CHAPTER VI.

Appearance of the Town after the Siege -- Skirmishes around the Town -- An American Dragoon Killed -- He is scalped, stripped, his body dragged through the streets, and interment refused --Surrender of the Town by the British -- Revival of Business -- Organization of the Chatham Artillery -- Burial of Major-General Greene -- Shipment of the first Bale of Cotton -- Incorporation of Savannah as a City -- Visit of General Washington -- His Account of his Visit and Description of the City -- Destructive Fire in 1796 -- Census of the City in 1798 -- Visit of Vice-President Aaron Burr -- Terrific Gale in 1804 -- Savannah during the War of 1812 -- Capture of the British Brig-of-war Epervier.

    There were about four hundred houses in Savannah at the time of the siege ¹ and about seven hundred and fifty inhabitants. A large number of the males were absent in the American army, and a great many families had fled the town to avoid the persecutions of the British. The batteries of the allies threw over a thousand shot and shell into the town, by which four houses were burned, several demolished, and a large number injured. The churches and public buildings had been used for hospitals and storehouses, and were not fit to be used for their original purposes. Governor Wright, who had made his appearance after the capture of the town in 1778, endeavored to restore it to its former condition; which he partially accomplished before its evacuation by the British forces. While the town was made an object of care and solicitude the inhabitants were not thought of, except as objects to impose fresh persecutions upon. Beside the petty tyrannies of the enemy the inhabitants had to bear the insolence of the negroes, who had first been employed by the enemy as laborers and then armed. This made them bold and overbearing; the females were insulted, and robbery and deeds of violence were committed. The people petitioned and petitioned Governor Wright to check the negroes; but his majesty allowed it to continue until it became so intolerable, not only to the citizens but to the British officers and soldiers also, that he was compelled to check them, and then found it a difficult matter.

    Although the British were left in possession of the town they did not feel secure. They were kept constantly on the alert by small parties of Americans, who would dash up within view of their fortifications, capture all stragglers, pickets, and supplies, and be miles away before pursuit could be given. Among these detachments, the one under Captain John Bilbo ² was the most noted. This petty warfare was continued near the town until early in 1782. Then General Wayne, with a small force of cavalry and artillery, was sent to the vicinity and operations were conducted on a larger scale, the enemy were kept close within the limits of the town, the provisions in the vicinity were destroyed, and when a sortie was made to interrupt the operations of the Americans the sallying party was made to suffer terribly. The British had some indians with them, and on one occasion an American dragoon was shot by them while charging with his troop near the batteries. General Wayne gives an account of the affair under date of the 20th of March, 1782, which says:

    When the enemy retreated they bore off the scalp of the dragoon, with which they paraded the streets of Savannah, headed by the Lieutenant-Governor and other British officers, who gave an entertainment to the indians and had a dance on the occasion. Nor did their barbarity rest here; they mangled and disfigured the dead body in a manner that none but wretches inured in acts of cruelty would possibly be capable of, and ordered it to remain unburied; but the Ethiopians, more humanized, stole it away and deposited it into the ground, for the commission of which crime a reward of five guineas is offered for the discovery of any person or persons concerned in that act of humanity.

    On the 1st of July, 1782, General Wayne received, under a flag of truce, a deputation from the merchants of Savannah, who informed him that General Clarke, commandant of the town, daily expected orders to evacuate it, and they desired to ascertain upon what conditions the British subjects would be permitted to remain should that happen. General Wayne stated that he would give an answer the next day. He held a conference with Governor Martin, and when the deputation was presented he assured them that the persons and property of such as chose to remain in Savannah after it should be evacuated would be protected, and a reasonable time would be allowed them to dispose of their property and settle their pecuniary affairs in the state, but that such men as had committed murder or other atrocious offenses would be liable to be tried and punished according to the laws of the State. The deputation returned to town and communicated the reply to the inhabitants, who the next day appointed another deputation, with instructions to enter into definite terms and conditions and have them reduced to writing, which was accordingly done. Major John Habersham, a native of Savannah and an officer of the Georgia line, conducted the negotiations, which were satisfactory to both parties, especially to the British merchants, a number of whom decided to remain. The orders for the evacuation of the town came, and preparations were made to leave on the 11th of July and to surrender the town to the Americans the same day. By two o'clock on that day the British troops, twelve hundred in number, five hundred women and children, three hundred indians, five thousand negroes, and such other "plunder" as could be collected were on board of the vessels. ³ Two hours thereafter General Wayne issued the following order:

HEADQUARTERS, SAVANNAH, 11TH JULY, 1782.

