CHAPTER XXIV pages 462-476 By Charles C. Jones Volume II - Revolutionary Epoch, 1888 Submitted by: Dena Whitesell Never was the patriotism of any people more sorely tried than was that of republican Georgians during the winter of 1780. Their affairs were literally in extremis. Of commerce there was none save an occasional introduction, at great hazard, of salt and military supplies. Agriculture, for some time on the wane, was now pursued with no expectation of profit, but simply as a means whereby a meagre subsistence might be obtained. Only such raiment was procurable as domestic industry evoked from the rude spinning-wheel and the cumbersome hand-loom. The temples of justice were closed, and there were no live coals on the altars dedicated to Jehovah. School-houses were rotting in silence and no sound of merriment was heard in the land. Confiscations, conflagrations, thefts, murders, and sanguinary royal edicts had wrought sad havoc and engendered mourning almost universal. Poverty and ruin dwelt everywhere, and for months the signs of patriotic life in Georgia were most feeble and spasmodic. The paper currency, the only circulating medium known to the inhabitants, had so effectually lost its purchasing power that the pay of a captain in the rebel service for an entire month was incapable of procuring for him a pair of common shoes. The pecuniary compensation of the private soldier was literally nothing, and his supply of food and clothing was limited and precarious in the extreme. That the Confederation, under such circumstances, should have been able to enlist soldiers and to offer effectual resistance appears almost inexplicable: for history teaches that in the maintenance of protracted wars, no matter what the patriotism and endurance of the contestants may be, reasonable pay and sufficient rations are absolutely requisite to insure efficient service in the field and contentment at home. The struggles of the American colonies in their rugged march toward the achievement of liberty are without parallel in the record of revolutions. As we look back upon this period of privation, self-denial, desolation, and supreme effort, we marvel at the heroic spirit which possessed this beleaguered land. As we contrast the armies of the republicans with those of other nations renowned for valor and patriotism, we wonder at the inspiration which sustained them and the zeal for independence which enabled them to suffer every want and overcome all obstacles. In the darkest hours of this deadly conflict how sublime the influence and the example of woman. The presence of her sympathy and aid, the potency of her prayers and sacrifices, the eloquence of her devotion, her tears, and her smiles, were priceless in the encouragement they gave and more effective than an army with banners. The gentle hands of wives, mothers, and sisters furnished clothing, prepared ammunition, and manufactured war-trappings for the soldiers in the field. Sometimes they grasped weapons, and in lonely dwellings defended life and virtue against the unholy assaults of the loyalists. Oppressed by the disagreeabilities of the situation and the insecurity of their homes many of the Georgia republicans led their families to distant abodes, and, the theatre of war being transferred to the Carolinas, under favorite partisan leaders there associated themselves and bravely contended for the right. With a command of four hundred and twenty-five men Colonel Sumter had moved from Fishing Creek and taken post at the Fish Dam ford on Broad River, twenty-eight miles from Winns-borough. There, on the 9th of October, 1780, he was joined by Colonels Elijah Clarke and John Twiggs, and Majors Chandler and James Jackson, accompanied by one hundred of the Georgia militia. Conceiving it practicable to surprise Sumter in his camp, Lord Cornwallis detached Major Wemyss with the 63d regiment, mounted, and some fifty dragoons, to capture or disperse his force. After a march of twenty-four miles through a country in sympathy with the Crown, and from the inhabitants of which he received every needed information, Major Wemyw, at four o'clock on the morning of the 13th, charged the American camp which he at first almost carried. A destructive fire from Winn's men and the Georgians under Twiggs, who had hastily formed behind a fence, checked the enemy's advance and quickly converted the attack into a retreat. Major Wemyss was badly wounded. Twenty of his command were killed, and many were disabled. Passing over Broad River Sumter marched to Shirer's ferry, and there menaced a British post. The garrison refused to venture beyond their works, which could not be carried in the absence of artillery. On the 18th he established himself at Black-stocks, on the south side of Tyger River. Hearing that Sumter had crossed