior Court to grant them a charter for an institution to be called 
 "The Refuge of the Homeless." Not until the first of February, 1875, however, 
 did the society become thoroughly organized, with the name changed to that of the 
 "Industrial Reljef Society and Home for the Friendless." 
 
 The object of this society is to assist the destitute and ignorant by giving them 
 free instruction in industrial pursuits, to afford women and girls a temporary home, 
 fitting its beneficiaries chiefly for domestic occupation in families. Its secondary 
 object is the discreet aid given to that class of the poor who live in their own homes, 
 but by reason of untoward circumstances are forced to invoke aid. 
 
 The society, which to-day dispenses its charities in the building owned by the 
 society, on the south-west corner of Charlton and Drayton streets, has steadily ex- 
 tended the circle of its benevolence, until it ranks among the most praiseworthy 
 institutions of the city. Its present managers are : — 
 
 Mrs. N. Lovell . . . President. 
 
 Mrs. O. Cohen . . . First Vice-President. 
 
 Mrs. Julia McLeod . . Second Vice-President. 
 
 Mrs. Ellen Screven . . Secretary, 
 
 Mrs. T. Screven, Mrs. C. L. Gilbert, 
 
 Mrs. R. p. Myers, Mrs. J. J. Wilder, 
 
 Mrs. G. M. Sorrel, Mrs. E. M. Green, 
 
 Mrs. J. Ferst, Mrs. C. M. Holst, 
 
 Mrs. a. E. Motnelo, Mrs. H. R. Jackson, 
 
 Mrs. Beirne Gordon, Mrs. W. W. Mackall, 
 
 Mrs. S. Einstein, Mrs. F. Du Bignon, 
 
 Miss Susie Pelot . . . Matron. 
 
 Dr. R. p. Myers . . . Attending Physician. 
 
 Mr. p. M. Dougan . . Treasurer. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 W. Dupont, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 T. Wayne, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 H. Taylor, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 P. M. DoujGan, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 J. Nisbet, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Habersham, 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 R. E. Lester. 
 
214 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH' 
 
 The news of the death of General R. E. Lee, on the twelfth of Octobei', 1870, 
 
 in Lexington, Virginia, reached Savannah at half-past eight o'clock of that evening, 
 
 spreading with rapidity through the community. At several places of amusement 
 
 the sad event was announced, the performances were discontinued, and the people 
 
 returned in silence to their homes, to mourn the loss of that 
 
 chieftain best beloved of Southern hearts. 
 
 Savannah saw the first service of Robert E. Lee, the young 
 lieutenant of Engineers, upon his graduation at West Point 
 there he contracted friendships that were cherished through 
 life. Again, in November of 1861, as Commander-in-Chief of 
 the Southern coast defences. General Lee visited Savannah and 
 remained until the following February. His third and last 
 visit was paid in April of 1870, in a fruitless search for health. 
 It was a visit fraught with deep interest to the people of 
 Savannah. Public demonstrations were avoided. As a private 
 citizen. General Lee appeared in Savannah, but the feeling of 
 the people could not be restrained ; they arose, an unorganized 
 mass, to welcome him and give him a spontaneous reception. 
 The words of the poet-priest, Father Ryan, breathe a spirit 
 appropriate to the occasion : — 
 
 " A land without ruins is a land without memories ; a land 
 without memories is a land without liberty ; a land that wears a 
 laurel crown may be fair to see, but twine a few sad cypress 
 leaves around the brow of any land, and be that land beauteous 
 or bleak, it becomes lovely in its consecrated coronet of sorrow, 
 and wins the sympathy of the heart and of history. 
 
 "Crowns of roses fade, crowns of thorns endure, calvaries 
 and crucifixes take deepest hold of humanity." 
 The winter of 1879, Savannah was visited by General U. S. Grant, the third 
 ex-President of the United States welcomed within her borders. 
 
 In April of 1883, the presidential chair again honored Savannah, Chester A. 
 Arthur being the first President of the United States entertained as a private guest 
 in Savannah. The hospitalities of the home of his relative. Major Henry T. Botts, 
 were extended to the President. This house, on the south-west corner of Bull and 
 Gordon streets, is now the elegant mansion of Mr. E. A. Weil. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 215 
 
 On February twelfth, 1883, the city of Savannah was given up to festivities 
 in commemoration of the landing of Oglethorpe, one hundred and fifty years be- 
 fore. This celebration, known as the "Sesqui-Centennial," held sway for two days. 
 
 THE WEIL MANSION. 
 
 One of its brilliant features was an elaborate pageant representing the landing 
 of Oglethorpe, and his reception by the Yamacraws. Members of the Ford 
 Dramatic Association assumed the principal rdles, and to their credit and honor was 
 due the success of the spirited representation. 
 
 The celebration drew crowds from all parts of the State. It was a great State 
 
 holiday. His Excellency 
 _ the late Alexander H. 
 
 f ' Stephens honored the city 
 
 with his presence. It was a fatal pleasure to him, for a cold, contracted by ex- 
 posure and fatigue, seized hold upon that pain-wrecked frame, and, upon his return 
 to Atlanta, soon laid low that giant intellect. 
 
216 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 The ode, written at the request of the Sesqui-Centennial Committee by Paul 
 Hayne, tells, in tuneful numbers, the story of Savannah's settlement and advance- 
 ment. We quote the opening lines : — 
 
 Man clings, we know, to his ancestral clods ; 
 Yet, are there those who tower like potent gods 
 Above their brethren, on whose brows the sign 
 Of some star-blazoned splendor burns divine ! — ■ 
 In whom the harshness of an earthly leaven 
 Is softened by the mystic balm of heaven ; — 
 Whose epic fates thro' broad, deep currents roll, 
 Urged by the Impulse of a. steadfast soul, 
 Toward some grand Purpose and beneficent Goal; 
 Souls with a large look southward, and benign, 
 Their lives harmonious held in golden time 
 With Duty's key-note sounding down the bars 
 Of the high-ordered music of the stars ; 
 Forever open to the liberal noon 
 Of God, of Nature, of Humanity ! — 
 
 Ah, such was He 
 In whose wise mind the seed 
 Of a great Thought lay ripening into Deed, 
 Slowly developed thro' long toilful years, 
 Nurtured by blood and sanctified by tears. 
 Clear blood, heroic tears that left no trace 
 Of hopeless angufsh on the Weeper's face, 
 Until there waved from changeful hour to hour 
 The spotless petals of a perfect Flower ; 
 Rife with all beauty, flushed by power and health. 
 This Rose of States, our Georgian Commoiiwealth. 
 
 On the last day of October, 1883, about one o'clock in the afternoon, a disastrous 
 fire broke out in Yamacraw, which resulted in the loss of eight lives, the destruction 
 of over three hundred houses, and the rendering homeless of more than twelve 
 hundred people. The boundaries of the fire were Joachim street on the south, the 
 canal on the north and west, and West Broad street on the east. The track of deso- 
 lation was not so extensive as in 1852, when nearly the whole area from Harrison 
 to Pine street, and from West Broad to Farm street, was burned. The estimated 
 loss was about a million of dollars. 
 
 The Yamacraw fire was the first great fire in the city since that of January 
 twenty-seventh, 1865, when Savannah was in the jjossession of the Federal army 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 217 
 
 under General Shernaan. That was a night of terror to the inhabitants, for added 
 to the horror of fire was the fear of a terrific bombardment. The fire, which began 
 in a stable of Mrs. Ann Morrell, on Zubly street, soon reached Broughton street, 
 where stood "Old Granite Hall," the Confederate arsenal, filled with ammunition. 
 Then came a scene never to be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Exploding 
 cartridges, cannon and musket balls, were sent flying in every direction. Frag- 
 
 C^ 
 
 ^-•,.-^,^x^^'-*'— <^-'"*'^-'^^< 
 
 THE COMER MANSION. 
 
 ments of shell were thrown into Johnson square, in front of the Pulaski House. 
 A portion of one passed through the roof of a residence on the corner of Barnard 
 and Liberty streets, entering the bedroom of a member of the family, who barely 
 escaped serious injury. The water-tank in the reservoir-tower was pierced by a 
 
218 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 piece of a shell. The freezing atmosphere soon transformed the pouring water 
 into icicles which incrusted the reservoir, making a picture of marvellous beautj^ 
 in the lurid light of the flames. The fire raged for ten hours, with a loss of 
 over one hundred buildings, the property destroyed being valued at about a 
 million of dollars. 
 
 The first week of May, 1886, was a gala season for Savannah, when the Chatham 
 Artillery celebrated the completion of the first century of its existence. Visiting 
 companies from all parts of the Union took part in the contests and tournaments, 
 and enjoyed the lavish hospitality of the Chathams. It was a week of military 
 pastime and of high carnival for the citizens. Serious pursuits were for the moment 
 put aside ; all joined in the merry-makings. Battles were fought over again, the 
 blue and the gray inaugurated an era of good-fellowship, and a cloudless heaven 
 smiled benignantly upon the week of festivities. Among the distinguished guests 
 whose presence contributed a large share to the enthusiasm of the week's pro- 
 gramme were Jefl^erson Davis and his daughter. Miss Varina Davis, dear to 
 Southern hearts as the " Daughter of the Confederacy," and Honorable John E. 
 Ward, of New York. Mr. Davis and his daughter partook of the hospitality 
 of Mr. Comer, in his home on the corner of Bull and Taylor streets. 
 
 To no one individual does Savannah owe a larger meed of gratitude for liberal 
 benefactions of an artistic, literary, and benevolent character than to Miss Mary 
 Telfair, the last to bear the name in a long line of distinguished antecedents. At 
 times the world sees public spirit and liberality of soul become the bequeathal of 
 heredity, as much as the name. So was it in the Telfair family. In 1786, 
 Edward Telfair was elected governor of Georgia. A century later, on Monday, the 
 third of May, 1886, the home of the Telfair family in Savannah was dedicated and 
 opened as "Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences," the act of his daughter. Miss 
 Mary Telfair, who died on June second, 1875. To the Georgia Historical Society, 
 in trust, she gave the family homestead, with her books, pictures, and statuary, for 
 a perpetual Art and Science Academy. The will was contested, but the bequest 
 prevailed. At the instance of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Historical 
 Society, the president. General Henry R. Jackson, tendered the directorship of the 
 new academy to Carl N. Brandt, M.A., the present curator. The opening of the 
 Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences marks an era in Savannah. This institution, 
 properly managed, developed, and utilized, will make of Savannah the art centre of 
 the South. With climatic conditions akin to those of Italy, the birthplace of the 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 219 
 
 great masters of the l;)rush, and an inherent love of the lieautiful in all Southerners, 
 yet there are few Southern artists. Why? Hitherto they have been without the 
 surroundings to develop their tastes, only isolated ones being able to seek the 
 flourishing art centres in distant cities. Now the nucleus of an art school is 
 in their midst. 
 Telfair Academy 
 has the means 
 of an immense 
 growth within 
 her grasp, and 
 wisely fostered 
 and carefully di- 
 rected, time will 
 ripen the art- 
 germs inherent 
 in the Southern 
 child to an ac- 
 tual outcome of 
 creative work. 
 May the day not 
 be far distant 
 when Telfair 
 Academy will 
 recognize the art- 
 work at her com- 
 mand, and so 
 make glorious in 
 the annals of the 
 
 city for generations to come the gift of that noble woman, Mary Telfair. To Mrs. 
 Hodgson and Miss Maiy Telfair, unitedly, are due the bequests to the Independent 
 Presbyterian Church of Savannah, to the Union Society, the Widows' Society, the 
 Presbyterian Church in Augusta, and that excellent establishment providing for 
 the suffering women of Savannah, the Teltair Hospital. This tine biick building, 
 with its beautifully kept grounds, dominates the south-western corner of New 
 Houston and Drayton streets. 
 
 TELFAIR ACADEMY. 
 
220 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 The present officers and managers are : — 
 
 President .... Mrs. J. F. Gilmer. 
 Secretary .... Mrs. John Williamson. 
 Treasurer .... Mrs. James Kankin. 
 
 Mrs. Charles Lamar, Mrs. Walter Chisholm, 
 
 Miss Sallie Owens, Mrs. R. H. McLeod, 
 
 Mrs. Saussy, Mrs. John Hopkins, 
 
 Mrs. Thomas Screven. 
 
 The earthquake of August, 1886, that shook Charleston to its depths with such 
 terrifying and destructive results, was felt in Savannah, arousing terror and dismay ; 
 but no serious damage was done. 
 
