Home of Confederate Secretary of State and "Unreconstructed Rebel," Robert Toombs, Washington, Georgia
A legend in his own time, Robert Toombs was a successful planter and lawyer who led a turbulent career as state legislator, U.S. Congressman and Senator. “Defend yourselves; the enemy is at your door . . . !” thundered Toombs from the Senate floor on January 24, 1860. The following year, Georgia seceded from the Union and Toombs personified the South by evolving from conservative Unionist to fire-breathing secessionist. After serving just five months as the first Confederate Secretary of State, he resigned to serve as brigadier general in the Army of Northern Virginia.
In 1870, as the Reconstruction Era drew to a close in Georgia, Toombs felt that Georgia should live under a constitution of her own making. His last service to Georgia citizens was helping create the Constitution of 1877, which was not amended until 1945. Visitors are welcome to tour the house and grounds, and view exhibits and displays.
Home of Robert Toombs, Historical Marker
A historical marker reads: "This was the home of Robert Toombs -- planter, lawyer and distinguished Southern statesman. Born July 2, 1810, Robert Toombs was educated at Franklin College, Georgia, at Union College, New York, and the University of Virginia. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, 1837-1840, 1842-1845; of the United States Senate from 1853 until his resignation in 1861. He served as Secretary of State, C.S.A., resigning to become a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1877.
Robert Toombs died in this house on December 15, 1885, an "Unreconstructed Rebel." After his death this became the home of his devoted niece, Mrs. Frank Colley. This marker replaces one erected by the Children of the Confederacy of Georgia in June, 1941. "
Side Entrance to the Robert Toombs House, now a museum, operated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Wilkes County.
Located at 216 East Robert Toombs Avenue between Poplar Drive and Liberty Street, in Washington, Wilkes County, Georgia.
Atlanta - Earlier this year, Georgia Power twice removed Confederate flags from the graves of veterans buried in theYellow DirtBaptist Cemetery located within the grounds of Plant Wansley. When Georgia Power failed to respond to concerns of family members of the veterans buried in the cemetery, the families decided to contact theGeorgiaDivision of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for help. Following several weeks of activity by members of the local SCV camp, theHaralsonInvincibles Camp #673, as well as support from the entire Georgia Division, Georgia Power spokesman Mark Williams finally acknowledged the families' concerns and admitted that Georgia Power and it's parent company, the Southern Company, do not have authority to control the cemetery where veterans are buried.
Family members have expressed their appreciation to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the largest heritage preservation organization in the state and across America. Georgia Division Commander Jack Bridwell spoke on behalf of the SCV, "We are happy to see that Georgia Power has finally acknowledged that it has no authority to remove flags from the graves of these veterans, and we are happy to have been able to provide help to these families who wished to honor their ancestors. It is unfortunate that Georgia Power refused to honor the requests of the family members until our organization became involved. We will continue to fight for the preservation of Southern heritage and the respect of veterans across Georgia whenever such violations as these by Georgia Power occur; and we appreciate the outpouring of appreciation shown to the SCV by local residents and elected officials ofHeard County.
Defenders of the Confederate flags that decorate grave sites at the Yellow Dirt Baptist Church cemetery - photo from article by Josh Lindenbaum.
Despite acknowledging their errors, however, neither Georgia Power nor the Southern Company have issued an apology to the families for removing the flags; nor have they restored the flags that were originally taken by Georgia Power employees. Georgia Power spokesman KonswelloMonroepreviously admitted that the company took the flags in a statement to the media: "Yes, we did remove those flags that were put up October 8, and we will be monitoring. If they are put back up we will remove them once again." The families of the veterans buried in the cemetery have not yet decided whether or not to press charges for the theft of the flags or the violation of the state and federal laws which protect the graves and flags of veterans. Family members and SCV leaders will be meeting within the next several days to discuss whether or not to have warrants issued for the arrest of Georgia Power officials.
For more information about Georgia Power's decision to restore the Confederate flags at the Yellow Dirt Baptist Cemetery, please contact Jack Bridwell, Division Commander of the Georgia Sons of Confederate Veterans at1-866-SCV-in-GAor online at www.GeorgiaSCV.org .
Thanks to Marshall Hester for submitting this story.
Oconee County Confederate Monument, Watkinsville, Georgia
This simple Confederate Monument, in front of the Oconee County Courthouse, Watkinsville, Georgia, was erected by the Roberta Harris Wells Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy of Watkinsville. Being in a small county, the monument is smaller and less ornate than some, yet the inscription is eloquent. It reads:
COMMEMORATING THE SELF-SACRIFICE
OF THE CONFEDERATE SOLDIER
WHOSE VALOR IS ENGRAVED UPON
THE HEART OF THE SOUTH,
ENDURING AS TIME, EXCITING
AND COMPELLING THE ADMIRATION
OF ALL NATIONS AND ALL PEOPLES
Confederate Monument and Flag Display, Jenkins County Courthouse, Millen, Georgia
On a recent visit to Millen, Georgia, I was very pleased to see this display of Confederate flags in front of the Jenkins County Courthouse. The flags, with history and descriptions posted at the base of each, were placed in commemoration of Confederate History Month, which is offically observed each April throughout the state of Georgia.
Millen lies directly in the line of Union General William T. Sherman's infamous March to the Sea during the War Between the States. The town held a special significance to the murderous general as he is said to have rated is as one of the top three sites for destruction in Georgia. From his headquarters on the Myers Farm just south of downtown Millen, Sherman gave orders to burn the town and railroad station and to destroy the railroad tracks to Savannah.
