^ .^0 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 ■'°' s..,>^*'~»\x^' 
 
 
 
 .. -^T. '0"-'' ■sS' 
 
 a N 
 
 xv or. 
 
 X ^ 
 
 ^^ v^ 
 
 
 ^ y ^. ^'^: / , ^^ 
 
 0^ c ° ^ ^ -? <;eo - a\ . ^ 
 
 \a^ V^A^^ % 
 
 
 ^^ V 
 
 s^ A 
 
 
 
 .^ 
 
 
 
 -^^^ 
 
 
 
 .^ -^ 
 
 o^ -/, 
 
 
 <=> or 
 
 0^ . ^ ' V ' // O^ V s^ "^ * '' ' -^ 
 
 
 
 

 
 
^. 
 
 <'i^' 
 

 JAMES OGLETHORPE 
 
APPLETONS' SERIES OF 
 
 HISTORIC LIVES. 
 
 Father Marquette. 
 
 By Reuben Gold Thwaites, Editor of "The 
 Jesuit Relations." Third Edition. 
 
 Daniel Boorve. 
 
 By Reuben Gold Thwaites. Third Edition. 
 
 Horace Greeley. 
 
 By William A. Linn, for many years Man- 
 aging Editor of the '• New York Evening 
 Post." 
 
 Sir William Johnson. 
 
 By Augustus C. Buell, Author of "Paul 
 Jones, Founder of the American Navy," 
 
 Anthony Wa.yne. 
 
 By John R. Spears, Author of " History of the 
 American Slave Trade," etc. 
 
 Champlain : The Founder of New FrsLtxce. 
 
 By Edwin Asa Dix, M. A,, LL. B., Formerly 
 Fellow in History of Princeton University, Author 
 of "Deacon Bradbury," "A Midsummer Drive 
 Through the Pyrenees," etc. 
 
 JaLines Oglethorpe : The Founder of 
 Georgia. By Miss Harriet C. Cooper. 
 
 George Rogers Clark. 
 
 By Reuben Gold Thwaites. [In preparation. '\ 
 
 Each 12mo. Illustrated. $1.00 net. 
 Postage. 10 cents additional. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
3ame0 ©gletj^orjpe 
 
 THE FOUNDER OF GEORGIA 
 
 BY 
 
 HARRIET C. COOPER 
 
 Illustrated 
 
 New York 
 
 2D* 5lppIeton anli Companp 
 
 1904 
 
fm 
 
 ■^J/ 
 
 LIBRARY nf CONGRESS 
 Tw» C»pie8 Received 
 
 FEB 9 1904 
 
 \ Copyright Entry 
 (CLASS 0. KXc. No. 
 
 'Y B 
 
 ,;. .,/^— .3»«K- 
 
 • • 
 • • 
 
 •• • 
 
 • • 
 
 • 
 
 •• 
 • • 
 
 • 
 • 
 
 • • • 
 
 4 
 • 
 
 
 • 
 
 • i« 
 
 • • • 
 
 
 • • « 
 
 f. 
 
 
 • 
 
 • • 
 
 • • 
 
 • 
 
 • ••• 
 
 • 
 
 • • • 
 
 .'. 
 
 • •• 
 
 ••• .• 
 
 
 •■•■••■ 
 
 • • • . • 
 
 
 .•. . 
 
 .'• 
 
 • 
 
 .1 •- 
 
 
 
 • a 
 
 • • 
 
 ** r * 
 
 ••• 
 
 • • • • 
 
 
 *.♦ :' 
 
 
 ••• • 
 
 Copyright, 1904, by 
 D.*^i*liETON AND COMPANY 
 
 Published, February, 1904 
 
X 
 
 THE CHILDREN OF GEORGIA 
 
PEEFACE 
 
 Washington is no better entitled to be 
 called the Father of his Country than Ogle- 
 thorpe is to the same distinction with refer- 
 ence to the State which he founded. It is un- 
 fortunately true that his life, his achieve- 
 ments, and his character are not as well known 
 to the people of Georgia as they should be, and 
 in the hope of familiarizing the youth of the 
 State with them this book was written. 
 
 The influence of a noble life is great and 
 far-reaching, but extends only to those who 
 have been made to know it. The office of 
 biography is to body forth those great person- 
 alities to the world, and the larger intent of 
 this work is to extend to the uttermost the in- 
 spiring effect of the character of General 
 James Edward Oglethorpe. 
 
 rn 
 
CONTEI^TS 
 
 CHAPTER PAOS 
 
 Preface vii 
 
 I. Ancestry and Early Years .... 1 
 
 II. Parliament and Prison Reform ... 8 
 
 III. Arrival in Savannah 20 
 
 IV. Indians and the Coast Islands ... 29 
 V. Immigration 37 
 
 VI. Return to England 46 
 
 VII. Parliament and the Slave Trade ... 53 
 
 VIII. Troubles among the Settlers ... 63 
 
 IX. Indian Troubles 70 
 
 X. Charles Wesley and Other Complications . 78 
 
 XI. Affair with the Spaniards . . . .84 
 
 XII. With the Spanish Commissioners ... 91 
 
 XIII. Commander-in-Chief in Carolina and Georgia 98 
 
 XIV. Journeys to the Interior .... 109 
 XV. Troubles in Florida 118 
 
 XVI. Attack on the Florida Forts . . . 131 
 
 XVII. Peace and the Coming of Whitefield . . 139 
 
 XVIII. War with the Spaniards again . . . 153 
 
 XIX. After the War 177 
 
 XX. Return to England — The Pretender . . 186 
 
 XXI. Old Age and Death 197 
 
 Authorities Consulted 210 
 
 Index . . . » 213 
 
 iz 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTKATIONS 
 
 FACING ^ 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Froniis'piGC& 
 
 . 24 
 
 James Oglethorpe 
 
 Tomo Chichi 
 
 Jerusalem Church, Ebenezer, Georgia .... 44 
 
 Savannah in 1734 
 
 Charles Wesley 
 
 George Whitefield 
 
 Fort San Marcos, now called Fort Marion 
 Samuel Johnson 
 
 y 
 
 58 y 
 
 80 / 
 144^ 
 182" 
 198^ 
 
 21 
 
JAMES OGLETHORPE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 ANCESTRY AND EARLY YEARS 
 1689-1718 
 
 The Margravate of Azilia had not been 
 successful. Notwithstanding the declaration 
 of Sir Robert Montgomery that it was *'the 
 most amiable country in the universe," and 
 that "paradise with all its virgin beauties is 
 at most but equal with its native excellencies, ' ' 
 yet Azilia remained unpeopled, and Sir Rob- 
 ert gave up his Utopian scheme. 
 
 That was in the year 1717. The struggling 
 colony of Carolina had attracted the attention 
 of this English nobleman ; the hope of adding 
 to his fortune, while ignorant of the difficulties 
 to be overcome, had inspired the scheme of 
 planting a colony which should be at once 
 lucrative to himself and to the colonists. The- 
 oretically, Sir Robert's plans were perfect. 
 He would obtain a grant of lands lying be- 
 tween the rivers Altamaha and Savannah, and 
 bring out at his own expense and within three 
 
 1 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 years a considerable number of families to set- 
 tle this future Eden. 
 
 He further mapped out the 256,000 acres 
 m symmetrical squares of one mile each, with 
 a continuous projecting line of defenses, so 
 secure that no savage dare molest or make 
 afraid. At the very beginning the colonists 
 should enjoy safety, liberty, and comparative 
 wealth. There remained only one step to se- 
 cure the foundation of the colony of Azilia— 
 that was, obtaining the colonists. A broad 
 and deep ocean rolled between England and 
 America ; contrary winds must be encountered ; 
 a long voyage of weeks or months; a parting 
 for life from all they loved in Old England; 
 a home to be made among savages— all this 
 made many shrink back and decline Sir Rob- 
 ert's fair offer. And so it came to pass that 
 Georgia was not called '^Azilia,'' nor does it 
 glory in Sir Robert Montgomery as its founder. 
 In 1729 Sir Alexander Cuming, one of 
 the victims of the South Sea Bubble— vision- 
 ary, of course, and apparently anxious for an- 
 other catastrophe— proposed to build on the 
 Bermuda Islands a college to educate Indians. 
 The scheme fell through for want of Indians 
 —not one in Bermuda, nor ever had been. 
 Sir Alexander must needs look farther west, 
 and turned toward what was called the won- 
 
Ancestry and Early Years 
 
 derful Cherokee country, asserting tliat its 
 fabulous riches could pay England's debt in 
 twenty years. 
 
 Sir Alexander was finally sent as an em- 
 bassy to these Cherokees, and succeeded, after 
 some months, in convincing two head warriors 
 and a conjurer of his importance and the 
 power of England. They acknowledged the 
 King's rule and Sir Alexander as their head. 
 Warriors, Beloved-men, Conjurers assembled, 
 and, placing him on a high seat, formed a cir- 
 cle around him with thirteen eagles' tails, 
 sang all day their war songs, and fasted. Such 
 an auspicious beginning should have brought 
 worthier results, but our record only states 
 that the following year Sir Alexander returned 
 to England, taking with him seven chiefs, who 
 laid the crown of the Cherokees at his 
 Majesty's feet, and presented to him ^yq 
 eagles' tails and four scalps, which did not go 
 far toward paying England's debt. Yet the 
 *' Cherokee country" did not lose its reputa- 
 tion; was destined to be colonized, and what 
 Sir Robert Montgomery and Sir Alexander 
 Cuming had attempted, remained for James 
 Oglethorpe to accomplish. 
 
 Oglethorpe came of an ancient family, the 
 records showing that before the Normans en- 
 tered England his ancestors held the estate of 
 
 3 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Oglethorpe, in the parish of Bramham. Says 
 Thorsby in his History of Leeds : ' ' Tradition 
 saith that one of the family of Oglethorpe was 
 Eeeve (High Sheriff) of the county at the time 
 of the Norman advent, and condemned by the 
 Conqueror for opposing his designs. The an- 
 cient seat of Oglethorpe continued in the fam- 
 ily till the civil wars when it was lost for their 
 loyalty ; and it is said that several of the name 
 died at once in the bed of honor, being slain 
 in a battle near Oxford, of the King 's party. ^ ' 
 Sutton of Oglethorpe was, on account of 
 his loyalty, *^ mulcted by Parliament in the 
 sum of £20,000, and his estate eventually fell 
 to the lot of Fairfax. '' This Sutton was 
 grandfather to our hero. Of his two sons, 
 Theophilus, the younger, entered the army, 
 became lieutenant-colonel, and at the battle of 
 Sedgemoor led the Life-Gruards, contributing 
 materially to the victory gained by the royal- 
 ists. He was honored with knighthood, ^^ at- 
 tained the rank of major-general and first- 
 equerry to James II, taking command of the 
 army assembled to oppose the Prince of Or- 
 ange. He was, after the Revolution, deprived 
 of his regiment, but was able to purchase the 
 manor of Westbrook, and married Eleanor, 
 daughter of Richard Wall, Esq., and of Kath- 
 arine de la Roche, of the Lord Roche family of 
 
 4 
 
Ancestry and Early Years 
 
 Ireland, connected by marriage with the Scot- 
 tish house of Argyle.'^ Sir Theophilus, after 
 serving in two Parliaments, died in his fiftieth 
 year and was buried in Westminster Abbey. 
 
 Thus ends the record of the father of Ogle- 
 thorpe. His mother. Lady Eleanor, who sur- 
 vived her husband thirty years, was in the 
 court of Queen Anne of so much influence, 
 that Swift spoke of her in his coarse way as * * a 
 cunning devil. ' ^ Of her seven children, three 
 were sons. The two elder, Lewis and The- 
 ophilus, seem to have made an honorable 
 record in military service and in Parliament, 
 but died young. Thus it was that James 
 Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia, succeeded to 
 the family estate. 
 
 Little is known of his early years. From 
 the parish register we learn that he was born 
 June 1, 1689, and was educated in Corpus 
 Christi College, Oxford. Before entering the 
 army he served for a few years as * ^ gentleman 
 volunteer abroad. ' ' During that time the in- 
 cident occurred thus related by Boswell : 
 
 When a very young man, only fifteen, serving 
 under Prince Eugene of Savoy, he was sitting at 
 table in company with a prince of the House of 
 Wiirtemberg, who took up a glass of wine, and by a 
 fillip made some of it fly into Oglethorpe's face. 
 The young soldier was in a dilemma. He durst not 
 3 5 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 challenge so distinguished a personage, yet he must 
 notice the affront. Therefore, keeping his eye fixed 
 on his Highness, and smiling at the time, as if he 
 took what had been done in jest, Oglethorpe ex- 
 claimed: ''That's a good joke, but we do it much 
 better in England ! ' ' whereupon he flung a whole 
 glass full of wine in the prince's face. An old gen- 
 eral present observed, ' ' II a bien fait, mon prince, 
 vous I'avez commence" — and thus the affair ended 
 in good humor. 
 
 Oglethorpe entered the English army as 
 ensign in 1710, and there remained until peace 
 was made in 1713. In the year following he 
 was made captain-lieutenant of the Queen's 
 Life-Guards, but, preferring active life, soon 
 went to the Continent and enlisted under Prince 
 Eugene. Peace being concluded between the 
 Emperor and the Sultan, Oglethorpe returned 
 to England in 1718, and for some years resided 
 at Westbrook on the family estate — an estate 
 then valued at nearly a million dollars. 
 
 The old mansion still remains, though 
 greatly changed. In front, rich meadow-lands 
 slope gradually to the banks of the River Wey, 
 while in the rear the land rises to a steep height, 
 covered with noble trees and commanding a 
 view of the town of Godalming. A tradition 
 still holds faith in that region that the Pre- 
 tender was once secreted at Westbrook by 
 
 6 
 
Ancestry and Early Years 
 
 Lady Oglethorpe, that he used to walk in the 
 twilight and early morning, wrapped in a large 
 cloak, and some rustics, coming suddenly on 
 the strange figure, thought he was a ghost, 
 which notion was encouraged by Lady Ogle- 
 thorpe, in order to keep people away. To this 
 day the house is said to be haunted. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 PARLIAMENT AND PRISON REFORM 
 1722-1732 
 
 In 1722 Oglethorpe, then thirty-three 
 years old, was elected to Parliament from 
 Haslemere, and for thirty years represented 
 that borough. From the first his career was 
 consistent and independent. He spoke fre- 
 quently and always to the point, yet he was 
 no orator, and was known rather for what he 
 did than for what he said. It is probable that 
 he inherited a sympathy for the Stuarts, yet 
 was ever loyal to the reigning house, and an 
 ardent supporter of the Protestant succession. 
 In Parliament his sympathies were chiefly en- 
 listed in bills which came up for the redress 
 of grievances, and especially for the relief of 
 unfortunate debtors. 
 
 At this day we can hardly understand how 
 English law punished alike and thrust into 
 the same dungeon thieves, pirates, murderers, 
 with the man whose crime was debt — debt in- 
 curred oftentimes as security for some friend. 
 
 8 
 
Parliament and Prison Reform 
 
 The jails of London were a disgrace to human- 
 ity. Fever, filth, smallpox, were encountered 
 in common, while inhuman keepers plied 
 thumbscrews and sneered at the sufferings of 
 their prisoners. 
 
 One Mr. Castell, a skilled architect and 
 author of a costly work. The Villas of the An- 
 cients, became involved in debt, was arrested, 
 and taken to a ' ' sponging-house ' ' attached to 
 Fleet Prison. Not being able to compromise 
 his debts, nor to satisfy the warden's demand 
 for bribes, he was thrust into a ward in which 
 smallpox was raging. Terrified with fear of 
 the disease, he entreated to be sent elsewhere, 
 even into the jail itself, but in vain. He 
 caught the disease, and soon died, with his last 
 breath charging the warden as his murderer. 
 Castell was well known to Oglethorpe, who at 
 once determined to do his utmost toward put- 
 ting an end to such national crimes. At the 
 earliest opportunity he brought the subject be- 
 fore Parliament. That body appointed a vis- 
 iting committee of fourteen members of the 
 House of Commons, with Oglethorpe as chair- 
 man. 
 
 They promptly inspected the various pris- 
 ons and presented their reports; ''the details 
 of some,'' says a historian, ' Vere too painful 
 and loathsome to be repeated." In the Mar- 
 
 9 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 shalsea's low rooms, not sixteen feet square, 
 were confined forty, and even fifty, human be- 
 ings. ''The floor not being sufficient for the 
 sleepers, half of them were suspended in ham- 
 mocks, and so tainted was the atmosphere 
 that they perished for want of fresh air. The 
 sick wards were still worse. Along the walls 
 boards were laid on trestles; under these 
 boards one tier of sick men lay on the floor, 
 on the dresser was another tier, and in the 
 hammocks overhead another tier still. . . . 
 A day never passed without death, and in 
 spring from eight to ten prisoners died every 
 twenty-four hours. Many well-disposed per- 
 sons left money for the destitute, but it was 
 confiscated by the jailors.'' The wardens 
 grew rich on bribes. Investigation proved 
 that Bainbridge received in this way an aver- 
 age of £5,000 yearly. He it was who loaded 
 Sir William Rich with irons because of a dis- 
 pute with him. The committee ordered his 
 release, but on making another visit found him 
 again in chains. Mr. Oglethorpe, as chairman 
 of the committee, reported the matter to Par- 
 liament, and the barbarous warden was him- 
 self imprisoned. 
 
 Pirates and abandoned ruffians were suf- 
 fered to mix with the unfortunate debtors. 
 Their conduct became so insutf erable that some 
 
 10 
 
Parliament and Prison Reform 
 
 decent prisoners attempted to escape. They 
 were detected, and the officers made it an ex- 
 cuse for resorting to the thumbscrew, forcing 
 blood from finger-ends. Afterward they were 
 taken to the strong room, a collar fastened on 
 the neck and screwed until blood gushed from 
 nose and ears and the eyes almost started 
 from the head. Savagery could go little far- 
 ther, but the inhuman Acton added to these 
 barbarities by chaining the living to the dead, 
 and keeping prisoners for days in the same 
 yard with unburied corpses. 
 
 Gradually the committee unearthed these 
 horrors. For several years Oglethorpe's time 
 was occupied with the painful task, but he then 
 had the satisfaction of knowing that he had 
 accomplished much, if not all he desired, for 
 the relief of the unfortunate prisoners, and for 
 the punishment of barbarous jailors. A thor- 
 ough inspection of the prisons and reforms 
 begun, wiped out to some extent the stain on 
 England 's governing power. 
 
 Meanwhile Oglethorpe had not neglected 
 other duties, and if in Parliament he was often 
 in the minority, it was because he was battling 
 for the right against the interests of party, or 
 pleading the cause of the oppressed. 
 
 While chairman of the committee sent to 
 investigate, the condition of prisons and their 
 
 11 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 inmates Oglethorpe had conceived a plan for 
 helping those prisoners confined merely for 
 debt. Many of them were of respectable con- 
 nection, and he proposed that the claims of 
 their creditors be compromised on condition 
 of their going as colonists to America and 
 planting a settlement adjoining the Carolinas 
 on the tract of land which Sir Robert Mont- 
 gomery had described as ^ ^ in the same parallel 
 as Palestine and pointed ont by God's own 
 choice. ' ' 
 
 The scheme grew until it embraced not 
 only the unfortunate of England, but the per- 
 secuted Protestants of Europe. To obtain the 
 necessary means, Oglethorpe sought the co- 
 operation of men of wealth and influence, and 
 in due time, twenty others uniting with him, 
 petitioned the throne for a charter, which was 
 granted June 9, 1732, by King George, for 
 whom the colony was to be called Georgia. 
 Oglethorpe then published anonymously some 
 essays calling attention to the proposed emi- 
 gration, and pointing out the objects and ad- 
 vantage of such a movement. In the third 
 chapter he wrote : 
 
 Let us cast our eyes upon the multitude of un- 
 fortunate people in this kingdom, of reputable fam- 
 ilies and of liberal education; some undone by 
 
 12 
 
Parliament and Prison Reform 
 
 guardians, some by lawsuits, some by accidents in 
 commerce, some by stocks and bubbles, some by 
 suretyship ; but all agree in this one circumstance 
 that they must either be burdensome to their rela- 
 tions, or betake themselves to little shifts for sus- 
 tenance which it is ten to one do not answer their 
 purposes, and to which a well-educated person 
 descends with the utmost constraint. These are the 
 persons who may relieve themselves and strengthen 
 Georgia by resorting thither and Great Britain by 
 their departure. 
 
 I appeal to the recollection of the reader — 
 though he be opulent, though he be noble— does not 
 his own sphere of acquaintance furnish him with 
 some instances of such persons as have been de- 
 scribed? Must they starve? What honest heart 
 can bear to think of it? Must they be fed by the 
 contributions of others? Certainly they must, 
 rather than be suffered to perish. I have heard it 
 said, and it is easy to say so, ''Let them learn to 
 work; let them subdue their pride and descend to 
 mean employments; keep ale-houses or coffee- 
 houses, even sell fruit or clean shoes for an honest 
 livelihood." But, alas! these occupations and 
 many like them are already overstocked by people 
 who know better how to follow them than do those 
 of whom we have been talking. As for laboring, 
 I could almost wish that the gentleman or merchant 
 who thinks that another gentleman or merchant in 
 want can thrash or dig to the value of subsistence 
 for his family or even for himself ; I say I could 
 
 13 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 wish the person who so thinks were obliged to make 
 trial of it for one week — or, not to be too severe, 
 for one day only. He would then find himself to be 
 less than the fourth part of a laborer, and that the 
 fourth part of a laborer's wages would not support 
 him. It must be admitted that before he can learn 
 he may starve. Men whose wants are importunate 
 must try such experiments as will give immediate 
 relief. 'Tis too late for them to begin to learn a 
 trade, when their pressing needs call for the ex- 
 ercise of it. 
 
 To the suggestion that such persons were 
 unfitted for the drudgery of agriculture, he re- 
 plied that in Georgia the land was so fertile as 
 to yield an hundredfold, and they would have 
 it for nothing. '^Give here in England,'^ he 
 added, ^ ' ten acres of good land to one of these 
 helpless persons, and I doubt not his ability 
 to make it support him ; but the difference be- 
 tween no rent and rack-rent is the difference 
 between eating and starving. . . . The un- 
 fortunate will not be obliged to bind them- 
 selves to a long service to pay for their passage, 
 for they may be carried gratis into a land of 
 liberty and plenty, where they will find them- 
 selves in possession of competent estates, in a 
 happier climate then they knew before; and 
 they are unfortunate indeed if they can not 
 forget their sorrows. ' ' 
 
 14 
 
Parliament and Prison Reform 
 
 The trustees fully concurred with Ogle- 
 thorpe in these views, believing, as they said, 
 that ''there are many poor unfortunate per- 
 sons in this country who would willingly labor 
 for their bread if they could find employment 
 and get bread by laboring." They gener- 
 ously had inserted into the charter clauses re- 
 straining them from receiving any salary, fee, 
 perquisite — any profit whatever — or from ob- 
 taining any grant of lands within the district, 
 either themselves or in trust for them. ''No 
 colony," wrote Southey, "was ever estab- 
 lished on principles more honorable to its 
 projectors. ' ' 
 
 They also set the example of contributing 
 largely of their private means, and so charita- 
 ble, wise, and unselfish were their plans that 
 contributions came from people of every rank, 
 from public institutions, and from Parliament, 
 which granted them the sum of £10,000. A 
 letter was received from far-off Pennsylvania 
 enclosing £100 from William Penn, and very 
 highly approving their undertaking, promis- 
 ing all the assistance in his power. 
 
 Dr. Hewatt, a Scotch minister from 
 Charleston, thus expressed the feelings of 
 many : ' ' The benevolent founders of the colony 
 of Georgia may challenge the annals of any 
 nation to produce a design more generous and 
 
 15 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 praiseworthy. They voluntarily offered their 
 money, their labor, and time for promoting 
 what appeared to them the good of others, hav- 
 ing nothing for reward but the inexpressible 
 satisfaction arising from virtuous actions." 
 Tracts were now distributed describing the 
 climate and products of the happy land. The 
 poet Waller pictured it a veritable Eden, de- 
 claring in his enthusiasm : 
 
 Heaven sure hath kept this spot of earth uncurst, 
 To show how all things were created first. 
 
 The funds raised were to feed, clothe, 
 arm, and transport to Georgia such poor 
 people as they should select from those who 
 offered to go. An account was opened with 
 the Bank of England, where a register was 
 kept of the benefactors and their donations. 
 They also bound themselves to make an an- 
 nual statement of receipts and expenditures 
 before the Lord Chancellor and chief of the 
 courts. Arrangements being completed, the 
 trustees now announced that they were ready 
 to receive applications from those who wished 
 to emigrate. A committee was appointed to 
 visit the jails and obtain the discharge of 
 such poor prisoners as were worthy, care- 
 fully investigating character, circumstances^ 
 and antecedents. Stevens, in his History of 
 
 16 
 
Parliament and Prison Reform 
 
 Georgia, referring to the Gentleman's Maga- 
 zine of London, 1732, and to the manuscript 
 Journal of the Trustees, concludes that "in 
 this selection the trustees exhibited peculiar 
 care and discrimination. They required good 
 moral characters, and examined into the causes 
 and conditions of the misfortunes of each. 
 They confined their charity to such only as 
 fell into misfortunes of trade, and admitted 
 none of those who could get a subsistence in 
 England. They suffered none to go who 
 would leave wives or families without support, 
 none who had the character of lazy or immoral 
 men, and would go without the consent of their 
 creditors." Colonel Charles Jones, consid- 
 ered by Bancroft ^Hhe best historian America 
 ever had," says of this painstaking selection 
 of colonists for Georgia : 
 
 Other American colonies were founded and 
 augmented by individuals coming at will, without 
 question, for personal gain, and bringing no certifi- 
 cate of present or past good conduct. Georgia, on 
 the contrary, exhibits the spectacle, at once unique 
 and admirable, of permitting no one to enter her 
 borders who was not deemed, by competent au- 
 thority, worthy the rights of citizenship. 
 
 A common seal was adopted. On one side 
 was the genius of the colony, a figure repre- 
 
 17 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 senting Liberty. Spear in one hand, cornu- 
 copia in the other, she was seated between two 
 rivers, which formed the northern and south- 
 em boundaries, and surrounded by the words 
 "Colonia, Georgia, Aug." On the reverse were 
 silkworms at work and the motto ^'Non Sibi, 
 Sed Aliis, ' ' thus representing the disinterested 
 motives of the trustees, and also the special 
 industry they had in view. Having learned 
 that the mulberry was indigenous to Georgia 
 and the climate suitable for the silkworm, they 
 had decided that the silk industry would fur- 
 nish the most suitable employment for the 
 women and children, the old and infirm, leav- 
 ing harder and more necessary work for the 
 laborers. Experts from Italy were engaged 
 to teach the best methods of feeding worms and 
 winding silk from cocoons. Oglethorpe had 
 before endeavored to encourage silk-weaving 
 in England, and now proposed to produce in 
 this new colony the raw material. 
 
 As they would be exposed to attacks from 
 both Spanish and Indian enemies, they should 
 be soldiers as well as planters. Accordingly 
 they were provided with arms, and, until their 
 departure, daily drilled by sergeants of the 
 Royal Guards. For the same reason it was 
 thought best to establish such a tenure as would 
 equalize the number of soldier-planters, and 
 
 18 
 
Parliament and Prison Reform 
 
 place the number of land lots within a narrow 
 compass. Each lot was to be held as a military 
 fief, and to consist of just sufficient land for a 
 comfortable support. Fifty acres was consid- 
 ered enough for a farmer and his family. 
 
 It was also determined to prohibit slavery 
 within the province : first, because they would 
 not require such heavy labor as to make the 
 assistance of negroes necessary; second, be- 
 cause if any were permitted at their own ex- 
 pense to import slaves, it would discourage, 
 perhaps ruin, the poor people who were to form 
 the strength of the colony. Thirty-five fam- 
 ilies, numbering one hundred and twenty per- 
 sons, were selected. Among them were men 
 of various trades, all of whom were supplied 
 with implements. 
 
 19 
 
CHAPTER ni 
 
 ARRIVAL IN SAVANNAH 
 1733 
 
 On the 16th of November, 1732, the emi- 
 grants embarked at Gravesend on the ship 
 Anne. Oglethorpe, who had so earnestly 
 planned and worked for the good of these un- 
 fortunate people, determined to go with them, 
 share their dangers and fatigues, and watch 
 over the establishment of the young colony. 
 He was then in the prime of life, tall, manly, 
 and dignified, said to be "the beau-ideal of an 
 English gentleman, and blessed with ample 
 means for the gratification of every reason- 
 able desire, yet he resolved for a time to deny 
 himself those pleasures for which his nature 
 fitted him, and to become the associate of the 
 poor and ignorant." Doubtless it required 
 more real manliness, more moral courage, 
 than to charge an enemy. Many called him 
 quixotic, romantic, foolish. The foolishness 
 was, however, very deliberate and the ro- 
 mance noble. 
 
 Oglethorpe had undertaken the work on the 
 
 20 
 
Arrival in Savannah 
 
 condition that he was not to receive any salary 
 or other recompense, but was authorized by 
 the trustees to act as Colonial Governor. 
 They accompanied him to the ship, bade 
 him good speed, and the day following the 
 Anne, with its 120 emigrants and their 
 leader, put out to sea. Oglethorpe had not 
 only furnished his cabin and supplied pro- 
 visions for himself and servants, but during 
 the voyage largely contributed to the comfort 
 of his fellow passengers. For two months 
 they sailed toward the west, arriving January 
 13th in the harbor of Charleston, S. C, where 
 * ^ they thanked God and took courage. ' ' Their 
 last Sabbath in Old England had been spent 
 together in prayer, so their first in their new 
 home was devoted to earnest prayer and 
 thanksgiving. 
 
 The sister colony of South Carolina warmly 
 welcomed them, and with good cause. They 
 were to be a protection against her Spanish 
 enemy to the south. The Governor and his 
 council promised all the assistance in his 
 power, and ordered the King's pilot to conduct 
 the ship into Port Royal, some eighty miles 
 southward, from whence the colonists were to 
 be conveyed in small vessels to the river Savan- 
 nah. They set sail the day following, while 
 Oglethorpe went on to Beaufort, and ascended 
 3 21 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 the Savannah River to explore the country and 
 select a site for their town. Yamacraw Bluff 
 attracted his attention, and there on the rich 
 delta lands of the Savannah he fixed their place 
 of abode. 
 
 During his absence the emigrants had ar- 
 rived at Beaufort, to which place he returned 
 on the 24th. The Sabbath which followed they 
 celebrated as a day of special thanksgiving, in 
 which the kind people of Beaufort joined. 
 Before their departure Oglethorpe provided 
 for them and their new-made friends a bounti- 
 ful feast. Among the items mentioned are 
 **four fat hogs, eight turkeys, many fowls, 
 English beef, a hogshead of beer, and a gener- 
 ous supply of wine.'' We are informed that 
 no one drank to excess, but that subsequently 
 Oglethorpe made stringent laws against the 
 sale of intoxicating drinks. 
 
 The feast being over, they set sail for their 
 new home. Savannah — so called after the river 
 flowing past — and landed there on the last day 
 of the month, rejoicing to escape from long 
 confinement on board the vessel. Four tents 
 were set up, while the men went to work 
 to construct with branches of trees addi- 
 tional bowers for present use. Watch-fires 
 were lighted and the weary people retired to 
 rest. Their faithful leader lay upon the 
 
 22 
 
Arrival in Savannah 
 
 ground near the central fire, and at his mid- 
 night round found all except his sentinels in 
 peaceful slumber. When morning came he 
 called his little band together, to unite with him 
 in fervent thanks to God for his mercy in 
 bringing them safely to the land of their adop- 
 tion. He gave them also a few words of coun- 
 sel, warning them most of all against drunk- 
 enness, from which some of them had already 
 suffered. In spite of every precaution and 
 law, rum might be brought among them, and 
 he urged them to resist temptation on their 
 own account and for the sake of their Indian 
 neighbors, to whom ^^ fire-water'' was invaria- 
 bly fatal. He reminded them that the seed 
 sown by themselves would, morally as well as 
 literally, bring forth fruit for good or for evil 
 in coming generations. ^'But,'' said he, ^4t 
 is my hope that, through your good example, 
 the settlement of Georgia may prove a blessing 
 and not a curse to the native inhabitants. ' ' 
 
 In a letter to the trustees dated February 
 10, 1733, Oglethorpe thus describes the situa- 
 tion of Savannah : 
 
 The river here forms a half-moon, around the 
 south side of which the banks are about forty feet 
 high, and on the top a flat, which they call a bluff. 
 The plain, high ground extends into the country 
 about five or six miles, and along the river for about 
 
 23 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 a mile. Ships that draw near twelve feet of water 
 can ride within ten yards of the bank. Upon the 
 riverside, in the center of the plain, I have laid out 
 the town, opposite to which is an island of very 
 rich pasturage, which, I think, should be kept for 
 the trustees' cattle. The river is pretty wide, the 
 water fresh, and from the quay of the town you see 
 its whole course to the sea, with the island of Tybee, 
 which forms the mouth of the river. For about six 
 miles up into the country the landscape is very 
 agreeable, the stream being wide and bordered with 
 high woods on both sides. 
 
 The colonists were charmed with this new 
 country. Its groves of live-oak, bay, cypress, 
 sweet-gnm, myrtle, and tupelo were vine-cov- 
 ered or draped in long gray moss, while the 
 yellow jasmine trailed its odorous clusters 
 over the shrubs which overhung the blufp, and 
 the gayest of birds filled the woods. No love- 
 lier spot had they ever seen, and no suspicion 
 of malarial air or lurking foe troubled them as 
 they set to work. Oglethorpe was wiser, and 
 while everywhere planning and encouraging, 
 thought it important to obtain at once the con- 
 sent of the natural owners of the soil to the 
 settlement of the colony among them. To this 
 end he sought an interview with Tomo Chichi, 
 the chief of the Yamacraws, who lived two or 
 three miles farther up the river. There Ogle- 
 
 24 
 
TOMO CHICHI, CHIEF OF THE YAMACEAWS, AND 
 TOOANHOWI, HIS NEPHEW. 
 
Arrival in Savannah 
 
 thorpe went, taking with him an interpreter, 
 one Mary Musgrove, an Indian woman who 
 had married a Carolina trader. This woman 
 proved very useful on account of her influence 
 with the Indians, and Oglethorpe afterward 
 gave her £100 yearly for her services. It was 
 not until after Oglethorpe 's time that she gave 
 serious trouble to the colony. 
 
 The interview with Tomo Chichi was satis- 
 factory, but he stated that there were larger 
 and more warlike tribes just beyond his own, 
 whose consent must be gained to the proposed 
 compact, and he furthermore agreed to invite 
 a deputation of these tribes to hold a confer- 
 ence in Savannah with this people from across 
 the great sea. In Oglethorpe's next letter to 
 the trustees he wrote as follows : 
 
 This province is much larger than we thought, 
 being one hundred and twenty miles from this 
 river to the Altamaha. The Savannah has a very 
 long course, and a great trade is carried on by the 
 Indians, there having above twelve trading boats 
 passed since I have been here. There are in Georgia, 
 on this side the mountains, three considerable na- 
 tions of Indians — one called the Lower Creek, con- 
 sisting of nine towns, or rather cantons, making 
 about one thousand men able to bear arms. One of 
 these towns is within a short distance of us, 
 and has concluded a peace with us, giving us 
 
 25 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 til* right of all this part of the country; and I 
 have marked out the lands which they have reserved 
 to themselves. Their king comes constantly to 
 church, is desirous to be instructed in the Christian 
 religion, and has given me his nephew — a boy who 
 is his next heir — ^to educate. 
 
 The two other nations are the Uchees and the 
 Upper Creek, the first consisting of two hundred, 
 the latter of eleven hundred men. We agree so 
 well with the Indians that the Creeks and the 
 Uchees have referred to me a difference to deter- 
 mine, which otherwise would have occasioned war. 
 