    The light infantry company under Captain Parker to take post in the centre work in front of the town, placing sentinels at the respective gateways and sallyports, to prevent any person or persons going or entering the lines without written permits, until further orders.

    No insults or depredations to be committed upon the persons or property of the inhabitants on any pretext whatever; the civil authorities only will take cognizance of the criminals or defaulters belonging to the State, if any there be. ⁴ The merchants and traders are immediately to take out an exact and true invoice of all goods, wares, and merchandise of every species, dry, wet, or hard, respectively belonging to them, or in their possession, with the original invoices, to the commissary, who will select such articles as may be necessary for the army and the public uses of the State, for which a reasonable profit will be allowed; no goods or merchandise of any kind whatsoever to be removed, secreted, sold, or disposed of until the public and army are first served; which will be as soon as possible after the receipt of the invoices, &c.

    N.B. Orders will be left with Captain Parker for the immediate admission of the Honorable Executive Council and the Honorable members of the Legislature, with their officers and attendants.

    A committee of British officers notified General Wayne that they were prepared to deliver up the keys, and formally surrendered the town. Colonel James Jackson, who had distinguished himself during the advance of the Americans and in the frequent skirmishes about the town, was selected by General Wayne to receive the surrender. That evening the American troops were paraded and marched to the principal gate, where the British officers stood with the keys. Colonel Jackson received them, and Savannah, which for three years six months and thirteen days had been under British rule, was free and in the possession of her own citizens. In the evening the British fleet sailed for England.

    Three weeks after, in pursuance of a call by Governor Martin for a special session, the State Legislature met in Savannah, in the house of General Lachlan McIntosh, situated on the north side of South Broad, third door east of Drayton Street.

    Soon after the evacuation all hostilities ceased between this and the mother country. The people went to work to repair the ravages of war. In Savannah the work was difficult--more so than elsewhere; the stringent rules of the British had prevented the citizens who remained in town from conducting business, and at the close of the war three fourths of the business houses were owned and controlled by others than natives of the town or of the United States--persons that were not trusted and who threw every obstacle in the way of all new business enterprises. Indomitable energy, at last, conquered; old firms were re-established, new ones organized, and a brisk trade was commenced with the neighboring ports. The public and private buildings were repaired, the streets and squares cleared of the debris of war, and the town assumed the beautiful and cleanly appearance it possessed in the "good old colony times."

    On May 1st, 1786, the Chatham Artillery was organized, and on the 20th of June following was called upon to pay the soldier's tribute to the memory of Major-General Nathaniel Greene. This officer won undying fame in the Southern campaigns, and as a mark of appreciation of his services the Georgia Legislature granted him a large tract of land near Savannah. He settled upon this tract in 1783, and frequently visited town. On the 12th and 13th days of June, 1786, he was in Savannah and returned home on the 14th, on which day he was stricken down by an attack of coup de soliel, and died on the 19th. His remains were brought to Savannah the next day and interred with military honors in the old burying-ground on South Broad Street. The procession, civic and military, was formed on the Bay and escorted the remains. The Chatham Artillery was in front firing minute-guns and advancing, and also fired a salute of thirteen guns at the grave. ⁵

    The first bale of cotton exported from Georgia was shipped from Savannah in 1788 by Thomas Miller. Mr. Miller was for a long time the only purchaser of cotton in Savannah. He bought it in parcels of from twenty-five to one hundred pounds, and assorted and packed it with his own hands. His exclusive and earnest attention to this branch of business earned for him the sobriquet, "Cotton" Miller.

    Savannah was made a city by act of legislature in December, 1789, and the following year the first Mayor, John Houston, was elected.