The monument, dedicated June 3rd, 1909, bears inscriptions which include these eloquent words:
Front:
IN HONOR OF OUR
CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS,
WHOM POWER COULD
NOT CORRUPT
WHOM DEATH COULD
NOT TERRIFY,
WHOM DEFEAT COULD
NOT DISHONOR.
THOSE WHO SERVED.
THE
CONFEDERACY.
Rear:
THESE WERE MEN WHO
BY THE SIMPLE MANHOOD
OF THEIR LIVES.
BY THEIR STRICT ADHERENCE
TO THE PRINCIPLES OF RIGHTS,
BY THEIR SUBLIME COURAGE.
AND UNSPEAKABLE SACRIFICE,
EVEN TO THE HEROISM OF DEATH,
HAVE PRESERVED FOR US,
THROUGH THE GLOOM OF DEFEAT,
A PRICELESS HERITAGE OF HONOR.
FOR EACH SINGLE WRECK
IN THE WAR PATH OF MIGHT,
SHALL YET BE A ROCK IN
THE TEMPLE OF RIGHT.
The first Confederate national flag, known as the “Stars and Bars,” often proved indistinguishable from the Stars and Stripes in the thick of battle. The battle flag, created in 1861, became the icon of the Confederacy.
THE CONQUERED BANNER by Abram Joseph Ryan (1838-1886)
Furl that Banner, for 'tis weary; Round its staff 'tis drooping dreary; Furl it, fold it, it is best; For there's not a man to wave it, And there's not a sword to save it, And there's no one left to lave it In the blood that heroes gave it; And its foes now scorn and brave it; Furl it, hide it--let it rest!
Take that banner down! 'tis tattered; Broken is its shaft and shattered; And the valiant hosts are scattered Over whom it floated high. Oh! 'tis hard for us to fold it; Hard to think there's none to hold it; Hard that those who once unrolled it Now must furl it with a sigh.
Furl that banner! furl it sadly! Once ten thousands hailed it gladly. And ten thousands wildly, madly, Swore it should forever wave; Swore that foeman's sword should never Hearts like theirs entwined dissever, Till that flag should float forever O'er their freedom or their grave!
Furl it! for the hands that grasped it, And the hearts that fondly clasped it, Cold and dead are lying low; And that Banner--it is trailing! While around it sounds the wailing Of its people in their woe.
For, though conquered, they adore it! Love the cold, dead hands that bore it! Weep for those who fell before it! Pardon those who trailed and tore it! But, oh! wildly they deplored it! Now who furl and fold it so.
Furl that Banner! True, 'tis gory, Yet 'tis wreathed around with glory, And 'twill live in song and story, Though its folds are in the dust; For its fame on brightest pages, Penned by poets and by sages, Shall go sounding down the ages-- Furl its folds though now we must.
Furl that banner, softly, slowly! Treat it gently--it is holy-- For it droops above the dead. Touch it not--unfold it never, Let it droop there, furled forever, For its people's hopes are dead!
The Catholic Church of the Most Holy Trinity, on Telfair Street in downtown Augusta, Georgia, was constructed from 1857-1863. It is one of the oldest Catholic church buildings in Georgia.
The edifice was designed by J.R. Niernsee, who was also the architect of the South Carolina State Capitol in Columbia, South Carolina. The original church building, constructed in 1814, served as the Sisters of Mercy hospital and orphanage during the Yellow Fever epidemics of 1839 and 1854. It was again pressed into service as a hospital during the War for Southern Independence (1861-1865).
Father Abram Ryan (1838-1886), the "Poet-priest of the Confederacy," was pastor of the church during the War for Southern Independence. He also served as editor of "The Banner of the South," a Catholic weekly.
Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church photo by J. Stephen Conn
Battle Flag photo from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Grave of Confederate Soldier John Harrod New Hope Cemetery, Georgia
While exploring the New Hope Cemetery, Paulding County, Georgia, I was very interested to see that someone, perhaps a descendent of the deceased, has placed a biography of Confederate Lt. Col. John Harrod on his tombstone. This is a great idea, and inspires me to do something similar on the graves of my own Confederate ancestors in Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. Wouldn't it be a great idea if many other Confederate descendents would perpetuate the memory of their ancestors in a similar manner.
The text is below:
John Harrod 1st Lt. Co. G then Major Then Lt. Colonel
John Harrod was born December 24, 1826 in Alabama. He was the son of William L. Harrod (October 20, 1786-September 1, 1866) and Sarah Chewning (May 5, 1785-July 16, 1856). At some point his family moved to Cadaretta, Choctaw Co., MS. At the age of 35, he was elected 1st Lieutenant of Co. G, "Sons of Liberty" which later became the "Davis Guards," of the 33rd Mississippi Infantry Regiment. On August 19, 1863 he was promoted to Major of the regiment. Compiled Service Records do not indicate the exact date he was promoted to Lt. Colonel, but it was probably early January 1864. As the war for the 33rd Mississippi Infantry moved into Georgia, it was at New Hope Church, a few miles from Atlanta, that the Lt. Colonel was wounded "while gallantly leading his regiment in an attack" and later died on June 11, 1864.