 Our people still lie in tents, there being only two 
 clapboard houses built, and three sawed houses 
 framed. Our crane, our battery cannon, and maga- 
 zine are finished. This is all we have been able to 
 do by reason of the smallness of our number, of 
 which many have been sick, and others unused to 
 labor, though I thank God they are now pretty 
 well, and we have not lost one since we have arrived 
 here. 
 
 The people of Carolina were, for various 
 reasons, much interested in the Georgia colony, 
 and several gentlemen made a canoe voyage 
 from Charleston to this new settlement at 
 Savannah. From the South Carolina Gazette 
 the following extract is taken, which gives 
 their impressions of the leader of the colony: 
 
 Mr. Oglethorpe is indefatigable, and takes a 
 vast deal of pains. His fare is but indifferent, 
 having little else at present but salt provisions. He 
 
 26 
 
Arrival in Savannah 
 
 is extremely well beloved by the people. The title 
 they give him is Father. If any of them are sick, 
 he immediately visits them and takes great care of 
 them. If any difference arises, he is the person who 
 decides it. Two happened while I was here and 
 in my presence, and all the parties went away to 
 all outward appearance satisfied, and contented 
 with the determination. He keeps a strict disci- 
 pline; I neither saw one of his people drunk, nor 
 heard one swear all the time I have been here. He 
 does not allow them rum, but in lieu gives them 
 English beer. It is surprising to see how cheerfully 
 the men go to work, considering they have not been 
 bred to it. There are no idlers, even the boys and 
 girls do their part. There are four houses already 
 up, but none finished; he hopes that he has got 
 more sawyers to finish two houses a week. He has 
 plowed up some land, part of which is sowed with 
 wheat, which is come up and looks promising. 
 He has two or three gardens which he has sowed 
 with divers sorts of seeds and planted thyme with 
 other pot-herbs, and several sorts of fruit-trees. 
 He was palisading the town around, including part 
 of the common. In short, he has done a vast deal 
 of work for the time, and I think his name deserves 
 to be immortalized. . . . The Indians who are 
 thereabouts are very fond of Mr. Oglethorpe and 
 assist him what they can ; and he, on the other side, 
 is very civil to them. 
 
 The Governor of South Carolina sent Mr. 
 Bull to assist in laying out the town. One of 
 the streets still bears his name. Mr. Bull 
 
 27 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 brought with him four sawyers, who, with the 
 help of the colonists, felled a large number of 
 trees for building more houses. Oglethorpe 
 ordered a few of the finest trees spared, and 
 under a group of pines placed his own tent, 
 where he lived for nearly a year, refusing to 
 take possession of even a hut for his own use. 
 Amid all the work he found time to lay out 
 a public garden, designed as a nursery for sup- 
 plying the colonists with white-mulberry trees, 
 vines, orange and olive trees, and appointed a 
 gardener to care for them. Meanwhile, he 
 superintended the clearing of land, the build- 
 ing of houses, and constructing of fortifica- 
 tions. To each he assigned his proper work, 
 and even women and children were not idle. 
 Said a writer of that day: "He gave at the 
 same time his orders and his example. There 
 was nothing he did not which he directed 
 others to do." His quick eye detected any 
 shirking, but so much was he revered that a 
 gentle reproof recalled them to duty. 
 
 28 
 
CHAPTER rV 
 
 INDIANS AND THE COAST ISLANDS 
 1733 
 
 Oglethoepe now deemed it best to go to 
 Charleston, and there, before the Governor and 
 General Assembly, he made a formal address. 
 After thanking them for their assistance, he 
 said: 
 
 Your charitable and generous proceeding, be- 
 sides the self-satisfaction which always attends 
 such actions, will be the greatest advantage to this 
 province. You, gentlemen, are the best judges of 
 this, since the most of you have been personal wit- 
 nesses of the dangerous blows this country has 
 escaped from the French, Spanish, and Indian 
 arms. You know there was a time when every day 
 brough fresh advices of murders, ravages, and 
 burnings ; when no profession or calling was exempt 
 from arms; when the inhabitants of the province 
 were obliged to leave their wives, their families, 
 their usual occupations, and undergo all the 
 fatigues of war, for the necessary defense of the 
 country; and all their endeavors scarcely sufficient 
 to defend the western and southern frontier from 
 
 29 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 the Indians. It would be needless for me to tell 
 you, who are much better judges, how the increas- 
 ing settlements of the new colony on the southern 
 frontiers will prevent the like danger in future. 
 Nor need I tell you how much every plantation will 
 increase in value, by the safety of the province 
 being increased, since the lands to the southward 
 already sell for above double what they did when 
 the new colonists first arrived. Nor need I mention 
 the great lessening of the burdens of the people, 
 by increasing the income of the tax from the many 
 hundred thousand acres of land either taken or 
 taking up on the prospect of future security. 
 
 On Oglethorpe's return to Savannah he 
 was pleased to find awaiting him the repre- 
 sentatives of the Lower Creeks, which con- 
 sisted of eight tribes, all speaking the same 
 dialect. These Indians were tall, well-formed 
 men, had unusual skill in hunting, and were 
 also well advanced in their ideas of the rights 
 and duties of man. They had no religious 
 exercises, yet believed in the existence of a 
 supreme being, whom they called Sotolycate — 
 He who sitteth above and said that all nations 
 were descended from two brothers, one white 
 and the other red. They respected old age, 
 and exhibited some tenderness for the sorrow- 
 ing in that they refrained from speaking of 
 the dead to one who mourned, or of brothers 
 
 30 
 
Indians and the Coast Islands 
 
 to one who had lost a brother. To do so was 
 an offense justifying revenge. Suicide was 
 detested as the meanest cowardice. They 
 seemed, moreover, to realize their ignorance 
 and desired to be instructed. 
 
 Oglethorpe received them with the same 
 courtesy he would have extended to men of his 
 own nation, explaining that the English de- 
 sired neither to annoy or dispossess them, but 
 to live in friendship, to obtain from them some 
 land, and to make a treaty of friendship and 
 commerce. Onechachumpa, a giant-like war- 
 rior, replied, stating the extent of their ter- 
 ritory and power of the tribe, concluding 
 thus: 
 
 We acknowledge the superiority of the white 
 man to the red ; we are persuaded that the Great 
 Spirit who dwells above and around all has sent 
 the English here for our good ; and therefore they 
 are welcome to all the laud we do not need. 
 
 He then presented eight buckskins— one for 
 each tribe— the best things, he said, they had 
 to bestow, thanking Oglethorpe for his kind- 
 ness to Tomo Chichi, who it seems for some 
 untold reason had been banished from his 
 tribe, but on account of his wisdom and bravery 
 had been chosen chief of the Yamacraws, a 
 
 kindred tribe. 
 
 31 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Tomo ChicM entered, attended by his war- 
 riors. Bowing low, he said : 
 
 When these white men came, I feared they 
 would drive us away, for we were weak, but they 
 promised not to molest us. We wanted corn, and 
 other things, and they gave them ; and now of our 
 small means we make them presents in return. 
 Here is a buffalo-skin adorned with the head and 
 feathers of an eagle. The eagle signifies speed, the 
 buffalo strength. The English are swift as an eagle 
 and strong as a buffalo. Like the eagle they flew 
 hither over great waters, and like the buffalo 
 nothing can withstand them. But the feathers of 
 an eagle are soft and signify kindness; and the 
 skin of the buffalo is covering and signifies protec- 
 tion. Let these, then, remind them to be kind and 
 protect us. 
 
 The terms of the treaty were soon agreed 
 upon, and consisted, on the part of the Eng- 
 lish, of fair and just stipulations concerning 
 traffic, reparation for injuries, and so forth; 
 and, on the part of the Indians, a formal ceding 
 to the trustees all the land south of the Savan- 
 nah as far as the Ogeechee, with lands on the 
 coast from the Savannah to the river Alta- 
 maha, extending westward as far as the tide 
 flowed, and all the islands except a few which 
 they reserved for hunting, fishing, and bathing, 
 besides a tract on the margin of the river for 
 
 32 
 
Indians and the Coast Islands 
 
 their encampment when visiting friends in the 
 neighborhood. 
 
 A very important part of the conference 
 came at the conclusion, when Oglethorpe pre- 
 sented each chief with a laced coat, and hat, . 
 and shirt, each war-captain a gun with am- 
 munition, to the ''beloved men'' mantles of 
 coarse cloth, besides smaller presents to the 
 attendants. The Indians departed highly 
 pleased, promising ''to keep the talk in their 
 heads so long as the sun should shine or the 
 waters run into the sea. ' ' 
 
 Oglethorpe intended making a tour through 
 the northern colonies. Governor Belcher of V 
 Massachusetts had some time previous ex- 
 tended an urgent invitation from the Legis- 
 lature of his Colony, as well as from himself. 
 "It is with great pleasure," he wrote, "that 
 I congratulate you on your safe arrival in 
 America, and I have still greater in the ad- 
 vantages which these parts will reap from 
 your noble and generous pursuits of good to 
 mankind in the settlement of Georgia. May 
 God Almighty attend you with his blessing 
 and crown you with success." 
 
 But Oglethorpe did not accept the kind 
 invitation ; the young colony needed his atten- 
 tion and he gave up the expected pleasure. He 
 made instead an excursion into the interior, 
 
 33 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 attended by Captain McPherson with a detach- 
 ment of rangers. After going forty miles 
 westward, Oglethorpe selected a site on which 
 to build a fort to command the passes through 
 which the Spanish Indians traveled when they 
 invaded the Carolina colony. This fort was 
 soon afterward built, and, in honor of his early 
 patron, named Fort Argyle. His main object 
 was, of course, to protect his own colony 
 from invasion by the Spaniards of Florida. 
 There Captain McPherson was subsequently 
 stationed. 
 
 Oglethorpe now returned to Savannah, 
 and upon his arrival called together the in- 
 habitants. According to his custom, before 
 beginning any important work, he joined 
 them in a devotional service, and then pro- 
 ceeded to divide the town into wards and 
 assign the lots. In this work he looked to the 
 future, and although the inhabitants then num- 
 bered only one hundred and twenty, he laid 
 out the town as for a populous city, with large 
 squares for markets and other public needs, 
 with wide and regular streets crossing each 
 other at right angles and shaded by fine trees. 
 Even in his own lifetime he realized the wis- 
 dom of thus acting according to the motto 
 chosen for their seal, ^^Not for ourselves, but 
 others.'' The morning's work being con- 
 
 34 
 
Indians and the Coast Islands 
 
 eluded, all were invited to a substantial dinner. 
 The afternoon Oglethorpe devoted to opening 
 a court, when, by virtue of his commission, he 
 nominated a recorder and other magistrates ; 
 a session was held, a jury selected, and cases 
 tried. Hitherto Oglethorpe had exercised un- 
 divided authority over his people, but their 
 increasing numbers made it necessary to dele- 
 gate to others some of this work. 
 
 It was about this time that a colony of 
 Israelites arrived from London, coming at 
 their own expense. Some persons in England 
 were offended at this, refusing any further aid 
 to the colony if the Hebrews were allowed to 
 remain. Oglethorpe was appealed to, and, 
 in reply, praised the good conduct of the 
 Hebrews, especially commending the skill of 
 one Dr. Numis, who since his arrival had 
 rendered valuable aid to the sick among the 
 colonists, making no discrimination between 
 Jew and Gentile. Very wisely, therefore, 
 Oglethorpe refused to remove them; he had 
 no fancy for persecution, and time proved these 
 Israelites to be among the most moral and in- 
 dustrious of Savannah's citizens. 
 
 On January 23, 1734, Oglethorpe with six- 
 teen attendants started on another exploring 
 tour, this time among the islands on the south- 
 ern coast. At St. Simons they stopped to 
 
 35 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 make an observation of the latitude, and after- 
 ward discovered an island which Oglethorpe 
 named Jekyll, in honor of his old friend Sir 
 Joseph Jekyll, master of the rolls and knighted 
 by George I. On the return of this exploring 
 party they ascended the Ogeechee River, and 
 stopped at Fort Argyle, found it well finished 
 and mounted with several guns. 
 
 This excursion convinced the Governor that 
 for the sufficient defense of his colony there 
 must be a military station near the mouth of 
 the Altamaha, and a strong fort for an outpost 
 upon the island of St. Simons, and it was upon 
 a high bluff at the western side of this island 
 that Frederica was afterward built. Mean- 
 while the population of the colony had in- 
 creased by the arrival of new immigrants. 
 
 36 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 IMMIGRATION 
 1734 
 
 The Tyrolese valleys of Austria had for 
 many a year sheltered a quiet, God-fearing 
 people, busy with toy-making, wooden clocks, 
 and salt-works. Salzburg was the arch- 
 bishop's city. Far up among the beautiful 
 mountains it lay, happy and prosperous, until 
 a new bishop arose burning to trample out all 
 sign of Protestantism. Those Bible-reading 
 peasants must choose between the reading and 
 a prison. To prison they went, Bible in hand. 
 And yet the ^' Right Reverend Father" was 
 not satisfied, since the troublesome Salzburgers 
 asked that they be allowed to get together their 
 small possessions and leave the country, and 
 the Emperor had granted their request. 
 
 **Then they must go at once," said the 
 
 archbishop. And go they did, in dead of 
 
 night, no clothes, no food. Old men, delicate 
 
 women, helpless babes, the ^^ Right Reverend" 
 
 ^ 37 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 pushed out into the unknown world, 7,000 the 
 first year, 10,000 the two following. Southey 
 wrote of that sad time : 
 
 But though Catholics shut their gates against 
 them, Protestants lodged them in their houses. 
 The Count of Stolberg dined nine hundred in 
 his palace as they journeyed by; at Leipsic the 
 clergy met them at the gates, and with them en- 
 tered the town, singing Luther's hymns. The Uni- 
 versity of Wiirt ember g went out to welcome them, 
 saying afterward: "We thought it an honor to 
 receive the poor guests." Thirty-three thousand 
 pounds were raised in London for the relief of these 
 Salzburgers, many of whom settled in Georgia — 
 colonists of the best description. 
 
 It was in behalf of this persecuted people 
 that Oglethorpe had before addressed Parlia- 
 ment, and he now proposed to the trustees that 
 some of them be offered a home in Georgia. 
 They readily agreed, the invitation was given, 
 by some gladly accepted ; and so the Hermanns 
 and Dorotheas were widely scattered. A ves- 
 sel was sent to convey them to America, where, 
 under the care of Commissary von Eeck and 
 their pastors Bolzins and Gronan, they arrived 
 March 7, 1734. 
 
 Oglethorpe, who was in Charleston at the 
 time, gave them hearty welcome, and intro- 
 
 38 
 
Immigration 
 
 duced them to the Governor of South Caro- 
 lina, who received them cordially. Nor did 
 Georgia's Governor forget the bodily comfort 
 of his new colonists, but supplied them with 
 fresh provisions and vegetables brought from 
 the gardens of Savannah. A messenger was 
 despatched to that city to announce their com- 
 ing and direct the magistrates to prepare for 
 their reception. 
 
 Two days later the vessel conveying the 
 strangers sailed up the river. They were 
 filled with delight and wonder at the grand 
 forests, the verdure of the banks, the singing 
 birds, and the balmy odor of the pines. The 
 inhabitants of Savannah flocked to the shore 
 and received them with shouts of welcome, to 
 which they heartily responded, and soon 
 landed to enjoy the welcome and the feast pre- 
 pared for all. 
 
 Temporary lodgings were provided until 
 the return of Oglethorpe, who had gone to 
 Charleston intending to embark for England, 
 ^^but for the love of us Salzburgers, ' ' says 
 Von Reck, ^^he put off this voyage, being re- 
 solved to see us settled before he went. * ' 
 
 He gave them permission to select a home 
 in any part of the province. With their lead- 
 ers he went six miles up the river, and from 
 thence fifteen miles through the forest, where 
 
 39 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 they came to a green valley, well watered by 
 clear brooks, and near the margin of ^ fine 
 stream eighty feet wide. They were well 
 pleased with the locality and marked the place 
 for a settlement, after which they knelt by the 
 riverside, devoutly thanking God for having 
 brought them safely through great dangers 
 into a land of rest, and in memory thereof 
 naming their new home Ebenezer. Oglethorpe 
 had his own carpenters come to assist in build- 
 ing the houses, while he himself directed them 
 how to lay out the town. 
 
 The pastor Bolzins spoke of the Governor 
 as a man having great reverence for God and 
 his Holy Word, adding further : 
 
 So blest have been his undertakings and his 
 presence in this land, that more has been accom- 
 plished by him in one year than others would have 
 effected in many. For us he hath cared with a most 
 provident solicitude. We unite in prayers for him, 
 that God may guide him home, make his voyage 
 safe and prosperous, and enrich him with many 
 blessings. 
 
 Later on the good pastor wrote : 
 
 Some time ago I wrote to an honored friend in 
 Europe that the land in this country, if well man- 
 aged and labored, brings forth by the blessing of 
 God not only one hundred fold, but one thousand 
 
 40 
 
Immigration 
 
 fold, and I this day was confirmed therein. A 
 woman having two years ago picked out of Indian 
 corn no more than three grains of rye, and planting 
 them at Ebenezer, one of the grains produced an 
 hundred and seventy stalks and ears, and the three 
 grains yielded to her a bag of corn as large as a 
 coat pocket — ^the grains whereof were good and 
 full grown, and she desired me to send part of them 
 to a kind benefactor in Europe. 
 
 Again, in his quaint way, Bolzins wrote : 
 
 As to the present year, we have not been in 
 want of necessary provisions. We have a very 
 hopeful prospect of a good harvest, everything in 
 the fields and gardens growing so delightful as our 
 eyes have hardly seen in this country before. 
 
 If Isaac, by the blessing of God, received from 
 what he had sowed an hundredfold, I believe I dare 
 say to the praise of the great mercy of God over 
 us, our Salzburgers will get a thousandfold, not- 
 withstanding that the corn when it came out of the 
 ground was quite eaten up two or three times by 
 the worms. 
 
 The land is really fruitful, if the sins of the in- 
 habitants and the curse of God for such sins doth 
 not eat it up, which was formerly the unhappy case 
 of the blessed land of Canaan. 
 
 After such glowing accounts, one is sur- 
 prised to learn that the Salzburgers afterward 
 
 41 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 became dissatisfied with their location and 
 bent on removing, though they had much 
 ground cleared, a fine range for their cattle, 
 and confessed that they had milk in abundance, 
 fine poultry, with excellent vegetables. Ogle- 
 thorpe listened patiently to their complaints, 
 and soon discovered that they coveted a spot 
 which the Indians reserved for their own use. 
 That he would not grant, and counseled them 
 to remain where they were, yet gave his per- 
 mission for them to remove to Red Bluff, on 
 the Savannah River. 
 
 This they did, and a quaint old town they 
 made there, said to be much like the Herrn- 
 hut of Zinzendorf , thus described by Carlyle : 
 "An opulent enough, most silent, strictly regu- 
 lar little town. The women are in uniform 
 — wives, maids, widows, each their form of 
 dress. Male population, I should think, must 
 be mainly doing trade elsewhere; nothing 
 but prayers, preaching, charitable boarding 
 schooling, and the like appeared to be going 
 on. Herrnhut is a Sabbath petrified; Cal- 
 vinistic Sabbath done in stone." But we do 
 not find Herrnhut quite like the town these 
 Salzburger brethren established in Georgia, 
 of which the same famous Scotchman says: 
 *^ There at Ebenezer, I calculate they might 
 go ahead after the questionable fashion of that 
 
 42 
 
Immigration 
 
 country, and increase and swell; — but have 
 never heard of them since. ^ ' 
 
 Possibly there are some other things in 
 America of which Carlyle had never heard. 
 Nevertheless, these Salzburgers were heard 
 from in much that was good and praiseworthy. 
 To this day, their county of Effingham owns 
 the influence of those peace-loving Salzburg- 
 ers, who for many years had no courts of 
 justice, but referred all disputed matters to 
 their pastors and elders, and, if now courts are 
 held there, we are informed that the busi- 
 ness, both civil and criminal, is finished in 
 one day! 
 
 No vestige of the old town of Ebenezer re- 
 mains except the church, built of bricks made 
 by the Salzburgers, using lime which they pro- 
 cured from shells found on the Atlantic coast. 
 A stately row of cedars leads from the church 
 to the cemetery, where one finds a monument 
 inscribed to the memory of Bolzins and Gro- 
 nan, faithful pastors of the church which they 
 had devoutly named ^ ^ Jerusalem. ' ' 
 
 This church [says Strobel, in his History of the 
 Salzburgers] is surmounted by a neat belfry, on 
 top of which is a swan, said to be Luther's coat of 
 arms, and frequently placed on the spires of Lu- 
 theran churches in Europe. There is a curious tradi- 
 tion that when John Huss was burned he remarked : 
 
 43 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 ''You this day burn a goose" (Huss signifies 
 goose), ''but one hundred years hence a swan will 
 arise whom you will not be able to burn. ' ' 
 
 There still exists at Bethel a chalice of solid 
 gold, presented to these Salzburgers by the 
 will of a young man who lay dying in Austria. 
 Engraved upon it is this inscription: "Such 
 wishes to the dear Salzburgers in Ebenezer, at 
 every time they partake of the holy com- 
 munion ; by George Matthias Kiderlin, a young 
 man in Nordlingen, who thought of them 
 shortly before his end. . . . Whoever sits 
 down to the table of the Lord with us and our 
 faith, he will be refreshed with the blood of 
 the Lamb of God, and trust in his salvation." 
 
 Sad times befell the old church in the days 
 of the Revolution. A recent writer says: 
 "Even now you may see dark rough places 
 on the walls where the plaster refuses to stick, 
 owing to the grease that the bricks absorbed 
 from royal bacon piled up in it during those 
 years. But the crowning indignity came 
 when the soldiers quartered their horses in the 
 sacred place and used it as a stable until the 
 close of the war. ' ' 
 
 The Salzburgers have gradually amal- 
 gamated with the other inhabitants of Geor- 
 gia, and have furnished many good and noble 
 
 44 
 
o 
 o 
 
 of 
 
 M 
 
 o 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 H 
 
Immigration 
 
 citizens to the State. They can be found in 
 nearly every town and county, and are almost 
 invariably among the most highly respected 
 and prosperous. Georgia owes much of her 
 history and her greatness to the colony estab- 
 lished at Ebenezer. 
 
 45 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 EETUEN TO ENGLAND 
 1734 
 
 Oglethorpe's departure to England had 
 been postponed by the arrival of the Salzburg- 
 ers. After locating them, he returned to 
 Savannah, placed the colony in charge of Mr. 
 Thomas Causton, storekeeper and bailiff, and, 
 after fifteen months spent in labors for the 
 colony, bade them adieu and started to Eng- 
 land. Said one who was present and followed 
 him to the boat : * ^ They could not restrain their 
 tears when they saw him go, who was their 
 benefactor and their father, who had carefully 
 watched over them as a shepherd does over 
 his sheep, and who had so tender care of them 
 both day and night. ' ' 
 
 He was accompanied by Tomo Chichi, with 
 his wife, his nephew, and his war-captain Hilli- 
 spilli, besides six chiefs of other tribes, with 
 attendants and an interpreter. Oglethorpe's 
 object in inducing these Indians to go with him 
 was that they might see so much of Great 
 
 46 
 
Return to England 
 
 Britain and her institutions as would convince 
 them of her power and dignity. 
 
 On March 7th they embarked on the Aid- 
 borough, and June 16th arrived at the Isle of 
 Wight, from whence he wrote to Sir John 
 Phillips, Bart., announcing their arrival and 
 telling him of the welfare of the Salzburgers, 
 of whom he spoke as '^a very sensible, active, 
 laborious, and pious people,'' adding as he 
 closed his letter : 
 
 I shall leave the Indians at my estate till I go 
 to the city, where I shall have the happiness to 
 wait upon you and to relate all things to you more 
 fully, over which you will rejoice and wonder. 
 
 A grand entertainment was given in honor 
 of the Governor of the Georgia colony, a spe- 
 cial meeting was called by the trustees, and 
 a unanimous vote of thanks enthusiastically 
 given for the zeal and ability with which he 
 had managed the settlement. Magazines and 
 papers were full of his praises, a prize poem 
 was called for, even as at this day, and one 
 entitled The Christian Hero won the gold 
 medal, which bore on one side the head of Lady 
 Hastings, and on the other Oglethorpe's, with 
 the words ^^ England may challenge the 
 world. ' ' Unfortunately, as we learn from the 
 Gentleman's Magazine of London, 1785, only 
 
 47 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 a few specimens of this medal were struck off, 
 and the die was destroyed. 
 
 The Indians were comfortably entertained 
 at the Georgia Office. Attired in their native 
 costumes with faces painted after the Indian 
 fashion, they were taken to the royal palace, 
 and presented to the King. 
 
 Oglethorpe earnestly desired that the In- 
 dians be instructed in secular and religious 
 knowledge, and seemed already to have in- 
 spired them with like feelings. To increase 
 their desire for instruction, he had induced 
 them to visit England, and now, for their 
 benefit, urged his friend Bishop Wilson to 
 prepare a simple manual of religious instruc- 
 tion, which he could have translated into their 
 language. From a letter previously written, 
 we learn his estimate of Indian character after 
 the fifteen months of intercourse with them. 
 He wrote : 
 
 There seems to be a door opened to our colony 
 toward the conversion of the Indians. I have had 
 many conversations with their chief men, the whole 
 tenor of which shows that there is nothing wanting 
 to their conversion but one to explain to them the 
 mysteries of religion; for as to the moral part of 
 Christianity, they understand it and do assent to 
 it. They abhor adultery and do not approve a 
 plurality of wives. Theft is a thing not knowu 
 
 48 
 
Return to England 
 
 among the Creek nation, though frequent and even 
 honorable among the Uchees. Murder they look 
 upon as an abominable crime, but do not esteem the 
 killing of an enemy, or one who has injured them, 
 as murder. 
 
 The passion of revenge, which they call honor, 
 and drunkenness, which they learn from our 
 traders, seem to be the two great obstacles to their 
 becoming Christians. But upon both these points 
 they hear reason. 
 
 As for revenge, they say they have no executive 
 power among them, and are forced to kill the man 
 who has injured them in order to prevent others 
 doing the like ; but they do not consider any injury, 
 except adultery or murder, deserves revenge. In 
 cases of murder, the next in blood must kill the 
 murderer, or else is looked upon as infamous. 
 
 Their kings can only persuade. All the power 
 they have is no more than to call together their old 
 men and captains, and propound to them the meas- 
 ures they think proper. These reason together with 
 great temper and modesty, then call in the young 
 men. They seem to me both in action and expression 
 to be thorough masters of eloquence. In speaking to 
 young men, they generally address the passions; 
 in speaking to their old men, they appeal to reason 
 only. One of the Cherokee nation being come be- 
 fore the Governor, was told he need fear nothing 
 but might speak freely. He answered : "I always 
 speak freely, what should I fear ? I am among my 
 friends, and I never feared even my enemies!" 
 
 49 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 The Gentleman's Magazine of a later day 
 related an incident given by Oglethorpe of an 
 Indian chief, a man after his own heart. 
 When asked by some retreating troops to 
 march with them, he replied : ' ^ No ! I will not 
 stir a foot till I see every man belonging to 
 me marched off before me; I have always 
 been the first in advancing toward an enemy, 
 and the last in retreating. ' ' 
 
 Oglethorpe now urged the trustees to send 
 out missionaries. In complying with his de- 
 sires, they sought eligible men who would go 
 to Georgia to officiate as ministers in Savan- 
 nah and to instruct the Indians. Among the 
 friends who had most heartily welcomed Ogle- 
 thorpe on his return to England was the 
 Rev. Samuel Wesley, who addressed him, if 
 extravagantly, yet sincerely, as '^Universal 
 Benefactor of Mankind, '^ and in a letter of 
 welcome said: 
 
 It is not only your valuable favors to my son 
 Samuel, late of Westminster, and to myself when 
 I was a little pressed in the world, nor to your ex- 
 treme charity to the poor prisoners, that so much 
 demand my earnest acknowledgments, as your dis- 
 interested, unmovable attachment to your country 
 and your raising a new colony — or rather a little 
 world of your own — in the midst of a wild wood 
 where men may live free and happy ^if they are not 
 
 50 
 
Return to England 
 
 hindered by their own stupidity and folly) in spite 
 of the unkindness of their brother mortals. 
 
 John Wesley, a son of this Rev. Sam- 
 uel, being known to one of the trustees as a 
 man of ^^ abstemious habits and readiness to 
 endure hardships, '^ was by him proposed for 
 this office of missionary. Oglethorpe, al- 
 though acquainted with the father, was not 
 sufficiently intimate with either of the sons to 
 judge of their fitness for the position. They 
 had gained notoriety at the university by liv- 
 ing according to certain strict rules of their 
 own, which gave them the name of ^^Method- 
 ists.'' John's views were, at that time, unset- 
 tled and peculiar. Said his father, writing to 
 his eldest son : ^ ^ I sat myself down to try if I 
 could unravel John's sophisms, and hardly 
 one of his assertions appeared to me to be uni- 
 versally true. ' ' 
 
 The board, however, made him the offer. 
 He at first hesitated. His father had recently 
 died, but being encouraged by his mother and 
 advised by his friends to accept, he at length 
 consented. It was afterward decided that his 
 brother Charles should accompany him. Said 
 their pious mother, writing from her home at 
 Epworth : ' ^ Had I twenty sons, I would rejoice 
 to see them all thus employed, though I should 
 never see them more. ' ' 
 
 51 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 In the same consecrated spirit she had be- 
 fore written to her son John: ^^ Resolve to 
 make religion the business of your life. I 
 heartily wish that you would now enter upon 
 a strict examination of yourself, that you may 
 know whether you have a reasonable hope of 
 salvation by Jesus Christ. If you have the 
 satisfaction of knowing, it will abundantly re- 
 ward your pains; if you have not, you will 
 find a more reasonable occasion for tears than 
 can be met with in any tragedy. . . . Would 
 you judge of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of 
 pleasures, take this rule: whatever weakens 
 your reason, impairs the tenderness of your 
 conscience, obscures your sense of God, or 
 takes off the relish of spiritual things — in 
 short, whatever increases the strength or 
 authority of the body over the mind, that thing 
 is sin to you, however innocent it may be in 
 itself. '^ 
 
 52 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 PARLIAMENT AND THE SLAVE TRADE 
 1734 
 
 Parliament was at this time in session, 
 and Oglethorpe was not idle. He spoke on 
 various questions, but laws for the benefit of 
 Georgia were nearest to his heart. The first 
 was a bill to prohibit the importation and sale 
 of rum, brandy, and other distilled liquors. In 
 spite of previous efforts, the Carolina traders 
 supplied the Indians and colonists with smug- 
 gled spirits, which produced not only dis- 
 orderly conduct but disease. The bill did not 
 prohibit the use of wine or English beer. A 
 century later Oglethorpe might have learned 
 the danger lurking even in these in that 
 climate, and his broad, unselfish nature would 
 have responded by denying himself lest he 
 ^ ^ cause his brother to offend. ' ' 
 
 Another statute which engaged his atten- 
 tion was ''an act for rendering the province of 
 Georgia more defensible by prohibiting the 
 importation of black slaves or negroes into the 
 5 53 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 same.'' The bill was strenuously opposed. 
 Said the Earl of Dartmouth: ^'We can not 
 allow the colonies to check or discourage in any 
 degree a tralBfic so beneficial to the nation.'' 
 
 A tract entitled The African Slave Trade, 
 the Pillar and Support of the British Planta- 
 tion Trade in America, argued thus : ' ' Negro 
 labor will keep our colonies in due subservi- 
 ency to the interests of their mother country. ' ' 
 The royal instruction from Queen Anne to the 
 Governor had been : ^ ^ Give due encouragement 
 to merchants, and in particular to the Royal 
 African Company, of England. ' ' 
 
 It was against this spirit, and against the 
 fact that the other colonies north and south 
 were receiving and owning slaves, that Ogle- 
 thorpe had to contend. ^ ^ My friends and I, ' ' 
 he wrote afterward, ^^ settled the colony of 
 Georgia, and by charter were established trus- 
 tees. We determined not to suffer slavery 
 there, but the slave merchants and their ad- 
 herents not only occasioned us much trouble, 
 but at last got the Government to sanction 
 them." At this period, however, the bill to 
 prohibit the importation of slaves was passed, 
 and not until Oglethorpe had severed his con- 
 nection with the colony were they brought in. 
 
 In the discussion before Parliament the 
 Georgia Governor seemed to stand alone on 
 
 54 
 
Parliament and the Slave Trade 
 
 this important question, most of them agreeing 
 with Burke, who remarked : " These regula- 
 tions, though well intended and meant to bring 
 about excellent purposes, were made without 
 duly considering the nature of the coun- 
 try or the disposition of the people which they 
 regarded. ' ' 
 
 The Governor of Massachusetts, then a 
 slave-owning colony, was wiser than some of 
 his constituents. Said he: *^I insist upon it 
 that the prohibitory regulations of the trustees 
 are essential to the healthy and prosperous 
 condition of the colony. ' ' 
 
 Two reasons had been given by the trustees 
 for forbidding the purchase of slaves: the 
 vicinity of the Spaniards, who constantly in- 
 stigated them to insurrections, and the injus- 
 tice to the white laborer, with whom they 
 would come in conflict. Oglethorpe expressed 
 a higher motive. *^ Slavery," said he, *4s 
 against the Gospel, as well as the fundamental 
 law of England. We refused as trustees to 
 make a law permitting such a horrid crime." 
 A few years later, when some of the colonists 
 requested that slaves be allowed to come in, 
 he sternly refused, declaring that if negroes 
 were introduced into Georgia, ^^he would have 
 no further concern with the colony. ' ' 
 
 While Oglethorpe remained in England a 
 
 55 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 few discouraging reports were sent from Geor- 
 gia, but on the whole much that was cheering, 
 especially that the people had gathered a fine 
 crop of Indian corn, upward of one thousand 
 bushels, and that Savannah was in a prosper- 
 ous condition. The trustees received from the 
 Indians a curious missive expressive of thanks 
 for the attention bestowed on Tomo Chichi and 
 his companions. This was the dressed skin of 
 a young buffalo, covered with figures printed 
 in black and red. AVlien delivered in Savan- 
 nah, it was translated in the presence of fifty 
 chiefs, after which the hieroglyphic skin was 
 sent to England, there framed and hung in the 
 Georgia Office, Westminster. 
 
 At this time the silk industry promised 
 well, and from time to time specimens of the 
 raw silk were sent to the trustees. In May, 
 1735, some of these were exhibited to Queen 
 Caroline, who was so well pleased that she 
 ordered them woven and a dress made, in 
 which she appeared in court on her birthday. 
 It is a matter of surprise and regret that this 
 industry should have been abandoned in the 
 State, when, one hundred and sixty years ago, 
 a Queen of England appeared in Georgia 
 silk! 
 
 In this Georgia beehive, as in all busy 
 places, the usual number of drones were found. 
 Neither gratitude to their benefactors nor their 
 
 56 
 
Parliament and the Slave Trade 
 
 own future good were sufficient incentives to 
 industry and economy. They really impeded 
 the progress of the more industrious and 
 worthy colonists. The trustees determined 
 for the future to be still more careful to secure 
 only the best class of settlers. More stringent 
 laws were made. From an official report we 
 learn that all applicants were informed that 
 they must undergo great hardships at the first 
 and exercise much industry afterward; that, 
 although they should have lands forever, and 
 free provisions for twelve months, these lands 
 must be cleared and cultivated before they 
 could reap a harvest, and in the meantime they 
 must live chiefly on salt meat, and drink but 
 little water; that they must keep constant 
 guard against their enemies ; that the climate 
 was hot in summer and dangerous to those who 
 indulged in spirituous liquors — in short, that 
 the most rigid temperance was necessary to 
 preserve health and substance. With sobriety, 
 industry, and trust in God they could establish 
 homes for themselves and their children; 
 otherwise, they were warned not to emigrate 
 to Georgia. 
 
