Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

July 13

1742 On St. Simons Island, James Oglethorpe was in a dilemma. The night before, a Frenchman had deserted to Spanish forces, thus foiling what would have been a surprise attack by the British. (As it turned out, the deserter was actually a spy hired by Gov. Manuel de Montiano, who was leading the Spanish invasion force.) Realizing that the deserter by now had revealed that the island's defenders were far outnumbered by the Spaniards, Oglethorpe tried a trick. He wrote an alleged note to the deserter in French and instructed him to mislead Montiano by telling him that Oglethorpe only had a small force to defend the island. The note further directed the deserter to lead Spanish forces up the river. Oglethorpe then freed a Spanish prisoner and paid him to take the note to the deserter. On reaching Spanish lines, the prisoner was stopped and taken to Montiano. There he was questioned and searched, and the note was found. Montiano now didn't know what to believe. Fearing that the deserter was actually a double agent, Montiano decided to call off the invasion and ordered his troops to board ships to return to St. Augustine.

1863 Shortly after the surrender of Vicksburg, Confederate Maj. Gen. John Stevens Bowen died from dysentery in Raymond, Miss. Born in Savannah on Oct. 30, 1829, Bowen attended school in Milledgeville before obtaining an appointment to West Point at age 18. After graduation and a tour of duty in Texas, Bowen resigned his commission and returned to Georgia to become an architect. When that didn't work out, he returned to St. Louis, where he had been stationed before going to Texas. By 1859, he had a comfortable life, also serving as a lieutenant colonel in the Missouri Volunteer Militia. In 1860, the militia was called out in response to raids by Kansas abolitionists. After the secession of southern states, Bowen began recruiting Missourians for Confederate service. He assembled ten companies from eastern Missouri and took them to Richmond, Va., where he was commissioned as a colonel, and his regiment of volunteers was designated the First Missouri Infantry. In March 1862, Bowen was promoted to brigadier general. He was later wounded at the Battle of Shiloh, but he rejoined his brigade in Corinth, Miss. in early April. In the spring of 1863, Bowen's brigade took part in the defense of Vicksburg. During the siege, Bowen was promoted to major general, but also caught dysentery. His health declined rapidly after the surrender, and he died days later on July 13.

1864 Confederate chief-of-staff Gen. Braxton Bragg arrived in Atlanta for the stated purpose of making an inspection. In reality, Pres. Jefferson Davis had sent Bragg to make a personal report to Davis about whether Gen. Joseph E. Johnston should continue to command Confederate forces facing Union Gen. Sherman.

1865 Georgia's provisional governor James Johnson issued a proclamation abolishing slavery and calling for an October election to elect delegates to a constitutional convention in late October.

1890 Military officer, explorer, and politician John Fremont died in New York City at age 76. Born in Savannah, Ga., on Jan. 21, 1813, Fremont was educated at Charleston College. As an officer in the U.S. Army Topographical Corps, he surveyed the Carolina mountains. In the 1840s and early '50s, Fremont's explorations of the West made him nationally famous and helped launch a political career. Fremont served as U.S. Senator from California (1850-51), later becoming the first presidential candidate of the new Republican Party in 1856. He carried 11 states but lost the election. During the Civil War, Fremont served as a Union Army officer. Later, he served as governor of the Arizona Territory.

1906 Gov. Joseph Terrell signed legislation proposing a constitutional amendment to create a new county to be named Ben Hill (after former U.S. and Confederate senator Benjamin Hill). Because there were 145 counties then in existence -- which was the maximum allowed by the state constitution [see July 19 entry] -- creation of any additional countries required a constitutional amendment.Georgia voters ratified the amendment the following November 6. The creation of Ben Hill County by constitutional amendment set a precedent that would be followed 15 times before the Constitution of 1945 placed an absolute limit of 159 counties.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1742 Finally, after almost a week, Georgia president William Stephens received some good news from Gen. James Oglethorpe on St. Simons Island:

"July 13. Tuesday. Towards Evening an Express arrived from the General (over land from Darien) with many letters directed to me. . . . Wherein was to be seen the Acct. which the Genl. himself gave, of the late Encounters he had with the Enemy [referring to the Battle of Bloody Marsh], which rejoiced us greatly. . . ."

Source: E. Merton Coulter (ed.), The Journal of William Stephens, 1741-1743 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1959), p. 108.

1838 Daniel Buttrick, a missionary to the Cherokee Indians, recorded in his diary events he witnessed and heard about during the forced removal of the Cherokees to the West. On this day he recorded:

"Mr. Caldwell called. He says as he passed the [Cherokee] agency he was informed of a Cherokee woman who had lately died on the bank of the river opposite the agency. She had been driven with many others from the valley towns and on the way was delivered of a child. She needed at least a little rest, but even this was denied by the officers, and she was thrown into a wagon and hauled on over a rough road with the company and lived till she reached the bank of the river and then expired."

Source: Mills Lane (ed.), Georgia: History written by Those who lived It (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1995), p. 85.

1864 From north of Atlanta, Confederate soldier William Dickey wrote to his wife:

". . . We are having rain every day. The ground is wet. We have to sleep on the wet ground. I did not sleep much last night. I had fever one thing and watching the tent another thing to keep me from sleep. These old soldiers will steal anything they can lay their hands upon. A Great many of them will do it. They stole a good many things last night again. . . . I tell you, it is awful to think of the wickedness and corruption attending an army. It is perfectly demoralizing to all classes of men, let alone boys. I think of it sometimes and wonder that we are not all destroyed for our wickedness and sinfulness. I sometimes think there is not enough goodness to save us from being destroyed. I believe if the country is ever saved, it will be from the many prayers of the good women of our country. Don't understand me to say there is no good men. But there is, comparatively speaking, so few. . . . I think this is the most gloomy time I have experienced in the war. I tell you there is a great gloom resting over the Confederacy at this time. But it is said the darkest hour is just before day. I sincerely hope that it is the case with us at this time. I hope the bright day will come with us soon. We should all do our duty and put our trust in God. I think that is our only and best hope.

". . . There is some desertion from our army. There are a great many Tennesseeans and up Georgians that are leaving the army and say they are going back home. I tell you it is enough to make any man desert. If the Yankees were to drive our army though our country and we were to pass on by you and the children, I could not say that I would not desert and try to get to you. That is the case with a great many men in Johnston's army. . . ."

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, 1990), pp. 314-315.