 The series of public festivities marking the eighties was continued in 
 February, of 1888, by the three days' celebration attendant upon the unveiling of 
 the Jasper Monument, in Madison square. The twenty-second of February was the 
 opening day. The President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, with the 
 
 presidential party, honored the 
 occasion by a drive through 
 ^ ' the city, on the way to Jack- 
 
 ^ sonville. General Gordon, 
 
 Governor of the State, and 
 liis staff were among the city's 
 guests. Frowning heavens failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the occasion. 
 The ceremonies of the unveiling of the statue took place on the first day, thus 
 launching the city on a three days' tide of carnival-making. The statue commands 
 the admiration of the citizens, in its central location, erected through the arduous 
 efforts of the Jasper Monument Association, composed of the following- named 
 gentlemen : John Flannery, P. W. Meldrim, John R. Dillon, John T. Ronan, 
 J. J. McGowan, J. H. Estill, George A. Mercer, W. O. Tilton, Luke Carson, 
 John Screven, Jordan F. Brooks, Jeremiah Cronin, J. K. Clarke. Of heroic 
 size, in bronze, Sergeant Jasper surmounts the pedestal, holding aloft the flag. 
 The monument is the work of Mr. Alexander Doyle, who, at the age of thirty, 
 has executed more public monuments and statues in the United States than any 
 
 <::^ 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTIJBESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 221 
 
 other sculptor, and lie is, moreover, the designer of more than one-tifth now 
 standing in the Union. The subject of the monument. Sergeant William Jasper, 
 bears off the laurel for a brilliant and heroic career. Three deeds, each alone 
 sufficient to win glory, stand recorded to this man in the common walks of life, 
 whose touching humility was illustrated when he refused a commission offered 
 by Governor Routledge, of South Carolina, for his meritorious act before the 
 attack on Fort Moultrie. Far better, he thought, to remain in the humble position 
 of sergeant, than lietray his ignorance in a higher command. His first heroic act 
 was on the twenty-eighth of June, 177li, when the British attacked Fort Moultrie, 
 on Sullivan's Island, in Charleston harbor. In the hottest part of the contest, the 
 staff, from which waved the flag al)ove the fort, was shattered by a cannon-ball, 
 and the flag falling to the liottom of the ditcli outside the works, Jasper cried out 
 to Colonel Moultrie, "Don't let us fight ^vitho^t a Hag, Colonel !" and leaping from 
 the parapet amid a storm of shot and shell, he caught up the falling colors, nailed 
 them to a sponge-staff, and 
 held them dauntless until a 
 staff was provided. The sec- 
 ond deed was centred about 
 the small spring, not far from 
 the present corporate limits of 
 Savannah, which until within a 
 few years gurgled and bulibled 
 with refreshing coolness in its 
 woodland seclusion, unmindful 
 of the tragedies once enacted 
 there. A guard of British sol- 
 diers, consisting of a sergeant, , 
 a corporal, and eight privates, in charge of several handcuffed American prisoners, 
 marching along the dusty highwaj^ from Augusta, paused near the spring to rest and 
 refresh themselves with a cooling draught. Muskets were stacked, the sentinels 
 were placed over the prisoners, while the rest, unsuspicious of danger, repaired to 
 the spring to fill their canteens, leaving their muskets lying carelessly against a 
 tree. Under the thick underbrush lay two men, Sergeant Jasper and his com- 
 panion, Sergeant Newton. They sprang from their place of concealment, seized 
 two guns, shot the sentinels, and forced the rest of the guard to surrender. The 
 
 THE GORDON MANSION. 
 
222 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 irons were taken off the rescued prisoners, and tlie whole party, according to 
 one tradition, including the wives and children of some of the persons who 
 had followed the guard, joined the American army the next morning at Purys- 
 burgh. 
 
 Reader, what was the motive of this act of Jasper? A simple one, indeed, — a 
 woman's tears. A wife's distress at the inevitable fate of her husband (who, an 
 American, haying taken the oath of allegiance to the king, deserted and was 
 captured) touched the tender, manly heart of Jasper. In conjunction with his 
 friend, Newton, he planned and carried out the bold capture, not for self, nor 
 friend, nor cause. May all women let fall their tears for this sturdy son of toil, 
 with whom the spring of a noble action was the tear from a woman's eye. 
 Familiar is the third and crowning act of Jasper's brief career, when he yielded 
 up his life's blood in defence of his colors, on the parapet of Spring-hill redoubt, 
 in the memorable siege of Savannah, October ninth, 1779. 
 
 Literally did he fulfil the vow made when he received the stand of colors from 
 Mrs. Barnard Elliott. " The colors you have presented to my regiment, the 
 Second South Carolina, I'll keep from dishonor with my life's blood." 
 
 Jasper's grave is unknown, like those of his brother heroes, Greene and 
 Pulaski. Reserve a niche in the national gallery for Sergeant William Jasper. 
 
 On the thirtieth of January, 1888, the First African Baptist Church of Savan- 
 nah celebrated the first century of its existence. Its claim to be the first body of 
 Christians wholly of the negro race organized in this countiy is well authenticated, 
 and makes the history of the church of marked interest. The church originated at 
 Brampton's barn, three miles south-west of Savannah, on January thirtieth, 1788. 
 Andrew Bryan, a man of pure negro blood, was ordained as the pastor of this 
 new organization, by Abraham Marshall, a white Baptist minister. Among the 
 treasured documents of the church is a deed yellow with age and honeycombed by 
 moths, dated July third, 1797, — a deed by Andrew Bryan, a free white man, to the 
 trustees of the First African Baptist Church of Lot Seven, in Yamacraw village, for 
 a consideration of thirty pounds. Upon this lot on Bryan street, near Farm, stands 
 the present large brick edifice, presenting an attractive appearance from the recent 
 improvements to its interior and the addition of stained-glass memorial windows. 
 Throughout its history it has . never ceased to be wholly under the government of 
 colored persons. Its tenth and present pastor is Reverend U. S. Houston. 
 
 Conspicuous among the colored churches of the city is that of St. Stephen's. 
 
HISTORIC AND flGTURESQUE SAVANNAH 223 
 
 This parish grew out of a mission known as the " Savannah River Mission." 
 About 1855, the missionary, Reverend S. W. Kennerley, was called to Savannah by 
 the Right Reverend Bishop Elliott, for the purpose of establishing a church among 
 the colored people in and about the city. The whole of the colored population of 
 Savannah was then under colored sectarian teaching. Five colored persons only 
 were found members of the Episcopal Church. In three years' time the Rev- 
 erend Mr. Kennerley had secured a list of fifty communicants. From the five 
 members in 1855, the congregation has expanded into a large and flourishing one, 
 under the present charge of the Reverend J. S. Andrews. 
 
 Among the cemeteries of Savannah, the Old or Brick Cemetery on South 
 Broad street stands first in age and in illustrious burials. There sleep the early 
 fathers of the colony ; the patriots of seventy-six ; the heroes of the Mexican War ; 
 and eminent divines among the graves of merchants and civilians, who, upon the 
 foundation-stones of Savannah's heroic age, by public spirit and zealous enterprise, 
 built up the fabric of city government, and made possible the Savannah of to-day. 
 
 James Habersham, who died in Brunswick, New Jersey, at the beginning of 
 the Revolutionary struggle, was brought to Savannah and laid in the soil of the 
 cemetery of that parish of Christ Church which, for many years, called forth his 
 devoted zeal in the furtherance of its growth. In the same vault sleep a long line 
 of his descendants. A horizontal brown slab marks the grave of the patriot-histo- 
 rian, Hugh McCall. The vault of Sir Patrick Houstoun, not until recent years re- 
 moved to Bonaventure, bears the slab commemorative of his death. Sacred are the 
 ashes of this necropolis ! The Old Cemetery was for many years the only public 
 burial-ground of the parish. No interment has been made since 1861. For twenty- 
 seven years left to the havoc of the elements, at times invaded by lawless spirits, 
 ruthlessly desecrating the habitations of the dead, the sacred ground, after many 
 years of litigation, has lately been confirmed as city property. Upon the city, then, 
 devolves the care and responsibility of this place of tender associations. To what 
 more lovely purpose could it be devoted than to serve as a botanical garden, to 
 foster the growing taste in the city for the cultivation of rare plants ? What more 
 appropriate monument could be raised over the ashes of the dead than the peren- 
 nial bloom of flowers ? 
 
 Bonaventure, under the control of the Evergreen Cemetery Company, incorpo- 
 rated in 1849, is about three and a half miles from the city, containing one hundred 
 and forty acres, of which seventy are enclosed. It is an ideal burial-place. In 
 
224 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 1803, the first adult was buried in Bonaventure, the wife of Governor Tattnall, soon 
 followed by her honored husband. 
 
 Around a grave marked by a neat tablet apd enclosed by an iron railing gather 
 memories of the chivalrous action of Virginia's sons who were delegates to the 
 Southern Commercial Convention held in Savannah in 1856. In a body they 
 visited Bonaventure to find the grave of Miss Tapscott, over which to erect a monu- 
 ment to that talented, beloved daughter of Virginia, who had died shortly after her 
 arrival in Savannah. The day before her death she selected the spot where she 
 now lies. 
 
 At the request of a friend, the death of Miss Tapscott furnished a theme to that 
 charming lyric singer of New England, Mrs. Lydia H. Sigourney. 
 
 Tread lightly 'mid those broad arm'd oaks, 
 
 'Neath Georgia's sunny sky, 
 Where volumed mosses, grey and old. 
 Like banners wave their silken fold. 
 
 As though some host were nigh. 
 
 Without a host the victor came, 
 
 Without the trumpet cry ; 
 He drew no sword, he bent no bow, 
 But pass'd .and laid a victim low 
 
 In silent mystery. 
 
 A maiden in her beauty's prime, 
 
 With eyes of holy light; 
 A gentle orphan loved by all. 
 On whom no blight has dared to fall. 
 
 He did not spare to smite. 
 
 Yet blame him not, the deed was kind — 
 
 Even though in wrath it seem'd, 
 His shaft was dire, but hers the gain — 
 To soar above the sphere of pain. 
 Where cloudless glory stream'd. 
 
 Though not in fair Virginia's vales, 
 
 'Neath her own native skies. 
 The lifeless sleeper sank to rest. 
 Calm walks her spirit with the blest, 
 
 'Mid groves of Paradise. 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 225 
 
 The Roman Catholic cemetery, situated on the Thunderbolt road, two miles 
 from the city, was opened in August of 1853. The first bishop of the diocese of 
 Savannah, the Right Reverend F. X. Gartland, and Bishop Barron, of a foreign 
 diocese, were buried here, both victims of the yellow fever, in 1854. Another 
 bishop of the diocese, the Right Reverend John Barry, who went abroad for his 
 health, remained in Paris, under the special care of the Archbishop of Paris, Car- 
 dinal Marlot. There he died, and was buried in Pere-la-Chaise. At the request 
 of the faithful parishioners in Georgia, his remains were brought to Savannah and 
 re-interred beside those of Bishops Gartland and Barron. 
 
 Fort Brown, long since levelled, one of the heaviest earthworks in the line of 
 the Confederate defences of Savannah, was located at the Roman Catholic cemetery. 
 Begun by the State authorities, it was afterwards incorporated in the regular line 
 of defences erected by the Confederate authorities to command the approaches 
 from Thunderbolt, the Isle of Hope, and Beaulieu. 
 
 Laurel Grove, which constitutes the cemetery proper of the city, "open to all 
 creeds," was laid out in 1852 by James O. Morse, under the administration of 
 Mayor R. D. Arnold. The crowded state of the Old. Brick Cemetery, on South 
 Broad street, led to its origin. A portion of the Springfield plantation, then lately 
 purchased by the corporation of the city of Savannah from the heirs and devisees 
 of Joseph Stiles, was selected for the new cemetery, in the south-western boundary 
 of the city. This spot, consisting alternately of high and low ground, possessed the 
 picturesque elements desirable for a city of the dead. The cemetery was dedi- 
 cated with elaborate exercises on the tenth of November, 1852. Doctor Willard 
 Preston, of the Independent Presbyterian Church, and the venerable Doctor Lovick 
 Pierce, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, participated. Interesting features of 
 the occasion were a poem, delivered by Honorable R. M. Charlton, and an 
 address by Honorable Henry R. Jackson. 
 
 Adjoining Laurel Grove is the Jewish cemetery. In Robertsville, in the 
 western part of the city, is to be seen the first enclosure set apart by Mordecai 
 Sheftall for the burial of his people. There he lies with successive generations of 
 his descendants. The high brick wall is kept in a good state of preservation, guard- 
 ing the sacred ashes within. 
 
 Tybee Island, at the entrance of the Savannah river, has become the most 
 popular and valuable suburb of the city, owing to the recently opened Savannah 
 and Tybee Railroad, by means of which the island with its refreshing sea breezes, 
 
226 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 THE MARTELLO TOWER. 
 
 and its expanse of beach, extending five miles in length, a magnificent solid roadway, 
 is brought within easy access of the midsummer sun-parched city. 
 
 To Captain D. G. Purse, the president of the company, must be given the 
 chief honors in the accomplishment of the long-desired road. Just half a century 
 previous to the opening of the new road, Mr. Purse's grandfather, the late Honorable 
 Thomas Purse, took an active and conspicuous part in the construction of the first 
 railroad in Georgia, that of the now mighty Central road. 
 
 One of the notable and conspicuous objects on the island is the Martello Tower, 
 in close proximity to the lighthouse. It is supposed to be the work of Spaniards 
 who visited the island before Oglethorpe's time. It stands, therefore, the oldest 
 historic monument on the coast of Georgia, built, possibly, for use as a fort, to pre- 
 vent any hostile ascent of the Savannah river. It is a curious-looking structure of 
 tabby, and is in an excellent state of preservation. 
 