 Some were disheartened and gave up, but 
 their places were filled by a better class. 
 Especially in Scotland had the proposal of 
 the trustees been well received, and 130 
 Highlanders, with fifty women and chil- 
 
 57 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 dren, embarked for Georgia, arriving in 
 January, 1736. Lingering a few days in 
 Savannah, they then traveled southward. On 
 the left bank of the Altamaha, about sixteen 
 miles above St. Simons, they selected a town 
 site, calling it after their Scotch home, New 
 Inverness — a name afterward changed to 
 Darien. 
 
 The town council of Inverness, Scotland, 
 gratefully expressed their appreciation of the 
 kindness of Oglethorpe to the Highlanders by 
 conferring upon him the honor of a burgess of 
 the town. A greater honor and satisfaction 
 he realized afterward in the services of these 
 gallant and efficient men, among whom were 
 the McKays, the Mclntoshes, the McLeods, 
 and their brave countrymen. 
 
 Oglethorpe was still in England, making 
 preparations for an even larger embarkation. 
 Two vessels were chartered by the trustees and 
 a sloop of war placed at his disposal. Besides 
 220 English emigrants, there were sixty more 
 Salzburgers, and some independent adventur- 
 ers, among whom were Sir Thomas Bathurst 
 and his family. 
 
 Besides these Salzburgers, there were, it is 
 recorded, ^^ other poor Protestants of Ger- 
 many.'' These, we may suppose, were the 
 Moravians, of whom the Gentleman's Maga- 
 
 58 
 
Parliament and the Slave Trade 
 
 zine said: ^^In consequence of the oppression 
 which they suffered in Bohemia, the United 
 Brethren, or Moravians, resolved to emigrate 
 to the new colony of Georgia, whither the Salz- 
 burgers have already gone." They appealed 
 to Count Zinzendorf, who applied to the trus- 
 tees and secured for them a free passage and 
 grant of land. ^^They established them- 
 selves,'' says Hildreth, *'on the Ogeechee 
 River, south of Savannah.'' Of their prog- 
 ress we may quote the following from Grantz 's 
 History of the United Brethren : ' ' The Breth- 
 ren began their settlement in the town near 
 Savannah, and God so blessed their industry 
 that they were not only soon in the capacity 
 of maintaining themselves, but were also serv- 
 iceable to their neighbors. They erected a 
 schoolhouse for the children of the Indians, on 
 the river Savannah, four English miles above 
 the town. There, King Tschatschi came to 
 see, as he expressed it, *how they might hear 
 the great Word. ' ' ' 
 
 This school they rightly named Irene, 
 for their motto was ^* peace," and with the 
 savages, as with all the world, they were al- 
 ways in peace. Ever industrious, they were 
 especially successful in raising silkworms, pro- 
 ducing soon 10,000 pounds a year of raw silk, 
 and also making indigo a staple. 
 
 59 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Oglethorpe was sorely tried because of 
 their peculiar belief, which forbade their bear- 
 ing arms even in the sorest need of the colony, 
 yet he never regretted offering them a home 
 among his people, who could but profit by their 
 upright example. In later years some of 
 them removed to Pennsylvania, settling the 
 towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth, which do 
 honor to their memory. They had prospered 
 in Georgia, and on leaving honorably refunded 
 the money paid for their passage across the sea. 
 
 Now we return to those who sailed with 
 these Moravians on October 20th. On account 
 of bad weather the vessels were forced to 
 anchor for some time in the Downs, and again 
 at St. Helens. The delay, with so many per- 
 sons in idleness, was expensive to the trustees, 
 and the emigrants were losing the most useful 
 season for cultivating their lands. Finally, 
 on December 10th, they put to sea. Ogle- 
 thorpe chose to go in one of the ships crowded 
 with passengers, that he might be able to care 
 for them on the voyage. 
 
 He was well assisted by Mr. Francis Moore, 
 whom the trustees had appointed keeper of the 
 stores. The Wesleys also were with him, and 
 frequently in his cabin. Mr. Wesley said that 
 on one of these occasions the officers and cer- 
 tain gentlemen who had been invited in with 
 
 60 
 
Parliament and the Slave Trade 
 
 them took some liberties with the clergymen, 
 not liking their gravity. Oglethorpe was 
 roused at their conduct and exclaimed: ''What 
 do you mean, sirs! Do you take these gentle- 
 men for tithe-pig parsons! They are gentle- 
 men of learning and respectability; they are 
 my friends, and whoever affronts them insults 
 me!'' The missionaries were treated there- 
 after with the greatest respect. The voyagers 
 had prayers twice a day, the missionaries 
 catechized the children, and on Sundays ad- 
 ministered the sacrament, while the dissenters 
 sang psalms and worshiped in their own way. 
 Oglethorpe had laid in a large supply of 
 live stock and various dainties, which he 
 shared not only with his friends, but his table 
 was always full, the captain, the missionaries, 
 and others being ever welcome. On February 
 4th the joyful cry of land was heard, and two 
 days after they anchored near Tybee Island, 
 at the mouth of the Savannah River. Landing 
 on a small island opposite Tybee, Oglethorpe 
 led them to a rising ground, where they all knelt 
 to give thanks for their safe arrival. After 
 showing them how to dig a well and making 
 some other arrangements for their comfort, 
 Oglethorpe left them with their ships and took 
 boat for Savannah, where he was received with 
 a salute of twenty-one guns from the fort. 
 
 61 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 He was surprised and gratified at the im- 
 provenients made in the town. Three years 
 before it was a dense forest; now there were 
 two hundred dwellings, some of them two and 
 three stories high. The town was governed 
 by three bailiffs. Laws were made and cases 
 tried as in England, with this difference : " no 
 lawyers were allowed to plead for hire, nor 
 attorneys to make money; but every man 
 pleaded his own cause. ' ' The public gardens 
 were the pride of the town, and the Governor 
 was especially pleased with their flourishing 
 condition. The coldest quarter was planted 
 with apples, pears, plums, while in the south- 
 ern exposure were growing olives, figs, pome- 
 granates, and vines. In one sunny spot was 
 a collection of tropical plants, coffee, cotton, 
 and palma-Christi, which had been sent from 
 the West Indies. A large part of the ground 
 had been planted with white-mulberry trees, 
 forming a nursery from which the settlers were 
 to be supplied in their culture of silkworms. 
 
 62 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 TEOUBLES AMONG THE SETTLEES 
 1735-1736 
 
 In the silk industry Oglethorpe was dis- 
 appointed. The Italians brought from Pied- 
 mont went on well for a time, then, quarreling 
 among themselves, one of them destroyed the 
 machines for winding, spoiled many of the 
 eggs, stole more, and ran away to Carolina. 
 No more silk could be wound that year. Ogle- 
 thorpe ordered the Italian women to teach 
 English girls their part of the work and the 
 men to instruct the gardeners in the care of 
 the mulberry-trees, hoping to start anew the 
 next year. 
 
 The view of the river was encouraging. 
 Besides the smaller boats, there lay at the 
 wharf two vessels, one a ship crowded with 
 emigrants ; on a large island opposite numbers 
 of cattle grazed ; westward, as the river wound 
 through the forest, it flowed past the young 
 towns of Westbrook, Purrysburgh, and other 
 villages ; to the south might be seen Highgate 
 
 63 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 and Hampstead, and eastward the river broad- 
 ened to the sea, where lay the English shipping. 
 
 With great satisfaction the good Governor 
 beheld these improvements, but amid it all 
 did not forget the people lately arrived at 
 Tybee. Already he had ordered refreshments 
 sent down to them, and on the 8th himself re- 
 turned in a boat laden with fresh beef, pork, 
 venison, wild turkeys, fresh bread, beer, and 
 vegetables. 
 
 During his absence some Carolina sutlers 
 had visited the ships and smuggled rum on 
 board, but the officers discovered it and 
 promptly ordered the kegs to be staved. In 
 revenge, the traders spread reports among the 
 immigrants that all who went south would be 
 massacred by the Spaniards and Indians. The 
 Germans, becoming alarmed, begged to be sent 
 to Ebenezer. Captain Hermsdorf, however, 
 expressed his desire to serve with the English 
 to the last. 
 
 The Scotch Highlanders were undaunted. 
 * * If the Spaniards use us ill, ' ' said they, ^ ^ we 
 will drive them out of their fort, and so have 
 houses ready built to our hands. '* The Gov- 
 ernor assured them that the reports were false, 
 that the Spaniards were at peace with them, 
 and the Indians in alliance. ^ ^ Still, ' ' said he, 
 ^'caution is the mother of safety, and, there- 
 
 64 
 
Troubles Among the Settlers 
 
 fore, it is fitting to keep the men to arms and 
 discipline, and for that reason I shall be glad 
 of your assistance. ^ ' 
 
 After three hours' stay he left them, for 
 there were other settlers whose interests must 
 not be neglected. To assist the Highlanders 
 at Darien he sent fifty rangers and one hun- 
 dred workmen with Captain McPherson. He 
 appointed surveyors to inspect the country be- 
 tween the Savannah and the Altamaha, with 
 a view to opening a road to Darien ; procured 
 for them Indian guides, packhorses to carry 
 provisions, and detailed an officer with a party 
 of rangers to escort them. 
 
 On the 12th he again visited the ships at 
 Tybee, and there also came Tomo Chichi with 
 his wife, ' ' Scenaukay, " and his nephew, 
 bringing presents of venison, honey, and milk. 
 Being introduced to the missionaries, the old 
 chief said: ''I am glad you are come. When 
 I was in England I desired that some one 
 would speak the great Word to me. I will go 
 up and speak to the wise men of our nation, 
 and I hope they will hear. But we would not 
 be made Christians as these Spaniards make 
 Christians, we would be taught before we are 
 baptized.'' Scenaukay then presented the 
 missionaries with two large jars, one of honey 
 and one of milk, and invited them to Yama- 
 
 65 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 craw to teach their children, saying the milk 
 represented food for their children, the honey 
 their good wishes. Tomo Chichi informed 
 Oglethorpe that he had kept for two months 
 "runners" awaiting his coming, and on his 
 arrival had sent them to notify the Creeks, 
 and that he had despatched a party of In- 
 dians to help the Highlanders at Darien. 
 
 He then presented a complaint from the 
 Uchees that, contrary to agreement, cattle had 
 been brought into their territory, and that 
 planters from Carolina had brought negroes 
 and settled therein. Oglethorpe promptly 
 sent orders for them to withdraw within three 
 days both negroes and cattle, or be arrested 
 for trial in Savannah. At the same time he 
 issued a proclamation calling attention to the 
 act for maintaining peace with the Indians. 
 
 He had been much troubled by the delay 
 in transporting the new settlers to their future 
 home. The mates of the English vessels were 
 timid, afraid to risk the navigation of Jekyll 
 Sound. To prove that they exaggerated the 
 dangers, he bought at a high price the sloop 
 Midnight with her cargo, on condition that it 
 should be delivered at a station on the Alta- 
 maha. He sent on board thirty of the old 
 colonists, trained soldiers, with arms and am- 
 munition, and ordered them to proceed to St. 
 
 66 
 
Troubles Among the Settlers 
 
 Simons. He himself, with a few Indians, set 
 out for the same place in a scout boat, and, 
 being in haste, the crew rowed night and day. 
 Though they had stormy weather, the men 
 worked willingly, vying with each other to 
 please their Governor. Said one of the pas- 
 sengers: "He lightened their fatigue by giv- 
 ing them refreshments, which he spared from 
 himself rather than let them want." 
 
 The Indians, seeing how hard the crew 
 labored, desired to take the oars, and rowed 
 well, only differing from the others by making 
 a short and long stroke alternately, which they 
 called the "Yamasee stroke." In and out 
 through the passages between the islands 
 skirting the coast, the straits varying in width 
 from two hundred yards to more than a mile, 
 they rowed steadily, reaching St. Simons after 
 two days' travel. There they found the Mid- 
 night, and Oglethorpe handsomely rewarded 
 the captain for being the first to enter the 
 port. 
 
 Immediately after landing he set all hands 
 to work, making a booth to hold the stores. 
 Digging the ground three feet deep, they threw 
 up earth to form a bank, on which poles were 
 raised to support a roof. The whole was well 
 covered with palmetto-leaves. Similar booths 
 were made for the temporary abode of the 
 
 67 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 families, and, after a hard day's work, all en- 
 joyed a plentiful feast of game and venison 
 brought in by the Indians. On the three days 
 following Oglethorpe instructed the men in 
 building a fort, digging ditches and turfing 
 the ramparts, and then left them for Darien. 
 
 The Highlanders there received him ^4n 
 martial style, with broadswords, targets, and 
 firearms." *'The commanding officer, Cap- 
 tain Mackay, invited him to sleep in his tent 
 and enjoy the soft bed with Holland sheets 
 and plaid curtains, a rare comfort in that part 
 of the world ; but he chose to lie at the guard 
 fire, wrapped in his own plaid, for, in com- 
 pliment to the Scots, he wore a Highland 
 costume. ' ' 
 
 Possibly Oglethorpe recalled these volun- 
 tary hardships when, forty years later, as Bos- 
 well relates, he discussed with Dr. Johnson the 
 subject of luxury. *^ Depend upon it, sir," 
 said Dr. Johnson, ^^ every state of society is 
 as luxurious as it can be ; men always take the 
 best they can get. " '^ But, ' ' said Oglethorpe, 
 ^ ^ the best depends much upon ourselves, and if 
 we can be well satisfied with plain things, we 
 are in the wrong to accustom ourselves or our 
 palates to what is high-seasoned and expen- 
 sive. What says Addison in his Cato, speak- 
 ing of the Numidian I 
 
 68 
 
Troubles Among the Settlers 
 
 Coarse are his meals, the fortune of the chase ; 
 Amid the running stream he slakes his thirst, 
 Toils all the day, and at the approach of night 
 On the first friendly bank he throws him down, 
 Or rests his head upon a rock till morn ; 
 And if the following day he chance to find 
 A new repast, or an untasted spring, 
 Blesses his stars and thinks it luxury. 
 
 Let us have that kind of luxury, sir, if you 
 will." 
 
 The Highlanders at Darien had already 
 built a fort and planted four cannon; also a 
 guardhouse, a store, and a chapel. 
 
 Several Indians who lived near brought 
 them venison and other game. They were 
 more than friendly, and Spalding, in his mem- 
 oir of Mcintosh, tells us: ^^The costume of 
 the Highland clansman, his cap and plume, 
 his kilt and plaid, soon became very dear to 
 the red man of the woods. They mingled in 
 their sports and hunted buffalo together — 
 for the woods of Georgia were then as full of 
 buffaloes as the plains of Missouri are now, 
 and the writer of this tale was told when a 
 boy by General Lachlin Mcintosh that when 
 a youth he had seen ten thousand buffalo 
 within ten miles." After a short visit at 
 Darien, Oglethorpe returned to Frederica, on 
 St. Simons Island, and from there to his immi- 
 grants at Tybee. 
 
 6 69 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 INDIAN TROUBLES 
 1736 
 
 The island of St. Simons was about fif- 
 teen miles long and from two to five broad. A 
 few acres had been cleared by the Indians, the 
 rest was covered with beautiful forests. Wild 
 vines gave promise of future vineyards ; game 
 abounded, there being no lack of rabbits, squir- 
 rels, partridges, besides the more-desired wild 
 turkey and roebuck. 
 
 These were the pleasant things, but it 
 should be added that there were rattlesnakes 
 in the woods, and in the sound frightful alli- 
 gators. ^' These so frightened the settlers,'* 
 says Mr. Francis Moore, ^Hhat Oglethorpe 
 once had one brought up into the town of 
 Savannah and encouraged the boys to beat it 
 with sticks that they might not be afraid of the 
 monster. ' ' 
 
 The season was far advanced, yet Ogle- 
 thorpe hired laborers who knew the nature of 
 the country to instruct the colonists in plant- 
 
 70 
 
Indian Troubles 
 
 ing, with a view to the next season's work. 
 The soil was sandy, with a mixture of rich 
 mold. Good water could be found within ten 
 feet of the surface of the ground. 
 
 The Creek Indians had now confirmed their 
 grants of territory, and Tomo Chichi came 
 down with them to point out the boundary- 
 lines. Oglethorpe was not ready to go, there- 
 fore the Indians proposed to hunt buffalo on 
 the mainland while waiting. But the Gov- 
 ernor feared to trust them, knowing their 
 hatred to the Spaniards, and he suspected that 
 they meant to annoy them. He therefore de- 
 cided to postpone other matters and go at once, 
 especially as he was growing anxious for the 
 safety of Mr. Dempsey, who had been sent as 
 commissioner to confer with the Spanish Gov- 
 ernor of Florida, and had not been heard from. 
 
 In two scout boats, with forty Indian war- 
 riors and chosen hunters, Oglethorpe set out, 
 leaving Frederica in charge of Captain Herms- 
 dorf . They rowed across Jekyll Sound, sleep- 
 ing the first night in a grove of pines on the 
 mainland, and the next day reached an island 
 called by the Indians Wisso or Sassafras. 
 Tomo Chichi now changed its name to Cum- 
 berland, in honor of the young prince who had 
 been so gracious to them in England. The 
 prince had given to Tooanahowi a gold re- 
 
 71 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 peater. Holding the watch in his hand, the 
 Indian said: ^^The duke gave us this watch 
 that we might know how time passes. We will 
 remember him at all times, and therefore give 
 this island his name.'' Oglethorpe here 
 marked out a fort, to be called St. Andrews, 
 and left Captain Mackay with a few High- 
 landers to superintend the building. 
 
 Eowing on through shoals and narrow 
 passes among the marshes, they came to an 
 island which, for its exceeding beauty, the 
 Spaniards had named Santa Maria. Orange- 
 trees were covered with blossoms, and wild 
 vines clung in profusion to the odorous 
 branches. In honor of the princess of Eng- 
 land, Oglethorpe changed its name to Amelia. 
 The next island was the San Juan of the Span- 
 iards, which name they changed to Georgia, 
 after their King. On this was the old fort 
 supposed to have been built by Sir Francis 
 Drake, and Captain Hermsdorf was sent to 
 repair and occupy it. 
 
 Climbing some rocky heights, Tomo Chichi 
 pointed out to the governor the St. Johns 
 River, the boundary-line of the Spanish pos- 
 sessions. A house on the farther side, Tomo 
 Chichi said, was the Spanish guard-house. 
 "All on this side the river we hunt," said the 
 chief; "it is our ground. All on the other 
 
 72 
 
Indian Troubles 
 
 side they hunt, but they have lately hurt some 
 of our people, and we shall drive them away. 
 We will stay until night behind these rocks, 
 where they can not see us, then we will fall 
 upon them." 
 
 It was with much difficulty that Oglethorpe 
 persuaded them not to attack the Spaniards, 
 but to return to the palmetto grounds near 
 Amelia Island, where he promised to meet 
 them. Leaving with them Mr. Horton and 
 one of the scout boats, he went in the other to 
 the Spanish guard-house to inquire what had 
 become of Mr. Dempsey, who had been sent to 
 St. Augustine to treat with the Spaniards. He 
 could see no one in either the upper or lower 
 lookout, and at night returned to the palmetto 
 grounds, where he found all except Tomo 
 Chichi, who had gone on. 
 
 In the night the sentinel challenged a boat. 
 An Indian answered, jumped out, and was fol- 
 lowed by three others. They were in a terri- 
 ble rage, and said, in reply to Oglethorpe's 
 questions: ^^Tomo Chichi has seen enemies, 
 and has sent us to tell you and to help you.'' 
 ^^Why did not Tomo Chichi come back?" 
 * ^ Tomo Chichi is an old warrior, and will not 
 come away from his enemies till he has seen 
 them so near as to count them. He saw their 
 fires, and before daylight will be revenged for 
 
 73 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 the men whom they killed while he was away ; 
 but we shall have no honor, for we shall not 
 be there/' And their eyes glared with rage 
 over this indignity. When asked if there were 
 many, they said : ^ ' Yes, a great many, for they 
 had a large fire on high ground, and Indians 
 never make large fires except when so strong 
 as to defy all resistance. ' ' 
 
 Oglethorpe ordered all his men into the 
 boats, and rowed rapidly to where Tomo Chi- 
 chi lay, about four miles away. The old man 
 said he had seen eight white men around a fire, 
 but he believed the Indians had concealed 
 themselves in the woods, and he was bent on 
 attacking them at once. With great difficulty 
 Oglethorpe obtained a short delay, but soon 
 the Indians, thinking it looked like cowardice, 
 determined to go in spite of his commands. 
 ^^Then,'' said Oglethorpe, ^^you go to kill 
 your enemies in the night because you are 
 afraid of them by the day. Now I do not fear 
 them at any time. Therefore wait until day, 
 and I will go with you and see who they are. ' ' 
 
 This speech had the desired effect. Tomo 
 Chichi sighed, but sat down, saying: ^^We do 
 not fear them by day, but if we do not kill 
 them to-night they will kill you to-morrow.'' 
 At daylight they started toward the enemy. A 
 white flag was soon discovered flying on the 
 
 74 
 
Indian Troubles 
 
 shore, and, to Oglethorpe's great delight, the 
 supposed enemy proved to be Major Richards, 
 with Mr. Dempsey and his crew, returned from 
 Florida. 
 
 Major Richards reported that they had 
 been cast away, had lost their baggage, but 
 men and boat were saved ; that they had walked 
 many miles along the sands before reaching 
 St. Augustine, but were finally taken to the 
 Governor, who received them with courtesy. 
 They were compelled to remain a long time to 
 have their boat repaired, but had at last 
 brought with them letters to Oglethorpe from 
 Don Francisco del Morale Sanchey, Captain- 
 General of Florida and Governor of St. 
 Augustine, who desired an answer in three 
 weeks. 
 
 The same day all returned to Cumberland 
 Island, where Oglethorpe was well pleased 
 with the rapid progress made by Captain 
 Mackay in the constructions of the fort, espe- 
 cially as the loose, sandy soil made it difficult 
 to raise the work. ' ' They used, ' ' said Moore, 
 *Hhe same method to support it as Caesar men- 
 tions in the wars of the Gauls— laying trees 
 alternately with earth, the trees preventing the 
 sand from falling and the sand saving the 
 wood from fire. The Scots who had been aid- 
 ing in the work were now offered the chance 
 
 75 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 to return to their settlement, but chose to re- 
 main and go on with the task so long as there 
 was any danger. 
 
 Oglethorpe, with the Indians, now returned 
 to Frederica, where he called the people to- 
 gether to give them the contents of the Spanish 
 Governor's despatches. These were full of 
 wily compliments, but there were also com- 
 plaints that the Creeks had attacked the Span- 
 iards, and the Governor desired that ^^Don 
 Diego Oglethorpe '^ restrain his Indian allies. 
 
 Oglethorpe knew further, by private ad- 
 vices, that, notwithstanding his friendly 
 speeches, the Governor of St. Augustine had 
 sent to purchase arms at Charleston, intending 
 to send his Florida Indians with men from the 
 Spanish garrison to drive the English out of 
 Georgia, and that the complaint against the 
 Creeks was a mere pretext to begin the war. 
 
 Oglethorpe determined that there should 
 be no excuse for beginning hostilities, and 
 therefore sent a marine boat and a large peri- 
 agua of twenty oars fitted out with swivel- 
 guns to patrol the St. Johns and prevent any 
 Creeks from passing to attack the Spaniards. 
 Scout boats were ordered to cruise among the 
 islands to prevent any hostile vessels from 
 entering Jekyll Sound. Tomo Chichi was re- 
 quested to send messages to the Creeks, de- 
 
 76 
 
Indian Troubles 
 
 siring tliem not to molest the Spaniards until 
 a conference could be held, but to keep upon 
 the mainland and watch lest any Spanish horse 
 pass to Darien. Before the Indians left they 
 had a war-dance. Oglethorpe and his people 
 attended, and presents were given to the red 
 men, with thaaks for their faithful service. 
 
 77 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 CHABLES WESLEY AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS 
 
 1736 
 
 To add to his trials, Oglethorpe found 
 upon his return to Frederica that settlement 
 in a state of turmoil. Charles Wesley, who 
 had come out as a missionary, was also acting 
 as his secretary, and during his absence had, 
 in his zeal to reform various improprieties 
 of the people of Frederica, overstepped the 
 bounds of a minister's privilege. His un- 
 timely rebukes, though probably deserved, 
 were quickly resented, for, as Southey re- 
 marks, ^ ^ Charles Wesley attempted the doubly 
 difficult task of reforming some of the lady 
 colonists, and reconciling their petty jealousies 
 and hatreds of each other; in which he suc- 
 ceeded no further than to make them cordially 
 agree in hating him, and caballing to get rid 
 of him in any way. ' ' 
 
 Oglethorpe had forbidden any shooting on 
 the Sabbath, but the first day of his absence a 
 gun was fired during the sermon. The con- 
 
 78 ^ 
 
Wesley and Other Complications 
 
 stable ran out and found it was the doctor, who 
 resisted arrest. Whereupon Captain Herms- 
 dorf came with two soldiers and took the im- 
 portant individual to the guard-house. The 
 doctor's wife, who had her own little grudge 
 against Wesley, accused him of causing the 
 arrest, and threatened revenge. Wesley de- 
 manded an audience with Lawley, his accuser. 
 He was sent for, and, upon Oglethorpe 's close 
 questioning, dropped all his charges except 
 that Wesley had forced the people to prayers. 
 
 Other troubles, however, came out of the 
 arrest, again kindling the wrath of the Gov- 
 ernor. The people were in such a state of con- 
 fusion that he said it was easier to govern a 
 thousand than sixty, for in the smaller num- 
 ber every one's passion was considerable, and 
 he durst not leave before all was settled. He 
 still thought that Charles Wesley had, by his 
 indiscretion, excited the disorder, and no ex- 
 planation effaced the unfavorable impression 
 from his mind. 
 
 He well knew the piety of the parents of 
 the missionary, the ability, learning, and self- 
 denial of the young Wesleys, and it was a bit- 
 ter disappointment that his hopes for their 
 efficient aid in the colony were not realized. 
 His cares were increasing. Amid the build- 
 ing of houses, constructing batteries, getting 
 A 79 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 supplies, the threatened invasion of the Span- 
 iards made it more necessary that a united 
 people should work together for the good of 
 the colony. A happy reconciliation came 
 soon, after both parties had time for calm re- 
 flection free from outside influences. 
 
 In the meantime the Governor was actively 
 engaged in strengthening the defenses and 
 providing various things necessary for the 
 comfort of his people. The works around the 
 fort were palisaded with cedar posts, plat- 
 forms for cannon were laid upon the bastions, 
 a marshy ground below the fort was formed 
 into a ^ ^ spur ' ' on which guns were placed level 
 with the water and commanding the entrance 
 to the sound. 
 
 Having noticed that his guard were grow- 
 ing careless, he one day rowed quietly up- 
 stream, landed with his crew, and approached 
 close enough to surprise the sentry, who fled, 
 shouting that the enemy had landed. His men 
 fired a volley and raised the Spanish war-cry, 
 which spread consternation and made every 
 soul fly into the fort, where they remained 
 until, with much chagrin, they learned the 
 truth — that their Governor was testing their 
 vigilance. 
 
 On April 13th Major Richards and Mr.Hor- 
 ton were sent with his reply to the Governor 
 
 80 ^ 
 
CHAia.E-^ WESLEY. 
 
Wesley and Other Complications 
 
 of St. Augustine, in which he was informed 
 that armed boats had been sent to patrol the 
 St. Johns, and thus hinder any lawless persons 
 from creating disturbance between the Span- 
 iards and the English. 
 
 Oglethorpe had great cause for anxiety, 
 knowing how helpless he was should the 
 Spanish boldly attack him. Not one regular 
 soldier had he in his command to oppose an 
 enemy who had at St. Augustine a garrison of 
 three hundred foot and fifty horse, besides 
 militia and reenf orcements daily expected from 
 Havana. This he knew by private advices, 
 and was also informed that a large force had 
 recently marched out of St. Augustine. At 
 the same time came a letter from the Spanish 
 Governor complaining that the Indians had at- 
 tacked his fort at Picolata and were secretly 
 upheld by the English. Messengers were at 
 once despatched to hasten the coming of a 
 company promised by the Assembly of Caro- 
 lina, and to the sloop-of-war Hawk, lately ar- 
 rived at Savannah. At length a small part of 
 the company arrived and were hurried on by 
 Oglethorpe to the eastern end of the island, 
 where he had determined to erect a fort which 
 would command the entrance to Jekyll Sound. 
 On the 16th news came from St. Andrews 
 that strange ships were seen out at sea, and 
 
 81 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 several guns heard. Oglethorpe at once 
 called in some parties of Indians, and, order- 
 ing them to keep near the town, set every white 
 man to work on the defenses. He built a forge 
 within the fort, a magazine beneath one of the 
 bastions, and laid in a stock of provisions. He 
 then started in an armed boat for St. Andrews, 
 determined to learn for himself the exact state 
 of affairs. 
 
 From Wesley ^s journal we learn that he 
 went with sore misgivings and a heavy heart. 
 
 ^ ''You will see me no more/' said he. ''Take 
 
 this ring and carry it for me to Mr. V . If 
 
 there is a friend to be depended on, he is one. His 
 interest is next to Sir Robert's. Whatever you ask 
 withm his power, he will do for you, your brother, 
 and your family. I have expected death for some 
 days. These letters show that the Spaniards have 
 been seducing our allies, and intend to cut us off at 
 one blow. I fall by my friends— Gascoigne whom 
 I have made, the Carolina people upon whom I de- 
 pended to send their promised succors. But death 
 
 is to me nothing; T will pursue all my designs, 
 
 and to him I recommend them and you. ' ' 
 
 He then gave Wesley his diamond ring. 
 A reconciliation had been made between the 
 two, and their parting was full of kindly 
 feeling. 
 
 82 
 
Wesley and Other Complications 
 
 I attended him to the scout boat, says Wesley, 
 where he waited some minutes for his sword. They 
 brought him first, and a second time, a mourning 
 sword. At last they gave him his own, which had 
 been his father's. *'With this sword I was never 
 yet unsuccessful, ' ' he said. ' ^ I hope, sir, ' ' said I, 
 ''you carry with you a better, even the sword 
 of the Lord and of Gideon." "I hope so too," he 
 added. When the boat put off, I ran before into the 
 woods to see the last of him. His last word to his 
 people was : ' ' God bless you all ! " 
 
 83 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 AFFAIE WITH THE SPANIARDS 
 1736 
 
 On their way to St. Andrews Oglethorpe 
 and his crew encountered a storm which forced 
 them to seek shelter among the oyster-banks 
 of Jekyll Island. On reaching the island he 
 ordered a ravelin to be added to the fort, a 
 palisade to be made aronnd the base of the hill, 
 and sent a scout boat with assistance to Cap- 
 tain Hermsdorf at Fort St. George. 
 
 Sails having been seen out at sea, he took 
 boat again for St. Simons, arriving safely at 
 Frederica. There he found several boats, 
 manned by a number of volunteers, had come 
 from Savannah, having heard that the Span- 
 iards had taken Frederica, and that Oglethorpe 
 was killed. 
 
 On Cumberland and Jekyll Islands look- 
 outs had been set to give notice of the approach 
 of shipping. One was reported, but proved 
 to be the sloop-of-war Hawk from Savannah, 
 which soon anchored below the town. Later 
 
 84 
 
AfFair With the Spaniards 
 
 the scout boat Carolina returned from Fort 
 George. A report was received that Major 
 Richards, who had been sent to the Spanish 
 Governor, had been imprisoned in St. Augus- 
 tine. Also that Captain Hermsdorf's men 
 had mutinied and compelled him to abandon 
 Fort George. 
 
 On May 2d, leaving the fort in command 
 of Captain Mcintosh, he started in the scout 
 boat Georgia, accompanied by Lieutenant 
 Moore in a yawl. He was relieved to find no 
 mutiny at Fort St. George, but a panic had 
 been caused by the lies of one man, whom Ogle- 
 thorpe promptly sentenced to ^^run the gant- 
 lope." The other men were put to work 
 strengthening the old fort, after which he 
 started for the Spanish side of the St. Johns 
 River, his boats carrying a white flag. A few 
 of them landed, and, ascending a hill to the 
 open plain, there fixed the flag on a pole, 
 hoping to draw some of the Spaniards to a 
 conference. 
 
 That night fires were seen on the Florida 
 shore, and Oglethorpe suspected the Span- 
 iards were preparing to attack them. In 
 order to gain time to get reenforcements, he 
 had recourse to an ingenious ruse. He had 
 two carriage-guns and two swivel-guns car- 
 ried to the woods at different points. The 
 7 85 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 swivel-guns were to fire seven shots, the car- 
 riage-guns five, in answer. The smaller guns 
 from the faintness of their report had the 
 sound of a distant ship saluting, the larger 
 that of a battery returning the salute, and 
 completely deceived the enemy. Not until 
 some time after did Oglethorpe know from 
 what danger he had thus escaped. He then 
 learned that the Governor of St. Augustine 
 had arrested his messengers, and had sent 
 picked men with strong boats' crew to attack 
 the fort on St. Simons Island. They had also 
 with them some Yamasee Indians and four 
 guns, hoping, if the settlement was as weak as 
 reported in advices from South Carolina, to 
 dislodge the English. 
 
 They were, however, fired upon by the bat- 
 tery at Sea-point, and catching sight of the 
 Hawk in the sound, ran out to sea in greater 
 haste than they had run in. Again they at- 
 tempted entrance at another inlet, and were 
 in like manner run otf by the garrison at St. 
 Andrews, and in such haste that the same night 
 they reached their outposts sixty miles distant. 
 
 Holding a conference, their commanders 
 concluded that all the strength of the English 
 was concentrated at St. Simons, hence St. 
 George must be weak, and an attack was de- 
 termined on for the next night. Fortunately, 
 
 86 
 
AiFair With the Spaniards 
 
 it was not made, for, from the number of guns 
 they heard, they concluded that reenforce- 
 ments had arrived. The stratagem had com- 
 pletely deceived them. 
 
 That night Oglethorpe had a number of 
 fires made in the woods, and again deceived 
 the Spaniards, who supposed the Creek Indians 
 had come to the aid of the English, and Don 
 Pedro with his command retired behind the 
 walls of St. Augustine. This created con- 
 sternation in the fort, for the people appre- 
 hended that if the Indians should cut off their 
 communication by land, as the sloop of war 
 might do by sea, they would perish by famine. 
 It was under such pressure that the Spanish 
 Governor decided to send back, in the most 
 honorable manner, the two commissioners, and 
 with them an officer of rank to treat with Ogle- 
 thorpe and request him to restrain the Indians 
 from invading Florida. 
 
 Oglethorpe, being ignorant of all this, 
 started to the Spanish side of the St. Johns 
 River, hoping to meet the expected messen- 
 ger. No messenger appeared, but, instead, a 
 guarda^costa with seventy men on board. 
 Oglethorpe had with him only twenty- four 
 men, yet the Spanish fled promptly at sight 
 of them. Afterward two horsemen appeared, 
 and one, apparently an officer, approached 
 
 87 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 near enough to forbid the English landing 
 on the King of Spain's ground. Oglethorpe 
 courteously replied that he would forbear 
 landing since they objected, but that the 
 Spaniards were welcome to land on the King 
 of England's ground on the opposite side of 
 the river, and should also be welcome to a 
 glass of wine there with himself. 
 
 Oglethorpe having received positive infor- 
 mation that the Spaniards were supplying 
 themselves with arms and ammunition in 
 Charleston, wrote a letter to the Lieutenant- 
 Governor of South Carolina, requesting him 
 to stop their exportation, and another letter to 
 Mr. Eveleigh, a public-spirited merchant, say- 
 ing that if the mayor and council could not 
 prevent the sale of arms and ammunition to 
 the Spaniards, then they should buy it all, and 
 thus defeat their plans. He wrote likewise to 
 the Governor of New York. 
 