    May of the year after was made memorable by the visit of Washington to Savannah. The Georgia Gazette of the 19th devotes its entire space to an account of the visit, and says the President, with his committee, his Secretary, Majors Jackson and Butler, Gen. Wayne, and Mr. Baillie embarked at Purysburgh between ten and eleven o'clock on the 12th of May, and were rowed down the river by nine American captains, viz: Captains Putnam, Courtier, Rice, Fisher, Huntingdon, Kershaw, Swain, McIntire, and Morrison, who were dressed in light blue silk jackets, black satin breeches, white silk stockings, and round hats with black ribbons, bearing the words, "LONG LIVE THE PRESIDENT" in letters of gold. Ten miles above the city the President and his escort were met by a large number of gentlemen in boats, and as the President passed by them a band played the celebrated song "He comes, the Hero comes," accompanied with several voices. On his approach to the city the "concourse on the bluff and the crowds which had pressed into the vessels evinced the general joy which had been inspired by the visit of this most beloved of men and the ardent desire of all ranks and conditions of people to be gratified at his presence." He was received at the landing by General Jackson and Colonel Gunn, who introduced him to the Mayor and Aldermen. A procession was then formed and the guests were escorted to the quarters provided for them on St. James square. At six o'clock the President and suite dined at Brown's coffee-house, on the site now occupied by Stoddard's lower range, at which were present the Mayor of the city, President of the Cincinnati, ⁶ the Judges of the Superior courts of the State and Inferior courts of the county, clergy, members of the legislature, members of the Cincinnati, field officers of the militia, president of the Union society, and the Recorder and Treasurer of the city. The city was illuminated at night. Alderman Scheuber's house was brilliantly illuminated, "shewing no less than three hundred lights, arranged in a beautiful symmetry, with fifteen lights contained in the form of a W in front."

    On the 13th the President partook of a dinner tendered by the Society of the Cincinnati. A ball was given in the long room of the filature at night. At half-past eight o'clock the President honored the company with his presence, and was personally introduced by one of the managers to ninety-six ladies, who were "elegantly dressed, some of whom displayed infinite taste in the emblems and devices on their sashes and head-dresses, out of respect to the happy occasion. After a few minuets were moved and one country dance led down, the President and his suite retired, about eleven o'clock. At two o'clock the supper-room was opened and the ladies partook of a repast, after which dancing continued until three o'clock."

    On Saturday the President visited the old fortifications, and afterward partook of a dinner under an arbor with over two hundred citizens. The Chatham Artillery fired a gun between each toast offered, the last one of which, proposed by Washington, was "The present dexterous corps of artillery." ⁷ In the evening there was a handsome exhibition of fireworks, and "the amusements of this day of joy and festivity were crowned with a concert."

    On Sunday morning the President attended divine service in Christ church and soon after set out on his way to Augusta. On taking his leave of the Mayor and committee of the citizens he "politely expressed his sense of the attention shewn him by the corporation and every denomination of people during his stay in Savannah."

    The account in the Gazette concludes with copies of the addresses presented to him and his replies to them. The committee, General Lachlan McIntosh, Colonels Noble Wimberly Jones and Joseph Habersham and Messrs. John Houston and Joseph Clay, that met him at Purysburgh, T. H. Gibbons (Mayor), in behalf of himself and aldermen, George Houston, Masonic Grand Master of the State of Georgia, and General Anthony Wayne, president of the Cincinnati society, presented him with an address each. In reply to that of the committee, he concludes: "That the city of Savannah may largely partake of every public benefit which our free and equal government can dispense, and that the happiness of its vicinity may reply to the best wishes of its inhabitants, is my sincere prayer."

    Washington kept a diary ⁸ during his trip. The following is his account verbatim et literatem of his reception in Savannah and his opinion of the city:

    At that place (Purysburgh; 12th of May) I was met by Messrs Jones, Col. Habersham, Mr. John Houston, Genl. McIntosh and Mr. Clay, a comee. from the city of Savanna to conduct me thither. Boats were also ordered there by them for my accommodation, amon which a handsome 8 oared barge rowed by 8 American Captns. attended. In my way down the River I called upon Mrs. Green, the widow of the deceased Genl. Green (at a place called Mulberry Grove) & asked her how she did. At this place (2 miles from Purysburgh) my horses and Carriages were landed, and had 12 miles farther by Land to Savanna. The wind and tide being both agst. us, it was 6 o'clock before we reached the City, where were received under every demonstration that could be given of Joy & respect. We were Seven hours making the passage which is often performed in 4 tho the computed distance is 25 miles--Illums. at night.

    I was conducted by the Mayor & Wardens to very good lodging which had been provided for the occasion, and partook of a public dinner given by the Citizens at the Coffee Room. At Purisburgh I parted with Gen. Moultree.

    Friday, 13th--Dined with the Members of the Cincinnati at a public dinner given at the same place--and in the evening went to a dancing Assembly of which there was about 100 well dressed & handsome ladies.