According to his daughter's recollections of the war,
"He was shot through the hand and the knee, just as he raised up from behind a tree with his hand on his knee. They had discovered the Yankee scouts on the other side of the hill. Father's boys gave the blood curdling Confederate yell and the Yankees fled; and so they were able to carry Father back to camp. The little church was used as a hospital. They amputated his leg, and when it was nearly healed, gangrene set in, and he died, like thousands of others, died for lack of proper antiseptics...They made him a coffin of one of the church doors, wrapped him in his soldiers (sic) blanket, and buried him there in a nameless grave." (1)
Prior to the war, On March 6, 1851, John had married Sophia Ann Coleman Smith (May 8, 1833-June 21, 1902) in Cadaretta, Choctaw Co., MS. They had five children. After the war she and the children moved to California.
ALBANY, Ga. — When Confederate Civil War hero Amos Rucker died, the city of Atlanta shut down for his funeral.
Eulogized by the state’s poet laureate with the moving “When Rucker Called the Roll,” the fallen veteran’s pallbearers included then-Georgia Gov. Allen Chandler, Judge William Lowndes Calhoun, ex-Postmaster Amos Fox and former Confederate Army Camp Commander Frank Hilburn. Rucker was laid to rest in Atlanta’s Southview Cemetary, current burial site of members of Martin Luther King’s family.
H.K. Edgerton, right, is a black Confederate
activist who works to bring the truth of
black southern heritage to people of all races.
While such ceremony was not uncommon among Southern survivors of America’s Civil War, what made Rucker’s funeral so memorable is that he was among the black soldiers who fought for the Confederacy during the war.
Whether Southern blacks willingly participated as Confederates against the Northern army that eventually won them their freedom is an argument that continues to be waged today in the year that marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the war. But documented stories like the ones of Amos Rucker, Bill Yopp, Holt Collier, Louis Napoleon Nelson and the all-black First Louisiana Native Guard offer evidence that African Americans did indeed take up arms alongside the men who at the time were their masters.
“I hear today — from blacks and whites — that there were no black Confederate soldiers,” said Kelly Barrow, a Henry County history teacher who has published two books — “Black Confederates” and “Black Southerners in Confederate Armies” — and is working on a third about the subject. “But the documented evidence is overwhelming.”
Barrow, who teaches and coaches soccer at Locust Grove High School, said he became passionate about researching black Confederates after a professor at Shorter College in Rome told him they didn’t exist.
“I’d find all this material about black soldiers, about blacks who were heroes during the war, and (my professor) would say I was wrong,” Barrow said. “She, of course, had her own agenda, but I kept finding more and more stuff.
“After I graduated, I was working with the General Assembly when the flag fight started kicking up. I did a lot of research for (former) Rep. Frank Redding, including genealogy, and I kept coming across more evidence of black Confederates. I eventually put an ad in a Confederate Veterans magazine asking for documentation of black Confederates and was overwhelmed with information. I guess I kind of became the clearinghouse for stuff people said they’d had for years but didn’t know what to do with.”
Historians question whether blacks would have freely fought alongside men who “owned” them and against an army that would free them, but a number of potential answers have surfaced. Noted African-American journalist Walter Williams tackled that question in a recent syndicated column.
“One would have to be stupid to think that blacks were fighting in order to preserve slavery,” he wrote. “What’s untaught in most history classes is that it is relatively recent that we Americans think of ourselves as citizens of ‘United States.’ For most of our history, we thought of ourselves as citizens of Virginia, citizens of New York and citizens of whatever state in which we resided.
“(African-American Historian Charles) Wesley says, ‘To the majority of the Negroes, as to all the South, the invading armies of the Union seemed to be ruthlessly attacking independent states, invading the beloved homeland and tramping upon all that these men held dear.’ Blacks have fought in all of our wars, both before and after slavery, in hopes of better treatment afterward.”
Charles Lunsford, who is retired now but who once served as national spokesman for the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization, said his research into the subject of black soldiers serving in the Confederate army has offered some telling information that history books have failed to mention.
“One of the truths that a lot of people don’t like to talk about is that Northerners were far more racist that Southerners until the Jim Crow era,” Lunsford, who lives in Mansfield in north Georgia, said. “That’s part of the reason so many people say there were no black Confederates. See, the Yankee army segregated its black troops, while the blacks who fought for the South fought alongside white soldiers.
“Experts — both black and white — that I’ve talked with estimate that as many as 90,000 black soldiers wore the uniform of the Confederacy and as many as 300,000 served as support personnel.
Just like the white Confederates, these men were fighting for their homeland.”
I am the Confederate Battle Flag. My design is based upon the Saint Andrew's Cross of Scotland. Some prefer to call me the "Rebel Flag". Either name I will wear with honor. There is certainly no shame in being called Confederate, as the people who bore that same honorable title are remembered for their bravery on the field of battle, a Southern culture built upon hard work, and faith in God. As for the name "Rebel", it was the Revolutionary War soldier and outstanding pamphleteer, Thomas Paine, in his series "The American Crisis", said: "Let them call me Rebel and welcome -- I feel no concern from it". Because you see, it was George Washington and his Colonial Army who were the original Rebels. My boys in gray were the second to wear the name.
My soldiers were so proud of me and held me in high steem. Many songs and poems were written to praise me. Southern ladies especially loved me and often I was hand made by them and presented to Dixie's heroes at formal ceremonies. My folds still bare the brown stains of the blood of young heroes.