Broad River, and conjecturing that he was meditating a demonstration against Ninety-Six, Lord Cornwallis determined to strike another and a heavier blow for his destruction. Colonel Tarleton, with his legion and the 63d regiment led by Major Money, was ordered to attack vigorously, while a portion of the 71st regiment was pushed forward to Broad River to support the movement. Tarleton's column consisted of four hundred mounted men and three hundred infantry. On the morning of the 20th of November, as he drew near to the camp of the Americans, he fell in with Captain Patrick Carr, who, with a few men, had been sent out on a scout He had captured three loyalists and two boys and was conducting them to Sumter when his party was fired upon by the British. Abandoning his prisoners he fled and gave the alarm of the enemy's advance. The position of the Americans was well selected and capable of easy defense. The hillside in their front was precipitous. Their rear and right flank were rendered secure by Tyger River, while their left was covered by a strong log barn, occupied by a competent force, and well adapted to the use of musketry. In his hot haste leaving his infantry to follow on, and placing himself at the head of two hundred and fifty of his best dragoons, Tarleton charged rapidly upon Sumter. He was handsomely received by the Georgians under Twiggs. Recoiling, he massed his forces for another assault, and the action soon became general. In this engagement the British displayed conspicuous valor, but they were unable to overcome the stout resistance interposed by the republicans. The 63d regiment was roughly handled. Major Money, commanding, Lieutenants Gibson and Cope, and one third of the privates fell. Unable to dislodge his antagonist, Tarleton was compelled to fall back. In the midst of the battle Sumter was disabled by a shot in the right shoulder,8 and the command devolved upon Colonel Twiggs who bravely and intelligently sustained the fortunes of the day. In his retreat Tarleton was pursued by a cavalry force under the command of Major James Jackson, who succeeded in capturing thirty dragoon horses. But one American was killed in this engagement, and he was a Georgian from Wilkes County, Rogers by name. Sumter and two privates were wounded. Of the enemy ninety-two were killed and one hundred wounded. Retiring from the scene of action the English commander proceeded about two miles, and there, in the midst of a heavjd rain, encamped for the night. Upon the disappearance of the enemy Colonel Twiggs, apprehending a renewal of the attack in the morning and knowing that British reinforcements were at hand, having sheltered the wounded who had been abandoned by the British, withdrew his forces across the Tyger River, leaving Colonel Winn and his detachment to retain possession of the battlefield until after nightfall. Before morning he was joined by this command. The ball having been extracted from his shoulder, Sumter was placed on a bier, suspended between two horses, and was thus transported to a place of safety. Indulging in his usual exaggeration Colonel Tarleton advised his chief that he had won a signal victory, cutting to pieces the rebel rear-guard and slaying one hundred of the enemy, among whom were three colonels. He claimed also to have captured fifty prisoners. This absurd statement he deliberately reaffirms in his " History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America." "The real truth is,"says Lieutenant Roderick McKenzie, "that the Americans, being well sheltered, sustained very inconsiderable loss in the attack ; and for the three Colonels, they must certainly have been imaginary beings, cmen in buckram, created merely to grace the triumpfai of a victory which the British army in Carolina were led to celebrate amidst the contempt and derision of the inhabitants who had much better information." The conduct of Major James Jackson in this action secured for him a high reputation for valor and intrepidity, and the dexterity of the Georgia Wilkes County riflemen elicited the admiration of the entire command. These successes of the Revolutionists at Fish Dam ford and at Blackstocks inspired the militia with confidence, modified the impressions hitherto entertained by many of the invincibility of British regulars, and tinged with a silver lining the war cloud which had settled so long and so darkly upon the country. Of all the settlements in the vicinity of Ninety-Six that of Long Cane sympathized most with the aspirations of the republicans. Thither did Colonels Clarke and McCall repair to recruit their ranks. Their encampment was pitched upon Long Cane Creek, and their expectation was that their forces would soon be so materially augmented that they would be sufficiently powerful to confine the British closely