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A Boy Soldier in the Berrien Minute Men (continued)

March 9, 2024 at 5:31 am (Berrien Minute Men, Civil War)
Tags: Atlanta Campaign, Atlanta GA, Battle of Atlanta, Battle of Jonesborough, Benjamin A. Pickren, Berrien Minute Men, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Company G 29th Georgia Regiment, Confederate POW Parole Slip, Covington GA, Cuthbert GA, greyback, Lumpkin Hospital, Macon and Western Railroad, Reconstruction, Southern Pacific Railway Company, Tallahassee FL

Benjamin A. Pickren served in the Berrien Minute Men during the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864.

Forty years after the Civil War, Benjamin A. Pickren reflected upon his time in battle with the Berrien Minute Men. During Reconstruction Pickren obtained a position with the Southern Pacific Railway Company and became a locomotive engineer in Texas. He faced train robbers, gunfights, and railroad strikes. He survived two train wrecks, in the second of which he “was mangled and maimed, but never lost consciousness.” Recuperation brought him back to the area of his boyhood home in Georgia, where he reflected upon his Confederate military service. Pickren had mustered into the Berrien Minute Men at the age of 16. The previous post related Pickren’s experiences in the Battle of Atlanta.

Historian J. D. Ricci, described the situation leading up to the Fall of Atlanta:

“A nearly eighty-mile retreat through the late spring and early summer brought Sherman and Johnston’s armies within twelve miles of the south’s last major logistical center by July 10, 1864. The operational capability to conduct warfare throughout the Confederacy faced grave danger. To lose Atlanta meant that the flow of ammunition, food, and clothing, not only to Johnston’s army, but to departments in Alabama and the Carolinas, would grind to a halt.”
The Fall of Atlanta

Benjamin A. Pickren’s follow-up letter to the editor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ Monthly Journal recalled the role of the Berrien Minute Men in the final defense of Atlanta.

Experience of a Confederate Soldier.
(Continued from Previous Post.)
SPOONER, GA., Aug. 31, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: Immediately after the great battle [Battle of Atlanta] of July 22, 1864, the siege of Atlanta commenced and lasted about two weeks. During the siege there was no fighting to amount to anything between the two infantries, but some of the greatest artillery duels known to occur up to that time. I have lain in the trenches or breastworks and have had the earth torn from beneath me. We were in such close lines or quarters to each other that it was impossible to raise our heads above the top of the breast works on either side. We were even close enough to hello to each other from the breast works, and without the consent being given from headquarters, the boys on both sides agreed to cease firing on each other and we had a few days’ armistice. The two armies looked like a lot of birds, both sitting on top of the breastworks joshing each other and hunting their clothes for intruders, commonly called greybacks.

We were comfortably quartered until the morning of the 31st of August, 41 years ago today, when to our dismay the long roll began to beat; the sound was too well known to all of us, and the officers began to holloa out, “Fall in, boys!” We were soon in ranks, and immediately after being organized a forced march began, we knew not where nor for what purpose until we arrived at Jonesborough, Ga., I thought clear away from the fighting line of Sherman, but as soon as we were in the little town which was all in a bluster, the women and children running and screaming in every direction, we learned that Sherman had made a flank move from Atlanta and his forces were within two miles of the little city, so we were formed into line of battle, and General Hardy’s corps began to march out to meet our enemy. They were formed in line in one of the finest cornfields I ever saw. The corn was so high that neither side had much warning of the approaching danger until the roar of musketry began. It was a short fight, but destructive to both sides. I also fell in the fight, wounded on the top of my head with a fragment of shell and in the left hand with a ball from a musket, and when taken to the rear to the Division Hospital, I there saw several wounded ladies. Though they were not participants in the fight, they were so close to it that they were wounded by stray balls that were fired perhaps one and a-half miles from them. One of the ladies wounded then is now a resident of San Antonio, Texas. I met her there several years ago.”

During the Battle of Jonesborough on August 31, U.S. Army forces blocked the Macon and Western Railroad which was the last uncut railroad leading into Atlanta. With Atlanta’s railroad lifeline severed, the Confederate Army evacuated the city on the evening of September 1, 1864. Atlanta was occupied by U.S. Army troops the following day.

Confederate Military Service Records show that by Sept 13, 1864, Pickren was at Lumpkin Hospital at Cuthbert, GA, about 160 miles south of Atlanta. The hospital had been relocated to Cuthbert after its former location at Covington, GA was destroyed by raiders from U.S. general William T. Sherman’s army on July 22, 1864 during the Battle of Atlanta. The trains brought carloads of sick and wounded Confederate soldiers to the hospitals in Cuthbert. Some were dead on arrival.

“I was one of the disabled for a long time, and returned to the ranks only a short time before the surrender of General Lee, … “, wrote Pickren.

Confederate POW Parole Slip signed by Sgt. Benjamin A. Pickren, 29th GA Infantry at Tallahassee, FL on May 16, 1865.

After the final surrender of the Confederates, Benjamin A. Pickren signed a Prisoner of War parole slip, foreswearing any further engagement in insurrection against the United States.

His reminiscences continued, “…and shortly after that I commenced my career on a railroad.”

I have thought and dreamed of the part I took in the war, and wondered how it is, and for what purpose I escaped death up to the present time. I passed through seventeen battles and came home, and I also passed through two disastrous wrecks and am still alive. My last wreck came near ending it all, but today I am enjoying the benefits of a beautiful home and farm.

My good old mother tells me it was her prayers that brought me safely through and begs me to be a better boy. I was at a good old-fashioned Baptist general meeting yesterday, and heard the minister tell my feelings as though I had told him. I cast a glance at mother and she was gazing at me, and I almost felt condemned. There were two brothers and two sisters of mine at the meeting and all present seemed to enjoy the sweet benefits of a Christian spirit, and I, the oldest of the five, said wondering to myself, “Am I the scapegoat of the family, or am I deceived in myself?” I have the belief they have; I put more confidence, it seems to me, in the protecting hand of a just Ruler than they have any right to, because I have experienced more disasters and come through. Why should I not place more confidence than they, after passing through what I have? I know it is through His kind and loving hands I was spared -not for anything towards keeping His commands that I merited His protection, but it seems as though I had aroused His vengeance to such an extent as to have let me fall through with the rest of the trash. I believe in Him as strongly as the strongest, and put all my confidence in Him, but I have proof of it only in my word. I am not a member of the church, because I am not fit to be. I wish I were, but to join any church without feeling my worthiness I could not do, as I have conscientious scruples against such acts. Instead of bettering my condition, I fear I make matters worse, and before I commit myself I had better close this narrative.

With best wishes to the B. of L. E.,

I remain Yours fraternally,
B. A. PICKREN.

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A Boy Soldier in the Berrien Minute Men

March 2, 2024 at 5:33 am (Berrien Minute Men, Civil War)
Tags: Arthur Shaaf, Battle of Atlanta, Benjamin A. Pickren, Berrien Minute Men, Clement H. Stevens, Company G 29th Georgia Regiment, General William H.T. Walker, John F. Parrish, John Peeples, Josiah Law Holcombe, Rothschild Fortune, Rowland H. Griffin, Spooner GA

When Georgia seceded from the United States on January 19, 1861, Benjamin A. Pickren was just a boy of 13 on his father’s farm in Muscogee County, GA. By the time of the 1864 Census for the Reorganization of the Georgia Militia, he was 16 years, 4 months of age, and for a desperate Confederacy that was old enough to fight. He was a big lad at 5′ 11″, blond-haired and blue-eyed. Within two months, he was married and was soon in service in the Confederate States Army. He was mustered in as a private the Berrien Minute Men, Company G, 29th Georgia Infantry Regiment. Casualties were so high that by the time he was 17, he was promoted to sergeant.

Benjamin A. Pickren, of Muscogee County, GA mustered into the Berrien Minute Men and fought in the Battle of Atlanta at the age of 16.

From the late spring into the summer of 1864, the Berrien Minutemen and the 29th Regiment were in northwest Georgia with General Johnston’s Army of Tennessee. The Confederates had been forced to retreat before the relentless advance of General Sherman’s U.S. Army toward Atlanta. July 4, 1864 found the Berrien Minute in the line of battle at Marietta, GA. After dark, the Confederate forces fell back to the the Chattahoochee River. In a letter to his wife, John William Hagan wrote about the retreat and his confidence in the defensive earth works of General Joseph E. Johnston’s River Line. But again, the Confederates were forced to retreat to avoid encirclement. By mid-July with the loss of Atlanta imminent , General Johnston was relieved of command and General John Bell Hood took over. The Battle of Atlanta loomed.

The events of July 22, 1864 were still etched in Benjamin A. Pickren’s memory in 1905, even after four decades of work as a railroad engineer. In retirement, he wrote about his service in the Berrien Minute Men in a letter to the editor of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ Monthly Journal.

Experience of a Confederate Soldier.
SPOONER, GA., July 22, 1905. EDITOR JOURNAL: Today is the forty-first anniversary of the great battle fought between General Sherman, of the Federal army, and General Hood, of the Confederate army, near the city of Atlanta, Ga., in 1864, in which I was a participant in gray uniform. Perhaps this narrative may interest some and not others. However, I thought I would give you a small outline of my experience in war, as railroading has become a thing of the past with me, though I feel as deep interest, it seems to me, as I ever did.

Major Arthur Shaaff (1831-1874) 1st Battalion GA Sharp Shooters. Image source: Maryland Center for History and Culture

On the day of the battle I was detailed on picket duty, which was an advanced line of skirmishers under command of Major Shoaff of the Second Georgia Battalion of sharpshooters [actually Major Arthur Shaaf, 1st Battalion GA Sharp Shooters].

The line of skirmishers was deployed in advanced line with a guide center march of nearly two miles through one of the greatest blackberry fields I ever saw. We had marched so far in fighting position and found nothing to fight until we became careless and commenced to pick and eat the delicious black berries.

At last, to our surprise, a gun was fired within fifty yards of our front, and one of our non-commissioned officers, Roland Griffin, fell dead within six feet of myself. [Rowland H. Griffin was a substitute who had been hired to take the place of John F. Parrish.]

At the same instance up jumped the boys in blue that had fired the fatal shot, endeavoring to reach their main line about one-quarter of a mile in our front, but they never reached it, as there were too many good marksmen in close range of them. The picket line was commanded to halt, lie down and shoot to hold the enemy in check until reinforcements came up from our rear. We did so, repulsing two picket charges. At the close of the second charge, we, the picket line, were ordered to hold our positions and not allow anyone to cross our line, unless wounded or a staff officer. I was at a loss to know what it meant, but soon after the order was given, my comprehension was clear. Looking back over the field we had marched and fought over, I saw a full line of battle advancing towards our enemy, although Major Shoaff and his pickets were between them. As soon as the advancing line reached our line and passed over it, the command was given to Major-General Walker to charge, and the heat of battle began. The booming of artillery, the rattling of small arms, and the yells of the advancing or charging line so enthused Major Shoaff that he also commanded the picket line to charge and the command was obeyed. There was a mill pond directly in front of our line which had been recently drained, and the men undertook to charge through it, and were mired down to their waists, and I had to give up the undertaking. The charge was successful both to the right and left of the pond; but we were repulsed on the center on the pond’s account, but were soon reinforced and surrounded the pond and gained possession in front of the battery of artillery that was direct in front of the pond that had slain so many of our comrades with grape and canister, together with our much beloved Division Commander, General Walker. We held the field of battle until dark, and in the shadow of the darkness the battlefield was evacuated, and a new line established back towards Atlanta in the edge of the woods we had previously marched through.