A poem by Abram Ryan said: "Once ten thousand hailed me gladly, and ten thousand wildly, madly, swore I should ever wave. For though conquered, they adore me! Love the cold dead hands that bore me! Weep for those that fell before me". I was carried high on Memorial Day, and Dixie was included in July 4th ceremonies. On Veteran's Day, my men marched along with those from other wars. I waved proudly beside state flags in front of every state building in the South. The great grandchildren of my soldiers put me in tag form on their vehicles and posted me proudly in front of their homes. At some universities, I became the rallying cry at athletic events. The descendents of my warriors remembered both them and me with honor and reverent pride.
But history began to be revised and things such as hard work, personal responsibility, chastity, civility, even Christian symbols such as the cross, the nativity, and the Ten Commandments became unpopular as society became more crude and course. I find that I, the once honored flag of the Confederacy have become the primary targets of the speech police. I have heard of this thing called "diversity". And if I understand it correctly, it means that this country is working toward the inclusion of and equal treatment for all ethnic groups. Then why is my group singled out not only for omission, but also for slander?
The saddest part for me is that a great number of Confederate descendents have let the liberal media world convince them to be ashamed of who they are. Others have become afraid to display me. How I wish they could have seen their grandfathers hold my colors proudly at Shiloh, or witnessed the calm resolve at Gettysburg as General Pickett sent them forward into cannon and minie balls while I floated above their brave heads. There were no cowards at these places, only the valiant willing to die for the Constitution and the protection of their beloved homes.
Perhaps my people need to be reminded of who they are and what I am. I am a Christian symbol based on the Saint Andrew's Cross, the native flag of Scotland. According to tradition Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland was crucified on an X-shaped cross. The X-shaped cross in my colors and in the flag of Scotland is also the Greek letter chi which has long been a Christian abbreviation for "Christ". 19th century military tactics required perfect alignment in order to fire effectively upon an enemy. This rigid formation depended upon being able to align troops on the flag. Therefore, I was the rallying point for the "boys in gray". But, I was respected by the Union, too. Union troops received the Congressional Medal of Honor for the capture of a Confederate Battle Flag. Because of the confusion between the similarity of first national flag of the CSA and the national flag of the USA, General P. G. T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston adopted my design for their battle flag. I was first known as the Southern Cross and today I am generally referred to as the Confederate Battle Flag. Even the gapping bullet holes that appeared in me after every engagement were pointed to with pride as being further indication of valor for the men of the unit. It further reminds me of the courage and dedication were needed. Confederate soldiers had only to look at the blood stains of their fallen comrades which the battle action had placed upon my colors.
Even in the 20th Century I have been carried into battles for freedom. As the United Nations fought to protect South Korea from the agression of North Korea, I flew over the front lines with the U. S. 7th Marines, 3rd Battalion, E Company ("The Civil War: Strange and Facinating Facts," by Burke Davis). When the TV cameras scanned the crowds witnessing the fall of a communist dictatorship in Eastern Europe with the destructuon of the Berlin Wall, I was seen waving in many hands in that sea of humanity. In Logar Province, Afghan Freedom fighters placed me on a pole into the barrel of a captured Soviet tank as they struggled to remove Russian control over their nation (1989, Southern Partisan Magazine). During Operation Desert Storm, a British unit took me with them into their zone of responsibility as they worked to lift the aggression of Iraq over Kuwait. Somehow across the years, I think I heard again, "Rebel Yells" in approval as brave men once more carried me into battle for freedom.
In the War for Southern Independence, Corporal T. J. Carlisle of the 37th Alabama Infantry said this about me: "Hail thou flag of the brave. We lift our hats in reverence as we behold the speechless but unmistakable evidence that you have passed through the firey ordeal of war in all its fury. We are proud of your history proud of your scars and venerate you for your age, trusting that your scared folds may be preserved for ages to come and when time and its inevitable ravages shall dissolve your sacred folds into dust, may the patriotic emotions which actuated us in that memorial struggle pervade American hearts and live in vivid memories of Southern heroism and Southern chivalry.
Why do my people not still love me? Why do they not display me on their government buildings and their businesses? Above all, why do they not fly me on the occasions of Confederate Memorial Day (fourth Monday in April), General Lee's birthday (third Monday in January) and President Davis's birthday (June third)? Perhaps they just need to become reacquainted with who I REALLY AM not who those who hate me SAY THAT I AM. Remember and honor me openly, my children. I was based on a Christian symbol; represented a fight for independence, carried by fearless men; and loved by your grandparents. I am The Confederate Battle Flag.
Fly me proudly. I am your inheritance.
About the Author: Ellen Williams, a retired secondary school teacher, is a reporter for the South Alabamian, a newspaper in Jackson, Alabama.
Photo by J. Stephen Conn, Confederate Cemetery, New Hope, Georgia
McDuffie County, Georgia, was not officially created until about nine years after the War Between the States. However, scores of men living in the area that was to become McDuffie County, volunteered for service in the Confederate army and fought to defend their homes and families from the invading Yankee army.
Shortly after Abraham Lincoln ordered the invasion of the Confederate States, a company of soldiers, the Thomson Guards, was organized in Thomson, Georgia, which was then in Columbia County and is now the county seat of McDuffie. One hundred four men left Thomson May 29, 1861 for Richmond, Virginia. They were mustered into service June 3rd as Company F of the 10th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers. During the four year course of the war a total of 128 soldiers became part of this company.