    Saturday 14th. A little after 6 o'clock, in Company with Genl. McIntosh, Genl. Wayne, the Mayor, and many others (principal Gentlemen of the City) I visited the City, and the attack and defense of it in the year 1779, under the combined forces of France and the United States, commanded by Count de Estaing & Gen. Lincoln.--To form an opinion of the attack at this distance of time, and the change which has taken place in the appearance of the ground by the cutting away of the woods, &c. is hardly to be done with Justice to the subject; especially as there is remaining scarcely any of the defenses.

    Dined to day with a number of the Citizens (not less than 200) in an elegant bower erected for the occasion on the Bank of the River below the Town. In the evening there was a tolerable good display of fireworks.

    Sunday 15th--After morning service, and receiving a number of visits from the most respectable ladies of the place (as was the case yesterday) I set out for Augusta, Escorted beyd. the limits of the City by most of the Gentlemen in it, and dining at Mulberry Grove the seat of Mrs. Green--lodged at one Spencers--distant 15 miles.

    Savanna stands upon what may be called high ground for this Country--It is extremely sandy wch. makes the walking very disagreeable; and the houses very uncomfortable in warm and windy weather, as they are filled with dust whenever these happen. The Town on three sides is surrounded with cultivated Rice fields which have a rich and luxuriant appearance. On the 4th or backside it is a fine sand. The harbour is said to be very good & often filled with square rigged vessels, but there is a bar below over which not more than 12 water can be brot. except at sprg tides. The tide does not flow above 12 or 14 miles above the City though the river is swelled by it more than double that distance. Rice and Tobacco (the last of wch, is greatly increasing) are the principal Exports. Lumber and Indigo are also Exported, but the latter is on the decline, and it is supposed by Hemp and Cotton.--Ship timber. viz: live oak & cedar, is (and may be more so) valuable in the exptn.

    At the time of Washington's visit there were no houses beyond South Broad street, and only five upon that street, all being on the north side. The city limits on the east was Lincoln street, and on the west Jefferson street, although there were a number of houses west of the latter-named street. Of the five houses then standing on South Broad street four remain, viz: "Eppinger's house," ⁹ on the northeast corner of Jefferson street, now occupied by Mr. S. Davis; the old frame house between Barnard and Jefferson; the frame house at the northeast corner of Whitaker; and the old brick house the third door east of Drayton street, now occupied by Mr. John B. Robinson; the fifth house stood where a brick house has just been completed, between Drayton and Abercorn streets.

    The fine and flourishing prospects of this rapidly growing commercial city, which had just fully emerged from the ruinous effects of the late war, were totally suspended by a destructive fire on the 26th of November, 1796, which destroyed two hundred and twenty-nine buildings, exclusive of out-houses, causing a loss of more than a million of dollars. It broke out in a bake-shop near the market and swept in every direction--some families having to move their furniture seven different times to avoid the flames. Hundreds of families were rendered houseless and hundreds thrown out of employment. The suffering and distress was great, notwithstanding the generous donations of money and provisions from all parts of the State. The people, with that energy which has ever characterized them, strove to retrieve their losses, meeting with that success which always attends well-directed exertion.

    A census of the city was taken in 1798, and it was ascertained that there were 6,226 inhabitants, 237 of them negroes; 618 dwelling-houses, 415 kitchens, 228 out-houses, stores, and shops.

    Vice-President Aaron Burr visited the city on the 20th of May, 1802, coming from Augusta. As he approached he was saluted by the Chatham Artillery, posted on Spring hill, and was escorted into Savannah by the Chatham Rangers and Savannah Volunteer Guards. He remained three or four days; but very little attention was paid him--no more than the formal ceremonies his position called for. The paper of that day (the Georgia Gazette) devotes only fifteen lines to an account of the visit, and does not mention his name.