 One of the marked characteristics of the Forest City, of which all Savannahians 
 are justly proud, is the large number of eleemosynary institutions within her 
 borders. In addition to the asylums and hospitals for the relief of humanity, known 
 as the Female Orphan Asylum, the Savannah Hospital, the Abraham's Home, the 
 Episcopal Orphans' Home, the Widows' Society, the Industrial Relief Society, and 
 Telfair Hospital, whose origins are given elsewhere, there are in our midst : — 
 
 I. St. Joseph's Infirmary, on the north-west corner of Taylor and Habersham 
 streets. This institution, organized in 1875, is under the charge of the Sisters of 
 Mercy, Sister M. Eulalia, the Sister Superior. The infirmary is supported by 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 227 
 
 voluntary contributions and "pay-patients." There are wards for the poor and the 
 city' patients, as well as for mariners. 
 
 II. The Depository of the Needlewoman's Friend Society, 107 Drayton street, 
 Miss S. E. Thompson, Matron. 
 
 III. The Little Minnie Mission, on the south-west corner of Jones and Lincoln 
 streets. Miss L. Pitzer, Matron. This Mission affords a home for infants, and 
 stands a memorial to a beloved child, whose death prompted the large-hearted 
 mother thus to befriend helpless little ones. 
 
 Besides the six societies, consisting of the Union, St. Andrew's, the Georgia 
 Medical, the Hibernian, the Port, and the Georgia Historical, whose annals have 
 contributed many a noble page to Savannah's history, there are of recent forma- 
 tion — 
 
 I. "La Societe Fran9aise de Bienfaisance de Savannah," founded on the 
 second of November, 1871, and incorporated on the second of May, 1873. The 
 object of this society is the assistance of its members in distress and of Frenchmen 
 in need. The present officers are : — 
 
 A. BoNNAUD ..... President. 
 
 A. L. Desbouillons . . . Vice-President and Secretary. 
 
 H. Thomasson .... Treasurer. 
 
 II. The Youth's Historical Society. 
 
 M. S. Herman .... President. 
 
 H. H. Hayne .... Secretary. 
 
 H. Strauss ..... Treasurer. 
 
 A. E. Dreyfus .... Librarian. 
 
 III. The Endowment Fund of the Georgia Medical Society, organized in 1887 
 by the following-named gentlemen : — 
 
 E. J. NuNN, M.D., George H. Stone, M.D., 
 
 J. J. Waring, M.D., George C. Hummell, M.D., 
 
 J. C. Le Hardy, M.D. 
 
 A vast field of usefulness is contemplated by this adjunct to the Georgia 
 Medical Society. To elevate the standing of the medical profession is its imme- 
 diate purpose. Under its auspices, relief associations can be organized in seasons 
 
228 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 of epidemic, as well as sanitary associations. At once practical and benevolent, 
 its scope reaches into futurity, and its members confidently hope that, should 
 their schemes for the drainage of the city be brought into full operation, five 
 years hence will witness the population of Savannah carried to the pleasing 
 figures of one hundred thousand. 
 
 Among the social clubs of the city are prominent the Harmonic and the 
 Oglethorpe clubs. 
 
 The first in point of age dates back to 1865, when its members rented St. 
 Andrew's Hall for a place of meeting, their pleasant social gatherings adding much 
 to the winter amusements of the city. The club became a chartered organization 
 on the third of June, 1887. Its present home is the square brick structure oh the 
 corner of Bull and Jones streets, formerly the residence of the late A. A. Smets. 
 The present officers are : — 
 
 Emile Newman ..... President. 
 
 J. A. Einstein ..... Vice-President. 
 
 S. BiNSWANGEE ..... Treasurer. 
 
 A. L. MiLius ..... Secretary. 
 
 The Oglethorpe Club was organized on the twenty-first of September, 1875, 
 when but twelve members were present. At first it was made a close club, with a 
 limited number of members. The death of the Chatham Club led many gentlemen 
 to seek admission to the Oglethorpe ; thereupon its membership was extended to one 
 hundred and seventy-five. Its list is nearly completed. The presiding officers of 
 the club are : — 
 
 George S. Owens .... President. 
 
 T. M. Cunningham 
 R. L. Mercer 
 John Sullivan 
 
 Vice-President. 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 Treasurer. 
 
 Board of Directors. 
 W. H. Daniel, Alfred Chisholm, 
 
 W. W. Williamson, W. W. Mackall, 
 
 John H. Hunter. 
 
 Savannah's position as the second cotton port of the American continent is due 
 mainly to the integrity and enterprise of her cotton merchants, who, by their safe. 
 
HISTORIC AND F1CTUBE8QUE SAVANNAH 
 
 229 
 
 energetic, and sagacious measures, have assured the past. It is confidently to be 
 hoped that with their wise assistance the city will continue to expand commercially, 
 for Georgia is the first State in cotton acreage, and the second in cotton production, 
 of the South. 
 
 The present imposing Cotton Exchange was erected in 1887, and was occupied 
 on the twelfth of September of that year. The present officers are : — 
 
 E. M. Green 
 
 F. D. Bloodworth 
 
 J. M. Barnard, 
 J. P. Overton, 
 J. F. Minis, 
 C. Menelas, 
 
 E. F. Bryan 
 
 Directors. 
 
 C. A. Shearson. 
 
 President. 
 Vice-President. 
 
 E. Karow, 
 J. K. Garnett, 
 D. J. MacIntyre, 
 R. M. Butler, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 Inspectors of Next Election. 
 C. S. Connerat, W. S. Tison, H. M. Hutton. 
 
 The Board of Trade, organized on July eighteenth, 1882, consists of the follow- 
 ing roll of officers : — 
 
 John R. Young 
 I. G. Haas . 
 
 P. L. Peacock, 
 S. P. Shotter, 
 C. M. Gilbert, 
 H. A. Crane, 
 
 S. S. GUCKENHEIMER, 
 
 Directors. 
 
 President. 
 Vice-President. 
 
 M. W. Dixon, 
 George P. Walker, 
 A. B. Hull, 
 W. W. Chisholm, 
 A. Ehrlich. 
 
 Inspector's of Election. 
 J. B. Chestnutt, C. H. Morel, 
 
 E. R. Middleton. 
 
 S. Mo A. White . 
 Wallace Schley . 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 Inspector and Weigher Hay and Grain 
 
230 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 According to Colonel I. W. Avery, in a recent article upon Savannah, 
 Savannah's population has grown since 1880 over twelve thousand ; her property has 
 increased in two years nearly three millions, reaching a total of over twenty-two 
 millions; her new buildings average yearly, since 1883, seven hundred in number; 
 her retail trade runs to sixteen millions, and her wholesale trade to seventeen mil- 
 lions ; her banking operations amount to one hundred and fifty millions, the whole 
 business of the city reaching the gratifying number of one hundred millions of 
 dollars. 
 
 Her leading industry is that of rice, Georgia being the second rice-producing 
 State in the Union. Savannah has four rice-mills, her receipts of rice having 
 reached the figures of seven hundred forty-two thousand seven hundred and eighty- 
 four bushels. Such an array of statistics promises large results for the future. 
 
 Savannah's outlook brightens with each coming year. 
 
 Our chapter draweth to an end, and the small maritime sister on the south 
 Atlantic coast, whose history has furnished many a golden page to the volumes of 
 our country's storied past, has ahead of her years of noble record yet unrun, and 
 vast fields of progress made possible by a recognition of her own resources. 
 
 Wise the founder Oglethorpe ; wiser those who followed, building upon the one 
 plan laid by the master mind ; and wisest of all, those of to-day, who, recognizing 
 the wisdom of the past and its interpreters, broaden and beautify by means of the 
 lights of this advanced age, without destroying its symmetrical proportions, the first 
 plan of their city. 
 
 Bay and laurel wreaths fall not to the victor in this age of practical results and 
 reward ; but cities, like men, upon the stepping-stones of their dead selves, may rise 
 to higher things ; and when those stepping-stones mark deeds of honor, then may 
 they, cities and men alike, hope to rise to deeds of glorious achievement. With 
 such a past. Savannah has much before her. 
 
 The final act is reached, the bell has rung, down drops the curtain upon the 
 grand tableau of Savannah's past; when it rises again, may the opening group 
 reveal a kindred likeness to the past in the midst of new activities and honors. 
 
OHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 THE Savannah Bar has from its earliest history held an enviable position in the 
 legal fraternity. Dating back to the organization of our State government, its 
 history is coeval with that of the State as a State. A century has rolled by, and the 
 high plane reached from the beginning has ever been held with a dignity and ability 
 which have alike commanded the admiration of the profession at large, as well as of 
 those not admitted within the fold of the lirotherhood. Its roll contains the names 
 of gentlemen distinguished not only in the profession, but as well in the councils of 
 the State. Our statute laws as framed, and as they have come down to us from the 
 earliest times, are a lasting memorial to the learning and prevision of the lawyer; 
 and to those statutes, members of this Bar in the General Assembly have made no 
 small contributions. The eloquence of the Bar has been well illustrated, profound 
 learning and wide research into the intricacies of legal problems have been con- 
 spicuous. 
 
 Upon the ratification of the constitution of 1798, the Superior Court was reor- 
 ganized thereunder, and case number one was filed March sixth, 1799, attested in the 
 name of David B. Mitchell, one of the judges of the court; James Bulloch, clerk; 
 Richard Wall, sheriff'; George Allen, the plaintifl''s attorney ; and Thomas Gibbons, 
 defendant's attorney. The Bench and the Bar were represented by gentlemen of 
 prominence in their day, — Judges Mitchell, Carnes, Walton, and McAllister were 
 among the presiding magistrates of that early time ; and Messrs. Charles Harris, 
 Edward Bacon, William Stephens, George Woodruff, John Lawson, Joseph 
 Welscher, John Y. Noel, William B. Bulloch, and others, were distinguished for 
 their professional attainments. 
 
 Mr. Harris was a remarkaljle man, his legal acquirements were great, his clear 
 arguments were the admiration of his brethren and entitled him to the place he 
 held at the head of the Bar. He was devoted to his profession, and gave to it 
 every faculty he possessed. Although repeatedly urged by his fellow-citizens to 
 accept public ofiice, he steadily declined to do so, preferring to serve the people in 
 
232 
 
 HISTORIC A.\W PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 THE CANAL. 
 
 a private way. How well he did this, and how deep was the reverence in which he 
 was held, a city clothed in mourning attested, as his remains were borne to their 
 last resting-place. 
 
 T. U. P. Charlton (now known as the Elder, to distinguish him from his emi- 
 nent son, the late Robert M. Charlton, himself a profound jurist and wise judge), 
 William Davies, John MePherson Berrien, and others soon came upon the stage, 
 
 and united with their elder 
 In'ethren in maintaining the 
 bright record of the past, and 
 winning new laurels ; each one 
 of the above filled the judi- 
 cial oiEce with honor to him- , 
 self and advantage to the 
 pul)lic. 
 
 In recurring to the past, it 
 will 1)6 of some interest to note 
 the ])lace where legal battles 
 were fought. 
 
 The site of the Court House has been the saine for at least eighty or ninety 
 years. The predecessor of the present Court House was a simple edifice of red 
 brick of the same hue as that of the old Bank of the State of Georgia (now Charles 
 H., Olmstead's Bank), 3-et standing on Johnson square. There were no halls, but 
 you entered the court-room as you passed through the doorway ; nor were there 
 any corridors. On the ]K)rth side, towards President street, was placed the judge's 
 bench ; immediatel}' in front, and a little lower, stood the clerk's desk, and on one 
 side was the sheriff''s ; in front again was a large table, around which sat the lawyers 
 with their clients, parties to the case then occupying the attention of the court ; then 
 came the railing, within which no one but the officers of the court was permitted to 
 enter, — it Avas a sacred area reserved for the initiated alone. Around the railing, 
 in the centre of which stood the prisoner's box, was a passage-way, and in the re- 
 mainder of the room, to the York-street side, were arranged benches for the accom- 
 modation of the public ; every succeeding bench raised a little, so that those in the 
 rear overlooked those in front. On either side of the judge's bench were the jury- 
 boxes, entered from the passage-way. The building did not occupy the whole lot 
 through to Drayton street, but upon the eastern poition, fully one-half of the 
 
mSTOBJG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 233 
 
 ground, were two or three wooden dwellings, one of which, on President street, and 
 contiguous to the Court Ilouse, was occupied, at the time of which we are writing, 
 by the clerk of the court, ^lajor A. B. Fannin, an army officer at the time of the AVar 
 of 1812, serving under General Andrew Jackson with marked distinction, and a gen- 
 tleman highly esteemed I)y his fellow-citizens. Such was the old Court House. 
 The judge who then presided (during the twenties) was the Honoral)le James M. 
 Wayne, afterwards one of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the 
 United States, a courtly gentleman, affable and urbane in manner, an upright and 
 conscientious magistrate. In addition to those already named appear the names of 
 William Law, John C. Nicoll (both judges of the Superior Court), Richard W. 
 Habersham, Edward F. Tattnall, Richard Stiles, George W. Owens, Joseph W. 
 Jackson, and Matthew Hall McAllister. 
 
