Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

July 15

1742 The Cuban contingent of Gov. Manuel de Montiano's Spanish invasion force sailed from St. Simons Sound to return to Cuba. Montiano and his St. Augustine contingent sailed southward from the sound and went ashore on Jekyll Island, where they burned the plantation of Capt. William Horton. Then they sailed southward to Cumberland Island. By boat, Oglethorpe and a small force pursued the retreating Spanish ships at a distance, but they made no effort to initiate an attack.

1777 Early in the American Revolution Georgia Governor John Treutlen issued a proclamation offering a bounty of 100 pounds for the capture of William H. Drayton of South Carolina. Drayton was then leading an effort among South Carolina officials to convince Georgia that it should consolidate with its northern neighbor. Interestingly, while delegates to the Second Continental Congress had not yet approved the Articles of Confederation, Treutlen's proclamation noted as one reason for Georgia's opposition that any such consolidation would be "contrary to the Articles of Confederation, entered into, ratified, and confirmed by this State as a cement of union between the same and the other United and Independent States of America." If legal, this would have made Georgia the first state to ratify the Articles. However, in a subsequent response to Treutlen, Drayton countered: "The Confederation you speak of is an imposition upon the people of Georgia, no other of the States of America but yours having ratified or even considered of any such thing, or have had it to consider of. -- Pray how did you blunder upon it? The Congress never sent it to you -- why they have not even concluded upon such a thing themselves."

1854 Former Georgia governor George Towns died in Macon, Ga. [See May 4 entry for biographical information on Towns.]

1862 Confederate Maj. Gen. David Emanuel Twiggs died in Augusta, Ga. Born in Richmond County, Ga. in 1790, Twiggs was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1812 and served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. In May 1861, he was appointed major general in the provisional Confederate Army and named commander of the District of Louisiana. However, he never assumed active command of that post, and died of natural causes in Augusta in 1862.

1864 The bulk of Sherman's Army arrived at the Chattahoochee River and began crossing at various sites along the river--a task that would take three days. Meanwhile, to the south, Jefferson Davis' chief-of-staff, Gen. Braxton Bragg (photo), was on a secret mission for Davis to determine the competency of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston (photo) to turn back Sherman. On this day, Bragg wired Davis: "I have made General Johnston two visits, and been received courteously and kindly. He has not sought my advice, and it was not volunteered. I cannot learn that he has any more plan for the future than he has had in the past. It is expected that he will await the enemy on a line some three miles from here, and the impression prevails that he is now more inclined to fight. . . . The morale of our army is still reported good."

1870 By an act of Congress approved by President Grant on this day, Georgia became the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union. In effect, enactment of the "Georgia Bill" ended formal Reconstruction for Georgia. However, Georgia Republican Gov. Rufus Bullock contended that military rule ended only when Congress actually admited Georgia's congressional delegation. Since Congress adjourned before Georgia's delegation could take the oath of office, Bullock announceed that military rule would continue until Congress reconvened and Georgia's representatives and senators were sworn in. Elections were not held until late December 1870, and the new congressional delegation was not seated until early 1871. Back in Georgia, Democrats would spend the next seven years in "redeeming" Georgia of black and Republican gains during Reconstruction.

1922 Atlanta opened its first municipal swimming pool for African Americans in Washington Park on the city's west side.

1923 Twenty-one-year-old Bobby Jones won his first major golfing tournament--the U.S. Open. Since entering major tournament play in 1916, he had failed to win a national title, but at Inwood Country Club on Long Island, Jones broke his seven-year drought.

1952 Atlanta-born Gladys Knight helped launch a budding career at age 7 by winning Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour.

