Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

July 14

1742 Spanish forces began withdrawing from St. Simons Island. Oglethorpe recorded that the Spaniards "embarked with such precipitation that they left behind them cannon &c. and those dead of their wounds unburied."

1787 Doctor, politician, banker, and education proponent Tomlinson Fort was born in Wilkes County. In 1809, he received one term of medical training at the University of Pennsylvania and returned to Georgia to practice medicine for over four decades. He was instrumental in the formation of the Medical College of Georgia.and the state lunatic asylum. He served on the boards of trustees of the University of Georgia and Oglethorpe University. Fort also served in the Georgia House of Representatives (1819-1825) and in Congress (1827-29). He was president of the Central Bank of Georgia for almost a decade, during which time he helped finance construction of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. [Click here for more information on Fort.]

1864 Assuming Johnston would continue his strategy in trying to defend Atlanta, Gen. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 35 outlining his strategy to taking Atlanta. Four days later, Sherman would find the Confederates had a new commander -- and a new strategy.

1865 The Atlanta City Council passed an ordinance making blacks subject to the same city ordinances and punishments as whites.

1914 Gov. John Slaton signed a joint resolution of the General Assembly proposing a constitutional amendment to create Candler County. [The amendments were necessary because of a constitutional limit of 145 counties, meaning any additional counties had to be authorized through constitutional amendment.] The proposed new county was to be created from portions of Bulloch, Emanuel and Tatnall counties, and was named for former governor Allen D. Candler. On November 3, Georgia voters ratified the amendment thus creating Georgia's 150th county.

1930 Following his winning the "grand slam of golf" -- the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur, and British Open -- Bobby Jones returned to Atlanta for one of the largest parades in the city's history to that point in time.

1932 New York Giants football legend and subsequent actor Roosevelt (Rosie) Greer was born in Cuthbert, Georgia.

1968 Atlanta Braves outfielder and Hall of Famer Hank Aaron hit his 500th home run.

1976 Jimmy Carter won the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party at its national convention in New York City.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1737 Savannah bailiff Thomas Causton had a variety of disputes that he was called on to resolve, as he recorded one example in his journal for this day:

"14 July: . . . A woman belonging to the Savannah Indians, complained that she being at Skidoway [sic] Island, some of Mrs. Mouse's Daughters had beat her. Mrs Mouse being in town, I sent for her. . . . Upon examining into the matter I found that they had frequently bartered with Mouse for trifling things, and had received Strong liquors at that time, & were drunk. I gave Mrs. Mouse a severe reprimand for giving Strong liquors to Indians, & for dealing with them in any Sort, assuring her that if any Such practices were carried on for the future, they must expect not only to lose their License, but to be prosecuted. The Indians Seemed very well satisfied, & Mrs. Mouse promised to take more care for the future. . . ."

Source: [no author or editor cited], Our First Visit in America: Early Reports from the Colony of Georgia, 1732-1740 (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1974), pp. 270-271.

1740 From Ebenezer, John Martin Boltzius recorded concern about the loyalty of black slaves in South Carolina:

"In the current circumstances of war we are most troubled because of the black slaves in Carolina, who only recently in Santy [Santee], a city beyond Charlestown, would have stormed the church on Sunday and slaughtered the people there, had they not been betrayed by two Negroes. The whole country is overload with these black folk, and many a planter in Charlestown has some hundreds of such slaves, and not even one white or European for an overseer. Rather the Negroes born in this country, if they are considered loyal, are placed over the others as drivers. I was told that, because many whites had gone to war from Carolina against the Spaniards, the masters themselves in Charlestown are moving to New York or Pennsylvania from fear of their slaves. This will, of course, become known to the Negroes, who are very sly and suspicious. To be sure, for some time no more Negroes have been allowed to be brought to Carolina, but there are already some thirty thousands in the country. They are all, very few excepted, treated very harshly and barbarously, which will lead to troubling consequences, if the Lord does not hold back His judgments. . . ."