Poor me was detailed on vidette duty, which is the advanced part in hostilities. I was stationed in the midst of the battlefield, among the dead, still lying where they had fallen. Imagine, for a moment, the ghastly and horrible position I was placed in. I took a position upon my knees, so I could jump and run if necessary, with gun in hand, ready to throw it down and run, with my head near the ground in order to keep the light of the sky close down, so if the enemy did approach I could see them before they were upon me.

While in this position I took it for granted that my rear was guarded by my comrades, and had no fear of any rear approach; but here was my mistake, when I was spoken to by some one behind me that had crept up to me, but not looking for me, he was as badly frightened as I was. The first I knew of his approach was his addressing me, “Who is that?” I jumped up, wheeling around; with my gun in his face I demanded who he was. Oh, how it sounded when he told me his name, Richardson, of some Indiana regiment. He gave the number, but I did not care for it as he was my prisoner of war. He told me that he was hunting the body of a dead brother that had fallen near where he and I were, and begged me to let him go and hunt his brother, but at that time and place the Rothschild fortune could not have bought him from me, as the capture of a prisoner was the only excuse justifiable to allow a picket to leave his post, and I was determined to go clear to Atlanta with him if I could get there. So he and I started from the deadly battlefield to the rear.

We had gone but a short distance when I heard the familiar walk of Lieutenant Holcomb of General Stephen’s [Clement H. Stevens] staff, who had established the picket post and placed me where I was. I hailed him. [Twenty-five-year-old Josiah Law Holcombe was a native of Savannah and an alumnus of the Georgia Military Institute]. I knew his walk by the large rowels in his spurs tinkling on the gravel. He informed me that there was immediate danger of an attack from General Sherman and he was closing in the picket post and was glad he had found me. I have always thought only for me leaving the post with my prisoner, I would have been captured or killed where he had placed me, as I don’t think he would have ventured out to relieve me; but my hopes were all dismantled when he relieved me of my prisoner and directed me to a new post that had been established in the woods between the battlefield and General Hardy’s corps. He also said that the men were so fatigued that they had doubled the picket post; hence, he gave me directions to go and when about three hundred yards from where we stood, I must whistle. I did so and was answered.

When I reached the post under a large squatty oak I was glad to find one of my own company, John Peoples. He at once proposed to me to take turn about and one sleep at a time, as he was worn out. I told him he could sleep if he chose to, but my adventures up to that time had so enthused me I could not sleep if I tried. He removed his accoutrements and was soon snoozing to such an extent I had to keep prodding him. This was about midnight. I sat on the root of the big tree with my gun and back against it, listening with all my ears. At intervals I could hear commands given in the brush in front of me and they seemed so distinct at times, and so close, I was afraid to wake up John for fear the commands were imaginations as he was one of the greatest teases on earth. So I sat and listened. I could still hear the well understood commands-“Battalion, halt!” Heard it repeated down the line-could hear the command, “Attention, Battalion, guide center, forward, march!” At last the command to halt was so distinct and so close that I made up my mind to wake up my comrade, joke or no joke.

I had reached around the tree to where he lay asleep and given him a severe jerk; at that instant the pickets at our right line commenced a rapid fire down the line to the first one to our right. I threw down my gun at an angle of about forty-five degrees and fired, as instructed. Directly in front of me, not more than forty or fifty feet, I saw from the blaze of my gun in the dark bushes, a stand of U. S. collars and at least fifteen or twenty men’s faces. My comrade and I made for the rifle pit where the picket line was established. We had to face a regular fire of arms from our own comrades in going to the pits. Poor John had his right arm shot off when he reached the pit, or shot so badly it had to be amputated.

The Federals commenced digging and putting up fortifications where they were when the pickets fired upon them. The next morning rations were issued for the 29th Georgia Regiment for upwards of four hundred men, and I think one hundred and twenty-nine men drew them.

My company, G, was the largest in the regiment and ranked among the smallest after that day. I hope my brother soldier Richardson still lives and may read this article and verify the correctness of it.

Fraternally yours, B. A. PICKREN.
_{Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineer’s Monthly Journal, Volume 39}

In the Battle of Atlanta, July 22, 1864, near Decatur, GA the 29th Georgia Regiment was decimated. In the Berrien Minute Men Company G, Captain Edwin B. Carroll, Sgt William Anderson, 2nd Lieutenant Simeon A. Griffin, 2nd Lieutenant John L. Hall, Captain Jonathan D. Knight were among those captured. James A. Crawford was mortally wounded. Levi J. Knight, Jr. was wounded through the right lung but would survive. Robert H. Goodman was killed. In the Berrien Minute Men Company K, Wyley F. Carroll, James M. Davis, James D. Pounds, William S. Sirmans, and Jonas Tomlinson were captured. John W. Hagan was reported dead, but was captured and sent to Camp Chase. Among many other soldiers captured from the 29th Georgia regiment were Captain John D. Knight, 2nd Lieutenant John L. Hall, Jonas Tomlinson.

(To be continued).

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War of 1812: Bowling’s Detachment

December 2, 2023 at 5:24 am (Uncategorized, War of 1812)
Tags: Artificer, Bowling's Detachment, David Clarke, Dred Newbern, Etheldred Dryden Newbern, Henry Harrison Hand, Jacob Best, John Baggs, Laird B. Fleming, Peter Cone, Peter Cone's Company of Georgia Militia, Reuben Boatright, Richard Manning, Robert Bowling, Roger L. Gamble, Samuel Stone, Sunbury GA

War of 1812: Bowling’s Detachment

Etheldred “Dred” Newbern was a pioneer settler of Old Berrien County, Georgia.

During the War of 1812, while still residing in Bulloch County, GA, Dred Newbern was mustered into a Georgia Volunteer Militia company organized by Peter Cone. In the spring of 1814 Peter Cone’s Company was deployed on the coast of Georgia, first at Savannah then sent with Bowling’s Detachment (reconstructed roster below) to the seaport at Sunbury, GA. Sunbury, and other Georgia ports were then under blockade by the British fleet.

Peter Cone’s Company of Georgia Militia organized at Paramore’s Hill and marched to Savannah where, along with other Georgia militia companies they were mustered into a U.S. Army regiment commanded by Colonel Richard Manning. They were enlisted on March 26, 1814 and issued equipment.

Bowling’s Detachment was ordered to March to Sunbury, GA south of Savannah to take up a station on the Midway River for the defense of the town. The maritime trade from Sunbury was threatened by the British frigate HMS Lacedemonian, which was anchored off Cumberland Island. Sunbury residents often saw the Lacedemonian’s armed launches in St. Catherine’s Sound, where they captured and burned American coastal vessels.

Bowling’s Detachment

Name	Rank	Induction/Discharge
Bowling, Robert	Major	Induction: Major, Discharge: Major
Clarke, David	Capt	Induction: Capt, Discharge: Capt
Gamble, Roger L	Capt	Induction: Capt, Discharge: Capt
Bower, Benanuel	1st Lt	Induction: 1 Lt, Discharge: 1 Lt
Cone, Peter	1st Lt	Induction: 1 Lt, Discharge: 1 Lt
Meriwether, Alexander	1st Lt	Induction: 1 Lt, Discharge: 1 Lt
Burke, Michael	2nd Lt	Induction: 2 Lt, Discharge: 2 Lt
Marks, Leon H	2nd Lt	Induction: 2 Lt, Discharge: 2 Lt
Rawls, John	2nd Lt	Induction: 2 Lt, Discharge: 2 Lt
Clarke, James	3rd Lt	Induction: 3 Lt, Discharge: 3 Lt
Gamble, John	3rd Lt	Induction: 3 Lt, Discharge: 3 Lt
Hall, Thomas	3rd Lt	Induction: 3 Lt, Discharge: 3 Lt
Elias, [Blank]	Servant	Induction: Servant, Discharge: Servant
Hannibal, [Blank]	Servant	Induction: Servant, Discharge: Servant
June, [Blank]	Servant	Induction: Waiter, Discharge: Servant
Lettuce, [Blank]	Servant	Induction: Waiter, Discharge: Servant
Boyd, James	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Burns, William	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Conner, James G	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Gordon, James	Sgt	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Sgt
Hagan, Joseph	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Ladler, John	Sgt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Sgt
Lamp, Michael	Sgt	Induction: 1 Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Langston, Seth S	Sgt	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Sgt
Moore, Etheldred	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Raifield, Alexander G	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Rutledge, John	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Shirley, William S	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Stanaland, Richard	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Waldron, John	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Sgt
Welch, Isaac	Sgt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: 1 Sgt
Bigham, James	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Bryan, Redding D	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Fields, Miles	Cpl	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Cpl
Fokes, Shadrach	Cpl	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Cpl
Goodman, Henry	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Grant, Thomas	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Hichcock, Joseph	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Hitchcock, Joseph	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Jones, Tandy C	Cpl	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Cpl
Lamp, Lewis	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Scott, James	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Stewart, Alexander	Cpl	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Cpl
Chambers, John	Ensign	Induction: Ensign, Discharge: Ensign
Lovett, Cuyler	Ensign	Induction: Ensign, Discharge: Ensign
Crossley, Andrew	Artificer	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Artificer
Darsey, Joseph	Artificer	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Artificer
Kirk, Joseph	Artificer	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Artificer
Marshall, John	Artificer	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Artificer
Moore, Caswell	Artificer	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Artificer
Salter, Edward T	Artificer	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Artificer
Sample, James	Artificer	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Artificer
Woods, John	Artificer	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Artificer
Hall, John	Musician	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Musician
Hendley, Thomas	Musician	Induction: Musician, Discharge: Musician
Miller, Seborn	Musician	Induction: Musician, Discharge: Musician
Sasser, Joseph	Musician	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Musician
Sheppard, John B	Musician	Induction: Musician, Discharge: Musician
Starling, Starling	Musician	Induction: Musician, Discharge: Musician
Arrington, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Arrington, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Askew, Robinson	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Baggs, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt; Gamble’s Company
Baggs, William	Pvt	Induction: Cpl, Discharge: Pvt
Bailey, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Baker, Asa	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bandy, Samuel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bennet, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Berryhill, Thomas	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Best, Jacob	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt; Cone’s Company
Best, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Birch, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bird, Jas	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bird, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Birt, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Boatright, Reuben	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt; Clarke’s Company
Boget, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bothwell, John W	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bowles, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bowles, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Boyd, Baniah	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Boyd, Stephen	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bracket, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bragg, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Bryan, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Butler, Charles	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Carter, Jacob	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cato, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Caulie, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Caulie, Reason	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cobb, H	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cobb, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cobb, Rash	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cochran, Robert	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Coleman, Isaac	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Coleman, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Coleman, Wade	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Colliday, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Conner, Isaac	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Conner, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cook, Henry	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cook, John R	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cooper, Phineas	Pvt	Induction: Sgt, Discharge: Pvt
Coursey, Allen	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Coward, J	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Coward, J	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cravey, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Crops, Samuel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Cunningham, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Curle, Wilson	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Davis, Joseph	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Davis, Moses	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Deal, Ferney	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Deloach, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Dokes, Campbell S	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Donaldson, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Drawdy, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Drew, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Driggers, Simeon	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Emanuele, Amos	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Evans, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Ferrell, Charles	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Fisher, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Fleming, Laird B	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt; Gamble’s Co.
Floyd, Joseph	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Ford, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Ford, Samuel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
French, Charles	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
French, Rease	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
French, Robert	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Gaines, Theophilus	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Gardner, Aaron	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Glass, Levy	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Gooden, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Gooden, Stephen	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Gooden, Wiley	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Goodman, Dennis	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Goodman, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Goodwin, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Green, Daniel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Green, Elisha	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Green, Lewis	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Gregory, Samuel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Hadbury, Wilson	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Ham, Aaron	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Hammond, Daniel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Hand, Henry Harrison	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt; Cone’s Company
Handbury, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Handley, Thomas	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Havens, Andrew	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Hendrix, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Herrington, Moses	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Hiers, Solomon	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Higgs, Jesse	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Hilton, Jeremiah	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
House, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Humphrey, Daniel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
James, Mikel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Jeffers, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Johnston, Elias	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Johnston, Jared	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Johnston, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Jordan, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Jordan, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Kelly, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Kemp, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
King, Wilson	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Kirkland, McCullers	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Lamb, Abraham	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Lang, Robert	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Lankford, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Lee, Levi	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Lewis, Nimrod	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Long, Robert	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Lovett, Thomas C	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Mallory, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Mallory, Thomas	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Mason, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Mathers, Isaac	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
McCullough, Jacob	Pvt	Induction: Artificer, Discharge: Pvt
McNelly, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Metts, Redding	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Miller, Joseph	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Mims, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Mitchell, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Moore, Aldridge	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Moore, Augustus	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Morris, Moses	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Morrison, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Moy, Edwin	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Nates, Zachariah	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Newborn, Dred	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Nobles, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Norman, A. B.	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Norman, James M	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Norris, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Olive, Benjamin	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Olive, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Overstreet, Stephen	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Owens, Jesse	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Parker, Starling	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Patterson, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Pierce, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Pipkin, Uriah	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Pomeroy, Samuel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Pye, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Raiford, Robert	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Rawls, Joseph	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Reddy, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Register, Josiah	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Roberts, J	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Robinson, Abram	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Ross, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Rowland, Nathan	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Sample, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Sanderlin, Owen	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Scarbrough, Jackson	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Scarbrough, Reddick	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Schley, Michael	Pvt	Induction:1 Sgt, Discharge: Pvt
Scott, J	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Scott, Robert	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Shepherd, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Simonson, Isaac	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Smith, Daniel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Smith, Norris	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Spence, Isaac	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Spence, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Stephens, Benjamin	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Stone, Henry	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Stone, Samuel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt Clarke’s Company
Stone, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Streetman, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Stringfellow, E	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Sugs, Moses	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Thornton, Redick	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Trimble, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Tyre, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Tyre, Lewis	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Vickery, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Walden, Samuel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Walters, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Walton, Daniel	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Walton, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Waters, George	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Waters, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Webb, Willie	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Wester, Henry	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Whiddon, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
White, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Wilde, David	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Wilkerson, James	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Williams, John	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Woods, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Wren, William	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt
Wright, Moses	Pvt	Induction: Pvt, Discharge: Pvt

