Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The University of Georgia

December 13

1858 Gov. Joseph E. Brown signed legislation creating Echols County as Georgia's 132nd county. Created from Clinch and Lowndes counties, the new county was named for Brig. Gen. Robert Echols, a Georgian who died during the Mexican War.

1862 Lawyer and Confederate general Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb died in the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia. Born April 10 1823 on Cherry Hill plantation in Jefferson County, Ga., Cobb and his family moved to Athens when he was young.Cobb attended the University of Georgia, graduating at the top of his class. He was admitted to the bar in 1842 and took the position of reporter for the Georgia Supreme Court. While manning this position hepublished a number of legal works, most notably a Digest of Georgia Laws (1851). Known for his religious zeal as a revivalist, Cobb brought the same intensity of spirit to his demand for better schools -- which he believed should not only educate, but shape the morals of young men and women. To serve the educational needs of young women, he helped establish the Lucy Cobb Institute, named for his late daughter, in 1859. Healso established the Lumpkin Law School at the University of Georgia that same year.

Early on Cobb was a Unionist in his political sentiments, though he vigorously defended slavery. But when Lincoln was elected and secession became inevitable, Cobb joined the chorus calling for separation from the Union. On Nov. 12, 1860, he delivered a powerful speech before the Georgia legislature calling for secession. Elected to the Provincial Congress of the Confederate States of America, he served on the judiciary and printing committees, and the committee which drafted the Confederate Constitution, the original draft of which is thought to be in his handwriting. But Cobb was argumentative and did not get along well with many of the other legislators, not understanding why his suggestions were not immediately implemented. He raised hisown regiment of troops - the Georgia Brigade - and as a colonel led them into battle at Seven Days, Second Manassas, and the Sharpsburg campaign. In October of 1862 he took command of Cobb's Brigade (formerly led by his brother Howell Cobb) and was promoted to brigadier general. He was killed in battle defending a wall at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Cobb is buried in Oconee Hills Cemetery in Athens.

1862 Gov. Joseph E. Brown signed an act appropriating $45,000 to obstruct the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers to prevent Union ships from traveling up those rivers.

1864 This day saw the Union assault on Fort McAllister, which protected the Ogeechee River southwest of Savannah.

1866 Gov. Charles Jenkins signed two interesting acts. One made it unlawful for any person to bathe in any stream or pond of water on Sunday in view of any road leading to a church.The other provided that the entire Okefenokee Swamp be sold with proceeds from the sale used to establish a permanent endowment for the Georgia State Orphan Home. However, because of the depressed conditions in Georgia following the Civil War, the act included a proviso "that said lands ought not not to be put on the market the present year."

1961 In Albany, 70 black protesters were arrested on the second day of the trial of the freedom riders. That night, another 200 protesters were arrested. [Contributed by Dr. Lee Formwalt, Albany State University.]

1989 "Drving Miss Daisy," filmed in Atlanta, was released.

1992 Former governor Ellis Arnall died at age 85. Born in Newnan, Ga. on Mar. 20, 1907, he graduated from the University of the South in 1928 and then graduated first in his class at the University of Georgia law school in 1931. At age 25, Arnall served as Speaker Pro Tem of the Georgia House, and six years later he was state attorney general. In the 1942 governor's race, he defeated incumbent governor Gene Talmadge, being sworn in two months prior to his 36th birthday (making him second youngest governor in Georgia history). Arnall pushed for many reforms to weaken the powers of the governor, such as reducing the governor's power over education and taking away the governor's clemency powers. He pushed many prison reforms, including outlawing use of chains and whipping of prisoners, beginning vocational training of inmates, and segregating young offenders from the general prison population. Arnall also led the fight to outlaw the poll tax and the white primary, and is noted for making Georgia the first state to allow 18-year-olds to vote. He is further remembered for his role in obtaining a new state constitution for Georgia in 1945. Among other accomplishments, he considered perhaps his most important his successful arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge railroad freight rates that discriminated against the South.

1998 Playing in New Orleans, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Saints by a score of 27-17. The win pushed the Falcons to 12-2 for the season -- a new record (that would subsequently be broken) for best start in franchise history. The win also tied the Falcons' record for most wins in a season (first set in 1980 when they went 12-4 for the entire season) -- a record that would also be broken the following week. The win also was the seventh in a row, tying a franchise record set in 1973--a record that would be broken the following week.

Georgia cities and towns first incorporated by acts approved on Dec. 13:

1859 Bowden (Carroll County), Jonesboro (Clayton County), Moultrie (Colquitt County), and Statenville (Echols County)

1866 Tebeauville (Ware County)

1893 Comer (Madison County)

1895 Braswell (Paulding County)
 
 
 
 

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1738 Anglican minister George Whitefield was in England to complete the requirements for ordination as a priest. On this day, he met with the Georgia Trustees and told of conditions back in the colony, as recorded by the Earl of Egmont in his diary:

"Then Mr. Whitfeild, lately arrived from Georgia in order to take priest's orders and then return, was called in; he acquainted us briefly with the state of the Colony, which did not give us entire satisfaction, for he told us the people are many of them lewd, drinkers of rum in spite of our law against it, even to the killing themselves, and generally very lazy; that most of them alleged the cause of their not improving the lands granted to them was the barrenness thereof, and the not allowing females to inherit, and that the disappointment of last year's crop by the want of rain had discouraged many who are industrious. That many who had servants of their own lived by hiring them out to others, the profit of whose labour they took to themselves and had spent, neglecting to employ them on their lands, and when the servants' time is out, these men must leave the Colony for want of means to hire new ones, their lands, as has been said, being untilled and waste. And that the servants themselves, when free, do leave the Colony, though they have a title to lands, because they have not any money to cultivate those lands oar ability to hire servants, without whose help they are not able singly to do it.

