Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

July 10

1782 British troops and loyalists began the final evacuation of Savannah and prepared to turn the city over to Continental troops under Col. James Jackson.

1863 Confederate Gen. Paul Jones Semmes died from wounds received in the Battle of Gettysburg. [See June 4 entry for biographical information on Semmes.]

1864 After retreating southward across the Chattahoochee River, Confederate forces burned the Western & Atlantic Railroad bridge spanning the river.

1871 Lawyer and politician Hugh M. Dorsey was born in Fayetteville, Ga. [See June 11 entry for biographical information on Dorsey.]

1875 Former lawyer, Georgia Supreme Court justice, states rights advocate, secession proponent, and Confederate general Henry L. Benning died in Columbus, Georgia. [Many sources incorrectly cite the day of Benning's death as July 8.] Born in Columbia County in 1814, his parents moved to Harris County in 1832. Three years later, he moved to Columbus, which was his home until his death. After the outbreak of World War I, the U.S. Army created a new military post in Columbus. Army officials named the facility Camp Benning in honor of Gen. Benning's bravery during the Civil War. In 1922, the camp was redesignated as Fort Benning.

1913 William H. Mincey, the insurance agent who had earlier sworn out an affidavit saying he had heard a drunken Jim Conley admit to murdering a girl the afternoon of April 26, now said he could not positively identify Conley as the man with whom he spoke that day. In the affidavit Mincey had said he approached a black man about buying a life insurance policy, but the man had threatened him by saying "I've already killed a girl this afternoon." Click here for a detailed accounting of the case.

1926 Atlanta's Bobby Jones won the U.S. Open golf tournament.

1985 After a consumer revolt over the replacement of the traditional Coke with a sweeter New Coke earlier in year, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company announced that the original drink would once again be available under a new name--Coca-Cola Classic--so that customers had a choice between the original and new versions of the soft drink.

1993 Three years and nine days from the opening ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics, ACOG held ground-breaking ceremonies in Atlanta formally launching construction of the Centennial Olympic Stadium.

2002 Former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey was convicted for the murder of Derwin Brown, who had defeated Dorsey in an election the previous August.

2009 The Atlanta Braves traded outfielder Jeff Francoeur to the New York Mets for outfielder Ryan Church. Francouer was a local player, who had starred at nearby Parkview High School before being drafted by the Braves. He was first called up to the major league team in 2005, and made an immediate impact, hitting a home run in his first game. His first two years with the Braves were productive in that he had over 100 RBIs each season, and displayed a very strong throwing arm from right field. But in his last two seasons with the Braves his hitting and fielding declined significantly, while his strikeouts increased. Attempts to change his hitting stance, and even a return trip to the minor leagues, had little effect on his performance. On this day he was traded to the division rival Mets for Church, who had also fell out of favor in New York, but who had some very productive seasons earlier in his career.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1742 William Stephens still had not received word of the Battle of Bloody Marsh, and he struggled to keep frightened colonists under control:

"July 9, 10. Friday, Saturday. These two days produced much Confusion among such as had Wives and families to provide some place of safety for. . . . [W]e got Intelligence, that the Enemy had landed several hundred men . . . to the Southward of where the Generals Camp stood before, and that his Excellence had got safe to the Town, with what force he head, all resolute and in good heart, determined to Act manfully, whether they were attacked, or made an onsentt (sic) on the Spaniards. . . . From this Acct. of matters, added to the foregoing, our people began now to discover, what I once hoped I never should see here. Two or three had made early provision for their safety already...but now the panick prevailed among the Women, thro the whole Town, so suddenly, that nothing, was heard but an Outcry how to carry off them and their Children, which occasion'd great disorder; tho all was done, that could be, to pacify them. . . ."

Source: E. Merton Coulter (ed.), The Journal of William Stephens, 1741-1743 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1959), pp 106-107.

1838 Evan Jones, a Baptist missionary to the Cherokees, wrote in his journal on this day:

"The overthrow of the Cherokee Nation is completed. The whole population are made prisoners. The work of war in time of peace was commenced in the Georgia part of the nation and was executed in most cases in unfeeling and brutal manner . . . . In that state, in many cases, the Indians were not allowed to gather up their clothes, not even to take away a little money they might have. All was left to the spoiler. . . . They were driven before the soldiers, through mud and water, with whooping and hallowing like droves of cattle. No regard was paid to the condition of helpless females. Several infants were born on the open road under the most revolting circumstances. . . .