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Etheldred Dryden Newbern: March to Sunbury

November 25, 2023 at 5:32 am (Uncategorized, War of 1812)
Tags: 8th Infantry Regiment US Army, Bermuda Island, Bryan Church, Casimir Pulaski, Colonels Island, Daniel McGirt, Daniel McGirth, Ecunnaunuxulgee, Fort Morris, Georgia Militia, Gunboat No. 68, James Holmes, James Oglethorpe, John Stevens, Kings Ferry, Lewis Green, Midway Church, Midway River, Milledgeville GA, Ogeechee Lime, Ogeechee River, Ogeechee Tupelo, Ossabaw Island, Peter Cone's Company of Georgia Militia, Robert Bowling, Savannah GA, Savannah Post Road, St. Catherine's Sound, St. Catherines Island, Sunbury GA, Sunbury Road, Washington Navy Yard, William Cone, William Doughty, Yuchi Indians

Georgia Militia Called Out in the War of 1812

Etheldred “Dred” Newbern, a pioneer settler of Berrien County, GA, was a veteran of the War of 1812. His service in the Georgia Militia is documented in War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files. Newbern and other men in his district were mustered into Captain Peter Cone’s Company of Georgia Militia in the spring of 1814. The company rendezvoused with Captain Cone at Paramore Hill in Liberty County, GA, and marched 80 miles to Savannah, GA.

Bowling’s Detachment

At Savannah, Cone’s Company was placed into Major Robert Bowling’s Detachment of the 8th Infantry Regiment, United States Army, along with companies led by Captain David Clarke and Captain Roger L. Gamble. A compilation of War Department records in the National Archives informs a reconstructed roster of 255 men assigned to Bowling’s Detachment.

In this series:

Etheldred Dryden Newbern: War of 1812
Etheldred Dryden Newbern: Rendezvous of the Georgia Militia
Etheldred Dryden Newbern: March to Sunbury

To Sunbury, GA

About April 10, 1814 Major Bowling formed up his unit at Savannah for the march to their assigned duty station at the port of Sunbury, GA. From Savannah, the land route to Sunbury was by way of the Post Road, which ran from Savannah to Darien via Midway.

Bowling’s Detachment started the 50 mile march with their complement of officers, non-commissioned-officers and soldiers, company musicians, artificers (combat engineers), and African-American “servants.” Private Lewis Green, disabled from an injury sustained while the company was quartered in Savannah, rode on one of the two wagons transporting the detachment’s baggage.

Bryan Church

About three miles south of Savannah, the post road passed by Bryan Church, the meeting house of the only congregation of enslaved African-Americans in Georgia and perhaps the first such congregation in all of North America. April 10, 1814 was Easter Sunday, but that was of little consequence as Easter was not celebrated in America until after the Civil War. If Bowling’s troops passed the church that morning, we can only wonder what the black congregation and the white militia men with their enslaved black servants might have thought of each other.

Kings Ferry

Eighteen miles south of Savannah, the troops reached Kings Ferry over the Ogeechee River. The name of the river came from the language of the native Creek people and is thought to mean “river of the Uchees”, referring to the Yuchi tribe who inhabited areas near it. The Creeks of Georgia also had a name for the white settlers – the “Ecunnaunuxulgee” – meaning those “people greedily grasping after the lands of red people” (Wunder, 2000.) In April, when Bowling’s Detachment crossed on the ferry, the Ogeechee Tupelo trees (Nyssa ogeche) lining the river were in full bloom. The small white blossoms are highly attractive to bees, and their nectar is the source of the renowned Tupelo honey. The tree is commonly referred to as Ogeechee Lime, on account of the acidic juice derived from its fruit which can serve as a substitute for lime juice.

As Bowling’s Detachment approached the ferry, the thoughts of the men no doubt turned to the American victory over the British there in 1779, when Casimir Pulaski and his Legion caught up with the loyalist Lt. Col. Daniel McGirth (also known as McGirt) and his band of outlaw raiders. Pulaski’s Patriots captured 50 Loyalists, their livestock and enslaved people. In another incident, the slippery McGirth narrowly escaped death at the hands of William Cone, grandfather of Levi J. Knight, pioneer settler of Ray City, GA.

Midway Church

Another 15 miles march to the south brought Bowen’s Detachment to Midway Church, which during the American Revolution had been a hot bed of rebel dissenters. The British had burned the church in 1778, but it was rebuilt, with the construction of the present church completed in 1792. A U-shaped balcony in the interior was used to seat African American worshipers who were enslaved by the white congregation.

From Midway, the detachment could take Sunbury Road toward the coast. Sunbury Road, “one of the longest vehicular thoroughfares of post-Revolutionary Georgia,” ran 200 miles from the port city to the state capitol at Milledgeville, GA (LibertyCounty.org).

Sunbury, GA

The site of Sunbury was idyllic. James Oglethorpe visited the locality in 1734 where he saw “a bold and beautiful bluff, which overlooking the placid waters of the Midway river and the intervening low-lying salt marshes, descries in the distance the green woods of Bermuda Island [now known as Colonels Island], the dim outline of the southern point of Ossabaw, and across the sound, the white shores of St. Catherine.” Dr. James Holmes (1804-1883), a native of Sunbury, observed, “In its palmy days, Sunbury was a beautiful village with its snow-white houses, green blinds, and a red roof here and there. From the fort to the point was a carpet of luxuriant Bermuda grass shaded with ornamental trees on either side of its wide avenues.“

Sunbury in its heyday. Sunbury Historic Marker.

Sunbury “once rivaled Savannah as the major seaport in this area. By all geological rights it should have been what Savannah became; after all, it is the deepest natural harbor east of the Mississippi. It has direct access to the ocean with its necessary winds, much shorter to get to from the high seas, while Savannah offered only a winding, often difficult silted river to navigate” (LibertyCounty.org). Sunbury was once the home port to 94 sailing ships; “The main resources shipped from Sunbury were lumber, rice, turpentine, and animal skins, which sailed to ports around the Atlantic, mainly in the Caribbean but also to England, the northern colonies, and even main land Spanish ports” (Dilk, S.D.) Button Gwinnett (1735-1777) and Lyman Hall (1724-1790), signers of the Declaration of Independence, had been citizens of Sunbury.

As a military post, Sunbury had played its role in the War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739 to 1748), the French and Indian War (1754–1763), and the American Revolution (1775–1783). At the beginning of the American Revolution, a fort had been built at Sunbury to guard the port and St. John’s Parish; Fort Morris was a low enclosed earthwork in the shape of a quadrangle. Surrounded by a parapet and moat, Fort Morris contained a parade ground of about one acre. The fort had been defended by more than 25 pieces of ordnance of various caliber. Fort Morris and Sunbury were attacked by the British in 1779 and captured after a single day of battle. During the years following the Revolution, the fort fell into disrepair.

In the War of 1812, Sunbury, like Georgia’s other ports, was yet again under threat from the British Fleet. For years leading up to the war, the U.S. War Department had contemplated the placement of gun batteries to defend Sunbury. But the State of Georgia failed to grant any land for a site and the federal government had been unable to secure ownership of suitable land for such defenses.

Naval Defense

To allay the imminent threat of British attack, in early 1812 the US Navy sent six armed boats built at Charleston to Sunbury, Georgia. The design of these small gunboats is uncertain. They may have been row galleys similar to those built in 1813 at the Washington Navy Yard by naval architect William Doughty, about 50 feet in length and 12 feet in the beam, with a depth of 3 feet, 6 inches. Sunbury resident John Stevens recalled “it was a beautiful sight of a clear day to see them sailing down to the sound and back again.” At least some of the American gunboat fleet were sloop-rigged for sailing, such as Gunboat No. 68, which at times escorted American merchantmen crossing St. Catherine’s Sound off of Sunbury.