within their stronghold at Ninety-Six. Early in December Colonel Benjamin Few arrived, and, being the senior officer present, assumed command. Colonel Cruger, who was still charged with the defense of Ninety-Six, ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Allen, with two hundred regulars, an equal number of loyalists, and fifty dragoons, to drive Few from the country. In the execution of this command the British forces approached within three miles of the American camp before their presence was detected. Colonel Clarke, with Lieutenant-Colonel McCall, Major Lindsey, and one hundred militia from Georgia and Carolina, moved promptly forward to; stay the advance of the enemy until the main body could prepare for action. At a remove of a mile and a half from camp he fell in with the British vanguard composed of royal militia. A lively action ensued, during which Colonel Clarke received in the shoulder what at the moment was supposed to be a mortal wound, and was borne from the field. In ten minutes the Royalists were driven back. Meanwhile Colonel Allen, having deployed his regulars, advanced with charged bayonets. Colonel McCall was wounded in the arm. His horse was shot under him, and, in falling, so entangled his rider that he narrowly escaped capture. In retreating the Americans were closely pursued by the dragoons. Major Lindsey, thrice wounded, had fallen to the ground. While in this disabled condition Captain Lang, of the dragoons, with a barbarity almost surpassing belief, sabred him several times on his head and arms and cut off one of his hands. Fourteen of the Americans were killed (some of them butchered as they lay bleeding in the road), and seven were wounded. As the survivors of this unequal contest reached the American camp they found Colonel Few and the main body in the act of retreating. Although summoned by Colonel Clarke to his assistance at the commencement of the affair, he excused himself from not responding by asserting that the force of the enemy was so decidedly superior to his own he deemed it entirely imprudent to hazard a general engagement. As a matter of fact his command exceeded that of the British by full fifty men, and his conduct was severely criticised by his brother officers. The Americans fell back into North Carolina. With great difficulty and in extreme pain was Colonel Clarke conveyed to a place of safety. During his absence from the army, enforced by this wound, Major John Cunningham was for some time in command of the Georgia troops. Captain Dunlap's dragoons, associated with a band of loyalists, having in their vandal raid destroyed Colonel Pickens' residence and deprived him of all his personal property, that officer rightly judging that the conditions of his protection had been broken by the British, determined to resume his arms and again lead his people in defense of their property and liberty. Although cautioned by Captain Ker that he would fight with a halter around his neck his response was " that he had honorably and conscientiously adhered to the rules laid down in his protection, but that he considered himself completely absolved from its obligations by the plunder and wanton waste which had been committed upon his farm, and the insults and indignities which had been offered to his family." Yielding to the suggestion of General Washington, Congress, after the defeat of Gates, assigned Major-General Greene to the command of the Southern Department. No better selection could have been made. The country rejoiced at the presence of this genuine patriot and most trustworthy leader. "I introduce this gentleman" wrote the commander-in-chief of the American armies, " as a man of abilities, bravery, and coolness. He has a comprehensive knowledge of our affairs, and is a man of fortitude and resources. I have not the smallest doubt, therefore, of his employing all the means which may be put into his bands to the best advantage, or of his assisting in pointing out the most likely ones to answer the purposes of his command." That he might be ably supported in his mission, which contemplated nothing less than the restoration of tbe Carolinas and of Georgia to the enjoyment of American liberty and home rule, General Washington detached from his command for service in the Carolinas his best cavalry officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Lee, with his legion, consisting of three troops of horse and three companies of infantry. The gallant Morgan, too, and Kosciuszko were among his lieutenants. Rapidly, did the affairs of the patriots emerge from their disjointed condition. Order and strength were developed, and Cornwallis and Tarleton found to their cost that the days of tyranny were well-nigh numbered. Pickens, upon retaking the field, being the senior colonel, was in command of