Fort Frederica

Fort Frederica N a t i o n a l Park Service U.S. D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e I n t e r i o r Fort Frederica N a t i o n a l M o n u m e n t Georgia A Military Town on the Colonial Georgia Frontier Defending Utopia The ruins o f o l d Frederica r e m i n d us o f t h e g r i m struggle f o r e m p i r e in t h e southeast m o r e t h a n 250 years a g o . The m a i n contenders w e r e those ancient rivals, Spain and Great Britain. They b o t h claimed t h e land b e t w e e n St. A u g u s t i n e a n d Charleston. But Spain was a w a n i n g p o w e r in this p a r t o f N o r t h America w h i l e Great Britain was e m b a r k e d u p o n a vast e m p i r e stretching f r o m M a i n e t o Carolina. As a b u f f e r a l o n g its southern frontier, Britain p l a n t e d t h e colony of G e o r g i a — t h e last o f t h e o r i g i n a l t h i r t e e n and t h e first since t h e f o u n d i n g of Pennsylvania by Quakers half a century earlier—in t h e t e r r i t o r y b e l o w t h e Carolinas. The colony sprang as much f r o m a spirit o f benevolence as f r o m t h e realities of imperial politics. Like t h e Quaker v e n t u r e , Georgia was an experiment in idealism. In t h e 1720s England had been s w e p t by a w a v e of s e n t i m e n t t o remedy t h e p l i g h t o f thousands o f p o o r people d r i f t i n g w i t h o u t jobs or languishing in d e b t o r s ' j a i l . To salvage these " w o r t h y poor," a number of p r o m i nent English citizens—among t h e m James Oglet h o r p e , a soldier and politician concerned w i t h James Edward Oglethorpe, a man of vision, compassion, and vast energy, was the founder and leader of the Georgia colony during its first decade. Under his guidance, the colony welcomed immigrants of diverse religious views and national origins, banned slavery and rum, and successfully resisted Spanish attack. OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY the welfare of both the poor and the empire— p e t i t i o n e d t h e C r o w n f o r a g r a n t of land south of t h e Savannah River. The government welcomed this enterprise, seeing it as a w a y t o h o l d t h e Spanish in check w h i l e relieving social distress at h o m e . In 1732 George II g r a n t e d t o a board of Trustees all t h e land b e t w e e n t h e Savannah and Altamaha rivers and west f r o m t h e i r headwaters t o t h e Pacific—a tract larger t h a n Britain itself. English people of all classes rallied t o t h e idea o f this n e w U t o p i a in t h e A m e r i c a n wilderness. M o n e y p o u r e d i n , public and private, and t h e first shipload of 114 people d e p a r t e d u n d e r t h e leadership of Oglethorpe. Reaching Georgia in January 1733, t h e y m a d e t h e i r w a y up t h e Savannah River 18 miles t o t h e i r n e w h o m e . Spurred by t h e energetic O g l e t h o r p e — w h o was e v e r y w h e r e " b u i l d i n g t h e T o w n , Keeping peace, laying o u t land, Supplying t h e Stores w i t h p r o - vision, e n c o u r a g i n g t h e f a i n t h e a r t e d & c " — a n orderly t o w n t h a t t o o k t h e name Savannah rose o n t h e bluffs. Oglethorpe got along well with the local Yuchi, Yamacraw, and Creek Indians. Their trade was important to the first settlers, and in the cam- ILLUSTRATIONS NPS/L KENNETH T O W N S E N D During the troubles with Spain, Frederica was defended by t w o companies of redcoats: Oglethorpe's o w n regiment (carried on the rolls as the 42d Regiment of Foot) and the Highland paigns against Spain, they f o u g h t alongside the British. A German settler from Salzburg sketched this Indian couple in 1736. Independent Company, stationed at Darien, a Scottish settlement on the Altamaha River, and at Fort St. Simons. At left are a Highlander private and a grenadier sergeant of the 42d. War and Decline < A A Settlement was one of Oglethorpe's purposes; a n o t h e r was defense against t h e Spanish. In 1734 he sailed d o w n t h e coast l o o k i n g f o r strategic points t o f o r t i f y . He f o u n d a likely site on a sea island just b e l o w t h e m o u t h o f t h e A l t a m a h a . This was St. Simons, an island thick w i t h live oaks d r a p e d in moss, w i t h g o o d w a t e r a n d a f e r t i l e upland. Two years later he r e t u r n e d w i t h t h e first settlers, 44 m e n (mostly skilled workers) and 72 w o m e n and children, and laid o u t a m i l i t a r y t o w n o n a b l u f f o v e r l o o k i n g a sharp b e n d o n t h e inland passage up t h e coast. He n a m e d t h e t o w n f o r