At Charleston, these boats had been commanded by white officers and manned by a crew of enslaved black sailors, typical of “the common use of slaves in maritime pursuits in the South.” But the US Navy Commander at Charleston wrote, “They are slaves belonging to this port… and not to be taken out of the State [of South Carolina].” (The Naval War of 1812, Volume 1, Chapter 2). The experienced African-American sailors were replaced with white crews pressed into service.

The gunboat officers and their new crews were ill-qualified as sailors. At Sunbury, discipline was non-existent and the navy men frequently deserted. The little fleet was struck by sickness and death. One sailor’s hand was blown off when his gun exploded while he was “firing at negro hutts in a drunken frolic.” Another man was killed in a brawl. The boats were short of gunpowder and equipment. “After six months on station with little or no supplies, the barges and their crews departed from Sunbury” (Smith, G. J., 1997). Historian Gerald Smith observed, “Unfortunately for the government and the people of Sunbury, the expedition came to a disappointing end because of poor planning, negligent leadership, and a serious lack of supplies. The failure of the Sunbury expedition left the Georgia coast open for British attack.” (New Georgia Encyclopedia)

Now it was up to the Georgia Militia and men like Dred Newbern to defend the port of Sunbury.

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Berrien Minute Men, Whisky & Harlots

September 2, 2023 at 1:20 am (Berrien Minute Men)
Tags: 29th Georgia Infantry Regiment, Ann C.W. Moore, Anna Edwards, assignation house, Assistant Commissary of Subsistence, Berrien Minute Men, Betty C. McLain, Camp Tattnall, City Council of Savannah, Fannie Fall, George S. Webb, gonorrhea, Guyton Hospital, Hetty Sabatti, house of ill-fame, John Carroll Lamb, lewd house, Mary Powers, Mary Thorpe, Prostitution, Robert P. York, Savannah GA, Savannah Hospital No. 1, Syphilis, Thomas County Volunteers, Washington Franklin Stark, William Sanger

Two companies of men sent forth in the Civil War from Berrien County, Georgia were known as the Berrien Minute Men. For the most part, both companies of Berrien Minute Men traveled with the 29th Georgia Regiment and kept the same campfires, although occasionally they had different stations. The campfires of the Berrien Minute Men were made for most of 1862 at coastal defenses around Savannah, GA.

In February 1862, Berrien Minute Men Company D, and other companies of the 29th GA Regiment were ordered to Camp Tattnall, near Savannah, GA. The Captain of Company D was John C. Lamb, he having been elected to that position October 14, 1861. The camp was south of Savannah and east of the White Bluff Shell Road. It was named in honor of old Commodore Tattnall, who was ‘the hero of the age” and the senior officer of the Navy of Georgia.

Many happenings at Camp Tattnall were recorded in a wartime diary kept by Washington F. Stark (1829-1897), Assistant Commissary of Subsistence for the 29th Georgia Regiment.

Washington Franklin Stark, Assistant Commissary of Subsistence for the 29th Georgia Regiment.

Stark had initially joined the 29th Regiment as a private in the Thomas County Volunteers, but as Assistant Commissary of Subsistence he held the rank of Captain. The Commissary Department was in charge of all food or subsistence supplies at a military post. Subsistence supplies were divided into two parts: subsistence stores, consisting of rations, such as meat, flour, coffee, candles, etc., and commissary property, which was the necessary means of issuing and preserving these stores, such as stationary, forms, scales, measures, tools, etc.

Stark’s diary frequently included his observations on men whose service was lost to illness and occasionally on those lost to vice. In the spring of 1862, he briefly ruminated on the fate of an unnamed soldier of Captain John Carroll Lamb’s company of Berrien Minute Men.

[Camp Tattnall] April 15th [1862]
…One of Capt. Lamb[‘s] men got on a spree the other day, Visited some house of ill fame, got the venereal disease and was carried to the Hospital where he jumped out at the window and broke his leg which has to be amputated. There is not much chance for him to recover. He was one of the stoutest men that he [Captain Lamb] had. So much for Whisky & harlots.
Diary of Washington F. Stark, Assistant Commissary of Subsistence, 29th Georgia Regiment

Another soldier of the 29th GA Regiment from Captain Turner’s company, Berry Infantry, was sick in the hospital with Gonorrhea, first at Hospital No. 1 in Savannah, then transferred on April 7 to Guyton Hospital at Whitesville, GA.

Prostitution in Savannah

Historian Tim Lockley observes in his study of Savannah, “The large numbers of Confederate soldiers in the city…no doubt increased demand for the services of prostitutes,” while the disruptions of families and economic distress caused by the war forced more women to prostitute themselves for survival.

“Prostitute” was listed as the occupation of some Savannah, GA women in the Census of 1860. Enumerators were more apt, at least in some cases, to list known prostitutes under the guise of residents of “ladies’ boarding houses.”

Prostitution [was] a profession that was well established in Savannah. In 1808 the local Grand Jury abhorred “the various houses of ill fame in our city from which issue many of the mischiefs that interrupt our peace. it is here our youth are corrupted. It is here that the sacred ties of marriage are forgotten, and the foundation of diseases laid, which shall continue to be felt to the third and fourth generations.”
As in many other port cities Savannah’s prostitutes found a ready clientele in the crowds of visiting sailors who spent their wages while on shore for a few days in the bars and brothels of Bay Street and Yamacraw.” The city authorities seem to have been fairly phlegmatic about prostitution. In 1855 the chief of police noted in his annual report that the easternmost wards of the city were home to “five large houses of ill fame, besides numerous small ones” while the western part of the city contained “four noted houses of ill fame.” Nothing in his report suggested that the chief of police intended to take action against these establishments. The following year the mayor replied to a request for information on prostitution in Savannah from New York physician William Sanger. He reported that ” In this city there are fifteen houses of prostitution, three assignation-houses, ninety-three white, and one hundred and five colored prostitutes.”
“Survival Strategies of Poor White Women in Savannah, 1800—1860.”

In July 1861, George Webb and other citizens of Savannah petitioned the City Council of Savannah to take action to remove brothels from the town.

Clipping from the Savannah Daily Republican July 17, 1861 regarding a petition to the city council requesting removal of a brothel.

Petition
Of George S. Webb and others, stating to [Savannah City] Council that the occupants of the house of ill fame in State Street, between Drayton and Abercorn streets, have not been removed, and asking Council to take action in the matter. On motion, the above was referred to the Marshall for action in the premises.
Savannah Daily Republican, July 17, 1861

…It seems clear that brothels often masqueraded as ladies’ boarding houses. Mary Thorpe and Fannie Fall, for instance, were both indicted for “keeping and maintaining a lewd house” by the Superior Court in 1860, yet the census listed them as operating ladies’ boarding houses…The Grand Jury complained in 1864 about “the intrusion into the more public and respectable streets of the city, of houses of ill fame…subjecting our families to sights and scenes which disgrace their presence and outrage their feelings.”
“Survival Strategies of Poor White Women in Savannah, 1800—1860.”

Over the course of the Civil War, sexually transmitted infections reduced the effectiveness of fighting units in the US Army and the Confederate States Army.

Syphilis and gonorrhea, infections spread through sexual contact, were almost as dangerous to Civil War soldiers as combat. At least 8.2 percent of Union troops would be infected with one or the other before war’s end—nearly half the battle-injury rate of 17.5 percent, even without accounting for those who contracted a disease and didn’t know it or didn’t mention it—and the treatments (most involved mercury), when they worked, could sideline a man for weeks.
THE CIVIL WAR, A Smithsonian magazine special report

The incidence of sexually transmitted disease among Confederate soldiers is not known.

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Levi J. Knight’s Independent Militia Company, 1836

July 15, 2023 at 1:24 am (Indian Wars, Knight Family, Uncategorized)
Tags: 81st Georgia Militia Regiment, Alapaha River, Captain Levi J. Knight's Company, Levi J. Knight, William G. Hall, William Peters

In the summer of 1836, Captain Levi J. Knight led a company of local militia in the last military action against Native Americans to be fought in Berrien County, GA, then being a part of old Lowndes County, GA.

Most of the militia companies in Lowndes County were organized into the 81st Regiment, Georgia Militia. Identification of the 81st Regiment officers is found on returns of the 1836 Lowndes County, GA militia companies of Captain Osteen and Captain William G. Hall:

Colonel Henry Blair, Commanding 81st Regiment, Georgia Militia
Lt. Colonel Enoch Hall Com. Battalion, 81st Reg.
Regimental Surgeon Henry Briggs, 81st Reg., G.M.
Quartermaster Lt. D. H. Howell
Paymaster Lt. John Pike
Adjutant Lt. I. S. Burnett

Captain Knight commanded an independent company and frequently wrote directly to the Governor, rather than reporting through the command of the 81st Regiment in Lowndes County. Captain Knight paid many expenses for these independent operations out of his own pocket. In the 1836 legislative session the Georgia Assembly passed An Act to Provide for Payment of Volunteers in the Creek and Seminole Campaigns, providing compensation for these operational expenses. In the 1850s, veterans of these campaigns became eligible to receive “bounty lands” as a military benefit for military service.

Over a three day period from July 10 to July 12, 1836 Levi J. Knight led his militia company in pursuit of a party of about 25 Indians that had committed a raid on the homestead of William Parker near the Alapaha River. Knight’s Company skirmished with the Indians on July 12, 1836 on the banks of the river about 10 miles above Gaskin’s Ferry. According to Knight, only six Indians escaped, the rest being killed in the skirmish. Knight vividly describes how one Native American woman was shot in the back with buckshot as she fled across the river. Knight’s Company suffered one casualty, William Peters, who received two wounds in the encounter. This skirmish was a prelude to the Battle of Brushy Creek, which occurred some days later in the western part of old Lowndes county.

Gordon Smith, author of “History of the Georgia Militia 1783 – 1861”, observed that the companies of Captain Levi J. Knight and Captain Hamilton W. Sharp were among the militia called out by the Governor during the Creek War of 1836, but rosters of these companies are not known to have been preserved.

In a July 13, 1836 letter to Governor Schley, Levi J. Knight reported that about 80 men participated the action he commanded from f July 10-12, 1836. The names of the following soldiers have been gleaned from published accounts of the skirmish near William Parker’s place and the Battle of Brushy Creek, and from Bounty-Land Warrant applications:

Reconstructed MUSTER ROLL OF CAPT. LEVI J. KNIGHT’S Independent Company from Lowndes county, from 10th day of July, 1836 to August 1836.

Captain Levi J. Knight, Dist. Georgia Militia;
Sergeant William Peters

David Bell, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-42152

John Box, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-120-74666

William B Bryan, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-120-83556

James H Burnett, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-120-71839

Jesse Carter

Isaac B. Carlton, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-5656

Henry K Chitty, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 50-29580

David Clements

John Cribb, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-38066

John Dougherty, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-37527

James Edmondson, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-120-54665

Harmon Gaskins, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-42760

John Gaskins

William Gaskins

Frederick Giddens, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-120-43514

Isben Giddens

Jacob Giddens, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-120-87951

Moses Giddens

Thomas Giddens

William Giddens, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 50-160-25446

Joel Griffis, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-38068

George Harnage

Henry J Holliday, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 50-44692 Rejected

Jno Holton, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 1850-35741 Rejected

David G Hutchinson, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-28492

James R Johnson, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-13800

Aaron Knight

John Knight

Jonathan Knight

William A. Knight

William C. Knight

John Lee, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-73622

Moses Lee

Sam Lee

Zachariah Lee, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-160-113822

Ashley Lindsey, Bounty-Land Warrant Number 55-120-60444

David Mathis

Thomas Mathis

Archie McCranie

Daniel McCranie

Malcom McCranie

John McDermid

John McMillain

James Parrish

Robert Parrish

Zeke Parrish

James Patten

Alexander Patterson

Solomon Peters

William Peters

Elbert Peterson

Guilford Register

Bryan J. Roberts

John Roberts

Nathan Roberts

William J. Roberts

Levi Shaw

Martin Shaw

Jeremiah Shaw

Ivey Simmons

Daniel Sloan

Brazelias Staten

John Studstill,

Jonathan Studstill

Some of these men would serve again under Captain Knight in 1838.