the Georgia troops on duty in that district At GrindaTs ford he effected a junction with General Morgan who, from his camp on Pacolet River, on the 4th of January, 1781, published the following address to the refugees from Georgia:— "Gentlemen, — Having heard of your sufferings, your attachment to the cause of freedom, and your gallantry and address in action, I had formed to myself the pleasing idea of receiving in you a great and valuable acquisition to my force. Judge then of my disappointment when I find you scattered about in parties, subjected to no orders, nor joining in any general plan to promote the public service. The recollection of your past achievements and the prospect of future laurels should prevent your acting in such a manner for a moment. You have gained a character, and why should you risk the loss of it for the most trifling gratifications? You must know that in your present situation you can neither provide for your safety nor assist me in annoying the enemy. Let me then entreat you by the regard you have for your fame, and by your love to your country, to repair to my camp and subject yourselves to order and discipline. I will ask you to encounter no dangers or difficulties but what I shall participate in" Should it be thought advisable to form detachments you may rely on being employed on that business if it is more agreeable to your wishes: but it is absolutely necessary that your situation and movements should be known to me, so that I may be enabled to direct them in such a manner that they may tend to the advantage of the whole. " I am, Gentlemen, with every sentiment of regard, Your obedient servant, Daniel Morgan." This timely address was not barren of results. The reflection which it contained upon the irregular military service of Georgians in Carolina, and their lack of organization, was pertinent. Many recognized the potency of the appeal and hastened to place themselves under the leadership of one who soon afterwards triumphed so signally over the flower of the British army led by the vainglorious but daring and ubiquitous Tarleton. Lieutenant-Colonel McCall was directed to select forty-five men who, when equipped as dragoons, were to form a part of Colonel William Washington's regiment. Among them were several Georgians. The other Georgians who reported at General Morgan's camp were organized under the command of Major John Cunningham. Then followed the glorious battle of the Cowpens in which the Georgians, officered by Major Cunningham and Captains Samuel Hammond, George Walton, and Joshua Inman, were placed in the first line and behaved with conspicuous gallantry. Captain Inman was " peculiarly serviceable " in advising General Morgan of the enemy's approach and in skirmishing with his advance. Major James Jackson acted as brigade-major to all the militia present, and enjoyed the honor of capturing with his own hands Major McArthur, commanding the British infantry. At the imminent risk of his life he attempted to seize and bring off the colors of the 71st regiment when it was endeavoring to form after having been broken. For this daring feat he was publicly thanked by General Morgan upon the field. Sixteen years subsequently, when in the heat of political discussion it was falsely suggested that the military services of this gallant officer had been exaggerated by his friends, the following communication was penned by his immediate commander in that memorable battle: — "Long Cane, February 6th, 1797 " Dear Sir, — Understanding that some attacks have bees made on your military reputation by some of your enemies is Georgia, it is with sincere pleasure and satisfaction that I have h in my power to send you the enclosed certificate, haying been witness to what is there declared. "Accept my sincere wishes for your happiness and welfare, and am with much respect, dear Sir, " Yours, Andrew Pickens. "To General James Jackson." "I hereby certify and declare that Major, now General Jackson, and a party of Georgia Militia were under my command at the battle of the Cowpens in South Carolina on the 17th January, 1781, and that the said Militia acquitted themselves equally well with the other forces on that memorable day. Major Jackson acted as my Brigade Major, and by his example and fins, active conduct greatly contributed to animate the troops and ensure the success of the day". "I further declare that Gen. Morgan was highly satisfied with Major Jackson's conduct, and am certain that it must have been owing to accident or mistake that his name was not returned to Congress as one of the officers who particularly signalized themselves at the Cowpens: the Major having in the face of the whole army run the utmost risk of his life in seizing the colon of the 71st British regiment, and afterwards introducing Major