 Strangely enough, the love of gain made 
 many indifferent to the dangers of a sister 
 colony. Spanish gold was filling their treas- 
 ury ; the sight was pleasant ; they never looked 
 beyond, where the Spanish soldier, armed with 
 the guns they had furnished, was marching to 
 attack their homes. 
 
 Oglethorpe now returned to Fort St. 
 George. He took with him for the relief of 
 
 88 
 
Affair With the Spaniards 
 
 the fort Tomo Chichi and his Indians in their 
 canoes, a large periagua, two ten-oared boats 
 with fifty men, cannon, and two months' pro- 
 visions. On the way he met a boat in which 
 was Mr. Horton, who informed him that two 
 Spanish officers were returning with the com- 
 missioners, on a friendly mission to St. 
 Simons. Oglethorpe determined that they 
 should not enter Frederica and thus gain in- 
 formation of its strength and situation. He 
 therefore sent orders for Captain Gascoigne to 
 entertain them on board the Hawk. He also 
 sent a messenger desiring them to anchor, 
 until a safe guard could be sent them, since the 
 country was full of Indians. Indeed, it was 
 fortunate for them that Oglethorpe was an 
 hour ahead of his party, for had the Creeks 
 been foremost, they would certainly have at- 
 tacked the Spaniards. He could scarcely pre- 
 vent it, even with an armed boat to escort them 
 to Jekyll Sound. 
 
 He went on to Fort George, where he not 
 only gave directions, but worked with the men. 
 He then returned to St. Simons, where he pre- 
 pared to receive the Spaniards, sent to Darien 
 for some of the most martial-looking High- 
 landers, ordered marquees and handsome 
 tents to be pitched on Jekyll Island, then an- 
 nounced to the Spaniards that he would wait 
 
 89 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 upon them next day. To impress the officers 
 that he had cavalry, he went down attended 
 by seven horsemen — all he had. Entering a 
 boat, he approached the Hawk, ^ * whose sailors 
 manned the shrouds, while her marines, with 
 bayonets fixed, lined one side of the deck, and 
 the Highlanders, with drawn broadswords, 
 the other. ' ' 
 
 90 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 WITH THE SPANISH COMMISSIONEKS 
 1736 
 
 Of the formal interview on the day fol- 
 lowing, Oglethorpe gave an accurate account 
 in a letter to the trustees, as follows : 
 
 After dinner we drank the King of Britain's 
 and the King of Spain's health, under a discharge 
 of cannon from the ships, which was answered with 
 fifteen pieces of cannon from Delugal's fort at Sea- 
 point. That agaiQ was followed by the cannon 
 from St. Andrews, and that by those of Frederica 
 and Darien, as I had ordered. The Spaniards 
 seemed surprised that there should be so many 
 forts, and all within hearing of each other. Don 
 Pedro smiled, and said: ''No wonder Don Igna- 
 tion made more haste home than out." After the 
 healths were done, a great number of Indians came 
 on board, naked, painted, and their heads dressed 
 with feathers. They demanded of me justice 
 against the Spaniards for killing some of their men 
 in time of peace. . . . Don Pedro, having asked 
 several questions, acknowledged himself satisfied 
 of the facts, excusing it by saying he was then in 
 
 91 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Mexico, and that the Governor, being newly come 
 from Spain and not knowing the customs of the 
 country, had sent out Indians under the command 
 of Pehoia, King of the Floridas, who had exceeded 
 his orders, which were not to molest the Creeks. 
 
 But the Indians not being content with that 
 answer, he promised that on his return to St. Au- 
 gustine he would have the Pehoia king put to death 
 if he could be taken ; and if he could not, that the 
 Spaniards would supply his people with neither 
 powder nor arms nor anything else, but leave them 
 to the Creeks. 
 
 The Indians answered that he spake well, and 
 if the Spaniards did what he said, all would be 
 white between them; but if not, they would have 
 revenge, from which, at my desire, they would ab- 
 stain until a final answer came. 
 
 The Indian matters being thus settled, we had 
 a conference with the Spanish commissioners. They 
 thanked me first for restraining the Indians, who 
 were in my power, and hoped I would extend that 
 care to the upper Indians. They then, after having 
 produced their credentials, presented a paper de- 
 siring to know by what title I settled upon St. 
 Simons, being lands belonging to the King of Spain. 
 I took the paper, promising an answer next day. 
 
 The substance was that the lands belonged to 
 the King of England by undoubted right; that I 
 had proceeded with the utmost caution, having 
 taken with me Indians, the natives and possessors 
 of the lands ; that I had examined every place to see 
 
 92 
 
With the Spanish Commissioners 
 
 if there were any Spanish possessions, and went 
 forward until I found an outguard of theirs, over 
 against which I settled the English without com- 
 mitting any hostilities, or dislodging any. There- 
 fore I did not extend the King's dominions, but 
 only settled with regular garrisons that part of 
 them which was before a shelter for the Indians, 
 pirates, and such sort of disorderly men. 
 
 Oglethorpe, after the departure of the 
 Spaniards, found it necessary to go to Savan- 
 nah, where all was in commotion. People 
 were bringing complaints against the magis- 
 trates, who in turn had their grievances to 
 relate. Oglethorpe went to the court and 
 announced his intentions. " If any one here 
 has been abused or oppressed by any man," 
 he said, " he has free and full liberty of com- 
 plaining. Let him deliver in his complaints 
 in writing at my house. I will read all over 
 myself, and do every particular man justice." 
 Charles Wesley, who was present, reported 
 the complaints so incredible, childish, trifling, 
 that he thought them a full vindication of the 
 magistrates, and was filled with admiration of 
 Oglethorpe's patience in hearing and wise 
 decisions. 
 
 No time was ever wasted by this busy Gov- 
 ernor, and that night at half past twelve he 
 started for Frederica, but returned to Savan- 
 
 93 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 nah in ten days to give audience to a party of 
 Creek Indians. At this date we find the resig- 
 nation of Charles Wesley as secretary. He 
 and Oglethorpe parted as good friends, and he 
 made this record of advice and instruction 
 given him by Oglethorpe just before he sailed 
 for England: 
 
 I would you not to let the trustees know your res- 
 olution of resigning. There are many hungry fel- 
 lows ready to catch at the office, and in my absence I 
 can not put in one of my own choosing. The best I 
 can hope for is an honest Presbyterian, as many of 
 the trustees are such. Perhaps they may send me 
 a bad man, and how such an one may influence 
 the traders and obstruct the reception of the Gospel 
 among the heathen you know. I shall be in Eng- 
 land before you leave it ; then you may either put 
 in a deputy or resign. 
 
 On many accounts I should recommend to you 
 marriage, rather than celibacy. You are of a social 
 temper, and would find in the married state the 
 difficulties of working out your own salvation ex- 
 ceedingly lessened, and your helps much increased. 
 
 During the following October Oglethorpe 
 concluded a treaty with the Governor of St. 
 Augustine, much more conciliatory than he 
 had anticipated ; but his satisfaction at this re- 
 sult was very soon dispelled by the coming of 
 a Spanish envoy from Cuba, who in the name 
 
 94 
 
With the Spanish Commissioners 
 
 of his master, the King of Spain, peremptorily 
 demanded that Oglethorpe and his colony 
 evacuate all the territory south of St. Helenas 
 Sound. He would listen to no arguments, but 
 repeated his demands with threats, and uncere- 
 moniously departed. 
 
 Vigorous measures were now necessary; 
 aid must come from the mother country, or her 
 colony be abandoned. Oglethorpe determined 
 to go at once and represent their condition to 
 the British ministry. The trustees had pre- 
 viously urged his return. 
 
 Making the best provision in his power for 
 the defense and local government of his prov- 
 ince during his absence, Oglethorpe then set 
 sail for England November 29, 1736. On 
 January 7th Charles Wesley noted in his jour- 
 nal: ^^The news was brought of Mr. Ogle- 
 thorpe's arrival. The next day I waited on 
 him, and received a relation of his wonderful 
 deliverance in Bristol Channel. He talked 
 admirably of resignation, and of the impossi- 
 bility of dying when it is not best. ' ' 
 
 His reception by the trustees was most cor- 
 dial, with unanimous vote of thanks for his 
 services. He then made his report — a verbal 
 one — of the progress of their colony, showing 
 the rapid growth of Savannah, of the pros- 
 perity of other towns, and the founding of new 
 
 95 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 ones ; of the establishing an important post at 
 Augusta for Indian traffic opened in the in- 
 terior. He also stated that the Indian tribes 
 to a distance of seven hundred miles acknowl- 
 edged the King's authority. Yet there was a 
 dark side to this pleasant picture. On the 
 frontiers the colonists were in constant appre- 
 hension of invasion from the Spaniards them- 
 selves, or their Indian allies, whom they incited 
 to do their utmost against the English. The 
 insolent demands of the Spanish commissioner 
 amounted to a declaration of war, and Ogle- 
 thorpe urged the necessity of applying to his 
 Majesty for military force sufficient to defend 
 Georgia and South Carolina. 
 
 The court of Spain about this time de- 
 manded of the English Government the recall 
 of Oglethorpe, evidently considering him a 
 dangerous opponent to their unscrupulous de- 
 signs. The London Daily Post, in an editorial 
 on the Georgia colony, wrote : 
 
 For this reason, it seems, this public-spirited 
 and valuable man is now become the butt of the 
 resentment of Spain, because he has acted like a 
 brave, vigilant, and faithful Englishman, at the 
 expense of his repose and his purse, and to the ut- 
 most peril of his life. The Spanish court, we are 
 told, has the modesty to demand from England that 
 he be no longer employed. But I hope the ministers 
 
 96 
 
With the Spanish Commissioners 
 
 of Philip V do not think we have a James the First 
 on the throne, or a Gondomar at our court. We 
 have the most undeniable proof that the Spaniards 
 dread the abilities of Mr. Oglethorpe ; it is a glorious 
 testimony to his merit and a certificate of his patri- 
 otism that ought to endear him to every Briton. 
 
 If ever a settlement has been universally ap- 
 plauded by the people of Great Britain, that of 
 Georgia has been so. I happened to be in France 
 when it began, and the uneasiness of the French 
 gave me my first idea of its value. They said the 
 Spaniards neither could nor would suffer it to go 
 on, and from what I both heard and saw, I am 
 persuaded that this late demand concerning 
 Georgia did not take its rise in Madrid. Whatever 
 the Spaniards may pretend, it is France that has 
 the greatest interest in the destruction of that col- 
 ony. The Indians who are our friends are not only 
 so, but enemies of the French and their Indian 
 allies. 
 
 Should we then abandon them, such an impol- 
 itic as well as ungenerous and shameful step might 
 in time be attended with fatal consequences not 
 only to the rest of the colonies on the continent of 
 America, but to all future undertakings of like 
 nature. . . . Surely the Queen of Spain does not 
 think we are to be hectored or frightened into 
 measures for making more infant kings! But let 
 her views be what they will, I dare venture to say 
 that our ministers will as soon consent to part with 
 their eyes, as to part with Georgia. 
 
 97 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 COMMANDEK-IN-CHIEF IN CAROLINA AND GEOKGIA 
 
 1737-1738 
 
 The next vessel brought important news 
 from America. The Governor of St. Angus- 
 tine had ordered every English merchant to 
 leave, and was preparing barracks for large 
 numbers of troops expected from Havana. 
 The trustees at once brought before the King 
 a petition asking that a corps be raised for the 
 defense of Georgia. The request was readily 
 granted. His Majesty appointed Oglethorpe 
 general of all his forces in Carolina, as well as 
 Georgia, and commissioned him to raise a 
 regiment. It was thought necessary, however, 
 to send aid to Georgia earlier than the regiment 
 could be completed. The Government ar- 
 ranged to send at once a small body of troops 
 from Gibraltar. 
 
 These arrived in Savannah in the spring of 
 the next year. George Whitefield, whom the 
 trustees had engaged to succeed Wesley, sailed 
 with them. About the same time two or three 
 
 98 
 
In Carolina and Georgia 
 
 companies of General Oglethorpe's regiment, 
 under command of Lieutenant- Colonel James 
 Cochran, reached Charleston, and from thence 
 marched southward. 
 
 The regiment consisted of six companies of 
 one hundred men each. No commissions were 
 sold, but Oglethorpe got such officers appointed 
 as were men of family and character in their 
 respective counties. Twenty young men of 
 no fortune he engaged to serve as cadets, whom 
 he subsequently promoted as vacancies oc- 
 curred, presenting each with a sum sufficient 
 to provide for an officer's needs. Besides 
 these, he carried with him at his own cost forty 
 supernumeraries. To induce the soldiers to 
 settle in Georgia, every one was permitted to 
 take out a wife, for whose support extra pay 
 and rations were allowed. 
 
 At length, all things being ready, Ogle- 
 thorpe, with six hundred men , women, and 
 children, besides arms, ammunition, and pro- 
 visions, sailed from Portsmouth in ^ve trans- 
 ports, convoyed by the men-of-war Blandford 
 and Hector. They reached St. Simons Island 
 in a little more than two months, and were re- 
 ceived with a salute from the guns of Soldiers 
 Fort and cheers from the garrison. General 
 Oglethorpe encamped with them until suitable 
 arrangements had been made for the comfort 
 
 99 
 LofC. 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 of the troops, then hastened on to Frederica. 
 There magistrates and people joyfully wel- 
 comed him. Several Indians also came to 
 greet him, and informed him that the chiefs of 
 every tribe of the Upper and Lower Creeks in- 
 tended coming so soon as they had notice of his 
 arrival. 
 
 Oglethorpe, perceiving at once that a way 
 of communication between the town and the 
 sea forts was a necessity, lost no time in begin- 
 ning the work. Every male inhabitant was 
 summoned, and, with him, began to cut a road 
 through the woods. So well did the people 
 follow the example of their general that in 
 three days the road was complete — a distance 
 of six miles. It was so well planned that the 
 subsequent safety of the colony was in a large 
 measure secured by this foresight. From the 
 town the road led out in an easterly direction, 
 then, turning south, passed for more than a 
 mile over a fine prairie, thence through a dense 
 forest until it reached a marsh. Along the 
 hard dry margin of the marsh it ran for two 
 miles, bordered on one side by the creeks and 
 swamps, on the other by a close, impenetrable 
 wood matted with vines and palmettos. So 
 narrow was the road that only two men could 
 here walk abreast. From the marsh it passed 
 up to high land, and then in a direct line to the 
 
 100 
 
In Carolina and Georgia 
 
 fort. This secured a communication between 
 fort and town. While the forest served for a 
 protection, the narrow causeway made it pos- 
 sible for a few to repel many. 
 
 The colonists, especially those of Darien 
 and Frederica, were greatly encouraged by the 
 presence of the general and his troops. For 
 months they had been in constant dread of an 
 attack by the Spaniards, who, notwithstanding 
 their treaty, were greatly increasing the gar- 
 rison at St. Augustine. They had actually at- 
 tacked some of the Creek settlements nearest to 
 them, and would have advanced farther had 
 they not been repulsed with much loss. The 
 attack, they pretended, was made by the 
 Florida Indians without their knowledge. The 
 constant alarms had so interfered with the cul- 
 tivation of the fields that, unless something 
 were done before another harvest, the poorer 
 settlers would suffer. Now, however, all could 
 return to their labor, leaving the defense of 
 their home to abler hands. 
 
 There was no time for delay. The first 
 care of the general was to strengthen the fron- 
 tier posts and distribute his forces for their 
 various duties. Some remained at their forts, 
 some were on the alert for ranging the woods, 
 others made ready for sudden expeditions. 
 Vessels were provided for scouring the sea- 
 8 101 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 coast and giving notice of the approach of 
 strange shipping. From one place to another 
 the active general passed, not only superintend- 
 ing, but assisting, demanding no comfort of 
 which his men were deprived ; indeed, he slept 
 in tents or by watch-fires, while they lay in huts 
 with every reasonable comfort. Harris, wri- 
 ting at the time A Compleat Collection of Voy- 
 ages and Travels, says: ^'In all these services, 
 Oglethorpe gave at the same time his orders 
 and his example ; there was nothing he did not, 
 that he directed others to do. ' ' 
 
 Yet even at this early day he had discovered 
 treachery within his camp. He had suspected 
 trouble even on board the Blandf ord, and had 
 written the trustees : 
 
 We have discovered that one of our soldiers 
 has been in the Spanish service, and that he hath 
 strove to induce several men to desert with him on 
 their arrival in Georgia. He designed also to mur- 
 der the officers, or such persons as could have money, 
 and carry off the plunder. Two of the gang have 
 confessed and accused him, but we can not discover 
 the others. The men were found guilty, and were 
 sentenced to be whipped and drummed out of the 
 regiment. The sequel proved the punishment un- 
 wisely lenient, for the ringleader, Shannon, wan- 
 dered into the Indian districts and endeavored to 
 turn them against the English. Twice he was cap- 
 
 102 
 
In Carolina and Georgia 
 
 tured and twice escaped, but finally, with an asso- 
 ciate, having murdered two men at Fort Argyle, was 
 taken, tried, and executed, after confessing his 
 crimes. 
 
 Up to this time General Oglethorpe had not 
 visited Savannah. He now set out in an open 
 boat, and in two days was received in the town 
 with the firing of cannon, while throngs of peo- 
 ple crowded around to bid him welcome. Most 
 of these came because of sincere respect and 
 gratitude to a devoted leader ; but there were 
 others who had reason to dread an investiga- 
 tion of their conduct, and would, by loud- 
 mouthed welcome, conciliate his favor. The 
 Governor himself sought to reconcile the dis- 
 contented and win their esteem. With timely, 
 generous gifts he aided widows and orphans, 
 the sick and all in need. Said one of the citi- 
 zens : ^ ^ The general, by his great diligence and 
 at his own expense, has supported things, but 
 we are apprehensive that can not last long, 
 for the expenses are too great for any single 
 man to bear. ' ' 
 
 It gave Oglethorpe much concern that he 
 had neither time nor funds to encourage im- 
 provements. Yet there was some progress. 
 The culture of silk was very limited, yet an 
 Italian family had wound a considerable quan- 
 
 103 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 tity as fine as any made in Piedmont, and 
 mulberry-trees had increased enough to feed 
 a large stock of worms. Some vines were 
 grown; a potter had discovered clay suitable 
 for making china and had baked some fine 
 specimens of earthenware. A sawmill at 
 Ebenezer turned out daily seven hundred feet 
 of plank. There was cause for encouragement. 
 Tomo Chichi had been very ill, but on his 
 recovery came to Savannah to see and welcome 
 *^the Great Man,'' as he called Oglethorpe. 
 His joy was unbounded ; the sight of his friend 
 made him, he declared, ^^molt like an eagle," 
 and renewed his health. He asked for an in- 
 terview for the chiefs of the Creek nations, 
 who were waiting at Yamacraw to come and 
 congratulate Oglethorpe on his return and 
 renew their fidelity to Great Britain. Two 
 days later these chiefs, with thirty of their 
 warriors and fifty attendants, came down the 
 river. They were received with military hon- 
 ors and conducted to the town hall, where the 
 general awaited them. They expressed their 
 satisfaction at once more beholding him, for 
 the Spaniards had persuaded them that he was 
 at St. Augustine, and invited them there to 
 meet him. They went, but finding he was not 
 there, turned back, though offered valuable 
 presents. The Spaniards then said Ogle- 
 
 104 
 
In Carolina and Georgia 
 
 thorpe was on board a vessel in their harbor 
 and very ill ; they also advised them to break 
 with the English. This they resented, and had 
 now come to assure him of their loyalty and 
 readiness to serve under the general against 
 his enemies. One thousand Creeks would 
 march whenever he commanded. 
 
 They reported trouble with Carolina 
 traders, who used false weights and measures, 
 and desired that true ones be lodged with the 
 chiefs of each tribe. This request was at once 
 attended to, and the general also promised, at 
 their earnest invitation, to visit during the 
 next summer their towns, which lay about four 
 hundred miles west of Savannah. Handsome 
 presents were made them, a war-dance held 
 that evening, and in the early morning they 
 set out for their homes. 
 
 Oglethorpe himself soon departed, leaving, 
 said one of their number, "many sorrowful 
 countenances and a gloomy prospect of what 
 might ensue. ' ' He made only a short stay at 
 Frederica, then proceeded to Cumberland Is- 
 land and took up his abode at Fort St. Andrews. 
 The troops from Gibraltar, there stationed, 
 had been promised provisions from the King's 
 store for a limited time, and when in November 
 the rations were discontinued, they became 
 dissatisfied. 
 
 105 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 One day while the general and Captain 
 Mackay were talking, a soldier came forward 
 and unceremoniously demanded their former 
 allowance. Says Stephens in his report: 
 *^The general replied that the terms of their 
 enlistment had been fulfilled, and that, if they 
 desired any special favor at his hands, so rude 
 and disrespectful a manner of application was 
 not the way to obtain it. The fellow became 
 outrageously insolent. Captain Mackay drew 
 his sword, which the desperado, snatched from 
 his hand, broke in half, and throwing the hilt 
 at the officer's head, ran off to the barracks. 
 There, taking a loaded gun, he cried, ^One 
 and all!' when, followed by five more con- 
 spirators, he rushed out and fired at the gen- 
 eral. Being only a few paces distant, the ball 
 whizzed close by Oglethorpe's ear, while the 
 powder scorched his face and singed his 
 clothes. Another soldier presented his piece 
 and attempted to discharge it, but fortunately 
 it missed fire. A third then drew his hanger 
 and endeavored to stab the general, who, hav- 
 ing by this time unsheathed his sword, parried 
 the thrust, and an officer coming up ran the 
 ruffian through the body. The other frus- 
 trated mutineers now tried to escape by flight, 
 but the alarm having spread, they were soon 
 caught and hurried off to jail to await trial. ' ' 
 
 106 
 
In Carolina and Georgia 
 
 The culprits were sentenced to death, but only 
 the ringleader was executed. However, the 
 spirit of insubordination was quelled, and the 
 southern colonists relieved from all immediate 
 fears. 
 
 Early in the spring of that year General 
 Oglethorpe went to Charleston, and, in the 
 presence of the General Assembly of South 
 Carolina, his commission as commander-in- 
 chief of his Majesty's forces was opened and 
 read. Various regulations in the military 
 affairs of that colony were effected, and Ogle- 
 thorpe returned to his own province. There 
 he spent a busy week among the plantations 
 on the Savannah. To encourage care and in- 
 dustry in the cultivation of their land, he prom- 
 ised for every bushel of Indian corn a bounty 
 of two shillings over and above the market 
 price of the next harvest. 
 
 Fearing to give the Spaniards a pretext 
 for hostilities, the trustees had instructed 
 Oglethorpe neither to build new forts nor 
 strengthen the old ones— a needless request, 
 since he had no funds. But, foreseeing that 
 a war between England and either France or 
 Spain (perhaps both) was inevitable, he de- 
 termined to secure the friendship of the In- 
 dians, not so much for the forces they could 
 bring to his aid, but because so long as the 
 
 107 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 red men were his allies the French would be 
 careful how they weakened their province to 
 support the pretended claims of Spain to 
 Georgia and South Carolina. 
 
 108 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 JOUENEYS TO THE INTEEIOB 
 1739 
 
 In regard to the necessity of a visit to 
 the Indians in the interior Oglethorpe wrote 
 to the trustees : 
 
 I have received frequent and confirmed advices 
 that the Spaniards are striving to bribe the Indians, 
 and particularly the Creek nation, to differ with 
 us; and the disorder of the traders is such as gives 
 but too much room to render the Indians discon- 
 tented, great numbers of vagrants being gone up 
 without licenses either from Carolina or us. Mala- 
 chee, the son of the great Brim, called ''Emperor 
 of the Creeks" by the Spaniards, and Chigilly, in- 
 sist upon my coming up to put all things in order ; 
 and have acquainted me that all the chiefs of the 
 nation will come down to Coweta town to meet me, 
 and hold there the general assembly of the Indian 
 nations, where they will take such measures as will 
 be necessary to hinder the Spaniards from corrupt- 
 ing and raising sedition among their people. 
 
 This journey, though a very fatiguing and dan- 
 gerous one, is quite necessary to be taken; for if 
 
 109 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 not, the Spaniards, who have sent up great presents 
 to them, will bribe the corrupt part of the nation ; 
 and if the honester part is not supported, will prob- 
 ably overcome them and force the whole nation into 
 a war with England. Tomo Chichi and all the In- 
 dians advise me to go up. The Coweta town, where 
 the meeting is to be, is nearly five hundred miles 
 from hence. All the towns of the Creeks and of the 
 Cousees and Talapousees, though three hundred 
 miles from the Cowetas, will come down to the meet- 
 ing. The Choctaws also and the Chickesaws will 
 send thither their deputies ; so that seven thousand 
 men depend upon the event of this assembly. The 
 Creeks can furnish fifteen hundred warriors, the 
 Chickesaws five hundred, and the Choctaws five 
 thousand. I am obliged to buy horses and presents 
 to carry up to the meeting. 
 
 Early in July Oglethorpe learned that the 
 French had attacked the Lower Creeks and 
 Choctaws, whose settlements joined theirs, 
 and that the Indians were preparing a counter- 
 attack. He determined, therefore, to start at 
 once on his expedition among them, and, if 
 possible, prevent further hostilities. He set 
 out accompanied by Lieutenant Dunbar, En- 
 sign Leman, Mr. Eyre, and his own servants. 
 At the TJchee town, twenty-five miles above 
 Ebenezer, they found saddle and baggage 
 horses, which the general had previously en- 
 
 110 
 
Journeys to the Interior 
 
 gaged from the Indian traders. From thence 
 the perilous journey is thus described : 
 
 Through tangled thickets, along rough ravines, 
 over dreary swamps in which the horses reared and 
 plunged, the travelers patiently followed their na- 
 tive guides. More than once they had to construct 
 rafts on which to cross the rivers, and many smaller 
 streams were crossed by wading or swimming. . . . 
 Wrapped in his cloak, with his portmanteau for a 
 pillow, their hardy leader lay down to sleep upon 
 the ground, or if the night were wet he sheltered 
 himself ui a covert of cypress boughs spread upon 
 poles. For two hundred miles they neither saw a 
 human habitation, nor met a soul; but as they 
 neared their journey's end they found here and 
 there provisions, which the primitive people they 
 were about to visit had deposited for them in the 
 woods. . . . When within fifty miles of his destina- 
 tion, the general was met by a deputation of chiefs 
 who escorted him to Coweta; and although the 
 American aborigines are rarely demonstrative, 
 nothing could exceed the joy manifested by them 
 on Oglethorpe's arrival. . . . By having under- 
 taken so long and difficult a journey for the pur- 
 pose of visiting them, by coming with only a few 
 attendants in fearless reliance on their good faith, 
 by the readiness with which he accommodated him- 
 self to their habits, and by the natural dignity of 
 his deportment, Oglethorpe had won the hearts of 
 his red brothers, whom he was never known to de- 
 ceive. 
 
 Ill 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 On August llth the chiefs assembled, and 
 the great council was opened with solemn rites. 
 After many * * talks, ' ' terms of intercourse and 
 stipulations for trading were satisfactorily 
 arranged. Then Oglethorpe, as one of their 
 beloved men, partook with them of the foskey, 
 or black-medicine drink — a sacred beverage 
 used only on special occasions, and of which 
 only chiefs, war captains, and beloved men 
 could partake. Afterward they smoked to- 
 gether the calumet, the hallowed pipe of peace. 
 A formal treaty was concluded, by which the 
 Creeks renewed their fealty to the King of 
 Great Britain, and in explicit terms confirmed 
 their grants of territory. The general, in the 
 name of the trustees, ^^ engaged that the Eng- 
 lish should not encroach upon their reserves, 
 and that the traders should deal fairly and 
 honestly with them. ' ' 
 
 This last point was the most difficult to 
 settle. **If I had not gone up,'' wrote Ogle- 
 thorpe afterward, *Hhe misunderstanding 
 between them and our Carolina traders, 
 fomented by our neighboring nations, would 
 probably have occasioned a war, which I be- 
 lieve might have been the result of this gen- 
 eral meeting. But, as their complaints were 
 just and reasonable, I gave them satisfaction 
 in all of them, and everything is settled in 
 peace. ' ' 
 
 112 
 
Journeys to the Interior 
 
 Not only had the Choctaws agreed not to 
 make war on the French, but the chiefs of all 
 the tribes had assured Oglethorpe that their 
 warriors would march to his assistance when- 
 ever he should summon them. We may imag- 
 ine that the general set out on his homeward 
 journey with a lighter heart, and that his sat- 
 isfaction was further increased by the con- 
 gratulations of the trustees, who wrote : 
 
 The Carolina people, as well as every one else, 
 must own that no one ever engaged the Indians so 
 strongly in. affection as yourself. 
 
 Spalding, a more recent writer, speaking 
 of the dangerous journey, says : 
 
 When we call to remembrance the force of 
 those tribes, the influence the French had every- 
 where else obtained over the Indians, the distance he 
 had to travel through solitary pathways exposed to 
 the treachery of every Indian, who knew the rich re- 
 ward that would have awaited him from Spaniards 
 or French — surely we may ask, What soldier ever 
 gave higher proof of courage? What gentleman 
 ever gave greater evidence of magnanimity ? What 
 English governor ever gave such assurance of deep 
 devotion to public duty? 
 
 The hardships, mental strain, and anxie- 
 ties of the expedition too severely taxed the 
 strength of General Oglethorpe. He was 
 
 113 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 prostrated by fever, and for several weeks was 
 detained in Fort Augusta. While at this out- 
 post on the Savannah he was visited by some 
 chiefs of the Cherokees and Chickasaws, who 
 complained that some of their people had 
 been poisoned by rum bought from the 
 traders, and they threatened revenge. Care- 
 ful inquiry revealed the facts — unlicensed 
 traders had brought in not only rum, but small- 
 pox. The disease had killed some of the In- 
 dians, and the others attributed their deaths 
 to some ingredient in the liquor. With diffi- 
 culty, Oglethorpe convinced them of the real 
 cause of the sickness, but he assured them that 
 they need not fear traders from Georgia ; only 
 licensed ones came, and the strictest precau- 
 tions were taken before permits were granted. 
 On his return to Savannah the general met 
 an express messenger from the Lieutenant- 
 Governor of South Carolina, informing him 
 of a serious revolt among the negroes of that 
 province. They had burned several houses 
 and murdered a number of the inhabitants. 
 They had been instigated by a proclamation 
 from the Spanish Governor of St. Augustine, 
 when some slaves had taken refuge there in 
 January. The General Assembly sent a com- 
 mittee to St. Augustine demanding restoration 
 of their property, and, at their request, Ogle- 
 
 114 
 
Journeys to the Interior 
 
 thorpe wrote a friendly letter to the Captain- 
 General of Florida to urge their cause in a 
 friendly way. That officer, however, while 
 expressing his friendship for Oglethorpe, ex- 
 hibited orders to protect all runaway slaves. 
 But after another outbreak in September, 
 General Oglethorpe ordered a troop of rangers 
 to patrol through Georgia and intercept any 
 fugitives ; sent Indian runners in pursuit, and 
 directed a detachment from Port Royal to aid 
 the planters of Carolina. He directed the 
 constables to seize all negroes found within 
 Georgia, offering rewards for the captured. 
 At that time it is stated there were forty thou- 
 sand slaves in South Carolina, and only one- 
 eighth that number of whites, and but for 
 Oglethorpe's prompt action, the colony might 
 have been exterminated. 
 
 On October 2d orders were issued that at 
 the beat of the drum on the day following all 
 freeholders of Savannah should be under 
 arms, and at noon the magistrates in their 
 gowns should be in the courthouse. When 
 General Oglethorpe arrived and took his seat 
 the militia, who had been drawn up to receive 
 him, grounded arms and came within. He 
 then made a formal announcement that the 
 English Government had declared war against 
 Spain. Commending the people for their 
 
 115 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 hearty cheerfulness, he assured them that he 
 had taken every precaution to prevent an 
 enemy coming upon their back from the west 
 or south, and on the seacoast there were Eng- 
 lish frigates cruising for their protection, while 
 he hoped soon to receive additional land forces. 
 On his return to his lodgings cannon were dis- 
 charged, and the freeholders with their small 
 arms fired ^ ' three handsome volleys. ' ' 
 
 Nothing escaped the notice of this in- 
 defatigable Governor, and in the midst of 
 preparations for war he called a general mus- 
 ter in the interests of peace and good order. 
 The command was that every male inhabitant, 
 including boys, should meet at sunrise to clear 
 the common, public squares, and other places 
 of the shrubs and noxious weeds that spring 
 up so abundantly. They cheerfully re- 
 sponded, and by nightfall had cleared many 
 acres. The general spent the day with them, 
 and every one, without distinction, did what 
 he could. At breakfast he supplied them with 
 bread and beer, and at night they had similar 
 refreshment. He was well pleased with the 
 improved appearance of the space cleared, but 
 there was still another day's work, which he 
 appointed for November 5th, promising a fin- 
 ishing treat and a bonfire. Not only was he 
 gratified with their ready willingness to do 
 
 116 
 
Journeys to the Interior 
 
 the work, but he had ascertained accurately 
 what he desired to know — the number of men 
 able to bear arms — an easy and useful method 
 of census-taking. 
 
 While in Savannah Oglethorpe lost his 
 valued friend Tomo Chichi. The old man 
 had been ^^ living in wilful poverty, had given 
 away all the rich presents bestowed upon him, 
 always more pleased in giving to others than 
 in possessing himself.'' He was nearly one 
 hundred years old, yet sensible to the last, 
 peaceful and resigned. He only expressed 
 regret at being called away at this critical time, 
 when he had hoped to be useful to the English 
 in their struggle against the Spaniards. 
 
 His devotion to Oglethorpe never wavered. 
 To the last he exhorted his people never to 
 forget the general's kindness, nor the benefits 
 they had received through him from the King. 
 He desired to be buried in Savannah, as he had 
 assisted in founding it. His remains were 
 therefore brought from Yamacraw, and at the 
 landing received by the Governor, magistrates, 
 and the people. The pall was borne by Ogle- 
 thorpe, Mr. Stephens, and four more gentle- 
 men of the town; Indian mourners followed, 
 and the body was carried to Percival Square, 
 where it was interred with military honors. 
 
 9 117 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 TROUBLES IN FLORIDA 
 1739-1740 
 
 Oglethorpe, being now about to leave 
 Savannah for the southern frontier, made a 
 thorough inspection of the place, its maga- 
 zines, the arms of the militia ; distributed am- 
 munition, and, most difficult task of all, settled 
 difficulties which had come between constables 
 and petty officers, rearranging the whole force 
 and appointing Mr. Stephens to the command. 
 He also granted letters of marque to a sea- 
 faring man named Davis, giving him com- 
 mand of a privateer of twenty-four guns, just 
 fitted out at Savannah. 
 
 For years the British- American trade had 
 suffered from Spanish guar da-cost as, which 
 seized merchant vessels, confiscated them, and 
 treated the sailors so cruelly that many died 
 in captivity. The English people demanded 
 redress; a large party severely censured the 
 minister. Sir Eobert Walpole, who, as they 
 declared, ^^ tamely saw his country exposed to 
 
 118 
 
Troubles in Florida 
 
 such indignities.'' This minister, knowing 
 the value of peace to a commercial nation, en- 
 deavored to settle differences by negotiation. 
 Spain had at last agreed to pay a certain sum 
 of money to make good the losses, while it was 
 agreed that the Governors of Georgia and Flor- 
 ida should refrain from hostilities until bound- 
 aries be settled by commissioners from each 
 court. Spain, however, failed to pay the sum 
 agreed upon, and, as we have seen, war had 
 been declared. Admiral Haddock was sent 
 with a powerful fleet to cruise off the Spanish 
 coast; Vernon, with a squadron, to the West 
 Indies; and Oglethorpe ordered to annoy the 
 Spanish settlements in Florida. 
 