1953 Singer-song writer Alicia Bridges ("I Love the Night Life") was born in North Carolina, though she later moved to Atlanta, where her career took off.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1740 From Ebenezer, John Martin Boltzius recorded in his journal of word from James Oglethorpe and his campaign against Spanish Florida:

"Mr. Jones, whom I visited in Savannah, read me two letters from General Oglethorpe, dated the 30th of June. One was to him and the other to the Presbyterian preacher in Darien, Mr. MacClayd [John McLeod]. In the first, Mr. Oglethorpe reported to Mr. Jones that some 20 men, Scots and Indians, had gotten into an empty fort [Fort Mose] against his orders and were attached by the Spanish in a great fury. Several [actually many] were killed, and five or six were led to St. Augustine as prisoners. they had orders to stay in the open field near this same fort so that, if the Spanish became too powerful for them, they could save themselves in quick flight.

"In the second letter Mr. Oglethorpe reported to the above-mentioned preacher that a number of his parishioners had given their lives for their king and country. He had made arrangements to bury them in military fashion, but still did not know all their names. In the meantime he was letting the widows in Darien know that he would write to the Trustees requesting them to give each widow two man-servants and a serving girl free and supplied with provisions, to offset in some measure the loss of their husbands and to console them in their widowhood."

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, p. 191.

1742 With news of the victory at Bloody Marsh, William Stephens was able to recruit more help for Oglethorpe, although other incentives than patriotism were also offered:

"July 15. Thursday. The General in his last letter directed me to send him what Assistance I could from hence, I used all the means I was able, to render some acceptable Service; and in Order to do it I wrote a paper which I published with beat of Drum, giving notice to all who were inclined to serve as Volunteers under his Excellence against the Enemy, they would kindly be entertained, and for their Encouragement, I would pay them 10 shillings a piece to drink the Kings Health, which had so good success, that before night about 30 had Subscribed their names to be enroll'd; tho it could hardly have been believed, from the present appearance of the Town, so many of the people being already away, some usefully employ'd, and some few withdrawn thro fear. So that our Streets now were grown very thin, the Women and Children being all gone, and most of the remainder were old Settled Inhabitants, who seemed determin'd to wait the utmost event."

Source: E. Merton Coulter (ed.), The Journal of William Stephens, 1741-1743 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1959), p. 109.

1837 A.S. Senoir, stationed with U.S. Army troops at New Echota, Ga. sent the following letter to his father, Maj. William B. Senoir, in Lenoir, Tenn. In it, he refers to the arrival of cattle apparently purchased by the government to feed the Cherokees, John Ross's plan to hold a council at Red Clay, and the local army commander's plans to stop Ross:

". . . Avery got here last Monday with 51 head of cattle, pretty good beef, cost pretty high, & are pretty troublesome. . . . It is very healthy here at this time. The Commissioners have adjourned until the 1st Monday in September & also the Committee. John Ross has a Council appointed at Red Clay 31st Inst. Col. Lindsay says he shall not hold it unless gets orders from the War department not to interfere. Should he hold a Council it will put a check to the little spirit of of emigration that exists among them.

"I know nothing more about Avery's prospects of continuing here than when I wrote from the Agency. As yet he has had not time to learn any thing of the business that would devole [sic] on him, but hope he will be at leisure in a few days, as he has an indian employed to attend to his cattle, which I am in hopes will releive [sic] him of much further trouble after he gets the cattle all together -- which we may do to day. Have made way with four small ones.

"A triweekly Mail commences to day by this place to Spring Place -- it will shortly be carried on stages. . . ."

Source: Original manuscript in the collection of Ed Jackson.

1901 Magnolia Wynn Le Guin kept a diary from 1901-1913; on this day she commented on her youngest son, then went on to make a general observation about all three of her sons:

    "...Sometimes he wants to show off and be begins to hollow out 'I ain't!' 'I ain't!' and other new words he has latest learned."

    "...I hope not one of them will make premature boys - or men. I want them to be children; I'm going to teach them to be in no hurry to get to manhood. I despise premature young men and young ladies. I played with my dolls till sixteen and enjoyed them thoroughly. I went with a boy a few times too that year, but I was a natural child. I enjoyed my childhood. I did not hurry into womanhood. I was not anxious to be in the 'social swim' of 'beaux and belles'- in other words I was not seeking beaux. When I went in society I enjoyed myself but did not think I was a full fledged young lady. I felt I was something of a child."

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), pp. 18-19.