Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

July 6

1742 Spanish Gov. Manuel de Montiano landed his invasion force at the south end of St. Simons Island, where they occupied Fort St. Simons. They used the day to ready themselves for an attack on James Oglethorpe's British regiment at Fort Frederica.

1864 Union Gen. Kenner Garrard continued burning mills and factories in Roswell, including a woolen mill over which a French flag was hoisted. Garrard sent word of what he had found and destroyed at Roswell to Gen. Sherman, who told Garrard to stay put. On July 7, Sherman would send a second set of instructions that proved very controversial.

1886 Paul H. Hayne, often called the "poet laureate of the South," died in Grovetown, Georgia. Born in Charleston in 1830, he had his first poem published at age 14. Before age 20, his poetry had appeared in the Southern Literary Gazette and several other literary publications. Hayne became editor of several publications but is more known for his poems and literary columns. In 1865, he moved to Augusta, where he continued to gain fame throughout the South for his poetry. Hayne came to feel that Georgia was his adopted home, and in 1883 Hayne wrote the poem, "Georgia! My Second Mother!" to mark the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Oglethorpe and the first colonists.

1913 Nine buildings, including three churches, were destroyed by a tornado in Waycross. Many other building and homes were damaged, but there were no casualties.

1980 Nine year old Anthony Carter disappeared while playing hide and seek with his cousin. His body was found the following day; he had been stabbed numerous times. He was the latest victim in the Atlanta Child Murders case.

1986 Atlanta Braves player Bob Horner hit four home runs in a single game against Montreal, becoming the third Brave in franchise history and the eleventh player in Major League history to do so. Horner also became the first player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a game and his team still lost.

1994 Heavy rains from tropical storm Alberto, which had stalled over south Georgia, caused extensive flooding along the Flint River. Other rivers and tributaries also reached their highest levels ever, and several southeastern Georgia counties were declared federal disaster areas.

1994 "Forrest Gump," filmed partially in Savannah, GA, was released.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1737 At this day's meeting of the Georgia Trustees in London, James Oglethorpe explained one reason why Prime Minister Walpole was not willing to give Georgia a continuing and adequate source of funding, as recorded by the Earl of Egmont in his journal of Trustee proceedings:

"Mr. Oglethorpe reported that he had presented our Memorial of the 22 June to Sr. Robert Walpole wherein we desired to be eased for the future from petitioning the Parliamt. for money, but to be put on an establishment. He Said Sr. Robert Seem'd to approve it. But it never was his intention: for whilst he help us to petitioning, he kept us in dependence on him, which he was the more determined to do because of the number of members of Parliament who were Trustees of Georgia."

Source: Robert G. McPherson, The Journal of The Earl of Egmont: Abstract of the Trustees Proceedings for Establishing the Colony of Georgia, 1732-1738 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1962), p. 289.

1864 From the Chattahoochee River, Confederate soldier J.M. Davis wrote to his wife and children:

". . . The Yankees don't seem too want to fight us. They say they intend to flank us and drive us to South Carolina. They say there is no use to fight. General Johnston has tried to bring them to a fight, but there is so many of them they flank him and he is compelled to fall back. Some think they can't flank us from the river, where we are now, but that is all a mistake. They will do it if they try. It was said they never would drive us from Dalton Gap, the best position we ever had, but they did. If we could not hold them there, we can't hold them no where. They have drove us over 100 miles over the best farming country I ever saw. They have laid waste everything. Great God! what a destruction! All this has been done in two months! My dear, this is a distressing time. We are a gone people without help. Soon I fear they will be upon you all in less than three months. . . ."

Source: Source: Mills Lane (ed.), "Dear Mother: Don't grieve about me. If I get killed, I'll only be dead.": Letters from Georgia Soldiers in the Civil War (Savannah: Beehive Press), p. 312.