A history of the erection and dedication of the monument to Gen'l James Edward Oglethorpe : unveiled in Savannah, Ga., November 23, 1910

MONUMENT TO GENERAL JAMES EDWARD OOLETHORPB Unveiled at Savannah, Ga., Nov. 23, 1910

E, MERTON COULTER
COLLECTIONS
OF THE
Georgia Historical Society
VOL. VII. PART IL
A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
Gen1 James Edward Oglethorpe
Unveiled in Savannah, Ga., November 23, 1910.
Published by the Georgia Historical Society.
Savannah, Ga. The Morning: News
1911.

INTRODUCTION.
In order to preserve and perpetuate in collected form the his tory of the monument to the memory of General James Edward Oglethorpe which was unveiled and dedicated with appropriate ceremonies in Savannah, Ga_., November 23, 1910, the Georgia His torical Society publishes this volume as a contribution to the his tory of our State.
The monument itself is but the concrete expression of a sen timent which for nearly two centuries has lived in the hearts of Georgians, and the fact that the work has been so long delayed, was only due to a desire to erect a memorial whose proportions and finish should be in keeping with the dignity and character of the heroic founder of Georgia.
The following pages set forth such facts concerning the monu ment itself and such features connected with its dedication as will be of interest to the historian of the future. It was deemed appropriate by those having the matter in charge to set apart three days, November 23, 24 and 25, for the celebration of the occasion, and inasmuch as Oglethorpe was essentially a soldier, it was decided to have the exercises chiefly of a military charac ter. A number of pictorial illustrations have been included, which it is_ hoped, will serve to perpetuate in visible form some of the leading features of this historic occasion.
OTIS ASHMORE, GEORGE J. BALDWIN, W. W. GORDON, JR., Committee on Publishing and Printing.

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE MOVEMENT.
On the 18th day of May, 1901, a charter was granted by the Superior Court of Chatham County to the Oglethorpe Monument Association. This Association was formed by six representatives each from the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America, the Sons of the Revolution, the Daught ers of the American Revolution, and the Society of Colonial Wars. Its first meeting was held on Nov. 28, 1902, and the object of the Association was to combine the efforts of these four patriotic societies toward the raising of funds for the erection of a suitable memorial in Savannah to the memory of the truly great man who was the founder of our State.
The moneys which some of the various societies had been raising separately, were turned into the common treasury of the Association, and increased in like manner from time to time until they amounted, in the year 1905, to approxi mately $5,000.
In the summer of that year, at the request of the president of the Colonial Dames, the representatives from Chatham County in the Legislature took up the matter of securing State recognition and aid for the monument, and on July 12, 1905, a joint resolution was introduced in the House to provide for the erection of a monument. This resolution was referred to the Committee on Appropriations and hav ing been more than once voted down in the committee, was finally reported back favorably on August 10,1905, with the recommendation that the sum of $15,000 be appropriated for the purpose, and the resolution received its second reading. Nothing further was done in regard to it at that session.
During the next session, in the summer of 1906, the reso lution met with a stormy and checkered career and was several times apparently hopelessly shipwrecked before gaining its final passage.
Under resolution introduced in the House June 27, 1906, Honorable Walter G. Oharlton was invited to address a joint session of the General Assembly on the life and ser vices of General Oglethorpe, and this address was delivered a short time afterward.
On August 2, 1906, the bill carrying the appropriation of $15,000 for the monument came up for passage. It was

6 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
referred to the Committee of the Whole, where it was only saved from defeat by the adoption of an amendment offered by its friends, providing that the monument should be erected in Chippewa Square and reciting that the title to said square was in the State of Georgia. The committee then reported the bill back favorably as amended.
The report of the committee was agreed to, but on the passage of the billjay aye and nay vote it was apparent that it could not pass, and "before the vote could be an nounced the bill was tabled on motion of Mr. Anderson of Chatham."
On Saturday, August llth, the bill was, on motion, taken from the table for the purpose of declaring the vote there on, which was announced to be ayes 70, nays 51, and the bill having failed to receive the requisite constitutional majority was declared to be lost. On motion the action of the House in defeating the bill was then re-considered.
A resolution was immediately introduced and referred to the Rules Committee to make the bill a Special Order for August 13th.
On the morning of August 13th, the last day when the bill could be considered by the House, the Rules Committee submitted a report making the bill a Special Order for that day. This was voted down by the House,
At the afternoon session of August 13th, on motion of Mr. Flynt of Spalding, by yea and nay vote of 83 to 25 the House re-considered its action of the morning in refus ing to make a Special Order, and adopted the Rules Com mittees report. The bill was then taken up for passage, and a substitute bill offered by the Chatham delegation was passed by a vote of 91 to 35.
The bill was immediately transmitted to the Senate and received its first reading there the same afternoon. The next morning, August 14th, it was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and received its second reading, and on the afternoon of August 15th, the last day of the Legislative session of 1906, was placed on its passage and finally enacted into law.
It was approved by Governor Terrell on August 16th, 1906, and the following Commission was appointed by him to take charge of the work in the name of the State and carryit on to completion:
Hon. J. Randolph Anderson, Chairman, Hon. P. A. Stovall, Hon. A. A. Lawrence.

To General James Edward Ogletkorpe.

Hon. Walter G. Charlton,

Hon. P. W. Meldrim, Hon. J. H. Estill,

Col. A. R. Lawton,

All of Savannah;

1 Hon. R. E. Park,

Hon. Alien D. Candler,

Hon. W. G. Cooper,

All of Atlanta;

:

Hon. Joseph R. Lamar, of Augusta, Hon. H. F. Dunwoody, of Brunswick.

Hon. J. H. Estill died during the administration of Gov. Hoke Smith, who appointed Hon. R. J. Davant of Savannah in his place. Hons. R. E. Park and Alien D. Candler also died, and Gov. Joseph M. Brown appointed as their sucseccors Wymberley J. De Renne and J. Florance Minis,

both of Savannah.

The Act as passed by the Legislature of 1906 read as

follows:

^

Whereas, the State of Georgia contains no fitting memorial to its founder and first Governor, that great soldier, statesman and philanthropist, General James Oglethorpe; and,
2nd. Whereas, it is now verging on two centuries since he founded and fostered_ this people, protected and defended them from dissension within, and invasion without, and fitted Georgia for its great career as a sovereign State, and
3rd. Whereas, It is eminently fitting and desirable that the people of this State shall make manifest their veneration, loyalty and gratitude for the life and services of that great man by the erection of a proper memorial or monument to the memory of its distinguished founder, in the city in which he first established the youngest of the American colonies, and which thus became the cradle of Georgia; and,
4th. Whereas, The Oglethorpe Monument Association, com posed of members of the various patriotic societies in this State, has been incorporated for this purpose and has raised by popular subscription a considerable sum, therefore;
Sth. Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Sen ate concurring, That the sum of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) be, and the same is, hereby set aside and appropriated from money in the treasury, not otherwise appropriated, for the pur pose of erecting an adequate memorial, or monument, to General James Oglethorpe in the city of Savannah; the said memorial or monument, to be erected in Chippewa Square in said City, the ti tle to said square being owned by the State. The amount hereby appropriated, the sum of seventy-five hundred dollars shall be available in the year 1907, and the sum of seventy-five hundred dollars shall be available in the year 1908. This appropriation shall be expended by and under the direction, supervision and control of the Governor of the State, and upon warrants drawn

3 A History of the Erection and Dedication of tht Monument
by him upon the Treasury accordingly. The Governor of the State is hereby authorized to permit the Oglethorpe Monument Association to be associated in the work herein provided for, and to augment this appropriation by such additional amount as said Oglethorpe Monument Association may desire to contribute; pro vided that the same shall be not less than $5,000 and that said memorial or monument, shall have upon it, either inscribed or raised, or by tablet, the words:
"Erected by the State of Georgia to the memory of its founder, the great soldier, eminent statesman and celebrated philanthro pist, General James Oglethorpe, who in this City on the 12th day of February A. D. 1733, established the Colony of Georgia."
Resolved further, by the authority aforesaid, That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with this resolution be, and the same are hereby repealed. Approved August 20th, 1906.
This Act was amended by a later Act approved July 20th, 1909. This amending Act changed the wording of the in scription to be placed on the monument and provided that it should read as follows:
"Erected by the State of Georgia, the City of Savannah and the patriotic societies of the State to the memory of the great sol dier, eminent statesman and famous philanthropist, General James Edward Oglethorpe, who in this City on the 12th day of February A. D. 1733 founded and established the Colony of Georgia."
This amending Act also provided for the celebration of the unveiling of the monument as follows:
Be it further resolved, That the Governor of this State be and he is hereby requested to cause the attendance of the military forces of this State to participate in the ceremonies attending the unveiling of said monument when the same shall take place, and to invite the attendance and participation of the Executive and military forces of our neighboring sister States; the States of South Carolina and Florida, whose early history is closely inter woven with our own, and between which the Colony founded by Oglethorpe was designed to serve as a military barrier, and the States of Alabama and Mississippi, whose domains formed a part of the original territory of the Colony of Georgia.
The Oglethorpe Monument Commission began its work in the autumn of 1906, and after a considerable period of in vestigation and deliberation, placed the execution of the work in the hands of the celebrated sculptor, Mr. Daniel Chester French, who associated with him Mr. Henry Bacon, one of the most prominent architects of New York City.
It became apparent to the Commission, from the outset, that a suitable memorial could not be obtained with the funds then available, and that the appropriation from the State would have to be supplemented from outside sources, and it was decided to rely upon such further assistance and

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.
not to attempt to confine the monument to the funds then in the hands of the Commission and in the treasury of the Oglethorpe Monument Association.
The chairman and other members of the Commission ap peared before the City Council of Savannah on May 10, 1909, and presented a petition for an appropriation of $15,000 toward the erection of a suitable memorial. This was granted and the City of Savannah appropriated the sum of $15,000, of which it was provided that the sum of $12,000 should be used by the Commission for the erection of the monument, and $3,000 should be utilized in the preparation of the site and toward expenses of the unveiling. The funds thus received were further supplemented by additional sub scriptions from the various patriotic societies mentioned above and from other organizations as well as from indi vidual citizens; thus raising the total amount in the hands of the Commission, available for the monument and its sur roundings, up to the sum of $38,000, for which amount the contract had been made by the Commission with the sculptor, Mr. French.

irsa

1910

OFFICIAL SOUVENIR

PROGRAM

e? rax
Ceremonies at the Dedication of the Monument
ERECTED TO THE HKBtOKT 0?
General James Edward Oglethorpe
SAVANNAH, GA. NOVEMBER 23, 24, 25,1910.

Colonial Seal of GeoreU.