 In compliance with this order, Oglethorpe 
 had sent for the Indians. He also raised a 
 troop of rangers to prevent the landing of 
 Spanish cavalry, directed the men-of-war to 
 cover the coast, while his regiment protected 
 the islands. 
 
 According to the treaty made with the Gov- 
 ernor of St. Augustine in 1736, General Ogle- 
 thorpe had withdrawn the outposts of St. 
 George. Since then the most southern outlook 
 had been on Amelia Island, where he had sta- 
 tioned a scout boat with sixteen men and ser- 
 geant 's guard, numbering, with their families, 
 about forty persons. The little settlement was 
 
 119 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 protected with palisades and a battery of sev- 
 eral guns. Early in November a party of 
 Spaniards landed at nigbt and hid in the 
 woods. Pistol-shots were heard in the fort; 
 the guard turned out, and soon found the 
 bodies of two Highlanders. They had gone 
 unarmed into the thicket, and had been mur- 
 dered by the cowardly foe, who escaped to 
 their boats. This outrage occurred just be- 
 fore the writing of the following letter by 
 Oglethorpe to the trustees : 
 
 We had not given the least provocation to the 
 Spaniards as yet; but most manfully they have 
 surprised two sick men, cut off their heads, mangled 
 their bodies most barbarously, and as soon as a 
 party and boat appeared, which together did not 
 make their number, retired with the utmost precipi- 
 tation. A number of scout boats are absolutely 
 necessary. The man-of-war stationed at Charles- 
 ton can not be here. The launches from St. Au- 
 gustine can run into almost every inlet in the 
 province; therefore it is absolutely necessary that 
 the trustees should apply to Parliament for at least 
 five ten-oared boats and a troop of rangers. Other- 
 wise there will be no possibility of the people 's going 
 out to plant without being murdered as were those 
 Highlanders. 
 
 The French have attacked the Carolina Indians, 
 and the Spaniards have invaded us. I wish it may 
 not be resolved between them to root the English 
 
 120 
 
Troubles in Florida 
 
 out of America. We here are resolved to die hard, 
 and will not lose one inch of ground without fight- 
 ing; but we can not do impossibilities. We have 
 no cannon from the King, nor any other guns ex- 
 cept some small iron ones bought by the trustees. 
 We have very little powder, no horse for marching, 
 very few boats, and no fund for paying the men 
 but of one boat. The Spaniards have a number of 
 launches, also horse, and a fine train of artillery 
 well provided with all stores. 
 
 The best expedient I can think of is to strike 
 first. I am fortifying the town of Frederica, and 
 I hope I shall be paid the expenses — from whom I 
 do not know. Yet I could not think of leaving a 
 number of good houses and merchants' goods, and, 
 what is much more valuable, the lives of men, wom- 
 en, and children, in an open town at the mercy of 
 every party, and the inhabitants either obliged to 
 fly to a fort and leave their property, or suffer with 
 them. 
 
 With the Highland Rangers and a select 
 body of Indians, Oglethorpe made an incur- 
 sion into Florida. At the month of the St. 
 Johns River he took and destroyed all their 
 boats, then landing, made a day's march 
 toward St. Augustine. A troop of Spanish 
 cavalry and infantry came out to attack him, 
 but when his Indians raised their war-whoop 
 and advanced, they retreated in most unseemly 
 haste and took shelter in Fort San Diego. 
 
 121 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Oglethorpe then retired to the island of St. 
 George, the site of his old fort, and sent Lieu- 
 tenant Dunbar up the river to destroy all the 
 boats he could find, and thus prevent the Span- 
 iards from crossing into Georgia. 
 
 On his return to Frederica he again wrote 
 to the trustees, urging them to send more 
 troops. For want of means he had been 
 forced to call in his Indian allies. They 
 willingly assisted him, but since they thus lost 
 their hunting and corn season, they must be 
 furnished with food and clothing, besides arms 
 and ammunition, which they could otherwise 
 buy with skins they got in hunting. Horse- 
 men he was obliged to have, and had ordered 
 sixty rangers. 
 
 I have armed the boats in the cheapest manner 
 [he wrote] , with only just enough men to navigate 
 them, and in some saving even this expense. I 
 hope the trustees will represent the necessity of the 
 above expenses to Parliament that the House will 
 grant sufficient to defray them. Or, if Parliament 
 thinks this expense too much for preserving the 
 colony, I hope they will withdraw both the colony 
 and the regiment, since without these necessary 
 defenses they will be exposed to certain destruc- 
 tion. 
 
 When General Oglethorpe received from 
 England orders to attack Florida he had at 
 
 122 
 
Troubles in Florida 
 
 once notified the Governor of Sontli Carolina, 
 and, having learned that the enemy at St. 
 Augustine was short of provisions, urged the 
 naval commander at Charleston to block the 
 enemy's harbor before supplies could reach 
 them from Cuba. Prompt action was neces- 
 sary, red tape apparently more so, for the 
 Governor laid the general's letter before the 
 General Assembly ; the General Assembly ap- 
 pointed a committee to consider and report the 
 matter ; the committee made their report ; the 
 report was discussed in both houses; and, at 
 length, it was decided to require General Ogle- 
 thorpe to explain minutely the nature and ex- 
 tent of the assistance he expected of them! 
 They further ^^ desired to be informed what 
 benefit he conceived they might obtain, in case 
 they should grant their aid. ' ' 
 
 His reply was sufficiently explicit. His 
 principal demand was for 800 pioneers, 
 with tools, provisions, and ammunition. He 
 also advised that they raise a troop of 
 rangers and put them in command of that 
 efficient officer. Captain McPherson, of Darien. 
 Of his own regiment he would take 400 
 men, leaving the rest for home protection. 
 *^0f the people of this province, '' he wrote, *'I 
 can not draft many, because I must not leave 
 the country naked; and if the poor neglect 
 
 123 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 their planting season it will be difficult for 
 them to subsist ; therefore, I would only raise 
 two hundred, which is equal to the number of 
 soldiers I leave behind/' He asked also that 
 Carolina contribute a share of the pay of the 
 men, and of rice and corn for the support of 
 their Indian allies. 
 
 The St. Johns River had been called by the 
 Indians ^^Ylacco''; by the Spaniards, ^^San 
 Matheo o Picolata,'' or more recently *^St. 
 Matthias,'' and on an expansion of the river 
 they had built a fort which they called St. 
 Francis. 
 
 The building of this fort on the north side of 
 St. Matthias River [wrote Oglethorpe] was an abso- 
 lute infraction of the treaties, and he added : 
 
 But it was of great service to St. Augustine, 
 giving an easy means to invade the Creek Indians, 
 or Carolina, and to draw succors from Mexico. 
 They preferred what was useful to what was just, 
 and in defiance of treaties went on with the fortifi- 
 cations. 
 
 The Creek Indians greatly desired to take this 
 fort, which was on their lands, and from which the 
 Spanish Indians could easily harass them. Ogle- 
 thorpe approved, ordered all the boats made ready, 
 and with a detachment of his regiment, the High- 
 land Rangers, and a strong body of Indians and 
 some pieces of cannon, embarked and went up the 
 St. Johns, the Indians going on before. At day- 
 
 124 
 
Troubles in Florida 
 
 break on the 7th they surprised and burned the 
 small Fort Picolata, then advanced toward St. 
 Francis. When within musket-shot they opened 
 fire ; the Spaniards returned it briskly. While this 
 was going on all day with little effect, Oglethorpe, 
 under the shelter of the wood, was constructing two 
 small batteries. By five o'clock they were ready, 
 when, cutting away the wood which concealed them, 
 he opened fire, and sent to offer terms to the garri- 
 son. They at first refused to treat, but at second 
 firing of the cannon, surrendered as prisoners of 
 war. There was in the fort one mortar piece, two 
 carriage and three swivel guns, ammunition, shells, 
 gunpowder, with provisions for two months. 
 
 The place being an important one, a garrison 
 was left there under Adjutant Hugh Mackay. 
 Since this fort had been the asylum of runaway 
 negroes from South Carolina, it was hoped that 
 province would do her part in sustaining the place, 
 as well as in laying siege to St. Augustine, for which 
 Mackay wrote : ' ' We want everything, but a will- 
 ingness in the small number the general has in this 
 colony. If the people of Carolina do their part, or 
 what their allegiance to the King and their own 
 interests ought to induce them to do, we will be 
 masters of St. Augustine before May. But they 
 have acted such a part hitherto that indeed it is not 
 to be expected of them. ' ' 
 
 Prisoners taken at St. Francis confirmed 
 the reports of scarcity of provisions at St. 
 
 125 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Augustine ; also that the half galleys had been 
 sent to Havana for supplies, thus leaving the 
 seaboard defenseless. *^Such a favorable op- 
 portunity must not be lost, ' ' said the general, 
 and he sent an express to Carolina, again 
 urging prompt assistance. Again the Assem- 
 bly deliberated, and requested him to come to 
 Charleston and settle details. 
 
 At once he left Frederica, rowed night and 
 day, resting only one hour until he reached his 
 destination, six days after the starting. After 
 many conferences, some plans were agreed 
 upon. Captain Laws was sent to Providence 
 for mortars and powder, letters were de- 
 spatched to Virginia to have the Hector 
 brought down to the siege, and Captain War- 
 ren to block up St. Augustine by sea until the 
 siege should begin. 
 
 The Cherokees were already on the march 
 with 500 men, the king of the Chickasaws 
 agreed to come down with all his warriors, and 
 the Creeks with a large number. The Assem- 
 bly of Carolina failed to send the 800 men 
 promised, but passed an act for raising 400, 
 to be commanded by Colonel Vanderdus- 
 sen ; also a troop of rangers, presents for the 
 Indians, and provisions for three months. 
 General Oglethorpe wrote in regard to Caro- 
 lina: 
 
 126 
 
Troubles in Florida 
 
 This province is very mucli reduced by sick- 
 ness, revolts of negroes and other accidents ; yet the 
 danger to them from St. Augustine is so great that 
 they agree to raise and maintain a troop of horses 
 and a large body of volunteers for that siege. But 
 their credit being very low and their taxes very 
 heavy, they could not find money for this expense, 
 and I have been obliged to advance them £4,000. I 
 hope that the zeal of the province for his Majesty's 
 service and my poor endeavors will meet with his 
 Majesty's approval. 
 
 At length, on May 9th, Oglethorpe, with 
 400 of his own regiment, the horse and 
 foot rangers he had raised in Georgia, the 
 Creek Indians under Malachee, with Raven, 
 war-chief of the Cherokees, and Tooanahowi, 
 successor of Tomo Chichi, all assembled at St. 
 George Island, at the mouth of the St. Johns. 
 His object being to cut off supplies from St. 
 Augustine, they crossed the river, marched 
 toward the forts, and a body of Indians and 
 light troops attacked San Diego. The fort be- 
 ing defended by several large guns, the first 
 attempt failed. The general came up by this 
 time and, wishing to avoid bloodshed, resorted 
 to stratagem. He had several drums beaten 
 in different parts of the woods, where a few 
 men would appear and suddenly disappear — 
 the same soldiers coming into view at various 
 
 127 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 localities — until the garrison were convinced 
 that the English general had brought against 
 them overwhelming numbers, and made but 
 faint resistance. When a prisoner, taken at 
 the first attack, was sent to inform them of 
 the kind treatment he and his companions had 
 received, they capitulated. 
 
 The Carolina regiment still delayed. Be- 
 fore it arrived Oglethorpe learned that two 
 sloops laden with provisions and ammunition 
 and six Spanish galleys had got into St. 
 Augustine ; which might have been prevented 
 had the vessels he asked for arrived in time. 
 It was a grievous disappointment to the anx- 
 ious general. 
 
 On the 18th the Flamborough and the 
 Phoenix anchored in the harbor, reporting also 
 that the Hector and the Squirrel had been left 
 to block the southern entrance to the harbor. 
 The next day General Oglethorpe went on 
 board the Flamborough to hold a conference 
 with Commodore Pearse, and on his return 
 found Colonel Vanderdussen arrived, but 
 without the full complement of his regiment. 
 Orders were issued that all forces advance 
 at once toward St. Augustine. Of that in- 
 teresting old town and fort Wright says: 
 
 The garrison comprised one hundred cavalry, 
 one hundred artillerymen, detachments from four 
 
 128 
 
Troubles in Florida 
 
 regiments, three independent companies, besides 
 local militia, armed negroes, Indians, and convict 
 laborers— altogether 2,000 fighting men. The de- 
 fenders of castle and town were therefore quite as 
 numerous as all the land force Oglethorpe could 
 bring against them, while their artillery was vastly 
 superior ; and any attempt to take the place by land 
 must not only be unsuccessful but cause unneces- 
 sary bloodshed, unless a simultaneous movement be 
 made on the water side. 
 
 Oglethorpe well understood this, and ar- 
 ranged to march with his land forces as soon 
 as the fleet arrived off the bar in the north 
 channel. A preconcerted signal was to give 
 notice when he was ready to begin the assault, : 
 and counter-signal inform him that the ships 
 were ready. , 
 
 The general began his march. Within 
 three miles of St. Augustine he took Fort 
 Moosa, which had been abandoned by the gar- 
 rison on his approach. He ordered the gate 
 to be burned and breaches made in the walls, 
 ''lest,'' as he said, '4t might one day or other 
 be a mouse-trap for some of our own people." 
 Completing his arrangements, he gave the 
 signal for assault, but, to his surprise, received 
 no counter-signal from the fleet, because, as he 
 learned afterward, ''the Spanish galleys were 
 drawn up between the castle and the island, 
 
 129 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 and any small vessels sent into the channel 
 would be exposed to their fire, as well as that 
 of the batteries, and as no ships of force could 
 follow in support, the party would be defeated, 
 if not wholly destroyed." 
 
 130 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ATTACK ON THE FLOKIDA FORTS 
 1740 
 
 Since it had been impossible to take St. 
 Augustine by assault, General Oglethorpe re- 
 solved to turn the siege into a blockade. With 
 this intention he returned to Fort Diego and 
 ordered Colonel Palmer, with 100 Highlanders 
 and 140 Indians, to advance, show themselves 
 at Fort Moosa, and scour the woods to cut off 
 communication between St. Augustine and the 
 interior. Colonel Palmer was enjoined to 
 keep strict watch, encamp every night in a 
 different place, avoid coming into action, and 
 return to Fort Diego if a larger force were 
 sent against him. Colonel Vanderdussen with 
 his regiment was to take possession of Point 
 Quartell, about one mile from the castle, and 
 erect a battery commanding the strait, form- 
 ing the northern entrance to the harbor. 
 
 The Spanish battery on Anastasia must be 
 taken before the commodore could send in any 
 vessels. General Oglethorpe, with a part of 
 
 131 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 his own regiment, some Indians and seamen, 
 undertook to capture the hattery, and by skil- 
 ful maneuvers and quick movement took pos- 
 session of the sandhills, behind which the 
 enemy had been posted. The Spaniards fled 
 toward their battery, but being closely pressed, 
 rushed into the sea and took refuge in their 
 galleys. 
 
 From this place the general determined to 
 bombard St. Augustine. Troops were brought 
 on to the island, all hands employed in con- 
 structing new works, and when everything 
 was ready the Spanish Governor was sum- 
 moned to surrender. To this he replied that 
 he should be happy to shake hands with Gen- 
 eral Oglethorpe in the castle of St. Augustine. 
 Immediately the batteries were opened and a 
 number of shells thrown into the town, which 
 were returned with vigor, but the distance was 
 too great and little execution was done on 
 either side. 
 
 Meanwhile a sad misfortune had befallen 
 the command under Colonel Palmer. That 
 officer was said to be an old Indian officer of 
 great bravery and very little judgment, whose 
 misfortune it was to have a very mean opinion 
 of his enemies. Contrary to his generaPs or- 
 ders not to camp more than one night in the 
 same place, he had shut himself up in the 
 
 132 
 
Attack on the Florida Forts 
 
 dilapidated old Fort Moosa, and the Span- 
 iards, knowing its defenseless condition, as 
 well as Oglethorpe's absence at Anastatia, 
 sent 600 men to attack the colonel. They made 
 a desperate resistance, but half of them were 
 soon slaughtered, few escaped, and the rest 
 were captured. Colonel Palmer was the first 
 who fell. ^^The Highlanders fought like 
 lions,'' said their brave Captain John More 
 Mcintosh, who was severely wounded, taken 
 prisoner, and remained long in captivity. 
 
 Among the captured was an Indian. The 
 Spaniards delivered him to their Indian allies 
 to be tortured and burned alive. Being ap- 
 prised of this, Oglethorpe sent a drum with 
 flag of truce and message to the Governor, tell- 
 ing him that if he permitted the burning of the 
 Indian, a Spanish horseman whom he held 
 prisoner should share the same fate. At the 
 same time he wrote asking that this barbarous 
 custom be prohibited, adding that he should 
 be forced to retaliation, and, as they well knew, 
 had more of their prisoners who would suffer 
 than the Spaniards had of theirs. 
 
 The Spanish Governor agreed that in 
 future all Indians captured should be treated 
 as prisoners of war. Very often Oglethorpe 
 had to curb the barbarous spirit of his Indian 
 allies. A historian of Florida relates that on 
 10 133 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 one occasion a Chickasaw having captured a 
 Spaniard, cut off his head and triumphantly 
 brought it to the general, who, instead of re- 
 warding him as he expected, spurned him with 
 abhorrence and drove him from his presence. 
 This Indian, who had lately served the French, 
 indignantly said that a French officer would 
 have rewarded him, and it is added that 
 these Chickasaws showed their dislike for 
 Oglethorpe's humanity by soon deserting 
 him. 
 
 For some unknown reason. Commodore 
 Pearse had ordered off the man-of-war sta- 
 tioned outside Matanzas Sound. Consequent- 
 ly several sloops from Havana with provisions 
 and troops entered the channel and reached 
 St. Augustine. That put an end to all hope 
 of starving the garrison, which, from posi- 
 tive information received, was already in 
 distress for want of provisions, and in time a 
 bloodless surrender might have been accom- 
 plished. 
 
 The general did not yet relinquish his ef- 
 forts, but decided that while Captain Warren 
 with the fleet attack the half-galleys he would 
 attempt an assault by land. He brought from 
 the island his own regiment, called in the In- 
 dians, also the garrison left at Fort Diego, 
 made ready ladders, fascines, etc. — in fact, 
 
 134 
 
Attack on the Florida Forts 
 
 provided everything necessary for the assault 
 —then waited for the promised signal from 
 the fleet. He waited in vain. That cautious 
 commander Commodore Pearse, instead of 
 doing his part, calmly sailed away, sending 
 word to the general that it had been resolved 
 to forego the attack, for the hurricane season 
 being at hand, it was deemed imprudent to 
 hazard his Majesty's ships any longer upon 
 the coast ! 
 
 Never did a commander work against 
 greater difficulties or more harassing disap- 
 pointments. From Eamsey, in his history of 
 South Carolina, we learn that the troops from 
 that province had proved turbulent and diso- 
 bedient, that not one was killed by the enemy, 
 though fourteen died from sickness and acci- 
 dents. Says Stephens: ^'Most of the gay 
 volunteers ran away in small parties basely 
 and cowardly, as they could get boats to carry 
 them, during the time of greatest need. ' ' The 
 greater part of the work had, of course, fallen 
 on the general's regiment and the Georgia 
 companies. These were now so enfeebled by 
 fatigue and heat of the climate that nothing 
 remained but retreat. 
 
 The failure to take the Spanish stronghold, 
 like most failures, was not without beneficial 
 results. The most important was that it gave 
 
 135 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 the Spaniards a wholesome respect for their 
 English enemy, and for a long time kept them 
 on the defensive. The Carolinians were es- 
 pecially relieved in this; indeed, felt none 
 of the effects of active warfare, except on 
 their privateers, until two years later, when 
 in 1742 Georgia was invaded, and then they 
 suffered only from their fears. 
 
 General Oglethorpe, encamped on the St. 
 Johns, called on Colonel Vanderdussen for 100 
 men that he might hold the river and the forts 
 already taken. Not one man could he get. 
 This was especially aggravating, because the 
 general was at that time providing Vander- 
 dussen 's men with food, one of the captains of 
 the Carolina regiment having deserted with 
 his company and sailed away in a vessel con- 
 taining the supplies of the whole corps. 
 
 The rest soon followed, Vanderdussen him- 
 self passing through Savannah shortly after. 
 In conversation with Mr. Stephens he ex- 
 pressed resentment at the ill conduct of his 
 officers, condemned the cowardly behavior of 
 the runaway volunteers, yet professed himself 
 to be on good terms with the general, of whom 
 he spoke with the greatest deference. 
 
 In Charleston Oglethorpe was severely 
 criticised, the newspapers were filled with bit- 
 ter invectives against him, his whole conduct 
 
 136 
 
Attack on the Florida Forts 
 
 was misrepresented, and Vanderdnssen made 
 the hero, claiming that he remained with Ogle- 
 thorpe until the last, entirely overlooking the 
 fact of his failure to make the appointed junc- 
 tion in time, or his refusal to supply the 100 
 men, and precipitately going home with his 
 regiment. Evidently those Carolinians ex- 
 pected impossibilities, and miles away would 
 direct the conduct of the expedition. 
 
 But these were the sentiments of only a 
 portion of the people. All fair-minded citizens 
 of the province condemned not the general, 
 but his calumniators, and spoke of him as 
 the deliverer of the southern provinces of 
 America. 
 
 Ramsey excuses the troops of his prov- 
 ince by saying: 
 
 The Carolina troops, enfeebled by the heat, de- 
 spairing of success, and fatigued by fruitless 
 efforts, marched away in large bodies. . . . Many 
 reflections were afterward cast upon General Ogle- 
 thorpe. He, on the other hand, declared he had no 
 confidence in the provincials, for they refused 
 obedience to his orders and at last abandoned his 
 camp and retreated to Carolina. Grave charges 
 of cowardice, despotism, cruelty, and bribery, made 
 against Oglethorpe in The Plain Dealer of South 
 Carolina, were afterward found to be made by a 
 man who had to leave Georgia to escape trial. 
 
 137 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 It was the opinion of military men of that 
 day that few generals could have done more 
 than Oglethorpe, and that with only 400 regu- 
 lar soldiers the wonder was that his small force 
 was not destroyed by an enemy secure in a 
 strong castle well garrisoned. The Duke of 
 Argyle spoke on this subject before the House 
 of Peers, and with no uncertain sound : 
 
 One man there is, my lords, whose natural gen- 
 erosity, contempt of danger, and regard for the 
 public prompted him to obviate the designs of the 
 Spaniards and to attack them in their own terri- 
 tories; a man whom, by long acquaintance, I can 
 confidently affirm to have been equal to the under- 
 taking, and to have learned the art of war by a 
 regular education, who yet miscarried in the design 
 only for want of supplies necessary to a possibility 
 of success. 
 
 138 
 
CHAPTER XVn 
 
 PEACE AND THE COMING OF WHITEFIELD 
 
 1740 
 
 On the same date Oglethorpe wrote from 
 Frederica to the Under-Secretary, Andrew 
 Stone, Esq. : 
 
 It is necessary for me to make several expenses 
 to preserve this province, particularly fortifying. 
 For this I must draw upon England. You will see 
 the estimate among my papers. Necessity of pro- 
 tecting the province will force me to finish entrench- 
 ments around this place. It would be a sad thing 
 to have a province abandoned and the people, at 
 least the improvements, destroyed. If I can com- 
 plete the Rangers and the Highland Foot again and 
 man the armed sloops, boats, and schooners, I do not 
 doubt to keep the province, notwithstanding what 
 the Governor of St. Augustine says in his inter- 
 cepted letter. I must beg you in proper season to 
 drop a word for my reimbursement. I would not 
 trouble you only I know your good inclination to 
 favor those who sacrifice their interests for the pub- 
 lic safety, and do not desire you to speak at any 
 season but when it will be agreeable. 
 
 139 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Peace seems now to have smiled upon tlie 
 province for a brief time, a time industriously 
 used by the Governor for the improvement of 
 his colony, and especially of Frederica, then 
 a small town of 1,000 inhabitants. He had 
 designed the place for a military post; there- 
 fore, instead of the regular squares, parks, 
 gardens, broad shade streets, with which he 
 had beautified Savannah, there was an espla- 
 nade and parade-ground, and everything for 
 the defense of a frontier town. South of the 
 fort the streets were about forty feet wide, and 
 the houses all built of brick or of tabby, the 
 best and cheapest material for his purpose. 
 This tabby is a compound of lime, sand, shells 
 or pebbles, mixed with water, a most durable 
 material, resisting for ages the action of the 
 elements. It is about the same as the coquina 
 used in the walls and buildings of St. Augus- 
 tine, and still seen in the ruins. In Spain 
 walls of the same substance have endured for 
 centuries. 
 
 On the island of St. Simons, besides the 
 town of Frederica, was a small village called 
 Little St. Simons, also Soldiers Fort, both at 
 the southern end of the island. A road had 
 been built connecting Frederica with the fort. 
 For a mile it led through a beautiful prairie, 
 then entered the forest, and just here Ogle- 
 
 140 
 
Peace and Whitefield 
 
 thorpe had established his unpretending home 
 — a simple cottage, with garden and orchard 
 of oranges, figs, grapes, and other fruits. The 
 house was shaded by evergreen oaks and com- 
 manded a view of the town and fortifications, 
 as well as the sound. Here he could enjoy a 
 quiet retreat, watch the progress of the de- 
 fenses, and at a moment's warning be ready 
 for service. 
 
 Many of his officers lived near, some in far 
 more pretentious dwellings. Captain Ray- 
 mond Demere, a Huguenot of fortune, spent 
 large sums upon his country-seat, which was 
 built after the French style and enclosed with 
 hedges of orange and cassina plants. Thomas 
 Spalding, when describing the home of Ogle- 
 thorpe, states that, after the general went to 
 England, it became the property of the Spal- 
 ding family; that during the Revolutionary 
 War the buildings were destroyed, and that 
 his father afterward sold the property. The 
 fine oaks remained standing until within a 
 few years. 
 
 That Oglethorpe did not acquire or claim 
 any land in Georgia beyond this small home, 
 or receive any in return for his services, is 
 proved by a letter from General Washington, 
 written five years after Oglethorpe 's death, in 
 reply to one from a French nobleman claiming 
 
 141 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 to be his descendant. After saying that care- 
 ful inquiry had been made and that there were 
 no lands in Georgia belonging to Oglethorpe, 
 Washington adds : 
 
 If there had been property of that gentleman 
 in Georgia, in the time of the late war with Great 
 Britain, so far from it having been confiscated, it 
 would have met with singular protection in conse- 
 quence of the high estimation in which the char- 
 acter of General Oglethorpe stood in that State. 
 
 Frederica stood on a high bluff on the west 
 side of the island. Its streets were named 
 after the officers in Oglethorpe's regiment ; on 
 its north side was their camp, on the east their 
 parade-ground, and on the south a small forest, 
 which concealed them from an enemy coming 
 up on the water side. On Jekyll Island were 
 defensive works; on Cumberland Island a bat- 
 tery; another at Fort William. ^^ Seldom,** 
 says Wright, ^ ^ has one with such limited means 
 more forcibly evinced his power. Not only 
 Georgia, but Carolina owed their preservation 
 to the ability shown in the disposition of these 
 works, for, as it has been observed, St. Simons 
 was destined to become the Thermopylae of the 
 southern Anglo-American provinces.** 
 
 It was during this interval of peace from 
 Spanish depredations that the Rev. George 
 
 142 
 
Peace and Whitefield 
 
 Whitefield visited Georgia, remained a few 
 months, then returned to England to be or- 
 dained, and to collect funds to found in Geor- 
 gia an orphanage. He had come to the Geor- 
 gia colony as their missionary, had been pre- 
 sented by the trustees with the living of Savan- 
 nah, and had obtained from them a grant of 
 five hundred acres for the support of the desti- 
 tute orphan children of the province. 
 
 Mr. Whitefield made himself famous in 
 England, not only by the fervor of his piety, 
 but by his fearless, if sometimes unwise, re- 
 bukes, especially of the clergy. On his return 
 to America all classes flocked to hear him 
 preach. He spoke with great severity of the 
 ministers of that day, calling them ^^dumb 
 dogs, ' ^ ^ * slothful shepherds, ' ' and avowed his 
 firm belief that few of the doctors of an age 
 or more past could ever enter heaven. An 
 Episcopal clergyman, the Rev. Alexander 
 Gordon, retorted with equal bitterness, point- 
 ing out the pernicious tendency of Whitefield' s 
 words and doctrines, called him a religious 
 quack, and, preaching against him, used the 
 text: ^^ Those that have turned the world up- 
 side down, are come hither also. ' ' Whitefield 
 replied from the words of Paul : ^ ^ Alexander 
 the coppersmith did me much evil, the Lord 
 reward him according to his works. ' ' 
 
 143 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Other ministers suffered liis rebukes, and 
 their friends stirred up to their defense. That 
 was not all, for, like his predecessor, he made 
 the mistake of considering the pulpit a sphere 
 too limited, and went into the court-room to 
 harangue the jury. Even in Frederica, Ogle- 
 thorpe 's peace was disturbed by reports of the 
 commotion in Savannah. 
 
 Whitefield had begun the building of the 
 orphanage on a sandy bluff near Savannah. 
 Disputes soon arose between him and those 
 who had orphans in charge. Mr. Parker, one 
 of the magistrates, had with him two boys 
 whom Whitefield claimed. The elder boy was 
 sixteen, and Parker refused to give him up, 
 saying he had maintained him in childhood 
 and it was unfair to take him, now that he 
 could be of some service. To which the 
 preacher said : * * The boy is so much fitter for 
 my purpose; he can be employed for the 
 benefit of the orphans. ' ' 
 
 The result was that Parker lost his temper, 
 and Whitefield gained his point, carrying off 
 both boys. Oglethorpe was appealed to, and 
 thought that Whitefield had gone beyond the 
 intention of the trustees in taking strong boys, 
 old enough to be serviceable to the colony, par- 
 ticularly during the planting season; and he 
 finally had to interfere with the dictatorial 
 
 144 
 
GEOEGE WHITEFIELD. 
 
Peace and Whitefieid 
 
 ways of the determined minister. Three or- 
 phan children by the name of Mellidge had 
 shown themselves so intelligent and industri- 
 ous that Oglethorpe had encouraged the eldest, 
 John, to do what he could in the way of plant- 
 ing, while the sister kept the house and took 
 care of the younger brother. The latter 
 Whitefieid removed to the orphanage in spite 
 of the protests of their brother John. 
 
 The boy complained to Oglethorpe, then at 
 Frederica, and an answer was received by Mr. 
 Noble Jones to this effect : 
 
 As for the Mellidge brothers, I think your rep- 
 resentation is very just; that taking them away to 
 the Orphan-house will break up a family which is in 
 a likely way of living comfortably. Mr. Whitefieid 's 
 design is for the good of the people and the glory 
 of God; and I dare say when he considers this, 
 he will be very well satisfied with the return of the 
 two younger children to their brother, John Mel- 
 lidge, since they can assist him. Upon this head I 
 am to acquaint you that I have inspected the grant 
 relating to the Orphan-house. Mr. Seward said that 
 the Trustees had granted the orphans to Mr. White- 
 field, but I showed him it could not be in the sense he 
 seemed to understand it. It is most certain that the 
 orphans are human creatures, and neither cattle 
 nor any other kind of chattels; therefore can not 
 be granted. 
 
 But the Trustees have granted the care of the 
 
 145 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 helpless orphans to Mr. Whitefield, and have given 
 him five hundred acres of land, and a power of col- 
 lecting charities, as a consideration for maintaining 
 all the orphans who are in necessity in this Province ; 
 and thereby the Trustees think themselves dis- 
 charged from maintaining any. But at the same 
 time, the trustees have not given, as I see, any power 
 to Mr. Whitefield to receive the effects of orphans, 
 much less to take by force any orphans who can 
 maintain themselves, or whom any substantial per- 
 son will maintain. The Trustees, in this, act accord- 
 ing to the law of England : In case orphans are left 
 destitute they become the charge of the parish, and 
 the parish may put them out to be taken care of; 
 but if any person will maintain them, so that they 
 are not chargeable to the parish, then the parish 
 does not meddle with them. 
 
 On receipt of this letter John Mellidge was 
 advised to inform Mr. Whitefield of General 
 Oglethorpe's opinion, and ask permission to 
 take his brother and sister home. Whitefield 's 
 answer was : ^ ^ Your brother and sister are at 
 their proper home already; I know no other 
 home they have to go to. Give my service to 
 the general, and tell him so. ' ' Receiving this 
 message, Oglethorpe promptly ordered Mr. 
 Jones to take the children away from the 
 orphan-house. Mr. Whitefield complained 
 that he had been badly treated, and threatened 
 
 146 
 
Peace and Whitefield 
 
 to appeal to the Trustees, but there the matter 
 ended. John Mellidge showed himself worthy 
 of the charge of his brother and sister, and be- 
 came afterward Representative from Savan- 
 nah in the first General Assembly of Georgia. 
 
 Whitefield 's ideas about the management 
 of the orphans were peculiar, and the orphan- 
 age, according to his own description, a dismal 
 place. The mornings were spent in school, 
 the afternoons in something useful; no time 
 was set apart for play, because he considered 
 all such time as ^^ Satan's darling hours to 
 tempt children to all manner of wickedness. ' ' 
 So that, although there came to be seventy chil- 
 dren in his orphan family, he boasted that 
 *^ there was no more noise than if it were a 
 private house. ' ' 
 
 However mistaken Whitefield may have 
 been in regard to the needs of child-life, he in- 
 tended and believed that he was bringing up 
 those children to the glory of God. Un- 
 doubtedly his work was a great blessing, and 
 as such was acknowledged by General Ogle- 
 thorpe. Apparently he was in advance of his 
 day. A letter printed in the London Maga- 
 zine in 1745 says : 
 
 It gave me much satisfaction to have an oppor- 
 tunity to see this Orphan-house, as the design has 
 made such a noise in Europe; and the very being 
 
 147 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 of such a place was so much doubted everywhere, 
 that even no farther from it than New England, 
 affidavits were made to the contrary. 
 
 Whitefield being much of the time absent, 
 the management of the orphanage was en- 
 trusted to his friend, James Habersham, 
 who complained of the arbitrary conduct of 
 the magistrates. Having become prejudiced 
 against the founder of the institution, they did 
 injustice to the institution itself by withdraw- 
 ing from it students who promised to become 
 ornaments to society and binding them out as 
 servants. Habersham's remonstrances were 
 treated with contempt. General Oglethorpe 
 at first refused to interfere ; but that he did on 
 some occasions is seen from the following let- 
 ter to him by Whitefield : 
 
 August 18, 1742. 
 Honored Sir: I most heartily thank you for 
 being so kind to my family in Georgia and for 
 espousing my friends ' cause when I think they were 
 wronged. In a letter I yesterday laid the case be- 
 fore the Honorable Trustees, not doubting but they 
 will preserve us from oppression and from persecu- 
 tion in all shapes. I think we have only the glory 
 of God and the good of the colony at heart. 
 Prejudices may be raised against us by evil reports 
 and misrepresentations, but your Excellency is 
 more noble than to hearken to insinuations which 
 
 148 
 
Peace and Whitefield 
 
 are not supported by evident matter of fact. I am 
 sure God will bless you for defending the cause of 
 the fatherless, and espousing the cause of injured 
 innocence. My friends will, I trust, at all times 
 readily acknowledge anything they may either say 
 or do wrong; and if I know anything of my own 
 heart, I would not offend any one causelessly or 
 willfully for the world. In a few months I hope 
 to see Georgia. In the meanwhile I beg your Ex- 
 cellency to accept these few lines of thanks from, 
 honored sir, your Excellency's 
 
 Most obliged and humble servant, 
 
 George Whitefield. 
 