McArthur, commanding officer of the British infantry, as a prisoner of war to Gen. Morgan. "I further declare that Major Jackson's conduct during a severe tour of duty in North Carolina, in the face of Lord Cornwallis army whilst the brigade I had the command of was attached to the light troops of General Greene's army, was such as merited and gained not only my approbation but that of Major General Greene who determined from that period to give Major Jackson the command of a State Corps, which was soon after raised by direction of General Greene. "At the siege of Augusta Major Jackson's exertions in the early period of the siege laid the groundwork for the reduction of that place. He led one of the advanced parties, as Capt Rudolph did another, at the storming of Grierson's fort, and had the command of a moving battery at the time of the surrenderof Fort George, in which he conducted with honor to himself and his country. "Certified this 6th February, 1797 Andrew Pickens, Brigadier General" " I think it a duty to my children, as the history of my State is to be told, to have some insertion even of my conduct in that well-fought battle. You, Sir, were rendered immortal by the action. My ambition is to let my descendants and the citizens of Georgia know that I was present and contributed my mite to your glory." Such was the language of Major Jackson, then representing the State of Georgia in the Senate of the United States, as he applied, in 1795, to General Morgan for a statement of the services rendered by him in the battle of Cowpens that he might place it in the hands of Mr. Edward Langworthy, who was engaged in the preparation of a history of Georgia. Entirely inadvertent must have been the omission on the part of General Morgan to mention, in his official report of the battle, the distinguished gallantry of Major Jackson on this occasion. " Our success, wrote he in his modest report, " must be attributed to the justice of our cause and the gallantry of our troops. My wishes would induce me to name every sentinel in the corps." The fame of the victory at the Cowpens spread throughout the land, bringing joy and hope to every patriot heart. Greene announced this triumph in general orders. Governor Rutledge rewarded Colonel Pickens with a commission as brigadier-general. To Morgan a horse and sword were voted by Virginia in testimony of the " highest esteem of his country for his military character and abilities so gloriously displayed." The United States Congress recorded the nation's " most lively sense of approbation of the conduct of Morgan and the men and officers under his command," voting to him a gold medal, to Howard and Washington medals of silver, and swords to Pickens and Triplet. Of the eleven Americans killed in this action, three were Georgians ; and, of the sixty-one wounded, five were from Georgia. When Colonel Howard, in a conversation with Major McArthur, expressed surprise at the precipitate and desultory manner in which the British troops were led into this action, the reply of that captive officer was: " Nothing better could have been expected when they were commanded by a rash, foolish boy." Prior to the engagement Tarleton had promised Cornwallis to escort Morgan to dine with him at Turkey Creek. This was not the only occasion on which that officer failed to keep his engagements. So completely did he enjoy the confidence of Lord Cornwallis that, in the teeth of this disaster, his lordship sent the following dispatch to his chief of cavalry: " You have forfeited no part of my esteem as an officer by the unfortunate event of the action of the 17th. The means you used to bring the enemy to action were able and masterly, and must ever do you honor. Your disposition was unexceptionable. The total misbehavior of the troops could alone have deprived you of the glory which was so justly your due." While the earl was thus complimenting his subaltern and reflecting upon the conduct of his men, one hundred and ten of the brave fellows were lying cold in death, two hundred were suffering with wounds, and over five hundred were enduring confinement as prisoners of war. But for his fleet horse, Ban. Tarleton himself would have been numbered among the captives. Continuing under the immediate command of General Pickens, Majors Jackson and Cunningham, with the Georgia troops, participated in various skirmishes and assisted, at Haw River, in the dispersion of a band of loyalists, who, assembled under Colonel Pyles, were endeavoring to form a junction with Cornwallis. Ordered to return to the vicinity of Ninety-Six and to restrain the depredations of the British force stationed at that fortified camp, General Pickens turned his face homewards, and, on the march, was joined by Colonel Clarke just recovered from his severe wound. Learning that