Fraaent Seal of Georgia.

JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE.

A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF OGLETHORPE.
General James Edward Oglethorpe, son of Sir Theophilus and Eleanor (Wall) Oglethorpe, was born in England December 22, 1696. At an early age he entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, but he soon left that institution for an active military life. Having served several years in the British army, under the Duke of Maryborough, he be came secretary and aid-de-camp to the famous Prince Eugene of Savoy, with whom he learned the art of war.
In 1718 he returned to his estate in England, and in 1722 was elected to parliament from the county of Surrey. He soon became interested in the reformation of abuses which disgraced prison life at that time, and his sympathies were especially engaged for the relief of the honest but unfortu nate debtors who were thrown into prison. He was made chairman of a commission to investigate these abuses, and it occurred to him that a colony could be established for these people in America between the Carolinas and the troublesome Spaniards, who claimed all the territory south of the Savannah river. A company was organized, a char ter obtained, and Oglethorpe with about one hundred and thirty passengers set sail for America November 17, 1732, and on February 12, 1733 he landed at the present site of Savannah, where he found a small tribe of Indians with Tomochichi as chief.
Having made friends with the Indians, he laid out the town, fortified if, and built many houses.
In 1734 Oglethorpe sailed for England, taking with him Tomochichi and several other Indian chiefs to impress them with Englands power. In 1736 he returned to Georgia and engaged in the active work of the colony. He laid out Augusta, made treaties of friendship with the Indians, founded Frederica and fortified it. In 1740 he made a bold attack upon the Spaniards at St. Augustine, but owing to the strength of the fort and to sickness in his army he abandoned the siege.
At the battle of Bloody Marsh in 1742, he drove the Span iards from Georgia, and established the English claim to the territory.

12 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument

On July 23, 1743, ten and a half years after his first land

ing Oglethorpe set sail for England, never to return. In

1744 he was married to Elizabeth Wright of Cranham Hall.

After a brief experience in the British army in 1745, he re

tired from active service to "his estate, where he spent the

remainder of his long life, "the soul of honor, the embodi

ment of loyalty and valor, and the model of manly grace

and courtesy." He died at the age of eighty-nine years on

July 1,1785, and was buried in Cranham church.

Fitting indeed it is that Georgia should perpetuate in

,

enduring stone and bronze the virtues of her brave and he-

i

roic founder, and upon the pedestal of his monument in

scribe in imperishable letters the name of OGLETHORPE.

;

"Thy great example shall through ages shine,

;

A favorite theme with poet and divine;

;

To all unborn thy merits shall proclaim,

And add new honors to thy deathless name."

\

de Tom ef Savanah, Ae (otmg ef Georgia, SotK-Cs*ohaa,

Jfvml/ji Jwcrilvt * /i^ farrfttuu Ccn! Oflrfhorpr.__

/ J a T* S-. ..*,/,, J-- fa

f

f *,

,

_^. -

,/ A! ?>.-,, J( Jeani ttnA la M, J --------

Savannah of To-day.

HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT.
The Oglethorpe Monument Association was chartered by the Superior Court of Chatham County, May 18, 1901. This Association was formed by six representatives each, from the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames ef America, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Society of Colonial Wars. Its object was to combine the efforts of these four patriotic societies toward raising the funds for the erection of a suitable memorial in Savannah to General James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony of Georgia.
In the summer of 1905, the representatives from Chatham county in the Legislature took up the matter of securing state recognition and aid for the monument, and introduced a bill for the appropriation of $15,000 for the purpose. This appropriation was made by the Legislature in the summer of 1906, and a commission was appointed by the Governor to take charge of the work in the name of the state.
The Commission consisted of Hon. J. Randolph Anderson, chairman, Hons. P. A. Stovall, A. A. Lawrence, Walter G. Charlton, P. W. Meldrim, J. H. Estill and Col. A. R. Lawton, of Savannah; Hons. R. E. Park, State Treasurer, Alien D. Candler and W. G. Cooper, all of Atlanta; Hon. Jos. R. Lamar, of Augusta, and Hon. H. F. Dunwoody, of Brunswick.
The Commission entrusted the execution of the work to the celebrated sculptor, Daniel Chester French, who asso ciated with him Mr. Henry Bacon, one of the most promi nent architects of New York City. On May 10, 1909, the City of Savannah, on the application of the Commission, appropriated $15,000 to the monument, of which it was pro vided that $12,000 should be used for the erection of the monument, and $3,000 should be utilized in the preparation of the site and towards the expenses of the unveiling.
The monument is now completed, and consists of a he roic statue of General Oglethorpe in bronze in the uniform of a British General of the period. The figure is about ten feet in height, and stands upon a pink-gray marble ped estal or die upon a base of the same material. The base

14- A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
is carved with garlands of flowers and of pine cones resting upon palmetto leaves, and is cornered by four lions ram pant, each holding a shield. Upon one of these shields is carved the Coat of Arms of Oglethorpe, and upon the others the Coats of Arms or Great Seals of the Colony of Georgia, of the State of Georgia, and of the City of Savananh. The general design of the monument is Italian renaissance, and has a stone bench on either side. The northern and south ern ends of the plot in which the monument stands are closed by an exhedra in Indiana limestone, backed by low shrubbery.

Memorial Seat of Oglethorpe, Savannah, Ga, Tomochichi Monument. Savannah, Ga.

To General James Edward Oglelhorpe,

15

OFFICIAL PROGRAM.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, 11:30 O'CLOCK.
INVOCATION, by Rt. Rev. F. F. Reese, Bishop of Geor gia.
ADDRESS, by Hon. J. Randolph Anderson, Chairman Ogletlhorpe Monument Commission, on the History of of the Monument.
ADDRESS, by Acting British Ambassador, Hon A. Mitchell Innes.
ADDRESS, by Hon. Walter G. Charlton, on the Life, Char acter and Services of Oglethorpe.
UNVEILING OF THE MONUMENT, by His Excellen cy Joseph M. Brown, Governor of Georgia, assisted by the President of the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America.
PARADE AND GRAND REVIEW OF TROOPS in Park Extension by the Governors of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama; Sixteen Companies of U. S. Regulars, Forty Companies of State Troops, Three Companies of Blue Jackets, and Marines from U. S. Cruiser Birming ham.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, 3:00 O'CLOCK. (In Park Extension.)
Cavalry Tilt. U. S. Regulars vs. Georgia Troops. Two Teams of Six Men, Eleventh U. S. Cavalry. Two Teams of Six Men, Georgia Hussars. Two Teams of Six Men, Liberty Independent Troop. One Team of Six Men, Governor's Horse Guards.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, 8:15 O'CLOCK. (Athletic Park.)
Military Rough Riders Exhibition and Spectacular Exer cises.
Cavalry Marching Drill, Bareback Hurdling, Roman Rid ing, etc., by selected troop of Eleventh Cavalry, U. S. A.
Spectacular Exhibition Drill, Musical Drills, by Seven teenth Infantry, U. S. A.

i6 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
THURSDAY MORNING, 9:30 O'CLOCK. (Grand Stand on Waters Road.)
Great Motorcycle Races around Grand Prize Automobile Course.
(Fifty entries expected.)
FIRST RACE--One lap around the course. Open to any Savannah-owned Motorcycle, single cylinder type. (Twenty-two entries.) Starts on five seconds inter vals. Prizes, Three Silver Cups.
SECOND RACE--Two laps around the course. Open to any amateur rider and any type of Motorcycle. (Twelve entries.) Flying start, all at once. Prizes, Three Copper Cups.
THIRD RACE--Three laps around the course. Open to Savannah-owned machines of belt-driven type, single cylinder. (Fifty entries expected.) Starts on five seconds intervals. Prizes, Three Silver Cups.
Grand Military Gymkhana.
Of U. S. Regulars. High Jumping, mounted; Equipment . Race; Conical Wall-tent Pitching; Hasty Intrenching; Po tato Race by Mounted Cavalry; Wall Scaling, and other exciting military field sports and exercises.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON, 3:00 O'CLOCK. (Athletic Park.)
ANNUAL FOOTBALL GAME-
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA vs. AUBURN.
THURSDAY EVENING, 8:15 O'CLOCK. Same as on Wednesday evening.
FRIDAY MORNING, 10:00 O'CLOCK. (Park Extension.)
BATTLE EXERCISES--By U. S. Regulars. Attack by two battalions Seventeenth Infantry and one squadron Eleventh Cavalry upon the Coast Artillery Corps, hold ing and defending the southern line of Forsyth Park.

From left to right: Hon. Joseph M. Brown, Governor of Georgia; Hon. A. Mitchell Innes, Acting British Ambassador; Hon. B. B. Comer, Governor of Alabama; Chancellor D. C. Bar row of the University of Georgia; Senator Joseph M. Terrell; Senator A. O.Bacon; Col. A. M. Brookfield, Resident British Consul; and Hon. Charles G. Edwards, M. C.
Assembling: The Governor and his Staff.

UNVEILING AND DEDICATION.
The day was an ideal one for the historic occasion. A cloudless autumnal sky showered the splendors of a soft Southern sun upon a scene of rare impressiveness and beauty. State and national flags, banners and gay bunting, lent an added charm to the rich foliage of crimson and gold, while brilliant military uniforms and handsome dress completed a picture worthy of a painter's brush. The monument itself in mute dignity, and veiled with the flags of Georgia and England united, rose from the centre of Chippewa square, and around its base were grouped the distinguished representatives of a sentiment which at last had found concrete expression from the hearts of an appre ciative people in enduring marble and bronze. On the left was the Commission appointed by the state to execute the work. By their side sat the sculptor, Daniel Chester French, whose genius and artistic skill had created the bronze statue of Georgia's heroic founder, soon to be un veiled, and by his side was Mr. Henry Bacon, the architect who designed the marble and stone setting for the main figure itself. In front sat His Excellency, Joseph M. Brown, the Governor of Georgia with his staff, and by his side in appropriate position the Hon. A. Mitchell Innes, ateting British Ambassador and representative of the Court of St. James. Governor B. B. Comer of Alabama with his staff fittingly represented Georgia's territorial daughter to .the west. Hon. Augustus O. Bacon, Georgia's senior senJH;,ator, and Hon. Joseph M. Terrell, the junior senator and II former Governor, sat next, with Chancellor David C. Bar-
v of the University of Georgia, Hon. Charles G. Edrds, member of Congress, Col. Daniel C. Kingman of |J*he U. S. Engineers, and other distinguished visitors. Jr Back of these were grouped in reserved seats the Society ||3of Colonial Dames of America, the Daughters of the Ameri^ i Revolution, The Sons of the Revolution, The Society p;of Colonial Wars, The Georgia Society of the Cincinnati, tfcihe. Georgia Historical Society, representatives of the *|:|jmted Confederate Veterans, the Hibernia, Victoria, and KSt, Andrew's Societies; representatives of the Board of