 Mr. McAllister was one of the leaders of this Vnw during the thirties and for- 
 ties. Of commanding 
 personal appearance-, 
 easy, graceful i)earing, 
 rich and ready flow of 
 language, his glowing 
 periods ever fell with 
 telling effect upon his 
 audience. He re- 
 moved to San Fran- 
 cisco in 1850, and 
 there held the highest 
 judicial office under 
 the United States 
 Government. 
 
 William W. Gor- 
 don was a successful 
 lawyer, but he abandoned the profession to take charge of the Central Railroad 
 of Georgia, as its first president. His name is identified with that great work. 
 
 William B. Fleming was a firm, able, and upright judge. He presided over the 
 Superior Courts of the Eastern Circuit for a longer period than any of his predeces- 
 sors, and he was conspicuous from the fact that throughout his long terra very few 
 of his decisions were overruled by the Supreme Court. 
 
 THE COURT HOUSE. 
 
234 EISTORia AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 It was during the official term of Judge Law that the old Court House was 
 razed to the ground aud the present huilding erected. In the interval the court 
 was held in the " Long Room " of the Exchange, which then occupied the whole 
 front of that grand old landmark. 
 
 Sometime in the thirties, the present building was completed, Judge Law 
 holding the first term in the new Court House. The Superior Court had been and 
 was then the highest legal tribunal in our State, and continued to be so until the 
 year 1845, when the Legislature tardily met the requirements of the constitution and 
 organized the Supreme Coui-t, for the correction of errors. Previous to that time 
 the judges of the Superior Court, in order to further uniformity in the administra- 
 tion of the law, were accustomed voluntarily to convene to discuss and pass judg- 
 ment upon cases of deep interest pending in their respective circuits, which in- 
 volved interesting points of law. Some of the results of these deliberations 
 are to be found in Dudley's Reports, and are held as high authority by the pro- 
 fession. 
 
 Lawyers are not always tied down to the drudgery of the office or limited to 
 the exciting scenes of the court-room. They have their seasons of relaxations, and 
 we question if there are any set of men who more keenly enjoy the playtime than 
 lawyers. One of the most notable of these occasions was when books and papers 
 were packed and preparations made for "riding the circuit," — twice during the 
 yefir, in spring-time and late autumn. The Eastern Circuit then comprised all the 
 seaboard counties, together with Bulloch, Effingham, and Wayne. The terms of 
 each were held consecutively, so that it required some time to make the round. 
 The lawyers then travelled in their own conveyances, occasionally one or two on 
 horseback ; and as they went from court to court, generally together, they made 
 quite a string along the roadway. Many amusing incidents constantly happened, as 
 may well be supposed, when such a party was brought together. The wayside 
 spring was a good place to restore exhausted humanity ; lunch-baskets with sugges- 
 tive accompaniments made their appearance, and jest, anecdote, and laughter made 
 merry the silent woods ; and half an hour or so would thus pass off in entire aban- 
 don, until some thoughtful one would bring to mind the journey yet before them. It 
 was after the business of the day was over, and the court-room closed, that care was 
 set aside and the genial hour of social enjoyment drew nigh. Dinner was served in 
 the lawyer's private parlor, always set apart by the landlord for his favored guests ; 
 and with a good appetite and a clear conscience, it need scarcely be said that the 
 
HISTOIi/O AN!) PldTLTRE^OUE SAVANNAH 
 
 235 
 
 time was keenly enjoyed — ready wit and repartee ran around tlie table, and all 
 was pleasantness and good-fellowship. 
 
 The circuit has lieen made, tiie repeated struggles in the court-room are over; 
 the pleasures of the festive board, the rollicking drive through the lofty pines, 
 
 ART ROOM. TELFAIR ACADEMY, 
 
 the genuine hospitality of the princelj^ planters of that day, ever heartily extended, 
 — have all been enjoyed to the full, and must now be folded up and put away among 
 the pleasant memories of the jiast. 
 
 Coming to the time of the forties, we find some of the old lawyers still in har- 
 ness and doing good work. Among the oldest were Levi S. D'Lyon and Mordecai 
 Sheftall, both of whom presided over the Cit}' Court, then called the Court of Com- 
 mon Pleas and Oyer and Terminer. The roll of that decade contains the names of 
 
236 HISTORIC AND PIGTUMESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 many well known to the elder portion of this generation. Among them will be 
 found those of John E. Ward, Edward J. Harden, Francis S. Bartow, Thomas E. 
 Lloyd, Henry Williams, John W. Owens, Henry E. Jackson, and Alexander R. 
 Lawton, all of whom, except Messrs. Ward, Jackson, andLawton, have finished their 
 course, leaving behind them an enviable reputation for professional learning and 
 forensic eloquence. Many members of this Bar have held high positions in the 
 State and National Legislatures and under the General Government. Mr. Berrien 
 was United States Senator in the twenties and again in the forties, and Attorney- 
 General of the United States during General Jackson's first administration.' Robert 
 M. Charlton was also a United States Senator. Edward F. Tattnall, James M. 
 Wayne, Richard W. Habersham, George W. Owens, and Joseph AV. Jackson were 
 all members of the United States House of Representatives from this State. 
 
 John Millen was a successful lawyer and eloquent advocate. He was elected to 
 the United States Congress about the year 1844, but died at his home in Savannah 
 before taking his seat. 
 
 In 1852, whilst the Honorable Henry R. Jackson was judge pf the Eastern Cir- 
 cuit, Julian Hartridge was admitted to the Bar. Young as he was, he took a promi- 
 nent position from the first. Possessed of great oratorical power, ready and quick 
 in the court-room, clear in the statement of his points, and forcible in presenting 
 them, he soon won his way to the front rank and held his own with the best. He 
 fell a victim to the capricious climate of Washington City on the eighth of January, 
 1879, while discharging the duties of a member of Congress. When his remains 
 were borne to their last resting-place, there, followed one of the largest and most 
 imposing funeral corteges ever witnessed in Savannah, — a fitting honor paid to one 
 whose brilliant powers gave promise of unusual attainments when untimely death 
 cut short his career in manhood's prime. 
 
 The Bar of the present day maintains its high reputation, and in turn will 
 transmit untarnished the honored name it has received to its successors. 
 
CHAPTEE XIY. 
 
 THE historical account of the settlement of Savannah in the colony of Georgia 
 is interesting. We are charmed with the eulogiums offered to the benevolence 
 and perseverance of the heroic founders and trustees of the needy colony. 
 
 These eulogiums, expressed in epic strains, call forth feelings of thankfulness, 
 and excite our admiration, for they depict that good fortune, a home with its 
 attendant comforts, is at last the portion of the weary and poverty-stricken 
 emigrant. 
 
 Written by poets whose fancy saw things at that favored distance which lends 
 enchantment to the view, these eulogiums, upon a closer observation, prove some- 
 what of a mirage. The refreshing oasis vanishes with its limpid streams and 
 towering groves of luxuriant and nutritious date-trees. Instead, there arises the 
 naked pine, barren in a hot-bed of dry, white sand, surrounded by miasmatic 
 swamps. These two pictures are no fancy sketches, as may be seen by a perusal of 
 "A True and Historical Narrative, etc., written by Pat. Tailfer, M.D., Hugh 
 Anderson, M.D., and Doctor Douglas, and published at Charleston, South Caro- 
 lina; printedby P. Timothy, for the authors, in the year 1741." Thus alongside of 
 the eulogiums uttered by poets three thousand miles away, we find curses by the 
 incensed settlers on the bluff showered upon General Oglethorpe, the hero of the 
 benevolent scheme for colonizing Georgia. That there was cause for complaint on 
 the part of the settlers there can be no doubt, for many of them, dissatisfied at the 
 treatment their petitions received, left the colony and sought other homes. In 
 many there was aroused a spirit of rebellion, which laid the train for the outburst 
 of '76. All honor, then, be given to the memory of Doctors Tailfer and Douglas, 
 to whom may be traced the birth of that spirit which animated the signers of the 
 Declaration of Independence. 
 
 These two doctors were educated gentlemen. History is silent regarding their 
 practical ability as physicians, yet we have sufficient proof that they did their best 
 
 (237) 
 
238 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 to ameliorate the condition of those who were under the thumb of brief but 
 tyrannic authority. 
 
 Doctor Nunis, an Israelite, a gentleman of education, and a humane and skilful 
 physician, when notified that the benevolent eifort to improve the condition of the 
 settlers of Georgia did not extend to Jews and Eoman Catholics, removed at once 
 
 with his family to 
 a more generous 
 community. He 
 made his home in 
 Charleston, in the 
 colony of South 
 Carolina. Not 
 many years later, the grand spirit of free- 
 dom that pervaded the land led to the 
 declaration that our government was not 
 
 a respecter of persons and religious 
 creeds, and that Jew and Gen- 
 tile should find equal protec- 
 tion under its liberal institu- 
 tions. 
 
 Savannah, at an early 
 date of her career, stands in 
 the front ranks of the medi- 
 cal world. In the year 1804 
 she was represented by highly 
 educated and refined gentle- 
 men, doctors by profession, 
 who saw the necessity of infusing their spirit in a conspicuous manner among 
 the coming generations. These gentlemen, men of wealth and experience, 
 realized that our climate, though beautiful and inviting in appearance, was fatal 
 to many because of the miasmus that tainted the atmosphere. Other causes, 
 depending upon personal habits which science only could remove, they also 
 saw needed correction ; they therefore petitioned the Legislature of the State of 
 Georgia. 
 
HISTORIC AND FIGTUBESQUE SAVANNAH 239 
 
 An Act to Incorporate the Georgia Medical Society. 
 
 Whereas, Noble Wimberly Jones, President ; John Irvine, Vice-President ; John Grimes, Secre- 
 tary ; Lemuel Kollock, Treasurer; John Gumming, James Ewell, Moses Sheftall, Joshua E. White, 
 William Parker, Thomas Schley, George Jones, George Vinson Proctor, Henry Bourquin, Thomas 
 Young, Jun'r, Peter Ward, William Cooke, James Glenn, and Nicholas S. Bayard have by their 
 petition represented that they have associated themselves in the city of Savannah, under the style and 
 name of the Georgia Medical Society, for the purpose of lessening the fatality induced by climate 
 and incidental causes, and improving the science of medicine. And in order to ensure and establish 
 their said Institution in a permanent and effectual manner, so that the benevolent and desirable 
 objects thereof may be executed with success and advantage, have prayed the Legislature to. 
 grant them an act of incorporation. 
 
 Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia, 
 in General Assembly met, and by the authority of the same, it is hereby enacted, That the several 
 persons herein before named and others who are and may become members of the same Society, 
 respectively, the officers and members thereof, and their successors, shall be and are hereby declared 
 to be a body corporate in name and deed, by the style and denomination of " The Georgia MEbiCAL 
 Society," and by the said name and style, shall have perpetual succession of officers and members, 
 and a common seal to use, and shall have power and authority to make, alter, amend, and change 
 such bye-laws as may be agreed on by the members of the same : Provided such bye-laws be not 
 repugnant to the laws or Constitution of this State or the United States. 
 
 Section 2. And be it further enacted. That they shall have full power and authority under the 
 style and name of The Georgia Medical Society, to sue in the name of their President and Vice- 
 President for the time being, and recover all such sum or sums of money, as are or hereafter may 
 become due the said Society, by any name or style whatever, in any court of law, or at any tribunal 
 having jurisdiction thereof, and (he rights and privileges of the said Society in any court or at any 
 tribunal whatever, to defend and also to receive, take and apply such bequests or donations as may 
 be made to, and for the uses and purposes intended by the said Society ; and shall be, and are hereby 
 declared to be vested with all the powers and advantages, privileges and immunities of an associa- 
 tion or society of people incorporated for the purposes and intentions of their said association. 
 
 Section 3. And be it further enacted, That this act shall be and is hereby declared to be 
 deemed and considered a public act to all intents and purposes whatever. 
 
 ABRAHAM JACKSON, 
 
 Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
 
 JARED IRWIN, 
 
 President of the Senate. 
 
 Assented to December twelfth, 1804. 
 
 JOHN MILLEDGE, 
 
 Governor. 
 
240 
 
 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 After the formation of the Georgia Medical Society, the esprit de corps of the 
 profession was aroused, colleges sprang into existence, and many physicians, not 
 content with the instruction received at home, attended the older and famed medical 
 schools of Europe. 
 
 The first president of the Geoi'gia Medical Society, Noble WimTserly Jones, 
 a son of Honorable Noble Jones, who came to Georgia with General Ogle- 
 thorpe, was born near London, England, in 1732. When the struggle be- 
 
 COLONEL ESTILL'S HOME 
 
 tween the colonies and mother country began, he was in favor of the rights 
 of the colonies. A conspicuous doer and suflerer in that contest, he became 
 the honored president of the Georgia State Convention for the revision of the 
 Constitution, in 1795. Of him truly may it be said, "Physician, Patriot, States- 
 man." 
 