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Etheldred Dryden Newbern: Rendezvous of the Georgia Militia

August 20, 2022 at 5:08 am (War of 1812)
Tags: 8th Infantry Regiment US Army, Allen Jones, Billy Bowlegs, Black Seminoles, Bolek, Bulloch County GA, Castillo de San Marcos, Cooperville GA, Daniel Newnan, David Clarke, Etheldred Dryden Newbern, Fort James Jackson, General Militia Act, Henry Cook, James G. Conner, James Rogers, King Payne, Lawrence Manning, Lewis Green, Liberty County GA, Louisville GA, Ogeechee River, Paramore Hill, Patriot War, Peter Cone, Peter Cone's Company of Georgia Militia, Peter Early, Prince's Black Company, Republic of East Florida, Robert Bowling, Rocky Ford (Ogeechee River), Rocky Ford Road (Liberty County), Roger L. Gamble, Savannah GA, Sunbury GA, War of 1812 Pension Applications, Whitesville GA, William Burns, William Cooper, Zachariah White

War of 1812: Georgia Militia Called Out

Updated

November 24, 2023

Dred Newbern, a pioneer settler of the Ray City, GA area, served in the Georgia Militia in the War of 1812, as documented in War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files. When the Declaration of War was issued in 1812, Dred would have been 18 years old and just become eligible for militia service. At that time, he and his family were living in Bulloch County, Georgia.

Etheldred Dryden Newbern: War of 1812

Etheldred Dryden Newbern pension record, War of 1812

In Georgia, military service in the local units of the state militia was compulsory; The right to bear arms came with the responsibility of military training and participation in military service. According to Georgia historian Gordon Smith, “The General Militia Acts of 1803, 1807, and 1818 directed that all district male residents from eighteen to forty-five years old, except those exempted by laws such as ministers, enroll in their district company and perform regularly scheduled drills, at the designated unit muster ground.”

Georgia was divided into Militia Districts and every able-bodied man was required to register in the militia company in his district. Each militia company was commanded by a captain. The companies were organized into regiments, battalions and brigades. The Governor was Commander in Chief of the Georgia Militia.

Furthermore, by order of the Georgia General Assembly, any fit man might be compelled under penalty of law to serve a 12 month enlistment in the district police.

Peter Early, Governor of Georgia 1813-1815. Likeness generated from AI-enhanced engraving.

On Feb 7, 1814, the Georgia militia companies were called out to convene for muster, by order of Governor Peter Early. (Early, whose family owned one of the largest slaveholding plantations in Greene County, GA had been an outspoken opponent of any attempts to outlaw the trafficking of enslaved people.) The Georgia Assembly elected Early governor in 1813 when the War of 1812 was under way. “He firmly supported the goals of the James Madison administration and cooperated fully with the government and its military measures. This included raising money, troops, and supplies…” (Encyclopedia of the War of 1812). When criticized for his support of the war, Early replied, “Georgia would survive or go down with the other colonies.“

Governor Peter Early’s orders calling up the Georgia Militia, published in the Columbia Museum & Savannah Recorder, March 7, 1814 edition

The following order has been directed by his excellency Gov. Early, to Adjutant-General Newnan.

Head-Quarters,
Milledgeville, 7th Feb. 1814.

You will proceed to the annual convention of the field, staff, commissioned and non-commissioned officers, in every county or regiment within this state, in order to instruct them in the discipline prescribed by Congress – and as it is of the highest importance at the present critical period, that the privates should be particularly taught the duties required of them in the field, the commanding officers of the respective brigades, regiments, and battallions, are called upon to act in concert with the Adjutant-general, by ordering regimental and battalion musters at such times as they may be notified by him, that he will attend for that purpose.
The Commander in Chief deems it highly expedient and necessary for the good of each particular regiment, and the benefit of the militia service at large, that an uniform system of discipline should be introduced and strictly adhered to throughout the state. The Adjutant-general is therefore ordered to furnish the several Brigadiers-general with a detail of the evolutions to be performed by the respective regiments under their command, at the annual reviews and inspection; – and the Brigadiers-general are required to transmit to each Colonel, a copy of such detail.
Columbia Museum & Savannah Recorder, March 7, 1814

When Dred Newbern and other men of Bulloch County were called out for militia duty they were probably happy to follow a leader like Peter Cone. It was customary at the time that militia companies elected their officers, and Peter Cone was well qualified to serve as a Captain of the militia. Although just 24 years old, the Bulloch County native was an experienced combat leader. Cone was a veteran of the Patriot War of East Florida.

On March 13, 1812 a group of seventy Georgian and nine Floridian “Patriots” crossed the St. Mary’s River to Amelia Island, to establish the “Territory of East Florida.” They read a manifesto and raised a flag with the Latin inscription, “Salus populi lex suprema,” or “The safety of the people, the supreme law.” This so-called “rebellion” against Spanish rule create a pretext for a U.S. military invasion of Florida. Image adapted from: Florida Dept of State

In March 1812, Peter Cone was among a force of Georgia “Patriots” who, with the aid of nine U.S. Navy gunboats, invaded Spanish Florida and captured Amelia Island and the town of Fernandina, then turned control of the area over to regular United States troops from St. Mary’s, GA. Although there was no formal U.S. declaration of war against Spain (Spain was England’s ally in the war against Napoleon), this invasion had the tacit approval of President Madison who had commissioned former Georgia governor George Mathews to organize the effort. Within days of capturing Amelia Island the Patriots, along with a regiment of regular Army troops and Georgia volunteers, moved toward St. Augustine, the Spanish capitol of East Florida. On this march the Patriots were slightly in advance of the American troops, led by Lt. Col. Thomas A. Smith, US Army. The Patriots would proclaim possession of some ground, raise the Patriot flag, and as the “local authority” surrender the territory to the United States troops who would then substitute the American flag for the Patriot flag. But when the Patriots and regular US Army invaders reached St. Augustine they encountered stiff opposition: from the Spanish at Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine; from Blacks who fought for Spain (e.g. Prince’s Black Company), many of whom had escaped from enslavement in Georgia and South Carolina; and from the Seminoles and Black Seminoles, who were the targets of frequent raids by militia companies from Georgia hunting people escaped from enslavement as well as land and cattle. With insufficient force to capture the Spanish fort, Governor Mathews had called for more Georgia volunteers to join the invasion. The occupation of parts of Florida lasted over a year, but after United States Army units were withdrawn and the Seminoles entered the conflict, the Patriots were dissolved.

**Castillo de San Marcos, Spanish fort at St. Augustine, FL.** In the 1812 Patriot War of East Florida, Georgia militia invaded the Spanish territory of east Florida capturing Amelia Island, but were unable to capture the fort at St. Augustine. Photographed circa 1890. Library of Congress.

Captain Cone’s 1812 Company in the Republic of East Florida
In August 1812, Peter Cone had taken a company of militia to St. Mary’s, GA to join Georgia militia Colonel Daniel Newnan’s Detachment of about 250 Georgia militiamen, officers and their enslaved African-American manservants in the “Patriot” invasion of Florida. Under orders, Col. Newnan reported to Lt. Col. Smith (US Army), near St. Augustine, then made a sortie with 117 volunteers against Native Americans at Lotchaway (present-day Alachua County, FL) to destroy their towns and provisions. Included in this force were nine Patriots under the command of Capt. Cone. On September 27, 1812, a band of Native Americans intercepted Newnan’s Detachment about seven miles east of the Lotchaway villages. Newnan’s force never reached the Seminole towns, losing eight men dead, eight missing, and nine wounded after battling Seminoles for more than a week and suffering through a major hurricane of October 1, 1812 (Colonel Newnan describes fighting ” among several pine trees that were laid prostrate by the hurricane.”) Captain Cone was among the wounded. Losses among the Native Americans were greater, including the death of King Payne, leading chief of the Seminoles. Newnan reported that the Georgia militia scalped the Indian dead. King Payne was succeeded as leading chief by his brother Bolek, called Bowlegs by the Anglo-Americans. The Patriot effort to seize Florida territory fell apart when Congress became aware of the unsanctioned invasion and grew alarmed at the possibility of being drawn into war with Spain. Secretary of State James Monroe promptly disavowed the actions and relieved Gen. Mathews of his commission. Drawn out negotiations for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from East Florida finally concluded in 1813. On May 6, 1813, the US Army lowered the American flag at Fernandina and the remaining troops retreated across the St. Marys River back into Georgia.
Cone was praised for his part in the action in Col. Newnan’s report to Georgia governor David Mitchell, published in Niles Weekly Register, Dec 12, 1812. Mentioning Cone by name, Newnan wrote, “My pen can scarcely do justice to the merits of the brave officers and men under my command, their fortitude their privations and distresses never forsaking them…Captain Cone, who was wounded in the head early in the action, behaved well.”
Cone returned to Bulloch County, GA, where he recovered from his head wound. Some of the “patriots” under Cone’s command in 1812 were also mustered into his 1814 company of Georgia militia.

Captain Cone’s 1814 Militia Company

Cone’s 1814 militia company rendezvoused about March 20 at Paramore Hill, a prominent bluff and local landmark overlooking the Ogeechee River. The troops were expected to provide themselves with blankets, knapsacks and canteens, and suitable clothing for a summer campaign of six months. Among the company were Dred Newbern, William Burns (1790-1871), James G. Conner (1790-1876), Henry Cook (1788-1873), Allen Jones, the Green brothers, Elisha (1792-1875), Daniel and Lewis, and others. (Lewis Green and Dred Newbern later moved to Lowndes County, GA; Green to that part of Lowndes County which in 1850 was cut into Clinch, and Newbern to the section that was cut into Berrien County in 1856.)

Paramore Hill

Paramore Hill was the regular designated gathering point for the militia brigades in that sector. It was at an important crossroads and the gathering point for the annual boot camp of the Georgia Militia. In Place Names of Georgia, John Goff gives this description:

Paramore Hill, a high sandy ridge that stretches for a mile or so down the east bank of the Ogeechee River … to the south of Millen, GA. The summit of the hill is some 270 feet about sea level. This height is not appreciably greater than that of some other rises in the general locality, but Paramore Hill is distinctive because the western slope is a steep face that drops precipitously almost to the edge of the river, permitting an open and rare view over the Ogeechee Swamp and its moss-draped trees below (Place names of Georgia).
(Place names of Georgia).