Since 1896, the monument pictured above has stood on the east sidewalk leading to the McDuffie County Courthouse in Thomson, about 32 miles west of Augusta. It honors the brave men from the area who stood, fought and fell while upholding the high and noble ideals of the Confederate States of America - self government, states rights and a limited centralized American empire.
The monument is an obelisk which features on its front two crossed sabres. Below this is inscribed "Women’s Tribute April 26, 1896." An inscription on the side of the monument reads:
This imposing monument to Confederate General Joseph E. Johnson Stands on one of the most prominent intersections in downtown Dalton, Georgia. The inscription reads:
JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON
1807 - 1891
Brigadier General U.S.A.
General C.S.A.
Given command of the Confederate
Forces in Dalton in
1863. He directed the 79 days
Campaign to Atlanta, one of the
Most memorable in the annals of war.
Erected by Bryan M. Thomas
Chapter United Daughters of
Confederacy, Dalton, Georgia, 1912
*****
I am very proud to say that one of my great uncles, John Thomas Conn, fought with General Johnston during that Atlanta Campaign. Uncle John Thomas was a native of Big Shanty, Georgia, later named Kennesaw. He was literally fighting to defended his family and home against invading Yankee aggressors. John Thomas, along with three of his brothers, volunteered for service in the Confederate army shortly after the outbreak of the War Between the States.
By the time John Thomas came under the command of General Johnston, all three of his brothers, including my Great, Great Grandfather, William Elisha Conn, had been killed. John Thomas himself had been captured at Perryville, Kentucky and spent time in two northern POW Camps, one in Indianapolis, Indiana and the other on Pea Patch Island in Delaware. After being exchanged and released from prison, he immediately rejoined the War in the just and noble quest for Southern Independence.
John Thomas was faithful to the Confederate cause to the bitter end. On April 26, 1865, he was still under General Johnston's command when, near Greensboro, North Carolina, Johnston was finally forced to surrender the Army of Tennessee and all remaining Confederate forces still active in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. It was the largest surrender of the War, totaling 89,270 soldiers. This was two and a half weeks after General Robert E. Lee had surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.
John Thomas, like the majority of Confederate soldiers, was not a man of wealth or position. He was a poor dirt farmer and laborer on the railroad who fought for one reason - his home, his family, and his very life was illegally and brutally attacked by an invading foreign army. Following the War, John Thomas finally limped home, weary and worn in body and mind but still strong in faith. He found many of his family members dead and the survivors destitute. His home town of Big Shanty, at the foot of Kennesaw Mountain, had been wantonly burned to the ground by Union General William T. Sherman. Crops and food stores had been destroyed. Personal property of any value had been stolen. Both his local community and the once sovereign state of Georgia were occupied by northern invaders who, for many ears to come, enforced the bitter and punitive policies which they called "Reconstruction."
Below is one of a dozen television spots produced by the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, in commemoration of the upcoming sesquicentennial of the War for Southern Independence. You can follow the links at the YouTube site to see all of this excellent series.
The letter below is from the Alderson, West Virginia Statesman, dated October 29, 1883. It was authenticated and republished in the Southern Historical Society Papers in March 1884. I found a copy of this very revealing letter in the book “The Confederate Cause and Conduct in the War Between the States” by George L. Christian and Hunter McGuire, published in 1907.
Camp near Camden, S.C.,
February 26, 1865
My Dear Wife:
I have no time for particulars. We have had a glorious time in this State. Unrestricted license to burn and plunder was the order of the day. The chivalry have been stripped of most of their valuables. Gold watches, silver pitchers, cups, spoons, forks, &c., are as common in camp as blackberries.
The terms of plunder are as follows: Each company is required to exhibit the results of its operations at any given place. One-fifth and first choice falls to the share of the commander-in-chief [General Sherman] and staff; one-fifth to the corps commanders and staff; one-fifth to field officers of regiments, and two-fifths to the company. Officers are not allowed to join these expeditions unless disguised as privates. One of our corps commanders borrowed a suit of rough clothes from one of my men, and was successful in this place. He got a large quantity of silver (among other things an old milk pitcher) and a very fine gold watch from a Mrs DeSaussure, at this place (Columbia). DeSaussure is one of the F. F. V.’s of South Carolina, and was made to fork out liberally..
Officers over the rank of Captain are not made to put their plunder in the estimate for general distribution. This is very unfair, and for that reason, in order to protect themselves, subordinate officers and privates keep back every thing that they can carry about their persons, such as rings, earrings, breast pins, &c, &c. of which, if I live to get home, I have about a quart. I am not joking. I have at least a quart of jewelry for you and all the girls, and some No. 1 diamond rings and pins among them. General Sherman has silver and gold enough to start a bank. His share in gold watches alone at Columbia was two hundred and seventy-five.
But I said I could not go into particulars. All the general officers and many besides had valuables of every description, down to embroidered ladies' pocket handkerchiefs. I have my share of them, too. We took gold and silver enough from the damned rebels to have redeemed their infernal currency twice over. This, (the currency), whenever we came across it, we burned, as we considered it utterly worthless.
I wish all the jewelry this army has could be carried to the Old Bay State [Massachusetts]. It would deck her out in glorious style; but, alas! it will be scattered all over the North and Middle States.
The damned niggers, as a general thing, prefer to stay at home, particularly after they found out that we wanted only the able-bodied men, and to tell the truth, the youngest and best-looking women.