 Whitefield returned to Georgia, and his life 
 and work there became more peaceful. Ogle- 
 thorpe esteemed him highly, and when, on 
 September 30, 1770, he died, there was pro- 
 found sorrow in Savannah. Church and State- 
 house were draped in black, and the Governor 
 and his council put on mourning. By his will 
 Whitefield left the orphan-house to ^ ^ that elect 
 lady, that mother in Israel, the Right Honora- 
 ble Selina, Countess Dowager of Huntingdon. ' ' 
 
 In the spring of 1740 the British ministry 
 resolved to ^^ annoy Spain in her American 
 possessions. ' ' In November the King assured 
 Parliament that he meant to prosecute the war 
 vigorously, even though France espoused the 
 Spanish cause. But, before war was declared, 
 11 149 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 tlie French, in violation of treaties, had sailed 
 in conjunction with the Spanish to the West 
 Indies and threatened Jamaica. Admiral 
 Vernon, with a powerful fleet, was sent in 
 January to oppose them, but, instead of go- 
 ing to Havana, turned toward Hispaniola in 
 order to watch the French fleet, thus losing 
 time and an opportunity to attack Havana 
 under favorable circumstances. A letter 
 from Oglethorpe, written at the time to the 
 Duke of Newcastle, gives a formal account of 
 the condition of affairs. It is dated in May, 
 1741: 
 
 My Lord: Since my last I have sent out a 
 party of Creek Indians under command of one of 
 their war captains, Accouelauh. Two of our scout 
 boats landed them in the night in Florida; they 
 marched up to Augustine and took one of their 
 horsemen prisoner, and beat a party of their horse. 
 I send the prisoner by Captain Thompson to your 
 Grace, that his Majesty may have an exact account 
 of the condition of St. Augustine. What he says is 
 confirmed by other advices; that they have eight 
 hundred men newly arrived, six hundred of them 
 regular troops. Besides what he says, my intelli- 
 gence mentions that Admiral Vernon and the troops 
 from England are employed in the West Indies, 
 and can not come up to attack the Havannah, and 
 that as soon as the Governor of Havannah sees the 
 effect of the expedition, they will send up more 
 
 150 
 
Peace and Whitefield 
 
 troops and half-galleys for the attacking this 
 province and South Carolina. My private intelli- 
 gence further adds that Spanish emissaries have 
 been employed to fire the English towns and maga- 
 zines of North America, and to take other measures 
 to hinder the supplying this great English expedi- 
 tion with provisions. 
 
 I send your Grace enclosed our present strength. 
 If our numbers were but equal, and the men-of-war 
 would but stop their communication, we might still 
 take the place, for our Indians keep them blocked 
 up. But if our men-of-war will not keep them from 
 coming in by sea, and we have no succor, but de- 
 crease daily by different accidents, all we can do 
 will be to die bravely in his Majesty's service. 
 
 I must therefore entreat your Grace to move his 
 Majesty that there be a train of artillery, arms, and 
 ammunition sent over; also orders for completing 
 our two troops of Rangers to sixty men each, the 
 Highlanders to one hundred, and one hundred 
 boatmen; with orders to buy or build and man two 
 half-galleys. 
 
 I have often desired assistance of the men-of- 
 war, and continue to do so. I go on fortifying this 
 town, making magazines, and doing everything 
 I can to defend the Province vigorously. I hope 
 my endeavors will be approved of by his Majesty, 
 since the whole end of my life is to do the duty of a 
 faithful servant and grateful subject. 
 
 I have thirty Spanish prisoners in this place, 
 and we continue so masters of Florida that the 
 
 151 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Spaniards have not been able to rebuild any one of 
 the seven forts which we destroyed in the last ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 Permit me with the greatest humility to return 
 my most grateful thanks to his Majesty and to 
 your Grace for the company and officers added to 
 this regiment, and at the same time desire your 
 Grace to move his Majesty in the matters above 
 mentioned, which, in my opinion, are absolutely 
 necessary for the preservation of this Province. 
 
 152 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 WAK WITH THE SPANIAEDS AGAIN 
 1741 
 
 General Oglethorpe's letter was laid be- 
 fore the ^4ords justices," who approved all 
 save the application for artillery and military 
 stores, which they referred to the master-gen- 
 eral of ordnance. The master-general of ord- 
 nance referred it to his principal officers to 
 report upon. The officers summoned Mr. 
 Verelst for details ; Mr. Verelst could not fur- 
 nish the details, did not know whether the 600 
 swords called for were wanted for regiment, 
 militia, or Indians. The laws of red tape re- 
 quired just that particular piece of informa- 
 tion; hence, delay number one. 
 
 The second delay came from the very 
 natural conceit of the officers, who firmly be- 
 lieved that they knew more of Georgia than 
 Oglethorpe did, and decided that the ordnance 
 he asked for was too heavy. ^'We are very 
 well informed," said they in their report, 
 "that all the Continent for one hundred miles 
 
 153 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 and upward is a sheer sand, and that they have 
 no materials to support the works, so that we 
 can not think of sending any ordnance heavier 
 than a twelve-pounder for the use of the 
 forts. ' ' 
 
 There was still a third and longer delay, 
 when the demand for half -galleys was referred 
 to the Admiralty. Half a dozen meetings, 
 with due intervals between for ponderous re- 
 flection, were given to the subject before any 
 decision was reached. 
 
 Meantime, Oglethorpe was again forced to 
 appeal to the Home Government. He was 
 supplied with flour either from England or 
 the northern colonies. Of late Spanish priva- 
 teers had been making prizes of these mer- 
 chant vessels, having taken one off Charleston 
 with 1,500 pounds of goods on board. Only 
 two men-of-war being stationed on the coast, 
 they were not able to defend both Charleston 
 and Frederica. After hearing of the last 
 capture, Oglethorpe ordered out the guard- 
 sloop with a detachment from his regiment, 
 and hired a schooner belonging to Captain 
 Davis. These two vessels met with three 
 Spanish half-galleys, and having forced them 
 to fly, then overtook and attacked one of their 
 privateers, which they drove ashore and dis- 
 abled. This, however, was not only expensive, 
 
 154 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 but dangerous ; Oglethorpe therefore bought a 
 suitable vessel and fitted it out for service. 
 He excused the purchase by saying the loss to 
 English shipping, with their cargoes, etc., 
 would be far greater than the cost of the vessel, 
 not to speak of the distress of the colony for 
 want of provisions. 
 
 On August 16th a large Spanish ship was 
 seen off the bar of Jekyll Sound. General 
 Oglethorpe being notified, took the guard- 
 sloop, also the sloop Falcon and the schooner 
 Norfolk, with some of his own regiment, and 
 started in pursuit. A violent storm arose, and 
 when it was over the ship had disappeared. 
 The Falcon had been disabled by the storm, 
 and had to put back, but with the other two 
 Oglethorpe sailed direct for Florida, and on 
 the 21st descried, five leagues distant, the 
 Spanish vessel at anchor. There was a dead 
 calm, but he ordered out the boats, which 
 towed them along until they came up to the 
 enemy, a Spanish man-of-war and the Black 
 Sloop, a notorious privateer. Oglethorpe, 
 whose courage seemed equal to any occasion, 
 gave orders for boarding. His vessels bore 
 down upon the Spaniards, who opened fire, 
 which was so vigorously returned that they 
 weighed anchor, and a light breeze having 
 sprung up, speedily ran over the bar. The 
 
 155 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Englisli followed and, tliougli they did not 
 succeed in boarding, engaged them for an 
 hour, when the Spaniards sailed for the town, 
 so disabled that six half-galleys came out to 
 cover their retreat, keeping, however, at a 
 safe distance. Three or four Spanish ships 
 were lying in the harbor, but none ventured 
 to attack the plucky little Georgia vessels, and 
 that night Oglethorpe lay at anchor within 
 sight of St. Augustine. For some days he 
 cruised off the bar, and then, having 
 alarmed the whole Spanish coast, returned to 
 Frederica. 
 
 With a spirit like this, Oglethorpe and his 
 brave, enduring men, had they been supplied 
 with what he had asked, could soon have in- 
 timidated the Spaniards and put an end to the 
 war. The expenses gave him much uneasi- 
 ness, though he had freely used his private 
 fortune in the cause so dear to his heart. 
 
 For some years Oglethorpe had been 
 corresponding with Governor Clark, of New 
 York, and with him laboring to accomplish a 
 noble object. In writing to the trustees, Ogle- 
 thorpe speaks of that object as: 
 
 Most advantageous to all the British settle- 
 ments in America — which is, to make peace between 
 all Indians under the British crown, and thereby 
 prevent their destroying each other as they do now. 
 
 156 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 Besides the saving of so many lives and making the 
 western parts safe, it would enable the English In- 
 dians to act with more vigor and greater numbers 
 against the Spanish or any nation at war with us. 
 The men who would be otherwise forced to stay at 
 home for their own defense will be enabled to leave 
 their towns by the peace. 
 
 I have with much difficulty made a peace be- 
 tween the Chickasaws, Cherokees, and Creeks ; but 
 the great work of making a peace between them and 
 the Six Nations remains with Governor Clark to 
 do. If the Chickasaws can obtain a peace with the 
 Six Nations, which are called the Black Enemy, 
 they will be secured against the French. The Black 
 Enemy did prevent their coming down this year 
 to war against the Spaniards, whereas last year 
 they sent down forty men, and if peace is made 
 with the Six Nations, they will send down every 
 year two hundred. The Cherokees have acquainted 
 me that if they are secured from the Black Enemy, 
 who lately killed their emperor, Moy Toy, they will 
 be able to furnish me two thousand men. ... As 
 the treaty is of greater consequence to Georgia than 
 to any other colony, I drew for £100 sterling on 
 Mr. Verelst toward defraying the charges, which I 
 hope you will reimburse. ' ' 
 
 The trustees approved the course. Whether 
 the funds were furnished is another question 
 to be settled later. Not one of all the colonial 
 leaders had ever exercised so good an influence 
 
 157 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 over tlie native tribes as Oglethorpe, nor had 
 any other been so well able to control them. 
 The humane, unselfish motives which governed 
 all his movements in the founding of his col- 
 ony seemed to have impressed the savage and 
 secured his friendship. Lord Baltimore and 
 William Penn had been successful in obtaining 
 from the Indians large grants of land; they 
 had wisely adopted the best methods of get- 
 ting peaceable possessions and ^^etaining large 
 estates. Penn's were securely flanked on 
 either side by Virginia and Maryland. With 
 Oglethorpe the case was different. He in- 
 duced the savages to cede to him a large prov- 
 ince, but not one acre for himself; his work 
 was wholly for others, and with trying embar- 
 rassments. The weak and factious Carolini- 
 ans failed to do even their simple duty in self- 
 defense; the long-established colonies of 
 France and Spain were bitter enemies, and it 
 was largely due to the fidelity of his Indian 
 allies that he was able to preserve the colony 
 he had founded. *^If we had no other evi- 
 dence of the great abilities of Oglethorpe,'' 
 says Spalding, ^^but what is offered by the 
 devotion of the Indian tribes to him and to his 
 memory afterward for fifty years, it is all 
 sufficient, for only master minds acquire this 
 deep and lasting influence over other men. ' ' 
 
 158 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 Oglethorpe complained often of his want 
 of sure and direct correspondence with Eng- 
 land. ''Seven out of eight letters miscarry," 
 said he, and from December to April he had 
 no safe opportunity of sending letters. In 
 that year, 1742, he reported no vessels taken 
 by the Spanish privateers. His spirited attack 
 on their man-of-war and privateer had made 
 them more than cautious. With two guard- 
 vessels he again started for St. Augustine, but 
 a storm came up so violent that with great 
 difficulty he saved his ships. Several English 
 vessels were lost; another would have gone 
 down but for his timely aid. Just at this time 
 a privateer arrived off the bar at St. Augus- 
 tine, with flour, clothing, and supplies for that 
 garrison. A pilot had been sent with two 
 half-galleys and 200 men to convoy her in. 
 The Governor had received the announcement 
 of her arrival with great satisfaction, had 
 ordered the guns fired, and sent a party of 
 Indians to cut wood and make a bonfire. 
 
 Oglethorpe's Indians attacked them and 
 took ^ve prisoners, while Captain Dunbar with 
 his guard-ship came up with the Spanish ves- 
 sel before it was high water, captured her, and 
 took her to Frederica. This prize Oglethorpe 
 detained some months for the service of the 
 colony. A Charleston merchant wrote: "Our 
 
 159 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 wrongheads now begin to own that the security 
 of our Southern settlements and trade is owing 
 to the vigilance and unwearied endeavors of 
 his Excellency in annoying the enemy. ' ' Ogle- 
 thorpe had sent to St. Augustine a number of 
 prisoners in exchange for some Carolina ma- 
 rines. These had brought the same reports as 
 had the Indian spies, to which the general re- 
 fers in his letter to the Duke of Newcastle, June 
 7,1742: 
 
 The Indian spies bring me word that the 
 Spaniards have received powerful succor; that all 
 their houses are filled with new soldiers, and that 
 their common talk is bragging that they intend to 
 attack us and overrun all North America. They are 
 some of the troops which were raised for the de- 
 fense of Cuba. I hope your Grace will remember 
 that I long ago acquainted you that I anticipated 
 an invasion as soon as the affair with Cuba was 
 ended, and prayed for succors, which are not yet 
 arrived. The Spaniards have, as I then believed, 
 sent more troops, and expect a general revolt of the 
 negroes. It is too late now to ask your Grace to 
 represent this to his Majesty and ask succors. Be- 
 fore they arrive the matter will be over. I hope I 
 shall behave as well as one with as few men and 
 as little artillery can. I have great advantage from 
 my knowledge of the country, and the soldiers and 
 inhabitants are in good heart and used to fatigue 
 and arms. We have often seen and drove the 
 
 160 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 Spaniards, and I believe that one of us is as good 
 as ten of them. I hope your Grace will represent 
 the situation, for though the present affair will be 
 over before any succor can come, yet, if we defeat 
 the enemy, it will facilitate our taking St. Augus- 
 tine if troops arrive ; and if none come, our succors 
 will only secure our own. 
 
 In another letter of the same date, Ogle- 
 thorpe says of the Spanish efforts to excite a 
 revolt among the negroes of Carolina ; 
 
 They won't pass by us into Carolina, so must 
 take us in their way, and I believe they will 
 meet with a morsel not easy to be digested. Yet 
 we are not in the situation we would wish, being 
 very weak in cannon and shot, never having had 
 any from England, nor indeed anj^hing else since 
 my last arrival in this country, but one store ship of 
 powder and small arms from his Grace the Duke of 
 Argyle just before he was out of ordnance. From 
 the time he quitted the service until now I have been 
 left to shift for myself. I have sent northward to 
 raise men and to buy guns and ammunition of all 
 kinds, and have, according to standing orders, 
 drawn bills for his Majesty's service with orders 
 to Mr. Verelst to apply thereupon to the Treasury. 
 
 A few days previous to the writing of this 
 letter Oglethorpe had sent Captain Hamer of 
 the Flamborough against some vessels going 
 from Havana to St. Augustine with reenf oree- 
 
 161 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 ments. A storm had separated ten of those 
 vessels from the rest of the fleet ; these Captain 
 Hamer attacked and drove some ashore, but 
 in so doing lost a score of his men and one boat. 
 He returned to notify the general ; then, instead 
 of remaining to guard the coast, sailed back to 
 Charleston. A despatch was sent to the Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor of South Carolina informing 
 him of the arrival of several vessels at St. 
 Augustine, but Governor Bull 's only reply was 
 that he was well assured that it was only the 
 annual relief sent from Havana, that the same 
 vessels carried back a like number of men. 
 Further advices of fifteen more strange vessels 
 in sight failed to convince him, nor could the 
 general purchase from him the various mili- 
 tary stores needed. He ^^ seemed to take no 
 notice,'^ nor was the naval commander, Max- 
 well, more successful. Captain Frankland 
 promised, it is true, to send two vessels, but 
 failed to keep the promise. This indifference 
 of the Lieutenant-Governor brought forth a 
 plain letter from the general. Among other 
 advice, he said : 
 
 You would be right to have the militia imme- 
 diately reviewed and ready for service. I expect 
 the Spaniards to attack us, and if they do, doubt not 
 to give them a warm reception and make them sick 
 of it ; but if they should get the better of us, they 
 
 162 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 will immediately follow their advantage, and you 
 may expect a visit, and it is possible that they may 
 incite an insurrection among the negroes. I expect 
 you to send to Fort Frederic what is necessary for 
 the defense of that place, of which I send you an 
 estimate and one to the Assembly to be laid before 
 them. If there is any trifling in this, and an acci- 
 dent thereupon should happen, you are answerable 
 for it. I have often given notice how the place was 
 neglected. Some of the men in the garrison were 
 countenanced in their desertion, and harbored by 
 some ill-designed people. I therefore desire you 
 should publish a proclamation for the apprehend- 
 ing of them, setting forth the consequences to those 
 who receive them. These men have been four years 
 in the regiment and never attempted to desert till 
 in garrison in the province of Carolina. 
 
 The letter had no effect. Governor Bull 
 paid no attention to the advice of the "Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of his Majesty's forces in 
 Georgia and Carolina." The ruling faction 
 of Charleston, with Bull at their head, resolved 
 to defend themselves on their own ground, 
 refused to send to Georgia any further assist- 
 ance, and planters in the exposed districts fled 
 to Charleston with their families. From the 
 Gentleman's Magazine, of London, this de- 
 served criticism is taken: 
 
 The Lieutenant-Governor therefore prepared 
 for war by appointing a long train of aides-de-camp. 
 
 163 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 He at the same time nominated Mr. Vanderdussen 
 captain-general and commander-in-chief by land 
 and sea, and created numberless officers of rank 
 from general down to captain. The militia were 
 mustered and reviewed, dilapidated batteries were 
 repaired, rusty guns were remounted, and the 
 Spaniards being still two hundred miles off, a most 
 martial spirit was displayed by these men, who left 
 the true defender of their province, as well as 
 his own, to stand or fall, as the case might be, before 
 a vastly superior force. 
 
 General Oglethorpe had at no time taken 
 counsel of his fears, and in this case his appre- 
 hensions were but too well found-ed. Before 
 the month had passed a Spanish fleet of above 
 fifty vessels, with between 5,000 and 6,000 
 soldiers on board, were ordered to attack the 
 colonies. Fourteen vessels attempted to run 
 in at Fort William, but were driven off by 
 guns from the fort, aided by the guard-schooner 
 under Captain Dunbar, and they then entered 
 Cumberland Sound. General Oglethorpe im- 
 mediately ordered out a detachment and some 
 Indians under Captain Horton, while he fol- 
 lowed with a part of his regiment in three 
 boats. ^^He was at once attacked by the 
 enemy, but with two boats fought his way 
 through the whole fleet. The third boat, under 
 Lieutenant Tolson, ran into a creek, lay con- 
 
 164 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 cealed until next day, then returned to St. 
 Simons and reported the general overpowered 
 and killed. But Oglethorpe, by keeping to 
 the leeward and thus taking advantage of the 
 smoke, escaped in safety, while the Spaniards 
 had suffered so much in the engagement that 
 four of their vessels foundered on their way 
 back to St. Augustine for repairs. The officer 
 in command at Frederica had watched the en- 
 gagement from the masthead, and seeing the 
 general surrounded by the enemy, concluded 
 he was lost, and at once sent despatches to 
 Charleston for immediate assistance. Their 
 joy was unbounded when, on the following day, 
 their commander returned unhurt." 
 
 He now withdrew the garrison from St. 
 Andrews, on the north end of the island, to re- 
 enforce Fort William, laid an embargo on all 
 vessels in the harbor, took into service the 
 merchant ship Success, and called in from 
 Darien the Highland companies, of whom he 
 said : ^ ^ They are, next to the Indians, the most 
 useful in those grounds where regular troops 
 can not form. ' ^ He also withdrew from vari- 
 ous outposts the Rangers, gave presents to the 
 Indians, rewarded those who did extraordinary 
 duty, and promised promotion to all who 
 should distinguish themselves. 
 
 His undaunted active spirit inspired his 
 12 165 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 soldiers. * * We were ready for twice our num- 
 ber of Spaniards, ' ' said the crew of the Suc- 
 cess, which had twenty guns and 100 men. 
 Besides the Success, there were in this harbor 
 ^Hhe general's schooner of fourteen guns, St. 
 Philip's sloop of fourteen guns, and eight 
 York sloops close inshore, with one man on 
 board each to sink or run them on shore in case 
 of being overpowered. ' ' 
 
 The conflict soon came. On July 5th 
 thirty-six Spanish vessels ran into St. Simons 
 harbor in line of battle. They were received 
 with a brisk fire from the forts and from the 
 shipping. Three times they attempted to 
 board the Success, but each time failed, 
 and after an engagement of four hours gave 
 it up and sailed up the river toward Fred- 
 erica. 
 
 Oglethorpe ordered his own men ashore, 
 and, thanking the seamen for their brave re- 
 sistance, directed the vessels to make their 
 way out of the harbor as best they could. 
 This they did, and soon reached Charleston 
 in safety. During this engagement General 
 Oglethorpe had been not only on shipboard 
 and at the batteries, but acted as engineer, 
 since Colonel Cook, whose duty it was, had, 
 on hearing of the invasion, retired to Charles- 
 ton; and, as if that were too near the scene 
 
 166 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 of action, hastened to England, followed by 
 the subengineer, his son-in-law. 
 
 A council of war was called. It was de- 
 cided to destroy batteries, provisions, etc., at 
 St. Simons, and retire to Frederica. This 
 was speedily accomplished, and that evening 
 the invaders landed and took possession of 
 the abandoned camp. From several prison- 
 ers taken by the Indians the general learned 
 that the enemy had land forces of 5,000 men 
 who had orders to give no quarter. Mr. Rut- 
 ledge, of Charleston, wrote afterward to the 
 Under-Secretary : 
 
 The Spaniards were resolved to put all to the 
 sword, not to spare a life, so as to terrify the Eng- 
 lish from any future thought of resettling. Said 
 a prisoner from on board : ' ' During the time they 
 lay off this bar, the Spaniards whetted their swords 
 and held their knives to this deponent's and other 
 English prisoners' throats, saying they would 
 cut the throats of all those they should take in 
 Georgia. ' ' 
 
 Never had the young colony been in such 
 danger, and never had the general so much 
 need of help, which was still withheld. Yet 
 he calmly faced the multiplying dangers, hap- 
 pily increasing the confidence of his people, 
 and stirring up his soldiers with a like de- 
 termination to resist the invaders to the last. 
 
 167 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Detachments of Spaniards sought to invest 
 the fort, attempting to pass through the wood, 
 but were driven back by the watchful Indians. 
 The only avenue to Frederica was by the road 
 so wisely planned some time previous — the 
 forest on one side, marsh on the other, and so 
 narrow that only three men could walk abreast. 
 Neither artillery nor baggage could be taken 
 over it, and the Spanish troops who ventured' 
 were so harassed by the Highlanders and In- 
 dians who lay in ambush that their attempts 
 ended in serious loss. They, however, suc- 
 ceeded, after many trials, in approaching 
 within two miles of the town. 
 
 Wishing to encounter the enemy before they 
 reached the open ground, Oglethorpe led a 
 body of Highlanders, Rangers, and Indians 
 and charged so fiercely that all but a few were 
 either killed or taken prisoners. He captured 
 two with his own hands, and the Spanish com- 
 mander was taken by a ranger. Another 
 Spanish officer shot the Indian Tooanahowi in 
 his right arm, but the savage drew his pistol 
 with his left hand and killed the officer on the 
 spot. For more than a mile they pursued 
 them, and then halted to await the regulars. 
 These Oglethorpe posted to guard the pass, 
 and returned to the town to prepare the com- 
 pany of marines and encourage the people. 
 
 168 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 Meanwhile the Spanish again advanced, 
 halting where, unsuspected, the English lay in 
 ambush. They had built their fires and were 
 making ready their kettles for cooking when 
 a horse took fright and startled them. They 
 ran for their arms, but were shot down by the 
 invisible enemy. Their principal officers were 
 killed, and the men fled in confusion, throwing 
 away their muskets and leaving their equipage 
 on the field. Don Antonio Barba was mortally 
 wounded. The Spaniards regarded the loss 
 of this commander as worse than a thousand 
 men. A Spanish sergeant declared, "The 
 woods were so full of Indians that the devil 
 himself could not get through them.'' So 
 great was the slaughter that the place was long 
 known as ^^ Bloody Marsh.'' The general 
 with his men marched over the causeway to 
 within two miles of the Spanish encampment, 
 intercepting all who had been dispersed in the 
 late fight, and there he passed the night. 
 
 The invaders retired within the ruins of 
 St. Simons Fort, and began entrenching them- 
 selves where they would be under the protection 
 of their ships. Finding it unwise to attack 
 them, Oglethorpe went back to Frederica to 
 refresh his wearied soldiers, and to send out 
 parties of rangers and Indians to harass the 
 enemy and watch their motions. He now ap- 
 
 169 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 pointed his staff: Lieutenants Maxwell and 
 Mackay as aides-de-camp, Lieutenant Suther- 
 land brigade-major, and at the same time pro- 
 moted Sergeant Stuart to be ensign, in reward 
 for bravery in the late engagement. 
 
 No help still from Carolina nor the men-of- 
 war. Their stock of provisions was neither 
 good nor abundant, for some had been burned 
 rather than leave them for the enemy, and, 
 with their vessels blocking the sound, no more 
 could be brought in. All this gave the general 
 the greatest anxiety, yet it must be carefully 
 concealed from his brave little army, which, all 
 told, numbered only 800 men. 
 
 The people who remained in Frederica were 
 assured that, if the worst came, they had a safe 
 retreat through Alligators Creek and the canal 
 cut through Generals Island, whence they could 
 go to Savannah. The soldiers were encour- 
 aged to patient endurance by seeing their gen- 
 eral undergoing every privation to which they 
 were exposed. Changing their tactics, the 
 Spaniards now proceeded up the river with 
 their galleys, but were again prevented from 
 landing by the Indians concealed among the 
 tall grass and shrubs. Going on toward the 
 town, the galleys were received with so deter- 
 mined a fire from the batteries that they re- 
 treated in haste to the shelter of their ships. 
 
 170 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 Thus was defeated the villainous plot of a 
 Spanish officer, who had surrendered and been 
 taken prisoner but refused to be exchanged, 
 pretending that his countrymen looked upon 
 him as a traitor. Permission had been given 
 him to go to some northern colony, and a boat 
 furnished to convey him to Darien; but in a 
 few days he returned, saying he could not risk 
 being captured. The general was still unsus- 
 pecting, but just at this time an English pris- 
 oner escaped from the Spanish commodore's 
 ship, declared that he had seen the man, and 
 heard him planning to return to Frederica, and 
 when the galleys attacked the town, he would 
 fire the arsenal, and in the confusion the as- 
 sault would be a success. The man 's conduct 
 since his return had been suspicious, and he 
 was now closely confined; so his plot was a 
 failure. 
 
 Several more escaped prisoners came in, 
 and all agreed in the report that the Spaniards, 
 not expecting such desperate resistance, were 
 much dispirited. There were numbers of 
 wounded and sick in distressing conditions. 
 There was much dissension, and the Cuban 
 forces had separated from those of Florida. 
 Oglethorpe meditated a surprise, had marched 
 to within a mile of the Spaniards, and was 
 about to make the attack when a Frenchman, 
 
 171 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 who without his knowledge had come down 
 with the volunteers, being a spy, fired his gun 
 and deserted, and was not overtaken. 
 
 Knowing that the spy would expose his 
 weakness, Oglethorpe determined by a little 
 stratagem to make him appear a double spy 
 and thus frustrate his schemes. He therefore 
 hired a prisoner to carry a letter to the deserter. 
 ^ ' The letter was in French, ' ' said Oglethorpe, 
 when relating the atf air, ^ ' as if from a friend, 
 telling him that he had received the money, and 
 would strive to make the Spaniards believe the 
 English were very weak ; that he should under- 
 take to pilot their boats and galleys, and then 
 bring them into the woods where the hidden 
 batteries were. That if he could bring about 
 all this, he should have double the reward, and 
 that the French deserters should have all that 
 had been promised them. 
 
 ^'The Spanish prisoner got into their 
 camp,'' continued Oglethorpe, ^'and was im- 
 mediately carried before the general. He was 
 asked how he escaped and whether he had any 
 letters ; but denying this, was searched and the 
 letter found. And he, upon being pardoned, 
 confessed that he had received money to carry 
 it to the Frenchman, for the letter was not 
 directed. The Frenchman, of course, denied 
 knowing anything of the contents of the letter, 
 
 172 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 or having received any money or had any 
 correspondence with me. Notwithstanding 
 which, a council of war was held and they de- 
 cided the Frenchman a double spy, but the gen- 
 eral would not suffer him to be executed, hav- 
 ing been employed by himself. ' ' 
 
 The Spaniards were sadly perplexed, and, 
 while deliberating, some English vessels ap- 
 peared off the coast, thus apparently confirm- 
 ing a statement of the letter, that ^ ^ six or seven 
 men-of-war" were coming to their assistance. 
 They decided to leave at once, and their fears 
 increasing as the moments passed, they burned 
 the barracks at St. Simons, and so hastily re- 
 embarked that they left behind their great can- 
 non, a quantity of ammunition and provisions, 
 and those dead of their wounds unburied. In 
 the meantime three or four large vessels had 
 been seen off the north end of the island, and 
 Oglethorpe, certainly expecting they were 
 coming to his aid, sent Lieutenant Maxwell 
 in a boat with a letter to the commanding 
 officer. 
 
 The lieutenant found no vessels in sight. 
 It was afterward learned that one was the 
 Flamborough, and that when Captain Hamer 
 was asked why he sailed away at so critical a 
 time, replied that his orders were ^'to come and 
 see if the Spanish fleet had possession of the 
 
 173 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 fort, and, if they had, to return immediately to 
 Carolina!'' Fortunately the safety of Fred- 
 erica did not depend on the assistance rendered 
 by a sister colony whose officers seemed afraid 
 to look a Spaniard in the face. 
 
 By this time some of the invaders had put 
 out to sea; others, landing at St. Andrews, 
 camped for the night. Two days after 
 twenty-eight vessels entered the harbor of Fort 
 William and demanded the surrender of the 
 garrison. But Ensign Stuart, having received 
 promise of aid from General Oglethorpe, re- 
 plied that he would not yield the fort, nor could 
 they take it. Those who attempted to land 
 were suddenly fired upon by rangers, who had, 
 by forced marches, just arrived, and were con- 
 cealed behind the sand hills. The galleys tried 
 to batter the fort with their cannon, but were 
 soon disabled by the few eighteen-pounders of 
 the fort. After an assault of three hours, 
 the Spaniards gave up and retired to St. 
 Augustine. 
 
 Again several English vessels were seen off 
 St. Simons, and again they sailed away, reply- 
 ing to the commander-in-chief 's summons that 
 the orders from the Lieutenant-Governor of 
 South Carolina were to return with the vessels 
 in case the Spaniards were gone ; and Captain 
 Hardy added that for his part he should go in 
 
 174 
 
War with the Spaniards Again 
 
 search of a prize with the rest of the King's 
 ships. 
 
 Thus with two ships and 800 men had 
 Oglethorpe defeated an enemy having fifty- 
 six ships and ahove 5,000 men. Says Wright : 
 
 Not only was the infant colony delivered from 
 a formidable foe, but the people of South Carolina 
 were saved from the horrors of a servile war such 
 as that from which they had previously suffered, 
 and that by a man whom they had persecuted and 
 calumniated because he would not permit their 
 traders to cheat the Indians and poison them with 
 
 rum. 
 
 The deliverance of Georgia from the Span- 
 iards," wrote Whitefield, "is such as can not be 
 paralleled but by some instances out of the Old 
 Testament. The Spaniards had intended to attack 
 Carolina, but wanting water, they put into Georgia, 
 and so would take that colony on their way. They 
 were wonderfully repelled, and sent away before 
 our ships were seen." 
 
 The Governors of New York, New Jersey, 
 Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North 
 Carolina wrote to Oglethorpe thanking him for 
 his invaluable services to the Carolinas, and ex- 
 pressing their gratitude to God that he had 
 placed the destinies of the southern colonies 
 under the direction of one so well qualified for 
 the important trust. 
 
 It was the misfortune of South Carolina to 
 
 175 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 be at that time under the rule of Governor Bull 
 and his faction. The majority of their honor- 
 able people heartily condemned his policy, and 
 united with the people of Port Royal in their 
 letter to General Oglethorpe, saying: '^If the 
 Spaniards had succeeded in their attempts, 
 they would have destroyed us, laid our prov- 
 ince waste and desolate, and filled our habita- 
 tions with blood and slaughter. . . . We are 
 very sensible of the great protection and safety 
 we have long enjoyed by having your Excel- 
 lency to the southward of us; had you been 
 cut o:ff, we must, of course, have fallen. ' ' 
 
 176 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 AFTER THE WAR 
 1742-1743 
 
 General Oglethorpe did not share the 
 belief that the Spanish war was over. In his 
 report, while rejoicing over the present deliv- 
 erance, he wrote : 
 
 I have sent all hands to work on the fortifica- 
 tions, have sent northward to raise men for another 
 battalion, have sent for cannon, shot, etc., for pro- 
 visions and all kinds of stores, since I expect the 
 enemy, who (though greatly terrified) lost but few 
 men in comparison to their numbers, as soon as they 
 have recovered from their fright, will attack us 
 again with more caution and better discipline. 
 
 I hope his Majesty will approve the measures 
 I have taken, and that he will be graciously pleased 
 to order troops, artillery, and other necessaries sufS- 
 cient for the defense of this frontier and the neigh- 
 boring provinces ; and I do not doubt with a mod- 
 erate support, not only to be able to defend these 
 provinces, but also to dislodge the enemy from St. 
 Augustine. 
 
 177 
 
After the War 
 
 The following months brought new anxi- 
 eties and new disappointments to General Ogle- 
 thorpe. Captain Frankland, with a fleet of 
 twelve vessels, arrived in August, and Ogle- 
 thorpe joined him with ardent hopes of en- 
 gaging the enemy and putting them to flight. 
 But, with strange weakness, the captain re- 
 fused to allow his vessels to venture over the 
 bar of St. Augustine, and his ships returned to 
 their various stations. 
 
 Again, a detachment of 500 men from Ja- 
 maica arrived in Charleston with orders to 
 return if the Spaniards no longer threatened 
 British territory. Their colonel was informed 
 by Governor Bull that the southern colonies 
 were perfectly safe and there was no necessity 
 for him to proceed with his men to Georgia. 
 In reference to this affair a gentleman of South 
 Carolina wrote indignantly : 
 
 This self-sufficiency of ours is well known to 
 General Oglethorpe, who no doubt has been before- 
 hand with me in animadverting upon it. . . . The 
 general, in answer to a letter received, with that of 
 the colonel, expressed himself with a good deal of 
 warmth upon our not thinking ourselves in imme- 
 diate danger, and to the colonel he answered that 
 in his opinion the King's service required that the 
 detachment should come to Frederica; but that 
 since the people of this province did not apprehend 
 
 178 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 immediate danger, he could not take it upon himself 
 to give positive orders ; the colonel should do what 
 appeared most agreeable to his instructions from 
 General Wentworth. 
 
 In reality the colonies were far from 
 safety, as will be seen from a letter of 
 Oglethorpe to the secretary, in which he in- 
 forms him of the killing of a party of Ran- 
 gers by Spanish troops, and of the burning 
 of Mount Venture by the Yamasee Spanish 
 Indians. Authentic information had also 
 been received of large reenforcements ar- 
 rived at St. Augustine; that the Spanish 
 were determined to have revenge for their 
 late defeat and losses, and their plan was to 
 have the French make an attack along the 
 Savannah River, while they would capture 
 Frederica. 
 