Frederick, t h e king's only son. It came t o be Oglethorpe's f a v o r i t e t o w n in Georgia. Spain saw t h e Georgia settlements as a t h r e a t t o its interests in Florida. Spoiling f o r a f i g h t , O g l e t h o r p e r e t u r n e d t o England in 1737 t o raise t r o o p s f o r t h e w a r he k n e w was c o m i n g . A year later he was back in Georgia at t h e head o f a 630-rnan r e g i m e n t o f British regulars, styled t h e 42d Regiment o f Foot (Oglethorpe's). It was f o r m e d f r o m a f e w h u n d r e d t r o o p s f r o m Gibraltar and most of t h e privates o f a s t a n d i n g regim e n t in England, t h e 25th Foot. o o I < | 5 t The r e g i m e n t was composed of e i g h t companies of i n f a n t r y a n d one o f grenadiers. They carried t h e l o n g m u s k e t — t h e f a m o u s " B r o w n Bess"— and t h e i n f a n t r y s w o r d . The elite t r o o p s of t h e r e g i m e n t w e r e t h e grenade-carrying grenadiers, w h o w e r e picked f o r t h e i r size a n d skill in c o m bat. These t r o o p s O g l e t h o r p e garrisoned mostly at Frederica and a n e w f o r t , Fort St. Simons, b u i l t o n t h e south end of t h e island. The first settlers at Frederica lived for several months in crude palmetto huts. The settlers' first task was t o b u i l d a f o r t . Under Oglethorpe's direction, they soon raised an earthen w o r k whose design reflected t h e classical ideas of t h e 17th-century French military engineer Vauban. Over t h e next several years O g l e t h o r p e t r a n s f o r m e d this w o r k a n d t h e t o w n itself i n t o a f o r m i d a b l e position. Frederica is d e f e n d e d , said a visitor in 1745, " b y a p r e t t y strong Fort of Tappy, w h i c h has several 18 Pounders m o u n t e d on a Ravelin in its Front, and commands t h e River b o t h u p w a r d s a n d d o w n w a r d s ; a n d is s u r r o u n d ed by a q u a d r a n g u l a r Rampart, w i t h 4 bastions, of Earth w e l l stockaded and t u r f e d , and a palisadoed D i t c h . " Behind t h e f o r t , o n a f i e l d p l a n t e d in corn by t h e Indians, O g l e t h o r p e staked o u t 84 lots, most of t h e m measuring 60 f e e t by 90. Each f a m i l y received a lot f o r b u i l d i n g a n d 50 acres in t h e c o u n t r y f o r crops. The first d w e l l i n g s w e r e palm e t t o huts, b u t these w e r e eventually replaced by houses built of w o o d , t a b b y (a crude concrete made of b u r n t oyster shells), a n d brick in t h e prevailing Georgian style. The m a i n road was Broad Street, 75 f e e t w i d e a n d shaded by o r a n g e trees. It ran f r o m t h e f o r t t o t h e t o w n gates. Frederica's artisans i n cluded a blacksmith, whose shop s t o o d w i t h i n t h e fort's n o r t h bastion, a " w h e e l w r i g h t , and a public baker, w h o m O g l e t h o r p e b r o u g h t over as an i n d e n t u r e d servant. Except t h a t it lacked a church spire, Frederica in t h e 1740s m i g h t have passed f o r a village in t h e English midlands. The p o p u l a t i o n reached a b o u t 500, a n d t h e t o w n t o o k o n an air of permanency. Tradespeople and skilled w o r k e r s prospered. Farmers g r e w crops in t h e s u r r o u n d ing fields, doing t h e w o r k themselves, f o r slavery was b a n n e d in t h e colony. Most families supplemented their diet w j t h the abundant game of t h e region, shooting almost anything t h a t moved. ILLUSTRATION NPS/L KENNETH T O W N S E N D The Hawkins-Davison Houses The families w h o lived in these houses (above) were among the first settlers of Frederica. Dr. Thomas Hawkins and his wife, Beatre, lived in the house on the right. He was the regimental surgeon, t o w n physician and apothecary, and an officer of the court— positions t h a t gave him a sizable income. Their neighbors were Samuel Davison and his wife, Susanna. Industrious and well liked in t o w n , he was a tavern keeper, t o w n constable, and ship inspector. This tableware and wine bottle are a f e w of the many domestic artifacts unearthed at Frederica. The Battle of Bloody Marsh After repelling Oglethorpe at the gates of St. Augustine, the Spanish gathered an armada and in June 1742 sailed north to invade the English colonies and regain lands they considered rightfully theirs. Oglethorpe faced this threat with no support from either the Carolinians or London. Rounding up Indians, militia, and Scottish Highlanders to go with his regulars, the resourceful commander was tireless in preparing his defenses. Altogether, he had about 900 men but faced twice that