i8 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
Trade, Chamber of Commerce, the Cotton Exchange, the Retail Merchants' Association; the General Committee of the Oglethorpe Monument Celebration, The Daughters of the Confederacy, the Board of Aldermen, the County Com missioners, the Park and Tree Commission, the City and County Officials, Solomon's Lodge of Masons, and many other guests.
Around these were grouped the various military com panies and thousands of citizens, completely filling the square and the adjacent streets. The gathering of these bodies amidst the strains of martial music was as inspir ing as it was dignified and orderly. When all was in readi ness the Hon. J. Randolph Anderson, the Chairman of the Commission, conducted to the platform the Rt. Rev. F. F. Reese, the Episcopal Bishop of Georgia, who, after calling upon all to stand and join in the Lord's Prayer, delivered the following invocation:
INVOCATION.
"Almighty God, who art the author and giver of all good things, and who dost govern all things in Heaven and earth, we give Thee hearty thanks for the spirit of brave adventure to which this state owes its birth, and especially for the courage and spirit of benevolence of thy servant, James Edward Oglethorpe, its founder, whom we com memorate this day. And we beseech Thee to accept and bless this memorial as the expression of our gratitude for his labor and sacrifice for the poor and unfortunate. Grant to all of us, the people of this state, who have entered into his labor and the labors of other men, that we may be so faithful to our trust as citizens of this commonwealth, that peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety may be established among us for all generations. And may Thy holy will be done and Thy kingdom come among us and among all the people of our land, to Thy glory and the everlasting salvation of all men; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen,"
ADDRESS OF HON. J. RANDOLPH ANDERSON.
Mr. Anderson then in behalf of the Commission deliver ing the monument into the hands of the state, made the following address:

The Invocation by Rt. Rev. F. F. Reese. 11th U. S. Cavalry.

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.

tg

"We have met here today to celebrate the successful attainment of a great object which for many, many years has been dear to the hearts of the people of our state. For nearly a century successive generations of Georgians have agitated and hoped for the erection of a suitable memorial to the great soldier, statesman and philanthropist who cheer fully sacrificed the comforts of his home and laid aside a most prominent position and distinguished career in England to lead his chosen band of followers across the stormy wastes of the Ocean. As Goldsmith says:
" 'To distant climes, a dreary scene
Where half the convex world intrudes between Through torrid tracts, with fainting steps they go Where wild Altama murmurs to their woe.'
"Landing upon this bluff, he pitched his tent and estab lished on the verge of an unexplored wilderness the begin nings of the colony of Georgia--the state which we, her sons, today acclaim with loving pride as the Empire State of the South; the largest, and in material resources, poten tially perhaps the greatest of all these American states east of the Mississippi.
"It is often said that we live today in a wholly material istic age, and that our people are so entirely absorbed in the work of the present and in plans for the future that they have no time for thoughts of the past and but scant respect for its deeds; but this distinguished assemblage de monstrates that firmly implanted within us we still possess the deeply rooted conviction of the sturdy Anglo-Saxon stock from which we sprung, that a people without monu ments is a people without a history. History itself indeed shows us that a people without monuments is a people without civilization and without progress. No race and no people which have exhibited the trait of commemorating in storied marble or enduring bronze the deeds and virtues of its departed heroes has ever failed to mightily sway the -- destinies of mankind; and no people or race which has V failed to do so has ever left more than a passing imprint on -"' the sands of time.
"Of all the great Englishmen who had a hand in the dis covery or in the colonization of this continent none is more ji worthy of being honored by the whole American people ^> than he to whose memory we are paying tribute today; for aside from all other reasons, we know that to his for-

so A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
titude, to his daring and military skill is due the fact that the dominant language and civilization of North America today is English instead of Spanish. To us Geor gians he stands in a closer and dearer relation, for it was upon our soil he wrought out his great work and laid deep and strong the enduring foundations of our state. And, therefore, our people have always gratefully and affection ately revered his memory and will do so till time shall be no more. In the early days while he was still in life the people of the colony made annual celebration of his natal day; and since his death the continued desire has existed to erect a proper tribute to his memory.
"Time does not permit of my making mention here of the various efforts that at different periods have been made in this direction nor of how the hopes of our people were thwarted. As the years rolled on these efforts became more frequent and more earnest, but civil war, pestilence and panic all exerted their baleful effect to postpone once and again the desired day and balked the efforts of our people and of the state itself. I am informed that in the year 1860 the lower House of the General Assembly passed a bill carrying an appropriation for a monument to Gen. Oglethorpe, but the fast gathering clouds of the great war between the states were already casting their menacing shadows over the land; and the Senate felt unable to enact the measure into law.
"Many times in the past have patriotic Georgians urged the erection of a fitting monument to Gen. Oglethorpe but it had been reserved to our own day and to our own gene ration to see this long-cherished and long-deferred hope of our people fulfilled. Today marks an important event in our state's history. At last the cherished dream has be come a reality, the long-deferred hope has ripened into ful fillment and Georgia has gathered here today her sons and daughters from Rabun Gap to Tybee Light, and by act of her General Assembly has caused her chief executive and a large part of the military forces of the state to participate in these unveiling ceremonies and to give to them a solem nity and impressiveness worthy of the dignity of the state and of the memory of the truly great man who was its founder.
"The day and the occasion are all the more auspicious be cause we are honored by the1 presence of the acting ambas sador from the Court of St. James to this country, who is here to officially represent the British government and take

To General James Edward Ogleihorpe.

part in doing honor to the memory of a man of whom both

countries have just reasons to be proud. We are also honor

ed by the presence of the chief executive of our sister state

of Alabama, whose early history is so closely interwoven

with our own ; as well as by representatives of the federal

government in the presence of the officers and men of a

large body of troops and of ships of war.

"In the Legislature of 1905 and 1906, of Which I was a

member, the state determined that the time had at last

'come when this monument should be erected. By an act

approved Aug. 16, 1906, the state was to be supplemented by

the funds already raised by the Oglethorpe monument Asso

ciation, and such other funds as it and the various patriotic

societies of the state composing it, and other parties, might

contribute. The distinguished gentleman who was then

Governor of Georgia, and who is now our junior United

States senator, and present with us today, appointed a Com

mission to carry out the work in the name and on behalf of

the state, and did me the honor to appoint me as its chair

man. On behalf of the Commission, I now have the honor

to make personal report before this audience to the present

chief executive of our state as to the actions of the Commis

sion.

"Realizing, sir, that such a memorial, as our people de-

N

sired could not be had with the funds then available, the

Commission sought and obtained from the municipality of

Savannah the additional sum of $12,000 for the monument

and a further sum to aid in the ceremonies of the unveiling.

The Commission was very fortunate in being able to enlist

the interest and obtain the services of the talented gentle

man who is with us today, the great sculptor, Daniel Ches

ter French, who is now generally regarded in this country

as the greatest of all living American sculptors. I am

proud and happy also to be able to report that he himself

considers this monument to be the finest piece of work he

has ever done.

"The monument, sir, is now completed and the statue is

about to be unveiled by your excellency. The Commission

has completed its labors in this behalf and is now ready to

deliver the monument into the care of the city of Savannah

to be preserved for the people of this state."

22 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
ADDRESS OF HON. A. MITCHELL INNES.
After the address of Mr. Anderson, the Hon. A. Mitchell Innes, the acting British Ambassador and representative of the Court of St. James, spoke as follows:
"Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
"It is with peculiar pleasure that I have come among you today to do honor to the brave and accomplished gen tleman, whose statue decorates this spot. Oglethorpe was in every way a fitting founder of the great state, to which he alluded as 'the little colony now called Georgia.'
"What would he think if he could return to the city of Savannah today and see how great a forest his little plantation has grown? When he landed at Charlestown nearly two hundred years ago in the good ship Anne, of about two hundred tons burden, with his company of 130 souls, who must have been tightly packed in the small craft, not the most vivid imagination could have pictured the brilJiant future which that adventurous voyage inaugurated.
"Nine years later, indeed, the opposition to the paternal government of Oglethorpe saw nothing better than a scene of desolation, and his opponents complained that he would allow them neither riches, nor property, nor rum to gladden their hearts. They were no better than slaves themselves, according to their own account.
"No doubt his government, which his enemies characterterized as a jumble of politics and power was despotic, as it had to be in the circumstances, as every beginning must be, and no doubt he maintained a discipline which was irksome to many But we may be sure that it was at that time not only important, but vitally necessary to the life of the col ony, bounded as it was on the south by the territory of a hostile power. If he had allowed the introduction of spirits, or if he had permitted the life of ease, which the possession of slaves would have entailed in the little community, the weakening of energy which would have resulted and the demoralization which might have ensued among the Indian tribes, on who he relied, might have been fatal to the future of the colony.
"For Oglethorpe was no Puritan. Quite the contrary; his sympathies were with the Jaeobites, and certainly the first feast which the weary travelers enjoyed when they landed on these shores savors but little of Puritanism. A chroni-

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.

