Revolutionary Reader: Reminiscences and Indian LegendsFoster, Sophie Lee
History
Revolutionary Reader: Reminiscences and Indian Legends
Foster, Sophie Lee
Georgia -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783; Indians of North America; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Anecdotes
The state was full of widows and orphans, fully one half of all the
available property of her people was swept away, the fields were
uncultivated, and there was no money to repair losses. Her boundaries
were not well defined, and large tracts of land in her limits were
still held by the Indians. Truly, the condition of Georgia was
deplorable!
But there was no repining, for the patriots, rejoicing in their
liberty, cheerfully set to work to lay the foundations of future
prosperity. Gladly they had given their all as the price of
Liberty!--_Etowah Chapter._
FORT RUTLEDGE OF THE REVOLUTION.
BY MRS. P. H. MELL.
When the Calhoun plantation (in South Carolina), upon which Clemson
College is now located, was purchased in 1826, it was called "Clergy
Hall." It received this name because the original mansion was built by
the Rev. James McIlhenny who resided there with his son-in-law, the
Rev. James Murphy. An old Revolutionary fort known in history as Fort
Rutledge was upon this estate, crowning a hill overlooking the Seneca
River and when Mr. Calhoun took possession of the place, he changed its
name to "Fort Hill." Although fifty years had elapsed since the fort
was built and doubtless there were few remains of it to be seen at that
time, still many were living who remembered it well, and the hill upon
which it stood was known from the earliest settlement of the country by
the name of "Fort Hill."
One of the most beautiful drives on the Clemson property is the road to
Fort Rutledge which is about a mile from the college. This road winds
through rich cornfields of bottom land; it then rises gently to the
top of a long level ridge which slopes precipitously down to the fields
on one hand and the Seneca River on the other; trees and shrubs thickly
clothe the sides of this ridge and beautiful and extended views can be
seen in every direction. Looking to the east, Clemson College, seated
upon an opposite hill, with its many buildings and the dwellings of the
community presents an ideal picture of loveliness; on the north, the
Blue Ridge mountains, forty miles away, are clearly seen with several
lofty ranges; to the west and south, the eye follows the river winding
through smiling valleys, the cultivated fields green with promise which
is always fulfilled.
This boldly commanding ridge, overlooking the surrounding country, was
well adapted for an outlook during the conflicts between the Indians
and the early settlers. The Seneca Indians had one of their largest
towns on the river at the base of the hill, extending for four miles
on both sides, the hundreds of acres of inexhaustible bottom land
supplying them bountifully with corn even with the crudest methods of
cultivation.
Nothing remains of the old fort to-day but the abandoned well, which
has been filled and is marked by a tangled growth of weeds and shrubs,
and the cellar of the old lookout tower or five sided bastion; this is
faced with brick and the shape can be seen distinctly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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