Major Dunlap with a detachment of seventy-five dragoons was guarding a large foraging party, General Pickens detached Colonels Clarke and McCall, with a suitable force, to attack him. They overtook him on the 21st of March, 1781, at Beattie's Mill on Little River. Taking possession of a bridge in his rear so as effectually to occlude his retreat, Clarke with his main body made a vigorous and unexpected charge upon Dunlap, who quickly retired with his men into the mill and some adjacent houses. Here for several hours he maintained a stout resistance. At length, thirty-four of the detachment having been killed and wounded and Major Dunlap himself lying almost dead with fr mortal hurt, a white flag was displayed and an unconditional surrender ensued. The battle of Guilford virtually terminated British dominion in North Carolina and pointed the way to the reclamation of South Carolina and Georgia. For the British it drew after it all the consequences of a defeat, and may well be numbered as one of the decisive engagements of the Revolution. The commentary of Fox in the House of Commons was eminently wise. " From the report of Cornwallis," said he, " there is the most conclusive evidence that the war is at once impracticable in its object and ruinous in its progress. In the disproportion between the two armies a victory was highly to the honor of our troops, but had our army been vanquished what course could they have taken ? Certainly they would have abandoned the field of action and flown for refuge to the seaside, — precisely the measures the victorious army was obliged to adopt." His motion was to recommend the ministry to employ every possible measure for concluding peace. Without waiting for the approval of Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis, no longer anxious to measure swords with General Greene, resolved that the Chesapeake should become the theatre of war. Late in April, moving onward into Virginia he unwittingly entered upon a campaign which, within less than six months, terminated in the disastrous surrender at Yorktown. His enemy being thus beyond pursuit, General Greene bent his energies toward carrying the war immediately into South Carolina. Aware of this intention on the part of the commanding general, and anxious both to refresh his men and to recruit his command, Colonel Clarke obtained permission to return to Georgia. He had no sooner crossed the Savannah River than he was attacked with the small-pox and forced to turn over the command to Lieutenant-Colonel Micajah Williamson. Major Jackson, who, with Colonel Baker, had planned an expedition into Upper Georgia, was ordered with Major Samuel Hammond to enter South Carolina and assemble the militia on the left bank of the Savannah. In the execution of these instructions two hundred and fifty men were by them collected and organized. The command was entrusted to Colonel Le Roy Hammond. "When the Georgians returned into their country, writes Captain McCall, " they dispersed into parties of ten and twelve men each, so as to spread themselves over the settlements, and appointed Dennis' Mill, on Little River, for the place of rendezvous. When these small parties entered the settlements where they had formerly resided, general devastation was presented to their view; their aged fathers and youthful brothers had been hanged and murdered; their decrepit grandfathers were incarcerated in prisons, where most of them had been suffered to perish in filth, famine, or disease; and their mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and young children had been robbed, insulted, and abused, and were found by them in temporary huts, more resembling a savage camp than a civilized habitation. The indignant sigh burst from the heart of the war-worn veteran, and the manly tear trickled down his cheek as he embraced his suffering relatives. There is damning proof of the truth of this unvarnished tale; and the reader may imagine the feelings'of the Georgian of that day, and the measure of his resentment. Mercy to a loyalist who had been active in outrage beoame inadmissible, and retalia-tive carnage ensued." We may not deem this picture of the desolations of Upper Georgia as too highly colored. Brown and Grierson were the demons who set on foot and enforced the hellish work. Captain McCall with his own eyes had beheld some of the heart-rending scenes, the sad memory of which he thus perpetuates. Captains Johnston and McKay, with a small body of energetic militiamen, established a post in the Savannah River swamp below Augusta where they frequently intercepted boats plying between that place and Savannah. Commerce between the two towns was chiefly conducted by means of the river, and it was often the good fortune of those officers to secure provisions and stores of considerable