23

cler has kindly handed down to posterity an account of the bill of fare. It consisted of four fat hogs, eight turkeys, be sides English beef and fowls and other provisions. A hogs head of punch, that is 63 gallons of that potent beverage; a hogshead of beer, 'besides large quantities of wine. And when the chronicler went on to notice what evidently struck him as the most remarkable thing about the banquet, as it certainly was: 'And all,' he says, 'was disposed in a man ner so regular that no person was drunk.'
"The whole of Oglethorpe's life contradicts the accusa tions which his enemies hurled against him. On the con
trary, his was one of those minds filled with a great human love, Which refuses to believe that nature has fixed a gulf between this class and that. A born gentleman, he had grasped the truth that the distinction which we, in our little circle, draw between the aristocrat and the peasant comes not of God but of man. More than this, he had grasped a still greater truth, that there is,gold of full value in the des titute and the outcast, that the terrible retribution that so ciety visits on the unsuccessful is not always either neces sary or just; that in the Fleet and the Marshalsea, those awful prisons of the debtor, there was hidden a human na ture full of power to rise, full of the ability to create, want ing only in the strength to burst the gyves which society, which professed but did not always practice Christianity, had firmly welded round their limbs.
"You al! of you remember the experiences of the immor
tal Pickwick in the Fleet, when rather than pay the dam ages which had been unjustly awarded to Mrs. Bardell, he preferred to submit to the penalty of imprisonment. You remembered the cells 'he looked into, which he mistook for coal cellars, and the atmosphere of depravity and degrada tion which pervaded the whole place. Yet in his day the debtors' prisons had already been improved, thanks to the efforts of Oglethorpe and later of Howard, who must have been inspired by Oglethorpe's example in the great work of reform which he undertook.
"Today, I am glad to say, we have come to a better knowledge of human nature. Slowly we are realizing that
prison is not the cure for all social evils; that, far from it, it is often nothing but the nostrum of the quack, which while doing no good to the patient's sickness, induces other disorders not less grave than that which it professes to heall
"In all great reform movements of the present day Ameri ca is taking an honorable and a prominent part, whether it
\

*4 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
is for the reform of the prison system, the reform of cor rupt municipalities, or the improvement in international re lations. The United States has been especially to the fore in ,the promotion of the friendly settlement of disputes.
"At no time in the history of our two countries have the relations been more cordial. There is not a cloud on the horizon. All the difficult boundary disputes have been set tled. The complicated questions regarding1 the use of boundary waters have been regulated, and a joint commis sion has been established for settling all questions which may arise in the application of the principles laid down and for advising on any other questions that may be referred to it. A quarrel a century old has just been swept away by arbitration. And this result is in no small measure due to the untiring efforts of Mr. Knox and his predecessor, Mr. Root, toward this goal.
"Only a few days ago one of your prominent statesmen said to me that he could imagine no dispute between the United States and Great Britian which could not be settled by amicable negotiations or by arbitration, and that he con sidered the future destinies of the two countries to be indissolubly bound up together
"You may feel sure that those sentiments are heartily re ciprocated on the other side of the water, and that, so far as human effort can prevail or good will can reach, we shall do our share toward preserving and cementing a friendship which we regard as one of our most priceless treasures."
ADDRESS OF HON. WALTER G. CHARLTON.
After the address of Mr. Innes, the Hon. Walter G. Charlton of Savannah delivered the following oration:
"Governor of Georgia, Ladies and Gentlemen, My Fellow Georgians:
"Near two centuries ago a man of strong and noble na ture sought here and there in London a missing friend, whose character and kindly qualities kept him in affection ate remembrance. His search brought him at length to the debtors' prison of the Fleet, where in vilest surrroundings, deliberately imprisoned in a narrow cell with victims of small-pox, he found the friend of his youth, dying of that loathsome disease. When he departed from that horrible scene, his life was consecrated to a great purpose. With the passing of the years there came a bright day in the

Address of Hon. Walter G. Charlton. The Unveiling.

To General James Edward Oglethorpe
long ago, when as the soft voices of spring were calling back to life and glory the sleeping beauties of nature, there landed upon what was destined to become a sovereign state a small band, selected to start upon its career the most re markable experiment in the history of colonization. The purpose had reached its fulfillment, for the sorrowing friend1 was Oglethorpe; the adventurers, the passengers of the Anne; the land, the commonwealth which holds our alle giance, our hopes, our happiness.
"As they stood at that historic moment beneath the marvelous blue of the February sky--free as the winds which sighed through the majestic pines which surrounded them-- their memories aglow with the hospitality which hadjreceived and sheltered them as their voyage drew to its con clusion on the neighboring shores of Carolina, no happier people ever faced the serious responsibilities of life. About them was grace and song and beauty ; before them, the pros pect of rest and content; within them, the peace of God. The tempestuous Atlantic, with its wintry wastes, had be come a memory ; and in the dim vistas of the past, the cruel bitterness of, man's brutality was fading away as the phan toms of the night before the warmth and splendor of the rising sun. They were not makers of history, these six score men and women from the debtors' prisons of Eng land. They were the opportunity through which history is made. With all the limitations the condition suggests, they had been the victims of the most merciless system of laws which ever disgraced a civilized country--and were now free ; free to take up the broken journey of a life which, burdened as it had been with measureless suffering, had yet been untouched by the vice and dishonesty which sur rounded it hour by hour. They were good men who had failed in the practical affairs of life, and from whom had de parted the buoyancy of youth. They had marked time as ambition hurried by and was lost. And yet, when the last man stepped ashore on that historic day the echo of his footfall was to sound down the centuries ; the historian was to take up a new story in the annals of nations--for the great tide in human affairs had turned definitely to its up ward flow.
"There had been nothing like it in the history of mankind. They were of the weak and oppressed of earth. Few in number; untrained in military venture, unskilled in civic construction, their mision was to build for all time an em pire in a wilderness and hold it against the warlike savage

26 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
and the armies and navies of one of the greatest powers of Europe. Even as they set foot upon the shore, facing them were the hordes of Indians whom they were to resist, whilst to the south were gathering like unto the storm-clouds of the coming tempest the hosts of Spain. Yet from the tragic elements of failure came victory, for in the divine purposes of the Almighty it had been ordained at that moment there should stand upon the soil of Georgia the one man in all the world through whom victory might come.
"A great artist, under the inspiration of a great subject, has brought to triumphant conclusion a work of art which, for all time, will hold the attention and interest of those whose vision rises above the sordid and groveling concerns of life and takes within its scope the things which charm and ennoble thought and action. To him who loves art for art's sake, the faithfulness of detail; the grace of outline ; the strength of pose; the historic perfection of the por trayal will hold in fascination. What the Georgian will see and what he will carry in his memory from this historic spot will be the recollection of a strong, dominant warrior, with the fighting look upon his face--resolute and unconquerable --in the wisdom of Providence destined to stand on Georgia soil and in one momentous day end forever a conflict which had convulsed the civilization of Europe for centuries; and to see as he sheathed his victorious sword what would be in time the greatest monument it was ever given to man to rear--a free and sovereign State.
"Human force and genius are so often contrasted with the grave crises which threaten to destroy the organized affairs of men, that when emergencies occur we instinctively search the perspective for the inevitable relief. The tension of the situation reacts upon the tendencies of given minds and won or lost no great cause ever swayed the hopes and emotions of mankind but from the stress and conflict sprang some heroic spirit to leave its shining record on the pages of history. Of the greatness of Oglethorpe is the fact that no crisis was at hand when he started upon the illustrious career, in recognition of which a grateful people this day do homage to his memory. In the times in which he began life the direction in which his steps led was along the beaten path of thousands. A military apprenticeship under gen erals of renown; a parliamentary career of more or less use fulness ; a respectable and quiet old age amid the congenial surroundings of a privileged class--it was the common fate of those from whom he came

To General James Edward Oglethorpe,

2J

"The imagination falters as it attempts to reconstruct the
conditions upon which the contemporaries of Oglethorpe
looked with the complacency which hourly contact indu
ces. In military prowess; in terrific hardships upon land and sea; in shrewd and cunning diplomacy and politics,
the age was supreme. For the simpler and nobler quali
ties from which are evolved the patriot and the brother, there was neither place nor recognition. The greatest sol
dier of the age did not hesitate to sell his country for gold; the poet on bended knee served the fruitions of his soul to the taste of the dissolute in power; the statesman pandered
to the vices of those who could repay in coin and place the eloquence which belonged to the race and not to the indi
vidual. Jefrries had not long since ridden upon his circuit, with a sneer upon his lips, sending to the gallows, amid the brutal clamor of the accompanying mob, women and child
ren for offenses which nbw receive the least of punishments.
The poor were despised; the sick abandoned; the stricken in mind maltreated and exhibited for money. Deep down in all of this misery, friendless and hopeless, forgotten of
friend and kindred, removed even from the exhausted mal ice of foes, ws the insolvent debtor whose only crime was his inability to deliver at the moment of demand the money
he had promised to pay.
"Appalling as was the condition which prevailed as the century drew to its close, the most frightful manifestation was the unprotested acceptance of it as endurably natural.
Removed by the circumstances of birth from its more debas ing aspects and influences was born on Dec. 22, 1696, James
Edward Oglethorpe. Influence and opportunity brought him a commission, in his fifteenth year, under Marlborough,
and after the peace of 1712 he served under Prince Eugene in the campaigns on the Danube There could have been no better martial schooling. But in this English boy was something beyond military enthusiasm. Working in his
active brain was the constructive force which moulds states
men, and so directs and rules the destinies of nations. He might in the parliamentary career upon which he entered
in 1722, have attained distinction, or, restive in the subser vient crowd which dog the footsteps of the great, he might have gone prematurely to that life of quiet which in the dis
tance awaited his coming. It was otherwise ordained. The
pen of a great novelist a century later aroused to indignant protest the English mind against the iniquities of imprison
ment for debt, and the echo of that far off revolution in

iS A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
public sentiment sounded at length in the constitution of Georgia.
"But on the day when Oglethorpe moved by the misfor tune of a friend passed through the portals of the Fleet to find Robert Castell suffering amid the unspeakable brutali ties of the debtors' prison the tortures of small-pox, there was no public conscience to be aroused to horror. When Hampden stormed with vivid bursts of eloquence in the British parliament, appealing to the eternal principles of liberty, though they brought down upon him the wrath of royalty, his words found lodgment in the souls and memo ries of thousands, to grow and develop until in time all En gland responded to the truths he had proclaimed. The sen timent and the crisis were at hand. But upon this man was to fall not only the responsibility of meeting and over coming a great evil by the force of his individuality, but of creating the opportunity without which his enthusiasm and devotion must fade and perish for want of that upon which it must take root to live.
"The England of 1729 took no heed of what fate might befall the insolvent debtor. Misfortune and misery excit ed its mirth; and compassion like some feeble growth slightrooted in arid soil, sent its weak and nerveless tendrils here and there in fitful and uncertain ways toward what might prove support. The man and the evil stood face to face, and singly and alone, as in the tales where moved the knights-errant of the age of poesy, he gave fight until the sheer gallantry of the spectacle began to make a responsive thrill, and gather to him, one by one, the kindred spirits which, few in number, but worthy of the cause in which they fought, stood with him until the glorious end became a conclusion never to be undone in the history of man. His chivalrous heart, full of indignant pity for the sorrows upon which he looked, Oglethorpe introduced into parliament a resolution of inquiry into the conditions of the debtors' prisons. The investigation which followed revealed, in the language of an historian of that epoch, 'infamous jobbery and more infamous cruelty on the part of prison officials.' With the report came the opportunity without which the greatness of individuals means nothing.
"They fail to grasp the greatness of this man's nature who see in his efforts only the workings of emotional benevo lence--the distempered energy which forces its conceptions of altruism upon the poor with no thought for the poor man's dignity of thought and independence of spirit. What

Battalion Benedictine Cadets. 1st Regiment Band.