number. The Spanish commander was Manuel de Montiano, governor of Florida. His objective was to destroy Frederica and lay waste the coast as far north as Port Royal, South Carolina. After capturing that town, he planned to strike at the English plantation system by freeing the slaves in the surrounding countryside. In early July his ships ran by the guns of Fort St. Simons and landed troops a few miles up the inland passage. Outflanked, In 1739 w a r broke o u t b e t w e e n Britain and Spain over t h e slave t r a d e . Fighting r a n g e d over t h e Caribbean and up t h e Georgia coast t o Frederica. Expecting a Spanish attack, O g l e t h o r p e enclosed t h e t o w n w i t h i n an earthen w a l l and a palisaded m o a t , 10 f e e t w i d e and f e d by t h e river. Not one t o w a i t passively f o r t h e enemy t o strike, t h e aggressive O g l e t h o r p e set o u t in early 1740 t o capture St. Augustine. Taking some 900 troops a n d 1,100 Indian allies, he laid siege t o t h e Spanish t o w n b u t could n o t breach its defenses. By mid-summer, his plans awry, t h e f r u s t r a t e d O g l e t h o r p e was back in Frederica. Oglethorpe pulled back to Frederica. On July 7 about 200 Spaniards advanced up the military road connecting the two forts. Oglethorpe routed this column with a fierce attack. When Montiano learned of this repulse, he sent several hundred men forward to cover the retreat. Several miles along the road these troops ran into a British ambush posted "in a Wood with a large... Meadow in their Front." In a battle in which the marshes ran red with blood, the British routed this force too with a galling musket fire. Within a week Montiano's army evacuated St. Simons and returned to Florida, ending the last Spanish threat to Georgia. The initiative n o w passed t o t h e Spanish. Collecting 50 sailing vessels and an army of 2,000 m e n , t h e y descended o n Oglethorpe's t r o u b l e some salient in early July 1742. A c o l u m n a d vanced t o w i t h i n sight o f Frederica b u t was b e a t e n back by t h e British. This was t h e h i g h w a t e r m a r k o f t h e Spanish invasion. Later t h a t day, Oglethorpe's men ambushed a n o t h e r colu m n at Bloody Marsh a n d w o n a decisive victory. W i t h i n a w e e k t h e dispirited Spanish evacua t e d t h e island as O g l e t h o r p e p r o c l a i m e d a day o f t h a n k s g i v i n g f o r this deliverance. Born of war, Frederica expired w i t h t h e c o m i n g o f peace. O g l e t h o r p e himself, after one m o r e f o r a y against Spanish Florida, sailed t o England f o r t h e last t i m e in 1743, and his r e g i m e n t was disbanded in 1749. W i t h o u t t h e m o n e y b r o u g h t by t h e several h u n d r e d soldiers, t h e shopkeepers, tradespeople and t h e t o w n could hardly prosper. By 1755 Frederica presented a picture, as a visit o r p u t it, of "houses w i t h o u t i n h a b i t a n t s , barracks w i t h o u t soldiers, guns w i t h o u t carriages, and streets o v e r g r o w n w i t h w e e d s . " T h o u g h t h e t o w n h u n g o n a f e w years longer, even surviving a fire in 1758, it had o u t l i v e d its purpose and fell i n t o r u i n . Fort Frederica in 1742 Lost to time and a wandering river, Frederica today barely resembles the extensive military town that once flourished here. Between 1736 and 1749 the fort and its regimental garrison were the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. In this conjectural illustration, artist L. Kenneth Townsend portrays Frederica in the pivotal year 1742 when Oglethorpe's troops defeated Spanish troops at Bloody Marsh. Frederica Today Like Savannah, Frederica was a planned town, built by the "worthy poor" transplanted here by Oglethorpe and his fellow Trustees. It was a thoroughly English town, with spacious streets and substantial houses built in the Georgian style. An admiring traveler described the scene for the London Magazine in 1745: "Some houses are built entirely of brick, some of brick and wood, some few of tabby work; but most of the meaner sort of wood only." Of all his settlements in Georgia, Oglethorpe liked this one best. He was fond of the town's military air and proud of his troops, who "made as fine an appearance upon the parade as any Regiment in the King's service." His own home—a cottage standing amid a grove of live oaks with a garden and orchard nearby—seemed to a visitor like "a neat country village where the consequences of all the various industries of an European farm may be seen." For a Safe Visit • Lightning storms are dangerous. Seek