Source: George Fenwick Jones and Don Savelle (ed. and trans.), Detailed Reports on the Salzburger Emigrants Who Settled in America . . . Edited by Samuel Urlsperger (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1983), Vol. VII, pp. 190-191.

1864 Two weeks after Gen. Johnston had urged Confederate Sen. Benjamin Hill of Georgia to personally intervene to convince Pres. Jefferson Davis to divert other Confederate forces to attack Sherman from the rear, Hill sent Johnston a telegram with a pessimistic response:

"You must do the work with the present force. For God's sake do it."

Also on this day, from north of Atlanta, Gen. John B. Hood wrote Gen. Braxton Bragg -- Jefferson Davis' chief of staff -- a letter that raised serious allegations against Hood's commander, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston:

"During the campaign from Dalton to the Chattahoochee River it is natural to suppose that we have had several chances to strike the enemy a decisive blow. We have failed to take advantage of such opportunities, and find our army south of the Chattahoochee, very much decreased in strength. Our loss cannot be less than 20,000, without having fought a decisive battle. I deem it of the greatest importance that General Kirby Smith should be ordered at once, with at least half, if not a larger portion, of his army, on this side of the Mississippi River. Our success west of the Mississippi River has proved a disadvantage to us, since the enemy has re-enforced his army on this side, and we have failed to do so. The strength of the Army of Tennessee is such at this time as to render it necessary to have aid from General Kirby Smith -- allowing that we should gain a victory over Sherman -- to follow up our success and regain our lost territy. Our present position is a very difficult one, and we should not, under any circumstances, allow the enemy to gain possession of Atlanta, and deem it excessively important, should we find the enemy intends establishing the Chattahoochee as their line, relying upon interrupting our communications and again virtually dividing our country, that we should attack him, even if we should have to recross the river to do so. I have, general, so often urged that we should force the enemy to give us battle as to almost be regarded reckless by the officers high in rank in this army, since their views have been so directly opposite. I regard it as a great misfortune to our country that we failed to give battle to the enemy many miles north of our present position. Please say to the President that I shall continue to do my duty cheerfully and faithfully, and strive to do what I think is best for our country, as my constant prayer is for our success."

Source: U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compiliation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880-1901), Vol. 38, Part 5, pp. 879-880.

1901 Magnolia Wynn Le Guin had borne a child almost six weeks earlier, but in her diary entry for today we see that she had not yet named him, and of a special occurrence for two of her older sons:

    "Baby grows and doesn't cry much now, if we nurse it a great deal - spoilt - he sleeps more, but is not a baby to sleep soundly yet. He can coo sometimes a little!"

    "Travys and Fred went with 'Papa Ghu' to Mr. Wilkins yesterday P.M. to eat watermelons. 'Twas a rare treat to them both."

    "...Bady isn't named yet. We have been thinking over lots of names but, while Ghu [her husband] wants him named rite away and almost any of the names, I'd like to wait till I could decide more satisfactory on a name suitable to my liking. (Baby was in my lap, under the book, while I did part of this writing.)"

Source: Charles A. Le Guin (ed.), A Home-Concealed Woman: The Diaries of Magnolia Wynn Le Guin, 1901-1913, (Athens, University of Georgia Press, 1990), p. 42.

1930 In recognition of Bobby Jones triumphant return to Atlanta on this day after winning the "grand slam" of golf, famed humorist Will Rogers wrote the editor of the Atlanta Journal from his home in Santa Monica, Calif.:

"Atlanta no more than gets cleaned up from one bobby Jones celebration till another comes along. You can easily exist in Atlanta by eating only at Jones testimonial dinner. If all Jones banquet speakers were laid end to end, it would make a fairway with a 287 par. So find a spot on Stone Mountain for Bobby. Had he lived in the days of Jeff Davis, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, he would have done to Grant and Sherman what he did to Hagen, Diegel and Sarazen. And just think, ten years ago all Atlanta had was Coca-Cola."

Source: Franklin M. Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1969 reprint of 1954 original volume), Vol. II, pp. 881-882.