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.
moved him to action was a divine wrath against injustice-- the scorn of an exalted mind for the besotted barbarities of a practice which found no warrant in the laws of God or the promptings of common humanity. It was characteris tic of the situation that when the charter of Georgia came to be signed the names written into it were few--few and known and honored. Written at a time when the great civ ic and private virtues which illustrate every condition of our day were in a state of dormancy, its language places it among the priceless documents of the ages. Without profit or reward or hope of material benefit to any incorporator, it was recited that his majesty, having taken into con sideration the miserable circumstances of many of his own poor subjects, ready to perish for want, as likewise the dis tress of many poor foreigners who would take refuge here from persecution, hath, out of his fatherly compassion to ward his subjects, been graciously pleased to grant a char ter for incorporating a number of gentlemen by the name of 'The Trustees for establishing a colony of Georgia in America.'
"We are accustomed to the spectacle of public altruism, where the plethoric dispenser of charity pursues his com placent way with a staff of newspaper reporters at his heels, and followed by the gaping multitude from whom he has drawn his wealth ; and with cheque book in one hand and chisel in the other erects an edifice with the one and with the other carves his ignoble name that we may not forget the incident. But here was a soul crying aloud, like John in the wilderness, with no thought of self, that the helpless might be lifted from the depths of despair and the stricken in spirit take hope for the renewed conflicts of a life which had come to be with them a vague and insubstantial mem ory. Whatever his eloquence or want of eloquence, from the material of the impossible this one man evolved the pos sible and the fact; and when the slow processes of legis lative inquiry began to quiver into movement, and piece by piece to form in the minds of the few the result which took form in the charter of Georgia, the refuge for the friendless and the oppressed, the first practical step in the direction of moral reform in social conditions had been taken ; and although the labor and eloquence of an hundred years were to be expended before the revolution in public sentiment became assured and the Samaritan began once more to travel along the highways of life, the fact remains that among human agencies to the founder of Georgia is to be

30 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
ascribed the first practical step in the direction of that com prehensive altruism which in our day works to its blessed ends with no hope of reward and no thought of personal importance.
"It was not to be conceived that any man, be his persua siveness what it might, could impress on King or parlia ment or subject the practicability or desirability of estab lishing in a distant wilderness beyond the seas a colony for the friendless and the oppressed, without more. The shrewdness of Oglethorpe's mind foresaw that without some practical importance to be given the movement he had in contemplation, something which would appeal to a general sentiment already existing, rather than to one which should exist, but did not, the work he had in view would never progress beyond his hopes. Whatever might be the social degradation to which England had descended, with the consequent indifference to the inevitable results which followed upon such a deplorable condition, in one direction the public sentiment was sound. An appeal which was founded upon the necessity or advisability of extending the military power had prompt and effective response from no ble and peasant. Marlborough might traffic with the Court of France, but Marlborough was none the less the great general who had carried the flag of England in triumph through the ranks of continental powers; whilst wherever the ocean beat, over its stormy waves floated in defiant free dom the historic banner which our ancestors loved.
"Colonies for the exercise of benevolence were unknown to the statesmanship of that or any other age; but colonies for military purposes were as old as civilization itself. The presentation was attractive; the utility demonstrable. Across the stretches of a vast ocean was a colony favored of the crown and established in the sentiments of the people. To the south and west were tribes of savages of unknown numbers, ready and eager to descend upon its resources, whilst in the offing were gathered the navies of the heredi tary foe of England, with which at intervals it had waged desperate warfare extending over centuries of time. So to the project of the benevolent colony was added the alluring prospect of a colony which was to interpose its effective presence between Carolina on the one hand and the Span iard and Indian on the other. Men might scoff at the op portunity to be furnished the insolvent debtor to redeem his fortunes, but it would not occur to the practical minded Briton to view with indifference a determined body of ag-

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.

31

gressive Englishmen to be drawn from the fighting stock of the old country and landed upon a distant shore charged with the duty of fighting, and fighting in what to all was not only a good cause, but a cause which had in it 'the ele ment of temper as well as right.
"And so what was apparently the secondary purpose of the settlement of Georgia became by force of circumstances inherent in the original project the real purpose--and the charter in ringing terms made this the only military colony in America.- In considering the character and success of Oglethorpe both purposes are to be borne in mind. That his object was really to lift from the deplorable condition in which he was the insolvent debtor, there can be no doubt; that he accepted not only in good faith but with the enthusi asm of one in whom the spirit of chivalry was developed to its highest excellence, the additional charge to carry to suc cess the English arms, is equally certain. No one of his unusual perspicacity could fail to know that a colony of in solvent debtors just from the loathsome prisons of England, however honest they might be, would be worse than useless as a military establishment. It meant in all probability just so many more people to protect. A man who was simply wise without being great and humane would upon the grant ing of the charter with its two objects, have ignored the one and fixed his hopes upon the other.
"If he had followed the paths of his predecessors in colo nial experimentation that would have been his determina tion. If he had in view personal aggrandizement, personal greed, personal privilege, the military feature assured the friendless prisoners would have been relegated to despair. It is to be remembered of this man so long as history shall carry the deeds and greatness of mortals to a discriminating pos terity, that in all the years of the administration of the af fairs of the colony of Georgia, from the moment when the project took shape in his mind and heart to the moment when, his work accomplished, he saw the lines of her coast recede from his vision; through the resulting years of honor and dignity, unto the moment when he passed into the peace of eternity, the founder of Georgia never owned a foot of Georgia soil; enjoyed no privilege in her vast do main save such as was necessary to the effective discharge of his public trust; and so far from taking to his profit one cent devoted to her development or the purposes of her set tlement, left the service of Georgia and of the crown of En-

32 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
gland with fortune impaired and never restored by the gov ernment which had profited by his work.
"You will search in vain through the stories of American colonization, my fellow Georgians, for the instance which suggests remotely the disinterestedness of him in whose hon or we are here today. Integrity and disinterestedness in public life as the illustrated Oglethorpe, so made they our people great in the days which followed. Guard with con stant watchfulness this priceless heritage, for on that day when we become indifferent to the influence of these virtues; that moment when we view with complacency the give and take of modern politics, so sure as the rising of the sun will be the passing of the republic which Southern thought and sacrifice made possible and Southern tradition and devotion keep secure in the deadly storms which are now shaking it to its foundations.
"The occasion is concerned with the individual rather than the incidents which one by one formed his life work into a great historical event, not without its epic setting. Consider for a moment a broad and chivalric nature, trained in the school of military service under the great captains of Europe, at the head of a colony of 120 men and women, broken in for tune and in spirit, bound for a wild country across the tem pestuous seas, extending die written words of the char ter from the waters of the Savannah to the South seas--a land inhabited by savages of warlike disposition and habit, and menaced by the naval and military power of the ancient and truculent foe of England. Yet when on November 30, 1732, the good ship Anne set sail from Gravesend and turned her prow to the setting sun, at that moment began a distinct epoch not only in the military history of England, but in the moral development of mankind.
"Upon that momentous voyage and its conclusion at the hospitable shores of Carolina it is not permissible to dwell at length. Leaving the colonists in the generous care of the noble people of that great colony, Oglethorpe pursued his way to Georgia and in a brief interview with Tomochichi set tled for all time the relations between the colony and the In dians There is no such colonial record anywhere in Ameri ca. Without this victory of peace the colony could not have progressed, if it could have started upon its way, and it would reflect upon a generous people to forego a passing tribute to that great Georgian of the long ago whose broad ness of mind and faithfulness of character made possible the solution of this problem which confronted the colonists at

Battalion 1st Regiment. 2d Battalion 1st Infantry.

To General James Edward Oglelhorpe.

33

the threshold of their undertaking. It has been said that 'not a day passes over the earth but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words and suffer noble sorrows. Of these obscure heroes, philosophers and mar tyrs, the greater part will never be known till that hour when many that are great shall be small and the small great; but of others the world's knowledge may be said to sleep; their lives and characters lie hidden from nations in the annals that record them.'
"Of these last was Tomochichi, who, when upward of ninety years of age, was fighting the enemies of Georgia. In a neighboring square, a few hundred feet from this spot, where he was laid to rest by the people of Georgia, a noble band of Georgia women, carrying out the forgotten behest of Oglethorpe made in the long ago, have placed as a me morial where he was buried a boulder of Georgia granite. On it is inscribed that he was the Mico of the Yamacraws; the companion of Oglethorpe, and the friend and ally of the colony of Georgia. As they were associated in life, so let them live together in our grateful memories, and let this spot on which stands the monument to the one discard a designation which is meaningless and take on the name of the old warrior whose friendship made possible the
peaceful settlement of the colony of Georgia. "From the petty details and annoyances of colonial in
auguration, infinitely more trying to one of Oglethorpe's character than ,the stern hardships and dangers of cam paigning, the project in what began to be its more critical phase engrossed the thought and anxiety of the leader. The Indian had been converted into a friend but the warclouds were still gathering to the south. To attempt to stay that storm by the exhibition of one hundred and twenty in solvent debtors would have recalled, amid the derisive laugh ter of the gods, Xerxes stilling the sounding waves with the uplifting of his hands. But the call to battle which rung in the words of the Georgia Charter had not been unheeded. The first adventurers who sailed in the Anne came from the debtors' prison, but the colonists who followed during the next three years were of as free and sturdy a stock as ver ventured forth to extend the prestige and power of England. These freemen from England and Scotland, with the brave-hearted Salsburgers, were the substantial colonists of Georgia, and from their arrival here the move
ment took on new life.

