Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

September 4

1752 Officially, this day did not exist in Georgia. See Sept. 3 entry for the reason.

1836 Prominent lawyer, Georgia politician, and businessman Henry McDaniel was born in Monroe, Georgia. Graduating from Mercer University in 1856, he studied law for a year before being admitted to the bar. Practicing law in Monroe at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War, McDaniel joined an infantry regiment as a lieutenant, eventually being promoted to major. In 1863, he was wounded in battle, captured, and sent to a Union prison for the remainder of the war. After the war, he resumed the practice of law. Serving as a delegate in the constitutional convention of 1865, McDaniel was elected to the General Assembly, where he served two years in the House and eight years in the Senate. On the death of Gov. Alexander Stephens in 1883, McDaniel was elected to fill his unexpired term, and then reelected for a full two-year term in 1884.

After serving as governor, McDaniel resumed the practice of law. At the same time, he invested wisely and became very wealthy. He served on the board of directors of a variety of businesses and financial institutions, as well as the board of trustees of the University of Georgia. In 1926, he died at age 90 at his home in Walton County. 

1864 Sherman decided not to pursue the remnants of Hoods's forces south of Atlanta. Instead, he issued Special Field Order No. 64, which included a directive that his troops were to receive "a full month's rest, with every chance to organize, receive pay, replenish clothing, and prepare for a fine winter's campaign."

Sherman also issued a special order to the remaining citizens of Atlanta: "The city of Atlanta being exclusively required for warlike purpose will be at once vacated by all except the armies of the United States, and such civilians as may be retained."

For more, see This Week in Georgia Civil War History.

1907 Newspaper publisher and future Georgia governor Marvin Griffin was born in Bainbridge, Georgia. In the early 1930s, he took over the family-run weekly Bainbridge newspaper, the Post-Searchlight. Griffin rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel during World War II, afterwards serving as Gov. Ellis Arnall's adjutant-general (1944-47). In 1948, he was elected to the office of lieutenant governor, and reelected in 1950. In 1954, he ran for governor on a platform to preserve "Georgia's two greatest traditions – segregation and the County Unit system."

During his administration, spending for education expanded greatly, new roads built, and Stone Mountain purchased by the state. But Griffin is perhaps best remembered for his 1956 campaign of "massive resistance" to integration after the two Brown v. Board of Education decisions. Legislation was enacted to close down Georgia's public schools and institute state support of private schools if the federal government attempted to desegregate Georgia schools. Unable to succeed himself for a second term, Griffin ran again for governor 1962, though losing to Carl Sanders. Afterwards, Griffin announced that he was retiring from politics for reasons of health – "the voters were sick and tired of me." He then returned to publishing his family newspaper until his death in 1982.

1932 Former University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley was born in Mobile, Alabama. As a youth, he excelled at basketball. In high school, he made the football team, but initially spent most of his time sitting on the bench. Later, called on to fill the quarterback role, his team won the city championship in 1949. Recruited by Auburn to play both basketball and football, he was chosen as a College All-Star in 1954. After graduation, Dooley became Auburn's freshman football coach. In November 1963, Auburn head basketball coach Joel Eaves was hired by University of Georgia president O. C. Aderhold to turn the Georgia football program around. Eaves stunned everyone the next month when he offered the job of head football coach to Vince Dooley, who was then Auburn freshman football coach. Dooley took the helm as Georgia head football coach in 1964 – a post he held through the 1988 season.

Under Dooley, the Georgia football program became one of the best in the nation, winning the national championship in 1980. In 1979, Coach Dooley also was given the title of University of Georgia Athletic Director, a post he held until 2004.

1976 Responding to Jimmy Carter's statement that if elected president he would delay social programs to balance the budget, Georgia fifth district Congressman Andrew Young told reporters that "is one of the things we'll have to fight about."

Apparently, any fighting that followed was friendly, for Carter later appointed Young as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

1985 In ceremonies on the northeast corner of Georgia's state capitol, Georgia officially celebrated the centennial of the laying of the capitol's marble cornerstone on Sep. 2, 1885. [Scheduling conflicts forced the observance to be held two days late.]