 Oglethorpe again appealed to the home 
 Government. "I shall do all I can," he wrote, 
 "to balk their expectations. It was with 
 much difficulty, and not without the apparent 
 hand of God, that we made head this last 
 time against a vastly superior force, and 
 that with a very few cannon. Doubtless they 
 are stronger now, and will take better meas- 
 ures ; but we have no addition, and the men- 
 of-war have refused to stay in the port." 
 
 179 
 
After the War 
 
 On the same day the general wrote to the 
 secretary complaining of the "stupidity, not 
 to say worse,'' of the Carolinians in prevent- 
 ing the men-of-war from coming to his aid; 
 for, said he, "the Spaniards intend, if they 
 succeed in taking Georgia, to push their con- 
 quests as far as Virginia; all North and 
 South Carolina are full of provisions, and 
 a very busy Spanish faction is stirring at 
 Charleston." 
 
 Reading this, and much more showing the 
 lethargy and indifference toward the fate of 
 their colony across the sea, we are not sur- 
 prised when a biographer of Oglethorpe re- 
 calls the remark of Oxenstiem: "See, my 
 son, with how little wisdom nations are gov- 
 erned." The English Government was as 
 slow in rewarding its soldiers as it was their 
 general. The prize sloop captured by Cap- 
 tain Dunbar, and now sent over to be valued 
 and the amount given to captain and crew 
 for gallant service, was for "many months" 
 unnoticed, though Captain Dunbar "begged 
 for an answer, as she was badly wanted in 
 the colony." The long delay damaged the 
 cargo, so that very little remained for the 
 captors. 
 
 In the spring of this year, 1743, we find 
 General Oglethorpe again in camp on the St. 
 
 180 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Johns. The Spaniards, having been largely 
 reenforced, had repulsed successfully all In- 
 dians sent against them, and a strong force 
 was marching toward the St. Johns. The 
 general resolved to attack them before they 
 were joined by troops from Cuba, already on 
 the way. 
 
 His first attempt was successful. His 
 Indians advanced undiscovered, and before 
 daylight killed forty men, with the loss of 
 only one on their side, and forced the enemy 
 to retire within their walls. No efforts would 
 induce them to make another advance at that 
 time. "I did all I could to draw them into 
 action," wrote Oglethorpe, "and having posted 
 troops in ambuscade, advanced myself, with 
 very few men, in sight of the town, intend- 
 ing to skirmish and retire in order to draw 
 them into the ambuscade; but they were so 
 meek that there was no provoking them." 
 
 "The Spaniards bearing all these insults 
 gives our Indians a very contemptible no- 
 tion of them," wrote an officer from the 
 camp. "The general encourages this con- 
 tempt, though he at the same time believes 
 it no want of courage in the Spaniards, but 
 that they wait to provoke him to some rash 
 action, or to engage on disadvantageous 
 ground, which, notwithstanding the general's 
 13 181 
 
»? 
 
 After the War 
 
 vivacity, he seems always cautious to beware 
 of. It is also probable that they may have 
 orders not to hazard anything in small ac- 
 tions, but to keep their troops entire until 
 the arrival of the armament from Cuba." 
 
 Oglethorpe's schooner and the Success 
 were cruising off the Florida coast. The 
 general sometimes joined them. While sail- 
 ing up the channel to reconnoiter St. Augus- 
 tine he came near being killed by the bursting 
 of a gun on board. He was so severely hurt 
 that the blood gushed from his nose and ears, 
 but he soon recovered to reassure his horri- 
 fied men. 
 
 Failing to draw out the Spanish, Ogle- 
 thorpe returned to Frederica with his Indians, 
 whose devotion and prompt response to his 
 summons were a great satisfaction, and in 
 unhappy contrast to the attitude of some 
 Carolinians, who still withheld their support. 
 Andrew Rutledge, Esq., of Charleston, and 
 Chief Justice of South Carolina, was not 
 among that class. He wrote of those In- 
 dians : " They are much charmed with his Ex- 
 cellency's noble conduct, and their adherence 
 to the English is now too well established for 
 even the nonsense of this place to remove 
 or weaken. This late motion of his has done 
 an inconceivable service to our quiet here for 
 
 182 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 the present, though we munnur because he 
 was the actor; for the majority of this town 
 like nothing more than to lay hold on all oc- 
 casions to villify the man to whom they owe 
 their protection." 
 
 Human nature was the same then as now, 
 and we have no doubt Captain Dunbar was 
 correct when he concluded "that what were 
 thought to be the sentiments of that province 
 was no more than the voice of Charleston 
 factors, who for their commissions bartered 
 the effects of British merchants with planters 
 for their crops, and who would never put the 
 welfare of their country in competition with 
 their profit in trade." 
 
 That the conduct of the Governor of South 
 Carolina proceeded from ignorance, as Ogle- 
 thorpe suggested, is more than doubtful. He 
 could scarcely have pursued a course more 
 deliberately dangerous than that recounted 
 in the next letter from Oglethorpe himself, 
 who says: 
 
 The Spaniards are now preparing for an expedi- 
 tion from Havannah. In their late invasion of this 
 province, one of our chief advantages lay in their 
 want of pilots and guides. The Governor of St. 
 Augustine has sent to Charleston a Spanish vessel 
 to exchange prisoners, many of whom are pilots by 
 water or guides by land. Lieutenant-Governor 
 
 183 
 
After the War 
 
 Bull suffered this vessel, which was commanded by 
 one of the Spaniards' best pilots, to go over, and 
 consequently learn the bar of that town, and ven- 
 tured to receive a message from his Majesty's ene- 
 mies, without acquainting the general who com- 
 mands in chief his Majesty's forces in that province. 
 He also received Alexander Paris, who piloted the 
 Spaniards into St. Simons harbor, and who now 
 walks about Charleston in full liberty. . . . 
 
 These pilots may be of the greatest advantage to 
 the Spaniards in the ensuing expedition, if designed 
 against us, since it lays our harbors open and makes 
 the fastnesses of our woods less advantageous. . . . 
 
 Very soon Oglethorpe forwarded to Eng- 
 land documents, sworn and proved, which re- 
 vealed the fact that not only provisions^ hut 
 ammtmition, were delivered in St. Augustine 
 by vessels from Charleston! 
 
 The Spaniards made every effort to se- 
 duce the Indians from their allegiance to the 
 English, but in vain. Similli, a Creek chief, 
 went into St. Augustine, as he said, "to know 
 what they were doing." The Spaniards there 
 offered him large sums of money for eveiy 
 English prisoner he would bring in; showed 
 him fine scarlet clothes and a sword which 
 they had presented to the captain of the 
 Yamasees, saying of Oglethorpe: "He is 
 poor, he can give you nothing; it is foolish 
 for you to go back to him." 
 
 184 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 The Creek answered: "We love hini. It 
 is true he does not give ns 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." Then they quar- 
 reled with him, struck him with a sword, 
 leaving a scar which he showed after his 
 escape. 
 
 185 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 BETUEN TO ENGLAND — THE PRETENDER 
 1743 
 
 Among the colonial records of this date 
 is a letter from Captain George Dunbar to 
 the Duke of Newcastle. In this letter Cap- 
 tain Dunbar says that he had been instructed 
 by General Oglethorpe to ask leave for him 
 to come home "at such a time as he should 
 find it necessaiy for the king's service to lay 
 before his Majesty the situation of that coun- 
 try." There was then imperative necessity 
 for Oglethorpe's going to England. "His 
 pecuniary resources were dried up, and bills 
 which he had drawn for his Majesty's service 
 to the amount of £12,000 had been returned 
 dishonored !" He put the frontier in the best 
 possible state of defense, appointed Mr. Ste- 
 phens Deputy Governor of Savannah, and 
 that efficient officer Major Horton military 
 commander of Frederica. On July 23, 1743, 
 he embarked in the Success for England. 
 
 In the memoir of General Lachlin Mcln- 
 
 186 
 
Return to England 
 
 tosh, of Revolutionary fame, is related an 
 incident occurring just before General Ogle- 
 thorpe left Georgia. It will be remembered 
 that in 1740 that gallant captain John Moore 
 Mcintosh had been taken captive. He was 
 for four months confined in St. Augustine, 
 then in Havana for three months, when he 
 was taken to St. Sebastian, in old Spain, and 
 confined in the common jail, with no allow- 
 ance but bread and water. The year follow- 
 ing he was released, but died soon after, 
 leaving two sons, William and Lachlin. 
 Oglethorpe attached the two young men to 
 his regiment, and in due time obtained for 
 them commissions. They heard of an upri- 
 sing in their native Highlands, and determined 
 to return to Scotland and enlist under the 
 Pretender. They concealed themselves in the 
 hold of the vessel, but were discovered, and 
 before the vessel sailed were brought before 
 Oglethorpe, who was on board. 
 
 He reminded them of his esteem for their 
 father, and sought to persuade them of their 
 folly and the hopelessness of every attempt 
 of the Stuarts. The boys appeared to be un- 
 convinced. He then informed them that it 
 would be his duty to put them under arrest, 
 but added: "Assure me you will think no 
 more of your wild project; keep your own 
 
 187 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 secret, and I shall forget all that has passed 
 between ns." The boys were now subdued, 
 promised to follow his advice, and were sent 
 on shore, never again to see the face of their 
 benefactor. One of them became in after- 
 years brigadier-general of the Revolutionary 
 army, and related to his biographer this 
 story of his last interview with General Ogle- 
 thorpe. 
 
 We might now expect to find a record of 
 thanks from Parliament to the man who had 
 rendered his country such unselfish, able 
 service. No such record appears, although 
 Admiral Vernon, who had perhaps taken bet- 
 ter care of himself than of his country on 
 this occasion, received a vote of thanks from 
 that discriminating body. Nor could Ogle- 
 thorpe retire to his country-seat, at Godal- 
 ming, a laurel-crowned hero. His estates 
 were encumbered by liabilities incurred in the 
 public service, which a tardy Parliament 
 failed to acknowledge, though the Lords Jus- 
 tices not only passed the accounts, but sanc- 
 tioned an additional outlay of £8,000 a year. 
 
 Yet nothing was done during that session 
 of Parliament. For fifteen months it went 
 on, until, to the- great relief of his faithful 
 agents, Oglethorpe reached England, Septem- 
 ber 28, 1743. Enemies from Charleston had 
 
 188 
 
Return to England 
 
 arrived before him. He had long ago been 
 informed of the intrigues which Colonel 
 Cooke, chief engineer of his own regiment, 
 and Vanderdussen, hero of the Carolina fac- 
 tion, were carrying on against him. He had 
 wasted neither time nor thought on their 
 venomous attacks — the defense of two colo- 
 nies he had ever placed before his own in- 
 terests — but having discharged those higher 
 duties, he was now ready to refute their 
 slanders. 
 
 Alexander Vanderdussen was a disrepu- 
 table Dutchman, driven from his own country 
 for criminal conduct ; afterward employed by 
 the Spaniards in the Philippine Islands, from 
 whence he carried off a wealthy lady for her 
 effects and settled in South Carolina. This 
 man the General Assembly of that colony had 
 selected to lead a regiment to Oglethorpe's 
 assistance. He failed to render the general 
 any efficient aid, but was wily enough to make 
 it appear so, and became the hero of the day, 
 while all failures were attributed to Ogle- 
 thorpe. Notwithstanding his protests of 
 fidelity to his commander, he joined in the 
 accusations of Colonel Cooke — the invalid 
 colonel, who scented danger from afar and 
 retired under pretense of illness, first to 
 Charleston, then to England, to recruit his 
 
 189 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 health. He owed all his promotion to Gen- 
 eral Oglethorpe, but gratitude was not among 
 his virtues, and he presented nineteen articles 
 against the moral and military character of 
 his patron. 
 
 A board of officers sat for two days ex- 
 amining the charges, article after article, and 
 the witnesses on both sides. At the conclu- 
 sion the officers unanimously pronounced the 
 whole accusation, " in each and all of its 
 articles, false, malicious, and groundlessJ^ 
 The board made a report of the same to his 
 Majesty, also adding several facts proved 
 against Colonel Cooke, and the King ordered 
 that officer dismissed from the service. 
 
 Meantime, amid his embarrassments, Ogle- 
 thorpe remembered his colony across the seas 
 and continued to make urgent appeals in 
 their behalf. Reports from Major Horton 
 were gratifying to the anxious general. While 
 they were daily expecting an invasion from 
 the Spaniards, they were of good courage, in 
 good health, the men all at their posts and 
 determined not to give up the colony but with 
 their lives. The young province was learn- 
 ing the lesson of self-reliance and self-sup- 
 port. The mother country seemed to have 
 thrown them off; neither do we find any in- 
 timation that Oglethorpe was ever repaid the 
 
 190 
 
Return to England 
 
 large amounts expended from his private 
 means in this public service. 
 
 The year 1744 was an eventful one to 
 Oglethorpe. In March he had been selected 
 as one of the general officers appointed to 
 oppose the threatened invasion of France ; in 
 May he was on the committee of the Found- 
 ling Hospital; in September his marriage 
 occurred — an event only surprising because 
 so long delayed. He was fifty-five when 
 united to Elizabeth, only child and heiress of 
 Sir Nathan Wright, Bart., of Cranham Hall, 
 Essex. It is with satisfaction that we learn, 
 in regard to this union, "the evening of their 
 lives was tranquil and pleasant after a stormy 
 
 noon." 
 
 The manor in the village of Cranham was 
 henceforth their home. Here for forty years 
 the general retired when not in service, and 
 enjoyed the rural occupations in which he took 
 delight. The old mansion no longer exists; 
 the only structures that yet remain of that 
 old home are the walls of the extensive gar- 
 dens. "These walls, beyond which was a 
 fosse, being about twelve feet high and two 
 feet thick, are strongly built of red brick, and 
 loopholed; while the gates, likewise unim- 
 paired except by time, are fine specimens of 
 workmanship in wrought iron." 
 
 191 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Mrs. Oglethorpe's fortune greatly relieved 
 the financial embarrassment of her husband, 
 for it was many years before his own estates 
 were free from the heavy burdens his services 
 in Georgia had left upon them. In 1745 Ogle- 
 thorpe was promoted to the rank of major- 
 general, and owing to home troubles in the 
 rebellion of the "Young Pretender," was de- 
 tained in England by order of the Govern- 
 ment. From his colony he heard that the 
 Indians still continued faithful, and were 
 looking for his return; that the Spaniards 
 had made no further advances, but were 
 abundantly supplied with provisions from 
 New York and South Carolina. Oglethorpe 
 raised some recruits for the Georgia Rangers, 
 but when the Success, with the men and sup- 
 plies on board, was ready for sea, she was 
 ordered to Hull instead. 
 
 Oglethorpe, with other troops, was sent to 
 join the Duke of Cumberland, and in three 
 days the newly raised forces marched over 
 snow and ice more than one hundred miles. 
 The duke gave orders for immediate pursuit 
 of the rebels. For four days they continued 
 this, with hot skirmishing on both sides. 
 The weather was fearful, the troops ex- 
 hausted, but surely gaining on the retreating 
 enemy, until at last the Young Pretender 
 
 192 
 
Return to England 
 
 realized his case was hopeless, and with his 
 deluded followers departed for Scotland. 
 
 The Duke of Cumberland returned to 
 London with flying colors and as much ap- 
 plause as if the rebellion had been completely 
 quelled. During the short struggle General 
 Oglethorpe had several times remonstrated 
 with the royal duke for allowing cruelties on 
 the adherents of the Pretender. Though 
 willing and anxious to crush the rebellion, he 
 refused to be a party to any barbarity, or 
 even injustice, and thus incurred the dis- 
 pleasure of the duke, who had him arraigned 
 before a military tribunal for having "lin- 
 gered on the road." 
 
 Oglethorpe was duly tried and "honorably 
 acquitted" by a court-martial of eight gen- 
 erals and brigadiers and seven colonels. The 
 Gazette of the day announced this, adding: 
 "His Majesty was pleased to confirm the 
 verdict." Oglethorpe had now attained the 
 rank of lieutenant-general. He regularly at- 
 tended the sessions of Parliament, speaking 
 occasionally upon some bill to relieve distress 
 or correct abuses. In behalf of the Mora- 
 vians, or United Brethren, he made a long 
 and impressive argument, tracing their origin 
 and history and giving the constitution of 
 their Church, bearing testimony to their pious 
 
 193 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 and useful labors in the colonies. ^'A bill to 
 the desired effect having passed the Com- 
 mons, was carried by sixteen members to the 
 House of Lords, where Oglethorpe, as their 
 spokesman, delivered it to Lord Chancellor 
 Hardwicke. The bill was approved by their 
 lordships, and received the royal assent." 
 
 In this, as in other measures for the good 
 of the soldiers, Oglethorpe was in the minor- 
 ity. He was often in advance of his time. 
 His high sense of justice and honor did not 
 always meet with a happy or heartfelt re- 
 sponse. His plain talk of the duty of Parlia- 
 ment grew monotonous, and perhaps more 
 than one member echoed the sentiments of 
 Walpole, who said of him: "It was very cer- 
 tain that he was a troublesome and tiresome 
 speaker, though even that was now and then 
 tempered with sense." 
 
 It was fortunate for the colony of Georgia, 
 and a source of great satisfaction to Ogle- 
 thorpe, that he could leave at the head of 
 affairs brave and true men — men who not only 
 governed their own province with discretion, 
 but afterward rendered essential service dur- 
 ing the war of the Revolution. They may 
 even be said to have taken part in the battle 
 of Bunker Hill, for it is related that "Joseph 
 Habersham, Noble Jones, and a few others 
 
 194 
 
Return to England 
 
 broke open the king's magazine at Savannah, 
 took from it 500 pounds of powder and sent 
 it to Boston, where it was used in the battle 
 of Bunker Hill." 
 
 When, a little later, two British men-of- 
 war appeared at Tybee, near Savannah, the 
 "Council of Safety'' met and, without a dis- 
 senting voice, resolved to burn their homes 
 rather than allow them to fall into the hands 
 of the British. So long as Oglethorpe had 
 continued with the colony he opposed and 
 prevented the introduction of negro slaves. 
 After his departure various influences united 
 to favor their coming. England had always 
 urged it; the climate, the English thought, 
 called for the negro laborer. 
 
 Bancroft tells us that so good and up- 
 right a man as Whitefield "believed that God's 
 providence would certainly make slavery ter- 
 minate to the good of the Africans, and he 
 pleaded before the trustees in its favor, as 
 essential to the good of Georgia." The oppo- 
 sition of the Moravians was quieted by this 
 message from Germany: "If you take slaves 
 in faith, and with the intent of conducting 
 them to Christ, the action will not be a sin, 
 and may prove a benediction." 
 
 The Hon. James Habersham, friend of 
 Whitefield, provincial secretary, and acknowl- 
 
 195 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 edged to be ''one of the sweetest, purest, most 
 useful, and noblest characters in the long line 
 of colonial worthies," counseled the introduc- 
 tion of slaves. Oglethorpe and the trustees 
 had often received petitions to have slaves 
 brought in, but had always refused to listen 
 to such requests, pointing to the neighboring 
 colony, where slaves had brought the people 
 to the brink of ruin. The Salzburgers and 
 Highlanders had refused to sign such peti- 
 tions, and drew up a counter one, giving good 
 reasons against the bringing in of slaves, espe- 
 cially the nearness of the Spaniards (who pro- 
 claimed freedom to all slaves who ran from 
 their masters) and the wrong to the negro. 
 "For our own sakes, our wives, our children, 
 and our posterity," they concluded, "we pro- 
 test against it." The majority prevailed. 
 The negroes were at first hired from their 
 owners in South Carolina, and finally pur- 
 chased from them and the northern colonies. 
 
 196 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 OLD AGE AND DEATH 
 1754-1785 
 
 Oglethoepe's public career ended in 1754, 
 when he and his colleague failed to be re- 
 turned from Haslemere, the borough they had 
 so long represented in Parliament. Hence- 
 forth his life was retired, and not much is 
 known concerning him. Occasionally we hear 
 of him in the literary circles of that day. 
 The sympathies which attracted him to Oliver 
 Goldsmith are easily recognized in the fol- 
 lowing letter: 
 
 How just, sir, were your observations that the 
 poorest objects were by extreme poverty deprived 
 of the benefit of hospitals erected for the relief of 
 the poorest ! Extreme poverty, which should be the 
 strongest recommendation to charity, is here the 
 insurmountable objection, which leaves the dis- 
 tressed to perish. The qualifying such persons to 
 receive the benefits of hospitals answers the inten- 
 tions of the intended society. The design is the im- 
 mediate relief from perishing, thereby giving time 
 and protection to get proper destinations, and the 
 14 197 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 being admitted into a hospital is the proper des- 
 tination. You were so good as to offer to distribute 
 such sums as should be sent you. At the same time 
 that I am to return you thanks for your charitable 
 offer, I am to send you five pounds to distribute for 
 that purpose, in the time and manner you think 
 proper. "Which I accordingly herewith send. . . . 
 If a farm and a mere country scene will be a 
 little refreshment from the smoke of London, we 
 shall be glad of the happiness of seeing you at 
 Cranham Hall. It is sixteen miles from the Three 
 Nuns at Whitechapel, where Prior, our stage-coach, 
 inns. He sets out at two in the afternoon. I am, sir, 
 Your obedient humble servant, 
 
 J. Oglethorpe, 
 Cranham Hall. 
 
 On April 13, 1773, Dr. Samuel Johnson, 
 Goldsmith, and Boswell dined with Ogle- 
 thorpe at his town house, and while the lat- 
 ter did not join in a discussion between the 
 two doctors, he much enjoyed at the close a 
 song from Goldsmith, ''to a pretty Irish tune, 
 The Humors of Bellamagairy." 
 
 Just one year later they met again with 
 Oglethorpe. Goldsmith had died, but there 
 joined them Mr. Langston and the Irish Dr. 
 Campbell. It was on this occasion that Dr. 
 Johnson urged Oglethorpe to give the world 
 his Life. Dr. Campbell states that Ogle- 
 
 198 
 
SAMUEL JOHNSON. 
 
old Age and Death 
 
 thorpe "excused himself, saying that the life 
 of a private man was not worthy of public 
 notice," and seemed also to excuse himself on 
 the score of incapacity. Yet he asked Bos- 
 well to bring him some good almanac that he 
 might recollect dates; whereupon Boswell 
 said he need only furnish the skeleton, and 
 that Dr. Johnson would supply bones and 
 sinews. "He would be a good doctor who 
 could do that," retorted Oglethorpe. "Well," 
 said Campbell, "he is a good doctor," at which 
 Johnson laughed very heartily. 
 
 The American Revolution had now begun, 
 and one of our historians, Mr. Hugh McCall, 
 states that the British offered to General 
 Oglethorpe command of the forces sent to 
 subdue the colonists, but that he refused to 
 accept the position unless the ministry would 
 authorize him to assure the colonists that 
 justice should be done them; apparently a 
 reasonable request, yet Oglethorpe remained 
 in England. 
 
 There appears to be some doubt about the 
 authenticity of this story ; especially is it im- 
 probable when one remembers that Ogle- 
 thorpe was then in his eighty-eighth year. 
 But we have no reason to doubt his declara- 
 tion, "that he knew the people of America 
 well; that they could never be subdued by 
 
 199 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 arms, but their obedience could ever be se- 
 cured by treating them justly." 
 
 Holmes, in his Annals of America, gives 
 an incident occurring at the close of the war : 
 A day or two after John Adams arrived in 
 London as ambassador from the United 
 States he was waited upon by Oglethorpe, 
 who politely introduced himself and said: 
 
 '^I am come to pay my respects to the 
 first American ambassador and his family, 
 whom I am very glad to see in England." 
 He then wrote Mr. Adams, expressed his 
 great regard for America, much regret at the 
 misunderstanding between the two countries, 
 and added that he was happy to have lived to 
 see the termination of it. Mr. Adams re- 
 turned the visit and had another interview 
 of an hour or two, but failed to report any- 
 thing further. 
 
 In the year 1783 Horace Walpole wrote to 
 the Countess of Ossary that he had just made 
 the acquaintance of one a little his senior; 
 that they were to be intimate a long time, for 
 his new friend was but ninety-four! The 
 new friend was Oglethorpe, whom he had not 
 seen for twenty years, yet knew him in- 
 stantly. "As he did not recollect me," says 
 Walpole, "I told him it was a proof how lit- 
 tle he was altered, and I how much. I said 
 
 200 
 
old Age and Death 
 
 I would visit him ; he replied, * No, no ; I can 
 walk better than yon. I will come to you.' " 
 Later on, the same writer spoke of Ogle- 
 thorpe as having the activity of youth com- 
 pared with himself, who was twenty years 
 younger, and declared that "Oglethorpe's 
 eyes, ears, articulation, limbs, and memory 
 would suit a boy, if a boy could recollect a 
 century backward. His teeth are gone, he is 
 a shadow, and a wrinkled one ; but his spirits 
 and his spirit are in full bloom." This was 
 from the man who never admired him, and 
 who, after Oglethorpe's death, wrote again 
 to the countess: 
 
 I make no commentary on General Oglethorpe ^s 
 death, madam, because his very long life was the 
 curiosity, and the moment he is dead the rarity is 
 over ; and as he was but ninety-seven he will not be a 
 prodigy compared to those who reached to a century 
 and a half. He is like many who make a noise in 
 their own time from some singularity which is for- 
 gotten when it comes to be registered with others of 
 the same genius, but more extraordinary of their 
 kind. How little will Dr. Johnson be remembered 
 when confounded with the mass of authors of his 
 own caliber ! 
 
 We need not be surprised at these remark- 
 able sentiments coming from one who, if he 
 
 201 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 always spoke of Oglethorpe as a "bully," de- 
 nominated George Washington "an excellent 
 fanfaron," and seemed, as Macanlay ob- 
 served, "never to have formed a single 
 friendship." Very different was the estimate 
 placed upon him by Burke, who once re- 
 marked that he looked upon Oglethorpe as a 
 more extraordinary person than any he had 
 ever read of, for he founded a province and 
 lived to see it severed from the empire which 
 created it, and become an independent state. 
 Hannah More, describing him when he was 
 above ninety, writes to her sister: 
 
 I have got a new admirer, and we flirt together 
 prodigiously ; it is the famous General Oglethorpe, 
 perhaps the most remarkable man of his time. He 
 is above ninety years old, and the finest figure of a 
 man I ever saw. He perfectly realizes 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 three persons still living who were 
 mentioned by Pope. Lord Mansfield and Lord 
 Marchmont are the other two. He was the intimate 
 friend of Southern, the tragic poet, and all the wits 
 of his time. I went to see him the other day and he 
 would have entertained me by repeating passages 
 from Sir Eldred (her first work). He is quite a 
 preux chevalier, heroic, romantic, and full of the 
 old gallantry. 
 
 202 
 
old Age and Death 
 
 The poets Thompson and Pope sang his 
 praises, and Dr. Wharton, who knew him 
 well, quoting Pope's famous couplet, 
 
 One driven by strong benevolence of soul, 
 Shall fly like Oglethorpe from pole to pole, 
 
 said: "Here are lines that will justly confer 
 immortality on a man who well deserved so 
 magnificent an eulogium. He was at once a 
 great hero and a great legislator; . . . the 
 variety of his advantages and the different 
 scenes in which he has been engaged make 
 me regret that his life has never been written. 
 His settlement of Georgia gave a greater 
 luster to his character than even his military 
 exploits." Time has not changed this esti- 
 mate of his character, if we may trust the 
 judgment of Bancroft, who thus describes 
 him: 
 
 The gentleness of Oglethorpe's nature appeared 
 in all his actions. He was merciful to the prisoner ; 
 a father to the emigrant ; the unwavering friend of 
 Wesley ; the constant benefactor of the Moravians ; 
 honestly zealous for the conversion of the Indians ; 
 invoking for the negro the panoply of the Gospel. 
 He was, for a commercial age, the representative 
 of that chivalry which knew neither fear nor re- 
 proach, and felt a stain on honor like a wound. 
 
 Loyal and brave; choleric yet merciful; versed 
 
 203 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 in elegant letters; affable even to talkativeness, 
 slightly boastful and tinged with vanity — ^he was 
 ever ready to shed blood rather than brook an in- 
 sult, but more ready to expose life for those who 
 looked to him for defense. A monarchist in the 
 state, friendly to the Church, he seemed like one 
 who had survived his times — like the relic of a 
 former century and a more chivalrous age — illus- 
 trating to the modern world of business what a 
 crowd of virtues and of charities could cluster 
 around the heart of a cavalier. 
 
 Still healthy and vigorous, Oglethorpe 
 could at ninety-five outwalk men not half his 
 age, and to the end his hearing was acute and 
 his eyes undimmed — all of which he attrib- 
 uted as much to his remarkably abstemious 
 life as to his active employments. 
 
 He was at last attacked by a violent fever 
 and died at Cranham Hall on the morning of 
 July 1, 1785. His body was laid in the family 
 vault of the Wrights within Cranham Church. 
 Mrs. Oglethorpe placed in the northern wall 
 of the chapel a monumental tablet. The in- 
 scription on this tablet, like those found on 
 old tombstones of that day, was lengthy. It 
 sets forth the disposition, affections, virtues, 
 public employments, private charities, even 
 extending to his marriage and giving a hint 
 of his wife's connections and prospects as 
 
 204 
 
old Age and Death 
 
 heiress of a baronet — in fact, a short biog- 
 raphy done in marble. Two years later Mrs. 
 Oglethorpe died and was placed beside her 
 adored husband. Her obituary in the Gen- 
 tlemen's Magazine contained this testimony 
 to her worth: 
 
 Very many and continual were her acts of 
 charity and benevolence, but as she would herself 
 been hurt by any display of them in her lifetime, 
 we shall say no more. Not to have mentioned them 
 at all would have been unjust to her memory, and 
 not less so to the world, in which such an example 
 may operate as an incitement to others to go and 
 do likewise. 
 
 Few relics of Oglethorpe have been pre- 
 served. "His house at St. Simons was de- 
 stroyed by fire; so also was Cranham Hall, 
 and with it every private record of his life." 
 In the library of Corpus Christi College, 
 Oxford, is a manuscript French version of 
 the Bible, finely illuminated, presented by 
 him to the college; and in Savannah, Ga., 
 was a Bible given by him to the Masonic 
 lodge. He once sat to Reynolds for his por- 
 trait by request of the Duke of Rutland, but 
 that picture, with many others of Sir Josh- 
 ua's, was destroyed by a fire at Belvoir. 
 
 There is an engraved likeness of Ogle- 
 205 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 thorpe, taken a few months before his death, 
 when reading without spectacles at the sale 
 of Dr. Johnson's library. One other likeness 
 of the general, with his Indian pupil by his 
 side, was presented by himself to Mr. Noble 
 Jones, of Georgia, but was lost in the capture 
 of Savannah by the British in 1778 — a sad 
 loss to the State whose earliest settlers called 
 him "Father." They long hoped for his re- 
 turn, rejoiced in his prosperity, were proud 
 to know that the King had promoted to a 
 generalship their commander-in-chief, and 
 that for many years he was senior general 
 of the British army. The record of his life, 
 so full of benevolence and patriotism pure 
 and unselfish, will ever be a rich legacy to the 
 children of Georgia. 
 
 206 
 
old Age and Death 
 
 INSCRIPTION ON MONUMENTAL TABLET 
 IN ORANHAM CHURCH 
 
 Near this place lie the remains of 
 
 James Edward Oglethorpe, Esq., 
 
 who served under Prince Eugene, and in 
 
 1714 was Captain-Lieutenant in the 
 
 1st troop of Queen's Guards. 
 In 1740 he was appointed Colonel of a regiment 
 
 to be raised in Georgia. 
 
 In 1745 he was appointed Major-General; 
 
 In 1747 Lieutenant-General ; and 
 
 In 1765 General of His Majesty's forces. 
 In his civil station he was very early conspicuous. 
 
 He was chosen M.P, for Halsmere in Surrey in 
 
 1722, and continued to represent it until 1754. 
 In the Committee of Parliament for enquiring into 
 
 the state of the Gaols, formed Feb. 25th, 1728 
 and of which he was chairman, 
 the active and preserving zeal of his benevolence 
 
 found a truly suitable employment, 
 by visiting with his colleagues of that generous body, 
 
 the dark and pestilential dungeons of the prisons 
 
 which at that time dishonored the Metropolis, 
 detecting the most enormous oppressions ; 
 obtaining exemplary punishment on those 
 who had been guilty of such outrages against humanity and 
 
 207 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Justice, and restoring multitudes from extreme misery 
 to light and freedom. 
 Of these, about 700, rendered, 
 by long confinement for debt, 
 strangers and helpless in the country of their birth, and 
 desirous of seeking an asylum in the wilds of America, 
 
 were by him conducted thither in 1732. 
 He willingly encountered in their behalf a variety of 
 fatigue and danger, and thus became the 
 Founder of the Colony of Georgia ; which 
 (Founded on the ardent wish for libeHy) 
 Set the noble example of prohibiting the importation of slaves. 
 This new establishment he strenuously and successfully defended 
 
 against a powerful invasion of Spaniards. 
 In the year in which he quitted England to found this settlement, 
 he^nobly strove to restore our true national defenses by 
 Sea and Land, 
 A free navy without impressing ; a constitutional militia. 
 But his sole affections were more enlarged than 
 even the term Patriotism can express. 
 He was the friend of the oppressed negro ; 
 No part of the world was too remote. 
 No interest too unconnected or too opposed to his own, 
 To prevent his immediate succor of suffering humanity. 
 For such qualities he received from the ever 
 
 memorable John, Duke of Argyle, 
 a full testimony in the British Senate to 
 his military character, his natural generosity, 
 his contempt of danger, and his regard for the Publick. 
 A similar encomium is perpetuated in a foreign language ; 
 and, by one of our most celebrated Poets, his remembrance 
 
 208 
 
Old Age and Death 
 
 is transmitted to Posterity in lines justly expressive 
 of the purity, the ardor, the extent of his benevolence. 
 
 He lived till the lat of July 1785, 
 a venerable instance to what a fulness of duration 
 and of continued usefulness 
 a life of temperance and virtuous labor 
 is capable of being protracted. 
 His widow, Elizabeth, 
 Daughter of Sir Nathan Wrighte, Cranham Hall Essex, Bart. , 
 and only sister and heiress of Sir Samuel Wrighte Bart, of the 
 same place, surviving with regret 
 (though with due submission to Divine Providence) 
 an affectionate husband, after a union of more than 40 years, 
 hath inscribed to his memory 
 These faint traces of his excellent character. 
 
 209 
 
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED 
 
 Bancroft: History of the United States. 
 
 Biographical Memoirs of Oglethorpe. 
 
 C ARLYLE : Frederick the Great. 
 
 Grantz : History of the Moravians. 
 
 Gentleman's Magazine, London. 
 
 Harris : Rise and Progress of the Colony of Georgia. 
 
 Hannah More's Letters. 
 
 Holmes : Annals of America. 
 
 HiLDRETH : History of the United States. 
 
 Hewatt: History of Georgia and South Carolina. 
 
 Jones : History of Georgia. 
 
 Lawson: Voyage to Carolina. 
 
 Moore : Journal. 
 
 Moore : Life of the Wesleys. 
 
 Oglethorpe: Account of the Provinces South Carolina 
 
 and Georgia. 
 Rogers : Table Talk. 
 
 Ray : A Compleat History of the Rebellion. 
 Stephens : Journal of the Proceedings of Georgia. 
 Spalding : Collections of Georgia Historical Society. 
 Salmon : Universal History. 
 Scott's Magazine, London. 
 Strobel : History of the Salzburgers. 
 
 210 
 
Authorities Consulted 
 
 Thorsby : History of Leeds. 
 Wright: Memoir of Oglethorpe. 
 Wesley: Journal. 
 Whitefield: Letters. 
 Von Reck: Journal. 
 
 211 
 
INDEX 
 
 A DAMS, JOHN, 200. 
 
 African slave trade, 53; importa- 
 tion of slaves prohibited, 54. 
 
 Alligators, 70. 
 
 Amelia Island, attacked by Span- 
 iards, 120. 
 