34 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
"It was a colony as notable for what it did not do as for that which was undertaken and accomplished. It was of the fortune of mankind that at the critical moments the guiding power was in the man who had made the experi ment . possible. An apparently impossible undertaking which must have appealed to the age in which it was es sayed as a comic manifestation, took on a practical busi ness aspect within a few hours of the landing. The In dians became friends; toleration prevailed; civic and mili tary progression went on side by side; even the dreaded witch in free Georgia had more rights than the minister of God who in higher latitudes wandered from colony to colony seeking in vain the rest which his vocation suggested and his character demanded and after centuries of persecution here at last the learned and patient Jew found peace. To the practical mind of Oglethorpe no detail was negligible. As there were no mercenary aims in the venture itself or its development, the grinding processes which were applied elsewhere found no toleration here. It was not only a practical mind which governed, but the mind of a construc tive statesman, trained in the hard school of military neces sity.
"Oglethorpe not only dealt successfully with the petty details of colonial life, but with singular clearness his vis ion took within its scope the things which were to come. He forbade slavery and prohibited rum, industries which found lodgement only after his departure. The very plan upon which Savannah progresses was formulated by him. The instructed Georgian cannot look in any direction here without being reminded of the great man who was responsi ble for the existence of Georgia. The fate of the colony was in the keeping of this one man. Had he faltered; had his resources of mind and soul even so much as checked their out-pour at any given time, the experiment had fail ed. He had already accomplished a great work. The col ony of Georgia had been fixed on safe lines, and altruism had been rewritten upon the souls of men. A great man and a great work had come together, and the vitality of a great nature had been breathed into the work.
"But the colonization of Georgia even upon such lofty ideals was the accomplishment of only a part of that which Oglethorpe had in mind. As you face his statue, with the naked sword in hand and its defiant and fighting look to ward the south, another Oglethorpe confronts you. The statesman has stripped away his robes, and the lieutenant

To General Jantes Edward Oglethorpe

35

of Marlborough and Eugene, with the problem of centuries before him, awaits the moment when along the narrow
edge of the gleaming blade in his hand shall flash the sig
nal of battle, and the old quarrel between England and Spain find its solution.
"From the settlement on February 12, 1733, the colony
had progressed without special incident for a year. In the summer of that year Oglethorpe had returned to Eng
land, accompanied by Tomochichi; and on March 10, 1734, the Purisburg, with the Salsburgers, arrived--the High
landers sailed on the Prince of Wales, Oct. 20, 1735. The London Merchant and the Symond left England with the Frederica colonists on Dec. 21, 1735. Having returned to the colony toward the close of 1736, Oglethorpe again
sailed for England to urge the departure of the military contingent. A portion of the troops sailed on May 7, 1738, and the remainder, with Oglethorpe as general, arrived off
Jekyl bar on Sept. 18, 1738. "During the intervals, Oglethorpe, with the assistance
of Tomochichi, made frequent demonstrations along the Spanish frontier. Hostilities began on November
15, 1739, with the slaying of two Highlanders by the
Spaniards, on Amelia Island. Oglethorpe at once gave pursuit, pushing on to the St. John's river, and burning
three outposts. Marching in the direction of St. Augus
tine he attacked and defeated a detachment of the enemy, and attempted unsuccessfully to take Forts St. Francis and Picolata. Returning on Jan 1, 1740, he burnt the latter
and reduced the former. It never occurred to Oglethorpe to stay whipped. Driven off today, he was back on the morrow--a practice which the Spanish governor took
much to heart as unreasonable, with, a touch of discourtesy to a successful antagonist.
"In May, 1740, with an army two thousand strong, con
sisting of regulars, militia and Indians, with co-operative fleet under Admiral Vernon, he moved on to St. Augustine; captured Fort Moosa, and signaling the fleet to action, pre
pared to deliver the assault on the fortifications of the Florida
"stronghold. The fleet failed to respond and departed, and ;. the unsupported attack from the land becoming thus im-
practicable, a siege of three weeks followed, which Ogleftthorpe was finally compelled to abandon. To his repeated
jfiand urgent requests for reinforcements the home govern|f nient made no response, and he had been practically aban-
l> doned to his fate when, in the summer of 1741, the long

j6 A Histoty of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
gathering storm burst in all its fury A Spanish fleet of fifty-one sails had appeared in June of that year. Its ves sels, in one way and another, were so badly used by Oglethorpe in detail that it finally disappeared, to be replaced on June 28 by the St. Augustine fleet of thirty-eight sails, Oglethorpe retarded its movements until July 5, when, after a hot engagement, lasting four hours, it passed the batter ies and got out of range toward Frederica, upon which place Oglethorpe fell back--the enemy landing on the south end of St. Simon's. On July 7, 1742, the Spaniards moved on Frederica and Oglethorpe advanced to meet them, and the decisive battle of Bloody Marsh was on. When the smoke cleared away Georgia was free. The battle had not been to the strong. The comment of Ogle'thorpe was as characistic as it was modest. 'The Spanish invasion which had a long time threatened the colony, Carolina and all North America, has at last fallen upon us, and God hath been our deliverance.' And George Whitfield said of it, 'the deliver ance of Georgia from the Spaniards is such as cannot be par alleled but by some instances out of the OW Testament.'
"His work accomplished; his mission fulfilled, on July 23, 1743, he sailed for England, never to see again the land to which he had devoted the best years of his life. He was too great to escape the calumnies of the small and the in gratitude of the narrow. Having passed to payment the expenditures made by him out of his personal fortune, the English government revoked its action and appropriated his money. Having availed themselves of his military tal ents, the advisers of royalty court-martialed him on grounds which were dismissed as slanderous. Finally, he withdrew from the service of an ungrateful monarch and entered upon the last stage of the journey of life which was to end on July 1, 1785- King and courtier might see in him only a success ful rival for the fame which it was not given them to attain, but with the great spirit of his time he became a welcome guest. Authors laid their tributes at his feet and poets bound about his brows the laurel wreaths of victory. Geor gia and her fate never passed from his thought. Tradition has it that in the days of the Revolution 'he was tendered the command of the English forces, and refused to take up "J arms against the colony he had founded. Whether it be* true or no, never in thought or word that history recordswas he ever disloyal to the colony to which he had devoted/j the best years of his life.

17th U. S. Infantry. A Battalion of 2d Infantry.

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.

37

, "He had striven with success for the betterment of the weak and helpless in an age of abject selfishness. He had
made an empire with a handful of the oppressed of earth, and the work had survived. He had overcome the Indian
by persuasion and kindness and won the abiding friendship of the savages he had been sent to slay. He had encounter
ed the most powerful foe of England and driven him in dis astrous defeat before his scant battle-line. Reversing all the traditions of colonial administration, he had been toler
ant and just. He was a builder and not an iconoclast; a statesman and not a schemer; a soldier and not a plunderer.
"Brave and wise and merciful,-the ends he accomplished placed him in historic perspective a century ahead of the
day in which he worked. Honest in an era of guile, without fear and without reproach, he comes to us with his unstained
record, to live so long as Georgians shall stand upon the ancient ways and see and approve the better things of life. In all his brilliant career--in the hour of stress, in the mo ment of victory--no clamorous sound of vain and self-ap
plauding words came from his lips There was no need. That which he did sends its paeans down the centuries; and over his illustrious career Georgia stands guard forever"

THE UNVEILING.

t

At the conclusion of Judge Charlton's address Mr. J. Ran dolph Anderson, the Chairman of the Commission, and Mr.
Pfcniel Chester French, the sculptor, escorted to the base of the monument His Excellency, Joseph M. Brown, Governor of Georgia, and Mrs. J. J. Wilder, president of the Society 4fj;Colonial Dames of America, and placing into their hands the cord$ that held the two flags together, gave the signal for the unveiling, and in a moment the heroic figure of Ogle thorpe stood revealed in the midst of the applauding multi
tude.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT.

,T; he statue itself is of bronze nine feet in height facing th, and represents Oglethorpe in the full dress of a Brit-
gejieral of the period of 1730. It rests upon a pedestal of ay marble in Italian renaissance design. This die on a wide platform ornamented with garlands and
ped on the sides, with a lion rampant on each corner, car.-, a shield. Upon the shields are carved the seals of

3& A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument

the colony of Georgia, the state of Georgia, the city of Sav annah, and the coat-of-arms of Oglethorpe. On the east and west sides of the monument is a marble seat, and on the north and south ends of the quadrangle is an exhedra in limestone inclosing a grass plot.
On the south face of the pedestal is carved in colonial style the following inscription:

Erected by

The State of Georgia

The City of Savannah,

And the Patriotic

Societies of the State

To the Memory of

The Great Soldier

>

Eminent Statesman, and

Famous Philanthropist,

General James Edward Oglethorpe who in

This City on the 12th

Day of February

A. D- 1733 Founded and

!

Established the '

Colony of Georgia.

At the conclusion of the unveiling and dedicatory exer cises at the monument the several military companies which had been grouped in the square moved off in order to the strains of martial music to the Park Extension, where a parade and grand review of the troops were made in the presence of the distinguished guests and in view of thous ands of citizens who surrounded the Park on all sides.
The program as planned was fully carried out, and the occasion was made one worthy of the memory of Geor gia's heroic founder.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH.
Daniel Chester French, the sculptor whose genius and artistic skill created the bronze statue of Oglethorpe, was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, April 20, 1850. His pa rents were substantial New Englanders, and were connect ed with the families of Daniel Webster and John Greenleaf Whittier. He received his education at Exeter, N. H., the

DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH.

To General James Edward (Jglethorpe,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dartmouth College. He studied sculpture in Boston and in Florence, Italy, and in 1876-78 he had a studio in Washington. From 1878 to 1887 he was located in Boston and Concord, Mass, and since that time he has had his studio in New York. Mr. French is recognized as one of the foremost sculptors of America, Among his best known works are "The Min ute Man of Concord," a statue of General Cass in the Capi tol at Washington, a statue of Rufus Choate in Boston, John Harvard at Cambridge, Mass., Thomas Starr King in San Francisco, the colossal "Statue of the Republic" at the World's Columbian Exposition, "Dr. Gallaudet and his Deaf Mute Pupil," at Washington, the Milmore Memo rial (3d class medal at Paris Salon, 1892), bronze doors to Boston Public Library, Statue of Alma Mater at Columbia College, groups Europe, Asia, Africa, and America in front of the New York Custom House, Statue of Samuel Spencer in Atlanta, etc.
In 1900 he was awarded a medal of honor at the Paris Exposition, and in 1902 he became a member of the Nat ional Academy. He is one of the trustees of the Metro politan Museum of Art in New York, and a member of the National Sculpture Society, the Architectural League, and Academia di S. Luca, Rome, Italy.
In 1888 Mr. French married Miss Mary Adams French of Washington, and at present lives at 125 West llth street, New York City.
The statue to Oglethorpe is his last work, and in its spir ited conception and artistic execution it is worthy alike of the distinguished sculptor and of Georgia's heroic founder.

A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument

FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Oglethorpe Monument Commission.

RECEIPTS.

(1) Appropriation by State of Georgia..................

$15,000.00

(2)

"

" City of Savannah*...............

(3) Funds raised by Oglethorpe Monument Ass'n :

Prom Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of

12,000.00

America..................................................| 589.84 From Daughters of American Revolution..... 1,176.26

11 Georgia Society Sons of the Revolution 503.75

Proceeds of Ball given Dec. loth, 1903......... 779.75 Contributed by Oglethorpe Club.................. 500.00

" " W. J. DeRenne, Esq.. ........ 500.00 Sundry Contributions................................. 75-43 Interest on deposit* to Nov. igth, 1910......... 1,062.37

15,187.40 Less sundry disbursements............... 40.47

Total turned over to the Oglethorpe Monu ment Commission.................................... ;
(4) Funds raised by Georgia Society Colonial Dames (additional)
Contributed by S. P. Shotter, Esq................ 1,000.00 " " Jasper Monument Asso'h..... 772.10
Other amount* raised or appropriated, in cluding interest on deposits to Dec. 5, 1910 1,701 58

5.146.93 3,473-68

(5) Contributions made direct to Oglethorpe Mon ument Commission:
Georgia Historical Society.......................... Joseph Hull, Esq.......................... ............ J. Florance Minis, Esq... ................... ........ ^S.rs.l/.P.MLims....................................... J. Randolph Anderson, Esq........................