shelter in the visitor center or your car but not under trees. • Watch your step near the riverbank; the water is swift and deep. • Don't climb on the fort or cannon. • Parents should keep a careful watch on small children. Spanish attack. W o r m sloe State Historic Site on the Isle of Hope near Savannah preserves the ruins of an extraordinary plantation built 173945. The fortified home of Noble Jones, one of Georgia's first settlers, stood on this site. At Fort Morris State Historic Site, 40 miles south of Savannah, are the remains of a once-prosperous port city and an earthen work captured by the British in the Revolutionary War. relating to the British occupation of Florida f r o m 1763 t o 1784. Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas national monuments in St. Augustine remind us that Spain also claimed the land on which Frederica stood and was willing to f i g h t for it. Several NPS sites in Florida also figure in Frederica's story. Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, in Jacksonville, preserves areas www.nps.gov/fofr Touring the Park ILLUSTRATION NPS/L. KENNETH TOWNSEND The park is on St. Simons Island, 12 miles f r o m Brunswick, Ga., and can be reached via U.S. 17 and the F. J. Torras (Brunswick-St. Simons) Causeway. There are no camping facilities at the park. Hours are 8 a.m. t o 5 p.m. Bloody Marsh Battle Site, a detatched unit of the park, is six miles south of Frederica. Nearby are the remains of Fort St. Simons, built on the south end of the island, and the old military road that connected the fort w i t h Frederica. Gully Hole Creek, scene of an earlier skirmish, lies half a mile east of the visitor center. The site is marked by a state historic plaque. Help us protect Frederica Keep in mind that Fort Frederica is an archeological site and the remains here are fragile. Please do not disturb any surviving foundations, bricks, or tabby. Notify a park ranger if you see potsherds or other fragments so that they can be collected and documented to help complete the picture of life here in colonial times. Federal law prohibits digging or using metal detectors within the park. ILLUSTRATION NPS/ROB WOOD Davison houses. The © T h e barracks housed Outside the gate, townsA good way t o see most of the several hunwest half was built by people traded w i t h Frederica is t o browse dred soldiers garrisoned Thomas Hawkins, surlocal Creek and Yuchi t h r o u g h the t o w n site at Frederica. Other solgeon and apothecary, Indians. w i t h this guide in hand. diers lived nearby in and the east half by Sites are marked on the palmetto-thatched huts. tavernkeep and t o w n ©Broad Street divided the map at left. constable Samuel Davit o w n into north and son. They ran their busi- © T h e northeast bastion is south wards. The first © A military road connectnesses on the premises. a remnant of works Ogsettlers planted orange ed Frederica w i t h Fort lethorpe built in 1739 trees along this street, St. Simons, six miles © A tabby fort guarded when invasion threatthinking that in time away on the south end the twisting water apened. He fortified the they would have "a very of the island. More like proach to the t o w n . The t o w n w i t h an earthen pretty effect on the a path cut t h r o u g h a f o r t was square w i t h rampart, a moat six- to view, and render...the forest than a road, it bastions on each corner eight-feet deep, and a t o w n pleasingly shady." crossed marshy ground and separated f r o m the cedar palisade 10 feet on a causeway. British t o w n by a palisade and high. troops marched d o w n © T h e three-story Calwell moat. Inside were a this path t o battle inhouse was the best magazine for guns and © T h e burying ground, of vading Spanish troops dwelling in t o w n . John ammunition, officers' in 1742. Calwell made candles which little is known, quarters, storehouses, and soap here and his lay just east of t o w n . and a forge. A spur batwife kept a shop. © T h e town gate contery, lost long ago to trolled land access t o the river, mounted six Frederica. Soldiers rou- © T w o prominent families or seven cannon. tinely stood guard here. occupied the Hawkins- Related Sites Visit other nearby parks to learn more about colonial Georgia. Fort King George State Historic Site in Darien is a reconstruction of the first British outpost in Georgia. From 1721 t o 1736 It protected the Altamaha River and inner passage from French and More Information Fort Frederica National Monument Route 9, Box 286 C St. Simons Island, GA 31522-9710 912-638-3639 C/GPO:2003—496-196/40539 Reprint 2003 Printed on recycled paper.