 American Revolution, 199. 
 
 Annals of America, 200. 
 
 Argyle, Duke of, 138. 
 
 Authorities consulted, 210. 
 
 T3ANCR0FT, GEORGE, de- 
 
 -*— ' scription of Oglethorpe, 203. 
 
 Bathurst, Sir Thomas, 58. 
 
 Belcher, Governor of Massachu- 
 setts, congratulations from, 33; 
 ideas of slavery, 55. 
 
 Bull, Governor, 162, 163, 176, 178. 
 
 CAMPAIGN against the Span- 
 ish, 168 et seq. 
 
 Carolina Indians, 120. 
 
 Carolina traders, 105. 
 
 Carolinians, 158, 180. 
 
 Castell, Mr., his imprisoHment for 
 debt, 9. 
 
 Causton, Thomas, deputy-gov- 
 ernor of Georgia, 46. 
 
 Cherokee Indians, 3, 114, 126, 159. 
 
 Chickasaws, allies of Oglethorpe, 
 110; desert Oglethorpe, 134, 
 157. 
 
 Choctaws, allies of Oglethorpe, 
 110, 113. 
 
 Cochran, Lieutenant - Colonel 
 
 James, 99. 
 Colonies attacked by Spanish 
 
 fleet, 164. 
 Colonists of Darien and Frederica, 
 
 101. 
 Colony of Carolina, 1. 
 Colony of Georgia, 15; character 
 
 of. 17. 
 Colony of South Carolina, 21. 
 Compleat Collection of Voyages 
 
 and Travels, 102. 
 Cooke, Colonel, 189. 
 Coquina, 140. 
 Corpus Christi College, 5. 
 Council of Safety, 195. 
 Cranham Church, memorial tablet 
 
 in, 207. 
 Cranham Hall, residence of Ogle- 
 thorpe, 191. 
 Creek Indians, 71, 87, 124, 157; 
 
 furnish warriors, 110; treaty 
 
 with, 112. 
 Cuming, Sir Alexander, 2; sent as 
 
 an embassy to the Cherokees, 3. 
 
 D 
 
 ARIEN, town of, 58. 
 
 15 
 
 Demere, Captain Raymond, 141. 
 Dempsey, Mr., commissioner to 
 
 Spanish Governor of Florida, 
 
 71, 72. 
 Don Francisco del Morale Sanchey , 
 
 Governor of St. Augustine, 75, 
 
 76, 86, 98, 114, 119. 
 
 313 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 Drake, Sir Francis, 71, 73. 
 Duke of Cumberland, 192, 193. 
 Dunbar, Captain George, 183, 
 186. 
 
 "TpARL OF DARTMOUTH, 54. 
 
 Emigration to Georgia, 1732, 13, 
 14; from Austria, 37, 58. 
 
 English Government declares war 
 against Spain, 115; vigorous 
 prosecution of war against 
 Spain, 149, 180. 
 
 English Parliament, 53. 
 
 TT^LORIDA Indians, 101. 
 
 Fort Argyle, 34, 36. 
 
 Fort George, 88. 
 
 Fort Moosa, 129. 
 
 Fort Picolata, 125. 
 
 Fort San Diego, 121, 131, 134. 
 
 Fort St. Andrews, residence of 
 Oglethorpe, 105. 
 
 Fort St. Francis, 124; surrenders 
 to Oglethorpe, 125. 
 
 Fort William, attack upon, re- 
 pulsed, 174. 
 
 Frederica, 36, 78, 84, 140, 142, 
 175. 
 
 GENERAL ASSEMBLY of 
 South Carolina, 114, 123; 
 
 fails to give succor, 126, 189. 
 Georgia, history of, by Stevens, 16; 
 
 deliverance from Spanish, 175. 
 Georgia colony in great danger, 
 
 167. 
 Georgia orphanage, 143, 144, 145, 
 
 147. 
 Georgia Rangers, 192. 
 Goldsmith, Oliver, 197. 
 Gordon, Rev. Alexander, 143. 
 Governor Bull, refuses assistance 
 
 to Oglethorpe, 162, 163, 176. 
 Governor of South Carolina, gives 
 
 assistance, 27, 183. 
 
 Governor of St. Augustine, 75, 76, 
 86; orders English merchants to 
 leave, 98; instigates revolt 
 among negroes, 114; treaty 
 with, 119. 
 
 Guarda-costas of the Spanish, 118. 
 
 HABERSHAM, HON. JAMES, 
 148, 195. 
 Habersham, Joseph, 194. 
 Haddock, Admiral, 119. 
 Hamer Captain, 161, 173. 
 Hewatt, Dr., Scotch minister, 15. 
 Highlanders, 58, 89, 121, 168, 196. 
 Highland Rangers, 124, 131. 
 History of Georgia, by Stevens, 
 
 16. 
 Horton, Major, 190. 
 Huss, John, 43. 
 
 TMPRISONMENT for debt, 8. 
 
 Indian chiefs pledge loyalty to 
 Oglethorpe, 105. 
 
 Indians, 66, 67; troubles with, 70; 
 hatred toward the Spaniards, 
 71; treaty with, 32, 112, 192. 
 
 Indians, Lower Creek, 30; treaty 
 with, 32. 
 
 Inscription on monumental tab- 
 let in Cranham Church, 207. 
 
 Israelites, colony of, 35. 
 
 TAILS of London, 9, 10, 11. 
 
 Jekyll Island, 142. 
 Jekyll, Joseph, 36. 
 Johnson, Samuel, 198. 
 Jones, Colonel Charles, 17. 
 Jones, Noble, 145, 194. 
 Journal of the Trustees, 17. 
 
 T7"ING OF SPAIN, 95. 
 
 T IQUORS, prohibited, 53. 
 
 London Daily Post, editorial on 
 Georgia colony, 96. 
 
 214 
 
Index 
 
 London jails, horrors of, 9, 10, 11. 
 
 Lord Baltimore, 158. 
 
 Lower Creek Indians, 30, 100. 
 
 MACKAY, ADJUTANT 
 HUGH, 125. 
 
 Malachee, "Emperor of the 
 Creeks," 109. 
 
 McCall, Hugh, 199. 
 
 McPherson, Captain, 34, 123. 
 
 Margravate of Azilia, 1. 
 
 Mcintosh, General Lachlin, 69, 
 186. 
 
 Mcintosh, Captain John More 85, 
 133, 197. 
 
 MeUidge, John, 144, 145, 146, 147. 
 
 Missionaries to the Indians, 50, 61. 
 
 Montgomery, Sir Robert, 1, 2, 12. 
 
 Monumental tablet to Oglethorpe, 
 207. 
 
 Moore, Francis, [60. 
 
 Moravians, 59, 60, 193, 
 
 More Hannah, describes Ogle- 
 thorpe 202. 
 
 Mount Venture, burning of, by 
 Spanish Indians, 179. 
 
 Musgrove, Mary, 25. 
 
 Mutiny among soldiers, 106. 
 
 N 
 
 EGRO slaves, 53. 
 
 Negroes, revolt among, in South 
 Carolina, 114. 
 
 OBITUARY of Oglethorpe's 
 wife, 205. 
 Oglethorpe, James, founder of 
 Georgia, ancestry and early 
 years, 1, 3; succeeds to family 
 estate, 5; birth, 5; education, 5; 
 incident in his young soldier 
 life, 5; enters English army as 
 ensign, 6; goes to the Continent 
 and enlists, 6; elected to Parlia- 
 ment, 8 ; chairman of committee 
 on prisons, 9; petitions throne 
 for charter, 12; publishes essays, 
 
 215 
 
 12; leaves England with colony, 
 20 ; authorized to act as Colonial 
 Governor, 21 ; arrival at Charles- 
 ton, 21; explores Savannah 
 River, 22; makes stringent 
 laws against sale of intoxicating 
 liquors, 22; letter to trustees, 
 23; interview with Tomo Chi- 
 chi, 25; describes Georgia 
 province, 25; makes address to 
 General Assembly of South 
 Carolina, 29; excursion to in- 
 terior, 33; explores southern 
 coast, 35; offers home to Salz- 
 burgers, 38; returns to Eng- 
 land, 1734, 47; enthusiastically 
 welcomed, 47; The Christian 
 Hero, 47; estimate of Indian 
 character, 48; advocates laws 
 for Georgia, 53; his ideas of 
 slavery, 55; returns to Georgia, 
 61; issues proclamation to 
 maintain peace with Indians, 
 66; builds fort at St. Simons, 68; 
 returns to Tybee, 69; instructs 
 colonists in planting, 70 ; 
 troubles with the Indians, 73; 
 returns to Frederica, 76; sus- 
 pects Spaniards of treachery, 76 ; 
 increasing cares, 79; strength- 
 ens his defenses, 80; prepares 
 for an attack by Spaniards, 81 ; 
 goes to St. Andrews, 82; pre- 
 vents attack by Spanish by a 
 ruse, 85; letter to Lieutenant- 
 Governor of South Carolina and 
 to Governor of New York, 88; 
 interview with Spanish com- 
 missioners, 91; letter to trus- 
 tees, 91; goes to Savannah, 93; 
 concludes a treaty with Gov- 
 ernor of St. Augustine, 94; sails 
 for England, November, 1736, 
 95; cordial reception, 95; asks for 
 military force, 96; appointed 
 general, 98; returns to Georgia, 
 99; further plans for defense 
 
James Oglethorpe 
 
 100; discovers treachery in 
 camp, 102; makes residence at 
 Fort St. Andrews, 105 ; attacked 
 by mutinous soldiers, 106; 
 goes to Charleston, 107; fore- 
 sees war between England and 
 Spain and with France, 107; 
 journey to the interior, 109; 
 description of journey. 109; con- 
 cludes treaty with Indians, 112; 
 gratifying success of his mission, 
 113; prostrated with fever at 
 Fort Augusta, 114; protects 
 South Carolina colonists from 
 negroes, 115; announces decla- 
 ration of war by England 
 against Spain, 115; musters his 
 military force, 117; inspects 
 southern frontier, 118; fortifies 
 Frederica, 121; lacks war sup- 
 plies, 121; invades Florida, 121; 
 asks for more troops, 122; plans 
 to assault St. Augustine, 128; 
 abandons the siege, 135; criti- 
 cised by Charleston newspapers, 
 136; praised by citizens, 137; 
 letter to Under-Secretary, 139; 
 his home at Frederica, 141; 
 letter to Duke of Newcastle, 
 May, 1741, 150; delay in getting 
 supphes, 153; appeals to Home 
 Government, 154; attacks Span- 
 ish privateers, 155; influence 
 over native tribes, 157; his 
 great abilities, 158; letter to 
 Duke of Newcastle, June, 1742, 
 160; escapes from Spanish fleet, 
 165; his successful stratagem, 
 172; great victory over Spanish 
 fleet, 175; praised by people of 
 Port Royal, 176; doubts that 
 the war is over, 177; again ap- 
 peals to Home Government, 
 179; attacks Spaniards at St. 
 Johns, 181 ; meets with a nearly 
 fatal accident, 182; returns to 
 England, July, 1743, 186; ven- 
 
 omously attacked by Vander- 
 dussen, 189; appointed general 
 officer, 191; his marriage, 191; 
 promoted to rank of major- 
 general, 192; joins Duke of 
 Cumberland's forces, 192; made 
 lieutenant-general, 193; remon- 
 strates against cruelties on 
 prisoners, 193; court-martialed 
 and acquitted, 193; his high 
 sense of justice, 194; end of 
 public career, 1754, 197; letter 
 to Oliver Goldsmith, 197; re- 
 fuses command of forces to 
 subdue colonists, 199 ; expresses 
 regard for America, 200; his 
 death, 1785, 204; likeness of, 
 205. 
 
 Oglethorpe, Mrs., wife of James 
 Oglethorpe, death of, 205. 
 
 Onechachumpa, Indian warrior, 
 31. 
 
 PALMER, COLONEL, com- 
 manding Highlanders, 132; 
 killed at Fort Moosa, 133. 
 Parliament, English, 8, 188. 
 Pease, Commodore, 134, 135. 
 Penn, William, 15, 158. 
 Pretender, the, 6, 187, 193. 
 Prison reform, 8. 
 
 RAMSEY'S History of South 
 Carolina, 135, 137. 
 Richards, Major, 75, 80, 85. 
 Royal African Company, 54. 
 Rutledge, Andrew, Chief Justice 
 of South Carolina, 182. 
 
 s 
 
 T. ANDREWS, Fort, 72. 
 
 St. Augustine, consternation at 
 
 Fort, 87, 125; attacked by 
 
 Oglethorpe, 128. 
 St. Johns River, 72. 
 St. Matthias River, 124. 
 St. Simons, 35, 58, 66, 70, 142, 
 
 166; batteries destroyed, 167. 
 
 173. 
 
 216 
 
Ind 
 
 ex 
 
 Salzburg, 37. 
 
 Salzburgers, 38, 39, 41; described 
 by Carlyle, 42, 43, 44, 58, 196. 
 
 San Diego, attack upon, 127; 
 surrender of, 128. 
 
 Savannah, described by Ogle- 
 thorpe, 23; population in 1733, 
 34; rapid improvement of, 62; 
 arrival of troops in, 98. 
 
 Scotch Highlanders, 64, 65, 68; 
 build fort at Darien, 69. 
 
 Seal of colony of Georgia, 17. 
 
 Sehna, Countess Dowager of 
 Huntingdon, 149. 
 
 Settlers, laws regarding, 57, 63. 
 
 Silk industry, 18, 56, 59, 62, 63, 
 103. 
 
 Similli, Creek chief, 184. 
 
 Sir Francis Drake, 71, 73. 
 
 Six Nations, 157. 
 
 Slavery discouraged, 19, 55. 
 
 Sotolycate, Indian deity, 30. 
 
 South Carolina General Assembly, 
 107, 114. 
 
 South Carolina Gazette, impres- 
 sions of Oglethorpe, 26. 
 
 South Sea Bubble, 2. 
 
 Spain, court of, demands recall of 
 Oglethorpe, 96. 
 
 Spalding, Ihomas, 141. 
 
 Spaniards of Florida, 34. 
 
 Spaniards, threatened invasion 
 by, 80; attempt to bribe the 
 Indians, 109; barbarous con- 
 duct of, 120; surrender to 
 Oglethorpe, 125; endeavor to 
 excite revolt among negroes, 
 161. 
 
 Spanish privateers, 155, 159. 
 
 Stone, Under-Secretary Andrew, 
 139. 
 
 Sutton, Lady Eleanor, mother of 
 Oglethorpe, 4. 
 
 Sutton of Oglethorpe, grandfather 
 to Oglethorpe, 4. 
 
 Sutton, Sir Theophilus, father of 
 Oglethorpe, 4. 
 
 217 
 
 rnOMO CHICHI, chief of the 
 -*- Yamacraws and faithful 
 
 friend of Oglethorpe, 24, 31, 32; 
 
 goes to England, 46, 56, 65, 66, 
 
 71, 73; his illness, 104, 110; 
 
 death and funeral honors, 117. 
 Tooanahowi, successor of Tomo 
 
 Chichi, 127, 168. 
 Traitors, punished, 102. 
 Treaty with Indians, 32. 
 Troubles in Florida, 118. 
 Tschatschi, King, 59. 
 Tybee Island, 61. 
 
 JTCHEES, 66. 
 
 United Brethren, 59; history of, 
 59, 193. 
 
 VANDERDUSSEN, CAPTAIN 
 ALEXANDER, 131, 136, 
 164, 189. 
 Vernon, Admiral, 150, 188. 
 
 "TTTALPOLE, HORACE, im- 
 ' » pressions of Oglethorpe, 
 200, 201. 
 
 War with Spain, 153. 
 
 War-dance, 105. 
 
 Washington, George, 141, 202. 
 
 Wesley, Charles, missionary to 
 Georgia, his overofficiousness, 
 68, 93; resigns as secretary and 
 returns to England, 94, 95. 
 
 Wesley, John, missionary to 
 Georgia, 51. 
 
 Wesley, Rev. Samuel, 50. 
 
 Wesley's journal, 82, 83. 
 
 Westbrook mansion, 6; traditions 
 of. 7. 
 
 Whitefield, Rev. George, 98, 142, 
 143, 147; letter to Oglethorpe 
 148; death of, 149, 175. 
 
 "Y^AMACRAW BLUFF, 22. 
 "Young Pretender," 192. 
 
HISTORIC LIVES SERIES. 
 
 A series of popular biographies dealing with famous men 
 of all times and countries, written in brief form and repre- 
 senting the latest knowledge on the subjects, each illus- 
 trated with appropriate full-page pictures, the authors being 
 chosen for their special knowledge of the subjects. 
 
 Each i2mo, Illustrated, Cloth, $i.oo>net. 
 
 Postage, lo cents additional. 
 NO W READ V. 
 
 Father Marquette, the Explorer of the Mississippi. 
 
 By Reuben Gold Thwaites, Editor of " The Jesuit 
 Relations," etc. 
 
 Daniel Boone. 
 
 By Reuben Gold Thwaites, Editor of " The Jesuit 
 Relations," " Father Marquette," etc. 
 
 Horace Greeley. 
 
 By William A. Linn, Author of "The Story of the 
 Mormons." 
 
 Sir William Johnson. 
 
 By Augustus C. Buell, Author of " Paul Jones, 
 Founder of the American Navy." 
 
 Anthony Wayne. 
 By John R. Spears. 
 
 Champlain : The Founder of New France. 
 
 By Edwin Asa Dix, M.A., LL.D., Formerly Fellow in 
 History in Princeton University ; Author of *' Deacon Brad- 
 bury," '* A Midsummer Drive through the Pyrenees," etc. 
 
 OTHERS IN PREPARATION. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
BOOKS BY DR EDWARD EGGLESTON. 
 The Beginners of a Nation. 
 
 A History of the Source and Rise of the Earliest English 
 Settlements in America, with Special, Reference to the Life and 
 Character of the People. The first volume in A History of Life 
 in the United States. Small 8vo. Gilt top, uncut, with Maps. 
 Cloth, $1.50. 
 
 " The delightful style, the clear flow of the narrative, the philosophical tone, and 
 the able analysis of men and events will commend Mr. Eggleston's work to earnest 
 students. " — Philadelphia Public Ledger. 
 
 "The work is worthy of careful reading, not only because of the author's ability 
 as a literary artist, but because of his conspicuous proficiency in interpreting the 
 causes of and changes in American life and character." — Boston yournal. 
 
 " Few works on the period which it covers can compare with this in point of 
 mere literary attractiveness, and we fancy that many to whom its scholarly value 
 will not appeal will read the volume with interest and delight." — New York Even- 
 ing Post. 
 
 "Written with a firm grasp of the theme, inspired by ample knowledge, and 
 made attractive by a vigorous and resonant style, the book will receive much atten- 
 tion. It is a great theme the author has taken up, and he grasps it with the confi- 
 dence of a master." — New York Times. 
 
 The Transit of Civilization, 
 
 From England to America in the Seventeenth Century. Uni- 
 form with " The Beginners of a Nation." Small 8vo. Gilt top, 
 uncut. Cloth, $1.50. 
 
 " Every subject is treated with tolerance and yet with a comprehensive grasp." — 
 Boston Globe. 
 
 " It places the whole history of colonial life in an entirely new and fascinating 
 light." — New York Commercial Advertiser. 
 
 " No such account has ever been given of the colonists, and no such view exists 
 of England in the seventeenth c^nxyxTY.'"— Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 " This is beyond question one of the most important examples of culture history 
 ever published in this country. Many of the themes which are treated have never 
 been presented before in anything like an adequate manner." — Philadelphia Press. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
EXPANSION OF THE REPUBLIC SERIES* 
 
 In this series the purpose is to show what have been the great devel- 
 oping forces in the making of the United States as we now know them. 
 Not only will territorial subjects be dealt with, but political, racial, and 
 industrial. It is an important series, and the reception already accorded 
 to it gives promise of real distinction for the entire set. 
 
 Each volume i2mo, Illustrated, $1.25 net. 
 Postage, 12 cents additional. 
 
 NOW READY. 
 
 The History of the Louisiana Purchase. 
 
 By James K. Hosmer, Ph.D., LL.D. 
 
 Ohio and her Western Reserve. 
 
 By Alfred Mathews. 
 
 The History of Puerto Rico. 
 
 By R. A. Van Middeldyk. With an Introduction, etc., by 
 Prof. Martin G. Brumbaugh. 
 
 Steps in the Expansion of our Territory. 
 
 By Oscar Phelps Austin, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics, 
 Treasury Department. 
 
 Rocky Mountain Exploration. 
 
 By Reuben Gold Thwaites, Superintendent of the State His- 
 torical Society of Wisconsin. 
 
 IN PREPARATION, 
 
 The Conquest of the Southwest. 
 
 By Cyrus Townsend Brady, Author of "Paul Jones," in the 
 Great Commanders Series. 
 
 The Purchase of Alaska. 
 
 By Oscar Phelps Austin, Chief of the Bureau of Statistics, 
 Treasury Department. 
 
 PROPOSED VOLUMES. 
 
 The Settlement of the Pacific Coast. 
 
 The Founding of Chicago and the Development of the Middle 
 West. 
 
 John Brown and the Troubles in Kansas. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
GREAT COMMANDERS. 
 
 Edited by Genetal JAMES GRANT WILSON. 
 
 This series forms one of the most notable collections of books that has 
 been published for many years. The success it has met with since the first 
 volume was issued, and the widespread attention it has attracted, indicate 
 that it has satisfactorily fulfilled its purpose, viz., to provide in a popular 
 form and moderate compass the records of the lives of men who have been 
 conspicuously eminent in the great conflicts that established American in- 
 dependence and maintained our national integrity and unity. Each biog- 
 raphy has been written by an author especially well qualified for the task, 
 and the result is not only a series of fascinating stories of the lives and deeds 
 of great men, but a rich mine of valuable information for the student of 
 American history and biography. 
 
 Each^ ilmo, cloth, gfilt top, $J»50 net 
 
 Postage^ U cents additional. 
 
 NOW READY. 
 
 Admiral FaffagtJt - - - - By Captain A. T. Mahan, U. S. N. 
 
 General Taylor By General O. O. Howard, U. S. A. 
 
 General Jackson By James Parton. 
 
 General Greene By General Francis V. Greene. 
 
 General J. E. Johnston - - By Robert M. Hughes, of Virginia. 
 
 General Thomas By Henry Coppee, LL. D. 
 
 General Scott By General Marcus J. Wright. 
 
 General Washington - - - By General Bradley T. Johnson. 
 
 General Lee By General Fitzhugh Lee. 
 
 General Hancock By General Francis A. Walker. 
 
 General Sheridan By General Henry E. Davies. 
 
 General Grant By General James Grant Wilson, 
 
 General Sherman By General Manning F. Force. 
 
 Commodore Patil Jones - - - - By Cyrus Townsend Brady. 
 
 General Meade By Isaac R. Pennypacker. 
 
 General McCleUan By General Peter S. Michie. 
 
 General Forrest By Captain J. HARVEY Mathes. 
 
 Admiral Porter - By James R. Soley, late Assistant Secretary 
 U.S. Navy. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
By EDGAR STANTON MACLAY, A. M, 
 
 A History of the United States Navy. (1775 
 to 1902.) — New and revised edition. 
 
 In three volumes, the new volume containing an Account of the Navy 
 since the Civil War, with a history of the Spanish-American War 
 revised to the date of this edition, and an Account of naval operations 
 in the Philippines, etc. Technical Revision of the first two volumes 
 by Lieutenant Roy C. Smith, U. S. N. Illustrated. 8vo. Cloth, 
 $3.00 net per volume ; postage, 26 cents per volume additional. 
 
 In the new edition of Vol. Ill, which is now ready for publication, the author brings 
 his History of the Navy down to the present time. In the prefaces of the volumes of 
 this history the author has expressed and emphasized his desire for suggestions, new 
 information, and corrections which might be utilized in perfecting his work. He has, 
 therefore, carefully studied the evidence brought out at the recent Schley Court of 
 Inquiry, and while the findings of that Court were for the most part in accordance with 
 the results of his own historical investigations, he has modified certain portions of his 
 narrative. Whatever opinions may be held regarding any phases of our recent naval 
 history, the fact remains that the industry, care, and thoroughness, which were unani- 
 mously praised by newspaper reviewers and experts in the case of the first two volumes, 
 have been sedulously applied to the preparation of this new edition of the third volume. 
 
 A History of American Privateers. 
 
 Uniform with " A History of the United States Navy." One volume. 
 Illustrated. 8vo. Cloth, fls.oo net ; postage, 24 cents additional. 
 
 After several years of research the distinguished historian of American sea power 
 presents the first comprehensive account of one of the most picturesque and absorbing 
 phases of our maritime warfare. The importance of the theme is indicated by the fact 
 that the value of prizes and cargoes taken by privateers in the Revolution was three 
 times that of the prizes and cargoes taken by naval vessels, while in the War of 1812 
 we had 517 privateers and only 23 vessels in our navy. Mr. Maclay's romantic tale is 
 accompanied by reproductions of contemporary pictures, portraits, and documents, and 
 also by illustrations by Mr. George Gibbs. 
 
 The Private Journal of William Maclay, 
 
 United States Senator from Pennsylvania, 1 789-1 791. With Portrait 
 from Original Miniature. Edited by Edgar Stanton Maclay, A. M. 
 Large 8vo. Cloth, $2.25. 
 
 During his two years in the Senate William Maclay kept a journal of his own in 
 which he minutely recorded the transactions of each day. This record throws a flood 
 of light on the doings of our first legislators. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
THE STORY OF THE WEST SERIES* 
 
 Edited by RIPLEY HITCHCOCK. 
 The Story of the Trapper. 
 
 By A. C. Laut, Author of " Heralds of Empire." Illustrated by 
 Heming. i2mo. Cloth, $1.25 net; postage, 12 cents additional. 
 
 "A delightfully spirited book." — Brooklyn Eagle. 
 
 "A rarely instructive and entertaining book." — New York World. 
 
 "Unexpectedly good." — Boston Herald. 
 
 "Instructive and carefully prepared." — Chicago News. 
 
 "Excellent reading wherever one dips into it." — Cleveland Leader. 
 
 OTHER VOLUMES. 
 
 Illustrated. lamo. Cloth, each, $1.50. 
 
 The Story of the Soldier. 
 
 By General G. A. Forsyth, U. S. Army (retired). Illustrated by R. F. 
 Zogbaum. 
 
 The Story of the Railroad. 
 
 By Cy Warm an. Author of " The Express Messenger," etc. With 
 Maps and many Illustrations by B. West Clinedinst and from photographs. 
 
 The Story of the Cowboy. 
 
 By E. Hough, Author of •* The Singing Mouse Stories," etc. Illustrated 
 by William L. Wells and C. M. Russell. 
 
 " Mr. Hough is to be thanked for having written so excellent a book. The cow- 
 boy story, as this author has told it, will be the cowboy's fitting eulogy. This vol- 
 ume will be consulted in years to come as an authority on past conditions of the far 
 West. For fine literary work the author is to be highly complimented. Here, cer- 
 tainly, we have a choice piece of writing." — New York Times. 
 
 The Story of the Mine. 
 
 As illustrated by the Great Comstock Lode of Nevada. By Charles 
 Howard Shinn. 
 
 " The author has written a book not alone full of information, but replete with 
 the true romance of the American mine." — New York Times. 
 
 The Story of the Indian. 
 
 By George Bird Grinnell, Author of " Pawnee Hero Stories," 
 " Blackfoot Lodge Tales," etc. 
 
 " Only an author qualified by personal experience could offer us a profitable study 
 of a race so alien from our own as is the Indian in thought, feeling, and culture. 
 Only long association with Indians can enable a white man measurably to compre- 
 hend their thoughts and enter into their feelings. Such association has been Mr. 
 Grinnell's." — New York Sun. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
THE AUTHENTIC LIFE OF LINCOLN- 
 
 Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great 
 Life. 
 
 By William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik. With 
 numerous Illustrations. New and revised edition, with 
 an Introduction by Horace White. In two volumes. 
 i2mo. Cloth, $3.00. 
 
 This is probably the most intimate life of Lincoln ever written. The 
 book, by Lincoln's law-partner, William H. Herndon, and his friend Jesse 
 W, Weik, shows us Lincoln the man. It is a true picture of his surround- 
 ings and influences and acts. It is not an attempt to construct a political 
 history, with Lincoln often in the background, nor is it an effort to apotheo- 
 size the American who stands first in our history next to Washington. The 
 writers knew Lincoln intimately. Their book is the result of unreserved 
 association ; hence, it has taken rank as the best and most illuminating study 
 of Lincoln's character and personality. 
 
 " Truly,_ they who wish to know Lincoln as he really was must read the biog- 
 raphy by his friendand law-partner, W. H. Herndon. This book was imperatively 
 needed to brush aside the rank growth of myth and legend which was threatening 
 to hide the real lineaments of Lincoln from the eyes of posterity. . . . There is no 
 doubt about the faithfulness of Mr. Herndon's delineation. The marks of unflinch- 
 ing veracity are patent in every line." — New York Sun, 
 
 "The three portraits of Lincoln are the best that exist ; and not the least char- 
 acteristic of these, the Lincoln of the Douglas debates, has never before been 
 engraved. . . . Herndon's narrative gives, as nothing else is likely to give, the 
 material from which we may form a true picture of the man from infancy to matu- 
 rity." — The Nation. 
 
 " Mr. Herndon is naturally a very direct writer, and he has been industrious in 
 gathering material. Whether an incident happened before or behind the scenes, is 
 all the same to him. He gives it without artifice or apology. He describes the life 
 of his friend Lincoln just as he saw it." — Cincinnati Commercial Gazette. 
 
 " A remarkable piece of literary achievement — remarkable alike for its fidelity 
 to facts, its fulness of details, its constructive skill, and its literary charm." — New 
 York Times. 
 
 " It will always remain the authentic life of Abraham Lincoln." — Chicago Herald. 
 
 Lincoln in Story. 
 
 The Life of the Martyr President told in Authenticated 
 Anecdotes. Edited by Silas G. Pratt. Illustrated. 
 i2mo. Cloth, 75 cents net ; postage, 9 cents additional. 
 
 " An excellent compilation on a subject of which the American people never 
 grow tired." — Boston Transcript. 
 
 "A valuable and exceedingly interesting addition to Lincoln literature." — 
 Brooklyn Standard-Union. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
*' EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD READ IT.^ 
 
 — The Ne^wSf Prcnfidence, 
 
 The Life and Times of Thomas Jefferson. 
 
 By Thomas E. Watson, Author of ** The Story of 
 France," '' Napoleon," etc. Illustrated with many Portraits 
 and Views. 8vo. Attractively bound, $2.50 net ; postage, 
 17 cents additional. 
 
 Mr. Watson long since acquired a national reputation in connection 
 with his political activities in Georgia. He startled the public soon 
 afterward by the publication of a history of France, which at once 
 attracted attention quite as marked, though different in kind. His book 
 became interesting not alone as the production of a Southern man 
 interested in politics, but as an entirely original conception of a great 
 theme. There was no question that a life of Jefferson from the hands of 
 such a writer would command very general attention, and the publishers 
 had no sooner announced the work as in preparation than negotiations 
 were begun with the author by two of the best-known newspapers in 
 America for its publication in serial form. During the past summer the 
 appearance of the story in this way has created widespread comment 
 which has now been drawn to the book just published. 
 
 Opinions by some of the Leading Papers. 
 
 ♦• A vastly entertaining polemic. It directs attention to many undoubtedly 
 neglected facts which writers of the North have ignored or minimized." 
 
 — The New York Times Saturday Review of Books. 
 
 ,^"i^ "°^^^ ^°'"^- ^* ™^y ^^^^ stand on the shelf beside Morley's 
 Gladstone' and other epochal biographical works that have come into 
 prommence. It is deeply interesting and thoroughly fair and just." 
 
 — The Globe-Democrat, St. Louis. 
 
 " The book shows great research and is as complete as it could possibly be, 
 and every American should read \X."—The News, Providence. 
 
 "A unique historical work."— 77/^ Commercial Advertiser, New York. 
 
 "Valuable as an historical document and as a witness to certain great facts 
 m the past life of the South which have seldom been acknowledged 4)y 
 historians."— T'^^ Post, Louisville. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK 
 
«THE MOST UNFORTUNATE WOMAN IN 
 MODERN HISTORY/' 
 
 Lucretia Borgia : According to Original Documents 
 and Correspondence of Her Day. 
 
 By Ferdinand Gregorovius, Author of "A History 
 of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages." Translated 
 from the Third German Edition by John Leslie Garner. 
 Illustrated. 8vo. Cloth, $2.25 net; postage, 17 cents 
 additional. 
 
 Lucretia Borgia is the most unfortunate woman in modern history. 
 Is this because she was guilty of the most hideous crimes, or is it simply 
 because she has been unjustly condemned by the world to bear its curse ? 
 The question has never been answered. Mankind is ever ready to 
 discover the personification of human virtues and human vices in certain 
 typical characters found in history and fable. The Borgias will never 
 cease to fascinate the historian and the psychologist. They are a satire 
 on a great form or phase of religion, debasing and destroying it. They 
 stand on high pedestals, and from their presence radiates the light of 
 the Christian ideal. In this form we behold and recognize them. We 
 view their acts through a medium which is permeated with religious 
 ideas. Without this, and placed on a purely secular stage, the Borgias 
 would have fallen into a position much less conspicuous than that of 
 many other men, and would soon have ceased to be anything more than 
 representatives of a large species. This is the first translation from the 
 German of this important work of Gregor ovius, in which a vast supply of 
 information is furnished about the family of this famous and interesting 
 woman and about herself. The book is illustrated with portraits and 
 views, and offers valuable knowledge upon the times and character of a 
 woman about whose nature a conflict of opinions has raged for centuries. 
 About her beauty and talents there are no two voices ; on the question 
 of her vices the world has become divided. A patron of art and letters, 
 as to her private life the most hideous stories gained circulation, making 
 her name the most notorious of her renowned house, not excepting that 
 of her brother, the infamous Cesare Borgia. 
 
 In this translation English readers are offered the best known account 
 of this celebrated woman, written by the author of that monumental 
 and illuminating work, " The History of Rome in the Middle Ages." 
 
 "The story is far more exciting than most romances, and treats of Italian 
 history and life about which comparatively little that is authoritative can be 
 found in English." — The Sun^ New York. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
A TIMELY BOOK^ 
 
 China. 
 
 Travels and Investigations in the *' Middle Kingdom " — A Study 
 of its Civilization and Possibilities. Together with an Account 
 of the Boxer War, the Relief of the Legations, and the Re-estab- 
 lishment of Peace. By James Harrison Wilson, A. M., LL. D., 
 late Major-General United States Volunteers, and Brevet Major- 
 General United States Army. Third edition, revised throughout, 
 enlarged, and reset, izmo. Cloth, ^1.75. 
 
 General Wilson's second visit to China and his recent active 
 service in that country have afforded exceptional chances for a 
 knowledge of present conditions and the possibilities of the future. 
 In the light of the information thus obtained at first hand in the 
 country itself. General Wilson is enabled to write with a peculiar 
 authoritativeness in this edition, which brings his study of China 
 down to the present day. In addition to the new chapters which 
 have been added explaining the origin and development of the 
 Boxer insurrection, the relief of the legations, and the outlook for 
 the future, the author has revised his book throughout, and has 
 added much valuable matter in the course of his narrative. This 
 book, which is therefore in many respects new, puts the reader 
 in possession of a broad and comprehensive knowledge of Chinese 
 affairs, and this includes the latest phases of the subject. The 
 practical and discriminating character of the author's study of 
 China will be appreciated more than ever at this time when prac- 
 tical questions relating to Chinese administration, commerce, and 
 other matters of the first importance, are engaging so much 
 attention. This new edition is indispensable for any one who 
 wishes a compact, authoritative presentation of the China of 
 to-day. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
1904 
 
V 
 
 ^^^\^ 
 
 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 014 418 901 2