 The first vice-president of the Georgia Medical Society was Doctor John 
 Irvine, a Scotchman, who came to Georgia before the Revolution. He practised 
 his profession both in Savannah and in Sunbury, now Liberty County. He was a 
 sincere Loyalist, and a member of the last Royal Assembly held by Sir James 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 241 
 
 Wright, in 1780. In 1795, he returned to Savannah, and successfully practised his 
 profession till his death, in March, 1809. 
 
 There arose from this society the first protest against the prevailing pernicious 
 system of rice-culture, by which rice was cultivated on the low lands adjacent to the 
 city up to the very door-sills of the houses, the stagnant water remaining on the 
 fields being the cause of much malignant disease. To the society must be given the 
 honor of originating a remedy for the evil, in the plan of dry culture for rice. That 
 
 ON THE ISLE OF HOPE. 
 
 Savannah, in 1817, with a population of six thousand, two-fifths slaves, should 
 pay two hundred thousand dollars to test a theory of her doctors, is a high tribute 
 to the estimate in which they were held. 
 
 How emphatic becomes the declaration, "The places that know us now, will 
 soon know us no more forever," when we search the records for many prominent in 
 their profession a half-century ago. Among those of note in the practice of medi- 
 cine was Doctor W. H. Cuyler. He was devoted to his profession, foremost in 
 advancing the interests of his native city, and intrusted with responsible positions 
 by his neighbors. 
 
242 HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 Doctor William C. Daniels, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, was 
 a practitioner of note and a man of much energy of character. He was the author 
 of a work on "The Autumnal Fevers of Savannah," which is still consulted for its 
 valuable thoughts. He died in 1869. 
 
 Doctor W. R. Waring was a gentleman of rare culture, a successful physician, 
 and the author of a valuable work on yellow fever and other diseases. An earnest 
 worker in the welfare of the city, his efforts were recognized by the people, and he 
 was honored with the highest office within their gift. 
 
 Success in whatever he undertook was the marked characteristic of Doctor J. 
 P. Screven, a lineal descendant of Reverend William Screven, who came from 
 England anterior to 1674 and settled in Maine. Driven thence by religious perse- 
 cution, Reverend William Screven moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1683, 
 and founded the Baptist church in that State. Doctor J. P. Screven was born in 
 Bluffton, South Carolina, on October eleventh, 1799. His father moved to Savan- 
 nah while he was an infant. His preparatory academical education was under Doctor 
 Moses Waddell, a graduate of Columbia College, South Carolina, and his medical 
 preceptor, Doctor W. R. Waring, of Savannah. Graduating at the Medical College 
 in Philadelphia, he then spent two years as a devoted student in Europe, observing 
 and appropriating whatever served to equip him for usefulness. In 1834, he with- 
 drew from the profession to devote his attention to planting interests. His mind 
 was at once active, practical, and far-seeing. He was the originator of Savannah's 
 water-works system, and also the projector of what is now the Savannah, Florida, 
 and Westei'n Railway system. Appreciated and honored by his fellow-citizens, he 
 held the positions of Mayor of the city and of State Senator. He died on July 
 sixteenth, 1859. 
 
 Doctor Cosmo P. Richardson was a physician of note and a useful member of 
 the community, lending a helping hand to every movement calculated to make 
 men and women better and happier. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, his 
 father being a native of South Carolina. Coming to Georgia in his fifteenth year, 
 he was placed under the tuition of that celebrated educator of Georgia boys. Rev- 
 erend Carlisle C. P. Beman. His medical preceptor was Doctor W. C. Daniels. 
 His life was devoted to his profession and his friends. He died in 1852, leaving 
 a widow, two daughters, and one son, all of whom are living at this writing. 
 
 Doctor Richard D. Arnold was born in Savannah, in 1808, and died in the 
 same room in which he was born, on July tenth, 1876. A graduate of Princeton 
 
mSTORIG AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 243 
 
 College and the University of Pennsylvania, he began the practice of medicine in 
 his native city in the year 1830, and became one of the most active and useful 
 men of his time. ' Prominent as a physician and an investigator, he threw light 
 upon the pathology of that terrible disease, yellow fever. Probably he was the 
 most industrious worker at the hospital during the epidemics of that fell disease, 
 making more post-mortem examinations than any other physician. His genial, 
 social nature gave him great popularity among his fellow-citizens, who showed 
 their appreciation by electing him to the Legislature and to aldermanic honors, 
 also at sundry times to the mayoralty of Savannah. He displayed practical 
 executive ability, and used it for the advancement of public interests. As an editor 
 he was indefatigable. It was in a great measure to his activity and love of litera- 
 ture that the Georgia Historical Society had origin, and it was his devotion to his 
 profession that made him the foremost in the debates in the Georgia Medical 
 Society. To be useful seemed to be his aim, and in all he did he seemed animated 
 by the motto, " Non sibi sed aliis." He was mayor of Savannah when General 
 Sherman captured the city. When he died the poor lost a friend, and they showed 
 their appreciation by a large funeral procession following him to his grave. 
 
 Doctor William Gaston Bulloch, born in Savannah on August fourth, 1815, 
 was the great-grandson of the Honorable Archibald Bulloch, President and Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of the Colony of Georgia, and son of John I. Bulloch and Charlotte 
 Glen, the daughter of John Glen, the first Chief Justice of Georgia. A graduate of 
 Princeton College, also of the University of Pennsylvania, Doctor Bulloch after- 
 wards spent nearly ten years in Europe fitting himself for his profession. He 
 began his practice in Savannah in 1840, and was known as one of the most skilful 
 surgeons in the State, also as an eminent oculist for that time. He was one of 
 the founders of the Savannah Medical College, and a professor of surgery. He 
 died on January twenty-third, 1885. 
 
 Doctor Joseph Clay Habersham, a grandson of Governor Habersham, and the 
 son of Major John Habersham, graduated at Princeton College. He was an 
 earnest student of nature, learning the secrets which she ever discloses to diligent 
 and careful seekers. Eminent as a physician, he commanded the confidence of 
 the profession and the citizens of Savannah. His fondness for scientific research 
 was crowned by the discovery of the fossil remains of a mastodon or megatherium 
 not far from Savannah, near the White Blufi' road. This discovery, ,in connection 
 with his attainments, caused him .to be highly complimented by Sir Charles Lyell 
 
244 
 
 HIHTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 on a visit to Savannah. Doctor Habersham, in his devotion to duty, fell a victim 
 to the yellow-fever epidemic of 1854, his death not occurring till the year follow- 
 ing. His son. Doctor J. C. Habersham, born on October ninth, 1829, a graduate 
 of Harvard, entered upon his professional life with zeal. He was a surgeon in the 
 Confederate service, where he made a good record. President of the Georgia 
 Medical Society, and city health-officer for several years, every position to which 
 he was called he filled with ability and fidelity. 
 
 Doctor James J. Waring, for many j^ears a resident physician of Savannah, 
 died in his home in the cit}' on January eighth, 1888. Ill for many months, 
 
 and, in spite of his great energy, confined to his bed, none believed that soon 
 he was to pass away from the scene of an untiringly busy life. Strong was 
 his love for his birthplace. Savannah, and to its advancement he devoted nmch of 
 his time and energy. To him the city owes an immense delit of gratitude for 
 the system by which the swamps in the south-eastern suliurbs, once a " fruitful 
 source of malaria," were well drained. They noM' constitute a pleasing portion of 
 the city, v/ith charming homes and radiant gardens. Doctor J. J. Waring, a son of 
 Doctor William R. Waring, was born in Savannah on August nineteenth, 1829. 
 After a careful preparatory education, he entered Yale College at an early age. 
 He studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, for two 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 
 
 245 
 
 years, where he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in the spring of 
 1852. During the following year he was assistant resident physician of the Bleckly 
 Hospital in Philadelphia. Early in 1853 he went to Dublin, Ireland, where he was 
 for some time resident in the " Lying-in Hospital," studying under Professor Wilde ; 
 from thence he was appointed assistant resident physician in St. Bartholomew's 
 Hospital, London. After living in Paris seven months, and travelling in Switzerland 
 and Italy, he returned to America and settled, in 1856, as a physician in Washing- 
 ton City. He was elected, in 1857, Professor of Physiology and Professor of 
 Obstetrics m the National Medical College. In 1859, he was made surgeon, and 
 also curator, of the Washington Infirmary. On returning to Savannah, at the 
 brealsing out of the war, in 1861, to join his family, he was arrested and detained 
 in the city by the Confederate authorities. Savannah ever afterwards remained 
 his home. The yellow-fever outbreak, in the city in 1876, caused Doctor 
 Waring to hasten from his summer home in Saratoga to become chairman of a 
 committee of the City Government for carrying out Sanitary reforms. This work, 
 as all others, heartily engaged his attention. 
 
 Doctor Waring married Miss Alston, a daughter of Colonel Thomas Pinckney 
 Alston, of South Carolina, who, with two sons and two daughters, survives him. 
 
 Doctor Waring's record was one of untiring, unfailing energy, combined with 
 great mental strength. To the last, he was surrounded with heavy responsibilities 
 and self-imposed tasks yet unfinished. 
 
 To-day, doubtless, the members of the Georgia Medical Society are equally 
 as learned and as fully devoted to their profession and the welfare of their fellow- 
 beings as their illustrious predecessors. The following-named gentlemen constitute 
 the present officers of the society : 
 
 Dk. R. J. NUNN 
 Dr. R. p. Myers 
 Dr. M. F. Dunn 
 Dr. B. p. Olivekos 
 Dr. G. C. Hummell 
 
 President. 
 Vice-President. 
 Recording Secretary. 
 Treasurer. 
 Librarian. 
 
COI^CLUSIOIS'. 
 
 THE gentle reader who has followed us closely through the cumbrous details of 
 over one hundred and fifty years, will, we trust, have found somewhat to 
 smoothe the asperities and to beguile the tedium of our travel history. Certainly 
 there has been no lack of variety in this historical pilgrimage, marked by mile-stones 
 of such widely different aspect. Heroes and men of more ordinary mould have in close 
 proximity passed before us, each in his way essential to the history of the times, 
 filling the niche reserved for llim, from the founder to the citizen of to-day. At no 
 wide intervals Savannah has been tried by fire and flood, nor has it escaped those 
 more direful scourges of war and pestilence. With less recuperative power she 
 would have been utterly destroyed, and not a memorial stone left to mark her 
 site. These signal triumphs over past adversities assure us that in spite of dis- 
 asters yet lurking in the womb of the future she is one of the predestined capitals 
 of the nation. 
 
 Should this seem an idle optimistic fancy, pause a moment and bring in review 
 the names illustrious in history. In her Jacksons, and Berriens, and Laws, and 
 Lawtons, and Habershams, and Mclntoshes, and Demeres, and Charltons, and 
 a half-hundred besides, she has a "breed of noble bloods," whose impress is upon 
 her past, and whose lives and labors will be the inspiration of her future. 
 
 Far beyond her commercial advantages, far above her agricultural and manu- 
 facturing resources, we prize that spirit of noble disinterestedness and that self-sac- 
 rificing philanthi'opy which have been conspicuous in her annals from the landing at 
 Yamacraw to the closing years of this decade of the nineteenth century. 
 
 Her admirable school system, her well-equipped and well-ordered fire and 
 police departments, her gallant citizen soldiery, renowned alike in war and peace, 
 her civil officers, who with dignity and wisdom preside at the councils of the city, 
 are one and all worthy of grateful recognition and honorable mention. Nor less so 
 her counting-rooms and workshops, her foundries and factories, which have calcu- 
 
 (246) 
 
HISTORIC AND PICTURESQUE SAVANNAH 247 
 
 lated greatly to her material advancement. But from another and higher stand-point, 
 her benevolent organizations and her religious institutions are her crown jewels. 
 
 In the years to come, as in the years gone by, these will best illustrate the 
 motto of her noble founders, " JVon sibi sed aliis." 
 
 It has been beautifully said that " Calvaries and crucifixes take the deepest hold 
 of humanity." So it is that Savannah, the nursling of charity, has expanded from 
 a petty hamlet into the present beautiful Forest City, the entrepot of a commerce 
 that reaches to the ends of the earth. Here we rest : welcome word to the 
 author, possibly to the reader. " If I have done well, it is what I desired ; if slen- 
 derly and meanly, it is that which I could attain unto." 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abraham's Homb, 226. 
 
 Adams, John, first ambassador from the United 
 States to the Court of St. James, 24. 
 
 Altamaha River, 2. 
 
 Anderson, John W., fli'st captain of the Repub- 
 lican Blues, 207. 
 
 Andrew, Benjamin, early patriot, 43, 51. 
 
 Andrew, James O., Methodist minister, 125. 
 
 " Ann," first voyage of the galley, 3, 155. 
 
 Arnold, R. D., 128, 153, 158. 
 
 Arthur, Chester A., first President of the United 
 States entertained as a private guest in 
 Savannah, 214. 
 
 AsBURYj Francis, first Methodist Bishop of Amer- 
 ica, 167. 
 