Sometimes we took off whole families and plantations of niggers, by way of repaying influential secessionists. But the useless part of these we soon managed to lose; sometimes in crossing rivers, sometimes in other ways. I shall write you again from Wilmington, Goldsboro, or some other place in North Carolina. The order to march has arrived, and I must close hurriedly.
Love to grandmother and Aunt Charlotte. Take care of yourself and children. Don't show this letter out of the family.
Your affectionate husband,
Thomas J. Myers,
Lieut. &c.
P.S. --I will send this by the first flag of truce to be mailed, unless I have an opportunity of sending it to Hilton Head. Tell Lottie I am saving a pearl bracelet and earrings for her. But Lambert got the necklace and breast pin of the same set. I am trying to trade him out of them. These were taken from the Misses Jamison, daughters of the President of the South Carolina Secession Convention. We found these on our trip through Georgia."
Addressed to Mrs. Thomas J. Myers, Boston, Massachusetts.
Liberty House, also know as Liberty Hall, is the home of Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America. The house was built built following the WAr, in 1872-73 and replaced an earlier structure, which was also Stephens home. Liberty Hall, In Crawfordville, Georgia, is preserved as part of the Alexander H. Stephens State Historic Park.
On the first floor is Stephens own bedroom, complete with his wheelchair. Stephens was chronically ill for most of his adult life, rarely weighing more than 95 pounds. A side table near the bed held bottles containing patent medicines common in the day. In the front of the house is a men's sitting room, while the ladies sitting room occupied the rear of the first floor. During his lifetime many famous people visited Stephens at the home including Robert Toombs, and Howell and Thomas Cobb. Toombs, from nearby Washington, Georgia, had a bedroom on the second floor. Stephens had a similar room in Toombs' house.
A kitchen stands behind the house in a seperate building. This was a common practice in those days to keep the stove from warming the home in summer and also to lessen the possibility of fire.
Rear View of Liberty Hall - The Kitchen is on the Right
Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Margaret Mitchell was familiar with Liberty Hall and had the house in mind when she penned the immortal American classic novel, Gone with the Wind. When discussing the origins of the plantation house "Tara" she mentioned this house, along with the Fitzgerald house in Clayton County, Georgia, was the prototype for the fictional O'Hara plantation. Liberty Hall is somwhat different from the one in the 1939 movie. Mitchell said she loved the rambling and "no particular architectural plan" quality of it.
Confederate Museum, Alexander H. Stephens State Historic Park
This small but excellent Confederate Museum stands next to Liberty Hall and is operated by the State of Georgia. It is a real gem, containing one of the finest collections of memorbilia from the War Between the States to be found in Georgia and operated by Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Exhibits in the museum take the visitor down the "Road to War," from home life to battlefield. Artifacts which may be seen include firearms, uniforms, historic documents and much more. When I was pastor of a church in Augusta, about an hour east of Crawfordville, I brought youth groups from our church to visit this museum on 3 or 4 occasions and I have also been here on family outings.
I have one special memory of visiting this Confederate Museum one hot summer afternoon and talking at length with two ladies who work as docents at Liberty Hall and also the museum. They spoke fondly -even intimately - of Alexander H. Stephens whom they called "Little Alex." One would have thought they had known him their entire lives.
Alexander H. Stephen's Grave and Statue in front of Liberty Hall
Alexander H. Stephens (1812-1883) is buried in front of his beloved Liberty Hall in Crawfordville, Georgia. He was a United States Congressman both before the War Between the States and after Reconstruction. He also served in the U.S. Senate and at the time of his death he was serving as the 50th Governor of the State of Georgia. His highest office was that of Vice President of the Confederate States of America and he held that position for eight days longer than Jefferson Davis served as President. Stephens took his oath seven days before Davis' inauguration and was captured the day after Davis.
Alexander H. Stephens was frail and sickly throughout his life and never weighed more than only 96 pounds. However, because of his superior intelligence, judgement and eloquence, a northern newspaper described him as "the Strongest Man in the South."
A lifelong bachelor, Stephens acquired a degree of wealth during his lifetime and he shared virtually all of it with the less fortunate. His generosity was legendary. He personally financed the education of more than 100 students, including black and white, male and female. His house, Liberty Hall, was always open to travelers or tramps, even when he was Governor of Georgia. So prodigious was his charity, that he died virtually penniless.
The inscription on the grave of Alexander H. Stephens reads:
THIS TABLET
IS A TRIBUTE FROM THE
OLD GUARD
OF THE
GATE CITY GUARD
IN MEMORY OF THEIR
DEPARTED FRIEND
ALEXANDER HAMILTON STEPHENS
PATRIOT AND FRIEND
VICE PRESIDENT
OF THE
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA BORN FEBRUARY ELEVENTH 1812 DIED MARCH FOURTH 1883 HIS REMAINS REST BENEATH THIS TABLET ***
Standing in front of Liberty Hall in the small town of Crawfordville, Georgia, is this statue of Alexander H. Stephens (1812-1883), former United States Congressman, Governor of Georgia, and Vice President of the Confederate States of America. The monument and Liberty Hall, which was Stephen's home, is now a part of the Alexander H. Stephens Memorial State Park.
Stephens was not named for Alexander Hamilton, as many presume, but for Alexander Hamilton Webster, a Presbyterian minister and benefactor who helped Stephens obtain his education.