value. To dislodge them became absolutely necessary, and so Colonel Brown sent an officer, with twenty-five regular troops and twenty militiamen, to accomplish this desideratum. Near Matthew's Bluff McKay fell upon them, killed the officer in command and fifteen of his followers, and compelled the rest to retreat precipitately to Augusta. Upon the return of the Georgians, apprehending that an effort would be made to retake Augusta, Colonel Brown summoned all his provincials for its defense. Not a few of them, mindful of the many enormities which they had committed and fearing to be cooped up within lines which might be carried, disobeyed the order and, repairing to the Indian country, united with the savages in harassing the frontiers. Colonel Harden had been for some time organizing the militia in the southern portion of Carolina, and was developing considerable strength in the neighborhood of Coosawhatchie. A detachment under Captain Wylly was sent to acquire information of his force and intentions. Wylly quickly reported to Colonel Brown that the Americans were advancing on Augusta. While moving upward, Harden was reinforced by Johnston and McKay. Hastily summoning such regulars, militia, and Indians as could be spared without endangering the safety of Augusta, Colonel Brown went to meet the republicans. He encamped for the night in a field at Wiggin's Hill. Here he was attacked by Harden. The conflict lasted half an hour, when the assailants were forced to retreat with a loss of seven killed and eleven wounded. Among the latter was Captain Johnston. Among the prisoners captured by the enemy was Wylly, who had acted in the capacity of a guide in conducting to Matthew's Bluff the detachment sent out to surprise the party commanded by Captains Johnston and McKay. He was accused of having misled that detachment, and was charged with treachery to the king. Upon this suspicion Colonel Brown turned him over to the Indians, who, in his presence, ripped open his belly with their knives and tortured him to death. Another captive was Rannal McKay, a youth only seventeen years old and the son of a widow who, with her family, had fled from Darien into South Carolina for refuge. Informed that her son was a prisoner, Mrs. McKay, taking with her some refreshments which she thought would prove acceptable to the British commander and commend her to his favor, repaired to Brown's camp and craved the liberation of her boy. The monster accepted her present but, refusing her request and denying her an interview with her son, caused the sentries to force her beyond the limits of the encampment. The next morning McKay, Britton Williams, George Smith, George Reed, and a Frenchman whose name is not remembered, prisoners all, were taken from the rail pen in which they had been confined, were by Brown's order hung upon a gallows until they were almost choked to death, and were then cut down and delivered over to the Indians who scalped, mutilated, and finally murdered them in the most savage manner. Of all the inhuman characters developed during this abnormal period so replete with murder, arson, theft, brutality, and crimes too foul for utterance, none can be named more notorious than Thomas Brown, loyalist and colonel in his majesty's service. His acts incarnadine and encumber with barbarities the Revolutionary pages in Georgia history. And yet this tyrant, this persecutor of defenseless women and children, this batcher of captives, this relentless, merciless persecutor of patriots, in a long letter penned from Nassau on the 25th of December, 1786, calls Dr. Ramsay to account for the strictures in which he justly indulges when reviewing his conduct, and enters upon a lengthy justification of some of the transactions which have rendered his reputation well-nigh infamous. Bravery was his only redeeming trait, and that he possessed and exhibited in a wonderful degree. Loyalty to the king wu the cloak which covered every excess. Revenge was the passion sweeter than all others. To his ears the dying groans of a republican were more enjoyable than strains of purest melody. Convicted in the city of London in 1812 of a grand foigery upon the government which he served, he ended his days in disgrace and ignominy. The shadows which had so long enshrouded the hopes of the Revolutionists in Georgia Were now lifting. The absent were returning and assembling in force for the salvation of their homes. Firm in the confidence and secure in the affection of the Southern Department, General Greene was hailed as the great and good genius of the hour. Brave men were projecting plans of deliverance, and among them was a scheme for the repossession of Augusta and the capture of the lawless men who had so grievously afflicted the region.    BACK TO HISTORY INDEX   ©Genealogy Trails