 Ash, John H., 136. 
 
 Asylum, Female Orphan, first directors of, 105 ; 
 present edifice and board of, 106. 
 
 AxsON, I. S. K., divine, 129. 
 
 Axson, S. Edward, 209. 
 
 Baker, William, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Baptists' Mbeting-House erected, 97 ; charter of 
 incorporation of, 150; second congregation 
 of, reunion of first and second congregations 
 of, present pastor of, 151. 
 
 Bar, OF Savannah : reorganization of Superior 
 Court of, 231; D. B. Mitchell, judge of, 
 281 ; names of early judges and lawyers of, 
 231 ; former Court House of, 232 ; lawyers 
 prominent during the twenty decade of, 233 ; 
 
 Bar, OP Savannah — ■ 
 
 present Court House of, 234 ; lawyers' play- 
 time, riding the circuit, 235 ; names of lawyers 
 of the forty decade of, 235 ; high positions 
 under general government held by, 236 ; pres- 
 ent standing of, 236. 
 
 Barracks, agitation in the city on the question of, 
 149 ; theatre used by troops for, 150. 
 
 Barron, Bishop, 225. 
 
 Barry, John, bishop, 225. 
 
 Bartow, Francis S., 199. 
 
 Battle Row, 48. 
 
 Battelle, J., 125. 
 
 Bazin, L., 162. 
 
 Beard, N. G., 153. 
 
 Beaulieu, plantation of, at present time, 26. 
 
 Beaven, Jambs, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Becker, Thomas A., bishop, 162. 
 
 Beecroft, Samuel, 77. 
 
 Bbnnefibld, John, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Bennett, Thaddeus F., 209. 
 
 Berrien, John McPherson, 150, 158, 168. 
 
 Bethbsda, 14 ; first road in Georgia cut to, 15 ; 
 Whitefleld at, 84 ; bequeathed to Lady Hunt- 
 ingdon, 84, 110; her portrait presented to, 
 86. 
 
 Bilbo, James, 125. 
 
 Bilbo, John, 207. 
 
 BiNNBY, J. G., 160. 
 
 BiscHOFF, William, 184. 
 
 Blitz, Signor, 155. 
 
 (249) 
 
250 
 
 INDEX 
 
 BOARDING-HOUSE, MRS. BaTTEY'S, 152 ; MRS. 
 
 Platt's, 152. 
 
 Board op Trade, officers of, 229. 
 
 Bolton, John, 112. 
 
 Bolton, Robert, first postmaster in Savannah, 
 39, 181. 
 
 Bona VENTURE, seat of Tattnall family, 173 ; Ever- 
 green Cemetery Company of, 173; dramatic 
 episode at, 174; historic incidents connected 
 with, 176. 
 
 Boons, Thomas, divine, 156. 
 
 BOURKB, Th., 123. 
 
 BouRQUiN, H. L., early patriot, 43. 
 
 BowEN, family of, 76, 77. 
 
 BowEN, Wm. p., 76. 
 
 Bowman, W. S., divine, 167. 
 
 Boyd, W. H., 209. 
 
 Brahm, John G. William de, surveyor-general, 
 31. 
 
 Brasch, p., 135. 
 
 Bremer, Feederika, visit to Savannah of, 193. 
 
 Brewton Hill, 53. 
 
 Bryan, Jonathan, early patriot, 37, 43. 
 
 Bull, William, 4, 5, 10. 
 
 Bullock, Archibald, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Bullock, W. H., 128. 
 
 Bullock, James S., 132. 
 
 Bullock, W. B., 123, 158. 
 
 Burr, Aaron, visit of, 106. 
 
 Butler, Elisha, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Cafferty, Edward, 162. 
 
 Cambridge, Mass., gunpowder sent from Savan- 
 nah to, 44. 
 
 Campbell, Hugh G. , 124. 
 
 Capers, William, 125. 
 
 Capture, first made by the order of any Congress 
 in America, off Tybee roads, 44. 
 
 Carlos, Don, of Spain, 107, 108. 
 
 Carrier System, 125. 
 
 Cassell's Eow, 27. 
 
 Cathedral of Savannah, 161, 162. 
 
 Cavi, l'Abbe, 161. 
 
 Cemeteries : Old Brick, 223 ; Bonaventure, 224 ; 
 Roman Catholic, 225; Laurel Grove, 225; 
 Jewish, 225. 
 
 Charlton, K. M., 158. 
 
 Charlton, T. tJ. P., 123. 
 
 Charter, granted, 2 ; expired, 29. 
 
 Chatham Academy, incorporation of, 110; first 
 trustees of , 110; present building of , 114. 
 
 Chatham Artillery, organized, 80 ; receives 
 Washington guns, 95 ; centennial of, 218. 
 
 Chatham County, 51. 
 
 Chatham Hussars, 119. 
 
 Chatham Rangers, 119. 
 
 Chisholm, Thomas, 51. 
 
 Christ Church, site of, 20; first building, 27; 
 dedication of, 27 ; state of, 31 ; corner-stone 
 laid of present building, 155 ; parish of, 14 ; 
 rectors of, 155 ; present pastor of, 156. 
 
 City Council, first minutes of, 87 ; mayor fined, 
 in minutes of, 99; screw-press ordered, in 
 minutes of, 109 ; ordinances of, 111, 112 ; 
 December 21st, 1812, minutes of, 119 ; thanks 
 of, 120; resolutions of, 120; letters to and 
 resolutions of, 122, 189. 
 
 Clay, Henry, 109 ; the Old Prince in Savannah, 168. 
 
 Clay, Joseph, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Cleveland, Grover, in Savannah, 220. 
 
 " Close Shave in Finances," 124, 125. 
 
 "Clubs : Harmonie, officers of, 228 ; Oglethorpe, 
 officers of, 228. 
 
 Cochrane, James, 20. 
 
 Cockburn, Sir George, commander of British 
 fleet, 121. 
 
 CocKRANE, Alexander, 122. 
 
 Coleman, John, 51. 
 
 Colony, landing of, 4 : broad charity underlying, 
 
 11. 
 "Colujibian Museum and Savannah Adver- 
 tiser," newspaper, earliest mention of a 
 theatrical performance in Savannah in, 98 ; 
 advertisement of school for dancing in, 99 ; 
 account of the great fire in 1796 in, 99, 100; 
 of Aaron Burr's visit to Savannah in, 106. 
 
INDEX 
 
 251 
 
 Committee of Vigilance appointed, 121. 
 Convent of St. Vincent de Paul, 168; Mother 
 
 Aloysius in charge of, 169. 
 Cooper, John, 182. 
 CoppKE, Edward, 147. 
 CORBETT, S. D., 153. 
 CORLEY, R. J., 125. 
 
 CosTELL, Robert, 9. 
 
 Cotton Exchange erected, 229 ; officers of, 229. 
 
 .Council of Safety, organized, 44; ceased, 51. 
 
 Court House, old one torn down, 150 ; Court of 
 Record established, 6; composed of, 7; of 
 Common Pleas and Oyer and Terminer, 99. 
 
 CoxsPUR Island, 12. 
 
 Crawford, W. C, 209. 
 
 Cumberland Island, 121. 
 
 Gumming, John, 204. 
 
 CuMMiNG, Joseph, 147. 
 
 Curry, Daniel, 125. 
 
 Custom House, first building, 181 ; present build- 
 ing of , 181; statistics of, 181, 199. 
 
 Cuthbert, Seth John, 110. 
 
 Davies, Wm., 125. 
 
 Davis, Jefferson, 218. 
 
 Declaration of Independence, received in Sa- 
 vannah, 49 ; first anniversary of, 50. 
 
 Delamotte, Charles, 12. 
 
 Dblegall, Philip, Sen., lieutenant in Oglethorpe's 
 regiment, 20. 
 
 Delegall, Philip, Jun. , lieutenant in Oglethorpe's 
 regiment, 20. 
 
 De Lyons, family of, 7. 
 
 Demerb, Raymond, 20, 49. 
 
 Densler, Frederick, 125. 
 
 Depository of the Needlewoman's Friend So- 
 ciety, 227. 
 
 De Renne, G. W. J., patron of letters, 21, 29; 
 home of, 193. 
 
 Dbsbkisay, Albert, 20. 
 
 Devanney, John, 207. 
 
 Doyle, Alexander, designer, 220. 
 
 Drummond, B. W., 209. 
 
 Duke of Orleans, tribute to the memory of, 165. 
 
 Dunbar, George, 20. 
 
 DuNLAP, Joseph, 47. 
 
 Dunn, R. G., and Company, 25. 
 
 Dunning, S. C, 132, 153. 
 
 DuNWODY, Samuel, Methodist minister, 125. 
 
 Earthquake, first shock in Georgia of, 115; of 
 1886, 220. 
 
 Eaton, Thomas, 31. 
 
 Education, Board of, 212; Massie School Com- 
 missioners, 212. 
 
 Elbert, Samuel, 110. 
 
 Elliott, Grey, 37. 
 
 Elliott, W. H., 154. 
 
 Elliott, Stephen, first Episcopal bishop of 
 Georgia, 156. 
 
 Ellis, Henry, second royal governor in Georgia, 
 31; tact of, 83. 
 
 Endowment Fund of the Georgia Medical So- 
 ciety, 227 ; originators of, 227. 
 
 "Epervier," British brig-of -war, 122. 
 
 Episcopal Orphans' Home, founded, 164 ; present 
 building and Board of Managers of, 164. 
 
 Estill, J. H., proprietor and editor of the "Morn- 
 ing News," 183, 187. 
 
 Exchange, corner-stone laid of, 101 ; early history 
 of, 102 ; council-chamber of, 185 ; watchman . 
 of, 186. 
 
 Fair Lawn, home of Major Bowen, 76, 148. 
 
 Fairies, George G., 147. 
 
 Farley, Samuel, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Fell, Isaac, 123. 
 
 Few, Ignatius A., 125. 
 
 Few, William, 51. 
 
 Filature, erected, 26; burned, rebuilt, 30, 31; 
 
 place of public meetings, 90. 
 Fillmore, Millard, second, ex-president to visit 
 
 Savannah, 188. 
 Finn, Harry James, 128. 
 Fire in Savannah, first great, 99, 100; second 
 
 great, 134; in 1883 and 1865, 216. 
 
252 
 
 INDEX 
 
 First African Baptist Chukch, history of, 222 ; 
 present pastor of, 222. 
 
 FmsT Presbyterian Church, origin of, 147; 
 present edifice and pastor of, 148. 
 
 PmsT Ship cliartered to a mercantile house in 
 Georgia, 25. 
 
 Fish, J. D., 208. 
 
 Floyd, Brigadeer-Gbneral, 124. 
 
 Foley, John, 208. 
 
 Ford, M. J., 209. 
 
 Ford Dramatic Association, 215. 
 
 Forest City of the South, 1. 
 
 FOKSYTH Park, 23; laid out, 183; named for 
 John Forsyth, 183, 184. 
 
 Fort, Arthur, 51. 
 
 Fortifications, line of, 128. 
 
 Forts: Brown, 225; George, 38; Halifax, 38; 
 Oglethorpe (or Jackson), 47, 116, 200; Pu- 
 laski, 57, 148, 196, 200, 209 ; Wayne, 55. 
 
 Foukth op July in 1812, 118. 
 
 Fraser, John, 208. 
 
 Frederica, free school in, 15 ; military post of, 
 20 ; Oglethorpe's victory at, 21. 
 
 Free School established in Savannah, 125. 
 
 Frew, Mrs., 129. 
 
 Fulton, John, 61. 
 
 Gallib, John B., 207. 
 
 Gartland, F. X., bishop, 225. 
 
 General Assembly, minutes of, 27, 28 ; fire regu- 
 lations of, 32 ; regulations of attendance upon 
 worship of, 33 ; regulations of market of, 36, 
 37 ; act to purchase governor's mansion, 38 ; 
 act against the going at large of hogs and 
 goats, 38 ; act to rebuild Court House, 39. 
 
 George II., 40. 
 
 George III., 34; birthday of, 43; interred in 
 efflgy, 50. 
 
 Georgia, Colony of, 2 ; afifairs of, transferred to 
 Lords Commissioners of plantation affairs, 29 ; 
 peculiar situation of, 40, 41 ; joins the united 
 colonies, 45; first State constitution of, 5i; 
 selected as object of British attack, 52 ; first 
 
 Georgia — 
 
 formal cession made by British to Ameri- 
 can power in, 65 ; last day of royal rule in, 66 ; 
 rice industry in, 230. 
 
 "Georgia Gazette," first issue of, 39; call pub- 
 lished in, 42, 43 ; advertisements in, 69, 70, 71 ; 
 extracts from, 64, 71, 74, 80, 84, 85, 86, 91, 
 92, 93, 94, 100. 
 
 Georgia Infirmary, society incorporated, 154; 
 present board, 154. 
 
 "Georgian, The," newspaper, 127; history of, 
 128; extracts from, 134, 135, 161, 188. 
 
 Gibbons, S. W., early patriot, 43. 
 
 Gibbons, William, 110. 
 