In addition to his political accomplishments, Stephens was a constitutional scholar of note. He was the author of a classical book about the War for Southern Independence entitled: "A Constitutional View of the War Between the States." The Constitution of the Confederate States of America was virtually the same as the United States Constitution with only a handful of improvements. For example, the first sentence of the preamble to the Constitution of the CSA inserts the phrase, "each State acting in its sovereign and independent character." Also, the Confederate Constitution prohibited the foreign slave trade, which had been allowed under the original United States Constitution and it limited the C.S.A. President to only one six year term.
The front panel of the monument lists Stephen's accomplishemts. The back panel refers to the Confederate statesman as:
The Great Commoner
The Defender of Civil and Religious Liberty
"He Coveted and Took from the
Republic Nothing Save Glory"
Other panels of the monument are quite eloquent in their sentiments:
Throughout life a sufferer in body,
mind and spirit, he was a signal
exemplar of wisdom, courage, fortitude,
patience and unwearying charity.
In the decrepitude of age, called to
be governor of the state, he died
in performance of the work
of his office, and it seemed fit
that having survived parents,
brethren, sisters and most of
his dear companions of youth,
he should lay his dying head
upon the bosom of his people.
And a fourth panel gives an extract from his Augusta Speech of 1859:
"I am afraid of nothing on earth, or above the earth, or under the I earth, except to do wrong - the
path of duty I shall ever endeavor to travel, fearing no evil and dreading no consequences."
*****
"Here sleep the remains of one who dared to tell the people they were wrong when he believed so, and who never intentionally deceived a friend or betrayed an enemy."
General Sherman's March Across Georgia - Photo from Harper's Weekly, December 10, 1864
Below is an excerpt from A Woman's Wartime Journal by Dolly Sumner Lunt: An account of the passage over a Georgia plantation of Sherman's army on the march to the sea, as recorded in the diary of Dolly Sumner Lunt.
NOVEMBER 19, 1864.
Slept in my clothes last night, as I heard that the Yankees went to
neighbor Montgomery's on Thursday night at one o'clock, searched his
house, drank his wine, and took his money and valuables. As we were
not disturbed, I walked after breakfast, with Sadai, up to Mr. Joe
Perry's, my nearest neighbor, where the Yankees were yesterday. Saw
Mrs. Laura [Perry] in the road surrounded by her children, seeming to
be looking for some one. She said she was looking for her husband,
that old Mrs. Perry had just sent her word that the Yankees went to
James Perry's the night before, plundered his house, and drove off
all his stock, and that she must drive hers into the old fields.
Before we were done talking, up came Joe and Jim Perry from their
hiding-place. Jim was very much excited. Happening to turn and look
behind, as we stood there, I saw some blue-coats coming down the hill.
Jim immediately raised his gun, swearing he would kill them anyhow.
"No, don't!" said I, and ran home as fast as I could, with Sadai.
I could hear them cry, "Halt! Halt!" and their guns went off in quick
succession. Oh God, the time of trial has come!
A man passed on his way to Covington. I halloed to him, asking him if
he did not know the Yankees were coming.
"No--are they?"
"Yes," said I; "they are not three hundred yards from here."
"Sure enough," said he. "Well, I'll not go. I don't want them to get
my horse." And although within hearing of their guns, he would stop
and look for them. Blissful ignorance! Not knowing, not hearing, he
has not suffered the suspense, the fear, that I have for the past
forty-eight hours. I walked to the gate. There they came filing up.
I hastened back to my frightened servants and told them that they had
better hide, and then went back to the gate to claim protection and a
guard. But like demons they rush in! My yards are full. To my
smoke-house, my dairy, pantry, kitchen, and cellar, like famished
wolves they come, breaking locks and whatever is in their way. The
thousand pounds of meat in my smoke-house is gone in a twinkling, my
flour, my meat, my lard, butter, eggs, pickles of various kinds--both
in vinegar and brine--wine, jars, and jugs are all gone. My eighteen
fat turkeys, my hens, chickens, and fowls, my young pigs, are shot
down in my yard and hunted as if they were rebels themselves. Utterly
powerless I ran out and appealed to the guard.
"I cannot help you, Madam; it is orders."
As I stood there, from my lot I saw driven, first, old Dutch, my dear
old buggy horse, who has carried my beloved husband so many miles, and
who would so quietly wait at the block for him to mount and dismount,
and who at last drew him to his grave; then came old Mary, my brood
mare, who for years had been too old and stiff for work, with her
three-year-old colt, my two-year-old mule, and her last little baby
colt. There they go! There go my mules, my sheep, and, worse than all,
my boys [slaves]!
Alas! little did I think while trying to save my house from plunder
and fire that they were forcing my boys from home at the point of the
bayonet. One, Newton, jumped into bed in his cabin, and declared
himself sick. Another crawled under the floor,--a lame boy he
was,--but they pulled him out, placed him on a horse, and drove him
off. Mid, poor Mid! The last I saw of him, a man had him going around
the garden, looking, as I thought, for my sheep, as he was my
shepherd. Jack came crying to me, the big tears coursing down his
cheeks, saying they were making him go. I said:
"Stay in my room."
But a man followed in, cursing him and threatening to shoot him if he
did not go; so poor Jack had to yield. James Arnold, in trying to
scape from a back window, was captured and marched off. Henry, too,
was taken; I know not how or when, but probably when he and Bob went
after the mules. I had not believed they would force from their homes
the poor, doomed negroes, but such has been the fact here, cursing
them and saying that "Jeff Davis wanted to put them in his army, but
that they should not fight for him, but for the Union." No! Indeed no!