Paramore Hill was a noted waypoint on the ancient trails of Native Americans and the colonial settlers of Georgia. At the foot of the bluff there was a ford across the Ogeechee River. Furthermore, the Capitol Road ran along the top of bluff. The Capitol Road, one of the early thoroughfares of Georgia ran between Savannah and Louisville, which had served as the Georgia capitol from 1796 to 1806.

Following the formation of Cone’s Company at Paramore Hill, Dred Newbern marched with Peter Cone’s men to Savannah, GA, a distance of some 80 miles. After eight miles of marching they crossed the Rocky Ford Road which led one mile south to the river crossing. Rocky Ford was one of the prime crossing points across the Ogeechee River. Another eight miles brought the company to the settlement at Cooperville, founded by William Cooper in 1790. After 26 more miles they reached the outskirts of Whitesville (now Guyton, GA), founded by Squire Zachariah White in 1792. From Whitesville to Savannah was another 29 miles.

Savannah was defended by Fort James Jackson and Chatham County’s own militia and artillery companies, as well as the 8th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army, Colonel Lawrence Manning commanding. Private Lewis Green of Cone’s Company recalled, “upon their arrival…[they] were mustered into service and formed into three companies under the command of Major Robert Bowling…and Colonel Manning…on the twenty sixth day of March, A. D. 1814. Manning was Colonel of a Regiment of Regular [ U.S. Army] troops residing… at that time at the Barracks in Savannah.” About March 30, 1814, militia privates Lewis Green and William Burns were detailed “cutting wood with which to cook their rations, when the hatchet used by said Burns glanced from the stick he was cutting, and cut [Green] on the left ankle, on the back and inner side thereof, just above the heel, cutting the tendon or hamstring completely in two. [Green] averred that the injury was completely accidental and in no respect the result of carelessness on the part of himself or Burns. This happened early in the morning. He was immediately visited by a surgeon of the Regular Army…who then and there dressed his wound, split and sewed together the tendon and bandaged his leg. He was immediately removed to the hospital of the Regular Army at Savannah where he remained under the care of Dr. Rogers (possibly James Rogers), a surgeon in the Regiment.” Green remained in the hospital “until some eight or ten days thereafter, when he accompanied his Company to Sunbury, Liberty County, Georgia where he remained in the regimental hospital under the care of Dr. Rogers for another two months.

From Manning’s Regiment, a detachment of three companies was formed and placed under the command of Major Robert Bowling. The three companies were led by Captain David Clarke, Captain Roger L. Gamble, and Lieutenant Peter Cone. (Although a captain of the Georgia Militia, it appears Cone was mustered into U.S. Army service as a lieutenant.) A compilation of War Department records in the National Archives provides a reconstructed roster of 255 men in Bowling’s Detachment.

Bowling’s Detachment was ordered to take up a station on the Midway River for the defense of the town and port of Sunbury, GA, south of Savannah.

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Etheldred Dryden Newbern: War of 1812

August 13, 2022 at 5:15 am (Uncategorized, War of 1812)
Tags: Bulloch County GA, Cumberland Island GA, Etheldred Dryden Newbern, Floating Hells of Old England, Fourth of July, Free trade and Sailors' Rights, HMS Lacedemonian, impressment, Nonintercourse Acts, Ogeechee River, Samuel Register, Savannah Artillery, St. Augustine FL, Sunbury GA

SERVICE IN THE WAR OF 1812
When the War of 1812 came to Georgia, Etheldred “Dred” Newbern (1794-1874) was living with his father and step-mother in Bulloch County, GA, in the watershed of the Ogeechee River west of Savannah. Dred was a teenager, “about 5 feet 3 or four inches, Black hair & Eyes,” according to his future wife. The young man followed the military legacy of his father and grandfather, who had fought the British in the American Revolution. Dred Newbern was enlisted in the Bulloch County Militia Company in Captain Peter Cone’s district. Samuel Register, another Bulloch County pioneer, also joined the Georgia Militia. Both men would later relocate to the South Georgia region of present-day Ray City, GA.

Etheldred Dryden Newbern: War of 1812
Etheldred Dryden Newbern: Rendezvous of the Georgia Militia

The Declaration of War against Great Britain was signed by President James Madison on June 18, 1812. The President’s address to Congress listed three grievances: British impressment of American citizens, blockade of maritime commerce, and the British agitation of Native American hostilities on the southern frontier of the United States.

Georgians learned of the state of war eleven days after President Madison’s declaration, when the news appeared in the Georgia press under a modest column heading next to an advertisement for shoes:

Declaration of War announced in the Savannah Republican, June 29, 1812.

The major events of the War of 1812 would occur in theaters far from Georgia, from the U.S. invasion of Canada, to the British burning of the Capitol and White House, to the Battle of New Orleans. Most concerning to Georgians was the disruption of Georgia’s maritime trade and the threat of invasion at Georgia’s ports.

Some of these concerns were expressed in the American pro-war slogan, “Free trade and Sailors’ Rights,” protesting the strict naval blockade the British had imposed since 1806 on any American trade with France or French allies. British ships stationed off the American coast were intercepting American ships and seizing any cargoes destined for France. Furthermore, under the doctrine of the “English Right to Search,” British warships routinely stopped and boarded American vessels to inspect the crew and seize, or “impress,” sailors for alleged desertion from the Royal Navy.

British officer looking over a group of American seamen on deck of ship. ca. 1810. Library of Congress.

England was desperate for men to fill the great shortage of sailors needed for its war against Napoleon, and British deserters from the Royal Navy were certainly known to be serving on American ships. The British warships were notorious for their horrendous treatment of seamen. While the Royal Navy claimed the right to recover these deserters, impressment frequently scooped up American sailors as well. By 1811, the American newspapers considered the British actions little more than piracy, asking “What ought the feelings of the American government to be when they have certain knowledge that more than 8000 native citizens of these United States have been impressed, and are now suffering in the ‘Floating Hells of Old England?” (Savannah Republican, Feb 11, 1811). In reprisal for British seizures of American ships and cargoes, the U.S. Congress had passed its own Nonintercourse Acts, making it illegal to import British goods into the United States. The U.S. began seizing British cargoes and the ships found carrying them, even when the cargo came into American waters by way of some third neutral port.

Savannah Artillery company called to muster in on July 4, 1812 “*to celebrate the Birth Day of the only free Government on earth.*” In preparation for war, the Savannah City Council moved to conscript every ounce of gun powder jn the city.” -Savannah Republican, June 27, 1812.

Certainly the British blockades and impressment were disruptive to maritime trade from Georgia’s ports. Anxiety ran high. A royal navy proclamation of the blockade of American ports specifically called out the Georgia ports at Darien, Sunbury and Savannah, along with the ports of New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Port Royal, and New Orleans.

According to New Georgia Encyclopedia,

“Georgia, with its long coastline and prosperous coastal cities, once again was on the front line. Georgia had been subdued, for the most part, by the British in the American Revolution. Its coastal cities had been occupied, and in 1812 it seemed possible that a powerful British force could do so again. Little protection was forthcoming from the federal government because of its serious deficiency in ships and sailors. British warships hovered off Georgia’s coast, snapping up coastal trading craft and disrupting the livelihood of Georgians. Georgia’s citizens and leaders clamored for help.”
New Georgia Encyclopedia

A Leda-class British warship, HMS Lacedemonian, was stationed off Cumberland Island.

A Leda-class British warship. The HMS Lacedemonian, a ship of this type, was stationed off Cumberland Island, GA in 1812. Image: Public Domain

The HMS Lacedaemonian was built at the Royal Dockyard, Portsmouth and launched in 1812. Measuring 150 feet along the lower deck and 40 feet in the beam, it had a tonnage of 1073 in builder’s old measurement. The upper deck was armed with twenty-eight 18-pounder guns, six 9-pounders on the quarterdeck and two 12-pounders on the forecastle. The ‘Lacedaemonian’ was a large frigate carrying up to 46 guns but only rated at 38 guns.

British gunboats off the Georgia coast threatened the considerable trade that was carried on between Savannah and the Spanish port of St. Augustine. The American traders were small vessels that traveled the intercoastal waterways of the Georgia sea islands, carrying cotton and rice to St. Augustine and returning with dry goods and groceries.

Armed launches from the HMS Lacedaemonian prowled Georgia’s intercoastal waterways attacking the American merchant ships. These small British gunboats carried a carronade mounted in the bow, and captained by a lieutenant with a crew of 12 seamen and marines. Larger vessels battled on the open sea within hearing distance of the Georgia Coast. Sunbury residents recalled listening for hours to the roar of cannons.

Soon Dred Newbern and men all over Georgia would be called out for militia duty for the defense of the nation.

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Black Doughboys and White Sparrows

September 25, 2021 at 1:00 am (African American, WWI)
Tags: 816th Pioneer Infantry, 92nd Division, 92nd Division US Army, Buffalo Soldiers Division, Charles Clarendon Ballou, Croix de Guerre, Des Moines, Drake University, East St. Louis Race Riot, Edward James Cobb, Ft. Des Moines, General John Pershing, Hoboken NJ, Holmes Calper, Houston Riot of 1917, Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Morris H. Cobb, Provisional Army Officer Training School, Richard H. Cobb, Romagne, University of Iowa, USS Manchuria, Valdosta GA, White Sparrow Concert, White Sparrow Patriotic Ceremony, WWI Victory Medal

During World War I, 404,348 black troops served in segregated units of the US army. There were 639 African-American officers, over 100 black physicians were officers in US Army Medical Corps, and 12 black men served as dental officers.

Edward James Cobb (1889-1956)

Edward J. Cobb was one of the 12 black officers in Dental Reserve Corps.

Edward James Cobb, First Lieutenant, Dental Corps, United States Army during WWI was born at Valdosta, GA.

According to later passport documents, Edward James Cobb was born on April 20, 1889 at Valdosta, GA. His brother, Morris H. Cobb, taught in Berrien County, GA and was later a doctor in Valdosta, GA. Another brother, Richard H. Cobb, was a dentist in Columbus, GA.

In the segregated U.S. Army, black soldiers served in the two WWI African-American combat divisions, the 92nd and 93rd, and also in other army units. In fact, the majority of black troops in World War I were in the support units, mainly quartermaster, stevedore, labor, and pioneer infantry regiments. Dental officers were needed for these men also. Edward J. Cobb would serve overseas in World War I in the 92nd Division. Another area soldier in the 92nd Division was Carlos J. Boggs, of Ray City, GA.

Edward J. Cobb studied dentistry at the University of Iowa. On April 6, 1917, just weeks before he was to graduate, the United States formally declared war on Germany and entered World War I. The country rushed to mobilize an army and prepared to fight the war. Cobb completed his studies and entered the Army’s first black officers’ training program, The black Provisional Army Officer Training School at Fort Des Moines. The training camp was conducted under the leadership of white officers, with General Charles Clarendon Ballou in command. The camp formally opened on June 15, 1917. The training would last 90 days and would prepare black officers to command all-black units of the segregated US Army.

World War I recruiting poster aims to encourage African Americans to enlist. In the poster, “Colored Man Is No Slacker,” a black soldier takes his leave against a background of African American patriotism, self-sacrifice, and courage. Image source: Library of Congress.