 Girardeau's Plantation, 53. 
 
 Glenn, John, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Gordon, W. W., first president of the Central 
 Railroad, 157. 
 
 Government House, 68. 
 
 Grand Jury, first in Georgia, 7. 
 
 Grant, U. S., in Savannah, 214. 
 
 Gray, Lieutenant, 59. 
 
 " Great Embarcation," distinguished voyagers 
 in, 12. 
 
 Greene, Nathaniel, 66 ; gift from Georgia legis- 
 lature to, 72 ; death of, 73 ; mystery of disap- 
 pearance of body of, 74 ; traditions concerning 
 it, 75, 76. 
 
 Greenwich, Lines on Old, 77. 
 
 Guards, Savannah Volunteer, 119 ; field and staff 
 of, 210. 
 
 Habersham, Jambs, 15 ; establishes first commer- 
 cial house in Savannah, 25 ; tomb in Old Brick 
 Cemetery, 223. 
 
 Habersham, John, 110. 
 
 Habersham, Joseph, 43, 45, 46, 125, 132. 
 
 Habersham Mansion, 146. 
 
 Hall, Lyman, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Hall, Washington, 125. 
 
 Harden, E., 123. 
 
 Harney, J. M.'s, "Curse of Savannah," 127. 
 
 Harrington Hall, home of Capt. E. Demer6, 23. 
 
INDEX 
 
 253 
 
 Harris, Charles, with J. Habersham, establishes 
 the first commercial house In Savamiah, 
 25. 
 
 Harris, Francis, speaker of the first General 
 Assembly of Georgia, 28. 
 
 Harris, Joel Chandler, author of " Uncle Re- 
 mus," 183. 
 
 Hartridge, Gazaway, editor " Savannah Daily 
 Times," 183. 
 
 Hawkins, Thomas, surgeon in Oglethorpe's regi- 
 ment, 20. 
 
 Hayes, John E., 182. 
 
 Haynb, Paul, opening lines of Sesqul-Centennlal 
 Ode of, 216. 
 
 Headquarters of the British in Savannah, 56. 
 
 Henry, C. S., 153, 158. 
 
 Herbert, Henry, divine, 3. 
 
 Heron, Alexander, 20. 
 
 Hersman, J., 123. 
 
 Herz, Henry, 179. 
 
 Hibernian Society, origin of, 117; present ofii- 
 cers of, 118. 
 
 Hodgson Hall, 86, 159. 
 
 Hodgson, W. B., 159. 
 
 hofzindorf, w., 51. 
 
 Hogg, John B., architect, 184. 
 
 HOLCOMBE, Henry, 150. 
 
 Holmes, J. E. L., 151. 
 
 Hopkins, Matthew, 153, 208. 
 
 HoRTON, Will, 20. 
 
 Hostilities between the United States and Mex- 
 ico, 170; caU for Irish Jasper Greens, 
 170. 
 
 Hotels, Georgia, 125 ; City, 152. 
 
 HousTOLTsr, Sir George, 91. 
 
 HousTOUN, James, 110. 
 
 HousTOUN, John, 43, 51 ; first mayor of Savan- 
 nah, 86, 110. 
 
 HousTOUN, Sir Eatrick, 86 ; tomb of, 223. 
 
 How, S. B., 147. 
 
 Howe, General, 52. 
 
 Hunter Hall, 114. 
 
 Hutchinson's Island, 108. 
 
 " Ida," steamer, 197. 
 
 Independent Presbyterian Congregation, ori- 
 gin of, 32 ; meeting-house of, 64 ; worship in 
 Baptist Meeting-House, 101 ; comer stone laid 
 of, 129 ; dedication of present edifice, 129 ; 
 present pastor emeritus, 129. 
 
 Industrial Relief Society and Home for the 
 Friendless, originators of, 213 ; present board 
 and managers of, 213. 
 
 Infirmary, St. Joseph's, Sister M. Eulalia, 226. 
 
 Ingraham, Benjamin, 12, 13. 
 
 Irish Jasper Greens, 170. 
 
 Isaac, Robert, 132. 
 
 Isle of Hope, 28. 
 
 Israelites, arrival of, 7 ; worship of congregation 
 of, 96 ; charter from Gov. Telfair, the Sephar 
 Torah scroll of the law of, 96. 
 
 Jackson, Andrew, President, 109; testimony 
 of respect paid to his memory in Savannah, 
 166. 
 
 Jackson, Bulloch, 208. 
 
 Jackson, Fort, 116. 
 
 Jackson, Henry R., 160, 170; letter to, 117; poem 
 by, 171. 
 
 Jackson, James, 49, 65 ; receives keys of Savan- 
 nah from the British, 66. 
 
 Jail Bounds, 148. 
 
 Jails : Jail of 1794, 97 ; Old County Jail, 169. 
 
 Jasper, Sergeant, 59 ; history of, 220, 
 
 Jasper Monument Association, 220. 
 
 Jewish Cemetery, the first enclosed in Savannah, 
 89. 
 
 Johnson, James, first editor " Georgia Gazette," 
 39. 
 
 Johnson, Robert, governor of South Carolina, 6 ; 
 first square In Savannah named for, 6. 
 
 Johnston, J. W., 208. 
 
 Jones, C. C, Jun., quotations from his sketch of 
 Frederica, 21; Quotations from his Ufe of 
 Commodore TattnaU, 174. 
 
 Jones, George, 123. 
 
 Jones, John, 51. 
 
254 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Jones, Noble W. Wormslob, the estate of, 28 ; 
 
 captain of militia, 28. 
 Journalism in Savannah in 1850, 181. 
 
 Kennerley, S. W., 223. 
 
 Kent House, 68. 
 
 Kimball, Hazen, 125. 
 
 King, R., 153. 
 
 Knox, William, 37. 
 
 KOLLOCK, Henry, divine, 113, 129. 
 
 KOLLOCK, John F., 210. 
 
 KoLLOCK, p. M., 153. 
 
 Lafayette, General, visit to Savannah, 140 ; his 
 reception in the city, 141 ; laying of corner 
 stones of the Greene and Pulaslii monuments 
 by, 145, 205. 
 
 Launitz, Robert G., designer of the Pulaski 
 Monument, 191. 
 
 Law, William, 176, 198. 
 
 Lawton, a. R., 187, 207. 
 
 Lawton, Edward, 208. 
 
 Lee, Robert E., memoirs, 75; news of his death 
 in Savannah, 214 ; first service in Savannah, 
 214 ; his visit to the city, 214 ; his sword, 214. 
 
 Legislature, members of, 51 ; acts of generosity 
 of, 72; acts of, 111. 
 
 Lbman, John, 20. 
 
 Letters : from W. Stephens to H. Verelst, ex- 
 tracts from, 22 ; from J. H. Cruger, concern- 
 ing the siege of Savannah, 60 ; from Hebrew 
 congregation in Savannah to George Wash- 
 ington, 95 ; his reply, 96 ; from C. F. Prender- 
 gast to Henry R. Jackson, 117; from John E. 
 Ward to Herschel V. Johnston, 189. 
 
 Liberty, Sons of, origin of expression, 41. 
 
 Liberty Lovers, 43. 
 
 Liberty Pole, first erected in Georgia, 43. 
 
 Libraries, Georgia Historical, 9; circulating, 101. 
 
 Library Society, 158. 
 
 Little Minnie Mission, 227. 
 
 Lutherans, nucleus of church organization of, 27 ; 
 site of the church of, 27 ; dedication of the: 
 new church of, 167; the present pastor of , 167. 
 
 McAllister, M. H., 158, 176. 
 
 McCall, Hugh, historian, 223. 
 
 McClure, John, 47. 
 
 McCoRKEY, Sherifi', 99. 
 
 McGehee, E. H. , 177. 
 
 McIntosh, George W., early patriot, 43. 
 
 McIntosh, H., 123. 
 
 McIntosh, James S., 177. 
 
 McIntosh, Lachlan, 45 ; Georgia State legisla- 
 ture meets in house of, 67; incident in the 
 early life of, 68. 
 
 MacKay, Hugh, captain and adjutant in Ogle- 
 thorpe's regiment, 20. 
 
 MacKay, James, ensign in Oglethorpe's regi- 
 ment, 20. 
 
 Mackay, R., 123. 
 
 Mace, S., 20. 
 
 Maitland, Colonel, 57 ; death of, 63. 
 
 Mann, John, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Mansion House, 152. 
 
 Market, changed to South Broad street, 135; 
 returns to old site, 135. 
 
 Marshall, captain of Savannah Volunteer Guards, 
 205. 
 
 Martello Tower, 226. 
 
 Martin, Governor of Georgia, 65. 
 
 Mason, Lowell, Organist in Independent Presby- 
 terian Church, 139; composition of "Green- 
 land's Icy Mountains," 139 ; leader in formation 
 of the First Presbyterian Society, 147. 
 
 Mason, S. W., 183. 
 
 Masonry, the old hall of, 102 ; history of Solo- 
 mon's Lodge, No. 1, 103; prominent members 
 of, 104 ; present temple and lodges of, 106. 
 
 Mayor's Court organized, 99. 
 
 Medical Profession of Savannah : incorporation 
 of the Georgia Medical Society, 239 ; present 
 officers of, 245 ; rice culture, system of, 241 ; 
 prominent doctors of, 237-245. 
 
 Mendes. family of, presiding over oldest Hebrew 
 congregation in America, 137. 
 
 Mendes, Abraham, 137. 
 
 Mendes, De Sola, 137. 
 
INDEX 
 
 255 
 
 MeNDES, H. PEHErRA, 137. 
 
 Mendes, Isaac P., 137. 
 
 Mercier, l'Abbe de, 161. 
 
 Mercer, HlktH W., 208. 
 
 Metiiodis:w, the rise of, in Savannah, 13; talent 
 
 of, 125 ; Trinity Church of, 177. 
 Meyer, William, 162. 
 MiCKVA Israel, 137. 
 
 Milledge, R., 28. • 
 
 Mills, W. H. C, 207. 
 Minis, family of, 7. 
 Monroe, James, second President of the United 
 
 States to visit Savannah, 130; newspaper 
 
 account of, 131. 
 Montmollin, Colonel, 107. 
 MosTMOLLiN, John S. de, 108. 
 Moore, Francis, visits Savannah, 10; his de. 
 
 scription of the town, 10. 
 More, Hannah, extracts from letters of, 3, 24. 
 MORELL, John, early patriot, 43. 
 Morgan, George, 20. 
 
 "Morning News," newspaper, history of the, 182. 
 Morrison, James, 125. 
 Morse, James 0., 225. 
 Mulberry Grove, 73, 74, 79. 
 MuLRYNE, John, 46, 174. 
 Myers, E. H., 125., 
 
 NicoLL, John C, 158. 
 
 Nightingale, P. M., his version of the tradition 
 
 concerning Gen. Greene, 75. 
 Night-Watch established in city, 97. 
 Nitsci-iman, David, 12; founder of Bethlehem, 
 
 Penn., 16. 
 NoRBURY, Richard, 20. 
 Norris, John B., 123. 
 
 Oceak Steamship Company, 157. 
 
 Ogechbb River, 152. 
 
 Oglethorpe, James, 2 ; leader of the trustees, 3 ; 
 marks out the first square, 5 ; begins the first 
 house, 5; indebted to Costell for plan of 
 Savannah, 10; voyager in "Great Embar- 
 
 Oglethorpe, James — 
 
 cation," 12; erects house for service, 13, 15; 
 philanthropy of, 16 ; attachment of Indians 
 for, 18 ; Tomo-chl-chi's pall-bearer, 17 ; regi- 
 ment of, 20; headquarters in Savannah, 22; 
 his home on St. Simon's Island, 23 ; his final 
 return to England, 23; mention of, 25, 26, 27, 
 29, 31, 33, 36, 38, 68, 104, 107, 146, 155, 193, 
 196, 204, 215, 226, 230, 237. 
 
 Oglethorpe Cantonment, 149. 
 
 Oglethorpe Light-Inpantry, 199. 
 
 Olmstbad, Charles H., 160, 187, 208. 
 
 O'Neill, J. F., 161. 
 
 Orphans' Ho.me, Bethesda, 15 ; Ossabaw, 200. 
 
 Owens, G. W., 119, 126; family residence of, 146. 
 
 Palmer, Benjamin, divine, 148. 
 
 Parade, first organized, 28. 
 
 Parishes, division of province into, 31. 
 
 Pavilion, 112. 
 
 Peace, proclamation of, by the President, 124. 
 
 PE.iCOCK, W., 51. 
 
 " Peacock," United States sloop-of-war, 122. 
 
 Peeper Island, 12. 
 
 Philbrick, S., 153. 
 
 Pierce, G. F., 125. 
 
 Pierce, Lovick, divine, 125. 
 
 Pierce, W. L., 119. 
 
 PiNCKNEY, Thomas, 115, 116, 124. 
 
 Polk, James K., visits Savannah, 179. 
 
 Port Society of Savannah, originated, 167; 
 present officers of, 168. 
 
 Post-Opfiob established in Savannah, 39. 
 