They are not friends to the slave. We have never made the poor,
cowardly negro fight, and it is strange, passing strange, that the
all-powerful Yankee nation with the whole world to back them, their
ports open, their armies filled with soldiers from all nations, should
at last take the poor negro to help them out against this little
Confederacy which was to have been brought back into the Union in
sixty days' time!
My poor boys! My poor boys! What unknown trials are before you! How
you have clung to your mistress and assisted her in every way you
knew.
Never have I corrected them; a word was sufficient. Never have they
known want of any kind. Their parents are with me, and how sadly they
lament the loss of their boys. Their cabins are rifled of every
valuable, the soldiers swearing that their Sunday clothes were the
white people's, and that they never had money to get such things as
they had. Poor Frank's chest was broken open, his money and tobacco
taken. He has always been a money-making and saving boy; not
infrequently has his crop brought him five hundred dollars and more.
All of his clothes and Rachel's clothes, which dear Lou gave her
before her death and which she had packed away, were stolen from her.
Ovens, skillets, coffee-mills, of which we had three, coffee-pots--not
one have I left. Sifters all gone!
Seeing that the soldiers could not be restrained, the guard ordered me
to have their [of the negroes] remaining possessions brought into my
house, which I did, and they all, poor things, huddled together in my
room, fearing every movement that the house would be burned.
A Captain Webber from Illinois came into my house. Of him I claimed
protection from the vandals who were forcing themselves into my room.
He said that he knew my brother Orrington [the late Orrington Lunt, a
well-known early settler of Chicago]. At that name I could not
restrain my feelings, but, bursting into tears, implored him to see my
brother and let him know my destitution. I saw nothing before me but
starvation. He promised to do this, and comforted me with the
assurance that my dwelling-house would not be burned, though my
out-buildings might. Poor little Sadai went crying to him as to a
friend and told him that they had taken her doll, Nancy. He begged her
to come and see him, and he would give her a fine waxen one. [The doll
was found later in the yard of a neighbor, where a soldier had thrown
it, and was returned to the little girl. Her children later played
with it, and it is now the plaything of her granddaughter.]
He felt for me, and I give him and several others the character of
gentlemen. I don't believe they would have molested women and children
had they had their own way. He seemed surprised that I had not laid
away in my house, flour and other provisions. I did not suppose I
could secure them there, more than where I usually kept them, for in
last summer's raid houses were thoroughly searched. In parting with
him, I parted as with a friend.
Sherman himself and a greater portion of his army passed my house that
day. All day, as the sad moments rolled on, were they passing not only
in front of my house, but from behind; they tore down my garden
palings, made a road through my back-yard and lot field, driving their
stock and riding through, tearing down my fences and desolating my
home--wantonly doing it when there was no necessity for it.
Such a day, if I live to the age of Methuselah, may God spare me from
ever seeing again!
As night drew its sable curtains around us, the heavens from every
point were lit up with flames from burning buildings. Dinnerless and
supperless as we were, it was nothing in comparison with the fear of
being driven out homeless to the dreary woods. Nothing to eat! I could
give my guard no supper, so he left us. I appealed to another, asking
him if he had wife, mother, or sister, and how he should feel were
they in my situation. A colonel from Vermont left me two men, but
they were Dutch, and I could not understand one word they said.
My Heavenly Father alone saved me from the destructive fire. My
carriage-house had in it eight bales of cotton, with my carriage,
buggy, and harness. On top of the cotton were some carded cotton
rolls, a hundred pounds or more. These were thrown out of the blanket
in which they were, and a large twist of the rolls taken and set on
fire, and thrown into the boat of my carriage, which was close up to
the cotton bales. Thanks to my God, the cotton only burned over, and
then went out. Shall I ever forget the deliverance?
To-night, when the greater part of the army had passed, it came up
very windy and cold. My room was full, nearly, with the negroes and
their bedding. They were afraid to go out, for my women could not
step out of the door without an insult from the Yankee soldiers. They
lay down on the floor; Sadai got down and under the same cover with
Sally, while I sat up all night, watching every moment for the flames
to burst out from some of my buildings. The two guards came into my
room and laid themselves by my fire for the night. I could not close
my eyes, but kept walking to and fro, watching the fires in the
distance and dreading the approaching day, which, I feared, as they
had not all passed, would be but a continuation of horrors.
Confederate Digest is my way of celebrating America's proud Southern heritage. This blog is dedicated to the memory of William Elisha Conn, who died April 26, 1862, as a private in the Georgia/Confederate volunteer infantry. He was only 24-years-old at the time of his death, leaving behind his grieving 19-year-old widow and two babies, one of which grew up to become my great grandfather. William Elisha was a poor tenant farmer whose ancestors came to the United States from Ireland as indentured servants. He and three of his brothers fought for freedom from governmental tyranny and in defense of their homes and families against a hostile, invading Union army. Three of the four brothers were killed; the other was captured. The four Conn brothers, plus numerous cousins and uncles, along with hundreds of thousands of brave Confederates, young and old, black and white, fought for the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with the hope that their sacrifice would not be forgotten. Deo Vindice!
I am a freelance writer and photographer, and also a retired pastor and syndicated newspaper columnist. My writing credits include authoring six books and more than 300 articles which have appeared in a large variety of magazines and scores of newspapers.
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