At the very time when African Americans so wanted the opportunity to demonstrate that their patriotism and abilities equaled those of white troops, racial violence flared throughout the country. That summer in East St. Louis, IL tensions escalated from labor disputes, to drive by shootings, to what the press called the East St. Louis Race War.

July 3, 1917. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat reports the massacre of African-Americans in East St. Louis, KY.

Racial tensions began simmering in East St. Louis—a city where thousands of blacks had moved from the South to work in war factories—as early as February 1917… In the spring, the largely white workforce at the Aluminum Ore Company went on strike. Hundreds of blacks were hired. After a City Council meeting on May 28, angry white workers lodged formal complaints against black migrants. When word of an attempted robbery of a white man by an armed black man spread through the city, mobs started beating any African-Americans they found, even pulling individuals off of streetcars and trolleys. The National Guard was called in but dispersed in June. On July 1, a white man in a Ford shot into black homes. Armed African-Americans gathered in the area and shot into another oncoming Ford, killing two men who turned out to be police officers investigating the shooting. The next morning, whites pouring out of a meeting in the Labor Temple downtown began beating blacks with guns, rocks and pipes. They set fire to homes and shot residents as they fled their burning properties. Blacks were also lynched in other areas of the city…By early Monday morning, the whole neighborhood was on fire. By the end of the three-day crisis, the official death toll was 39 black individuals and nine whites.
Smithsonian Magazine

Hundreds more people were injured in the East St. Louis Race Riot. Property damage was estimated at $373,000 in damages (which would be over $100 million measured as relative project cost in 2021 dollars).

After the massacre in East St. Louis, the white community in Des Moines worried about relations with the black soldiers at Fort Des Moines. In a gesture of good will Holmes Calper, Dean of the Institute of Fine Arts at Drake University, invited the camp command to bring the black cadets to perform at a White Sparrow concert. The White Sparrows were Sunday afternoon concerts sponsored by Drake University for the benefit of a local charitable organization. Calper later reflected on the occasion:

At the beginning of the war a Colored Officers Training Camp was organized at Fort Des Moines. Twelve hundred of the pick of the colored race of America were stationed there. As some of these had already had misunderstandings with the townspeople at theatres, etc., many people wondered whether this aggregation was desirable. Several of us called upon their commanding officer to see if he would allow his men to participate in a “Sing” at the Stadium. He readily consented. The street car company transported the men into town, and as those twelve hundred colored men marched onto the gridiron, fifteen thousand people stood and cheered them to the echo. During the afternoon the men went through several drills and three hundred of the best singers stepped out and sang some of the famous negro melodies…The singing that day, with the assistance of the colored troops, was unusually good, the accompaniments being played by two bands… The affair closed with the ceremony of the lowering of the flag and from that day to this nothing but kind words are said of those splendid fellows.
Papers and proceedings of the Music Teachers’ National Association. (1919)

Sunday, July 22, 1917. African-American officer candidates from Ft. Des Moines perform at the stadium of Drake University.

The “White Sparrow Patriotic Ceremony” was presented July 22, 1917 at Drake University stadium. At the event the black cadets marched and sang “Negro melodies” for a crowd of 15,000 spectators.

While the relationship between black soldiers at Fort Des Moines and the white population of city of Des Moines remained civil, this was not the case everywhere in America. One hundred and fifty-six black soldiers were implicated the Houston riot of August 23,1917; 11 white civilians, 5 white police officers, and four black soldiers were killed in the riot. One hundred seventeen black soldiers were court-martialed and 110 were convicted. Thirteen black soldiers were executed in a mass hanging and six more were hanged later; 91 were sentenced to various terms of confinement at the U.S. Penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

At the Fort Des Moines Provisional Officer Training School, Edward J. Cobb and the other officer cadets completed 90 days of rigorous technical and physical training. On October 15, 1917, 638 African-American captains and lieutenants received their commissions, including Lieutenant Cobb, and were dispatched for basic training at a variety of camps. For this accomplishment General Ballou, the white commander of the Provisional Army Officer Training School at Ft. Des Moines, enjoyed immense popularity among the African-American population at-large. But a few months later the black community was called for Ballou’s resignation after he gave orders telling black soldiers in the African-American 92nd Division to stay out of white establishments “where their presence will be resented…[the] public is nine-tenths white. White men made the Division, and they can break it just as easily if it becomes a trouble maker.”

Insignia shoulder patch for the 92nd Infantry Division. National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Buffalo Soldiers Division
In June, 1918, Lt. Cobb and the 92nd Division embarked at Hoboken, NJ. for the voyage to France. Hoboken was one of the great WWI embarkation points for American troops bound for overseas duty in France. It was the same port of embarkation from which Carlos J. Boggs, of Ray City, GA would depart to join the 367th Infantry, the Buffalo Infantry, 92nd Division. The ill-fated HMS Otranto would embark from Hoboken carrying a large contingent of Georgia troops, including a number from Berrien County, GA. Lawson Rentz of Ray City, GA was a medical officer in the Embarkation Service at Hoboken.

When the Buffalo Soldiers Division (92nd Division) arrived in France, they were shunned by American leaders at the top. “The mass of the colored drafted men cannot be used for combatant troops”, said a General Staff report in 1918, and it recommended that “these colored drafted men be organized in reserve labor battalions.” They handled unskilled labor tasks as stevedores in the Atlantic ports and common laborers at the camps and in the Services of Supply in France. Historian David M. Kennedy reports,

“Units of the black 92nd Division particularly suffered from poor preparation and the breakdown in command control. As the only black combat division, the 92nd Division entered the line with unique liabilities. It had been deliberately dispersed throughout several camps during its stateside training; some of its artillery units were summoned to France before they had completed their courses of instruction, and were never fully-equipped until after the Armistice; nearly all its senior white officers scorned the men under their command and repeatedly asked to be transferred. The black enlisted men were frequently diverted from their already attenuated training opportunities in France in the summer of 1918 and put to work as stevedores and common laborers.”
Kennedy, David M. 1982. Over Here: The First World War and American Society

The division did not receive assignments with the American Expeditionary Force, rather:

General John “Black Jack” Pershing was more than willing to lend [the division] to the French army to fight under the French command and flag. Parts of the 92nd would see combat action in France…These African-American soldiers would wear the American uniform, but would don the blue French helmet and utilize French military equipment. They quickly dispelled the American Army’s belief that they were inferior soldiers as they heroically and valiantly fought in fierce combat throughout the war. As a result of their actions, France would award several honors and medals upon multiple regiments in [the division]. Some of these noble awards were equivalent to the U.S. Medal of Honor. Several soldiers received the coveted French Croix de Guerre (Cross of War) medal for their exemplary and heroic fighting during WWI.
National Park Service. (2018) The Buffalo Soldiers in WWI.

Edward J. Cobb served in France throughout the war. After the Armistice he was transferred to the Medical Detachment of the 816th Pioneer Infantry. According to historian, Dr. Christopher Bean, after hostilities ceased, thousands of Pioneer Infantry men of the 813th, 815th and 816th were assigned the sobering task of collecting bodies, and body parts, from the battlefields of France as winter encroached and prepare them for burial. The 816th Pioneer Infantry was detailed to the Graves Registration Service at Romagne and was tasked with building the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery, the largest American cemetery in France. Twenty-one thousand American soldiers were buried there.

The 816th Pioneer Infantry returned to the US in July 1919 aboard the USS Manchuria, departing from St. Nazaire, France on July 8 and arriving at Hoboken, NJ on July 18, 1919.

Although research found no records of military awards to Edward J. Cobb, the WWI Victory Medal was awarded to military personnel for service between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918.

The Victory Medal was awarded to military personnel for service between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918.

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Isaac Strickland, Confederate School Teacher

April 10, 2021 at 12:53 am (Civil War, Uncategorized)
Tags: 4th Georgia Cavalry, 4th Georgia Cavalry Regiment, 662nd Georgia Militia District, Aaron L. C. Jones, Abe Lamb, Ann Elizabeth Wisenbaker, Annah D. Zeigler, Anthy Jones, Battle of Cold Harbor, Battle of Haw's Shop, Battle of McDowell, Berrien M. Jones, Catherine McLeod, Charles Pinckney Creech, Colemna E. Colding, Company A 20th Battalion Georgia Cavalry, Company D 50th Georgia Regiment, Company G 50th Georgia Regiment, Company H 10th Florida Infantry Regiment, Constitutional Convention of 1877, Daniel Inman Jones, Daniel J. Jones, Dr. John T. Clower, Duncan Clayton, Edgar Williams, Edward Outlaw, Elizabeth Jones, Fed Zeigler, Frederick Hinely, George W. Howell, Harrison Flint, Henry L. Strickland, Henry Strickland, Hood's Battalion, Isaac Newton Strickland, Isom Jordon, Jackson J. Clayton, Jacob Fredrick Hinely, Jacob J. Zeigler, James Bryan Creech, James M. Strickland, John B. Colding, Joseph Lott Howell, Louisa Virginia Jones, Lovless Peterson, Manuel Boston, Mariah Jordon, Martha Creech, Mary A. B. Zeigler, Mary McLeod, Meshack Napoleon Bonaparte Outlaw, Micajah Amerson, Nancy Creech, Nancy J. Newsome, Peter Boston, Rebecca Perrill Cooper, Remmie Farmer Howell, Robert M. Strickland, Samuel Shelton, Second Battle of Winchester, Sophrona Inman, Thomas B. Strickland, Thomas Harp, Valdosta Guards, Vicksburg MS, William Lang Thomas, William P. Clower, William R. Peterson, William W. Strickland, William Wisenbacher, Winnaford Howell

Isaac Newton Strickland (1835-1912)

On October 31, 1864 during the Civil War, 25 citizens in Lowndes County, GA petitioned Governor Joseph E. Brown for Isaac Newton Strickland to be detailed from Confederate military duty in order to teach in the local school in the 662 Georgia Militia District of Lowndes County. Most of the signers of the petition had husbands, sons, or brothers who were serving or had died in the war; many were “slave owners.”

The petition appears to be written by William Wisenbaker, at least he is the first to sign. It claimed several reasons for excusing Isaac Strickland from military duty. Isaac’s father, Henry Strickland (b. 1794) was over 70 years old and farming in the 658 GMD of Lowndes County. Two of Isaac’s five brothers had been confirmed killed in the war: Robert M. Strickland (1832-1862) killed May 8, 1862 at the Battle of McDowell; Henry L. Strickland (1825-1862) enlisted Sept 21, 1861 26th Georgia Infantry; killed June 27, 1862 at the Battle of Cold Harbor. Another was thought dead. William W. Strickland (1841-?) enlisted Jan 13, 1864 at Thomasville, GA and mustered into Company A, 20th Battalion, Georgia Cavalry, later consolidated into Company D, 8th Regiment Georgia Cavalry; He appeared in the 1864 census for reorganizing the Georgia Militia and swore the Oath of Allegiance in Lowndes County, GA in 1867. James M. Strickland (1829-1877) and Thomas B. Strickland (1839-1893) also survived the war.

The Petition (transcribed below with notes on the petitioners)
Correspondence of Governor Joseph E. Brown

Lowndes County citizens petition to have Isaac Strickland detailed as a teacher in the 662 Georgia Militia District, October 31, 1864.