 Powell, A., early patriot, 43. 
 
 Preston, H. K., 158. 
 
 Preston, W., divine, 129. 
 
 Prevost, General, 52. 
 
 Printing-Prbss established in Savannah, 39. 
 
 Public-School System incorporated in Savan- 
 nah, 211. 
 
 Pulaski, Count, 59; tradition concerning his 
 burial, 76 ; his banner, 79. 
 
 Pulaski House, 152. 
 
256 
 
 INDEX 
 
 PuLASia Monument, 190. 
 Punch, P. J., 128. 
 PuRSB, D. G., 226. 
 PuKSE, Thomas, 157, 226. 
 
 QuiNCY, Samuel, rector of Christ Church, 13. 
 
 Kailroads : beginning of the Central road, 166 ; 
 
 present officers of, 157; Savannah, Florida, 
 
 and Western, 149 ; organized, 186 ; present 
 
 officers of, 186 f Savannah and Tybee, 226. 
 Raleigh, Sie Walter, 7. 
 Eeck, p. G. p. Di3, 12. 
 Reed, W. A., 182. 
 Reicheet, Mblchior, 162. 
 Rbilly, p., 210. 
 "Republican, The," newspaper, history of , 181; 
 
 extracts from, 115, 117. 
 "Republican and Savannah Evening Ledger, 
 
 The," newspaper, extract from, 113. 
 Republican Blues, 119. 
 Revolution, first battle in Georgia of the, 47 ; 9th 
 
 of October, 1779, in, 69. 
 Reynolds, John, first royal governor of Georgia, 
 
 29, 30. 
 Rice, Captain, 48. 
 Roberts, Daniel, 48. 
 Robertson, George, 128. 
 Robertson, William, 128. 
 Rockwell, W. S., 208. 
 Roe, a. S., 123. 
 Roman Catholics, chapel of, 97 ; early worship 
 
 in city of, 97. 
 Russell, James, divine, 126. 
 
 Sacred Heart Church, 162. 
 
 Salary of City Officials eighty-seven years ago, 
 109 ; first, of the mayor, 137. 
 
 Savannah, Forest City of the South, becomes a 
 town, 6 ; first map of, 9 ; free school in, 16 ; 
 council chamber of, 30 ; enlarged and beauti- 
 fied by Gov. Wright, 37 ; bird's-eye view of 
 in 1760, 37 ; Yamacraw and Trustees' Gardens, 
 suburbs of, 38 ; fortified, 38 ; royalrule in, 65 ; 
 
 Savannah — 
 
 appearance of French fleet in river, 56; de- 
 fences of the British in, 58; celebrated per- 
 sonages in the siege of, 60 ; civil government 
 in, 63 ; gala day in, 71 ; incorporated, 86 ; first 
 mayor and city council of, 86 ; insignia of office 
 of, 91 ; aspect of the city in 1796, 99 ; census 
 of, 101 ; modern city of, 211 ; the city during 
 the civil war, 195-204 ; calls for meetings, 196 ; 
 minute-men in, 196 ; women in, 200 ; Wayside 
 Homes in, 201 ; disappearance of luxuries in, 
 201 ; fashion in, 202. 
 
 Savannah Hospital, origin of, 153 ; present man- 
 agers of, 153. 
 
 Savannah Volunteer Guards, oldest infantry 
 corps in Georgia, 204. 
 
 Savannah Widows' Society, present board of 
 managers of, 138. 
 
 Scarborough, William, 130, 132. 
 
 Schick, P., 137. 
 
 Sckevbn House, 152. 
 
 ScEEVBN, James P., 207. 
 
 Screven, John, residence, of, 30. 
 
 Seals : of trustees, 8 ; of Lords Commissioners 
 of plantation affairs, 29 ; of State of Georgia, 
 51 ; first for city use borrowed, 89. 
 
 Secession, ordinance of, passed in Georgia, 198. 
 
 Sesqui-Centennial, 215 ; ode composed by Paul 
 Hayne for, 216. 
 
 Sewell, James, divine, 125. 
 
 Shbptall, family of, 7. 
 
 Sheftall, Abraham, 115. 
 
 Sheftall, Benjamin, extracts from book of, 81. 
 
 Sheftall, Mordecai, 96. 
 
 Shbeman, Gen. W. t1, 203. 
 
 Sibley, S. S., 128. 
 
 Siege op Savannah, memorandum of, 61. 
 
 Sigourney, Lydia, poem by, 224. 
 
 Silk Culture, inwoven with the government, 27. 
 
 Sinclair, Elijah, divine, 125. 
 
 S.METS, A. A., residence and library of, 192. 
 
 S.MITH, John, early patriot, 48. 
 
 S.MITH, H., divine, 165. 
 
INDEX 
 
 257 
 
 Snebd, J. E.,,182. 
 
 Snow in Savannah, 155 ; in 1852, 184. 
 
 Societies : St. George's, later TJnlon, 27, 82 ; St, 
 Andrew's, 91, 189; Georgia Medical, 239 
 Hibernian, 117; Widows', 138; Port, 167 
 Georgia Historical, 158 ; Industrial Relief, 213 
 Youths' Historical, 227 ; SociSte Fran9aise de 
 Bienfaisance de Savannah, 227. 
 
 SORRBLL, F., 153. 
 
 South Broad Street, southern boundary of the 
 town, 11 ; fragment of history attached to, 89. 
 
 SPAlDtNG, J., 28. 
 
 Spangenbbrg, C. G.,. first Moravian bishop in 
 America, 16; 
 
 Spanish Invasion of Georgia, 19. 
 
 Squares, names of : Johnson, 6 ; Percival, 17 ; 
 Reynolds, 27 ; Wright, 36 ; EUls, 36 ; St. James, 
 101 ; Chippewa, 125 ; Orleans, 125 ; Oglethorpe, 
 146; Madison, 162; Pulaski, 162; Monterey, 
 191 ; Lafayette, 194. 
 
 St. Benedict's, 162. 
 
 St. Gall, hamlet of, 45. 
 
 St. John's Episc'opal Church, contemporaneous 
 origin with Georgia Episcopate, 163 ; corner- 
 stone laid of present edifice of, 168 ; present 
 pastor of, 163. 
 
 St. John the Baptist Church, dedicated, 161. 
 
 St. Joseph's Infirmary, marks site of first negro 
 burial-ground in city, 89. 
 
 St. Mary's Home, 169. 
 
 St. Patrick's, 161. 
 
 Stacy, J. , early patriot, 43. 
 
 Stamp Act, royal assent to, 40 ; repeal of, 42. 
 
 Steamship " City of Savannah," 132. 
 
 Stegin, J. H., 207. 
 
 Stephens, Alexander H. , in Savannah, 216. 
 
 Stephens, William, president of colony, 17 ; letter 
 of, 22. 
 
 Stephens, W., 110. 
 
 Stevens, W. B., quotations from his " History of 
 Georgia," 12, 16; quotation in reference to E. 
 NeuviUe, 156. 
 
 Stiles, G. W., 208. 
 
 Stirk, J., early patriot, 48. 
 
 Stone, W. D., 115. 
 
 Storm, destructiveness of, 108 ; snow, 155, 189. 
 
 Strakosch, musician, 179. 
 
 Streets, names of : Abercom, 6 ; Anderson, 129 
 Bay, 6 ; Barnard, 36 ; Broughton, 43 ; Bryan 
 6 ; Bull, 6 ; Charlton, 162 ; Congress, 66 ; Dray- 
 ton, 6; East Broad, 205; Farm, 216; Gas 
 ton, 153; Gordon, 214; Gwinnett, 149; Hall, 
 149; Harrison, 216; Houstoun, 66; Indian 
 191; Jefierson, 38; Joachim, 45; Jones, 162 
 Liberty, 53 ; Lincoln, 38 ; Macon, 162 ; Mont- 
 gomery, 66; New Houston, 149; Pine, 216 
 President, 66 ; South Broad, 36 ; State, 66 ; St, 
 Julian, 6; Wayne, 76; West Broad, 48 
 Whitaker, 6 ; York, 17 ; Zubly, 45. 
 
 Strong, C. H., divine, 163. 
 
 Sunday School, the oldest in the world, 14. 
 
 Synagogue, corner-stone laid of, 137. 
 
 Tabby, 173. 
 
 Tanner, John, 20. 
 
 Tanner, J., 125. 
 
 Tattnall, Josiah, 46, 150. 
 
 Tattnall, Josiah, Jun., 174. 
 
 Taverns : City, 101 ; Gunn's, 125. 
 
 Taylor, Zachary, 170; observances in Savannah 
 upon death of, 179. 
 
 Tbfft, I. K., 128; distinguished visitors at house 
 of, 192. 
 
 Telfair, E., early patriot, 43. 
 
 Telfair, Mary, 129, 159, 219. 
 
 Telfair Academy, 46, 219. 
 
 Telfair Hospital, 219 ; present officers and man- 
 agers of, 220. 
 
 Thackeray, W. M., in Savannah, 194. 
 
 Theatre, opened, 125 ; first programme, 126. 
 
 Thomasson, p., 125. 
 
 Thompson, W. F., editor, 182. 
 
 Thunderbolt, 225. 
 
 Tolsom, W., 20. 
 
 Tomo-chi-ohi, 6, 16 ; buried in Percival square, 17 ; 
 his remains disinterred, 17. 
 
258 
 
 INDEX 
 
 TONDEE, Peter, 28, 43. 
 
 Tondee's Taverx, 43 ; provincial Congress held 
 in, 44. 
 
 Tkeutlen, John, first governor under the Consti- 
 tution of Georgia, 51. 
 
 Trinity Methodist Church, 177. 
 
 Trust Lots, 10. 
 
 Trustees, pet scheme of, 7 ; of the colony, 2 ; 
 change of government by, 25 ; of Savannah 
 theatre, 125. 
 
 Tybbe Island, 12, 225; lighthouse on, 38; British 
 off, 52. 
 
 Union Society, 82, 90; bought a part of Beth- 
 esda, 187 ; present officers and managers of, 
 187. 
 
 Unitarian Church, changed into armory, 205. 
 
 Unitarians, 151. 
 
 United States Bank, erection of, 109. 
 
 USSUYBAW, 29. 
 
 Volunteer Regiment of Georgia, First, slsetch 
 of, 206 ; present field and staff of, 209 ; mili- 
 tary organizations of, 210. 
 
 Wade, E. Q., divine, 130. 
 
 Walicbr Thomas U., architect, 177. 
 
 Wall's Cut, 57. 
 
 Walton, George, early patriot, 43. 
 
 Walton, John, 51. 
 
 Wansall, E., 20. 
 
 Waring, W. R., 153. 
 
 War of 1812, 115. 
 
 Wards, names of: Brown, 111; Columbia, 66; 
 
 Decker, 6 ; Derby, 6 ; Elbert, 66 ; Franklin, 66 ; 
 
 Greene, 66 ; Heathcote, 6 ; Jasper, 66 ; Liberty, 
 
 66; Percival, 6; Pulaski, 66; Warren, 67; 
 
 Washington, 67. 
 Warsaw Sound, 29, 200. 
 
 Washington, George, related to Lady Hunting- 
 don, 85; visit to Savannah, 91. 
 
 Waterworks, established, 186 ; artesian wells, 186. 
 
 Wayne, Anthony, 65, 73. 
 
 Wayne, J. M., 120, 125, 158. 
 
 Webster, Daniel, 109 ; in Savannah, 176. 
 
 Wesley, Charles, 12, 13, 16. 
 
 Wesley, John, his first prayer in America, 12 ; 
 his first sermon in Savannah, 13; his first 
 hymnal, 14 ; departure for England, 15. 
 
 Wesley Chapel, 125, 212. 
 
 Wesley Monumental Church, 212. 
 
 Wharf, first, built in Savannah, 31. 
 
 Whitefield, George, 13 ; contrast to John Wes- 
 ley, 14 ; remarks on Oglethorpe's victory over 
 the Spaniards, 21 ; founder of Christ Church 
 parish, 155 ; impression in Savannah on the . 
 death of, 16. 
 
 Williams, W. T., 158. 
 
 Wiltberger, p., captain, 152. 
 
 Winn, John, early patriot, 43. 
 
 WORMSLOE, 29. 
 
 Wright, Sir James, third and last royal governor 
 in Georgia, 34; dramatic episode in life of, 
 46 ; end of his rule in Savannah, 66. 
 
 Wright, a biographer of Oglethorpe, 9. 
 
 Wylly, Alexander, 40. 
 
 Wylly, Richard, 110. 
 
 Wynn, a. M. , divine, 213. 
 
 Yamacraw, Indians, 4 ; aristocratic quarter of the 
 
 city, 191 ; fire in, 216. 
 Yellow Fever, epidemic of, in 1820, 136 ; In 1854, 
 
 188 ; in 1858, 190 ; in 1876, 190. 
 
 Zoubbkbuhler, Bartholomew, 37, 110; organ 
 presented to Christ Church during the rector- 
 ship of, 155. 
 
 ZuBLY, John, pastor Independent Presbyterian 
 Church, 16, 32, 45.