500.00 500.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

1,300.00

(6) Interest on depositi.......................................

801.74

Total receipts by Commission ..................... DISBURSEMENTS.
Paid for removing busts of Bartow and McLaws from Chippewa Square to Park Extention. .....$ 278.00
Paid for planting trees, and sundry incidentals..... 88.38 Paid for account monument and surroundings....... 37,355.97

fe7,722-35

137.722-35 137,722-35
The total appropriation made by the City of Savannah was $15,000 of which, under the terms of the resolution of Council, the sum of $12,000 was to be applied on the cost of the monument and $3,000 was to be applied towards the expenses at tending the unveiling ceremonies. The moneys received from the city were applied and used accordingly.
J. RANDOLPH ANDERSON, Chairman Oglethorpe Monument Commission

17th U. S. Infantry. Battalion 5th Infantry, Ga. State Troops.

To General James Edw,ant Oglethorpe.

THE NAME AND THE PATE OF BIRTH OF OGLE THORPE.

;It is a well known fact that there has existed for many years much uncertainty concerning the full and correct name of Oglethorpe, and the exact date of his birth. The biographers of this distinguished man differ greatly upon both these points. .Jones and Harris give June 1, 1689, The Britannica (ninth edition) and the Dictionary of Nat ional Biography give December 22, 1696, and McCall places the date at December 21, 1698, In all the letters and writ ten, documents of Oglethorpe extant he signed his name simply James Oglethorpe, though some of his biographers give it as James Edward Oglethorpe.

In the Biographical Memorials of Oglethorpe by Harris, pages 325 and following, the matter of his birth is discuss ed at some length, and in the Magazine of American His tory of 1883, Vol. VIII, part II, page 108, there occurs an interesting article on the subject by W. S. Bogart of Sav annah. These discussions are based upon certain records copied from the Register of Births and Baptisms in the Church of St. James, Westminster, England, and from the Register of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The record from the Register Book of Births and Baptisms belonging to the Parish of St. James, Westminster, is given by Harris as follows:

Bapt.

June 1689. James Oglethorpe of Sir Theophilus and
his lady Elinor, b. 1.

The interpretation of this is that James Oglethorpe, son of Sir Theophilus and his lady Elinor, was born June 1, 1689, and baptised June 2.
The record of the entry of James Oglethorpe into Corpus Christi College, Oxford, is thus given by Harris:
"1704, Jul. 9, term. S. Trin. Jacobus Oglethorpe, e C. C. C. 16. Theoph. f. Sti. Jacobi. Lond. Equ. Aur. filius natu minor."
That is, In Trinity Term, July 9, 1704, James Oglethorpe, aged 16, youngest son of Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe, of St. James's, London, was admitted into Corpus Christi Col lege.
These statements do not harmonize with each other, or with several facts in the later history of Oglethorpe, and

4* A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument.
the matter of his name and the exact date of his birth have remained for many years in much doubt.
When the monument to the memory of this distinguished man was erected in Savannah in 1910, the question was again brought up and earnestly discussed- In order to determine it fully and with accuracy if possible, two inde pendent investigations were made,--one by W. J. DeRenne, Esq., for the Monument Commission, and the other by Otis Ashmore in behalf of the Georgia Historical Society. The results of both these investigations agree, and the matter so long in doubt is now definitely and authentically cleared up and established, and the evidences given herewith. The following photographic copy of a certificate obtained byMr. DeRenne from St. Martin-in-the-Fields is self-explana tory.

ST. MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS, LONDON. Fol.
BAPTIZED ii
* JO**
.. .
The above is a TRUE EXTHACT from the BEGISTEK BOOK OF BApriays belonging to this CHURCH.
Witness my hand, this /<&

44 -A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
From this it is clear that Oglethorpe's name was James Edward, and that he was born December 22, 1696.
Without knowing of Mr. DeRenne's efforts, Otis Ashmore, Corresponding Secretary of the Georgia Historical Society, took the matter up with the Lord Bishop of Lon don with a view of obtaining a correct copy of the record of the births and baptisms of all the children of Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe, and with the Dean of Corpus Christi Col lege, Oxford, to verify the date of Oglethorpe's entrance into that institution. This correspondence follows:
Savannah, Ga-, Dec. 8, 1910. To His Lords'hip,
The Bishop of London, London, England.
Dear Sir: The state of Georgia, U. S. A., has just erected at Savan
nah a monument to the memory of General James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of this colony in 1733, and the date of his birth has become a matter of inquiry with us. There seems to be much uncertainty concerning the exact date, and it is for the purpose of ascertaining it definitely that I am writing you to assist us. You can probably refer this letter to some one in official position to give us this infor mation, and by so doing you will confer a great favor upon our Society.
The biographical sketches of Oglethorpe give various dates of his birth. Some give June 1,1689; some give Dec ember 21, 1688; some December 22, 1688; and others give December 22, 1696. The following extract from the Dic tionary of National Biography is our latest authority on the matter of his birth.
"OGLETHORPE, JAMES EDWARD (1696-1785), gen eral, philanthropist, and colonist of Georgia, born in Lon don on December 22, 1696, was baptised next day at St. Martin's in the Fields. An elder brother, also named James, born on 1 June, 1689, died in infancy (Notes and Queries, 3d Sec. XII, 68). He matriculated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, on 8 July, 1714, but had already obtained a commission in the British army in 1710."
These statements, however, do not all harmonize with, some other facts of his subsequent life, and I would like to secure an exact copy of the record of his baptism at St. Mar tin's in the Field.

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.

45

This record is said to read as follows:

Bap.

June, 1689

2

James Oglethorpe of Sir Theophilus and

his lady Elinor, b. 1.

We would be glad to have this record verified and inter preted by those familiar with these records. Does it mean that James Oglethorpe was baptised on June 2, 1689, and that he was born on June 1, 1689?
It is claimed that record refers to an elder brother al so named James who died in infancy. If so the baptismal record of James Edward will probably be found under the date December 22,1696. Our Oglethorpe always signed his name simply James, though there is good reason to believe that his middle name was Edward. Can you throw any light upon this point? What authority is there for the state ment that he was born in London rather than at Westbrook at Godalming, Surrey?
From Nichols's Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century, Vol. II, p. 16, we are told that Sir Theophilus Ogle thorpe had the following children :

L--Lewis, born 1680-81. (Feb-) II.--Theophilus, born 1682. III.--Eleanora, born 1684. IV.--Anne --------------------
V.--Sutton, born 1686. VI.--Henrietta VII.--James, born June 1,1869. VIII.--Frances-Charlotte. XL--Mary------------------------

Is it practical to obtain from the church records the date of birth, or at least the date of baptism, of these children?
At what age was it customary at that time to baptise children? Was James, referred to in this record, baptised when he was only one day old?
The Georgia Historical Society will be greatly obliged to you if you will give such direction to this letter as to secure for us the official and reliable information which we seek.
Very respectfully,
OTIS ASHMORE,
Corresponding Secretary Ga. Hist Soc.

46 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument

Savannah, Ga., U. S. A. Jan. 10,1911, St. Martin's Vicarage, Charing Cross, W. C.
Dear Sir: In re James Edward Oglethorpe.
I received a few weeks ago your letter to the Lord Bishop of London, asking for information in detail about this family. My parish clerk has examined our registers with great care, and I send you the results of his search. You will see that he has examined the books at St. James, Piccadilly, as well as St. Martin-in-the-Fields- These are the results which I have now the pleasure of forwarding you. He can find nothing more.
May I be allowed to say that as he is a poor man and has taken great trouble over the matter, you may be disposed to make some acknowledgement to him in the form of a fee, but we make no charage.
I am Yours faithfully,
L. E. SHELFORD.

Dear Sir:

Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Parish Church.
Charing Cross, Jany. 6,1911.
IN RE OGLETHORPE.

Your letter of December 8th last to the Lord Bishop of London has been handed to me for attention, and in reply
thereto I beg to give you the result of my search through our registers, which have extended some years after.1700 an and before 1681.
JAMES EDWARD was undoubtedly baptised here on December 23, 1696, having been born on the 22nd presuma
bly in London; as in those days it would scarcely be possible and highly improbable to bring a child from Godalming to be christened at Charing Cross the day after its birth.
Your second query is as to JAMES. He was born 1st
June, 1689 and was baptised on the 2nd of that month at St. James's Church, Piccadilly, a parish adjoining this, but
he died in infancy; being buried at St. James's on the 15th June, 1690.
The reply to your next inquiry, "the age at which it was customary to baptise children at that time", is, within a few

To General James Edward Oglelhorpe,
days of birth. Appended is a list of those I have been able to find, and I would suggest that those I have not been able to find may have been born and christened at Godalming. in Surrey, as your letter infers they lived there.
ELEANORA, ANNE, SUTTON, HENRIETTA, and MARY I cannot trace, but I do find CHARLES and AN HARATH, which you do not give in your list.
Born 21st, Baptised 23rd February, 1681. LEWIS OGLETHORP of Theophilus & Elin. Baptised 20th February, 1682 (Date of birth not given.) AN HARATH OGLETHORP of Theophilus & Elinor. Born 9th, Baptised llth March, 1684. THEOPHILUS OGLETHORPE of Theophilus & Elliner. Baptised 22nd May, 1686. (Date of birth not given-) CHARLES OGLETHORP of Sr. Theophylus & Lady Elinor.
This at St. James's Church, Piccadilly. Born 1st, Baptised 2nd June, 1689. JAMES OGLETHORP of Sr. Theophilus and his Lady Elinor.
This at St. James's Church, Piccadilly. Buried at St. James's, Picadilly, 15th June, 1690. JAMES OGLETHORP. C. (This means child-) Born 7th, Baptised 7th September, 1692. CHARLOTTE-FRANCES OGLETHORP of Sr. Theo philus & Eleanora. Born 22nd, Baptised 23rd December, 1696. JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORP of Coll. Theophilus & Eleanora. (Coll. means Colonel.) Should you desire stamped certificated copies of these entries I can send them upon hearing from you, and I may say in conclusion the parents of these children were not mar ried in this church.
Savannah, Ga., Dec. 8, 1910
To the Dean of Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford, Oxford, England.
Dear Sir:
The state of Georgia, U. S. A., has just erected at Sav annah a monument to the memory of General James Ed ward Oglethorpe,. the founder of this colony in 1733, and the date of his birth has become a matter of inquiry with us.