Mr. Wisenbaker & Others
Valdosta
Oct 31, 1864
Petition for detail of Isaac Strickland as School Teacher

Georgia
Lowndes County

The undersigned citizens of said county and supporters of the school in the 662 GM District respectfully petition that Isaac Strickland of said county be detailed to continue our school on the following grounds
1st The school numbers forty scholars and he has heretofore and is now the, if detailed, teacher and it is impractical to supply his place
2nd His constitution is delicate and health feeble by reason of weak health he was not able to render material service at Atlanta and returned home prostrate in strength and health.
3d He makes no charge for indigent children
4th His father is over seventy years old and has lost three sons in the military service and has two now in the army and it would be an aid to him in managing and conducting his farm that his only remaining son Isaac live with him while and carry in the said school
5th The granting of this application will confer a public benefit for if our schools are closed our children will grow up in ignorance
Respectfully Submitted

Wm. Wisenbaker
Thomas Harp
William Peterson
Wm Stanfield
M N B Outlaw MD
Edward Outlaw
Mrs. G. E. Golding
Micager Amerson
Mrs. Winy Howel
Mary Zeigler
Ana D. Clayton
Martha Clayton
Rama Howell
Mrs. E—-
Mrs. C. Carter
L. R. Clower
Virginia Brasseton?
A.C. & D. I. Jones
Elizabeth Jones
Martha Creach
Sarah Creach
Nancy Creach
Robert ?
Fredrick Hinley

During Reconstruction and afterwards, Isaac N. Strickland remained in Lowndes County. He signed the Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America on June 22, 1867. In 1870, he was employing Isom Jordon, a “freedman” in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA. In 1872, Isaac Strickland was listed as a witness to support a claim by Abraham Leffler against the US government for property confiscated during the Civil War; Abraham Leffler was a former resident of the Ray’s Mill District of Berrien County. Strickland’s enumeration in the 1880 Census of Lowndes County includes Mariah Jordon, a formerly enslaved African-American woman with whom he was living, and their children.

Notes on the Petitioners

William Wisenbaker (1816-1883) was a farmer and prominent citizen of Lowndes County. The 1860 census shows he was the “owner” of two enslaved people. His son, William H. Wisenbaker, served in the Valdosta Guards, Company D, 50th Georgia Infantry and died of typhoid fever in 1863.

Thomas Harp (1808-1892), a farmer in the 662 Georgia Militia District and husband of Mary McLeod, appeared on the 1864 Census for reorganization of the Georgia Militia. They had children of school age who might have attended the school taught by Isaac Strickland.

William R. Peterson (1812-1885), of Lowndes County, GA. Image source: Phil Ray

William Peterson – William R. Peterson (1812-1885) a farmer and “slave owner” in the 662 GMD and husband of Catherine McLeod, appeared on the 1864 Census for reorganization of the Georgia Militia. Their children were school age. The 1870 tax digest lists two “Freedmen,” Abe Lamb and Lovless Peterson, employed by W.R. Peterson that year in the 662 GMD.

Dr. Meshack Napoleon Bonaparte Outlaw (1820-1895) was a “Physician Farmer” and “slave owner” with a young family in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA. Dr. Outlaw enslaved 17 African-American men, women and children who resided in three “slave houses” on his property.

Edward Outlaw (1825-) was a “Master Carriage maker,” unmarried, living in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA. He was a brother of Dr. MNB Outlaw. In 1870, he was employing freedmen Harrison Flint, Anthy Jones, Samuel Shelton and Edgar Williams in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA.

Colemna Outlaw Colding , wife of Captain John Badger Colding. Image source: Outlaw Geneaology

Colemna E. Colding (1835-1905), sister of Dr. MNB Outlaw and Edward Outlaw, and widow of John B. Colding. He was a Captain of Company G, 60th Georgia Regiment, killed June 13, 1863 on the battlefield at the Second Battle of Winchester, VA; before the war, he was an attorney in Dooly County, GA, a Democrat and a strong supporter of Governor Joe Brown. Colemna Colding never remarried and is buried at the Outlaw Family Cemetery, Vienna, GA

Micager Amerson – Micajah Amerson (1825- ), Wheelwright, living in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA with his young family.

Mrs. Winy Howel – This may be Winnaford Howell (1835-), wife of George W. Howell, who in 1860 was residing in Tallokas, Brooks County, GA. Her husband was a blacksmith in the Valdosta Guards, Company D, 50th Georgia Regiment. In 1863 he was in Chimborazo military hospital with gonorrhea. He was detailed to Richmond as a blacksmith. He was hit in the right leg by a minnie ball at Sailors Creek on April 6, 1865. He was captured and sent to Lincoln Hospital, Washington, DC and released on Oath of Allegiance July 18, 1865.

Mary Zeigler, appears to be Mary A. B. Zeigler (1829-1904) or possibly her 16-year-old daughter Mary A. E. Zeigler (1848-1927). Mary A. B. Zeigler was the widow of Jacob Jefferson Zeigler (1831-1864), a planter and “slave owner” in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County. Jacob J. Zeigler enslaved 28 African-American men, women and children who resided in five “slave houses” on his plantation. He enlisted August 15, 1863 in Company A, 20th Battalion Georgia Cavalry and served as a corporal. He was killed May 28, 1864 at the Battle of Haw’s Shop leaving Mary with eight young children to raise. Mary A. B. Zeigler and Jacob J. Zeigler were grandparents of Jacob Fredrick Hinely who operated the Ray’s Mill Hotel in the early 1900’s. In 1870, Mary A. B. Zeigler was employing freedmen Fed Zeigler, Manuel Boston and Peter Boston in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA.

Ana D. Clayton, appears to be Annah Zeigler Clayton (1838-1904), wife of Duncan Clayton (1829-1897). Confederate military service records confirm her husband served in Company G, 26th Georgia Infantry Regiment in late 1861 and early 1862. Albert Douglass, a colorful deserter from the Berrien Minute Men also joined the 26th Georgia Regiment, but it is not clear if their service overlapped. Duncan Clayton before the war was employed as an overseer of enslaved people. Annah Zeigler Clayton is buried at Old Lake Park Cemetery.

Martha Clayton (1827-), Martha Kennedy Clayton, wife of Jackson J. Clayton and sister-in-law of Duncan Clayton. Jackson J. Clayton served with the 10th Florida Regiment. Before the war he was occupied as a laborer in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County. Their children would have been of school age.

Joseph Lott Howell, Civil War photo

Rama Howell, or Remmie Farmer Howell (1847-1925), wife of Joseph Lott Howell (1835-1906) and sister of James M. Stanfill (1846-1864). Her husband, Joseph Lott Howell, and brother James both enlisted January 26, 1864 in Company A, 20th Battalion Georgia Cavalry where they were company mates of Jacob J. Zeigler. In the Battle of Haw’s Shop. May 28, 1864 Ziegler was killed and James M. Stanfill mortally wounded. Stanfill was sent to a Virginia hospital where his right leg was amputated; he died in the hospital June 29, 1864. Joseph Lott Howell, however, spent most of his enlistment detailed on recruiting missions according to Confederate military service records.

Mrs. C. Carter

L. V. Clower was Louisa Virginia Jones Clower (1842-1912). She was a daughter of Berrien M. Jones and his first wife, SStan Jones. Prior to marriage, the 1860 census lists Louisa Virginia Jones as “slave owner” of 12 enslaved people ranging in age from 3 months to 60 years old; Her father’s estate in 1860 included 37 enslaved people. In 1862, She was married to Dr. William P. Clower in Thomas County, GA. Her husband was appointed on January 18, 1862 as Regimental Surgeon for the 29th Georgia Regiment, which included the Berrien Minute Men. Surgeon Clower’s brother, John T. Clower, would serve as the doctor in Ray’s Mill (now Ray City, GA) from 1870 to 1887.

Virginia Brasseton?

A C & D I Jones. Aaron L. C. Jones (1840-1917) and Daniel Inman Jones (1836-1891). Aaron L. C. Jones was a son of John Jones of Carroll County, GA. He enlisted in May of 1861 in Company F, 7th GA Infantry and went to Richmond with his unit. But after extended illness he was “discharged by reason of Surgeon’s certificate of disability” on September 12, 1861. He enlisted again May 5, 1862 in Company B, 56th Georgia Infantry. He was taken prisoner July 4, 1863 at the surrender of Vicksburg, MS. He swore an oath not to serve again in the Confederate States military and was released on July 8, 1863. However, he broke that oath and returned to his unit. He was captured again on Dec 16, 1864 near Nashville TN and sent as a POW to Camp Douglas, Chicago, IL. Daniel Inman Jones was a son of Berrien M. Jones and his first wife, Sophrona Inman Jones, pioneer settlers of Lowndes County, GA. By 1860 Daniel Inman Jones had his own farm in the 661 Georgia Militia District of Lowndes County where he was enumerated as a “slave owner” of 19 enslaved people. He enlisted March 4, 1862 in the Valdosta Guards, Company D, 50th Georgia Regiment. Confederate Military Service Records note that he was discharged June 12, 1862 by furnishing a substitute, George Plankinhorn, to serve in his place. The 1870 tax digest lists 31 “Freedmen” employed by D. I. Jones that year in the 662 GMD.

Elizabeth Jones (1848-1873) appears to be a daughter of Rebecca Perrill Cooper Jones (1810-1887) and Berrien M. Jones (1799-1854), pioneer settlers of Lowndes County, GA. She was a niece of William Brauner Cooper and of Francis Jones. The 1860 census shows Elizabeth in her widowed mother’s household; Her mother’s net worth being valued at $20,000 in real estate and $34,577 in personal estate. Her mother was then enumerated as “slave owner” of 37 enslaved people. Some time between 1864 and about 1868, Elizabeth Jones married William Lang Thomas. Her husband was a Confederate veteran, having served for about 8 months in 1864 before being furloughed sick; he served as a private in Company D, 4th Georgia Cavalry Regiment, along with regimental mates George Harris, James Harris, and Josiah Wood.

Martha Creach – Martha Creech (1810- after 1870), widow of Charles Pinckney Creech, was farming and raising her large family in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA. Her son, James Bryan Creech (1832-1890) was serving in Company C, Hood’s Battalion (29th Georgia Cavalry). He later was a member of the Georgia Constitutional Convention of 1877, along with Ray’s Mill (now Ray City) resident Jonathan David Knight and Judge Augustin H. Hansell. Before the war, he was a merchant of Tallokas, Brooks County, GA.

Sarah Creach (1840-), daughter of Martha Creech, appeared in her parents’ household in the Census of 1850.

Nancy Creach, was probably Nancy Creech (1838-), daughter of Martha Creech, who in 1860 was still living in her widowed mother’s household. But possibly could have been Nancy J. Newsome Creech (1835-1919), daughter-in-law of Martha Creech and wife of James Bryan Creech.

Robert ?

Frederick Hinley – Frederick Hinely (1815-1886), a farmer and “slave owner” in the 662 GMD of Lowndes County, GA; enslaved 11 people. He was the husband of Ann Elizabeth Wisenbaker (1817-1888). The 1870 tax digest records that “Freedman” Monday Morell was employed by Frederick Hinely after the war. Ann Elzabeth and Frederick Hinley were grandparents of Jacob Fredrick Hinely who operated the Ray’s Mill Hotel in the early 1900’s.

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