This Day in Georgia History
June 07, 1744
Oglethorpe Vindicated in Court Martial
In London, a court martial trial was held to examine allegations that Lt. Col. William Cook, a dissident officer in James Oglethorpe’s regiment, had leveled against the general. These charges included a general complaint against Oglethorpe’s system of discipline within the regiment and that Cook had “suffered great indignities and unjust Impositions and Deductions of his Pay, together with an Ill State of Health … .” Additionally, Cook cited 19 specific complaints against the general. The court martial threw out every charge, charging them to be “frivolous, vexations, or malicious, and without foundation” and recommended that Cook be dismissed from service. Georgia’s founder was completely vindicated by the decision.
To view a publication on James Oglethorpe, see the Digital Library of Georgia.