"At Ross's Landing, the place to which most of the Georgia Indians were brought, the scenes of distress defy all description. In many instances they were dragged from their homes without change of clothing and marched one hundred and twenty or thirty miles through heat and dust and rain and mud, in many cases bare-footed, lodged on the hard ground, destitute of shelter from dews and rains. They had of course become very dirty and on that account they have been reproached as degraded wretches. On arriving at the Depot, they were required to give up their horses and ponies, which they had brought along. Refusing to do so, men, women, and children and horse were driven promiscuously into one large pen made for the propose. The horses were there taken by force and cried [auctioned] off to the highest bidder and sold for almost nothing. . . ."

Source: William G. McLoughlin, "The Reverend Evan Jones and the Cherokee Trail of Tears, 1838-1829, 73 The Georgia Historical Quarterly (Fall 1989), pp. 569-570.

1863 From Columbus, Ga., John Banks -- who had seven sons fighting on behalf of the Confederate cause -- recorded in his journal news of the loss of Vicksburg, as well as an incorrect rumor that Lee had won the Battle of Gettysburg:

"The war news is exciting at this time. On the 4th of July inst. Vicksburg capitulated with Grant, who had our garrison under Pemberton besieged for more than two months. Pemberton was cut off from supplies and communication. General Johnston was this side of him near Jackson and could not reach the city. Pemberton surrendered 17,500 men as prisoners of war. Son Elbert with Nelson's Ranger could not reach Vicksburg and were cut off. Had been about Jackson or near for some time, where the Rangers still are.

"Simultaneous with the surrender of Vicksburg, our army under General Lee had a great fight in Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. Lee proved the victor and took 40,500 prisoners, with stores, ammunition, guns, mules, wagons, etc., which counter-balances the Vicksburg loss.

"About the same time Rosecrans, in Tennessee, at the head of the Yankee army, made a dash upon General Bragg, whose army was at Shelbyville, Tenn. Bragg was not prepared for the assault and retreated in great haste to Chattanooga. Lost much of his baggage, wagons, mules, etc. Willis [one of four of Banks' sons in Confederate service] was in the retreat, and from his letter just received, dated at Chattanooga, the army had a hard time of it, marching day and night burning bridges behind them and Rosecrans in hot pursuit, so near as to be seen sometimes and slight skirmishing. Willis and Elbert [another son] thus far are safe. Eugene [another son] still at home, waiting for his commission.

"Cotton has gone up to the fabulous price of 50c."

Source: John Banks, Autobiography of John Banks, 1797 - 1870 (Austell, Ga.: privately printed by Elberta Leonard, 1936), p. 28-29.

1864 In a letter to his wife, newly promoted Lt. Col. Fredrick Winkler of the 26th Wisconsin told of a brief respite in march on Atlanta where Union and Confederate soldiers on opposite banks of the Chattahoochee River had a chance to not only talk but do a bit of trading:

". . . Our pickets are on the northern bank and have agreed with the rebel pickets on the other side not to shoot. There they were this morning, within talking distance of each other, not the least bitter feeling disturbing the friendly intercourse. The rebels were freely walking about on the south bank, washing their clothes and spreading them in the sun to dry, white our men were doing the same on this side; some of ours had even been across and traded off coffee and sugar for tobacco. . . ."

Source: Civil War Letters of Major Fredrick C. Winkler, in 26th Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers Home Page

1864 Aware that Johnston's forces had crossed the Chattahoochee River in their continuing retreat before Sherman's advancing army, Atlanta merchant Samuel P. Richards recorded in his diary:

"Sunday 10. This has been a sad day in our city, for it has been quite evident for some days past that there is a great probability of Atlanta falling into the hands of the enemy, and the city has been in a complete swarm all day and for several days. All the Govt sores and Hospitals are ordered away and of course the citizens are alarmed, and many have left and others are leaving. . . ."

Source: Franklin M. Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1954), p. 600.