48 A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
There seems to be much uncertainty concerning the exact date, and the date of his admission into Corpus Christi Col lege will aid us in determining the question. From one of his biographies the following copy of the University Register is taken.
"1704, Jul. 9, term. S. Trin. Jacobus Oglethorpe, e C. C. C. 16. Theoph. f. Sta. Jacobi, Lond. Equ. Aur. filius natu mi nor."
Will you do the Georgia Historical Society the courtesy to compare this copy carefully with the record of original entry on the University Register, and tell us if it is correct? If it is not, will you please send me an exact copy of the re cord, together with a translation of it in accordance with the usual meaning and understanding of such entries? The figures "1704" are especially to be examined with care, for it has been claimed that this date should be 1714. Are the figures clear in the record? Is it your understanding that the figures "16" signify that he was sixteen years old when he entered?
Will you also please verify the date of admission of Lewis Oglethorpe into Corpus Christi College? This is given as March 16, 1698-9.
The Georgia Historical Society will greatly appreciate any courtesy you may show it in ascertaining definitely these facts and writing me at your earliest convenience.
Very respectfully, OTIS ASHMORE,
Corresponding Secretary Ga. Hist. Soc. Corpus Christi College, Oxford,
December 23, 1910
To the Secretary of the Georgia Historical Society:
Dear Sir: In respect to the date of the admission of James Edward
Oglethorpe to the University, I have relied on the help of Mr. R. Lane Poole, keeper of the archives of the University, as I was myself leaving Oxford at the time of receiving your letter. The information which he has kindly sent to me is as follows:
In the Register of Matriculations (reference letters in the University Archives A I). "July 9 1714 term. S. Trin. Ja cobus Oglethorpe E C. C. C. 16 Theoph. f. Sti. Jacobi Lond. Eq. filiu natu minor." (Archives ref: A F.)

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.
In the Autograph Subscription Book Oglethorpe signs himself under the same date, July 9, 1714. "James Ogle thorpe e C. C. C. Eq: Aur. films natu minor." (Archives ref:AF.)
Mr. R. Lane Poole adds that the 16 following C. C. C. is undoubtedly his age, since it is the regular practice to write it so. There can be no question as to the accuracy of *he dates, owing to the double entry and the order of admis sions.
In the case of Lewis Oglethorpe, he appears in the Sub scription Book as, "Lewis Oglethorpe e C. C. C. Eq: filus natu max." In the Matriculations Register, March 16, 1698-9, is the date and the age 15 is added after his college. So that in this case the date you quote is quite correct ac cording to the University Books. The translation would be as follows : "July 9, 1714, Trinity Term, James Oglethorpe of C. C. C. (aged) 16, younger son of Theophilus (Ogle thorpe) Knight, of St. James' London."
The dates are confirmed by the Buttery Books of the Col lege. Ludov. Oglethorpe appears in 1698. Jac. Ogle thorpe in 1714. The latter name disappears from the books on May 3, 1717. It was re-entered on June 25, 1719, and fi nally disappeared on October 20, 1727.
I trust that this information will make it quite clear to your Society that the date of admission of James Oglethorpe was the later date of those you suggest. The information as to the Corpus Buttery Books I have taken from the His tory of the College by the late president, T. Fowler, publish ed by the Oxford Historical Society. I have no doubt it is correct, but will verify the references on my return to Oxford and advise you at once if I discover any error. I should post this information at least by the 20th January.
If there is or will be any account of the monument in the press which you could without trouble forward to me, I should be very much obliged, as it could not fail to interest the College. I should be glad to get it reprinted in our Col lege Magazine.
I am Yours faithfully,
WILLIAM PHELB,
Dean of C. C. C

So A History of the Erection and Dedication of the Monument
From these investigations it is perfectly clear that Ogle thorpe, the founder of Georgia, was named James Edward, and that he was born December 22,1696.
From these records it likewise appears that there was an elder brother, named also James, who was born June 1, 1689, and who died in infancy June 15, 1690. This fact of an elder brother James, evidently unknown to the early biographers of Oglethorpe, has created all the confusion. The typographical error of "1704" for 1714 as the year of his entrance into Corpus Christi College tended to increase this confusion' It was for the very purpose of determining this point that an effort was made to obtain the record of the names of the other children together with the dates of their births and baptisms. While the record of some of these seem not to be complete, there can be no doubt of the correctness of the record of James Edward, and this is the only matter that need concern us.
It -will be observed that Oglethorpe upon entering Corpus Christi College gave his age at 16 years, when in reality he was a little over 17 years.
An interesting fact revealed by the Buttery Books of the college is the statement that Oglethorpe's name appears on the books from July 9, 1714 to May 3, 1717, then disappears from May 3, 1717 to June 25, 1719, when it was re-entered and continues to appear till October 20, 1727. It is well known that Oglethorpe left Oxford soon after he entered to join the army of Prince Eugene on the Continent, and that he returned to England 'in 1718. But as he was elected to Parliament from Surrey in 1722, it is difficult to under stand these entries on the Buttery Books of the college from 1719 to 1727. Did he actually return to Oxford after his military experience on the Continent to complete his course, or was his name thus continued on the books for some tech nical reason without his actual presence? This matter is only incidental to the question of his name and the date of his birth, but it is an interesting one nevertheless, and doubt less it can be explained by those more familiar with the early forms of English university life.
It must be remembered that the date of Oglethorpe's birth as here given is expressed in the old style of reckoning time, as the new style was not adopted in England till 1752. Expjssd in new style, therefore, Oglethorpe was born Janu ary 2,1697.
The facts herein set forth and the evidence upon which they are based are thus presented in full, in order that the

To General fatties Edward
matter so long in doubt may be definitely and finally s**t at rest.
OTIS ASHMpRE, Corresponding Secretary Ga. Hist. Society.
OFFICIAL ORDER OF DISPOSITION AND MOVE MENT OF TROOPS AND SAILORS.
HEADQUARTERS
Troops participating in the unveiling of The Oglethorpe Monument,
Savannah, Ga., Nov. 23rd, 1910. The ceremonies incident to the unveiling of the Oglethorpe Monument will be held in Chippewa Square, the site of the monument, and will begin at 11:30 o'clock, A. M., Nov. 23,1910. The following instructions governing the troops partici pating are issued for the information and guidance of all concerned: 1. The Marshal's Staff will consist of: 1st Lieut. E. T. Weisel, Coast Artillery Corps, Adjutant. Aids: Captain H. C. Williams, 2nd U. S. Field Artillery,
Captain Wm. R. Dancy, 1st Infantry, N. G. Ga. Captain R. H. Mason, 2nd Infantry, N. G. Ga. Chaplain M. G. Doran, U. S. Coast Artillery Corps, 1st Lieut Garrard Haines, C. A- C., N. G. Ga. The Aids will report in Dress Uniform, mounted, to the Marshal at the Monument at 11:15 o'clock, A. M. 2. The troops will be posted about the Monument dur ing the ceremonies as follows: a. 2nd and 3rd Battalions 17th U. S. Infantry.
Provisional Battalion U. S. Coast Artillery Corps, U. S. Marines and U. S. Sailors in column of masses in the order named on Perry Street, west of the Monument, facing east, head of the column resting on Bull Street. b. 2nd Infantry, N. G. Ga., Cadet Corps University of Georgia, Barnesville Cadets, and Benedictine College Ca dets, in column of masses in the order named, on McDon-

j2 A History of ike Erection and Dedication of the Monument

ough Street, west of the Monument facing east, head of

column resting on line of curbing west of Square.

c. 1st Infantry N. G. Ga., 1st Battalion 5th Infantry N.

G. Ga., in column of masses in the order named on Hull

Street west of the Monument facing east, head of col

umn resting on line of curbing west of Square.

d. Battalion Coast Artillery Corps N. G. Ga., and Na

val Reserves in line in the order named on Hull Street

facing south, left resting on Bull Street.

e. 1st Battery Field Artillery N. G. Ga. in column of

sections on Hull Street, facing west, head of column rest

ing on Bull Street.

f. 1st Squadron llth Cavalry, Troop A. N. G. Ga., in

column of platoons in the order named on Bull Street, north

of Monument, head of column resting on Hull Street.

3. When the drapery is removed from the Statue, one

long blast will be sounded by bugle at the direction of the

Marshal; each organization will be brought to "Present

Arms," by their respective Commanding Officers; one long

blast following will be the signal for resuming "Order

Arms."

. .;..:. K!

4. The various organizations will be in their places as

indicated in paragraph 2 hereof by 11:15 o'clock A. M.

5. Upon completion of the ceremonies at the Monu

ment the troops will form column of squads and take up the

march south on Bull Street, in the following order :

2nd and 3rd Batt. 17th Infantry, Batt. U. S. Coast Artillery Corps. U. S. Marines, U. S. Sailors,
2nd Infantry, N. G. Ga. 1st Infantry, N. G. Ga. 1st Batt. 5th Infantry, N. G. Ga. Batt. Coast Artillery Corps, N. G. Ga. Naval Reserves, Cadet Corps, University of Georgia, Cadet Corps, Barnesville, Cadet Corps, Benedictine College, 1st Battery Field Artillery N- G. Ga. 1st Squadron, llth U. S. Cavalry, Troop A. N. G. Ga.

The column will turn west on Gaston Street to Barnard Street, then south on Barnard Street.

To General James Edward Oglethorpe.

$3

The troops will then be formed in the Park Extension in line of masses, facing east, right resting on Park Avenue. In forming, organizations will turn east from Barnard Street on the streets indicated below and will take position in the Park Extension in Column of Masses at points which will be indicated to the organization Commanders:
1st Battery and all Cavalry turn east on Hall Street, Na val Reserves and Cadet Organizations turn east on Gwinnett Street,
1st Infantry, N. G. Ga.. turn east on Bolton Street, 2nd Infantry, N. G. Ga., turn east on Waldburg Street, 17th U. S. Infantry, U. S. Coast Artillery Corps, U. S. Marines, and U. S. Sailors turn east on Park Avenue. 6. The troops will be reviewed by the Governors of Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, who will be in au tomobiles on the east side of the Park Extension at the intersection of Bolton and Drayton Streets, at which point the prescribed salute will be rendered. 7. After passing the reviewing officers the column will continue north on Drayton Street and each organization will stand dismissed after passing Hall Street. No or ganization will be halted until it has cleared the column.

JOHN P. WISSER, Colonel, Coast Artillery Corps, Marshal,

Official :

EDWARD T. WEISEL, 1st Lieutenant, C. A. C, Adjutant.

The United States Regulars were encamped at Thirtyfirst street, and Waters Road. The camp was named by Col. Wisser Camp Alexander R. Lawton, in honor of the late Gen. Alexander R. Lawton, of Savannah.