"That, nevertheless, some are industrious, and very many religiously disposed, he having had at Savannah crowded churches, and at morning and evening prayers near two hundred persons. That the children's schools are well frequented and carefully conducted by the schoolmasters; that at his arrival in Savannah he told Mr. Causton, our chief magistrate, that was resolved not to intermeddle at all in civil affairs, upon which Mr. Causton said, then he would not intermeddle in ecclesiastical affairs. That he was very fond of his duty there and the people loved him, and he would return again, in case certain propositions delivered by him in writing were complied with by the Trustees, otherwise that would remain in England, where he hoped to be able to do more good than he could do in Georgia unless those conditions were complied with. He then told us of the admirable harmony, industry, neatness and piety of the Saltsburgers at Ebenezer. . . ."

Source: Source: U.K. Historical Manuscripts Commission, Diary of the First Earl of Egmont (London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1923), Vol. II, p. 512.

1863 Atlanta merchant recorded in his journal the discipline of a female house slave and an interesting comment on the Civil War:

"I forgot to say that yesterday I had to whip our woman Caroline for insubordination and impudence to her mistress. I am disgusted with negroes and feel inclined to sell what I have. I wish they were all back in Africa, or Yankee Land. To think too that this cruel war should be waged for them!

Source: Franklin M. Garrett, Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of its People and Events (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1969 reprint of 1954 original volume), p. 557.

1864 Maj. Henry Hitchcock, Sherman's secretary, recorded in his diary the following account of the fall of Fort McAllister:

"Tonight Col. Ewing brought back from beyond the Ogeechee River the glorious news that today at 41/2 P.M. the 2d Division, 15th Army Corps, under General Hazen (Sherman's old division, formerly the 5th Division of the Army of Tennessee) assaulted and carried Fort McAllister, a strong rebel fort on west bank of Ogeechee River, the obstacle to our communication with the fleet below.Gen. Sherman, Gen. Howard, Gen. Giles A. Smith and divers other officers including several of our staff -- unhappily not including myself -- saw the charge and capture from the roof of a mill three miles distant."

Source: M.A. DeWolfe Howe (ed.), Marching with Sherman: Passages from the Letters and Campaign Diaries of Henry Hitchcock, Major and assistant Adjutant General of Volunteers, November 1864-May 1865 (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1995), pp. 172-173.

1864 Sherman watched the Union capture of Fort McAllister from a roof top. Here is his description of the battle:

"About 2 p.m. we observed signs of commotion in the fort and noticed one or two guns fired inland and some musket-skirmishing in the woods close by. This betokened the approach of Hazen's division, which had been anxiously expected, and soon thereafter the signal-officer discovered about three miles above the fort a signal-flag, with which he conversed, and found it belonged to General Hazen, who was preparing to assault the fort and wanted to know if I were there. On being assured of this fact and that I expected the fort to be carried before night, I received by signal the assurance of General Hazen that he was making his preparations and would soon attempt the assault. The sun was rapidly declining, and Was dreadfully impatient. At that very moment someone discovered a faint cloud of smoke and an object gliding, as it were,along the horizon above the tops of the sedge toward the sea, which little by little grew till it was pronounced to be the smoke-stack of a steamer coming up the river. . . . Soon the flag of the United States was plainly visible, and our attention was divided between this approaching steamer and the expected assault. When the sun was about an hour high, another signal-message came from General Hazen that he was all ready, and I replied to go ahead, as a friendly steamer was approaching from below. Soon we made out a group of officers on the deck of this vessel, signaling with a flag, 'Who are you?' The answer went back promptly, 'General Sherman.' Then followed the question 'Is Fort McAllister taken?' 'Not yet, but it will be in a minute!' Almost at that instant of time, we saw Hazen's troops come out of the dark fringe of woods that encompassed the fort, the lines dressed as on parade, with colors flying, and moving forward with quick, steady pace. Fort McAllister was then all alive, its big guns belching forth dense clouds of smoke, which soon enveloped our approaching lines. One color went down, but was up in a moment. As the lines advance, faintly seen in the white sulphurous smoke, there was a pause, a cessation of fire; the smoke cleared away, and the parapets were blue with our men, who fired their muskets in the air and shouted so that we actually heard them, or felt we did. Fort McAllister was taken, and the good news was instantly sent by the signal-officer to our navy friends on the approaching gunboat . . . ."

Source: Mills Lane (ed.), Marching Through Georgia: William T. Sherman's Personal Narrative of His March Through Georgia (New York: Arno Press, 1978), p. 161.

January / February / March / April / May / June / July / August / September / October / November / December
 
 
 
 

© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

If you have a date related to Georgia history or people that ought to be included, or if know of entries that should be corrected, send a note to Ed Jackson or Charles Pou.

Go to Yahoo/The History Channel's "This Day in History" page for Dec. 13

Go to Georgia History page