In attendance were Gov. Joe Frank Harris, Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, Secretary of State Max Cleland, and Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett [see photos]. Atlanta Masonic officials also were present to rededicate the cornerstone using Masonic rituals [see photos] that their predecessors used a century earlier. A parade around the capitol and a "marble" birthday cake [see photo] completed the commemoration.

Georgia cities and towns incorporated by acts approved on Sept. 4:

1883 Bowersville (Hart County) and Raccoon Mills (Chattooga County)

1885 Austell (Cobb County)

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1864 Atlanta merchant Samuel P. Richards wrote of his impression of occupied Atlanta:

"It is strange to go about Atlanta now and see only Yankee uniforms. the City Hall is headquarters for the Provost Guard. The enemy behave themselves pretty well except in the scramble for liquor, during which every store in town nearly was broke into yesterday. . . .This afternoon three soldiers asked for dinner saying their rations had not come and they would pay for their dinner, so Sallie had some cooked for them. They belonged to Co. E 2nd Mass., Vols., but their chief spokesman was a Scotchman. They think McClellan will be the next president as he has been nominated by the Chicago Convention. . . . Returning home [after church] we heard that another big fight in Jonesboro had resulted disastrously to the Confederates, and in confirmation of this we saw 1800 'rebel prisoners' marched into town. They filled the street from the [2nd] Baptist Church to Whitehall St. It was a sad sight but the Yankees cheered at it lustily of course."

Source: Franklin M. Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1954), Vol. I, p. 637.

1864 From south of Atlanta near Lovejoy, Sherman wrote a long, private letter to Gen. Henry Halleck in Washington, D.C. Although soon to be revered by many Georgia blacks liberated from slavery during his March to the Sea, the following excerpt from Sherman's letter shows that he did not believe in the equality of the races and was not particularly interested in allowing blacks to fight:

"I hope anything I may have said or done will not be construed as unfriendly to Mr. Lincoln or Stanton. That negro letter of mine I never designed for publication, but I am honest in my belief that it is not fair to our men to count negroes as equals. Cannot we at this day drop theories, and be reasonable men? Let us capture negroes, of course, and use them to the best advantage. My quartermaster now could give employment to 3,200, and relieve that number of soldiers who are now used to unload and dispatch trains, whereas those recruiting agents take them back to Nashville, where, so far as my experience goes, they disappear. When I call for expeditions at distant pints, the answer invariable comes they have not sufficient troops. All count the negroes out. On the Mississippi, where Thomas talked about 100,000 negro troops, I find I cannot draw away a white soldier because they are indispensable to the safety of the river. I am willing to use them as far as possible, but object to fighting with 'paper' men. Occasionally an exception occurs, which simply deceives. We want the best young white men of the land, and they should be inspired with the pride of freemen to fight for their county. If Mr. Lincoln or Stanton could walk through the camps of this army and hear the soldiers talk they would hear new ideas. I have had the question put to me often: 'is not a negro as good as a white man to stop a ballot?' Yes, and a sand bag is better; but can a negro do our skirmishing and picket duty? Can they improvise roads, bridges, sorties, flank movements, &c., like the white man? I say no. Soldiers must and do many things without orders from their own sense, as in sentinels. Negroes are not equal to this. I have gone steadily, firmly, and confidently along, and I could not have done it with black troops, but with my old troops I have never felt a waver of doubt, and that very confidence begets success. . . ."

Source: U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (originally printed 1891, reprinted by The National Historical Society, 1971), Part 5, Vol. 38, pp. 792-793.

1864 On the same day as his private letter to Gen. Halleck, Sherman sent an official letter telling him of his plans for Atlanta's residents:

". . . I propose to remove al the inhabitants of Atlanta, sending those committed to our cause to the rear, and the rebel families to the front. I will allow no trade, manufactories, nor any citizens there at all, so that we will have the entire use of the railroad back, as also such corn and forage as may be reached by our troops. If the people raise a howl against my barbarity and cruelty I will answer that war is war, and not popularity seeking. If they want peace they and their relatives must stop war."

Source: U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (originally printed 1891, reprinted by The National Historical Society, 1971), Part 5, Vol. 38, pp. 794.