    On the 8th of September, 1804, a storm raged with destructive fury from 9 A. M. to 10 P. M. None of the inhabitants dared to venture out, excepting those who had to flee to avoid being crushed in the ruins of their own houses. The river rose above the wharves, and covered Hutchinson's island and the rice-plantations around the city. The Gazette says the people who had been kept in the house the day before, their fancies depicting a most woeful scene, found, the next morning, that busy fancy, ever prone to exaggerate, had formed but an imperfect picture of the dreadful scene of havoc and destruction. A large number of trees in every part of the city were blown down, and also several houses, the steeple of the Presbyterian meeting-house, and part of the walls of the Episcopal (Christ) church. The wharves from one end of the city to the other were torn up, and many storehouses erected at the foot of the bluff were either totally destroyed or so much torn to pieces as to render valueless everything within them. Every vessel in the harbor was thrown upon the wharves, except such as were totally destroyed. In the city several persons were injured by falling houses and chimneys, and two of Mr. Green's children were instantly killed. Captain Webb was also killed. Twenty-four houses, including the exchange, the filature, jail, and courthouse on the bluff, and twenty-six business houses under the bluff, were injured and their stocks of goods swept away. Eighteen vessels were swept upon the wharves and there remained when the water subsided. Over one hundred negroes were drowned on Hutchinson's island and on the rice-plantations near the city. The steeple of the Presbyterian church (then situated where now stands the large brick livery stables on the southwest corner of Whitaker and President streets) which was nearly as high as the present steeple of the Independent Presbyterian church, fell in a southwesterly direction, crushing in a house and cutting off a portion of a bed on which lay sick a man, fortunately not injuring him. The bell in the steeple was found, much to the astonishment of all, unbroken. It was afterward hung in the steeple of the Independent Presbyterian church, and there remained until about 1824, when a larger bell was presented to the congregation.

    During the war of 1812, between the United States and England, Savannah was not attacked, but its proximity to the sea made it liable to assault by the enemy's fleets at almost any hour, and thus the people were kept constantly upon the alert until peace was restored in 1815. Fort Wayne was still fortified. Another fort was erected about two and a half miles below the city and named Fort Jackson, after Governor James Jackson. A line of defenses was thrown up, extending from the marsh on the east at the foot of Broughton street to the west side of Lafayette square, where the residence of Andrew Low now stands, thence diverging to what is now Liberty Street lane, thence crossing Bull street to Spring hill, where the Central Railroad depot is now, thence along the high ground east of the Ogeechee canal, and terminating at what is now the foot of Farm street. The line was very irregular and unusually full of salients and re-entering angles. The old volunteer companies, ¹⁰ Chatham Artillery, Savannah Volunteer Guards, Republican Blues, and Georgia Hussars, and other companies which organized for the war, and of which no record can be found, were constantly on duty. Early in the war half of the members of the Savannah Volunteer Guards and the Republican Blues were sent on an expedition against St. Augustine, Florida; but before arrangements for the assault were made, Florida was purchased by the United States. The only surviving member of the two Savannah companies that participated in this expedition is Mr. Jacob Miller. He and Mr. O. M. Lillibridge are the only living representatives of this city in that war. Both were members of the Republican Blues; the former is seventy-nine and the latter eighty-two years of age.

    In May, 1814, the Epervier, a British brig-of-war, built in 1812, carrying eighteen guns, was brought into the river by the United States sloop-of-war Peacock, Lewis Warrington commander. The Epervier had on board, when captured, one hundred and ten thousand dollars in specie, which were confiscated and distributed according to law.

1 - One hundred and sixty houses were so much injured by the soldiers and negroes, who had used them as quarters during the siege, as to be uninhabitable.
2 - Captain Bilbo's party, while attacking a party of the enemy a few miles from Savannah, was fired upon from a house, by which the captain was wounded. He was captured and brought to town, and died on the 8th of May, 1780. His death resulted from rough usage and neglect.
3 - The slaves were taken from the Georgia plantations.
4 - All of that class took care to get aboard of the British ships, and thus escaped the punishment they richly deserved.
5 - The vault in which the remains were placed was not designated at the time of interment. A search was made for them in 1820, but they could not be found.
6 - The Cincinnati society was composed of officers of the American army.
7 - The President, soon after his visit, sent two brass six pounders as a present to the Chatham Artillery. These were used by the company until the late war. The frequent salutes fired by the battery rendered them unserviceable, and during the war they were buried. They will in time be exhumed and mingle their brazen voices upon occasions of joy which will mark the future history of Savannah.
8 - Mr. Benson J. Lossing has recently published his diaries in book form, entitled "Washington's Private Diaries," from which this account is taken.
9 - There is a record showing that Eppinger built this house previous to the year 1747. He used it as a public house, and at his death his son occupied it as a residence, and opened a public house in the old brick house on South Broad street--the oldest brick house in Savannah. The room in which the State legislature met previous to the removal of the capitol of the State to Augusta was known as "Eppinger's Long Room," in which balls and public meetings were held during the week and religious services on Sunday.
10 - These companies, with all others of the Confederate army, were disbanded by order of the United States, in 1865, having participated in the war between the Southern and Northern States.

    If you have resources for Chatham County or would like to volunteer to help with look-ups, please e-mail me at Tim Stowell

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